Chapter 94
Chapter 94
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 94
Chapter Title: Half a Day
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It was half a day.
The time it took for Soo-hyuk to complete the challenge and ascend to the next floor.
A total of 20 stat points.
He could even feel his own limits being pushed higher once more. There was no other segment where he could gain this many stat points in an instant like this.
The trial to secure stats.
If only Jeong Yu-han had arrived even a day later, the fight would have been much easier, he thought.
The mission had ended.
It was supposed to be a long-term mission to clear within a month. But Soo-hyuk had shortened that time to a tenth.
There were two reasons that made it possible.
First, Soo-hyuk's matches had ended far too quickly.
And second, thanks to the difference in ranks, the scores he earned per match were excessively high.
Mission completion alerts scrolled up one after another.
Looking at them all together like this, the amount was staggering. Even Soo-hyuk, who rarely got surprised, was taken aback by this sum.
Especially the 100,000 points at the end stood out the most.
'How much is all this?'
As he was mentally calculating each one.
Along with the message, his body was once again enveloped in light.
Whoosh-!
His vision flickered, and the surrounding scenery changed. The sensation of his body floating up and vanishing before reappearing was brief; his vanished sight returned to normal.
Colors filled the surroundings as he stepped into another world.
Low buildings. Streets lined with vendors selling herbs, spices, silk, and more. Martial artists with swords at their waists walked about everywhere. The delicious smells of dumplings and sweets made his stomach rumble instantly.
A familiar sight.
Soo-hyuk remembered spending quite a long time in this place.
But.
Now, it felt like walking straight into the maw of a colossal monster.
'I've made it here.'
The 5th floor.
Many people referred to this world by one name.
Murim.
The stream ended early.
There hadn't even been a plan to stream today. The only reason he had turned it on was his own impatience.
His eyelids felt heavy.
With fatigue greater than ever, Soo-hyuk trudged along heavily.
'Did I overdo it?'
He had used quite a lot of Lightning in the fight against Jeong Yu-han.
No matter the Selfish Sacrifice and Lightning Heart, using Lightning to that extent in reality had taken its toll.
Fatigue was high. His muscles screamed for rest.
He needed to rest now, if only for tomorrow's stream.
Clack.
How long had he walked?
Upon arriving at the location sent via the Baehae kit, a grand inn with a tiled roof appeared.
It was the Star Cloud Inn, the most expensive in the area.
And standing in front of it.
"Hello! I'm Cheongryang, your daily manager for Lee Soo-hyuk."
It wasn't Unhyang waiting for him.
"My manager?"
"Yes. Unhyang will probably arrive tomorrow. It takes time to climb up here."
Moving between floors took considerable time unless passing through a trial. It seemed they had sent another manager to bridge the gap.
"Come inside first. Ah, shall we eat first?"
Now that he thought about it, he was hungry.
He had skipped breakfast, and the trial had drained his focus.
"Sure."
"Any favorite foods? If not, I'm from around here—want some recommendations?"
"Sounds good."
It wasn't surprising that she was a player from the Murim World. Her features, accent, and especially her attire made it obvious.
'Come to think of it, Unhyang too...'
He vaguely recalled hearing that she started as a manager because a friend at Baehae dragged her into it.
Cheongryang guided Soo-hyuk to the inn's first-floor restaurant. The dishes she ordered were mostly fish and soups.
After ordering several items, she turned to him.
"They do fish dishes to perfection here. You'll be amazed."
"Looking forward to it."
"Oh, just so you know, I'm a fan of your streams too. Watched from day one with Unhyang."
Unhyang wasn't the quiet type, but Cheongryang was really talkative. While sipping the tea served before the meal, Soo-hyuk listened to her stories about company life.
Fortunately.
'He's an entertaining guy.'
Her stories were genuinely fun.
The topic of the streaming industry piqued his interest, but above all, Cheongryang was just a great storyteller.
While the food arrived, Cheongryang chattered on, and Soo-hyuk chimed in a few times.
Then, suddenly.
'Now that I think about it...'
This whole situation felt strangely unfamiliar.
'Is this only the third time I've had a long conversation like this?'
First was Unhyang. Second was Schneider.
But Schneider had been purely business—they both wanted something from each other. Strictly speaking, the only personal chat like this had been with Unhyang.
Soo-hyuk looked at Cheongryang's face.
For a moment.
A dark thought crossed his mind.
Soon, the food arrived.
Clack.
As he picked up his chopsticks for the first time, Soo-hyuk asked his first question.
"You said you're friends with my manager?"
"Unhyang? Yeah, friends."
Cheongryang nodded. Her eyes were fixed on the steaming steamed fish dish.
"Since when?"
"How long has it been? Since she was this tiny, I guess. We were stuck together like glue. Back then, she was taller than me."
It was a much longer relationship than expected. The height Cheongryang indicated with "this tiny" was that of a very young child.
Of course.
'She said she was a fan even 20 years ago.'
Older than she looked? That was par for the course. Outstanding players didn't age anymore, so judging by appearance was pointless.
What he was really curious about was something else.
"My manager..."
Soo-hyuk hesitated for a moment before continuing.
"What kind of person is she?"
"Unhyang?"
He could see Cheongryang's expression shift ever so slightly.
A hesitant reaction.
Eventually, she set down her chopsticks and asked.
"Why do you ask?"
"She saved me yesterday."
Soo-hyuk recounted how Unhyang had one-shotted Jeong Yu-han.
"She's no ordinary person. Not by a long shot."
Unhyang's skills were anything but average. She could shake the world just by starting as a ranker.
And one more thing.
"With her looks and that skill, why be a manager? She could stream herself."
Unhyang was beautiful.
Extremely so.
Beauty alone would guarantee decent viewership. Paired with her skills, she could easily draw tens of thousands of subscribers.
Unhyang and Baehae Entertainment surely knew that.
Cheongryang chuckled in agreement.
"That's the all-seeing streamer perspective."
"That's what streamers do."
"Is it? From what I see, you're only half in the game."
Soo-hyuk's chopsticks paused at her words.
"Your heart's elsewhere, isn't it?"
It hit right on the mark.
Streaming was just a tool for revenge to Soo-hyuk. Like a whetstone to sharpen a blade.
Cheongryang's assessment that he was only dipping a toe in wasn't wrong, if anything.
'Same as John Tail.'
Sharper insight than expected. Witty tongue, but no lightweight.
Cheongryang pondered.
"If that's the reason..."
As the steam from the food began to fade.
"Well..."
"No, forget it."
Soo-hyuk cut off Cheongryang just as she was about to speak.
"Better to hear it from her directly. Seeing you hesitate makes me sure of it."
What kind of person Unhyang was. Why she insisted on being a manager despite her skills.
He was curious, but hearing it secondhand was rude. If she wouldn't say, he should wait until she did.
At Soo-hyuk's words.
She smirked.
"Wasn't planning to tell anyway."
Cheongryang resumed her chopsticks.
"Won't take long."
"What?"
"You'll hear it straight from her. Or find out yourself."
He got the "hear it" part, but "find out" was vague. Her words were fuzzy, lacking specifics.
Not wanting to dwell, Cheongryang stuffed fish into her mouth and changed the subject.
"By the way, the lower floors are buzzing about it. The arena got wrecked from yesterday's fight."
The open area was ruined from Soo-hyuk and Jeong Yu-han's clash. Jeong's skill had only blocked sound and presence, not the aftermath.
"That's on them to hush up. Why should we care?"
Soo-hyuk didn't think much of it.
Even if word spread, Blue Zone would take the hit, not him. If anything, it'd tarnish their image—no loss for him.
Of course.
It would never leak out anyway.
'Fights between players happen all the time. If it gets out, they'll seal lips tight.'
4th floor matters were no longer his concern. John Tail had handled the negotiations; his job now was climbing higher.
At Soo-hyuk's response, Cheongryang dropped the topic. No point pushing what the streamer didn't care about.
Instead, she had something else to discuss.
Cheongryang asked.
"Any content ideas for this time?"
Content.
It was streamers' biggest headache.
Repeating the same streams wouldn't satisfy viewers. High-floor rankers might get by, but on the 5th floor, you needed something unique.
But Soo-hyuk had no intention of wasting time on content.
"Nothing major, but..."
So, the content an impatient Soo-hyuk could choose was one.
"Might as well go all the way to the king, what do you say?"
Reincarnator's Streaming