Chapter 69
Chapter 69
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 69
Chapter Title: The Thunder Trial
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Unhyang watched the broadcast screen.
She grimaced while munching on snacks at the dragon's words.
"What the hell is that lunatic saying? Do you know how much that costs?"
It was none other than the Trace of Thunder. An ultra-rare material item that was priceless just to call its name.
Obtaining it was equivalent to earning in one go the points that even major streamers would need months of grinding to make.
Yet.
"Argh, that damn worm! If it were in front of me, I'd smash it flat!"
Unhyang clenched her fist and swung at the air. She desperately wanted to punch the dragon right in the face if it were there.
Bzzz-.
Her kit buzzed again just then.
It was a crucial moment, so her mood soured instantly, and her expression changed rapidly.
If it had been John Tail, she might have ignored it.
But the caller was someone else.
"...Huh? Cheongryang."
She answered the phone with a slightly trembling voice.
In contrast, Cheongryang's voice was as calm as ever.
-Yeah. I'm almost there.
"Already? Oh, right, it's close from there."
-Obviously. Closer than the 3rd floor.
Unhyang hesitated unusually at Cheongryang's nonchalant reply.
It was Cheongryang, of all people.
Her childhood friend, raised like siblings since they were kids.
Talking to her felt awkwardly different from usual.
And the reason was probably...
"Hey."
-Yeah?
"I'm sorry. Really."
Because of the guilt.
She knew he could never refuse, yet she had to ask anyway.
The excuse about nullifying the bet was just that—an excuse. It was nothing compared to this.
Yet.
-Just keep your promise. No take-backs later, got it?
Cheongryang said it playfully, even though he knew everything.
-That's why I called. No backing out later. Hey, you know I'm totally screwed now, right?
Unhyang nodded, even though he couldn't see.
She wondered why he bothered calling just to say something he didn't need to.
He was saying it roundaboutly.
I'm doing this because I'm really okay with it, so don't feel sorry.
It's not your fault.
-Alright, hanging up. Keep monitoring Lee Soo-hyuk's stream.
Click-.
He hung up without waiting for her reply, as if he were busy.
As the phone went silent and the screen switched back to the broadcast, Unhyang looked different from usual. She barely noticed Soo-hyuk swallowing the Trace of Thunder.
A wall as high as a city rampart and a castle towering as if touching the sky.
Back in his hometown, the Murim World, Cheongryang stopped for a moment, stood in place, and let out a sigh.
"Why the hell did I come back here...?"
He knew why, even if he phrased it as a question.
Just one word.
That was all he had come to deliver.
His feet felt heavy. He'd ridden a carriage the whole way, so his legs shouldn't ache.
I said it so boldly, but...
He suddenly regretted his big talk.
Should I have just said no?
But it was too late to back out now.
He just needed a bit more mental preparation.
"Hoo-."
Step-.
To force his unwilling legs to move, Cheongryang found an excuse.
"One plate of dumplings won't make me late, right?"
Really.
He didn't want to go at all.
Gulp-.
The Trace of Thunder slid down his throat.
Rumble-!
The viewers probably couldn't hear it.
He knew instinctively.
This thunderclap was audible only to him.
"Gh...!"
Thud-.
His strength gave out, and he dropped to his knees on the spot.
The moment he swallowed the Trace of Thunder.
From his throat to his stomach and throughout his body.
In the blink of an eye, electricity surged everywhere.
Crackle, crackle-!
Lightning pierced through his skin and leaked out from within.
It hurt.
His body burned, trembling from the shocks.
The deeper pain was realizing how overly reliant he'd been on Selfish Sacrifice.
'Selfish Sacrifice doesn't apply here.'
Selfish Sacrifice boosted resistance to self-sacrificial skills.
In other words, it only resisted skills like the demon sword or Lightning that consumed HP for power, not all damage.
Pumping points into leveling it up offered no help now.
But one thing resisted it.
The Heart of Lightning.
But.
'This is...'
Crackle, crackle-!
The thunder's power spreading through his body began rampaging wildly, as if recognizing Soo-hyuk as an enemy.
'No joke.'
The Trace of Thunder was originally the concentrated power that sealed the Thunder Cave against intruders.
Countless players had tried breaching the Gate of Thunder to enter, but none succeeded.
That meant an immense energy dwelled within.
At least, thanks to the Heart of Lightning, he avoided electrocution.
If electrocuted, he'd be paralyzed and unconscious, unable to resist.
'Pull yourself together.'
As long as he stayed conscious, he could find a way.
'It said thunder's power dwells within.'
Feeling the rampaging energy inside, Soo-hyuk glared fiercely.
'Let's see who wins.'
Tss, tss...
The Trace of Thunder melted and spread through his body.
Pain intensified, but so did the gains.
Stats rose, and fatigue climbed accordingly.
The more damage accumulated, the worse the pain—not familiarizing, but intensifying.
But.
'If I endure, it's not a loss.'
Sizzle-!
Rumble-!
As the internal pain worsened and the thunder in his ears grew louder, Soo-hyuk smiled.
He might look like a masochist, but mental fortitude was his strength. Enduring was one of his specialties.
He'd lost count of the stat ups already.
'Four? No, five?'
He was too focused on enduring to track.
He'd check the details in his status window later.
Of course.
'Only if I survive this.'
Soo-hyuk glanced at the golden-scaled dragon hovering above, watching him like a bear in a zoo enclosure after goading him to swallow it.
'I'll overcome it. Definitely.'
Grind-.
Failing the trial here would waste the precious Trace of Thunder.
Plus, rebuilding achievements for another Thunder Cave run and reaching A-rank mercenary status would be a hassle.
'No thanks.'
Points and time wasted.
Thinking of repeating the ordeal gave him renewed strength.
But.
Tss, tss...
No matter his iron will, some things were physically impossible.
The Heart of Lightning barely kept him going.
Soo-hyuk's body was nearing its limit.
Finally, he decided to change tactics.
'Need another way.'
More stats were great.
But this wasn't like opening meridians or mastering conception vessels—it was crude infusion.
Like force-pumping air into a balloon.
The body couldn't endure forever; it'd burst.
He couldn't just rejoice; dying would scatter the gains.
'Another way...'
He racked his brain. Pure willpower wouldn't cut it.
Two options.
Expel it outward, regrettably wasting it.
Or...
'Maybe accepting it into the body is wrong from the start.'
Even in the Thunder Cave, blindly enduring wasn't feasible. Towers didn't give impossible trials, just varying difficulty.
Thus.
'Not accept into the body-.'
Tss...
Soo-hyuk summoned Lightning and clashed it with the invading Trace of Thunder.
Rumble, boom-!
The colliding energies pulled the wild thunder toward one spot.
The chaotic power finally found a path—ending at the Lightning mass in Soo-hyuk's upper abdomen.
'Should've directed it here from the start.'
He'd gained decent stats, but at significant bodily damage. Using Lightning, he slowly guided the energy.
Perhaps from the massive surge moving at once.
His focus peaked, time seeming to slow.
'Stray, and it's over. Can't endure this fatigue.'
Expelling was an option, but he rejected cowardly flight.
Above all, he couldn't miss this chance.
'Top rankers ahead. Twenty years. Blue Zone, Kim Il-su...'
Just chasing wasn't enough.
To reach higher faster, safe comfort wouldn't do.
'Come this way.'
Sizzle-.
To the rampaging energy.
'This way...'
Soo-hyuk kept conveying his will.
But it didn't go as planned.
Focus maxed out. He'd found a method, but not the answer yet.
One step away.
To close it, a bolder move was needed.
For instance-.
'Sounds insane, but...'
This trial started insane anyway.
Swish-.
From inventory.
Soo-hyuk pulled out a small, sparkling yellow gem and gripped it.
'It's a heart, right.'
One thing had bugged him.
Unique grade.
No equip limit. Soulbound, non-tradable.
What puzzled Soo-hyuk was the 'equip limit' phrasing.
'Not just holding it—it's meant to be equipped.'
His parched, acrid mouth opened, and he slowly brought the Heart of Lightning to his lips.
'Worst case, it'll come out as shit.'
Gulp-.
The moment the yellow gem went down his throat.
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