Chapter 42
Chapter 42
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: Reinhardt's Visit
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10,000 points.
A sponsorship amount that even major streamers rarely see.
But more than the sum itself, what caught the viewers' eyes was the sponsor's name.
Reinhardt.
To Lee Soo-hyuk's fans, he was better known by the name 'One-Sword Left,' a top ranker.
And moreover.
He was one of the rare rankers who also streamed as a hobby.
The chat exploded like oil had been poured on it.
The shock was short-lived. Sensing an opportunity, Hawk's Eye quickly opened his mouth.
"R-Reinhardt! Thank you for the 10,000-point sponsorship! Wow, what brings a ranker here?"
"Thanks for the 1,000 points! As expected, you're generous. And my stream? This is an honor."
Hawk's Eye grinned from ear to ear, chatting back and forth with Reinhardt.
For a mid-tier streamer like him, a ranker like Reinhardt showing up was huge news. It was clip-worthy and perfect for community buzz. The points were just icing on the cake.
Soo-hyuk felt the same.
Ranker Reinhardt. Known by the dishonorable nickname One-Sword Left, but still a highly recognized high ranker.
Getting his acknowledgment would boost Soo-hyuk's stream quite a bit.
But.
'Why is that guy here?'
Under his mask, Soo-hyuk frowned.
Soo-hyuk knew Reinhardt's personality well.
Narrow-minded, full of inferiority complex, and arrogant to the core—a total creep.
Regardless of public opinion, that was Soo-hyuk's assessment of Reinhardt.
On top of that.
'Isaac died just a few days ago.'
A normal father wouldn't have a moment to spare from grief.
Yet here he was, sponsoring someone else's stream. This wasn't normal.
'Why show up on this stream? Did he figure out I killed Isaac?'
He considered the worst-case, but the odds were slim.
The most likely reason was that guy's 'inferiority complex.'
'Must be getting to him.'
One-Sword Left.
It was an indelible stain on ranker Reinhardt.
The fact that the name lingered even after 20 years meant it was probably a deep-seated complex for him.
In that context, the new Lee Soo-hyuk appearing must look like tasty bait.
This was already the fifth sponsorship.
With Soo-hyuk staying silent, Reinhardt resorted to spamming donations to chat.
Collab.
That seemed to be Reinhardt's goal.
Excited voices filled the chat.
Apparently, quite a few of Hawk's Eye's viewers were also Reinhardt fans.
But.
"Well..."
Soo-hyuk's response was lukewarm.
"There's the third-floor event, and for the time being, I'm focusing on trials..."
Soo-hyuk's gaze flicked toward Unhyang and John Tail, standing off-camera.
John Tail especially had his eyes wide open, frantically making an X with his hands.
Sorry, but it couldn't be helped.
"Sorry, but I'll request a collab from me next time."
Cleaning up the chaotic atmosphere fell to Hawk's Eye.
Having rejected Reinhardt's invite, Soo-hyuk dumped all the baggage on him.
"Then I think my part's done, so I'll head out."
"Huh? No, Soo-hyuk? Wait a sec..."
Hawk's Eye trailed off with a sigh.
Sure enough, Soo-hyuk's role in this content ended right there. And the results were outstanding.
The wrap-up was Hawk's Eye's job. The problem was the fired-up audience after rejecting Reinhardt's offer.
Soo-hyuk walked over to Unhyang. He no longer cared about Hawk's Eye managing the chat.
John Tail looked on the verge of tears.
"Why'd you turn it down?"
John Tail's job was to help Soo-hyuk's stream and make it blow up.
He couldn't stand watching this golden opportunity slip away.
"It was a huge chance."
"Is that so?"
"Collabbing with a ranker isn't easy."
Unhyang chimed in on John Tail's words.
In her own way as a manager, she was bummed too.
Even with the company hustling, landing something like this was tough. And it fell right into their lap.
Yet Soo-hyuk kicked it away himself.
"Doesn't matter if it's like that."
But Soo-hyuk showed no regret at Unhyang's explanation.
"I'll just become a ranker myself."
His stream's main content was climbing the tower anyway.
Ranker? That was just a pit stop compared to what Soo-hyuk had ahead.
Growing the stream mattered, but facing Reinhardt now wasn't smart.
'There's the Isaac thing too. Meeting that creep now does me no good.'
He knew he wasn't the old Lee Soo-hyuk anymore.
Back then, he crushed Reinhardt in one shot, earning the One-Sword Left moniker, but a ranker was still a ranker.
At his current level, he couldn't protect himself if that guy bared his teeth.
'Better avoid for now.'
About thirty minutes later.
Hawk's Eye finally ended the stream, returning utterly drained.
"Good work."
"You too."
Unhyang, waiting, handed him water. Hawk's Eye gulped it down gratefully.
"Phew. Really broke a sweat. Saw like a thousand chats begging for you to come back."
"Sorry."
"Nah. Still, thanks to you, sponsorships exploded. Got some killer clips too."
Even after Soo-hyuk left, Reinhardt proposed collabs a few more times.
Each with 1,000 points. Total from him alone: 17,000 points.
Plus, Reinhardt sparked a donation frenzy, raking in a ton in short time.
"We'll split today's points and video revenue with you. You did great."
"I didn't do much."
"Short but high impact, right? Never thought you'd actually tie..."
Hawk's Eye trailed off, thumbs up. Used to praise, Soo-hyuk nodded and asked.
"About that video thing."
"Video? Oh, the edited clip going up on Players?"
"Yeah. Does that make good money?"
Soo-hyuk knew streamers made bank, but only vaguely.
He'd learned sponsorship structures from past streams, but not videos.
"Tons. Especially for me."
"For you?"
"Feedback content has short airtime. But easy to clip. Roughly, I make about five times my sponsorships from videos."
"Five times...?"
Way more than expected. He thought it was side income, but apparently not.
"For you, probably equal or a bit more than sponsorships. Big, right?"
"Yeah. Beyond expectations."
"Ask the suit here for details—he's got the data. That's what companies are for, yeah?"
Hawk's Eye pointed at John Tail, who still looked bummed about the missed collab.
"We'll contact you once the video's up."
No sooner had he finished.
"Then since I answered your question, mind if I ask one?"
Like he'd been waiting, Hawk's Eye asked.
"Your fighting earlier seemed a bit off. Bad condition today? Hurt somewhere?"
"Uh..."
Unhyang, beside him, widened her eyes at Soo-hyuk.
Having watched the test up close like Hawk's Eye, she felt the same.
Slight unnaturalness here and there.
A subtle difference invisible on stream, but both sharp-eyed streamers caught it.
'Did it show a bit?'
Soo-hyuk smacked his lips in regret.
He'd tried to hide it, but Hawk's Eye's instincts were sharper than expected.
Makes sense.
That's how he succeeded as a streamer with just his eye for detail.
"Win or lose, I lose."
Soo-hyuk finally answered.
"Lose how?"
"My stream rides on Lee Soo-hyuk's halo. If I win, I get the halo, but it tarnishes the legend."
The legend of players. Lee Soo-hyuk.
It was himself from his past life, but he still needed that name.
"Losing's worse. Then it confirms 'streamer Lee Soo-hyuk can't match the real deal.' So in this test, I had to craft a result that didn't ruin any version of Lee Soo-hyuk."
The best outcome for that.
This was it.
"A draw. Perfect."
Unhyang, Hawk's Eye, and John Tail shared the same expression at Soo-hyuk's words.
He planned that far ahead? No, planning aside—it's possible?
"So..."
Hawk's Eye asked, half-disbelieving.
"You could've done better?"
Not just any record.
Lee Soo-hyuk. The great player who defined an era.
Tying that in one try was shocking enough, but intentional? Unbelievable.
"Who knows."
Soo-hyuk had no intention of answering that.
"One question per exchange, right?"
Hawk's Eye and Unhyang looked disappointed.
They wanted to know if this Lee Soo-hyuk could surpass Blue Eyes' Lee Soo-hyuk.
The answer, from the man himself.
"Fair enough."
Hawk's Eye didn't pry.
Pushing someone who didn't want to talk just built resentment.
"So what's next? My content's all about your moves, so I'm curious."
"Focusing on the third-floor event for a bit."
Hawk's Eye's eyes lit up.
Blue Eyes' third-floor event. Perfect fit for Soo-hyuk's climb-the-tower concept.
"Smart choice."
"Thanks to the company and my capable manager's recommendation."
Hawk's Eye grinned at Unhyang at Soo-hyuk's humility.
She was capable, sure. More as a player than manager, though.
"See you soon, Soo-hyuk."
"Yeah. Was nice meeting you."
Soo-hyuk shook Hawk's Eye's hand. He turned down the afterparty— no time for drinks.
On the way back.
Soo-hyuk recalled his own words.
"My stream rides on Lee Soo-hyuk's halo. If I win, I get the halo, but it tarnishes the legend."
He knew.
That he was coasting on the old Lee Soo-hyuk's name.
Even if it was his past self, it stung his pride a bit.
'Can't ride coattails forever.'
A draw.
People would say from now on.
Streamer Lee Soo-hyuk and Blue Eyes' Lee Soo-hyuk have the same talent and skill.
And that means.
'Depending on what I do now, the value of Lee Soo-hyuk rises with me.'
What streamer Lee Soo-hyuk achieves, Blue Eyes' Lee Soo-hyuk could too.
No plans to coast on his past life's rep forever.
Someday, beyond that.
Higher, farther.
The draw was a brief compromise for that.