Chapter 74
Chapter 74
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 74
Chapter Title: The Rejected Proposal
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Kraang-!
With a single thunderclap, the sword swings.
Schneider heard it clearly. Mixed in was the sound of flesh and bone cleaving apart.
And the next moment.
Thud, plop-.
Pelius's head drops downward.
Silence falls in an instant.
Soo-hyuk's foot still hovers in midair.
'What the hell just happened...'
He couldn't see it properly. Even observing from afar, Soo-hyuk's movements were too fast to track with the naked eye.
At least twice as fast as before.
Moreover, in that final moment, he had stepped not on the ground, but in the air.
To Pelius up close, it must have felt like Soo-hyuk had evaporated into thin air.
'Is that even possible? For a 3rd-floor player like me?'
How could another 3rd-floor player possess such overwhelming skill?
But now, Schneider himself was the one thinking it.
That was the level of what Soo-hyuk had just demonstrated.
Soo-hyuk had reached a realm far beyond even Omar Schneider, the monstrous 3rd-floor player.
"Ha, haha..."
He felt ashamed for even slightly resenting the stolen victory deep down.
With that kind of skill, the win was only natural.
Tap-.
After floating in the air for what felt like ages, Soo-hyuk finally touches down.
At the same time, he quietly regulates his breathing behind the mask.
"Huuu-."
Suddenly, his legs buckle.
Thump, thump-.
His heart races, chest aching with pain.
Had he pushed his output too hard? Or was it stamina depletion?
In that instant, all strength drains from his body.
Regardless.
'Got him.'
A glance reveals Pelius's head lying on the ground.
What exactly happened to him—well, they'd find out soon enough.
After steadying his breath for a moment, Soo-hyuk rises to his feet.
And in that instant.
Shiiiik-!
From behind him, a massive sword comes hurtling.
Whoooosh-.
Soo-hyuk ducks low to evade the blade, then launches himself forward like a spring. He creates distance and turns, finding Paul Lemen standing there with a look of regret.
"Damn..."
Having failed his ambush, Paul Lemen barks an order.
"Rush him all at once! Don't give him time to recover!"
He knew lightning inside and out. The greater Soo-hyuk's prowess, the harsher the penalties from wielding it.
No chance for stamina recovery.
Paul Lemen's assessment was spot on.
But.
"Guess you think I'm easy pickings just because I'm a little tired."
This was the Soo-hyuk who had fought through 90+ fatigue to claim even one of Kim Il-su's eyes.
He had zero intention of collapsing from this level of exhaustion.
Spot-.
Soo-hyuk dives straight into the swarm of oncoming players.
He slips smoothly through stabbing spears and swords, slashing throats. He dodges the occasional fireball-like skill, and the poorly coordinated foes end up striking their own allies.
His movements are fluid, without a hint of waste.
Even without lightning, Soo-hyuk's skill was impeccable.
'Wasn't he tired?'
Puk-.
Watching Soo-hyuk pierce another teammate's throat, Paul Lemen grits his teeth.
'No, he is tired. The fact he's not using lightning proves it.'
His guess was correct.
The only miscalculation?
Even exhausted, Lee Soo-hyuk was still Lee Soo-hyuk.
'To catch that guy...'
Paul Lemen's gaze shifts to the side.
"Schneider!"
Omar Schneider.
He needed his help.
"What are you doing?! Aren't you going to help?!"
But for some reason, Schneider was just spectating the fight.
As if he had no intention of helping—or interfering.
He even had his arms crossed.
"Not interested in getting involved."
"What?"
Paul Lemen is stunned by the firm refusal.
Not getting involved?
At this rate, the Thunder Cave would fall to Lee Soo-hyuk.
"R-Rewards?"
"Those are his."
"The guild won't stand for it!"
"Don't care."
Schneider shrugs.
"I joined Blue Zone for support on conquering the Thunder Cave anyway. Now that I'm not the one for the job, getting booted from the guild is no big deal."
With the guild itself abandoned, there were no words left to persuade him.
"You madman..."
Schneider's reaction made it clear—he absolutely wouldn't join the fray.
Only one option remained.
"Lee Soo-hyuk-!"
Paul Lemen raises his sword high and calls out Soo-hyuk's name.
In response, Soo-hyuk—and all the players charging at him—freeze in place.
"I'll make you a proposal."
"Proposal?"
"Join Blue Zone! Do that, and we'll yield all the Thunder Cave rewards."
It was absurd.
The rewards were Soo-hyuk's to begin with. That's how it would play out at this rate.
And knowing that, Paul Lemen presses on.
"On top of that, we promise quasi-ranker treatment. This comes straight from the guild's upper echelons!"
"Quasi-ranker...?"
"To a 3rd-floor player?"
"He's the Lightning owner. And besides..."
An outrageous offer, yet the atmosphere was one of acceptance.
They had witnessed—and felt—Soo-hyuk's prowess firsthand. It was only natural.
Blue Zone's bold recruitment pitch.
Quasi-ranker perks right away meant he'd undoubtedly climb to a key guild position later.
'That spot should've been mine after I claimed the Lightning...'
Grit-.
Paul Lemen grinds his teeth in bitter regret over the lost opportunity.
'No helping it. At least recruit Lee Soo-hyuk and call it a win.'
It would still be merit enough.
Blue Zone had approached Soo-hyuk for recruitment multiple times before, but even meeting him had been impossible.
But this was inside the Thunder Cave.
Paul Lemen had gotten face-to-face, allowing him to make the scouting offer now.
"What do you say? No reason for us to keep fighting now."
Step-.
Paul Lemen grins and closes in on Soo-hyuk.
The distance narrows slowly.
"Why wouldn't there be?"
Soo-hyuk delivers his answer to the proposal.
Splurt-.
A thin line traces across the throat.
'...Huh?'
His thoughts slow. Vision blurs and shakes. His legs stand firm, yet the world tilts wildly.
The realization hits as his severed neck begins to drop: plop.
"That proposal? Rejected."
Paul Lemen's consciousness cuts off.
On the way home, Ye-ryeong's footsteps grow slower and slower.
"He's gonna be pissed, huh?"
She had boldly promised to retrieve Min-jae's belongings no matter what.
Yet here she was, returning empty-handed. She could already picture Si-woo's reaction.
Just like her, he had desperately wanted those items back.
And besides.
'It's not that I couldn't get them—it's that I didn't.'
The winner was Lee Soo-hyuk.
The streamer who shared her friend's name.
His latest updates were all over the broadcasts, and it would be clear she hadn't come anywhere near.
More than anything.
'He'll pretend otherwise, but he's definitely watching that guy's stream.'
They both knew it tacitly.
That they both made a point to watch Lee Soo-hyuk's streams.
"Uwaaa-."
The house comes into gradual view.
The thought of Si-woo's impending lecture already exhausts her.
What excuse could she even make?
"Ugh, when that guy's mad, he gets so icy..."
Ye-ryeong blinks.
As the house draws nearer, its appearance registers.
The entire place frozen solid white.
Si-woo's handiwork, no doubt.
"He... he's really mad."
She truly doesn't want to go inside.
She trudges home at a snail's pace. Cautiously cracks open the door and slips into the living room.
Moving stealthily, soundlessly. Even Si-woo wouldn't notice.
"Surround him together, you idiots!"
"Schneider! Why aren't you...!"
"Shit, why's it missing?!"
Noisy voices spill from Si-woo's kit.
Mentions of Schneider—it has to be Lee Soo-hyuk's stream.
'As expected, he knows.'
Should she bolt now?
As Ye-ryeong agonizes over it.
"Just come out already. I won't get mad."
Flinch-.
Si-woo's words make Ye-ryeong jolt in surprise.
How did he know?
"Eyy-."
Sss-.
Ye-ryeong drops her stealth and reveals herself. Having watched Si-woo from behind, she slowly approaches him.
Then.
"Ugh! You scared me."
Si-woo startles instead, leaping to his feet.
"What? Why'd you jump if you knew?"
"Didn't think you'd actually be here."
"Huh?"
"You're not the type to strut home empty-handed. Figured you'd stealth your way in."
Ye-ryeong's eyes go wide.
"You... you baited me?"
"You were muttering the same crap to yourself over ten times. Got old."
Knowing each other too well was the problem. He couldn't detect her stealth, but Si-woo predicted her every move.
"Ha, haha..."
Ye-ryeong laughs awkwardly, backing away. She'd been played.
"Th-Then the 'no mad' part was fake too, huh."
Si-woo nods.
"Half."
"Half? Why half?"
It did seem off.
She'd expected him to erupt in fury and freeze her solid the moment she walked in. But here he was, eerily calm—no anger at all.
Just as Si-woo had anticipated her, she thought she had him figured out too.
"You handed them over on purpose, didn't you?"
"Uh... well..."
"Be honest."
Under Si-woo's gaze, Ye-ryeong gives a small nod.
What good was a mouth when she had no defense?
"Why?"
"...Similar."
"What?"
"Too... similar. To our Soo-hyuk."
"You saw his face?"
"No, who said anything about faces? Just the vibe."
She knew it sounded ridiculous.
But it was her honest truth.
Lee Soo-hyuk really did resemble her friend. His current skill fell short, but his talent, personality—everything overlapped.
Cleave off that Soo-hyuk's leg entire and steal Min-jae's items?
She just couldn't do it.
As Ye-ryeong's head begins to droop.
"Feels the same for me."
Far from angry, Si-woo nods in agreement.
"I was actually worried. Afraid this guy might end up joining Blue Zone someday."
"Blue Zone?"
"Cha Min-woo did. Kim Il-su wouldn't let a Lightning wielder slip away. Think of all the symbolic value."
That's why Si-woo had believed they needed to seize Min-jae's items—even from Lee Soo-hyuk if necessary.
Otherwise, they'd end up in Blue Zone's hands again eventually.
But.
"Looks like your instincts nailed it this time."
"What? Speak plainly."
"Lee Soo-hyuk."
Grin-.
Raising the corner of his mouth, Si-woo flashes a rare, genuine smile of delight.
"He's not joining Blue Zone."