Chapter 54

Chapter 54

『You have been moved to the waiting room.』

『A 30-minute break has been granted.』

The place Suhyuk was transported to after the preliminaries was a small room with nothing but a single bed, barely 4 pyeong in size.

A 30-minute break.

Fortunately, the schedule wasn’t overly tight.

-Ah, that was anticlimactic.

-Too bad about the time limit...

-Felt really rushed.

The chat buzzed with viewers lamenting the abrupt halt in Suhyuk and Schneider’s fight. It was to be expected since their battle was the most anticipated highlight of this content. And Suhyuk shared that sentiment.

“Indeed. My ten thousand points...”

-LOL

-Were you serious about that? LOL

-He even said goodbye to Schneider as ten thousand points, LOL.

Suhyuk genuinely saw Schneider as a ten thousand-point mark. Eliminating Schneider in the preliminaries would have immediately cashed in that mission, a substantial gain.

However, Suhyuk chose to hold back his lightning and postpone his showdown with Schneider. The decisive factor was Un Hyang’s whispered message.

-『Manager』『Whisper』 Suhyuk, save the big fight with him for the finals! Gotta get good video content!!!

Un Hyang’s message popped up in the chat center. That prompted Suhyuk to reconsider his strategy.

‘We need to build up the video content.’

The battle with Schneider was the crux of this stream. Keeping Schneider alive would enhance viewer engagement and enrich the stream. The viewer count confirmed this strategy.

『Viewers: 11,009』

The count not only surpassed ten thousand but soared past eleven thousand. This brought back a memory of a conversation he had with Un Hyang.

“Ten thousand viewers. The team leader says that’s kind of a barrier. Almost there, but hard to breach.”

“What barrier?”

“I’m not sure, but hitting ten thousand once means a streamer can survive. Not everyone, but for most... that seems to be the case.”

Ten thousand viewers. Since that talk, Suhyuk had subconsciously aimed for that number.

Could he continue to thrive as a streamer?

Would he fade away like many others after a brief stint of fame?

To dispel that uncertainty, hitting ten thousand was crucial. And now, in this moment. Suhyuk’s stream had reached that milestone.

‘In the end, it wasn’t a bad decision.’

Both for the stream and the fight with Schneider. Holding back in the preliminaries proved wise. Suhyuk gazed at his hand. Despite the short time, he had exchanged several attacks with Schneider.

His hand trembled slightly. The power behind Schneider’s spear was not to be underestimated.

‘My hand’s still tingling.’

The power behind Schneider’s spear was stronger than expected. It wasn’t due to any special skill, but rather his high stats and his adeptness with the spear.

‘He is far above the 3rd floor level. His stats are probably higher than mine right now.’

Suhyuk pondered Schneider’s prowess and what lay ahead. Thunder Cave. The impregnable dungeon where Omar Schneider had spent a decade trying to conquer.

‘He couldn’t conquer it with this level of skill and power.’

Or perhaps, this wasn’t all. Just as he had held back his lightning, Schneider must have withheld some of his own abilities. As Suhyuk mulled over the fight with Schneider.

-Do you think you can win?

A viewer’s concerned question. Suhyuk sat on the bed and responded.

“Yes.”

Though Schneider was stronger than expected, the outcome wouldn’t change.

No.

It couldn’t.

“Victory is mine. I have no intention of yielding.”

It wasn’t just for pride or the wager involving an apology video and information about Thunder Cave. The tournament’s prize. That alone meant he couldn’t afford to lose. And to ensure his victory.

“Oh, right. The mission.”

This was crucial.

– LOL, suddenly talking about the mission

“Not a spot-the-difference game... What am I thinking?”

Shiwoo shook his head, brushing aside unnecessary thoughts. The reason he was watching this stream was simple. Yerang was aiming for the tournament’s prize.

A tournament hosted by Kim Ilsoo. There were two main contenders for the victory.

‘Schneider still has the higher odds.’

Just now, for a fleeting moment, Suhyuk’s hand had trembled. Not many would have noticed. It was a brief, subtle movement. Yet, that alone revealed the level difference between the two.

‘On the lower floors, level is absolute.’

Unlike the upper floors where unique skills, combat knowledge, and experience played a big role, strength in the lower floors was primarily measured by level.

And raising levels required effort and time. Schneider embodied both attributes.

‘Suhyuk’s only edge would be his lightning skill....’

Lightning.

No one knew that skill better than him. Except perhaps for Yerang and Ilsoo, who had both carried the Blue Eyes name. Therefore, Shiwoo had a fair idea of how the match between them could turn out.

“If they fought ten times, Suhyuk might win one.”

There was one main reason he thought this way.

“If he can land one good strike.”

The fatal flaw of Lightning. It consumed the user’s stamina, making long fights difficult.

Especially against an experienced player like Schneider, landing a decisive blow was no easy feat. But if Suhyuk could pull it off, even Schneider would suffer a critical hit.

‘The real Suhyuk would have managed that.’

Yes.

If it were the genuine Lee Suhyuk. A middle-aged woman with heavy makeup sat in the middle of the audience. Yerang, with a disguised face, sat cross-legged, watching the match with folded arms.

‘This is quite entertaining.’

She hadn’t expected much from what she considered a children’s brawl. In fact, most players on screen were subpar, enough to make her frown. But there were two exceptions.

‘I always knew about Lee Suhyuk... but this Schneider guy is something else.’

His skill with the spear was exceptional. Terms like “late bloomer” or “hard worker” were often used to describe him. But to Yerang, he was something else entirely.

‘He’s broken through his limits.’

Obsessing over something for ten years was undeniably impressive. It required mental fortitude, and Schneider was a prodigy in that regard. That’s how Yerang viewed Schneider.

‘If he wins this prize and conquers Thunder Cave to ascend.’

It painted a brilliant picture.

‘He’ll likely become a ranker soon.’

Intriguing.

Both the young man with strong mental fortitude and the boy named Lee Suhyuk, who shared a name with her friend. She wanted to keep watching them, not just for her goal but out of genuine interest.

“Ugh-.”

Just then.

“Will he win...?”

Next to Yerang, a dark-haired woman sat with her legs drawn in, gazing at her kit instead of the screen. Glancing subtly, Yerang noticed she was watching a stream.

‘A stream?’

It was a familiar stream she was watching.

“Lee Suhyuk....”

“Huh? You know him?”

The woman’s head snapped to Yerang. Their faces were uncomfortably close.

“Are you a viewer?”

“Yes? Oh... yes.”

“Wow, nice to meet you. I’m a fan too, for over 20 years.”

20 years.

Lee Suhyuk the streamer had started streaming only about ten days ago. This meant Yerang was a fan of the other Lee Suhyuk.

‘A fan of Suhyuk?’

A peculiar sense of familiarity washed over her. Meeting someone who remembered them, meeting so close, how long had it been?

“My name’s Un Hyang.”

Un Hyang’s eyes narrowed in a smile. And then, the next moment.

“...And what’s yours?

Yerang realized something clearly. Un Hyang had seen through her disguise.