Chapter 196
Chapter 196
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 196
Chapter Title: Meteor Descent
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The sky turned red.
The surrounding air grew hot and dry, as if they'd been dropped into the middle of a desert at midday.
Trees withered and twisted. Flames roared as trees began to ignite, unable to withstand the inferno-like weather.
Male and Nore could hear it in their ears.
The forest spirits were crying out in agony.
"What the hell..."
Male and Nore looked up at the sky and despaired.
Something was descending, slicing through the red sky and clouds.
A spell powerful enough to obliterate entire mountains and cities.
Meteor.
The meteor summoned by Hylz was plummeting down from above.
"You think you'll be fine if that thing hits?!"
"You trying to take us all down with you?!"
Hylz shrugged at Male and Nore's protests.
"As if. You think I'm crazy?"
"Then what the hell..."
"Do you have any idea how many spells I can cast at once?"
The two stared at her in stunned shock at her question.
The number of spells a grand mage could unleash simultaneously. And this was just one of the countless spells she commanded.
"Well, bye~"
Twang-.
Whoosh-.
Hylz flicked her staff into the air, and she and the red dragon vanished without a trace.
And right after.
Rooooar-!
The meteor crashed into the ground.
Rumble rumble-.
The mountain vanished without a trace.
There was no escaping it. All that remained in the impact zone were unrecognizable, pulverized corpses of participants and scorched bloodstains.
Hylz watched the scene from afar, mounted on her red dragon.
The other participants, viewing the same sight through their screens, were newly awed by the grandeur of a grand mage.
"Meteor, huh..."
"If that drops in a guild war, it's game over."
She'd summoned a meteor with just a few minutes of prep.
And she'd layered it with barriers and teleportation on top.
In battles against groups, a grand mage's firepower surpassed even that of a Heavenly Demon.
If only a Heavenly Demon could rival a grand mage, then likewise, only a Heavenly Demon could challenge one.
'No joke.'
Even Soo-hyuk, watching the match via screen, was taken aback.
No matter how large the screen, it couldn't compare to the real thing.
Yet even through it, the sheer power of this player named Hylz sent chills down his spine.
'Twenty years...'
The void of those twenty years hit him anew.
This era's players were undeniably stronger than before.
Not just Hylz—the twin mages Male and Nore were top-tier as well.
If Lee Soo-hyuk returned in this age, could he stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Hylz?
He could see why some dismissed him as a relic of the past. The times were changing.
"Ended anticlimactically."
Jaun-yeop, watching beside him, clicked his tongue.
"Guess only a Heavenly Demon can take on a grand mage..."
It was his turn at last.
Not quite on a grand mage's level, but Heavenly Thunder Sword Jaun-yeop was a well-respected high-ranker in Murim.
He glanced briefly at Soo-hyuk, then shook his head.
"Not him. I'll pick over there."
He pointed at a seemingly safe opponent.
A wise choice.
He didn't need the fame anyway, and Murim wasn't gunning for the win in this showdown.
Besides, with the grand mage's next match looming, any victory against multiples would look lackluster no matter the numbers.
"Boom! How was it?"
As Jaun-yeop's match began, Hylz returned.
She sidled up to Soo-hyuk, flashing a confident grin at the viewers.
"I went all out with something flashy on purpose. Entertaining, right?"
It wasn't originally meant to be a Meteor match.
But Hylz had unleashed her strongest spell in her debut to honor her promise to the viewers.
The reaction was explosive, naturally.
A new viewer to Soo-hyuk's stream today had dropped a massive sponsorship.
"Thanks for the 10,000 points from GrandMageCrusher. Says no regrets even if they die?"
"Whoa, no dying allowed. Live long and prosper~"
"Odds at 1.02x, though..."
"Higher than last year. More opponents this time?"
Hylz kept the stream flowing smoothly.
Thanks to her, viewers poured in. They'd wondered how to kill time until their turns, but she made it effortless.
Matches continued one after another.
Most participants picked one opponent. Advancing to the next round was priority one.
And then, while watching,
Soo-hyuk's turn finally arrived.
270,000 viewers.
Excluding official channels, that was huge for this showdown content.
Most were there for the grand mage, not Soo-hyuk. Fans of the reclusive grand mage had flocked to see her.
"Insane. Look at those sub gains!"
Cheongryang beamed during her call with team lead John Tail.
"Collab with the grand mage? We'll hit 300k any minute now."
"Beats me. Oh? 280k!"
Cheongryang checked incoming emails in real-time while on Kit with him.
Advertisers eyeing a bridge to the grand mage. Their offers piled up live.
"Articles popping up in real-time too..."
The first was Big Mouth's, quick as always.
He'd connected with Soo-hyuk yesterday and was now speculating on his ties to the grand mage.
And it didn't stop there.
He was clearly itching for it.
"All about the grand mage."
Unhyang's voice dripped with dissatisfaction.
"Is this Soo-hyuk's stream or her casual chat?"
"More viewers is good, right?"
"...Still sucks."
While everyone fawned over the grand mage, Unhyang's focus was solely on Soo-hyuk.
Unlike John Tail and Cheongryang celebrating the boom, she couldn't just smile.
"They don't even care about Soo-hyuk."
"Well... she's the big shadow."
Cheongryang stated the obvious, eyes on the rising count.
"Why not hop on stream yourself? Murim prodigy Unhyang debuting as Lee Soo-hyuk's manager."
"...Me?"
"Yeah. You're hot, skilled—total star potential. Team lead's been pushing you to stream forever."
"You nuts? Me, streaming?"
John Tail egged her on for that; Cheongryang had always opposed.
One reason.
"Hiding's blown already, no?"
Streaming would let Shinryeongseong pinpoint her.
But that ship had sailed. They'd found her; they could strike anytime.
"And you're not planning to hide again anyway."
"......"
"Knew it."
Cheongryang sighed.
Deep down, he wanted her away from Soo-hyuk.
Streamers inevitably exposed their locations. Soo-hyuk would keep streaming; she'd end up exposed too.
"Best way to protect you now is the opposite."
To stream.
To gain fame.
That was how she'd shield herself.
"Even Shinryeongseong can't break Tower law. Famous streamers get public eye and protection."
"Use viewers as your shield?"
"What's wrong with that? Better than using your body as bait. Gotta do something to keep you safe!"
Cheongryang's voice rose.
Unhyang paused at his uncharacteristic heat, then shook her head.
"Nah. No streaming."
"Girl, not the time for stubbornness..."
"But helping Soo-hyuk's stream sounds good. Maybe guest later?"
She grinned wide.
Cheongryang shot up from his seat.
"Fine, do whatever."
"Why so mad?"
"Obsessed with that fake-ass money-grubber Lee Soo-hyuk over your own life. Happy playing manager to a knockoff? That good?"
His words had thorns.
Uncharacteristic bite.
Normally she'd worry something was up, but he'd struck her sore spot.
"...Why trash Soo-hyuk here?"
"So is that Lee Soo-hyuk a fake or the real deal?"
"Take it back."
"Punch me like old times. No take-backs."
He shoved his face forward, daring her.
Unhyang trembled, fist clenched but held back. Cheongryang muttered finally.
"Tch, retarded fan-girl..."
Thwack-!
Her fist finally cracked his forehead.
Just a flick. She turned away, eyes brimming, refusing to look.
She distanced herself from him.
Confirming it, Cheongryang whispered.
"...She's gone."
Quiet voice.
Someone sidled right up beside him.
"Sure about letting her go?"
"You know. Only way to pry her off me."
"Might never see her again."
His heart sank.
He knew it already.
But hearing it aloud was different.
To shake the dread, Cheongryang checked his Kit screen.
"Well, when the time comes..."
Soo-hyuk's stream was still up, though he'd barely watched amid the fight.
Soo-hyuk was picking his opponent.
Cheongryang's eyes went wide at the follow-up.
Any other time, he'd freak out at the madness.
But now? Those words felt like solid bedrock.
"...Our money-grubbing fake will handle it."