Chapter 401
Chapter 401
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 401
Chapter Title: Our Hope
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Keyeeee-!
A ghostly wail echoed through the darkness.
Ding-a-ling-.
The sound of a bell drowned out the ghost's cry. It was as if it were scolding the noise, demanding silence.
The Heavenly Demon Golden Spirit Formation was an array that devoured souls into darkness.
Of course, under normal circumstances, it would have been impossible. No matter how much of an expert in formations Jin-un was, it wouldn't have been enough to handle the power of the Heavenly Demon's Soul.
But right now, the Heavenly Demon's Soul was utterly exhausted and weakened.
Roooar-.
The darkness of the Heavenly Demon Golden Spirit Formation swallowed the Heavenly Demon's Soul whole.
The Heavenly Demon's Soul thrashed with all its might. But the weakened soul couldn't overcome Jin-un, who had prepared meticulously for this very day.
Like a massive shadow engulfing a firefly, the Heavenly Demon's Soul was consumed by the Heavenly Demon Golden Spirit Formation.
Fwaaah! The Heavenly Demon's Soul made one final struggle. A crimson palm burst out, tearing through the darkness.
"Didn't I tell you?"
Clap-.
Jin-un clapped his hands again.
"To get the hell out."
The flailing palm sank back into the darkness. The shadow that had fully devoured the Heavenly Demon's Soul returned to the original blackness as if nothing had happened.
Swoooo-.
The surrounding landscape returned to normal.
Jin-un, drenched in sweat from expending all his energy, finally exhaled the breath he'd been holding.
He turned his head, relaxing his tension.
Soo-hyuk, meeting his gaze, gave a thumbs up.
"That was awesome."
When he'd entrusted this task to Jin-un, Soo-hyuk had considered two possibilities.
One was that he'd keep his promise and use the Heavenly Demon Golden Spirit Formation to eliminate the Heavenly Demon's Soul. The other was that he couldn't hold back and just smashed the weakened Heavenly Demon's head.
Even if Jin-un had crushed the Heavenly Demon's head, Soo-hyuk couldn't have blamed him. He'd been prepared to understand such an action.
But in the end, Jin-un had kept his promise to Soo-hyuk.
"I'm still holding back."
"I know. That's why it was cool."
"If you can't say nice things. Annoying bastard."
Thud. Soo-hyuk flopped backward, sprawling out on the ground.
Jin-un shook his head at the completely drained Soo-hyuk.
The reason he'd kept his promise was because of Soo-hyuk. Having seen what kind of fight Soo-hyuk was waging, he couldn't let it go to waste.
Jin-un turned to look at the Heavenly Demon.
The unconscious Heavenly Demon sat slumped on the ground, head bowed. With his energy depleted and his soul extracted, he was little more than a half-empty puppet.
Jin-un looked up at the sky and let out a deep sigh from his dantian.
Closing his eyes tightly, he murmured.
"......We won."
"Yes."
Soo-hyuk closed his eyes contentedly.
Feeling his mind drift away from exhaustion, he uttered his final words.
"We won."
The fight with the Heavenly Demon—and Soo-hyuk's broadcast—had come to an end.
The impact of that battle went beyond merely deciding the winner of the Grand Showdown. The Heavenly Demon's defeat meant that the era's strongest had changed.
And that new strongest was already a figure everyone knew.
"Lee Soo-hyuk is back!"
The Heavenly Demon had acknowledged him, and he'd triumphed over the Heavenly Demon.
No one doubted Soo-hyuk anymore.
Jokes even circulated that even if he was a fake, he had to be accepted as the real deal now.
Amid all this, there was one place that felt like a house in mourning.
Blue Zone.
"Many guild members are requesting to leave."
Pierre, reporting to Kim Il-su, glanced briefly out the window.
A broken egg was smeared on the glass, from who-knows-where.
"There's talk we should put the Guild Master on trial too."
"And?"
Kim Il-su's voice lacked strength. His face was more haggard than ever, likely from sleepless nights.
"Shouldn't we make a statement?"
"A statement?"
Splat-.
Another egg flew at the window.
"Who'd believe it?"
"They wouldn't."
Pierre answered matter-of-factly.
"Because it's a lie."
Pierre had learned the truth from this incident as well. No, he might have known even earlier.
He'd just desperately turned a blind eye, denying it could be true.
Pierre didn't press Kim Il-su on why he'd done it. In his heart, he was already hurling egg number ten.
Swish-.
Pierre handed Kim Il-su a neatly folded envelope.
As Kim Il-su's eyes questioned what it was, Pierre said,
"My resignation."
"......Resignation?"
"Yes. I'm stepping down as Vice Guild Master. And leaving the guild too."
Pierre bowed politely after handing over the resignation.
"Setting aside the unfortunate events, thank you for everything up to now."
He'd thrown away his Vice Guild Master position instead of an egg. That was his choice regarding the truth.
Even as Pierre left, Kim Il-su said nothing.
With eyes closed, he sat motionless in the guild master's office.
Another egg flew. The curses from outside rang clearly in his ears.
Soo-hyuk slept for four straight days after that.
His energy and focus were depleted; he couldn't even twitch a finger. It was truly the toughest fight since his reincarnation.
Sleep, and sleep some more.
When he finally woke from exhaustion, hunger hit him hard.
"......I'm starving to death."
A beggar was rioting in his stomach. Upon waking, Soo-hyuk headed straight to a restaurant with Hyo-min.
He ordered a full table of food. Even pricey dishes he usually skipped. He wondered if he could finish it all, but he ended up cleaning every plate.
Soo-hyuk ate until his stomach was bursting, without a word.
With his belly full and a cup of tea for afters, he finally felt alive.
"I'll live."
Sinking into the chair, Soo-hyuk grinned in satisfaction.
The group who'd come to eat with him stared, wondering if he'd really eat it all. Especially the light eater Hyo-min, whose reaction bordered on disgust.
"You ate all that."
"It wasn't just me."
"Pretty much all you. We ate earlier."
"You did?"
"Yeah. You were too busy stuffing your face to notice."
"Then why'd you come here?"
"To feed you."
Soo-hyuk laughed at Hyo-min's response.
He didn't mind eating alone, but today, it would've been embarrassing. He'd eaten that much.
As the meal ended, Soo-hyuk felt eyes on him from all around.
He first thought it was because he'd eaten so fast, but no.
"Right. My face is all out now."
His bare face, uncovered, felt awkward. He acted like it was no big deal, but this choice would completely change his life.
"How's it feel?"
"Feel?"
"Like taking off the mask. I told you before, I hated that mask."
"Why?"
"Why? It was ugly. Tacky."
Hyo-min had never liked Soo-hyuk's mask. She'd cited it being weird and creepy.
But was that really it?
She probably pitied him for living hidden away. Among his comrades, she was the most sensitive to others' feelings.
"Walk around like that from now on. Looks way better."
"I will."
It felt strange actually going without the mask, but his heart felt refreshed. Even breathing seemed easier, maybe psychosomatic.
Finishing the meal, Soo-hyuk stood.
He went to pay, ready to leave.
"N-no, it's already paid."
The owner, who should have taken points, waved it off, refusing payment.
"Why not?"
"I want to treat you."
"Me?"
Because his face was known now? Because he was revealed as Lee Soo-hyuk?
Free food was nice, but he couldn't accept. Soo-hyuk insisted on paying.
But.
"My family is downstairs."
The kindly-faced owner finally spoke up.
"With the Grand Showdown results, I thought we might never see them again. No, we definitely wouldn't have."
The owner bowed to Soo-hyuk.
Lips trembling, he conveyed his heartfelt gratitude.
"Thanks to you, Soo-hyuk. Truly, thank you."
"That's......"
"I know."
The owner looked up, sheepish.
"It's just a stay of execution. I get it. When the next Grand Showdown comes, we'll have to pay up eventually. But doesn't that buy us another year?"
That alone made the owner this happy.
Soo-hyuk felt a strange sensation.
Was he really worthy of such thanks? For just one more year?
Emboldened by the owner's greeting, other customers stood.
"Better late than never, but thank you!"
"My family survived thanks to you!"
"You're the best!"
"Loving the streams!"
One cry sparked a chain of thanks and cheers.
Soon, people crowded around the counter. Soo-hyuk gave an embarrassed smile.
How to respond?
Come to think of it, when had he last been in this situation?
'Never really been close to people.'
Always masked, Soo-hyuk had walled himself off. No one approached carelessly.
Even unmasked, they didn't recognize him.
Poke-.
Hyo-min nudged his side.
She whispered just to him.
"Say something back?"
"......This is kinda unfamiliar."
"Unfamiliar? You handle it fine usually."
"Usually?"
"These people are viewers too, right?"
Her words hit like a slap.
True. These folks were viewers in a way.
They liked him, cheered him. Some even watched his streams.
Seeing them as viewers cleared the fog in his mind.
Suddenly, he felt like a streamer here.
"If you want the same results next year, give me some missions."
The owner's eyes widened like saucers.
Before the surprise faded, Soo-hyuk added confidently, as always.
"I clear missions like a pro."
A brief silence.
Then.
"Woooaaah!"
"Lee Soo-hyuk! Lee Soo-hyuk!"
"The best!"
"Lee Soo-hyuk-!"
Soo-hyuk's name exploded through the restaurant.
People outside rushed in at the commotion. Even through the windows, chants rang out.
Like a contagion, cries of Soo-hyuk's name spread outward.
His name carried far, very far. He could hear it echoing from afar.
A festival erupted in the city in an instant.
It started embarrassing, but now those shouts weighed on him with responsibility.
Suddenly, he recalled Unhyang's words from long ago.
To the question of why people loved Lee Soo-hyuk so much, she'd answered:
"Because Lee Soo-hyuk was our hope."
Hope?
Soo-hyuk's gaze swept over the people chanting his name. Tireless, they still cheered hotly.
Whether he could truly be their hope, he didn't know.
But his pledge to give his all came like this.
"Please keep watching my streams from now on."