Chapter 28
Chapter 28
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: Path of Lightning
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Crackle—.
A yellow spark leaped out, stinging the skin like a needle prick.
A familiar numbness spread from his fingertips. He'd always only fired it at enemies before—this was the first time he'd taken the impact directly.
But.
'It's familiar.'
A sensation as natural as breathing.
The feeling of electricity coursing through his fingertips was just like the penalty that came with using Lightning.
'Prove that you are worthy of wielding lightning, is that it?'
A natural progression.
'I've used Lightning countless times.'
If this was the test, he'd passed it hundreds of times over.
No matter how much power flowed in this place.
At its core, it was still just lightning.
'If that's the case...'
Beneath the mask.
Soo-hyuk's lips curved upward.
A good idea had come to him.
Two messages floated before his eyes.
Two thoughts crossed Soo-hyuk's mind as he read them.
'That's pretty far.'
Farther than expected.
And.
'At least it shows the end.'
Far, but visible.
Crackle, crrrackle—.
The percentage rose steadily with each step.
Perhaps because he hadn't even reached 1% toward the goal yet?
For now, it was bearable.
He had no time to check the rising chat.
Soo-hyuk's focus was entirely on sensing the lightning permeating the surroundings.
'What is this place?'
The vast space was filled with lightning. So much power flowed through it that it was impossible to gauge.
Normally, rushing to the goal as fast as possible would be the way.
But in this trial, Soo-hyuk had set two goals.
'Reaching the end is a given—.'
Crackle—.
He felt the lightning flowing into his fingertips.
In that instant, Soo-hyuk's eyes gleamed beneath the mask.
As expected.
It seemed possible.
'Let's do it.'
At that moment.
With his own stream off, Hawk's Eye was watching Soo-hyuk's broadcast.
"Let's push for a collab sometime."
John Tail.
His mind was already filled with content ideas featuring Soo-hyuk and Hawk's Eye.
'How long has it been since that big bro touched content himself?'
Hawk's Eye was a veteran streamer in this scene.
After hitting the wall of talent as a Player early on and realizing his gift was his keen eye instead.
He'd jumped straight into this field and stuck with it ever since.
"I told you, right? You can only control half of your stream's success."
"I know. It depends on who you're getting feedback from and what Players are around in this era."
Words he'd heard for over ten years.
The reason Hawk's Eye hadn't reached top-tier despite years of consistent streaming.
It wasn't just the limit of having only one content type—it was also the lack of star Players to drive it with him in the current era.
"The trial's telling me to die, though?"
Streamer Lee Soo-hyuk's broadcast caught his eye.
The speech was still stiff and awkward, like a newbie streamer. From watching steadily, it felt strongly like a beginner at streaming.
'It's not really streaming. More like...'
No way, but.
'...A seasoned Player's vlog.'
Whether raw stream or edited vlog.
It didn't matter much.
Hawk's Eye specialized in Player spectator content, true to his name.
What caught his eye was the aura of a veteran from a newbie challenging the second-floor trial for the first time.
No.
Not just seasoned.
To add a bit of flair, he'd never felt this from any ranker Player.
'Does big bro feel the same?'
Hawk's Eye shook his head at the sudden thought.
'Nah, probably not.'
John Tail was competent.
But that was as a manager scouting streamers and an entertainment producer making content.
Not as an eye for Player talent.
Which meant.
"Eyes sharp. This could be an opportunity. Ride the rising star and become one yourself."
Probably just saw the streaming value.
"A star, huh..."
Too much thinking made him crave the cigarette he'd quit.
Star.
The common term in the industry for 'majors'—the elite streamers.
A rare few at Baehae Entertainment who led the company and represented the field.
Compared to them, Hawk's Eye was just one of countless pebbles underfoot.
'Could I really become like them?'
He knew himself well.
As a Player, he was mediocre. That's why he'd fled here.
But even here, he was stuck in mediocrity somewhere.
"Ugh... urghhh..."
Then.
A groan leaked from his comms kit.
Hawk's Eye snapped to attention at the voice suppressing pain.
Right—he was spectating Lee Soo-hyuk's trial.
"Crazy. Dropping focus mid-work for random thoughts...?"
Regretting his lapse, he refocused—
And his eyes widened at the belated trial view.
"This guy's insane, right?"
Crackle, crrrackle—
The stinging sensation grew stronger.
The farther he advanced.
As if warning him not to come closer, the lightning tormented Soo-hyuk more fiercely.
But that was even better.
Walking slowly, Soo-hyuk steadily heightened his focus.
'Got it.'
Crrrackle—.
Somewhere inside his body.
Feeling the lightning begin to flow in from his fingertips, Soo-hyuk's eyes gleamed.
'It's flowing.'
Moving slowly as if by inertia alone, he observed his internals.
From major channels like the Ren and Du meridians to the myriad minor ones throughout his body.
Paths that should flow smoothly with mana were completely blocked.
Of course.
This body was still a rookie Player.
He hadn't trained martial arts like Murim World Players or pioneered paths by leveling and stacking stats.
But.
Crackle—.
Right now.
Those blocked paths were starting to open, if only a little.
'Opening the Ren and Du is too hard. Get greedy and I'll fail the trial itself.'
Crrrackle—.
Lightning energy flowed through the minor meridians branching like small twigs across his body.
His body burned hot.
The energy flowing through unfamiliar paths brought inevitable pain.
These paths were meant to be forged with one's own mana from the start.
This was a shortcut.
Easier. But more painful.
A process of burning away the impurities clogging the minor meridians.
'Break through and incinerate.'
Crackle, crrrackle—.
From fingertips to heart and abdomen.
Lightning coursed through the minor meridians, burning impurities away.
['Lightning' settles into your body.]
[Magic Power +1]
A pleasant message.
As minor meridians opened, bonus stat gains followed.
Players called non-leveling stat ups 'serendipity' across the board.
This was one for Soo-hyuk.
How he handled it here could maximize not just the unblocking but extra stats too.
'Hold on.'
To do that, he kept talking to himself.
Or he'd black out right now.
'Don't settle for just opening and flushing. Do everything you can.'
Crrrackle—.
['Lightning' settles into your body.]
[Magic Power +1]
[Minor Meridian Unblocking in progress...] [...]
Endless noisy messages popped up.
No time to rejoice or fret—focus couldn't waver.
Crrrrackle—.
"Ngh..."
He gritted his teeth against the lightning ravaging his body.
External shocks were bad enough, but the energy churning through blocked acupoints hurt most.
Like a blazing inferno inside him.
Electrocution.
A status ailment he'd lived with constantly since acquiring Lightning.
In truth, it was Lightning's penalty that had ultimately killed him.
His body moved against his will.
Slower and duller than intended by a beat.
Moving an electrocuted body took at least double the strength and stamina of a healthy one.
"Ugh... urghhh..."
Drip—.
Plip, plip-plop—.
Burnt impurities seeped from his skin.
Blood trickled from lips crushed by his bite.
Through the mask gap.
The blood dripped downward.
No time to answer chat queries.
No, they didn't even register.
Soo-hyuk needed something else to boost his mental fortitude now.
For that.
"There is no trial that cannot be broken."
He recalled not his current self.
But the words of Players' all-time number one, the old Lee Soo-hyuk.
"There... is no... unbreakable... trial..."
Soo-hyuk murmured the lines he'd always said.
"Anyway... the winner is..."
Lee Soo-hyuk's famous quotes, now like a motto.
On stream, Soo-hyuk looked like he was just pushing his mad concept.
But.
'It's my fault.'
Step—.
A grueling step.
Slow steps forward— in Soo-hyuk's mind, those words meant something entirely different from what viewers thought.
'It's as good as me killing them.'
Grind—.
Teeth clenched, grinding in his mouth. Not just from the scorching heat consuming his body.
Twenty years ago.
No, just days ago to him.
That day, as always, he'd confidently told his hesitating friends during the Hydra raid.
"There is no trial that cannot be broken."
If his chance had been regression instead of reincarnation, how good would that have been?
He might have torn out his own mouth first, the one that spouted such nonsense.
'If I hadn't said that crap...'
"What's there to worry about? I'm winning anyway."
The words that ultimately convinced his comrades.
Crunch—.
To drag his body and mind, on the verge of collapse.
Soo-hyuk chewed over the words he'd said that day, inwardly.
'None of us would have died.'