Chapter 88
Chapter 88
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 88
Chapter Title: Blue Zone's Orders
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The next day.
The player on the 7th floor, Jeong Yu-han, received a special mission through Blue Zone.
Bring Lee Soo-hyuk.
The method didn't matter. Persuasion, negotiation, convincing—whatever worked.
If all else failed, force would do.
Any means necessary, as long as he brought Lee Soo-hyuk.
'To the vice guild master, huh.'
Thud, thud—.
His footsteps dragged with obvious reluctance.
He had descended to the 4th floor, hands shoved in his pockets as he wandered the streets.
Vice Guild Master Lee Won-jae.
Not that he liked it, but this was a direct order from the man himself.
He couldn't pick and choose.
"Should I just think of it as a vacation..."
Even for a rising rookie boosting his stock, being pulled for something as trivial as 4th-floor business left a bad taste.
It felt like being looked down on.
You're the kind of guy we use for errands like this.
Besides, it was a crucial time for him right now—hardly vacation material.
'The 8th floor was right around the corner...'
The 8th floor.
A dream for countless players. The moment you reached it, "Ranker" became your title.
From then on, rankings were assigned. Some unknown Ranking Bureau evaluated comprehensive stats like combat power, influence, and fame to determine your place.
Naturally, a Ranker's value skyrocketed.
But right at this pivotal moment, he was wasting time on an easy mission like this.
"This really rubs me the wrong way."
He stopped and looked up at the building.
It was a high-end inn in the area—one only Rankers or their famous offspring could afford.
"Doing pretty well for himself."
A mere 4th-floor player booking a place like this.
He knew streamers raked in points, but seeing it firsthand made his stomach turn.
No matter how hot he was, the guy was still a greenhorn who'd barely climbed to the 4th floor.
Whirr—.
The mana stone automatic door slid open smoothly, welcoming Jeong Yu-han.
In the hotel-like luxurious lobby, he scanned for Lee Soo-hyuk.
And that's when he heard it.
"Just do it..."
A voice that slipped right into his ears.
Someone was sitting at the cafe in one corner of the lobby, glued to Lee Soo-hyuk's stream.
But the real reason Jeong Yu-han's gaze locked on her was something else.
'...She's gorgeous.'
Long black hair cascading to her waist, bright eyes, sharp nose. Skin so pale it was almost transparent, and a slim yet curvaceous figure.
She had every quality men pictured when they thought "beauty."
'Now I get why I'm here.'
Jeong Yu-han fell into an absurd thought.
'To find my destiny.'
The deliberation didn't last long.
Or rather, there was none.
Jeong Yu-han strode straight toward her.
Deep in the stream, Unhyang finally looked up at the bland-looking man approaching her.
"Here alone?"
An obvious pickup line.
Having dealt with this dozens of times, Unhyang gave him a quick glance before replying.
"Alone, yeah. And I like it that way."
"So you're alone, anyway."
Scrape—.
Jeong Yu-han plopped down right in front of her without asking.
"Meaning this seat's free."
"Yes. And I'd like to keep it that way."
"Come on, don't be like that..."
Jeong Yu-han pulled a business card from his pocket and held it out.
"Here's who I am."
"Keep this up and you're really gonna regret it..."
Unhyang sighed mid-sentence, her eyes twitching.
At the "Blue Zone" printed in one corner of the card.
Seeing that changed her reaction for the first time. Jeong Yu-han flashed a sleazy smile.
'As expected. It works.'
Being from a major guild had its perks in situations like this.
The guild's name became your name. And it usually impressed.
Unhyang stared at the card for a moment before speaking.
"From Blue Zone?"
Her question made Jeong Yu-han's lips curl higher.
For an instant, Unhyang felt the urge to rip that mouth open.
"That's right. So, feel like chatting now?"
"You get one minute."
"One minute?"
"Yeah. That's how long you can sit here."
Jeong Yu-han looked baffled. No one who'd seen his card had ever reacted like this.
His pride stung, but her looks kept him from backing off.
"Why are you here?"
"Guild business... Kinda hard to get into."
"Fine. Then get up. Nothing to talk about."
"W-Wait."
Unhyang's firm tone made him rush to add,
"That stream you're watching? It's... related."
"This broadcast?"
Jeong Yu-han nodded at her question.
"Yeah. Having fun?"
"Tons."
"Even though the guy's barely at the 4th floor?"
As he spoke, he subtly pushed the card closer.
Hinting that he was superior to Lee Soo-hyuk.
"He's still climbing. He'll get there soon."
"No one knows that."
Unhyang gave him a puzzled look at his words.
"You don't like Lee Soo-hyuk? And you're from Blue Zone."
"Does being in Blue Zone mean I have to?"
"Blue Zone inherited Blue Eyes."
"That's a bit off-base."
Jeong Yu-han scoffed.
Unaware his attitude was wrinkling her brow again.
"Blue Eyes. Lee Soo-hyuk. Legends, sure. I looked up to them back in the day too."
"And?"
"That was then. Time's passed. The world's changed."
As if he held the truth.
Jeong Yu-han raised his voice and started ranting.
"Lee Soo-hyuk's an old hero. Amazing in his era, but now? There are players way better."
Time wielded merciless power.
Twenty years had faded much of what he'd achieved. This era belonged to high rankers who'd surpassed his feats and reached the 9th floor.
And Blue Zone's guild master, Kim Il-su, was among them.
"And you said Blue Zone carries Blue Eyes' legacy?"
Jeong Yu-han paused dramatically.
Acting like it was some huge secret. He met her eyes repeatedly, glancing around.
But.
Loose-lipped guys blinded by a pretty face had no secrets.
"It's confidential, but..."
After hesitating, Jeong Yu-han continued.
"Eh, whatever. Everyone'll know soon anyway. There's an article dropping shortly."
"Article?"
Unhyang's ears perked up.
She'd pegged him as just an annoying scout at first.
Now it seemed she might hear something interesting.
"Yeah. Big news tied to Blue Eyes."
"What is it?"
"One of them's alive."
Them.
Hostility laced Jeong Yu-han's word.
And the follow-up revealed why.
"And he's colluded with demons."
Bang—!
The inn door slammed shut.
Practically chased out, Jeong Yu-han stood there dumbfounded.
He'd laid all his cards on the table, but Unhyang's reaction hadn't budged an inch from the start.
"Yeah, I heard. Oh, look at the time—over a minute already."
With that,
She gave him zero attention after.
She even seemed pissed. Watching her dive back into Lee Soo-hyuk's stream, Jeong Yu-han couldn't hide his bewilderment.
'What the hell's with that girl.'
He forgot his original purpose entirely, her image burned into his mind.
"She's insanely hot..."
That night.
Soo-hyuk wrapped up his second broadcast.
"It's gotten pretty late."
14 hours of streaming.
An hour less than the day before, but the mental fatigue felt about the same.
'Wasn't I supposed to be drinking?'
His drinking session with Unhyang had stretched longer than expected. He'd planned light drinks before bed, but ended up having more.
Probably the topics and vibe.
He could've blown away the buzz with mana, but this time he didn't.
He felt like getting a little tipsy.
-Dia 2 already;;
-At this rate, maybe tomorrow?
-Speed's insane;
-Legit invincible??
Diamond 2.
Soo-hyuk's rank after two days.
An absurdly fast climb.
The reason lay in his playstyle.
-Breaks one opponent's mental every other game lol
-Straight-up vicious
-Farms one lane to death lol
He utterly crushed one lane, forcing the enemy to forfeit.
That created a gap, and the match ended. Soo-hyuk would smash the statues and charge the enemy base.
One-sided. Repetitive.
Great results, but not all viewers were thrilled.
-Feels like a loop on repeat tho
-Yeah
-Missions are fun when they pop lol
Fast pace, but the same strategy bred boredom among some.
Yet,
Somehow, viewer numbers weren't dropping—they were up from yesterday.
[Viewers: 14,903]
Nearly 15,000.
New arrivals offset the bored departures. Subs were climbing faster too.
'60k subs.'
Finding why viewers spiked wasn't hard.
-Thought it was edit magic but dude's legit good lol
-Crushing Schneider was real
-Soo-hyuk challenge feat: shows in actual games
The edited videos had gone live.
Curiosity hit Soo-hyuk amid the reactions.
'Wonder how they edited it...'
Too late last night with the stream and drinks to check. He'd look as soon as he got back.
"That's it for today's broadcast."
-Already?
-14 hours dude
-See ya
-Just joined, bummer
Soo-hyuk soothed the disappointed chat with his closer.
"I'll be back tomorrow anyway. See you soon."
-OK OK
-Roger
-Suba~ (Soo-hyuk bye
-SB~ (not a curse)
With final goodbyes,
[Lee Soo-hyuk's broadcast has ended.]
His second 4th-floor stream concluded.
Thud—.
Soo-hyuk dragged his weary mind from the arena toward the inn.
Late hour. Streets to the inn empty under the pitch-black dawn sky.
No.
One person was there.
"Streaming ain't that easy, huh."
Like he'd been waiting, a man on a nearby bench, arms crossed.
He stood and greeted Soo-hyuk.
"Wanna talk? Junior."
Jeong Yu-han.
He waved at Soo-hyuk.