Chapter 56
Chapter 56
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 56
Chapter Title: The Lightning Spear
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In the center of the audience seats.
Ye-ryeong stared blankly into Unhyang's eyes as she asked her name.
'What? This girl.'
You could tell just by looking into her eyes.
She had noticed the disguise. Probably from the very first moment their gazes met.
However, all Unhyang had picked up on was the presence of the disguise. Spotting it didn't mean she recognized the face hidden underneath.
But even if that were the case.
'She's no ordinary player.'
Among the players Ye-ryeong had encountered lately, this one stood out head and shoulders above the rest. She wasn't even comparable to the half-baked scrubs Kim Il-su had sent after them.
That realization made something feel off.
Running into a player of this caliber by pure chance, of all places, in a mere 3rd-floor arena?
'Did Il-su send her to catch me?'
But if that were true, things wouldn't be this quiet. If her identity and location had been exposed, the arena would be complete chaos by now.
She wasn't from Blue Zone either.
She had simply noticed the disguise, but didn't seem particularly interested in Ye-ryeong's true identity.
She was only asking for a name right now, making no other moves.
And besides.
'Unhyang... where have I heard that name before?'
It felt vaguely familiar, like she'd heard it mentioned offhand somewhere.
She was lost in that strange unease, racking her brain, when—
"I'm asking your name."
Unhyang pressed as Ye-ryeong failed to respond.
Any more silence, and she'd really start getting suspicious. In the end, Ye-ryeong opened her mouth.
"Ye-jeong."
She altered one character of her name. No harm in playing it safe rather than revealing her real one and risking who-knows-what.
"Ye-jeong? Hmm..."
A dubious reaction.
Unhyang stared piercingly at Ye-ryeong's concealed face before speaking.
"Fine. I won't ask what you're here for."
The words carried the certainty that something was up.
Ye-ryeong smiled nonchalantly in response.
"What do you mean, 'what'? I just came to watch the match."
"Come on. Just that?"
An expression of disbelief.
As if that were impossible, Unhyang shrugged and said,
"Anyway, just so you know—don't do anything to ruin the match. Save whatever you're planning for after it's over. Otherwise, I won't sit idly by."
It was a warning laced with threat, but Ye-ryeong actually felt relieved at the words.
If she knew—or even suspected—Ye-ryeong's identity, she wouldn't dare say something so bold.
She had no idea who she was. With that reassurance, Ye-ryeong asked,
"Why won't you sit idly by?"
"I'm the manager for this stream."
Unhyang held up the screen showing Soo-hyuk's broadcast, where the exam was underway.
"If the tournament turns into a mess, the stream does too. Can't let that happen."
"Manager...?"
Ye-ryeong's eyes went wide.
That explained why she was watching the stream right here at the venue.
She was Lee Soo-hyuk the streamer's manager.
"Really? Lee Soo-hyuk's manager?"
Ye-ryeong's eyes sparkled.
Unhyang was the flustered one now, caught off-guard by the unexpectedly enthusiastic response.
"Uh? Yeah. Totally real."
"I love the stream. Like, from that Wolf Warrior fight—"
"Whoa, really? Then you've been watching since the absolute beginning."
"The beginning! Wasn't that the first day of the stream?"
"Spot on! Wow, you're a legit fan, huh?"
"What, you think it's fake?"
Once the conversation got rolling, it flowed effortlessly.
"Seriously? Viewer number one?"
"Yup. Total fate, right?"
"Nah, you're not just pretending to be the manager, are you?"
The initial wariness vanished, and the two dove into chatter over their shared interest.
"So, were you a Soo-hyuk fan from way back too, sis?"
"Fan...?"
Ye-ryeong hesitated at the abrupt question.
Most people discovered Soo-hyuk's stream out of fandom for him. They bonded under the big "fan" umbrella, finding a sense of belonging as viewers.
Ye-ryeong watched his stream too, of course.
But could she really call herself a fan like them?
"A... fan?"
She couldn't answer.
She wasn't his fan—she was his friend.
The longing for Soo-hyuk was the same, but the relationship and depth of that longing were worlds apart.
'What?'
Unhyang was equally puzzled by the reaction.
Watching from the Wolf Warrior hunt meant tuning in on day one.
That implied she'd sought out his concept-driven stream, yet she balked at calling herself a fan.
As Unhyang eyed her suspiciously once more—
Rumble—!
A deafening thunderclap echoed.
From the device Unhyang was watching.
And from dead center on the Colosseum's screen too.
Rumble—!
The spear thrashed wildly in his hand.
Blood trickled down Soo-hyuk's hand, where he gripped the lightning.
'Didn't think it'd actually form.'
Shaping a weapon from lightning was no simple task.
Coating a weapon with an attribute's properties was worlds apart in difficulty from forging the weapon itself from the element.
Of course.
The power difference was just as vast.
'But I have to show it.'
This situation was perfect for it.
'It's a stream.'
During the 2nd-floor exam, Soo-hyuk had thrown a Lightning Spear once before.
The Lightning Spear. A one-use-only legendary-grade item.
It had been an event item necessary for taking down the Giant Tribe King.
But.
'Lightning has always been a power that suits the spear more than the sword.'
It was just one throw, but the sensation transmitted through his hand alongside the javelin was vivid.
The Lightning Trial had spoken to those undergoing the trial through the Lightning Spear.
Lightning wasn't meant to be swung. It became its most powerful weapon only when hurled.
'Not my first time making a spear—.'
But the spear from back then and this one were entirely different.
The power was naturally inferior to those forged at the height of his prime, but even so, he could say with confidence.
'This is the real deal.'
This was true lightning.
Szzzzzt—.
A stinging current crawled up his arm.
The blood trickling down the back of his hand carbonized pitch-black in an instant.
He'd managed to form it somehow, but it was still no easy feat.
'Still too much to wield here.'
Even he could tell this wasn't a weapon meant for the 3rd floor. He should be grateful just to have formed it at all.
And the biggest reason he could was, as expected—
—the effect of Selfish Sacrifice, now at level 5.
'The effect has definitely strengthened as the level rose.'
It had been worth pouring out points like blood.
The more points invested, the more steadily the skill's effect enhanced. Choosing Selfish Sacrifice to counter lightning's drawbacks had been the right call.
The moment that thought crossed his mind, a sigh welled up from deep in his dantian.
'Gonna have to grind points again, after all.'
Probably for the foreseeable future.
This point-obsessed lifestyle would continue.
"That spear..."
Schneider's eyes wavered as he beheld the Lightning Spear.
"What is it? How do you even...?"
"I'm the one asking the questions."
"What?"
In his confusion, Schneider recalled Soo-hyuk's words.
"Do you still think I'm the one running?"
He couldn't bring himself to say yes.
Spewing that nonsense after seeing that spear would be tantamount to spitting in his own face.
"...No."
"Then let me ask one more."
Rumble—!
As Soo-hyuk raised the spear high, another small thunderclap rang out.
"Are you going to run?"
"......"
Schneider fell silent.
He knew.
This was provocation. Obvious as day.
The question had only one meaning.
"Running's for the weaker one."
Are you admitting you're weaker than me?
That's what Soo-hyuk was saying.
Yet even so, Schneider couldn't back down easily.
'If I shatter that...'
A scene flickered before his eyes.
That one step he himself had never managed to take.
It loomed so large he couldn't flee from it.
'Then, I can reach it.'
Thud—.
Schneider didn't run.
Toward the place that terrified and dazed him merely by proximity, he advanced spear in hand.
Hiss—.
The blue steam billowing from Schneider's body thickened.
His muscles felt precise. Mana swelled, permeating every corner of his body.
Suddenly.
As he walked into that lightning, a conversation from a few years back resurfaced.
"Team leader, mind if I ask something rude?"
It was back when he was teaming with Don Chao to tackle the Thunder Cave.
They'd failed about three assaults together.
Team shuffles were routine in raiding parties. No matter how badly Blue Zone wanted the Thunder Cave cleared, it was a time sink for individual players.
"It's already rude the second you say it."
"Oh, really?"
"Spit it out."
"Nah, just wondering why you're so obsessed with the Thunder Cave."
A question he'd heard countless times. Most who knew Schneider harbored that doubt.
What was there that warranted such obsession?
No, he couldn't even know what lay at the dungeon's end.
"Dunno."
"Huh?"
"Guys like me, who get insanely fixated on one thing? We forget the reasons."
"What's that mean?"
"Grandly put, it's conviction. Pathetically, it's obsession."
Right.
To anyone watching, this was obsession.
But who cared about that crap.
"What I can say is this: I'm dead certain my life changes depending on whether I overcome it or not."
A thought that dawned after about ten failed challenges.
"That's why I can't quit. Giving up here turns me into a guy who quits at everything."
"And success means... you can do anything."
Schneider answered Don Chao's words with a laugh.
Breaking the Thunder Cave.
It was the first wall a talentless player like him could overcome.
And now.
'Is this my second wall?'
Schneider faced his second wall, following the Thunder Cave.
Thud—!
"Uwaaaah—!"
He aimed the spear tip at his opponent's throat and accelerated into a charge. From his toes to the crown of his head, he wrung every ounce of power into the spear.
Soo-hyuk watched Schneider barreling toward him in throwing stance.
"Impressive."
He couldn't deny it.
His obsession with the Thunder Cave had never been in vain.
Behold.
The form of a completed player hurling himself forth as a spear.
'Can't half-ass this.'
Out of respect for his ten years, he had to show it.
That he hadn't dismissed the Thunder Cave.
Just that he was qualified for it!
Flash—!