Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Su-hyeok went on a rampage on his stream, spreading lightning in every direction.

WHOOM—!

– ???

– What is he doing?

– I don’t know.

– Did he give up?

WHOOM—!

Rocks shattered, and dust flew everywhere. Golden light flickered in Su-hyeok’s eyes as he used more lightning.

Although it looked cool, it also looked totally pointless. He’d started shooting lightning without any sort of explanation, so the viewers’ reactions were natural.

‘That must consume a lot of Stamina,’ Un-hyang thought. Lightning wasn’t a skill that consumed Magic Power alone—it was a double-edged sword that also ate away at Stamina, continuously hurting the user.

Su-hyeok was shooting it recklessly without any apparent target.

‘Just why...?’

– Is he declaring a GG?

– Seems like it.

– That seems to be it.

– If he wastes lightning like this from the start, there’s no chance. It’s a skill you must use sparingly.

– Lee Su-hyeok (Fake)

The chat gradually turned negative, and Un-hyang even contemplated cutting the stream for a moment.

‘No. If I act here, streamer trust will also drop.’ No matter how lazy she was, she was still the manager in charge of the streamer. A hasty sanction from the manager could make viewer dissatisfaction even worse, especially when the cause was with the streamer.

Su-hyeok was a skill-based streamer, so cutting the stream would only reduce his viewers’ trust in him.

‘Let’s wait and believe in him.’

A few moments later...

“Haa...” Su-hyeok stopped for a moment, covered in sweat, and muttered, “I finally found it.”

* * *

Crack—

The last bolt of lightning shattered a rock. He’d been moving without stopping for quite some time, so he stopped for a bit to take heavy breaths and wipe the sweat from his forehead.

“Haa...” Having finished with his frantic use of the Lightning skill, he once again felt how effective Selfish Sacrifice was.

He looked at the debris of the broken rock and saw the thing that’d been attracting his lightning beyond it.

“I finally found it.” Su-hyeok grinned behind his mask. He’d used quite a bit of energy, but he felt that it was worth it.

“...?” Having loosened his focus a bit, the chat window became apparent.

– What?

– What?

– What?

– Is the show over?

– It seemed like he was possessed by a ghost for a moment, right?

– What did he find?

It looked like the viewers were confused and frustrated by his actions.

‘I guess I did too much without explaining anything.’ That was understandable. Since they were merely watching, they couldn’t feel the area like he could. He felt embarrassed when he imagined how he must’ve looked on stream.

[‘Beach Club’ has donated 10 points.]

[Su-hyeok 2.0, explain yourself!]

He’d have to tell them why he’d moved so erratically. “Mr. Beach Club, thanks for the 10 points. I must have looked strange. Just trust me and watch.”

– Hahaha.

– Just watch~

– Grandma trusts Su-hyeok...

Instead of explaining, Su-hyeok walked through the debris and cleared some of the rubble with his hands. He was tempted to use lightning to clear the rocks, but he needed to save Stamina. He wasn’t sure how much more of the trial there would be, after all.

Thud—

– Is that really...?

There was no need to answer—he just needed to show them.

His arms felt like they were burning from the condensed electricity. It was his first time creating such powerful lightning with that body. Even with Selfish Sacrifice, creating a key big enough to open the door was no easy task.

‘I have to open it with one shot.’ He couldn’t use something like that several times. Rather than trying to conserve his strength and failing, it was better to finish it in one go, even if it took a bit more effort.

He made the lightning even bigger.

– Go, Su-hyeokmon!!!

Just as someone posted that chat, Su-hyeok shot his condensed lightning into the keyhole.

BOOM—!

BZZT—!

A bright light burst out, momentarily bathing the area in golden light as thunder echoed around him. The light in the keyhole gradually faded and didn’t last long.

‘So this is the best I can do for now.’ It was definitely powerful. A 2nd-floor player being able to use such an attack was unbelievable, but still, it wasn’t enough to satisfy him.

He understood that there was nothing he could do about it. After all, he wasn’t that Lee Su-hyeok anymore. His Lightning skill was still fragmented, and his stats were lacking. The road ahead was a long one.

‘Still, this much...’ It should’ve been enough for the keyhole.

WHOOM—

The door slowly opened, the ground shook as if an earthquake were happening, and the huge space on the other side of the door was revealed.

‘The 6th stage, ‘Legend’.’ The strand of the Lightning skill hidden within Millennium Mountain was the key to the stage. ‘This wasn’t a mountain in the first place. It was meant to hide the door.’

Su-hyeok looked up at the peak of the mountain, far above the clouds. Just what was inside that mountain? He knew it had something to do with the Lightning skill’s legend, but he thought there could be more to it.

– Something big is coming.

– Badump, badump.

– Let’s go~

Thud—

As if responding to the viewers’ reactions, Su-hyeok slowly walked through the wide-open door. The inside was dark, with no apparent ceiling in sight. As soon as he fully stepped inside, the door slammed shut, and the area lit up.

Creak—!

BOOM—!

[You’ve entered ‘The Lightning’s Path’.]

* * *

Meanwhile, back in the village barracks, all of the knights were gathered, and none looked happy.

“Can that man really obtain the lightning strand?” Old Knight Dale asked.

Felius nodded. “He’s going to be able to get it. I’m sure of it.”

After sending Su-hyeok, there was only one thing they could do: prepare for a full-scale battle against the giants. It would be their final attempt to stop the giants from rampaging in their country.

“Your faith in him is remarkable.”

“He already proved himself once. There’s no need to doubt anymore.”

“Is that so?” Dale nodded. The stranger kept his face covered, and he wasn’t even a knight. What kind of power could he have?

Felius was an exceptionally talented young knight. There must’ve been a reason for his belief. Maybe he would really be able to obtain the lightning strand from the legend.

“L-lightning or not, we’re all going to die...” A trembling soldier muttered. It wasn’t nearly cold enough for such shaking. “Y-you don’t know... Wh-what kind of power that giant has...” The man was a survivor from the village the giant had swept away.

He wasn’t wrong. Although the lightning strand was something that appeared in legends, that giant was also a legendary being. Even if that stranger got the lightning, could he defeat the giant?

Thud—

Felius walked toward the scared soldier. It seemed the man hadn’t eaten properly for days, and his face was gaunt.

“Even so, we can’t just give up like this, can we?” Felius asked. Many people were still left in the village. All of those who’d fought the giants and escaped were there as well.

They couldn’t just give up—they had to hold onto whatever hope they had.

“Don’t be too scared. Let’s have some hope. The young hero is acting for us, even without a reward waiting for him.”

Thanks to Felius’ comforting words, the soldier’s trembling slowly went away. “O-okay...”

“S-sir!” A messenger ran in from outside the barracks and urgently delivered a piece of news. “H-he’s here!”

BOOM—!

The ground shook in the distance.

Felius’s pupils shook.

____