Chapter 33
Chapter 33
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: Heart of Lightning
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The giant's hand stretched forward.
A distance that could be reached in an instant. The giant intended to scoop Lee Soo-hyuk up in its palm and crush him outright.
But by then, lightning had already shot from Soo-hyuk's hand.
Flicker-!
A streak of yellow light arced through the air, piercing straight through the giant's eye and into its skull.
Rumble-!
Thunder roared.
Yellow bolts wrapped around the giant's body. As if time itself had frozen, the hand reaching for Soo-hyuk halted mid-motion.
Its head exploded from the spear's penetration, and blackened flesh splattered to the ground.
Only after deciding the fight was over did Soo-hyuk finally check the chat.
The reaction was explosive.
The giant's head had burst apart. He'd one-shot a massive giant like that.
And this was right after the combo trial linked to his signature lightning.
No reaction would have been the weird part.
'That...'
Inside the giant's head, which had exploded along with its eye.
Something yellow hidden within came into view.
'A gem?'
Embedded in the shattered skull was a yellow gemstone.
A familiar mana emanated from it, shining brightly.
It slowly floated toward Soo-hyuk.
The trial-end message.
And it revealed the stone's true nature.
'Heart of Lightning? This thing?'
Not a second lightning fragment, but the Heart of Lightning.
He'd never heard the name before.
He'd collected several lightning pieces, but this was the first time seeing "Heart of Lightning."
Whoosh-!
A brilliant light poured from the Heart of Lightning.
The deafening thunder faded, and a radiant glow enveloped Soo-hyuk.
It happened so fast he couldn't resist or react.
"What the—?"
The mutter escaped his lips aloud.
He'd thought the trial was over, but what was this now?
'This is really my limit now.'
Fatigue was maxed out. Activating the Lightning Spear had drained too much stamina.
If the trial continued from here...
Rumble...
It was right then that something emerged from within the radiant glow.
Like clouds parting to reveal what lay hidden, it gradually took on color and form.
No.
It wasn't "it."
They were.
"What...?"
Countless eyes peered down at him from the murky clouds.
They watched him from above the clouds, sending multiple gazes his way.
Tingle, tingle—
Just meeting those gazes made his body go numb.
It was a first.
Feeling so utterly overwhelmed just by facing something.
Shadowy and indistinct, they varied in size and shape.
Some were as small as ordinary humans.
Others sent eyes so enormous they could belong to the true giants of myth.
Gulp.
He swallowed hard and opened his mouth.
'What are you—'
His eyes widened in shock.
No voice came out.
And it wasn't just that.
Innumerable messages popped up.
Not a single name was readable.
Beings he wasn't yet permitted to face, not at this point in time.
Rumble...
Something invisible blocked them. Thunder and lightning crashed from the heavens, exuding overwhelming pressure.
The thunder was so loud it felt like his eardrums would burst.
Drip.
Blood trickled from his ear.
Soo-hyuk's gaze turned to those obscured by the clouds.
'What are you trying to say?'
Why appear before me now, at this moment?
The thought had barely formed when—
Main Scenario: 'Lightning' has begun.
📍 Clue: Obtain hints from the village via the 'Heart of Lightning'.
—the message appeared, and the scenery flipped back.
Whoosh-!
The glow faded, and the surroundings returned to normal.
Soo-hyuk scanned the area, then glanced at the chat window.
"...?"
The reactions were off.
Viewers were talking as if he'd just stood there blankly.
If they'd seen what he had, this wouldn't make sense.
They'd be freaking out about whatever insane thing had appeared.
Which meant...
'They couldn't see it?'
The thick clouds in the sky and the countless beings hidden within.
Only he had faced them.
"Sorry about that. Looks like I passed out standing up for a sec."
A half-hearted excuse.
But there wasn't much room for suspicion.
He had been standing there like he'd fainted, after all.
Somehow, it slid by without issue.
Sighing inwardly in relief, Soo-hyuk looked around.
The distant village was still in the thick of battle. Even with the boss giant dead, remnants of its giant tribe lingered.
But that was fine.
The remaining soldiers and knights could handle it.
'It's over.'
His part was done.
All that remained was heading to the village as the message suggested to claim the rest of his rewards.
And on top of that...
"Oh, right."
Separate from the trial, there was unfinished business.
"We haven't settled up yet, have we?"
The happiest moment of streaming: mission payout time.
The messages rolled in rapidly.
Delightful ones. The missions were tough, so the payouts were big, and plenty of viewers had sponsored them.
As a result...
Finally over 40,000 points.
'Perfect.'
Soo-hyuk's eyes sparkled.
Exactly 40,000 was needed to level up Selfish Sacrifice. It was close, but he'd crossed the threshold.
As payouts wrapped up, curious viewers started clamoring again.
Check rewards, head to village for next trial clues.
Climb to floor 3, and more content awaited.
But...
"Kinda tired though..."
Soo-hyuk chose this moment to end it.
"Catch you next time. Later."
Ignoring the frantic chat,...
And so, Soo-hyuk's second stream came to a close.
After pausing the trial and returning to his lodging, Soo-hyuk collapsed into bed, utterly spent.
No physical damage, but the mental fatigue from the trial had piled up.
The next morning, after breakfast at the inn, he headed to the first-floor cafe to check the Players community reactions.
Over 100 comments, 10k+ views.
Not top post, but solid interest. Probably because it was a lightning trial—lots of eyes on it.
"Going well, huh..."
"Going great."
Clink.
A teapot and cup were set across from him. Looking up, Unhyang stood there beaming proudly.
"Like, really great. Mind if I sit?"
"Go ahead."
Unhyang sat with a bright smile, picking up her cup as she continued.
"Peak viewers hit over 3,000 yesterday. Know that?"
"3,000?"
He hadn't.
Soo-hyuk shook his head, and Unhyang nodded knowingly.
"Too focused to notice, right?"
"..."
Soo-hyuk averted his eyes slightly. As a contracted streamer, ignoring the broadcast wasn't ideal.
"Sorry."
"Huh? No, no need to apologize. I was trying to praise you..."
Unhyang fumbled her words, flustered.
She hadn't brought it up to scold him.
"Hitting 3k peak on your second stream is huge. And the content had killer highlight potential. Worth the hype."
"Yeah?"
"Yep. Plus, perfect timing to cut the stream."
Right after the trial, as he was about to check rewards.
Soo-hyuk ended it spot-on.
"Hopefully the goddess of luck smiles on you next time too..."
"Gotta see it to believe it."
"Pardon?"
Unhyang's eyes widened at his words.
Soo-hyuk grabbed a leftover sausage from his plate and continued.
"It's the most curious moment, right? Even for me. After barely passing a tough trial, everyone's dying to see the rewards."
Straight facts.
But cutting the stream then—without anyone telling him, even knowing it—took serious resolve.
"You planned that?"
Soo-hyuk nodded.
"Figured I'd check rewards on the next stream too. That way, I can react genuinely without faking it."
Unhyang blinked blankly at the explanation.
Not just the timing, but his prep for the next one was pro-level.
'That old man worried for nothing.'
John Tail fretting over streamer Soo-hyuk.
Looks like his concerns missed the mark.
The guy had instincts.
As a Player, and as a streamer.
Sure, he sometimes forgot his streamer side mid-trial, but to Unhyang, that wasn't a flaw.
He was nailing his role.
So.
"Got a gift for you."
As his streaming partner, they had to deliver results too.
"Gift?"
"Wanna open a stream? Search Hawk's Eye."
A gift that involves turning on a stream?
Tilting his head curiously, Soo-hyuk started fiddling with his kit.
"Should be live right now."
Reincarnator's Streaming