Chapter 47
Chapter 47
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: Blue Zone Recruiter
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Blue Zone's player Na Do-sik visited the 3rd floor.
A 5th floor player like him had come all the way down to these lower floors for one reason alone. To meet a specific player in person.
'The next floor was right there, but I get stuck with this busywork.'
He fiddled with his spiky hair, muttering irritably.
"Damn that guy's annoying. Bouncing around for no reason."
Streamer Lee Soo-hyuk.
The player who'd lucked into Lightning on the 2nd floor.
Getting something like that just from putting on a show.
'No matter how much symbolic value they need, Blue Zone wanting a measly 3rd floor player.'
Na Do-sik glanced at the map on his kit and kept walking.
"End of the world, end of the world."
His grumbling didn't last long.
Arriving at his destination, Na Do-sik looked up at the inn.
"This the place."
The exterior was clean—clearly a nice spot. Probably arranged by Baehae Entertainment.
Streamers must really rake it in.
Na Do-sik pushed open the inn's door and made a call.
"Yes. I've arrived."
The person on the other end was John Tail.
Team leader at Baehae Entertainment.
"Yes. I'm on the first flo……."
"Over here. Here."
The inn's first floor had a lobby decked out like a cafe.
John Tail sat right in the middle, waving at Na Do-sik.
Creak—
Na Do-sik sat down across from him.
"Coffee? Or something light to drink?"
"Nah. Just water."
"Got it."
John Tail picked up on the fact that Na Do-sik had no intention of sticking around long from his curt reply.
"You said you had business with our streamer?"
"Yes. Where's Lee Soo-hyuk right now?"
"He's out at the moment. Had some other business."
"Business? What kind?"
"That's his private life. Hard to share……."
John Tail trailed off and wet his throat with some coffee.
"Besides, we've already passed along our streamer's position on the matter."
"I'll discuss it with him directly."
"Too bad. You won't get the chance."
"You just don't want him to meet me, do you?"
Na Do-sik scowled.
He'd known Baehae Entertainment wouldn't be cooperative. From their perspective, it was like Blue Zone trying to steal a guaranteed jackpot lottery ticket.
But.
'If I go back without even seeing Lee Soo-hyuk's face, I'm done for—straight to disciplinary action.'
No matter his personal opinion of Lee Soo-hyuk, the guild wanted him.
Badly.
If this fell through, it wouldn't end with a simple slap on the wrist.
"For Lee Soo-hyuk, joining a major guild beats streaming any day. A hundred times better, right?"
"Who knows. Top streamers these days pull in as much as rankers."
"Not just points. Honor, power, strength—the whole package."
"Streamer Lane Cutter became a ranker while broadcasting and has more points and fame than others at his level."
John Tail didn't give an inch.
Tough customer. Irritation spread across Na Do-sik's face.
"Your attitude makes it look like you're trying to make an enemy of Blue Zone."
If persuasion didn't work, go for intimidation.
But he'd picked the wrong mark.
"It happens sometimes. Players with biases against streamers. I've run into a few who give off that vibe without saying it outright."
A cryptic remark left a question mark hanging over Na Do-sik's expression.
What was he supposed to do about it?
"But not many say crap like that right to my face. Know why?"
Strength crept into John Tail's voice.
"Because we have the power to sway the public. And unless you're a toddler, everyone knows just how strong that power is."
Then the corner of his mouth lifted.
A sneer.
"Get it, kid? How utterly ridiculous you sound."
"K-Kid?"
Na Do-sik's face flushed red as he shot to his feet.
But he couldn't lean on the guild's backing to threaten or push John Tail like before.
'This isn't working.'
He could only play the threat card once.
Push further despite the warning, and it'd tarnish not just him but the guild's image too.
And then.
'The punishment would make missing out on Lee Soo-hyuk look like nothing.'
Gulp—
To the guild, image meant recognition and honor.
Feuding with a hot company like Baehae—MCM rising star—was a no-go.
No choice.
"……You'll regret this someday."
For now, pull back.
Bang—!
Na Do-sik stormed out of the inn.
Slamming the door was his last shred of pride.
"Tch."
John Tail watched him go for a moment, then clicked his tongue and downed the rest of his coffee.
A bit heavy-handed, but the rejection should've landed loud and clear.
"Honestly, it'd be great for us but……."
Wrapping up the Blue Zone meeting, John Tail muttered his lingering doubt.
"No matter how I look at it, he fits as a player way better than a streamer."
Lee Soo-hyuk, out hunting relentlessly for the third day straight.
He was nothing like the streamers John Tail had seen before.
Screeeeech—!
A massive serpent dozens of meters long let out a scream.
Its body was over two meters thick, covered in tough red scales.
The monster dubbed the king of the 3rd floor: the Sky Serpent.
But.
'Last gasp, huh.'
Its head was a shredded mess.
Ever since the hunt began, Soo-hyuk had relentlessly targeted only the head.
Krunch—
The Sky Serpent charged fiercely, shattering the ground.
Soo-hyuk didn't dodge until it closed in, staring it down the whole time.
Then, at the final moment.
"Let's wrap this up nice and easy."
Crackle—!
Soo-hyuk vanished amid the remnants of yellow lightning.
"For you or me."
BOOM—!
A single bolt of lightning plunged into the Sky Serpent's head.
Soo-hyuk's blade tip pierced straight through its brain.
+ Strength +1
+ Stamina +1
+ Concentration +1
Boss was boss, alright. Another level in a flash.
And the final hunt's rewards weren't just the level.
"Gonna make some cash."
Hunting loot he'd have ignored before.
The Sky Serpent's scales.
'These alone are worth at least 10,000 points. Sky Serpent scales fetch that much.'
That was why the Sky Serpent hunt had been such a pain.
He had to hunt while damaging the scales as little as possible.
In other words, he had that much leeway.
Soo-hyuk checked his gains from the past three days.
Pure grinding had netted no bonus items or skills.
But the levels were undeniable.
'9 levels total. Day one: 4, day two: 3, today: 2.'
Absurd speed.
But it was definitely slowing as levels rose.
'Gonna call it here.'
He'd gotten plenty from hunting.
9 levels meant 27 stats by simple math. No need to push.
After peeling off the Sky Serpent's scales, Soo-hyuk headed back.
Tomorrow was the day to retrieve Min-jae's belongings.
Back at the inn, Soo-hyuk's first move was a shower.
He'd stored the scales in his inventory. Space ran short, so he swallowed tears and left half behind.
'Once I have some spare cash, inventory bag first.'
As he washed, he thought that, then sighed.
"Where's the spare cash? Got a money pit glued to me."
After his long-overdue refreshing shower, Soo-hyuk spotted a blue light on his kit.
A message had arrived.
A squished-looking winky emoticon.
Soo-hyuk stared at the message, scratching his head.
"Wink...?"
More importantly, how'd she know he was back?
'Well, with her skills, not hard to figure out.'
She was a capable player by Soo-hyuk's own admission.
If she put her mind to it, she'd find him no matter the distance—a few kilometers or whatever.
Soo-hyuk dried his hair and changed clothes. Heading downstairs, he saw Unhyang beaming at a table.
"Something good happen?"
Soo-hyuk sat across from her.
Two cups of tea were already set on the table.
"How'd it go?"
Unhyang asked back with a smile.
How what went?
Question with a question was weird enough, but he couldn't even parse it.
"What do you mean?"
"You didn't check?"
"Check what...?"
Mid-sentence, it hit him.
"Oh, right."
Lost in the hunt, he'd forgotten.
"The video...?"
The edited broadcast footage Baehae Entertainment had produced and uploaded.
"You seriously didn't check?"
"Yeah."
"Why?"
"Got too focused on hunting."
"Whoa......"
"Sorry."
Unhyang shook her head at his apology.
"No, that's not it—it's just so you, Lee Soo-hyuk. Kinda cool."
No empty words.
Unhyang wasn't a good enough actress to lie with her eyes.
She was genuinely pleased with his excuse of total hunt immersion.
"I'm telling you, it's fine like that. It's the most Lee Soo-hyuk thing ever! That's your biggest strength."
"That so?"
He was realizing just how lucky he was with his manager.
Having someone cheer him on like this—his partner, no less—was a true blessing.
"Then you probably don't even know how many points you're getting from the settlement?"
"Nope."
He probably wouldn't have known even if he checked.
Revenue from the video. Plus half the donations from the Hawk's Eye collab.
That was Soo-hyuk's payout via Baehae Entertainment.
"Good thing you're not all about the streaming itself. You love points, right?"
"Well......"
About to deny it, Soo-hyuk recalled his own words to her.
When she'd asked why he streamed—
"For the money."
......
"Yeah. I like 'em."
"Hehe. Get excited."
Unhyang grinned happily at his answer.
And right after.
"Ta-da!"
She started a broadcast and pulled up his first-ever settlement sheet.