Chapter 72

Chapter 72

Before Suhyuk collapsed.

Even in his dazed state, the dragon’s voice was clear.

‘Realize my ass.’

Everything the dragon said annoyed him, possibly because of the pain.

Swallowing the Heart of Lightning had been an impulsive act driven by the thought that even if it was the wrong answer, he’d just crap it out anyway.

After all, he wouldn’t lose it because it had a non-tradable option.

The dragon’s voice gradually faded. Just as Suhyuk’s consciousness grew hazy to the point where he could no longer hear the loud voice.

‘Is this my limit?’

Crackle, crackle—

It felt like electricity, not blood, was flowing through his body. He no longer listened to the dragon’s voice. As curious as he was about what it was saying, he had other things to focus on now.

‘Almost there.’

Crackle, crack—

The Heart of Lightning, positioned near his chest, was absorbing the remnants of the thunder. The recharged power began pounding like a real heart. The Heart of Lightning started distributing energy throughout his body.

And at that moment.

Snap—

Something snapped in Suhyuk’s mind.

『The skill level of ‘Lightning lv3’ has increased.』

『The skill level of ‘Lightning lv4’ has increased.』

『You have acquired ‘Lightning lv5.’』

『The skill rank of ‘Lightning’ has risen to S-.』

*

His memory cut off halfway through. Judging by the fact that he was still inside the cave, it seemed he hadn’t died.

‘Did I pass out again?’

That was his first thought upon waking up. It wasn’t hard to figure out how much time had passed.

“How long was I unconscious?”

-About 30 minutes, I think?

-Exactly 32 minutes.

-Did he die again?

-For real, he’s always dying, lol.

‘Ittojuk.’

It was a term he saw for the first time.

“What does ‘Ittojuk’ mean?”

-It means ‘Lee Suhyuk dies again.’

-For real, ittojuk is science, lol.

“But I didn’t die...?”

-Did anyone say you really died?

-It just looks like you did, that’s all.

-Stop dying, Lee Suhyuk@@@

Suhyuk scratched his head in embarrassment. It seemed like he really had passed out a lot. The fact that such a ridiculous nickname had been born among his viewers proved it.

Still, he was relieved to see that a considerable number of viewers were still there. More than 5,000 viewers had stuck around watching him while he was unconscious.

“Sorry, everyone. You must have waited a long time.”

– Just an apology?

– Is “sorry” supposed to be enough?

Suhyuk knew they were just teasing, but he did feel genuinely apologetic for just brushing it off. His pride also kicked in.

“If it happens again...”

He pondered for a moment what he could do.

『’King of Stamina’ has donated 100 points.』

『If you black out again, will you do a face reveal?』

Suhyuk shook his head.

“That’s a bit much.”

– LOL

– Instant rejection, LOL

– The speed of that refusal is amazing, LOL

– He’s definitely ugly, I’m sure of it

There were some somewhat offensive misunderstandings mixed in, but it couldn’t be helped.

‘Not that it really matters.’

No one knew his face anyway. Despite that, he was reluctant to reveal it due to John Dale’s advice.

‘He said Suhyuk’s mysterious appeal comes from his hidden face...’

It was a reason he hadn’t considered himself, but it made sense. After all, John Dale’s job was analyzing streamers and viewers.

It was best to heed the advice of an expert in this area.

『’King of Stamina’ has donated 100 points.』

『Then collab with Mad Suhyuk?』

Another donation message. Suhyuk had seen Mad Suhyuk’s streams a few times. Coincidentally, Mad Suhyuk was also a top streamer under the same agency.

– Seriously...

– Mad LOL

He didn’t want to openly admit he had passed out, so he gave a roundabout answer. Schneider, tilting his head at the response, picked up the spear that had fallen to the ground and spoke.

“He’s not an easy opponent.”

“Seems that way.”

“I’ll keep my distance and support you from behind like before. I don’t have—”

Crackle—

Mid-sentence, Ferius’s sword flew towards Schneider’s neck.

Clang—

He barely managed to block it with the shaft of his spear. If he had been a little slower to react, his head would have been taken off.

But.

Crack—

The strong impact caused a crack in the already worn spear shaft.

Crackle, crackle—

For some reason, Ferius, who had never shown such power before, raised his sword once more.

Boom—

“Ugh...”

His body trembled as a numbing sensation spread through his entire body. Both the spear and the hand holding it seemed precarious.

Schneider had faced Ferius several times before, but he had never experienced this level of output.

‘Was I not the final opponent?’

Even without this extra strain, he was already exhausted.

Clang—

In the end, the spear broke. His eyes widened in shock as his frozen body refused to move.

“Stay back.”

Flash—

Another surge of electricity burst forth.

Clang—

Ferius’s and Suhyuk’s lightning collided, scattering in all directions.

Crackle, crackle—

The two swords clashed. The heavy sensation in both hands made Suhyuk’s eyes gleam. He couldn’t hold back. He quickly realized that this was not an opponent against whom he could conserve his strength.

Therefore—

『‘Lightning’ is initiated.』

『‘Heart of Lightning’ is activated.』

『‘Selfish Sacrifice Lv5’ resists the damage from ‘Lightning’.』

Now was the time to unleash his full power.

Crackle—

Electricity poured out from the tip of his sword. Thanks to his increased Magic and the upgraded skill level, it was incomparable to before. The burden on his stamina would be significantly greater, but—

‘I can manage it.’

For some reason, the anticipated strain was not as severe as he had feared.

Buzz—

Suhyuk’s sword swung towards Ferius. Ferius met the attack head-on, showing no intention of dodging.

Clang—

Crackle—

The two swords clashed, sending out bursts of electricity in all directions. Schneider, who was nearby, raised one arm to protect himself. Even the remnants of the scattered electricity were enough to put most players’ lives at risk.

Boom, boom—

Clang—

Each clash of the swords echoed with the sound of thunder, and the discharged electricity struck and shattered the cave walls. Schneider watched the battle between Suhyuk and Ferius with wide eyes.

‘What happened in such a short time?’

It had only been a few days since he had fought Suhyuk. Despite being taken down by a single strike of the Lightning Spear, Schneider had thought that he could put up a decent fight if they were to clash again.

Even now, he was sure that belief wasn’t entirely wrong.

But still.

‘His speed might be because of new shoes, but...’

Boom!

A player capable of releasing such massive electricity couldn’t be the same as any other player on the third floor.

‘What did he obtain here?’

It felt like Suhyuk had become a completely different person in that brief period. And Suhyuk felt the same about himself.

‘This feels new.’

Was it because of the Heart of Lightning within him?

It felt different from simply using thunder as a skill. The sensation of being able to freely draw on the thunder circulating through his body like blood. And that feeling was not an illusion.

Suddenly, the dragon’s words came to mind. At the time, he had been too flustered to focus on anything but the noise.

‘It really was a treasure.’

The difference between merely carrying it and using it properly was this significant.

What would it be like if he were in perfect condition? How much thunder could he unleash then?

As this anticipation made him increasingly excited—

“It really is you.”

Sss—

Ferius, who had retreated a distance, spoke with glowing eyes from within his helmet.

“It’s been a while, savior.”