Chapter 50
Chapter 50
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 50
Chapter Title: A Truly Coincidental Encounter
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If it was a coincidence, it was truly one.
No matter that they had all gathered in the city for the same goal of the tournament, to run into each other at such a small shop like this.
And on top of that, Omar Schneider was helping him out.
'Well, that's that.'
The situation was curious, but what mattered right now was something else.
"Hey, mister."
"Ah, m-m... mister?"
Glock faltered for a moment at Lee Soo-hyuk's sudden change in attitude.
"Let me hear the price one more time. If I don't like it, I'll go somewhere else. If I do, we'll deal right here."
Chin-.
As if ready to take it back and leave at any moment, Soo-hyuk pretended to gather the sky serpent's scales again.
"Think it over carefully and make your offer. This time, let's make it good for both of us."
After much deliberation, Glock's offered price was 18,000 points.
Two thousand points more than the original buy-in price.
He could make a profit reselling, but it probably wouldn't be much.
'Not bad.'
On top of that, Soo-hyuk sold off other miscellaneous monster parts.
In total, he pocketed 20,000 points.
Adding the latest settlement, it came to a whopping 69,789 points.
Checking his accumulated points so far brought two thoughts to mind.
One was the expectation that he'd reach his target points faster than anticipated.
The other was the regret that just 4,000 more points would let him level up a skill.
'Can't borrow money from anywhere.'
Loans were like drugs.
Eventually, borrowed points had to be repaid. Best not to start the vicious cycle.
'Guess I have to wait for the next stream.'
Soo-hyuk was smacking his lips when it happened.
"You're Lee Soo-hyuk, right?"
Omar Schneider's abrupt question.
He'd apparently known from the start and approached on purpose.
Of course. How could he not know?
Sure, lots of streamers wore masks for cosplay, but right now, in this place, not many would be walking around masked.
"Were you following me?"
"No. Nothing like that. You just stood out too much. I was sure when I saw the state of the sky serpent's scales."
Soo-hyuk fiddled with the mask covering his face at those words.
'Should I take it off when I'm out alone?'
Thinking back, in his previous life, he'd often gone without the mask when alone. No one besides his comrades knew his face under it anyway.
"That sky serpent—you caught it?"
"Didn't steal it."
"The condition was impeccable..."
Schneider stroked his chin with a surprised look.
The sky serpent. A final boss-grade monster you might encounter on the third floor if lucky.
In truth, a team of ten or fewer that could hunt one was considered graduated from the third floor section.
Yet he'd hunted one—a sky serpent, no less—in such pristine condition.
"Care for a cup of tea?"
Soo-hyuk checked the time and nodded at Schneider's offer.
He had business with the man anyway.
A corner seat in the bustling cafe.
Schneider ordered a parfait piled high with cream. His stern face suggested black espresso without sugar, but his taste was unexpectedly sweet.
"Didn't think of that. Can't drink tea with this on—"
Click-.
Before he finished, the mouth part of Soo-hyuk's mask opened. Schneider gave an awkward smile.
"More high-tech than I thought."
"Happens all the time."
Soo-hyuk wet his throat with coffee and asked.
"Why here, though? Tournament's right around the corner."
"Still three hours left. Got bored, and I was interested in you anyway."
"The attention's a bit much... but after earlier, sure."
Soo-hyuk had gotten help from Schneider. Thanks to him, he'd gotten a bit more than market value for the sky serpent's scales.
Anyone who helped him make money started off on good terms.
"You're tackling the Thunder Cave, right?"
The sudden question.
Soo-hyuk's eyes, lazily leaning back in his chair, lit up.
Thunder Cave.
It was true he planned to conquer that unsolved dungeon, unsolved for over twenty years, and Schneider here was indeed the top expert on it.
An unavoidable topic of interest.
"Yeah, that's the plan."
"At first, I thought it was arrogant."
Schneider recalled first hearing about Soo-hyuk.
"Right? A guy fresh on the third floor bragging about conquering the Thunder Cave of all things. How could it not be arrogant?"
"Saying this now means you've changed your mind?"
"Quick on the uptake. Half right."
Clink-.
Suddenly, he set down his parfait spoon.
"Half wrong."
"Your mind's only half changed."
Schneider nodded.
"Heard later you got Lightning. Surprised me. Most go to the Thunder Cave for exactly that."
"Most?"
"My guild. They were obsessed with getting Lightning."
Meaning Lightning wasn't Schneider's goal.
"Anyway, you've got talent. Overflowing, even. Comparable to Lee Soo-hyuk himself, no less."
After the collab with Hawk's Eye.
Soo-hyuk's benchmark had become himself.
Same trial, same score. Even the name and the symbolism of Lightning.
All identical. Odd if they weren't compared.
But.
"Still, I only acknowledge you halfway."
Soo-hyuk met his gaze.
What lay in those eyes wasn't mere jealousy, envy, or petty stubbornness.
It was the obsession and pride of a man who'd lived for one thing alone.
And what that was? Obvious.
'He's serious.'
I like it.
That obsession and pride, too.
Especially since he had no greed for Lightning—his ties to Blue Zone seemed shallow.
Soo-hyuk sank deeper into his chair and got to the point.
"So? Called me here to say that?"
"No."
Schneider felt the same about wrapping up the chit-chat.
"I have a proposal."
"Proposal?"
"First, anything you want from me?"
Soo-hyuk grinned.
As expected, he knew what Soo-hyuk wanted.
"Yeah."
"Name it."
"Everything you know about the Thunder Cave. Hand it over."
Omar Schneider.
Specialist in Thunder Cave conquests. No one in the tower knew more.
No matter how much he scraped from communities or articles, it wouldn't compare to Schneider's knowledge.
"Knew it."
"What do you want?"
He definitely wanted something.
Making this meeting happen. Asking first what Soo-hyuk wanted. All for this.
And sure enough.
"Apologize."
"To you?"
"No."
Schneider shook his head.
"To everyone watching your stream. No—to everyone who knows about the Thunder Cave."
He had a clear demand.
Grind-.
"Turn on your stream and declare that soloing the Thunder Cave was arrogant ignorance on your part. That you can't do it."
Teeth grinding.
"Apologize like that."
He spoke his conviction.
'Feels ignored, huh.'
The words Soo-hyuk spat through his stream had clearly pierced and torn through Schneider's chest.
The ten years he'd poured into conquering the Thunder Cave—all negated in an instant by Soo-hyuk.
Schneider's proposal was to fix that.
To glue back his pride torn by the stream.
He demanded an on-stream apology.
"The bet's the tournament outcome, naturally?"
"Yes."
"No regrets on your end."
Schneider laughed at Soo-hyuk's confidence.
"Taking the proposal too easily."
"I'll win."
"Maybe. Probably nine times out of ten, someday."
Scrape-.
Judging the talk done, Schneider stood.
"But not today."
Mana seethed, suppressed in those blue eyes.
Staring at Soo-hyuk for a while, Schneider turned and left the cafe.
As if business was concluded.
'Definitely. Way beyond third-floor level.'
From that glimpse, Soo-hyuk gauged Schneider's realm.
Most players were one or the other: conquer the trial and ascend, or hit a wall, despair, and quit.
But Schneider before him was neither.
Obsession to conquer the absurd difficulty of the Thunder Cave trial.
That made Schneider an outlier, with levels and stats beyond what third-floor players could have.
'Ten years. Not wasted.'
He could say it plainly.
Schneider had achieved more on the third floor than he had in his past life.
Outside the cafe, Schneider's comrades waited.
"Met him?"
Don Chao approached Schneider, who wore a fierce expression like money owed.
He could guess the talk without asking. Probably about the Thunder Cave.
"Yeah."
"How'd it go?"
"Not easy."
Schneider sighed, relaxing his stiff face.
Seeing that, Don Chao smacked his lips.
"Too bad we can't get an easy apology."
"Who knows."
"What do you mean? Easy is good."
"Then it'd mean some no-name who dissed the Thunder Cave easily. More annoying."
"Uh... yeah?"
Don Chao scratched his head.
Their team leader definitely thought differently. Especially about Thunder Cave matters.
"But still..."
"Still?"
"Meeting him cooled my anger a bit. Not some half-baked punk flaunting Lightning."
Not empty words.
Schneider's face did look far more relaxed than before entering the cafe.
"Skilled, huh."
"No rookie. That's for sure."
"You think you'll lose?"
Don Chao's subtle prod.
"Meeting him made it clearer."
Schneider chuckled and shook his head.
"I won't lose. Absolutely."
At that confidence, Don Chao asked no more about Lee Soo-hyuk.
A chance meeting, but it restored Schneider's calm. Worth it.
As the warm atmosphere lingered.
Something neither Schneider nor Don Chao knew.
That a woman was quietly tailing them.
"That guy? Schnei-something, Schneider or whatever. Kid with a dog of a name."