Chapter 216
Chapter 216
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 216
Chapter Title: Collab Review Stream
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After that, the broadcast proceeded as planned with the collaboration.
"Shall we all watch the preliminaries together then?"
"Let's skip that. Everyone's probably already seen it."
"Yes, let's watch from the preliminaries~."
"……."
Unhyang was full of energy.
The two-person review stream delved back into the preliminaries.
Naturally, the highlight was the clip where he climbed the spire alone, taking on all the other participants by himself like a mad movie.
"It was cool, but why did you pull so much aggro?"
"……The weather was nice."
"It was cloudy though?"
"I can like cloudy days."
Of course, Unhyang knew the fact that lightning powers grew stronger under thunderclouds where lightning flashed.
It was fairly well-known information among fans who'd liked Lee Soo-hyuk since the old days.
Even so, Unhyang reacted as if hearing it for the first time.
"Oh really? It really gets stronger under thunderclouds?"
"Yes. It's a fact."
"Wow, I had no idea."
"You're terrible at acting."
"Isn't this how broadcasts are supposed to go?"
The preliminary review passed quickly.
The preliminaries had already been watched by tons of people via Hawk's Eye's stream. More than anything, what viewers were waiting for in this broadcast was the main tournament review.
Viewership had climbed close to 240,000.
There wasn't even time to check the chat. Sponsor messages kept pouring in nonstop, making it impossible to respond to each one.
"Now we'll move straight to the main tournament review. And Manager, your first love……."
"Shouldn't you ask if I even had one first?"
"You're right."
As they laughed and chatted, the next video played.
"My opponent will be……."
"Heavenly Demon, Jin Ha-ryeong."
The main tournament of the showdown.
There, footage played of Soo-hyuk pointing out Jin Ha-ryeong.
"What were you thinking back then?"
"Man, I gotta drop quick and get some rest," he said.
Soo-hyuk shrugged and added,
"The Heavenly Demon's great for pulling aggro."
There was no player in the world crazy enough to use the Heavenly Demon as aggro. With ten lives, it'd still be too few—obviously.
But Soo-hyuk was declaring on stream that he'd used the Heavenly Demon for aggro.
'None of them understand the Heavenly Demon.'
Heavenly Demon Jin Ha-ryeong.
People feared him, but didn't know what kind of person he really was.
He wasn't some petty man swinging his sword over something like this; he was an unpredictable disaster.
The footage continued to Soo-hyuk's fight with the Heavenly Demon. Swords flew into the sky, and Soo-hyuk unleashed lightning to block them.
"Still, you fought better than expected."
"You think that was me fighting well?"
Soo-hyuk shrugged.
"If he'd wanted to kill me, it'd have ended in seconds. It's the Heavenly Demon."
"You knew that and still dove in just for aggro?"
"Not exactly……."
KABOOM!
Soo-hyuk continued, watching the Heavenly Demon in the video.
"Someday, I have to beat the Heavenly Demon to truly become Lee Soo-hyuk."
It had been over 20 years.
The Heavenly Demon was the greatest player Soo-hyuk knew.
Surpassing him was how Soo-hyuk had been recognized as the best. In that sense, the Heavenly Demon held special meaning for Soo-hyuk.
If the day came again when he surpassed him once more.
Only then could he say he'd reclaimed his past self.
The rest of the review was mostly carried by Unhyang's commentary.
"Here, you anticipated and reacted ahead. If reacting after seeing it, it'd be too fast to dodge."
"Doesn't it look like the Heavenly Demon knows and is adding swords one by one?"
"Output spiked suddenly. New skill?"
"Movements got sluggish from here. Reaching your limit?"
"Heavenly Demon seems to know too, pushing for the end. Wanted to finish it himself?"
Each casual remark was spot-on.
Soo-hyuk had nothing more to add.
Mostly, she spoke first, and he nodded in agreement.
And so the review ended.
"Had so much fun today~."
Unhyang leaned close to the camera, waving.
Ignoring the chat going wild, Soo-hyuk continued his closing remarks.
"Next broadcast will be announced as planned. This beautiful manager here will post it."
"See you~"
With Unhyang's final wave, the stream ended.
Her waving motion toward the viewers froze like a paused video. Her beaming smile quickly drained from her face, turning pale.
"Haa-!"
She let out a long-held breath, collapsing onto her butt.
Thump, thump, thump.
Feeling her heart racing, Unhyang pressed her hand to her chest. Only then did Soo-hyuk realize how tense she'd been.
"You did great."
Instead of asking if she was okay, Soo-hyuk gave a thumbs up.
"Really? I did well?"
"Yeah. Better than me, even."
It wasn't empty praise.
Though much more comfortable than her first time, she clearly had a talent for broadcasting compared to Soo-hyuk, who was still awkward.
She spoke well, had a vibrant personality.
And above all, she was beautiful.
This stream was meant to showcase that.
"How's the reaction?"
"Let's see."
They'd done all they could.
Exhausted as well, Soo-hyuk flopped down beside her.
That day, the top trending search on Players, the community most used by players, was ‘Genius’.
The Murim player who'd vanished years ago—the successor to Shinryeon Castle, who'd skyrocketed up the ranks—had debuted on stream as Lee Soo-hyuk's manager.
Unhyang's popularity was immense.
Beautiful looks. Amicable personality. Witty speech. And as successor to Shinryeon Castle with skills worthy of the moniker ‘Genius’.
Above all, her heartfelt plea revealing her past with Shinryeon Castle shook the viewers' hearts.
Step-.
Late at night.
Jinun walked while watching the video uploaded to Lee Soo-hyuk's channel.
"I love making broadcasts together with Soo-hyuk. Meeting all of you and enjoying streams together makes me so happy."
Unhyang said in the video.
Though just through a screen, her sincerity came through. She truly loved and was happy with what she was doing now.
"Should I tell Soo-hyuk too?"
The night she confessed being of the Heavenly Demon's bloodline, Unhyang had poured out long-held worries to Jinun.
Probably agonizing whether it was right to stay by Soo-hyuk's side with such a secret.
"That kid won't fear something like the Heavenly Demon."
"Really?"
"Didn't you watch the showdown? That's not the act of someone who fears the Heavenly Demon."
Unhyang smiled at Jinun's words.
But shadows soon crept into her smile. She was still conflicted.
"Take your time thinking. That kid's hiding things from you too, after all."
Whatever choice she made later, he wouldn't blame her.
As he'd said that day, inheriting whose blood was never Unhyang's fault.
"You did well."
Born the devil's daughter, enduring Shinryeon Castle's cruel training, living a life she never wanted.
But now, Unhyang on screen was smiling.
Laughing and chatting with viewers, fighting her fears.
How can she do that?
Instead of hating the world, she'd chosen to love it.
Born to become another Heavenly Demon, she refused to accept fate and fought back.
"Revenge... Do you still want it?"
Jinun gazed at the lake before him and the pavilion in its center.
A man waited in the pavilion.
Alluring features, reddish hair, sharp impression like a blade.
"You've come."
Uncheon-geuk.
He rose to greet Jinun.
"I'm late."
"It's fine. Actually, I'm relieved. No chance you'd do anything weird arriving first."
"Sorry. Everyone suspects me if I'm early."
"No issue. But I was surprised you called. Thought you'd retired."
"I did retire. Sit first."
Jinun sat across from Uncheon-geuk. As he did, Uncheon-geuk sat opposite after a pause.
On the pavilion table sat two glasses and a bottle of sharp-scented liquor. Uncheon-geuk, who'd been drinking alone overlooking the lake, asked.
"I heard Senior's keeping her."
Shinryeon Castle already knew Unhyang's whereabouts. Jinun, who'd come knowing that, nodded without hesitation.
"Yes."
"No words for me?"
"I'd have ignored you if not."
"As expected."
Uncheon-geuk poured liquor into Jinun's glass. Wary of poison, Jinun eyed it without touching.
"No plans to let that child go?"
Uncheon-geuk lifted his glass at Jinun's question.
As if to say no poison, he downed it in one gulp and replied.
"I never expected her to reveal herself to the world like this."
Unhyang had exposed herself to the world through Lee Soo-hyuk's stream.
Her plea moved hearts, and now countless eyes watched Shinryeon Castle.
He truly hadn't known.
That Unhyang, hiding from the world's gaze, would bare herself before it.
Now, they couldn't drag her publicly anymore.
"We can't take Unhyang right now. Even without your protection, they've defended themselves."
"Giving up?"
"Of course not."
Uncheon-geuk shook his head.
"Not now, but we'll find other ways. Public interest won't last forever."
"Is that child truly necessary?"
"Not for me."
Hiding his inner thought—You're not her real father anyway—as he asked, Uncheon-geuk shook his head.
"She's the one who needs me."