Chapter 284
Chapter 284
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 284
Chapter Title: 284화
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 284
Chapter Title: Clementine's Proposal
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At the pinnacle of the Crimson Tower, which stood tall in the heart of the city,
Dragon Volcanus lay curled up, fast asleep. It was a sight worthy of spectacle, but none of the passersby treated it as anything special.
Neither the Crimson Tower, the city's symbol, nor the dragon perched atop it.
To the people here, it was just another part of everyday life—nothing out of the ordinary.
But the situation inside the Crimson Tower was anything but ordinary.
"Hailz!"
Hailz's aide, Azrael, stepped forward to block her path.
The air around Hailz as she strode ahead was far from normal.
"Wh-where are you going?"
"Why? Can't I?"
"You can! Of course you can!"
She hadn't stepped outside for days.
Azrael shook his head, already guessing her destination.
"You mustn't meet Lee Soo-hyuk."
"Why not?"
"You know who he's with, right?"
Kim Ye-ryeong and Kim Si-woo.
The two were like live bombs—power unknown, detonation time unknown.
Their arrival might bring chaos unlike anything this tower had ever seen.
"The Blue House and Sacheon Tang Clan have already been ransacked. Everyone's on edge now, wondering if they're next."
"They must've had reasons."
"What reasons?"
"No idea."
"You can't just gloss over it like...!"
"That's exactly why I'm going to find out—right now."
The eyes half-hidden beneath her hat gleamed sharply. In that instant, Azrael flinched and stumbled back.
Her childlike appearance and bright, cheerful personality sometimes made it easy to forget, even if the mind knew better.
Great Archmage.
That title described her best. No matter what anyone said, she was one of the mightiest players, capable of standing against the Heavenly Demon himself.
"Step aside."
Even knowing that, Azrael couldn't budge.
If he didn't block her now, far greater troubles would arise later—ones he couldn't handle.
But then...
"Yeah, let her go."
A voice laced with mockery echoed from somewhere.
"It's about time she learned, isn't it? That the world isn't so forgiving."
"T-Tower Lord!"
At the far end of the corridor stood a woman with long, flowing red hair.
She looked to be in her mid-thirties, with lips and attire as red as her locks. She embodied the very essence of the "Crimson Tower" in human form.
Crimson Tower Lord Naila.
She flashed a grin at Hailz.
"Please, talk her out of it!"
Azrael felt a mix of hope and resentment.
Even if it was just a nominal position, Naila was technically Hailz's superior.
Hailz never listened to the Tower Lord anyway, but...
In a crisis like this, who knew?
"How am I supposed to do that?"
"Pardon?"
"You're the Great Archmage, aren't you? You'll handle it just fine."
Naila's eyes sparkled with delight more than ever. Only then did Azrael recall the rumors of bad blood between her and Hailz.
'No way it's just because of that...?'
It made no sense.
If Hailz went looking for those two here—and worst of all, if she actually joined them...
Disaster might befall the tower. Everyone knew how much Hailz adored Blue Eyes.
"Fine, since you asked so nicely, I'll say one thing. Hailz."
"......"
"Act worthy of your name. Holding the title of Great Archmage means representing the face of all mages."
Naila's burning red gaze pierced through Hailz. Meeting it briefly, Hailz parted her lips.
"Auntie."
A vein bulged on Naila's forehead with a twitch.
"A-Auntie?"
"Don't do anything stupid while I'm gone. And quit picking on the kids."
"Th-that little...!"
Without another word, Hailz brushed past Naila.
While Naila glared at her retreating figure before storming off her own way, Azrael chased after Hailz once more.
"Hailz! You're really going...?"
"Azrael."
"Yes?"
"Keep an eye on that auntie while I'm out. Who knows what she'll pull."
Azrael blinked in confusion at the surprisingly rational order.
He'd thought her pent-up frustration had finally boiled over, clouding her judgment. But contrary to his worries, her head was cool as ice.
"I'm not that stupid."
"When did I say you were...?"
"I know what it means to meet them right now."
Azrael flinched guiltily and started to stammer an excuse, but Hailz cut to the chase.
"It's not something I can fix for them. They have to prove it themselves."
From her words, Azrael could tell.
She trusted Si-woo and Ye-ryeong. She believed they hadn't betrayed Lee Soo-hyuk—that there had to be another reason.
All she could do was wait. For the day they proudly revealed themselves to the world.
"So where are you headed, then?"
"To see Kim Il-su."
Hailz's eyes burned hotter than Naila's.
"I'll ask him what really happened that day."
Lee Soo-hyuk received his pending settlement.
Was it due to all the recent buzz? Even though he'd neglected his streams, a hefty sum had piled up.
More points than expected.
The settlement from views and ad revenue on the Players channel was incomparably larger than any he'd received before.
It meant his channel was growing at a breakneck pace.
But even so, the points needed for the next level were still a distant dream.
To raise the level of Selfish Sacrifice, he'd need over 20 million more points.
A suffocating number. As far as Soo-hyuk knew, few individuals held that much personally.
And even if someone did, they couldn't earn it overnight.
'At this streaming pace, who knows how long it'll take.'
The massive requirement had made him consider stopping there.
Selfish Sacrifice was already at level 10.
It was plenty useful. Every time he used Lightning now, the burden felt worlds apart from his past life.
Of course, some of that came from Lightning Heart reducing output strain.
'The higher the points required, the greater the utility—makes sense.'
Indeed, each level-up doubled the points needed.
But it wasn't a waste. The tangible benefits more than doubled each time.
This time, though, it was a tenfold jump. Skill effects rarely scaled that dramatically per level.
Which made him wonder.
'It might evolve into something entirely different.'
Just a hunch, but Soo-hyuk trusted it. This skill might be the key to breaking his limits.
That's why he looked forward to this meeting.
Clementine.
The richest woman in the tower—the Golden Lady.
They said sticking by her side meant scraps of gold dust, not mere crumbs. Maybe that chance had come for him too.
Soo-hyuk donned his mask for the first time in ages and headed out.
The meeting spot with Clementine was a quiet cafe in a deserted area. Few people wandered nearby, and the streets were barren.
He ordered a drink first and waited, then called Ye-ryeong.
-No unusual signs around.
Ye-ryeong had scouted the area while staying hidden. Just in case it was a ploy to lure him out using Clementine.
But no traps in sight.
"You sure?"
-Don't trust me, sis? I checked inside the village and beyond.
"Alright then."
No one more reliable than Ye-ryeong for this. The stealth specialist excelled at spotting hidden foes too.
Even the Heavenly Demon couldn't evade her eyes if ambushed here.
'Guess it's not a trap after all.'
"Good work. Thanks."
Ending the call, Soo-hyuk sipped his drink thoughtfully. Across from him, Unhyang fiddled with her kit, messaging someone.
"She's almost here."
"Why does she want to see me so badly?"
"Originally for an ad deal. She's into big streamers."
"Guess that interest didn't fade after everything."
"Yeah. I thought we were done for."
Unhyang found it odd too. No matter how she puzzled it, Clementine's motive in this mess eluded her.
"Well, we'll find out when we meet."
They waited, nursing their drinks, for a short while.
Ding-a-ling-.
The bell over the door chimed as someone entered the cafe.
It was a girl with dazzling golden blonde hair like the sun itself. She was adorned head to toe in jewelry as radiant as her locks.
One glance told all.
She was Clementine.
"Ah, Soo-hyuk!"
She beamed, waving brightly at him.
Spotting Soo-hyuk amid her brilliance wasn't hard.
His mask was too conspicuous.
As Clementine arrived, Unhyang stood and took the seat beside Soo-hyuk. Now the opposite side was hers.
"Thanks for coming."
"No trouble. You asked to meet first. Oh! Thirsty—I'll order a drink."
Grinning ear to ear, Clementine placed her order.
Surprisingly affable and bright for who she was. Without the golden ornaments, she'd be unrecognizable as Clementine.
Pat pat-.
She returned quickly with a chocolate drink and sat across from Soo-hyuk and Unhyang.
"Kinda weird showing my face under the mask, huh?"
"Not really, but sticking to the concept for now."
"Professional. I like that."
A few polite exchanges followed. Clementine chattered on, mostly asking Soo-hyuk things she'd been curious about.
Then Soo-hyuk broached the main topic.
"What do you want from me?"
Clementine's ever-smiling eyes narrowed slightly.
From her reaction, Soo-hyuk knew. All the chit-chat aside, she'd been waiting for this.
"What I want..."
Fiddling with her now-empty glass, Clementine spoke.
"Heard you have a nickname, Soo-hyuk. Money magnet."
"Can't argue there."
Unhyang nodded along. Soo-hyuk wanted to protest but had none.
Circumstances aside, he did need points.
"I have something I desperately want to stream. And a commission I'd pay points for. But first, a question for you."
Her sparkling, girlish eyes turned steely businesswoman in a heartbeat.
"Crimson Tower Lord Naila. Can you handle her?"
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