Chapter 198
Chapter 198
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 198
Chapter Title: So It Was You
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"Do you really think we can convince that guy?"
Amid the crowd watching the showdown.
Ye-ryeong and Si-woo were conversing with their surroundings blocked out.
"It'll be tough... but not impossible."
The two had come here to persuade the Heavenly Demon.
If they could get his help, what they wanted would become much easier.
And this showdown was the perfect stage to convince him.
"He already turned us down, though?"
"No. Things might be different this time."
"Why?"
"Because Kim Il-su attacked him first. He might have changed his mind."
The Heavenly Demon was the only one who knew they were still alive.
"More than that... he's the one who saved our lives."
"That's exactly where things end between him and us."
"I know. But isn't it worth a shot?"
Give it a poke and see. If it doesn't work, no harm done.
But if it hooks him, jackpot. That's why they'd made the long trip.
Unlike Si-woo, who was full of anticipation, Ye-ryeong seemed somewhat dissatisfied.
She had little interest in the Heavenly Demon, or even in the showdown—the tower's biggest festival.
Instead, her attention drifted somewhere completely unexpected.
"Huh? Her..."
Far off, she spotted someone swiftly scaling between buildings.
The distance was great, but recognizing the face was easy.
Plus, she was one of the few people Ye-ryeong had recently spoken to.
"Unhyang?"
"Unhyang? The manager you met at that tournament?"
"Yeah. She was heading somewhere in a hurry."
As an event like the showdown, Lee Soo-hyuk would surely be here too. It wasn't strange for his manager, Unhyang, to be with him.
But what bothered Ye-ryeong was something else.
'Was she crying?'
For some reason, it tugged at her heart.
Not just because she was Lee Soo-hyuk's manager.
"She's the successor to the Divine Lotus Castle."
After meeting Unhyang, Ye-ryeong and Si-woo had looked into her background.
Nothing special about it.
They'd just paid a fortune on the dark web and requested a background check using the name Unhyang and her status as Lee Soo-hyuk's manager.
That's how they'd learned she was the daughter of the Divine Lotus Castle Lord.
"Getting too involved won't end well. A girl like that working as a mere manager means she's got a complicated story."
"Really? Sounds fun to me."
"...You're gonna go anyway, even if I try to stop you?"
"Of course."
Ye-ryeong nodded and started walking.
Si-woo didn't bother stopping her. He believed their identities wouldn't be exposed.
And so, Unhyang and Ye-ryeong met for the second time.
"I see... so that's how it was."
After hearing Unhyang out, Ye-ryeong nodded.
"Your friend said some harsh things. Whatever it is, if it's not bad, you should support what your friend likes."
"Right? You think so too, sis?"
"Of course. Where is she now? Want me to give her a smack?"
"I already did that earlier."
"Good job."
Ye-ryeong and Unhyang clicked right away. After venting, Unhyang felt a bit relieved, lighter than before.
'This girl's the daughter of the Divine Lotus Castle Lord?'
Divine Lotus Castle Lord Un Cheon-geuk.
She'd seen him a few times. Once at the showdown, and once elsewhere.
It was hard to believe they were father and daughter. They were so different.
'She seems nice, though...'
Meanwhile, Unhyang observed Ye-ryeong in her own way.
The woman who approached as "Ye-jeong."
She couldn't get a read on her at all.
'Not an ordinary person.'
She was a player with skills surpassing her own. Unhyang hadn't realized it at first, but now it was clear.
More than that, what bugged Unhyang was her connection to Soo-hyuk.
Soo-hyuk had desperately searched for her.
He'd brushed it off as the wrong person, but his eyes told a different story.
And if it really wasn't her, who had he mistaken her for? That piqued her curiosity too.
Why had Soo-hyuk been looking for her?
"...I told him about you."
The words slipped out impulsively.
"Me? To whom?"
"Who else? Our streamer."
"To streamer Lee Soo-hyuk?"
Ye-ryeong's pupils trembled faintly.
Unhyang nodded, thinking as expected.
"Yeah. Then he started looking for you desperately."
"Me? How did he know?"
"No idea. Later he said it was a mistake, but it sounded like an excuse..."
Unhyang trailed off, then cut to the chase with a whatever attitude.
"Wanna meet him sometime if you get the chance? He said you're a fan too."
"...Streamer Lee Soo-hyuk?"
Ye-ryeong fell into thought.
'This is dangerous.'
Truth be told, even meeting Unhyang like this was something she shouldn't be doing.
Hyo-min's life was on the line. The moment they showed themselves, Kim Il-su would mercilessly take her life.
That's why Ye-ryeong and Si-woo had to stay hidden.
But.
"...Sure, let's do it."
Not right now, but someday.
"It's not like my face will wear out from meeting him. It'll be good for me."
Streamer Lee Soo-hyuk was someone she desperately wanted to meet one day.
As long as they were still alive then.
"Really? Promise?"
"Yeah, I said I would."
"Soo-hyuk will be thrilled too."
And then, she might learn what their relationship really was.
Unhyang beamed and pulled out the kit she'd tucked in her pocket.
"Wanna watch the stream together then? I was gonna monitor it anyway."
"Right, your main job is manager, huh? Were you slacking off?"
"Kinda turned out that way."
Unhyang chuckled playfully and logged back into Soo-hyuk's channel.
Ye-ryeong sat beside her, focusing on the kit's screen.
The broadcast screen they tuned into.
"Huh?"
Ye-ryeong stared in bewilderment at the Heavenly Demon, Jin Ha-ryeong, floating on screen.
"What... is this situation?"
Unhyang had no response.
She froze in place, her face draining of color.
Czzzt, crrrackle—.
He could feel lightning rampaging relentlessly inside his body.
His flesh and muscles screamed. They might burn up like this.
Soo-hyuk had cranked the output from the start to that extent. The enemy before him was the Heavenly Demon, not someone he could fight half-heartedly.
Flash—.
Soo-hyuk vanished from his spot.
The next instant, he reappeared above Jin Ha-ryeong's head.
Kaboom—!
Like a thunderbolt striking, a sword plunged down.
Jin Ha-ryeong's sword blocked Soo-hyuk's, and then Soo-hyuk's dance began.
Kaboom, krrrrumble—!
Flash—.
Thunder roared without cease. Each strike unleashed maximum output.
'I can control it.'
Though he kept ramping up the output, the strain on his body wasn't as bad as feared.
Thanks to the level 10 Selfish Sacrifice skill effect.
'Crank it higher.'
Tzzzzzt—!
Ow—.
The output spiked so high it stung.
With it, Soo-hyuk's eyes flashed.
Kaboom—!
The sword gleamed as if to bisect Jin Ha-ryeong's body.
For a split second, Soo-hyuk's vision showed Jin Ha-ryeong's body splitting in half.
-Whoa?
-He got him;;
-No way, with this???
It looked like it connected, but it was an illusion. No, the fact that it even looked that way showed the gap between Soo-hyuk and Jin Ha-ryeong.
Unlike what his eyes saw, his hands felt nothing. Instead, Soo-hyuk sensed a chilling crisis.
Crackle—.
He hurriedly kicked off to create distance.
The image of Jin Ha-ryeong he'd just slashed vanished like a mirage, replaced by a single broken sword standing upright.
"Done showing off?"
The voice came right from behind.
He sensed the presence only afterward.
In that moment, Soo-hyuk was certain: if Jin Ha-ryeong had wanted, he could have killed him.
'It was all in the palm of his hand.'
He slowly turned to face Jin Ha-ryeong.
The man was expecting something.
It wasn't hard to guess what.
'You're the same.'
At that instant, he was no different from the countless viewers watching his stream.
Jin Ha-ryeong wanted to see Lee Soo-hyuk through him. In that sense, Jin Ha-ryeong might be his closest viewer.
'I'm crazy too.'
A chuckle escaped him.
Standing before the Heavenly Demon, thinking about viewers and such.
He really had become a full-fledged streamer.
But that thought eased his mind a bit.
"I've got plenty more to show."
"That's what I expect."
Killing intent flickered in Jin Ha-ryeong's eyes.
"If that's all, I'll rip off your mask and tear your face off right now."
This wasn't just talk within the trial.
Jin Ha-ryeong was the type to track down real-life Soo-hyuk and do it.
"Don't worry. Good thing I haven't even started."
"That's fortunate."
Jin Ha-ryeong's hand moved.
Whoosh—.
The sword at his waist floated into the air.
It was one sword, yet not.
Humm, hummm—.
The sword split into identical copies, same shape and size.
Two, three... the multiplying blades soon filled the space around Jin Ha-ryeong.
"How many can you handle?"
Dozens of swords.
Soo-hyuk knew that wasn't the limit of what Jin Ha-ryeong could wield.
Flash—.
Clang—!
A sword Jin Ha-ryeong hurled clashed with Soo-hyuk's.
The impact was so strong it nearly knocked his sword free, numbing his wrist.
'Here we go.'
Drawing multiple swords meant Jin Ha-ryeong was getting serious.
Many players said the Heavenly Demon's battle began when his swords—plural—emerged, not just one.
If his hidden swords marked his start, then Soo-hyuk's was now.
Tzzzzzt—.
Black lightning coiled around him. Electricity seeped from the ground through his feet, dominating the surroundings.
"...Breath... tight... isn't... it..."
Power burned hot inside. He ignored the voice in his head.
He knew what it wanted to say. But the decision was made.
Splat—!
Jin Ha-ryeong's swords flew. Not just one. They targeted Soo-hyuk's vitals from all directions.
Click—.
Soo-hyuk's sword hilt slid into its sheath.
The next moment.
Flash—!
Light enveloped everything, flinging Jin Ha-ryeong's swords away.
Clatter—.
As if just beginning, more swords flew in.
Hundreds, thousands still orbited Jin Ha-ryeong, attacking in stages like a test.
"Huuuuh—."
Hot breath steamed from Soo-hyuk's lungs after the draw.
As Jin Ha-ryeong upped the stages, so must he.
'Been a while since I fought using techniques.'
Techniques weren't skills—they were applications of them.
First time showing them openly on stream. Even with Lightning, perfectly mimicking Lee Soo-hyuk's techniques right away wouldn't make sense.
But now, it didn't matter.
Soo-hyuk unleashed without hesitation.
Flash—!
Two flashes, and lightning like dragons repelled the swords. Watching Soo-hyuk wrap lightning around his blade like dragons, Jin Ha-ryeong's lips curved faintly.
"So it really was you."