Chapter 95
Chapter 95
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 95
Chapter Title: Suspicious Rumors
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At a wide clearing on the outskirts of the city on the sixth floor.
Blue Zone players had begun trickling in, but before long, their numbers had swelled past a hundred.
Cha Min-woo, standing among them, wore a face full of dissatisfaction.
"What the hell is this? Why's everything always so damn busy?"
He'd gone all the way down to the third floor just a short while ago, and now something else had cropped up on the sixth.
They were already stretched thin trying to climb the tower, yet the guild kept piling on assignments.
And on top of that.
"Chasing down some ridiculous rumor like this."
This job grated on him more than most.
"The guild wouldn't call us out unless they'd verified it to some degree, right?"
Hee-young was by Cha Min-woo's side again this time. Unlike him, she seemed genuinely intrigued by the rumor.
Cha Min-woo's brow furrowed at her words.
"You think that makes sense?"
"What's so hard to believe?"
"Fine, survivors in Blue Eyes? Maybe. But teaming up with demons? Come on."
The rumor packed two jaw-dropping shocks.
First, that there might be survivors from Blue Eyes.
Second, that those survivors had allied with demons.
"Why would anyone team up with demons?"
"Power. What else?"
"Exactly."
"That's why it doesn't add up. Right?"
Cha Min-woo vented in a half-angry tone.
"Who were Blue Eyes' members? Every single one was on par with our guild master. Lee Soo-hyuk goes without saying."
"Maybe they needed even more power."
"What reason could they possibly have for that?"
"Not everyone needs a good reason."
Cha Min-woo had no comeback for that.
She was right. Not every player climbed the tower for a noble cause, just like not every one sought power for justifiable reasons.
And that applied to Blue Eyes members too.
"More than anything, the vice guild master wouldn't come all the way down here himself for an unverified rumor."
"...Yeah, true."
Cha Min-woo nodded, picturing the man who would arrive soon.
From the ninth floor down to the sixth.
Blue Zone's vice guild master, Lee Won-jae, was on his way.
A giant like that wouldn't budge without cause.
Plus, the player assembly order here already exceeded a hundred strong.
"If it's true..."
Demons.
If it turned out they'd really joined hands with them, even Blue Eyes would face only one fate.
"We'd have to wipe them out. No question."
With that, Cha Min-woo scanned his surroundings.
Maybe.
They might have been summoned here to fight Blue Eyes.
A full day of rest.
Time to recover his condition.
Once the tension eased, his muscles screamed in protest. The aftereffects of using Lightning were more severe than expected.
'If I'd gone as far as Master of Lightning, I'd have been bedridden for days.'
Gazing out the window that morning, Soo-hyuk stretched slowly.
The visible fatigue stat had dropped considerably. His overall condition felt solid too.
Worth the full day's rest.
Heading down to the first floor for breakfast, a welcoming face awaited him.
"You're up?"
Unhyang.
She and Cheongryang were just finishing their meal.
"Join us? We ordered plenty."
Cheongryang's invitation held no empty politeness.
The spread was massive. Simple fare like bread, eggs, and bacon, but enough for four or five people.
No reason to refuse. As Soo-hyuk sat, Cheongryang shrugged.
"It's on the company tab."
She'd clearly guessed his thoughts.
Her words explained the generous portions.
Settling in, they ate. Midway, once his stomach settled, Unhyang asked,
"You're really doing it?"
She added the subject.
"The Keonwang."
Keonwang.
Slang for "might as well go all the way to the king" once you start something—a challenge to see it through to the end.
For trials, it meant streaming nonstop until clearing the floor's challenge.
"Declaring it on stream makes backing out tough. Break a promise once, and viewers start doubting the streamer."
"I know."
"You sure? You know how long trials can drag?"
She trusted him. He'd cleared the fourth floor in just three days—an absurd record.
He'd surely outperform average players, faster and surer.
But even so, a Keonwang was no joke.
Rash attempts often wrecked conditions, stream longevity, or viewer trust.
And.
"We don't even know what trial awaits."
The fifth floor's trial differed from the fourth.
Not every player faced the same one, so no knowing until starting.
"Not jumping in right away, so it's fine."
"Huh?"
Unhyang's eyes widened in surprise at his reply.
He'd seemed so urgent to head up, yet not starting immediately?
"Got one person to meet."
"A friend?"
Unhyang had never seen him meet anyone. No talk of family or even friends.
Yet here he was, off to see someone.
"Not a friend..."
Soo-hyuk pondered how to describe the relationship before answering.
"An old man."
A small village tucked in a corner of the Murim World.
And in an abandoned house far from even that village, Soo-hyuk stepped inside.
"Old man's tastes haven't changed."
The decrepit ruin looked ready to collapse any second. Soo-hyuk addressed the precarious door that seemed one gust away from falling.
"You there?"
No answer.
A few more calls yielded the same silence.
Pushing the door lightly, it creaked open wide.
Soo-hyuk paused, weighing his options.
What now?
"Why not come in?"
A gruff voice came then.
Sounded close, but no sign of the speaker.
Of course.
It had to be.
"Cross that threshold without permission, and you won't come back, right?"
Everything before his eyes was fake anyway.
The crumbling ruin? All crafted by the man who'd just spoken.
"Not some random fool, I see."
"Will you open the door?"
Soo-hyuk clasped his hands in a martial bow. He was the guest here to make a request. Time to humor the host.
Moments passed.
Hum—
The space beyond the door rippled. The formation partially unraveled, revealing a path.
"I'll at least see your face. Enter."
"Thank you."
Soo-hyuk bowed and stepped through. Good—the grumpy old man was curious.
He'd half-expected rejection.
'If so, I'd have figured something out.'
Forcing entry was beyond his current power. Even his past self would've struggled.
Looks deceived; this was a massive fortress.
No entering without the master's leave.
Making it this far was half the victory.
Step—
Inside, the air shifted, senses sharpening like entering a trial arena. The ruin vanished, replaced by a vast estate. Vibrant, multicolored herbs dotted the grounds, their sharp, pungent scent stinging the nose.
And at the estate's center.
Stood a wrinkled-faced man of large build, clad in flowing Taoist robes.
"How'd you find this place?"
Soo-hyuk didn't answer right away.
He'd planned to come here first upon reaching the fifth floor. Necessity aside, he wanted to see the man again.
Even if the man wouldn't recognize him.
'Same as ever.'
He knew the man, so rebuilding the bond was possible.
"Not answering?"
At Soo-hyuk's delay, the man pressed.
Knowing his impatience, Soo-hyuk hurried.
"Heard rumors."
"Rumors?"
"Yes. They say a remarkable eccentric lives here."
Not the most satisfying explanation. But no better option.
Precious few knew of him, and most weren't worth mentioning or credible.
Lucky, though.
The man Soo-hyuk knew didn't fuss over reasons.
"Then you know what I do."
"Yes."
"And that I don't meet just anyone."
"Yes."
Soo-hyuk wondered too.
True to his word, the man was selective.
The one Soo-hyuk knew demanded stringent conditions for even a word. Their first meeting long ago was pure chance.
'No high hopes, but...'
Yet here he was, door opened easily.
How to broach it?
Gazing at the man, Soo-hyuk finally spoke, feigning ignorance.
"I'd like to commission work from you, sir."
Twenty-five years ago.
When Soo-hyuk lay wounded from battle with demons, his body charred black and stained with blood.
His worst injury yet. Separated from allies, no one to help him move.
Death seemed imminent.
"Managed not to die, huh."
Then an eccentric appeared before him.
A man holding a brush in one hand, flowing Taoist robes billowing.
Vision blurred; face indistinct. Lifting his head slowly, Soo-hyuk felt scrutinizing eyes looking down.
"Let me see... Wounds aren't too bad. Burns? Odd. Self-inflicted?"
He assessed Soo-hyuk at a glance.
The self-damage from Lightning. Near-death state.
"What... are you, old man?"
"Old man?"
The man chuckled at the address.
Eccentric, sure. But right now, his only lifeline.
Soo-hyuk reached out.
"Help me? Fine."
Grumbling, the man grabbed his hand firmly.
Supporting him up, he examined the wounds.
"Since I'm helping, might as well do it right."
With those words.
Soo-hyuk let go of his fading consciousness.
"So, help me in return."
That was.
Their first meeting.