Chapter 52
Chapter 52
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 52
Chapter Title: 52화
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 52
Chapter Title: The Preliminaries Begin
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Unhyang grumbled as she stared at the betting odds on Soo-hyuk.
"Everyone's blind or something. Does this even make sense?"
Nearly 3x odds.
That meant a ton of people were betting on Schneider.
"Well... the guy's pretty strong right now. Pretty strong."
Unhyang, who rarely acknowledged anyone else,
couldn't deny Schneider's prowess.
Not his talent. She meant his tenacity and effort, and what he'd achieved through them.
Even if it looked foolish to some.
'In this bracket, he's basically a dragon.'
She'd bet on him out of fandom and her wager with Cheongryang, but that didn't blind her.
Unhyang had eyes too, and she knew.
Coldly speaking, Schneider had the highest chance of winning this tournament.
But.
"A draw. That's perfect."
Soo-hyuk's confidence from that collab stream with Hawk's Eye kept flashing in her mind.
As if he'd deliberately forced the draw.
As if he could do even more anytime.
'Was it just bravado?'
Who knows.
At least the Lee Soo-hyuk she knew
wouldn't pull empty bluffs—not as Blue Eyes' Soo-hyuk, anyway.
And her streamer, Lee Soo-hyuk,
resembled her idol more than anyone.
'Let's trust him.'
Unhyang's gaze shifted to the center of the Colosseum ahead.
Not far from Schneider.
There stood Soo-hyuk.
'Manager's instinct.'
Her eyes soon dropped to the kit in her hands.
The broadcast had begun.
Even here in the arena, her world was right there.
The broadcast started.
Soo-hyuk smiled at the greetings from viewers flooding in.
He'd started this for the money, but he'd definitely gotten hooked.
"Long time no see, everyone."
Their complaints didn't bother him. As Unhyang said, they came from liking him that much.
The real issue was elsewhere.
'Too much firepower.'
Soo-hyuk tried to read as many chats as possible. Tough during trials, but doable now for interaction.
But it was impossible.
Even with great dynamic vision, they scrolled too fast.
'Never like this outside collabs.'
He gave up reading them all.
'How many viewers...'
How many minutes since starting?
He'd felt viewers rising fast, but this was extreme.
'At this rate... definitely over 10k.'
Collab effect,
plus the video's power.
The video's impact was huge.
Viewers surging like this.
Maybe today's stream would be a major turning point.
One chat caught his eye, sparking tournament questions.
The chaotic post-hiatus vibe settled a bit.
"Yes. I'm in the tournament."
"Doesn't the live view look better from the stands?"
Turning on the stream even at the venue?
Grateful as a streamer, but baffling.
"That's why?"
Hard to grasp. Why go to such lengths for someone they'd never met?
A strange sense of responsibility settled on his shoulders.
Soo-hyuk nodded and addressed the rapidly growing viewers.
"Thank you. I'll repay you with a win."
Because of Schneider?
Few seemed convinced of Soo-hyuk's win. Chat leaned toward reckless challenge.
And one thing such challenges always brought.
His eyes lit up.
30k point mission. Way bigger than before.
No, the name made it more like cheer than mission.
ILoveLeeSooHyuk. The top donor, a 'chairwoman' type.
"No regrets?"
She must be loaded.
Heh-.
"30k points—thanks in advance."
His wallet would fatten soon. But the smile faded quick.
Woooong-.
The tournament began, and a massive field unfurled in the Colosseum.
Whoooosh-!
The field swallowed over 10k players. Same message popped for all entrants.
Even vast, 10k was too many for the Colosseum. Without trial format, players would die for real.
"Participate."
Players including Soo-hyuk entered one by one.
The field spread through the Colosseum.
A vast forest appeared. Towering trees enveloped the surroundings.
Suddenly, Soo-hyuk stood alone. Other players vanished.
Blue Zone's system-powered field.
Brutally simple.
Soo-hyuk smiled.
"Solo battle royale, huh."
Trial format: deathmatch.
And naturally, solos.
He'd hoped for solos in any trial. Luckily, prelims were.
Deathmatch suited him best, too.
'Might run into him right away.'
Schneider.
Maybe settle it in prelims.
Survival rate: 1 in 10.
Two ways: hide or thin the herd yourself.
And obviously,
Soo-hyuk had zero plans to hide.
Not his style, and better content anyway.
Plus.
Missions pouring in.
Soo-hyuk's eyes gleamed.
"200 per kill?"
He hadn't planned to hide anyway, but this changed tactics.
200/kill. 100 kills = 20k instant.
Schneider kill +10k. Win mission +30k...
'60k points.'
Enough to refill near-empty coffers post-skill ups.
Bigger audience, bigger bucks.
Then.
Rustle-.
Grass rustled.
Soo-hyuk's head snapped sideways.
"Uh..."
The man who met his eyes looked like he'd picked the wrong fight.
He recognized Soo-hyuk.
One guy? No need for Lightning.
"200 points walking around."
The player bolted.
Soo-hyuk pursued, stepping forward.
"Thanks for the meal."
Step-.
Somewhere isolated in the forest.
Schneider walked slowly.
Already down 1,500.
Schneider hadn't fought a soul.
Not that he hadn't crossed paths.
They'd all fled instead of fighting.
'One goal.'
Step-.
His mind fixed on one thing while walking.
'Lee Soo-hyuk.'
No need for others.
Someone else would cull them.
Now, steel nerves for Soo-hyuk.
Rustle-.
Grass nearby, then breathing.
Schneider halted.
"Let one go, and it brings a herd?"
Click-.
He assembled his back-mounted short spear into a long one. Shadows in the trees emerged.
"Quick senses."
"Told you hiding's pointless."
"Shoulda gathered more..."
"Enough. This'll do."
Murmurs-.
Dozens arrayed against him. Target: solely Schneider.
"Smart choice. Gotta drop a top contender early for your shot."
Schneider stayed calm.
Expected. Prelims their best non-1v1 chance.
But.
"Sheep are sheep, even in flocks."
"Numbers beat skill—where's your bluff comi—"
Bang-!
The frontmost player's head exploded.
Schneider's spear pointed there, but too far for reach.
"Seen your type trip me up plenty."
Players backed away, realizing their miscalculation.
Step-.
One man's aura crushed dozens. Like a wolf stalking sheep, Schneider advanced fearlessly.
Then.
Flash-.
Gasp...!
"When—!"
In their midst, his spear swept a wide arc.
Kwaaa-!
Splatter-.
Blood fountained from neckless bodies.
"To catch me, should've at least brought Lee Soo-hyuk."
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