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Why didn’t he realize the betrayal sooner?

Why had he pushed his comrades into a death trap with his baseless conviction?

Moreover, why was he the only one given such an opportunity?

Crackle-!

『The meridians are being cleared.』

『Progress: 97.87%』

『“Lightning” is infusing your body.』

『Magic increased by 1.』

He let the lightning flow through his body, clearing the blocked meridians. Repeating this simple yet excruciatingly painful process, Suhyuk bit his lips.

‘Do you resent me?’

Minjae. Suhoon. Jiyoung. Shiwoo. Yerang……

The faces of his friends, who were once united under the name Blue Eyes, flashed through his mind. He couldn’t see their expressions.

No, he didn’t dare to.

Were they resenting him, or were they missing him just like he was?

‘Even if you do resent me, I can’t argue. It’s a fact that I led you into the jaws of death.’

Though Kim Ilsoo was the one who killed them, it was Suhyuk who had incited them to walk right into Kim Ilsoo’s trap.

‘So I’ll go to hell and apologize.’

But. He couldn’t go just like that.

‘I’ll take Kim Ilsoo’s head with me.’

Grit-

『Fatigue has increased to 97.』

Fatigue high enough that it wouldn’t be surprising if he collapsed right away. But what kept Suhyuk going was the memory of failing to take down Kim Ilsoo in his final moments.

Crackle, buzz-

The lightning grew fiercer. The end was nearly in sight.

‘Just one more time.’

He clung to his waning consciousness, using thoughts of his comrades as an anchor. Thanks to that, he maintained his focus and kept his mind sharp.

The clearing of the meridians was almost complete. Now, there was just one last time.

『The meridians are being cleared.』

『Progress: 99.01%』

And the final spark was right in front of him.

Buzz, hum-

A small yellow light floated at a reachable distance.

『99.91%』

The message confirmed it. The trial’s objective was to cross the lightning and obtain that light.

‘Not sure what it is, but…’

Stagger-

He moved his precarious body that seemed ready to collapse any moment.

Step-

Suhyuk took one last step towards it.

‘This is the key to this trial.’

The giant he saw in the cutscene. No matter that he had obtained lightning and cleared his meridians, he couldn’t think of a way to defeat it.

It was an out-of-bounds entity that wasn’t supposed to appear in this segment. Surely, this light was the key to defeating that giant.

‘And also for me.’

The final key to clear his blocked meridians. Suhyuk reached out for it.

***

Inside the lodging.

Un Hyang was sitting with a stern face, unlike her usual self. Her posture was so upright that it even seemed reverent.

She was watching Suhyuk’s stream.

“Ugh… Ahhh…!”

Crackle-!

Grit-

The sound of teeth grinding could be heard. The blood trickling down from under his mask was painful even for the onlookers.

He staggered with each step, appearing as if he could collapse at any moment. It was unsettling. But he kept moving forward. He didn’t have to, yet he pushed himself to his limits.

‘Clearing the entire body’s meridians. He’s doing that here.’

She was a player from the Murim World.

The technique of clearing the entire body’s meridians using magic originated from the Murim World. As such, she understood how difficult this task was.

Moreover, this wasn’t using pure magic, but high-density electrical energy from the lightning.

‘Is this even possible?’

She too was known as a genius. When her name started becoming known in the Tower, the word ‘genius’ was often attached to it like a nickname.

Clearing the entire body’s meridians?

She had achieved that long ago. But what surprised her wasn’t just that. To undertake such a task while moving, using a tremendous external energy that wasn’t his own.

That was something even she found challenging to control.

Moreover.

“Ugh….”

Grit grit-

The sound from within his mask. It was the sound of his lower lip being ground by his teeth.

“That must hurt….”

Having cleared her meridians long ago, Un Hyang understood it even more. Just sitting still and clearing the meridians was excruciating enough that nine out of ten would pass out. Some even fell into Qi Deviation during the process.

But Suhyuk was walking, and not using calm magic but hot electrical energy.

Could that be possible?

Even though death in the trial did not equate to real death, the pain in the trial was no different from reality.

‘How can he bear it?’

There was only one way to endure such pain.

Mental strength.

Enduring pain took mental strength, which was more challenging than physical training. A strong body could be trained through practice and leveling up, but a steely mind could only be forged through sheer willpower.

‘Why….’

That’s why Un Hyang found it puzzling.

“Why is he going to such lengths?”

Streaming was a job for making money. No matter how noble the reason, that didn’t change.

But why?

In those eyes, enduring pain and blazing with determination, there was not a trace of a ‘streamer’. For a moment, she forgot this was a stream and that she was Suhyuk’s manager.

She couldn’t help it.

At this very moment.

The look in Suhyuk’s eyes, visible through the mask, burned like the Suhyuk she knew.

*

Ferius and the knights gathered. Or rather. All the able-bodied people in the village had gathered. Among them were people who had fled from other villages. There were over twenty knights and nearly a thousand soldiers.

It was an inevitable battle, and thus, they steeled themselves. They had decided to fight the giants.

However.

Even before the battle began, their will was faltering.

Thud, thud-

The tremors in the ground grew closer. A gigantic figure, seemingly twice the size of the other giants, leading dozens of them.

Their appearance paralyzed the entire village with fear.

Gulp-

Ferius swallowed hard.

‘It’s a different class altogether.’

Humans and giants.

He always knew there was a natural difference between the two species. Though these creatures weren’t the true legendary giants, they were undoubtedly monsters different from humans.

Even knowing that, Ferius couldn’t help but feel a sense of futility about the swordsmanship he had honed all his life in front of this massive being.

No matter how spectacular or powerful his strikes were, could they penetrate that thick hide?

Right now, in front of this giant, their existence felt just like…

‘Ants.’

Clink-

The sword he struggled to hold dropped to the ground. No matter how many ants there were, they could never defeat a human. He couldn’t think of a way to fight such a being.

Thud-

The giant drew closer. Its slow movements. It didn’t consider them enemies. It merely regarded them as insects that could be crushed at any moment.

“This might be our grave.”

Said one knight, with others adding their thoughts.

“He hasn’t returned after all.”

“Well, a legend is just a legend.”

“Perhaps he ran away?”

Their words made Ferius think of Suhyuk. The stranger who had taken down the leader of the giants. He had left the village, following the legend of a long-ago hero who had defeated a giant.

For a village that held no personal connection to him.

For this village.

“……He will return.”

Ferius’s words drew the attention of the other knights. Another knight, Culliman, asked.

“Why are you so certain?”

“It’s not certainty.”

“Then what?”

“It’s trust.”

One by one, they wore puzzled expressions. Faces that said it’s all the same. Ferius raised his sword again and looked around at the knights.

“Can we afford to leave the village’s fate to a stranger we barely know and even doubt him?”

The knights averted their gazes, confronted with Ferius’s pointed words and shift in demeanor.

He was right.

Though they didn’t believe the tale of the giant’s leader being taken down, the stranger was moving to help a village that was unrelated to him.

In fact, Ferius had consistently referred to the stranger as a ‘benefactor’.

“Haven’t you any shame? You call yourselves knights.”

Step-

With those words off his chest, Ferius took a step toward the giants.

“He is right. He’s absolutely right.”

Thud-

A hand on his shoulder stopped him from advancing further. Passing by Ferius, dale approached the giants.

“Defending the village was our responsibility, to begin with. It’s not about blaming anyone.”

With precise steps, he raised his sword high. The magic surging from Dale’s body flowed through the sharp blade with a blue glow.

“A knight is not one to be protected but to protect.”

The determined spirit of the knights flared up. His actions and resolve boosted the morale of the knights and soldiers.

Thud-

The giant advanced. The oppressive pressure from its size was now at its peak.

“We die today as knights.”

Clench-

Gripping his sword with all his strength.

“Let’s go-!”

Flash-

Dale took the lead.

Humans and giants.

The two species clashed.

***

Screech-!

Dale leapt onto the body of the giant. Though not in his prime, his movements were distinctly different from the other knights.

“Hyaa-!”

Screech-

The sword, imbued with blue magic, cut through the tough hide. A wound appeared near the giant’s neck. As the giant screamed, Ferius ran up and swung his sword with all his might at its ankle.

Splat-

Roar!

The giant, with a wound on its ankle, staggered backward and fell. Simultaneously, the giant swung a huge wooden club, sending nearby soldiers flying.

Crash-

“Argh-!”

“Sir Coil!”

The force from its massive frame easily crushed the knights’ armor. But there was no time to mourn the fallen comrades.

“Now! Pierce it-!”

Dale shouted urgently. Mourning the dead knights and soldiers was a luxury that could only be afforded after the battle.

Right now, their top priority was to finish off the fallen giant.

Stab, stab stab-

Roar!!!

Swords from the waiting soldiers and knights pierced the giant’s body from every direction. Ferius focused intently on stabbing the giant’s eyes.

Even the smallest needle, if there were dozens or hundreds, could make a difference. Moreover, if among those needles, a powerful awl was mixed in?

Crunch-

A sword pierced through the bone. The tip of Dale’s sword punctured the giant’s throat.

Groan, groan…

After a moment. When the convulsing giant went limp.

“Huuff, huuff-.”

Gasping for breath, dale let out a cheer.

“We- wonnnnn-!”

“Uraaahhhh-!”

“We won, we did it-!”

The surrounding giants were all dealt with. Though numerous soldiers had sacrificed themselves in the process…

We won this battle. Just as they thought that.

“This, this… bastard….”

A survivor from the village annihilated by the giants. He looked down at the fallen giant and muttered in a trembling voice.

“It’s not this one…….”

At that moment.

Thump-

With a heavy sound, something crashed into the middle of the battlefield.

Boom-!

All eyes on the battlefield turned towards it. Blocking the setting sun, a massive shadow appeared.

Thick smoke spread.

Growl-

For a moment, the battlefield froze. The fallen giant on the ground looked insignificant compared to this one. Even Dale, who had steeled himself for the fight, was paralyzed by its presence.

It was overwhelming. While they had at least felt some resolve fighting the fallen giant, with this one, there wasn’t even a hint of such determination.

The giant that had fallen from the sky.

“You…….”

The human language flowed from its mouth as it glared at Dale.

“You killed my son?”