Chapter 311
Chapter 311
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 311
Chapter Title: Surprise Stream Guest
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“What’re you talking about? I didn’t say anything.”
Ye-ryeong shot him a puzzled look, as if he’d spouted complete nonsense.
But Soo-hyuk couldn’t give her an answer.
It was a question that was tough to respond to on the spot—and one he couldn’t answer at all. This conversation wasn’t just between the two of them.
“Ah, right. The stream’s still going.”
Soo-hyuk finally pointed out the obvious and asked,
“Wanna say hi?”
“W-what? Stream?”
Of course, Ye-ryeong couldn’t see the chat. Only Soo-hyuk, the one streaming, could.
She hurriedly pulled up the stream on her device. Checking the rapidly scrolling chat and the screen, she spoke in an awkward, strained voice.
“Uh, h-hi? Hello? I’m Kim Ye-ryeong... Um, you all know me?”
“Did you hurt your neck fighting or something?”
“Huh?”
“Say hi properly.”
“Oh.”
Even with Soo-hyuk’s prompting, Ye-ryeong looked lost on what to say or how.
She floundered, then shot him a pleading look with her eyes. What do I say?
Thankfully, a quick-witted viewer came to her rescue.
“How did we meet?”
Ye-ryeong panicked at Clementine’s question popping up on the screen.
Her eyes pleaded with Soo-hyuk to rephrase it. How do I even answer that?
So he stepped in.
“We’ve known each other for a while.”
It wasn’t a satisfying answer. If anything, it only fueled more questions.
That was exactly what Soo-hyuk wanted. He’d planned to save that reveal for much later anyway.
But he’d dropped it early for a reason.
“Looks like now’s the time.”
“Nah. End of stream.”
Soo-hyuk waved.
“See ya, everyone~.”
It all happened in an instant.
Soo-hyuk abruptly cut the stream mid-wave and turned to Ye-ryeong.
She’d been flustered by the sudden on-stream appearance and now wore a baffled expression.
“...What the hell was that?”
“A teaser. For later.”
“You’ve really turned into a full-on streamer, huh.”
Ye-ryeong let out a disbelieving chuckle.
Mid-laugh, her legs gave out, and she collapsed. Soo-hyuk asked in alarm,
“You okay?”
“No addiction. Lucky.”
“Then?”
“Just... drained. Couldn’t even sit during the stream.”
Despite her words, she didn’t just sit—she fully sprawled out. Lying anywhere with her eyes closed, she looked completely spent, stamina fully depleted.
Sweat had cooled on her skin, leaving her face ghostly pale. Just looking at her told the tale of how grueling the fight had been.
Of course. She’d lopped off four of the Hydra’s heads. And her style wasn’t even suited for battling that kind of monster.
“Good work.”
Soo-hyuk didn’t expect a reply. She was already asleep.
News of the Hydra raid spread like wildfire.
Hundreds of thousands had watched Soo-hyuk’s stream. Dozens of those were reporters prepping Hydra-related articles.
One city destroyed, another half-ruined. If they hadn’t stopped it there, more cities would’ve fallen, and hundreds of thousands more would’ve died.
And five people had stopped it.
Thud.
Kim Il-su slammed his kit shut while reading the article. His throbbing headache made the words blur.
“Again... it’s them.”
“They beat us to it.”
Pierre stood before Kim Il-su. He’d finished prepping for the Hydra expedition and awaited orders.
But no orders came. The Hydra fell before they could move.
“The backlash is inevitable. We were late, after all.”
“If they hadn’t stepped in, there’d be no backlash.”
“But they did. Why do you think that is?”
“What’re you getting at?”
“They didn’t hesitate. Even knowing sacrifice might be inevitable without the archmage, they went straight there.”
Pierre, who’d pushed to hurry, arguing countless deaths if the Hydra rampaged.
He was criticizing Kim Il-su’s judgment. A single misstep had led to this.
“That’s why they’re remembered. And...”
Pierre trailed off, unable to voice the rest.
But Kim Il-su knew.
And weren’t you one of them once? He answered the unspoken question.
“I was sick of it. Being one of them.”
Pierre startled.
He’d never heard this before. Kim Il-su never spoke of his Blue Eyes days.
But that was it.
The story stopped. After a moment of reminiscence, he shook his head and waved Pierre out.
“Dismiss everyone. Stand down.”
“...Understood.”
Pierre bowed and left.
The room fell deathly silent with Kim Il-su alone. Not a word, not a twitch.
Sitting for a while, he reopened his kit to check the past broadcast.
An edited clip from streamer Lee Soo-hyuk’s channel. Already millions of views.
It opened with him sprinting breathlessly to meet Vulcanus and Hiles.
“Hiles, Hiles...”
Kim Il-su recalled Hiles, who’d visited him recently.
No.
Even before that, she’d been on a divergent path.
“You’re not hunting the Guardian?”
After failing the 9th floor Guardian, she declared she’d no longer join raids.
Thunderclap to high-rankers gearing up for it.
Hiles, near-top-tier power sans the Heavenly Demon, bowing out. Guardian raids, already tough, now near-impossible.
“Maybe that’s fair.”
“Why?”
“I realized there’s no hope with you all.”
Dismissing everyone there.
No one could argue. None had reached her level.
Still, Kim Il-su held hope.
Eventually, they’d clear a Guardian, and she’d rejoin. It wouldn’t take long.
But.
“The archmage won’t budge.”
Even Jin Do-hwan’s plea for her on a Guardian raid got icy rejection.
“Same old?”
“Yeah.”
“What’s she waiting for?”
“What else?”
The retort implied: You already know.
Hiles awaited Lee Soo-hyuk. Or someone like him.
Someone to lead Players with him. With the skill and will to pierce the ceiling blocking the heavens.
In the recording, Hiles and Soo-hyuk exchanged no words.
Soo-hyuk caught his breath, prepped for battle. He faced the direction Vulcanus headed, back turned.
Hiles watched his back. They arrived at the destination like that.
“This guy?”
The one she awaited. To raid Guardians with, to ascend beyond the ceiling.
Crack.
His kit shattered in his grip. The screen spiderwebbed, then went black.
His eyes mirrored the day it all began.
After the stream, Soo-hyuk took Si-woo, Ye-ryeong, and Hyo-min back home.
All three were wrecked. Especially Ye-ryeong and Si-woo—they passed out cold.
Hyo-min had some stamina left, relatively.
“You good?”
“They did the heavy lifting. I just helped a bit.”
She said that, but looked beat too. She stayed upright out of guilt toward Soo-hyuk.
“Don’t mind me. Rest if you’re tired. You look rough.”
“I’m fine. Sick of lying down anyway. You should rest.”
“Me too. Slept too much.”
“That was actual sleep?”
“Closed my eyes, and time flew.”
“Same here.”
Potentially awkward, but Soo-hyuk took it as banter.
Both had a 20-year gap. Maybe only they could joke about it—talk no one else could share.
Soo-hyuk, with energy to spare, brewed tea. Hyo-min shivered as steam rose, sipping.
“Ahh, warm. Fighting with Si-woo feels like freezing to death.”
“Figured as much.”
Soo-hyuk felt the chill too. Si-woo’s mana output had turned the battlefield into a brutal winter.
“How’d the test go?”
“Passed.”
“Nice.”
“Still far off. From Si-woo, Ye-ryeong... you. Might rip something chasing.”
She griped, but no anxiety showed. The raid had been a huge win for her.
“How’d you run into Hiles? Coincidence?”
“For me, yeah. Not for her.”
“She sought you out?”
Soo-hyuk nodded.
She must’ve watched his stream. Knew the situation, came straight to him.
“Why’d she bail right after?”
“Dunno. Can’t read her.”
“Thinks she shouldn’t get too tangled with us?”
Soo-hyuk shook his head—not a denial, just uncertainty.
Why she left post-help was a mystery. But one thing was sure.
“Who knows.”
He’d sensed her gaze on his back the whole time.
“...Maybe she wants to get more tangled.”