Chapter 107

Chapter 107

Wang Yu-Mi, who operated the KimKnowItAllTV (Previously known as Mystery Box) channel on Eltube, was as happy as ever.

[Breaking! Live reveal! Kim Chul-Soo unveils the ultimate defensive-type Mystery 「Phantom Swordswoman」!]

“What exactly is this so-called ultimate defensive-type Mystery, the Phantom Swordswoman?”

Utilizing one of the special skills exclusive to Streamers, Yu-Mi activated Stream Delay. This Skill deliberately slowed down the livestream feed of the contracted Streamer. It gave viewers a moment to freely discuss their thoughts about the defensive Mystery—Phantom Swordswoman.

⌜Now, I am going to show you the ultimate defensive-type Mystery, the Phantom Swordswoman!⌟

Then, on screen, Chul-Soo activated the Phantom Swordswoman. The outcome was strikingly different from what people had expected.

-SquareCloud: ??? Defensive Mystery?

-BusterCall: ?????

Suddenly, a ghostly figure of a woman appeared on the screen and swiftly flew off somewhere.

-SummerInBlack: What was that?

-DoDoDoDong: Why is that woman so pretty?

-IAmCalm: She’s so pretty even with her face covered!

The Phantom Swordswoman that had revealed herself abruptly assaulted Kwak Do-Hyeong, the Assassin that was lurking. Unable to put up much resistance, he perished.

[Octabucks has donated 10,000 Dias.]

[Octabucks: That long-range defensive Mystery is specialized in counterattacking. It may look like an offensive Mystery, but it’s a defensive-type. Trust me.]

The chat window that was filled with question marks erupted into a cascade of LOLs.

-BusterCall: LOL LOL! A long-range defensive Mystery specialized in counterattacks. Totally legit! LOL

-Iboo: LOL. That’s a defensive Mystery? Hahaha!

-AngelinaJelly: IntenseMan’s defensive Mystery LOL. That’s new.

After killing Do-Hyeong, the Phantom Swordswoman dissipated like smoke.

Soon after, Do-Hyeong rose to his feet once more.

‘I never heard anything about long-range attack capabilities...’ Do-Hyeong thought.

A chill ran down his spine. Do-Hyeong had prided himself on thoroughly researching Kim Chul-Soo. He thought he had a comprehensive understanding of Chul-Soo Skills, but evidently, there were many secrets yet to be revealed.

“...Kim Chul-Soo?” Do-Hyeong said.

“His Level is 59. And his Player name is Viper.[1] He is the leader of the Black Thorn Alliance and the Assassin who is trying to kill me. Fortunately, I’ve successfully defended his attack. It could have been dangerous without my long-range defensive Mystery,” Chul-Soo calmly explained to his viewers.

And his viewers happened to include Yu-Mi, who had been livestreaming the event on her own livestream channel, KimKnowItAllTV.

"It seems like IntenseMan made a mistake. He should’ve been more intense, but he got too excited about showcasing his new Mystery and messed up. That was not very intense at all," Yu-Mi seamlessly chimed in, trying to create another trend for Chul-Soo.“

[*Feel free to leave your comments. *Excessive attacks/profanity may be deleted without notice. * Please refrain from political/hate speech. *Excessive hate comments may lead to being blacklisted.]

[ IAmIntense: He got so excited showing off his mystery, that he forgot about the concept he was going for.]Trace the roots of this material to n0v★lbin

┗An unintense IntenseMan. LOL

┗LOL! Let’s pretend we didn’t notice.

┗People make mistakes. Haha.

┗Just say it was intense! LOL

┗The most intense battle I’ve ever seen. Haha!

Yu-Mi grinned as she watched the viewers freely share their opinions, laughing and chatting.

‘Mysteries aren’t even that familiar to the general public...’ Yu-Mi thought.

Thanks to IntenseMan, the only one who thought he was intense, the viewers were very easily and comfortably accepting the concept of Mysteries.

‘This is the power of Kim Chul-Soo’s content!’

She subtly inserted a few pieces of information.

“As far as I know, Mysteries have human-like traits. The same Mystery can behave differently depending on who wields it. There is compatibility between the caster and the Mystery, and certain conditions make one handle the Mystery well. The fact that Kim Chul-Soo killed a top-ranked Assassin in one go shows that he has perfect synergy with the ultimate defensive Mystery.”

Yu-Mi naturally continued to glorify Chul-Soo, and the viewers of KimKnowItAllTV collectively chose to turn a blind eye to his mistake. Consequently, the assassination attempt by the Black Thorn Alliance was recorded as an event that had put Kim Chul-Soo in great jeopardy.

⁕ ⁕ ⁕

Kim Doo-Hwan clenched his teeth. It seemed his ego was severely bruised, as all his attacks had been futile.

“At least there was some romance to your attacks," Cha Jin-Hyeok offered what he considered to be a sincere consolation.

Doo-Hwan’s attacks carried a flair that went beyond mere functionality. That alone earned Jin-Hyeok’s respect.

“...Are you mocking me?” Doo-Hwan asked.

“I’m being serious.”

“Kill me, I said.”

“What if I don’t?”

“How much longer will you toy with me?”

Jin-Hyeok could not understand why Do-Hyeong was willing to pledge loyalty to Hyeon-Seong after defeat, but only demanded death from Jin-Hyeok.

[...#Overwhelming defeat. #Endless despair. #Insurmountable. #Ego broken by a monster.]

Jin-Hyeok had no idea how Do-Hyeong successfully led the Black Thorn Alliance in Jin-Hyeok's past life with this kind of mentality.

‘Was it all just a fluke? How did Hyeon-Seong win him over?’

Jin-Hyeok could not figure out the method. It had to have involved skillful coaxing. Jin-Hyeok sheathed his sword back into his inventory.

“Please just kill me.”

“Even if I want to, I can’t.”

“Stop mocking me!”

Jin-Hyeok never mocked him. He did want to finish the seven battles quickly, but he had made an earnest attempt to make those battles look challenging. And the online response from the Korean Region Minor Gallery had been electrifying. He had even earned the nickname IntenseMan, indicating his excellent performance.

‘So what mockery is this guy talking about?’

“This territory is under the domain of the Golden Guardian Tree, and I can’t kill people in here.”

“...”

“Didn’t you see that in one of my previous videos?”

“...”

Do-Hyeong, who had been lying on the ground, slowly dusted himself off and stood up.

“Let me ask again. You’re not keeping me alive just to mock and manipulate me, are you?”

“Is that what you want to hear? If you wish, I can do as you please.”

“...”

“As you already know, I am well aware of the Seven Captures Seven Releases. Why do you think I’ve kept you alive all this time?”

“...Why?”

“Because I want a competent subordinate.”

“...Competent? Me?”

“Yes.”

“Say that again.”

“Say what?”

“Say I’m competent again.”

“You’re competent.”

Do-Hyeong’s eyes widened. He looked as if he could not believe he was being praised.

“Hm.. How many Assassins in Korea are more outstanding than you?” Jin-Hyeok asked.

“...”

Do-Hyeong’s eyes seemed to light up a little.

“The Seo sisters from my previous party even consider you as their role model.”

“...”

His gaze appeared to grow softer, almost twinkling.

“I never expected you to evaluate me as competent.”

“Well, not now, but you will be in the future.”

At those words, Do-Hyeong visibly flinched.

“I see. You value my potential.”

Sincerity resonated between them.

[The contract of the 「Seven Captures Seven Releases」 has been successfully established.]

[「Viper」 has sworn loyalty to 「Kim Chul-Soo」.]

In the end, Do-Hyeong pledged his loyalty to Jin-Hyeok, and Jin-Hyeok was able to bring the Black Thorn Alliance under his control. Preparing such a small(?) faction for the future did not seem like a bad choice at all.

‘Wait.’

However, an unexpected issue related to this arose, something Jin-Hyeok had not even considered.

1. From this chapter on, the author decided to just use Viper when referring to Magpie Viper. ☜