Chapter 19

Chapter 19

“Kyaa! I sent it, I sent it!” Un-hyang was screaming and jumping around in Team Leader John Tail’s office, seemingly having forgotten where she was and who she was with.

“Hey, Un-hyang. Calm down. Calm down a bit...” Cheon-ryang said.

“If you keep causing a fuss, you’ll destroy the office!” John Tail shouted as he looked at the cracked walls. Just a few moments prior, Un-hyang sent a message to the Lee Su-hyeok streamer and hit the wall, causing a crack.

“Hey! Did you just send a love letter or something? Why are you making such a fuss?”

“Kyaa!”

“Damn it! Hey, try to stop her. At this rate, the office is going to be destroyed!”

“How can I stop her?” Cheon-ryang asked. “Even if there were a hundred of us, we wouldn’t be able to.” Un-hyang had been a rising star in Murim at one point. Even high-ranking players from a top guild would probably struggle to stop her.

“Why is someone like her even working here...?” In the end, John Tail had no choice but to watch her rampage for a while.

Un-hyang only calmed down after dust started falling from the cracked walls.

John Tail sighed and checked the reactions on the Players’ Community.

– Thanks for teaching us how to get the Lightning skill. I’ll just stick to knowing how to get it.

– Hahaha, even if you know it, it’s impossible.

– Su-hyeok! What he did today was totally like the true Lee Su-hyeok!

– Well, you’re right, but...

– Hahaha, he’s indeed Lee Su-hyeok.

The meaning the Lightning skill carried was strong. After all, it was the skill that represented Lee Su-hyeok. If one could obtain that skill, stardom as a streamer and as a player was guaranteed. That’s why many streamers and guilds did all they could to get it.

‘No wonder no one was able to get it.’ No one had even thought of trying to defeat the giants’ leader. Even if the method had been revealed, it was unlikely anyone would dare attempt it. After all, it was a trial only Lee Su-hyeok could clear.

No...

‘Only THE Lee Su-hyeoks’ can pass that trial.’ John Tail instinctively felt it. ‘This guy’s going to become big.’ He didn’t think anyone else would be able to get the Lightning skill, which meant nobody could take the character from Su-hyeok.

Streamers were all about character fights, and the symbol of ‘Lightning’ was the best when it came to building a character.

Of course...

‘That’s only if he continues to put on such a show.’

– Su-hyeok fans are very excited.

– Isn’t he still just a Su-hyeok copy?

– Well, he’s still on the 2nd floor.

– A Su-hyeok copy, lol.

– So that’s what it meant?

Not all reactions were positive. Given the nature of the community, negative opinions could always be found. That was even the case for Su-hyeok during his lifetime. Of course, the imitation streamer, who hadn’t even passed the 2nd floor’s trial yet, would get some negative comments.

“Team Leader...” Cheong-ryang suddenly called out.

“Y-yes?” John Tail asked, feeling startled from his thoughts. “What?”

“I heard it arrived.”

“What did?”

“A reply, from Su-hyeok,” Cheon-ryang answered with a puzzled expression on his face, as if asking what John was thinking.

After returning to his dormitory, Su-hyeok started looking into Balhae Entertainment. ‘Balhae Entertainment. A leading MCN company that grew through the streaming business.’

Balhae Entertainment’s partners were mainly categorized as popular star players or streamers with thousands of concurrent viewers. The company earned points by using their partners for ads and other businesses.

Isaac chewed on a sausage in the cafeteria while looking at his kit. He wanted to relieve the mental fatigue accumulated from doing the trial all day.

At least, that was his original goal.

“In terms of control alone, he’s better than the true Lee Su-hyeok.”

Isaac frowned when he heard Hawk Eye’s analysis.

Screech—

The fork in his hand bent, and he kept listening, his face full of irritation.

“Why do I think so? Well, let me explain. Huh? No one asked? I’m going to explain it anyway...”

Tick—

He turned off the kit and covered its screen. He couldn’t even properly taste the food he was chewing.

“He doesn’t know anything.” Isaac had been watching the Playerz video that Hawk Eye uploaded. It was a summary edit that focused on the core parts of the stream, but he couldn’t stand watching the video to the end.

“Better than the true Lee Su-hyeok? Ha. A guy who just reached the 2nd floor?” A player on the same 2nd floor he was on had gotten Lightning. It was natural for such a player to gain attention. On top of that, the player was streaming as ‘Lee Su-hyeok’.

‘He was just lucky. He got Lightning, which no one else could, thanks to taking the right route.’ Though he’d seen almost the entire video, Isaac didn’t acknowledge Su-hyeok’s skills. He just thought he’d gotten Lightning due to luck.

Glance—

Isaac stopped eating and looked at his kit resting on the table. Hawk Eye was a streamer Isaac often watched who analyzed and taught others about the gameplay of excellent players. His eyes were quite accurate. Thanks to him, he’d learned a lot.

“This bastard’s eyes are also off. When I go up, I should bury him or something.” An unexplainable anger boiled inside him.

No, although he pretended not to know, he knew where it stemmed from. Lee Su-hyeok, the player who had defeated Wolf Warrior Greg for the first time and was second to get Lightning after the original Lee Su-hyeok was already being lauded as the true Su-hyeok’s successor, even though he was on the 2nd floor.

‘I don’t like it.’ Originally, the position was supposed to be his. As Reinhardt’s son, he had exceptional talent and was expected to reach the 8th floor in the shortest time. It was what everyone had expected from him when he started climbing the tower.

Then, someone appeared and received more attention than him. He didn’t like how the man was taking his spotlight and using Su-hyeok’s name.

‘I’ve lost my appetite...’ Isaac’s gaze turned to Su-hyeok as he entered the restaurant.

Swoosh—

‘Ah, the perfect target just came along.’ His mood suddenly improved. Yes, Lee Su-hyeok should be just like that.

“The world is truly unfair,” he muttered a little louder, as if he wanted him to hear. “How can you two live such different lives despite having the same name?” Isaac mockingly continued while looking at Su-hyeok. “Don’t you think so, my friend?”

Su-hyeok looked into Isaac’s eyes, ignored him, and sat down.

The veins in Isaac’s forehead bulged. He felt upset at the thought of being ignored. Back when they were in the educational institution, Su-hyeok couldn’t even make eye contact with him.

‘He changed all of a sudden.’ Isaac stood up and headed toward the seat opposite Su-hyeok.

Clank—

He placed his plate on the table and sat down. Looking annoyed, Su-hyeok said, “Go away.”

“My colleagues are out, so I’m bored. Entertain me for a bit. It’s been a while.”

“I’m busy.” Ignoring Isaac, Su-hyeok began eating his meal.

Despite the continued disregard, Isaac narrowed his eyes and asked, “Doing what?”

“Hunting. After all, I’m a player.”

“Hunting? You?” A chuckle slipped out as his lips curled into a smile. Normally, one would consider the others’ feelings, but Isaac had never learned to do such things.

“Yes, me.” Su-hyeok reacted calmly. Rather, he waved his hand as if asking him to leave and let him eat in peace.

“...” Displeased, Isaac frowned again. Soon, he smiled and stood from his seat. “Alright, alright. Enjoy your meal alone.” He went to return his half-eaten plate of food.

As he walked out of the cafeteria, Isaac glanced back at Su-hyeok, who was eating in the middle of the cafeteria by himself, and smiled.

‘Going hunting, huh...?’

____