Chapter 224
Chapter 224
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 224
Chapter Title: 224화
-----------------------------------------------------------------
```html
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 224
Chapter Title: Mountaintop Spar
-----------------------------------------------------------------
High on the mountain peak.
Si-woo stood there, fully on guard.
Glance-.
His eyes darted around warily. Not just his eyes—every sense, including his five senses, spread out in all directions.
The surroundings were a barren wasteland, but he couldn't afford to relax his vigilance.
His opponent was Ye-ryeong, after all.
Sss-.
A very subtle shift in the air flow—one that could easily be overlooked.
Whoosh-.
In an instant, Si-woo's spear whipped toward it.
Craaack-!
The mana extending from the spear froze the air in its path.
Pure white ice crystals clumped together, forming another peak on the snow mountain. Trapped inside, as expected, was Ye-ryeong with a startled expression.
'Got her.'
The thought flashed through his mind.
'No.'
Flash-.
As anticipated, a dagger flew from the opposite side.
Clang-.
He swung the spear shaft to knock it away. The moment the dagger—which had narrowly missed his vitals—fell limply to the ground, the next attack followed.
Shraa-!
Thousands? Tens of thousands?
The snow from the snow mountain transformed into sharp needles, pouring down as projectiles.
Boom-.
Si-woo's foot slammed into the ground.
Whoosh-, the barrage of projectiles halted as if time itself had frozen.
They were darts that could pierce steel with ease.
Clatter-.
But they froze solid and fell powerlessly to the ground.
'Where is she?'
Swish, swish.
Si-woo's eyes scanned every direction vigilantly.
In the midst of battle, he'd lost track of Ye-ryeong's movements. That alone meant the tide of the fight had turned.
Craaackle-.
He spread his arms wide to deploy a defense. A thick, densely packed ice barrier enveloped him from all sides.
At that moment.
Slash-.
"......!"
A dagger from somewhere grazed his side.
Just before the ice barrier could fully form—a tiny, minute gap.
Ye-ryeong's dagger had slipped through it.
Injured though he was, Si-woo didn't panic.
No.
This was his opportunity.
"Nice aim, but-."
Slash-.
Si-woo's spear moved.
"Now I see you."
Craaaack-!
Whoosh!
A blizzard erupted.
Mana extended from the spear tip, freezing the air and forming countless ice crystals.
The peak where the fight raged transformed into a snow mountain.
And in the next instant.
Flash-.
A dagger appeared from nowhere, halting right before Si-woo's eyes.
"I win."
"No."
Craaackle-.
"It's a draw."
Si-woo's palm pressed against Ye-ryeong's abdomen. At this range, freezing her heart solid would be child's play if he willed it.
"Tch."
Disappointed, Ye-ryeong withdrew her dagger and grumbled.
"One-on-one really isn't my thing."
"Same here."
Ye-ryeong specialized in stealth and ambushes. Her abilities shone brighter in chaotic melees or non-combat scenarios than in duels.
Si-woo wasn't built for PvP either.
The peak, now a blanket of white snow.
Like this, he could blanket a vast area with his power.
One against many. Even hordes. He was the player who unleashed his greatest strength in such battles.
That was Kim Si-woo.
Among them, the PvP master was someone else.
"PvP was Soo-hyuk's thing."
Lee Soo-hyuk.
Their friend, now a legend.
No one could beat him one-on-one.
"Did he only excel at PvP?"
"True."
Si-woo nodded at Ye-ryeong's words.
"He was good at everything."
PvP: Gyu-seong. Multi-target fights: Si-woo. Speed battles: Ye-ryeong.
Each had reached the pinnacle in their specialty by playing to their strengths.
But combine all those strengths into one person? That was Lee Soo-hyuk.
"Agh-, seriously. If Soo-hyuk were here, we wouldn't be suffering like this."
Since when had it started?
The two now spoke of Lee Soo-hyuk without reservation.
Until recently, his name alone brought funeral silence. But at some point, it had become natural.
"Two weeks left."
Ye-ryeong said, twirling a dagger on her finger.
"What do you think?"
"Odds are low."
Craaackle-.
Even after the fight ended, ice still crept around Si-woo.
"But you're not backing down, right?"
"No chance."
Two weeks.
Time until the day they'd set to rescue Hye-min.
They'd fought each other like mortal enemies to hone their senses. No better sparring partners existed.
"Way ahead of schedule."
"Lots of variables."
"Too bad. Could've lived a little longer."
She said it laughing playfully, but it wasn't a joke. Ye-ryeong was bracing for that day to be her last.
No what-ifs. Difficult or not, they'd charge ahead.
Si-woo fell silent at her half-serious quip. The mood grew heavy.
Then.
Bzzz-.
Both their kits buzzed simultaneously.
"Ah, it started."
Ye-ryeong plopped down on the spot and pulled her kit from her pocket.
"Watching that stream again?"
"Yeah. Just during the break."
She waved her hand dismissively, signaling not to interrupt.
They'd been bickering over Soo-hyuk's shadow just moments ago.
"Fine, let's watch."
Now, they watched it together.
"......Anyway, might not get to see it again."
Crossing Hydra Valley, Soo-hyuk entered the trial ground.
The atmosphere felt different from before. Even for Soo-hyuk, the 8th floor trial was uncharted territory.
The 8th floor trial ground looked different from the others.
'Spacious.'
A cave with a babbling stream and an open ceiling. It stretched on endlessly.
This was the trial leading to the next floor.
'Viewers......'
Already over 60,000.
Just minutes after starting the broadcast, this many had gathered.
The chat was already in chaos.
Not just the chat.
Even before the screen turned on, small donations of 10 points, 100 points trickled in.
The broadcast hadn't even properly started yet.
Soo-hyuk turned around. Unhyang mouthed the words.
It's okay to start.
Flash-.
At that moment, the screen activated.
Watching the chat fly by, Soo-hyuk waved.
"Soo-ha. Long time no see."
The routine was now second nature.
"As announced, challenging the 9th floor trial today. Saw the Hydra corpse? Yeah, I did. Why no stream then... Ah, wanna go show it now? Nah."
Read chat, reply. Interact. The process felt natural now.
No.
It had become comfortable. Not doing it felt awkward instead.
Since the last broadcast, Soo-hyuk's viewers kept asking for Unhyang.
Her popularity was immense. Successor to Shinryeonseong. The ranker dubbed a genius. Her compelling backstory, plus being the manager of her favorite streamer.
Above all, Unhyang was beautiful.
Quite a few of the viewers tuning in right now were probably here just for her.
"The manager?"
Glance. Soo-hyuk's gaze shifted to Unhyang nearby.
"Right here."
"Ta-da!"
As if on cue, Unhyang poked her head into the screen.
"Hi everyone? I'm right here."
Unhyang waved cheerfully, greeting them with a bright smile.
Watching her smoothly scroll through the chat, Soo-hyuk felt relieved.
'She seemed tense earlier.'
"No plans to stream yourself?"
He wasn't sure what she thought of broadcasting.
She was a manager, not a streamer.
In fact, to Soo-hyuk's suggestion, Unhyang neither refused nor accepted.
"No plans to do it solo. I'll do it with Soo-hyuk."
Unhyang chose to join him.
As a colleague, and as a broadcaster. Her image laughing and chatting with viewers was genuine yet performative.
The more time passed and the better he got to know her, one thing became clear.
Unhyang didn't enjoy standing before crowds.
'Yet she keeps showing up on stream......'
Probably a choice for his sake.
That sponsorship popped up.
A hefty sum. But the message was a bit unusual.
Unhyang tilted her head at it.
"Know you?"
Casual, like addressing an old friend.
Soo-hyuk recognized the username too.
'That one from before......'
The viewer who'd asked if he planned to join Blue Zone.
Afterward, they'd sponsored repeatedly, openly bashing Blue Zone.
'Knows Unhyang?'
Soo-hyuk glanced at her, checking. She seemed completely clueless.
Moments later.
A reply to her 'Know you?'
Unhyang's eyes went wide.
Soo-hyuk reacted with equal surprise.
"Huh? No way, that time......"
Unhyang's face lit up as the name clicked.
"Ye-jeong sis!"
Unhyang began chatting back via sponsorships.
What've you been up to? Doing well. Thanks for the advice back then. Did you smack that friend like you said?
Her laughter-filled chatter grew faint.
Soo-hyuk drifted into his own world.
Not Unhyang's voice right beside him, but echoes of past conversations with her.
"She's a Soo-hyuk fan too. That person."
The first time she'd mentioned Ye-jeong was at the tournament where Min-jae's shoes were the prize.
The one where he'd faced Schneider in the finals.
There, Ye-jeong had slipped away, avoiding Unhyang's gaze.
"And um... ah, right. She asked if I was a fan of Lee Soo-hyuk."
"No, not Soo-hyuk. Blue Eyes'."
Not many could pull that off.
Unhyang was a powerhouse even Soo-hyuk acknowledged. Considering the ordeals her talent brought her, it was beyond doubt.
How many could vanish right from beside such a person?
"But her reaction was a bit weird."
At least one person lingered in Soo-hyuk's mind.
Someone everyone thought dead, but who was surely alive.
"Seemed like she missed him......"
Soo-hyuk hesitated, unable to voice the name.
'Ye-jeong.'
The one Unhyang had met.
'......Ye-ryeong.'
That name so like his friend's.
His heart pounded.
She was watching his stream.
```