Chapter 75
Chapter 75
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 75
Chapter Title: The Empty Thunder Heart
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Hoo, hu-.
His breaths came in ragged gasps from behind the mask.
His breathing had grown so heavy now that even the mask couldn't hide it. He was already fatigued, and on top of that, he'd been moving nonstop, so it was only natural he'd be winded.
Tingling, tingling-.
Muscles all over his body protested from the exhaustion. But he couldn't relax and give them a break yet—not with one more person still there.
"You wanna go too?"
Omar Schneider.
The only player Lee Soo-hyuk had been wary of.
Fortunately, he hadn't made a move so far, but who could read a person's mind?
He might suddenly get greedy for the Thunder Cave rewards and charge in.
But.
"I'm just curious, that's all. What's up there."
"You wanna tag along?"
"What, you scared?"
Soo-hyuk nodded.
That answer was somehow even worse than a straight-up refusal to fight.
From Soo-hyuk's perspective, it'd be better to just duke it out here cleanly. Who knew what awaited ahead? Bringing along a wild card wasn't doing him any favors.
"Fair enough. Can't argue with that."
Swish-.
In response to Soo-hyuk's words, Schneider swapped out the spear ruined in the fight with Pelius for a spare javelin.
"Then..."
Whoosh-.
Crunch-.
Holding the spear in a reverse grip, Schneider drove it down into both his legs.
"Ngh..."
A faint groan escaped him.
Sweat beaded on his forehead from the considerable pain as he looked up.
"How about now?"
Soo-hyuk was impressed by his resolve.
If he'd wanted to fight, Soo-hyuk could've handled it somehow. From Schneider's view, he probably figured he had at least a 50% shot at winning, even if victory wasn't guaranteed.
Yet despite that, Schneider chose to cripple his own legs to follow Soo-hyuk.
Better to secure advancement than risk defeat and elimination here.
'He's that desperate to see the end of the Thunder Cave.'
This went beyond passion—straight into madness.
Soo-hyuk eyed the wounds Schneider had inflicted on his own legs.
The spear had pierced clean through to the bone. Running was out of the question, and even walking looked tough.
Even if Schneider had second thoughts, fighting properly would be impossible now.
Soo-hyuk turned the mic back on and asked.
"Should I bring him?"
Public opinion on Schneider was mostly positive.
He didn't seem like he had any ulterior motives, at least not to the viewers.
Soo-hyuk scrolled through the chats and nodded.
"Got it."
He adjusted the mic again so Schneider could hear.
"Let's go. Together."
"For real?"
"Climbing the stairs on those legs... probably not."
"No rule says everyone has to sit on the throne. Just you."
"In that case."
He'd been ready to reconsider if Schneider eyed the throne greedily, but that didn't seem necessary.
Step, step-.
With their talk done, Soo-hyuk started up the stairs. Schneider limped his way to the base of the steps.
The stairs were numerous but climbable. Thanks to Lightfoot Thief, his feet still felt light despite the fatigue.
Step, step-.
As he kept climbing, the throne came into view just above.
A worn, massive throne that Pelius had guarded for countless ages.
Sitting there might reveal why Pelius ended up the way he did.
Swish-.
Soo-hyuk sat on the throne without hesitation.
The moment he did.
With the message, his vision shifted.
It felt like he'd blacked out briefly and come back.
Just one blink, and the hard stone surroundings transformed.
He was still seated. The difference was that the worn throne now looked brand new.
'So this was its original state.'
The dilapidated seat that looked ready to crumble gleamed vibrantly and ornate.
No.
This was probably its form before it changed.
And then.
'A... castle?'
The rough cave walls were gone, replaced by a lavish cathedral all around.
A ceiling soaring like the sky. Frescoes depicting warriors on heavenly horses battling demons adorned it.
It was so magnificent, one couldn't help but wonder who ruled such a place.
Creeeak-.
A massive red door swung open, and the answer to that curiosity appeared.
Clack, clack-.
A lean, muscular man in golden yellow armor.
Gripping a hammer, he approached the throne and looked up.
His eyes weren't on Soo-hyuk.
As if Soo-hyuk were invisible, he gazed at the empty throne and spoke.
"I cannot ascend to that seat yet."
Yet.
That word stuck in his ears.
"You've prepared it with such care, but I lack the qualifications still."
What qualifications did he mean?
After staring longingly at the throne, the man turned away.
"One day, I shall return. With the right to sit there."
As he departed the cathedral with slow steps, he uttered the name of the monologue's subject.
"...Father."
His vision returned.
With the short cutscene over, the Thunder Cave scenery reappeared.
Crack-.
A fissure began spreading across the throne where Soo-hyuk sat.
The viewers were just as baffled.
Crack, craaack-.
But the cracks spread uncontrollably, and soon the throne collapsed entirely.
Whoosh-.
It crumbled into powder and poured onto the floor.
Soo-hyuk stood, staring incredulously at the rubble.
"What the hell?"
The throne hadn't just split—it pulverized in seconds, as if it'd held on until its absolute limit.
And within it.
Soo-hyuk spotted a single, blue-glowing orb.
'A bead?'
He slowly reached out toward it.
Just as his fingertips brushed it.
+ Strength +2
+ Agility +2
+ Vitality +2
+ Concentration +3
A cascade of messages popped up.
Three levels up was great. His stamina had been dipping, so finishing the conquest was welcome news too.
Just one issue.
Empty Thunder Heart.
This item from the Thunder Dungeon was the problem.
'Named after a heart, so maybe same category as Lightning Heart?'
But empty?
The name felt vague.
And moreover.
Empty Thunder Heart
All question marks in the description.
Ambiguous. Totally ambiguous.
If he knew what it was, he could judge if it was good or bad.
'Only hint is the item name right now.'
He'd have to glean clues from the name. First time for this, but better than no hints at all.
As expected, viewers were most curious about the dungeon reward.
No reason to hide it. If it were something amazing, maybe, but building false hype only led to backlash later.
Soo-hyuk promptly obliged. The viewers' reactions weren't much different from his.
Ambiguous reactions all around.
"That's what I'm saying."
Soo-hyuk swallowed a sigh. He'd apparently hoped for something bigger deep down.
Truth be told, he hadn't walked away empty-handed.
'No need to be greedy.'
From Room 1, he'd gained plenty.
Pity about the shortage, but thanks to Giant's Trace, he'd boosted his stats massively, and he'd learned the proper use of Lightning Heart.
That alone exceeded expectations.
'It'll be useful somehow.'
He just didn't know how yet. But this was the reward from conquering the impregnable Thunder Cave.
It had to have a purpose somewhere. And once he found it, he'd uncover the secret of that man and the throne from the cutscene.
'No mentions in chat.'
Viewers usually latched onto story elements after cutscenes.
But neither the prior giants nor this one got any play.
Meaning the stream hadn't captured the cutscene.
'Better keep quiet then.'
No need to broadcast seeing such scenes.
Streamers had to expose everything as a weakness, but hiding key info was smart.
Soo-hyuk descended the stairs.
Schneider approached, dragging his wounded legs.
"What was that just now? Up there..."
"This."
Soo-hyuk cut him off and held out the blue orb.
"Came out of the powdered throne."
"What's it do?"
"Sharing the info. Check it yourself."
Soo-hyuk shared the item details. Schneider's expression was dozens of times more crestfallen than his.
"This... what is it?"
"That's what I'm dying to know... Nah, you're probably more curious than me."
No matter how intrigued Soo-hyuk was, Schneider topped him.
He'd devoted his life to this Thunder Cave. He'd want to know the end most of all.
"Haa-."
Schneider sighed in frustration.
"Guess till we figure this out, I'm one of your viewers too."
He'd thought this conquest would free him from the cave.
Now he was tied to Soo-hyuk's stream until the orb's mystery was solved.
"Donate big."
"Gotta hustle then."
Schneider had no more reason to stay on Floor 3.
After ten years, he'd resolved to head upward again.
'He'll do fine.'
Schneider was a player who even surprised Soo-hyuk.
It took time to build his skill, but that time forged him perfectly.
He'd rocket past Floors 4 and 5 to far higher.
"Alright, time to settle up."
Time for the Thunder Cave solo clear mission payouts.
"Solo clear—acknowledged?"
No disagreements on the solo clear.
Schneider wasn't even on the team, and the "team" were dead weight anyway.
Everyone acknowledged it.
Which meant.
Six missions in total.
Pleasant messages rolled in from the completions, lifting his mood with a grin, when viewers shifted topics noisily.
The moment he read those chats.
"Everyone?"
Soo-hyuk seized the chance.
"That's it for today's stream."
Right when curiosity peaked.
Perfect time to cut the stream.
"See ya."
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