Chapter 58
Chapter 58
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: The Free Thief's Boots
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Waaaaah-!
The cheers from the audience seats engulfed the arena.
In the Colosseum, the players who had finished their matches stood with regretful expressions.
The winner had been decided.
Until the match began, everyone had been the protagonist. But now, there was only one left.
"He wonnnn-!"
Unhyang jumped up from her seat, letting out a wild cheer.
She seemed far happier than Lee Soo-hyuk, who was actually standing on the arena floor.
On the other hand...
Kim Ye-ryeong had no idea whether she should be happy about this situation or not.
'I never thought he'd actually win.'
Like most other players, both Kim Si-woo and Ye-ryeong had thought Schneider would take the championship.
No matter how exceptional Lee Soo-hyuk's talent was or how he'd acquired Lightning, that power wasn't something anyone could wield just because they had it.
Lightning was a double-edged sword. Inevitably wounding its wielder made it closer to a demon sword.
That was why they'd assumed it would take him much longer to master it...
'What the hell was that spear? And he still has stamina left after throwing something like that?'
Everything was beyond expectations.
He bore the same name as her friend—and was displaying even greater talent.
It was unbelievable.
"Alright, sorry about this, but could the eliminated participants please leave the stage? Winner, please remain on the stage!"
The announcer floated up into the sky above the stage and shouted. There was only one thing left now.
"Next up: prize presentation!"
Prize.
The keepsake of Kim Min-jae, a member of Blue Eyes and a friend of his.
Schneider's face was unreadable. He looked angry, maybe resigned.
With all the participants leaving the stage...
"Time for the prize presentation-!"
At Go Hyun-seo's gesture, Kim Min-jae's keepsake moved to rest above her palm.
And seeing that...
Ye-ryeong fell deep into thought.
If things went according to the original plan...
"Steal it once the winner's decided. That'll be much safer."
Now was her moment to move.
Thud-.
The boots settled onto his palm. As Soo-hyuk's gaze followed the slowly descending shoes, his eyes wavered.
It had been a long time.
For the boots, not him.
'Twenty years, maybe.'
A strange feeling washed over him.
Free Thief's Boots. The item Min-jae treasured most.
"Hey, I told you not to touch my boots? Who wore them out?!"
He could still picture Min-jae flying into a rage at the slightest touch.
'Not like it's a security blanket.'
Thinking back, a chuckle escaped him.
And then...
"Oh, that? Il-su said to tell you he's borrowing them for a bit."
"That guy again? Arrrgh-!"
Even the unpleasant memories he didn't want to recall came flooding back.
His upturned lips drooped again. His wistful eyes sharpened with resolve.
'Yeah. He'd understand.'
For the first time, the reality of his death hit home.
By the hand of a friend—no, a comrade who'd fought alongside him.
Ridiculous.
No matter how desperate he was for points, he could never sell this.
"Not for sale."
"Pardon?"
Go Hyun-seo looked puzzled at his response to the viewers.
Unlike the exam where mic control was possible, the boundary here was unclear.
"No, I was talking to the viewers."
"Oh right, you're a streamer. But not selling? What do you mean..."
"One viewer said it'd fetch a high price if I sold it."
"True. Probably at least a few million points, right?"
Free Thief's Boots came with the Blue Eyes premium.
Hard to even convert its value to points. To wealthy collectors, it'd be a priceless piece.
"Sell it to me-!"
"Name your price! I'll pay anything!"
"Want an item? Our clan vault has way better ones! Come visit and..."
The Colosseum grew noisy again after the tournament ended.
It was only natural.
Free Thief's Boots were the reason this many spectators had gathered in the first place.
'People who came to buy this.'
The name Blue Eyes was still deeply etched at the top.
It was part of the history he'd built, turned legendary by Kim Il-su.
And the people here were collectors drawn to that legend.
Here to buy the winner's prize on the spot.
"Not for sale."
Soo-hyuk answered calmly.
But the commotion didn't die down.
No.
"Two million points!"
"Two point one million!"
"I'll pay two point five! Plus..."
"Three million!"
The uproar only intensified.
As if they hadn't heard Soo-hyuk at all.
Bidders clamoring for the item. Spectators watching the auction excitedly.
His ears picked up their voices clearly.
"Up to three million already."
"Vibe says it'll go higher."
"Is it really worth that?"
"Just the premium. Famous ranker used it..."
"Could hit four mil if..."
Could you all just shut up?
He'd planned to grab his friend's memento and leave quietly.
'Can't take this anymore.'
In the end, Soo-hyuk's eyes flashed.
Fwiiiish-!
High in the arena sky.
A yellow pillar shot up.
Kaboom-!
Thunderclap drowned the arena. In an instant, the noisy venue fell silent, halting the auction chatter in the stands.
"Let me make this clear. No matter the bid, not for sale."
He'd poured power into those words, flashy Lightning and all.
Only then did the audience grasp his resolve.
But even so, there was always that one guy.
The oblivious type who didn't know when to quit.
"Five million..."
Even amid it all, one persistent voice.
"Even for five million?"
An astronomical sum slipped from his lips.
The murmurs threatened to start up again at that price.
"Saying it once more."
Soo-hyuk glared at him, voice laced with menace.
"Not. For. Sale."
The prize presentation ended in a spectacle.
Five million points. An insane offer, but Soo-hyuk didn't hand it over.
On the way out of the arena...
Soo-hyuk turned his head, a sour taste lingering.
'Inflating the price for no reason.'
Five million.
Thinking about it again, it was a staggering sum.
Most players could never dream of touching that much in a lifetime.
If he got that now, he could skyrocket Selfish Sacrifice's skill level in one go.
Of course.
Even then, Soo-hyuk had no intention of selling.
'Points? I can earn more.'
Through streams, or later as a ranker.
One way or another. Even if slow, he'd earn not just five million, but ten.
But this was different.
'Might never get another.'
He planned to reclaim every item they'd used, without exception.
Not just Min-jae's boots.
Su-hun's spear, Ji-young's necklace...
Everything. He'd get it all back.
And this was the start.
'Still stings a bit.'
Only one way to soothe the ache.
Missions.
Sponsorships from the various finals missions.
"Gotta do it. Claim."
Pleasant messages rolled in.
Total: 71,200 points.
Far short of the five million auction hype, but no small change.
His points jumped past 80k in a flash. Recovering what he'd spent.
"Thanks for all the missions, everyone. My stomach feels a bit better now."
What kind of image did he even have?
'Am I that money-hungry?'
He definitely wasn't like that in his past life.
Soo-hyuk nodded at the suggestion with the donation.
He needed to check anyway.
Worth five mil? Probably not.
'But definitely useful.'
There was good reason Min-jae clung to it.
"Got it. Let's take a look..."
Soo-hyuk appraised the item while continuing the stream.
"Together."
Movement speed, jump power, and one skill option.
High Unique grade, equip limit not too bad. He could use it right now, luckily.
But viewer reactions to the options were mixed.
Of course.
Those were opinions from clueless noobs who couldn't appraise items.
Exactly.
Items boosting absolute movement speed were priceless, regardless of grade or limits.
Rare option that barely appeared—and scaled insanely as user level rose.
That's how Min-jae got the fastest feet around.
'Still, not five mil worth.'
Market price? Probably...
'Around two mil.'
It was odd.
Too big for a 3rd-floor tourney prize. That drew the crowd, sure, but something felt off.
'What scheme is this?'
As Soo-hyuk pondered, staring at the options...
Bzzz-.
His kit vibrated suddenly.
A message from Unhyang.
Weird. Even urgent, she'd never messaged first during a stream.
Private message, not chat.
Soo-hyuk whipped his head around at her follow-up.