Chapter 340

Chapter 340

The timing was perfect.

-Wow! Lessefim appeared at just the right time.

-Mole Woman looks furious.

Jin-Hyeok broadly smiled. “I have such great comrades.”

As soon as he touched the rope, he automatically rose and soon disappeared from view.

“Take me with you too, moly!” Mole Woman yelled.

A note had fallen to the ground.

[Now it’s my turn, you pretty-faced but incompetent Navigator.]

Jin-Hyeok had easily reached the top with Lessefim’s help. Luckily, the Mystery was still there.

‘That’s slightly disappointing.’

He was expecting his competitors to have burst open the door by now and surge in like a tidal wave, heightening the tension.

‘Huh?’

Suddenly, the giant door exploded. Shards of the blasted iron door flew in all directions, and Jin-Hyeok jumped forward to protect Lessefim and Han Sae-Rin. He extended his right hand and created an oval-shaped Absolute Barrier, shielding both of them.

-Wow, that was so cool!

-Chul-Soo, please take me!

-He protects everyone! I am falling in love!

Of course, he didn’t have to do anything special to use his right hand to deploy Absolute Barrier, but the act looked impressive from the outside.

‘That was good timing.’ The newcomers were mostly universe-level rankers. A moment’s distraction could cost him the Mystery. ‘I wish it were a bit more intense, but...’

Still, he felt that the footage could be edited into something quite decent.

“I can’t let them take the Mystery,” Jin-Hyeok said.

Some rankers yelled, “No!” while others cast attack spells at him. Nevertheless, Jin-Hyeok managed to touch the Mystery. Green mana erupted the next second, but he immediately absorbed it.

[You have acquired the Mystery Spilling Wind.]

Jin-Hyeok had acquired the Mystery that used to belong to Cier, the strongest Player in Hell, before his regression. However, he could not just end the livestream here.

“Ah...”

“Damn it!”

He captured the disappointed expressions of the rankers who had just missed the Mystery. Then he looked at each of them.

“I was so close!”

Jin-Hyeok didn’t let his guard down entirely. ‘Some of them must be Player Hunters.’

He thought someone would sneak up on him from behind. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, none attempted that. They were all rankers; they couldn’t act rashly. Moreover, Chul-Soo was a Streamer.

‘Is he really protected under the Streamer Protection Treaty?’

‘We don’t have any just cause to attack him right now.’

In a one-on-one fight, rankers didn’t need to uphold the Streamer Protection Treaty. But with dozens of rankers gathered here, they couldn’t attack Jin-Hyeok without violating the treaty.

In the meantime, as Jin-Hyeok had cleared the Artificial Dungeon, the rankers who had missed the Mystery started to disperse.

‘How come no one is attacking me?’ Jin-Hyeok hid his disappointment and continued, “I think many of the viewers want me to fight Cier.”

He genuinely wanted to fight Cier.

‘Is this considered cheating?’ he had this thought, but it quickly went away. A real duel between a Streamer and the strongest Martial Artist in Hell would surely rack up views.

***

Cier’s reaction to Jin-Hyeok’s proposal now was not much different from the one he had before Jin-Hyeok’s regression.

“How could I dare to fight you?” Cier said.

Although Cier’s expressions and demeanor had changed from what they were before Jin-Hyeok’s regression, he refused the fight even now.

“I will give you fifty billion Dias regardless of the outcome. If you beat me, I will give you an additional fifty billion,” Jin-Hyeok said.

“Pick up your weapon, you bastard!”

Jin-Hyeok grinned. ‘Wow, he’s even cursing!’

He was pleased that Cier had correctly understood his concept.

Eventually, the battle between the strongest Streamer and the strongest Player on the Hell Server began.

“I will end you quickly, Chul-Soo. Today is your unluckiest day,” Cier said.

[#Is this line good enough? #Is he satisfied? #I hope he gives me extra money for my cool line!]

Cier was fast.

Cier was backing off to catch his breath. Jin-Hyeok realized, ‘Ah... the damage to his left arm must have been too severe.’

Jin-Hyeok had not expected that a fighter of Cier’s caliber would make such a misjudgment. It was not like Jin-Hyeok had attacked Cier’s weak points, nor had the arm been completely pulverized.

For Jin-Hyeok, this was a rather fortunate situation.

‘The best defense is a good offense!’

The viewers unleashed a barrage of comments.

-Wait, Chul-Soo is dominating!

-He’s playing with Cier!

-I know he has the Guardian Tree’s help and the Time-Lapse Recording Skill, but... he is just overwhelming him!

Speculations of Chul-Soo’s balancing issue surfaced again.

-A Streamer from a new Server overpowering a mediocre Server’s strongest Player? Tsk tsk.

-The Earth’s GMs should just resign.

-This is a disaster, LOL!

-Even computer games would not be this unbalanced. This is too much!

Some comments provided justifications.

-That’s the power of a Mythic Mystery for ya.

-Cier can’t even touch him, LOL!

-You are witnessing the prowess of a Mythic Mystery.

However, the more astute viewers knew what was going on.

-Could you fly a fighter jet if I asked you to right now?

-What are you talking about?

-The more powerful a Mystery is, the longer Players need to master it. You guys don’t know shit because y’all are a bunch of nobodies.

These viewers pointed out a stunning fact.

-If that Mystery is that powerful, then Chul-Soo should be even more flustered than Cier. Even with exceptional talent, handling such a powerful Mystery instantly is just not feasible.

Which meant the Mystery was not as powerful as assumed.

-Chul-Soo is just overpowering Cier with his skills.

Many experts also interpreted it this way, but some made terrifying claims.

-What if it’s both?

-Both? What are you talking about?

-What if Chul-Soo can handle such a Mystery proficiently on the first try and still overpower Cier with his physical abilities?

Initially, this opinion was ridiculed, but the opinions started to change.

-Wait... it seems plausible.

-Could it really be both?

-That’s crazy! If that’s possible, they might as well shut down the Server, LOL!

The viewers realized a crucial fact.

-Guys, Chul-Soo also has Absolute Barrier. Can Cier’s attack even break through it?

They didn’t know if Cier’s attack could even hurt Chul-Soo, let alone reach him.

-You know he hasn’t even used his defensive Mystery, right?

-I miss her.

-Holy shit! Mind = blown

Jin-Hyeok dominated Cier. While Spilling Wind had made it easy for him, he could have won even without it. This experience further solidified his understanding of himself.

‘I have completely surpassed my former self,’ Jin-Hyeok thought.

A sense of elation filled him, as he realized he had become a stronger Player. He did not just stop after defeating Cier as he could not end the content there.

“I must find out what the Marlenvia’s Underground Warehouse Key is used for before ending the livestream.”

-Holy shit! He’s still livestreaming?

-Shouldn’t he be tired after that battle? Or at least pretend to be?

-Cier is exhausted right now. LOL

-Chul-Soo crushed him with stamina too!

That was when Cier retired from being a Player.