BXBX NOVEL Chapter 46
Crunch-.
On the ship heading to the lower floor. Kim Yerang bit into a potato chip, her face nonchalantly altered. In her hand was a player kit streaming Lee Suhyuk’s stream.
“Is he really planning to conquer that alone?”
Of course, it wouldn’t be truly alone. Even if they weren’t players, there might be reckless mercenaries aiming for Thunder Cave, and Lee Suhyuk had no authority to exclude them.
But.
Given Lee Suhyuk’s current reputation, forming a team of exceptional players wouldn’t be difficult. No matter how rare Conrad Kingdom players were, surely he could gather 20 people?
With this statement, Suhyuk effectively isolated himself.
“He’s just like the real Suhyuk. Except for the whole mission thing.”
Crunch-.
The stream ended sooner than expected. Lee Suhyuk, having secured the recommendation letter, dropped a bombshell.
“I’m not interested in other trials. I’ll be taking a break from streaming until then.”
– Didn’t you say you were too busy for collabs??
– 『Message obscured due to inappropriate language』
– What the heck??
Despite the viewers’ uproar, Suhyuk’s resolve was unwavering.
『’Lee Suhyuk’ has ended the stream.』
The message that soon followed. Viewers left in the stream without a streamer voiced their discontent. Kim Yerang was just as startled. She had intended to alleviate the boredom of travel, only for the stream to abruptly end.
But that bewilderment was brief.
“Pfft.”
She chuckled softly.
“Puhaha! Ah, this guy is really something.”
The laughter stemmed more from reminiscing than amusement. Lee Suhyuk. It reminded her of her long-time friend.
‘It’s like Suhyuk himself is streaming, minus the whole mission thing.’
He didn’t care about others’ perspectives. His chosen path was the correct one. That was how Suhyuk, whom Kim Yerang knew, thought. In that sense, streamer Lee Suhyuk resembled the Suhyuk she knew.
Although successful as a streamer, he refused to perform solely for viewers.
Of course.
‘If it were the real Suhyuk, he wouldn’t be streaming at all.’
Success as a player inevitably brought wealth and fame. Moreover, Suhyuk didn’t enjoy the attention of crowds. For Suhyuk, disinterested in money or fame, being a streamer was unfathomable, like oil and water.
‘If it weren’t for that difference, the resemblance is uncanny.’
He invoked nostalgia for Lee Suhyuk among the viewers. As a medium most unlike Suhyuk yet in a manner eerily similar to him. As she stared at the blank screen where the stream had ended.
‘He’ll probably join this tournament.’
Kim Yerang suddenly thought.
“I hope he doesn’t win.”
***
When Suhyuk exited the stream, Manager Un Hyang was waiting for him. Normally, as a manager, she should have given him a proper scolding for his recent actions.
“You did well.”
Instead, she gave him a thumbs-up.
“If you’re Lee Suhyuk, this is the way to go. Rather than solving petty quests like a clown, it’s a hundred times better to end it here.”
The reason was simple. She was a huge fan of Lee Suhyuk. Hence, Un Hyang was the most suitable person to be Suhyuk’s manager.
“The viewers are quite displeased.”
Suhyuk glanced at the chat messages left by viewers in the ended stream. But Un Hyang shook her head firmly.
“They’ll be fine.”
“Are you sure?”
“If you had taken on those trivial quests, it would have only diminished the uniqueness of the stream.”
For other streams, maybe. But for Suhyuk’s stream, this was the right approach. He was Lee Suhyuk. Even as a streamer, he needed to appear genuine to his viewers.
That’s why, when Suhyuk was pondering the remaining stream time, Un Hyang whispered to him.
-『Whisper』 Suhyuk, just do what you want. Don’t worry about the viewers’ reactions.
That whisper was the deciding factor. Torn between continuing or ending the stream, Suhyuk ended it. The next stream would likely be during the 3rd floor’s tournament, and the following one during the Thunder Cave conquest.
“It’s thanks to your advice.”
“So, what will you do now? You ended the stream as soon as I told you to do whatever you want.”
“I plan to hunt for a while. I need to level up.”
Thunder Cave was a dungeon Suhyuk was challenging for the first time. Though he wasn’t completely uninformed, he still needed to be as prepared as possible.
Moreover.
‘I need to trial how far I can use lightning with my current stats.’
In his past life, Suhyuk was obsessed with stamina stats. So much so that he wielded a holy sword and used stamina-focused items. But things were different now.
There was the selfish sacrifice, and most importantly, the ‘Heart of Lightning’ he obtained on the 2nd floor.
‘I’m looking forward to it.’
There was still plenty of time before the tournament.
‘How effective it will be.’
Heart of Lightning. An artifact said to be created to allow humans to harness lightning. He wondered just how powerful the item would be.
***
To ascend to higher floors, players must hunt. Hunting is less efficient than passing trials. It also requires risking one’s life. Despite this, exceptional players, including those called rankers, never shy away from hunting.
The reason is simple. It’s to ensure they pass the trials.
“Why hunt? That’s a really stupid question.”
In an interview, Suhyuk once answered:
“If you fail the trial, you gain nothing. All the rewards reset, and even the levels you gained there drop.”
To keep the rewards from the trial, you must not fail. That’s why exceptional players never neglect hunting.
“Trials make us stronger, but to take those trials, we must hunt. Hunting powers us to take the trials more perfectly.”
Furthermore, Suhyuk added:
“The moment a player stops hunting because they fear for their life, that’s the end for them.”
‘I said something like that, didn’t I?’
Crack-!
A spider’s body burst under Suhyuk’s kick.
‘I haven’t been able to hunt because of the stream.’
The Anacre Dungeon. A dungeon with considerable difficulty on the 3rd floor, commonly tackled by 10-man parties. Due to the sheer number of monsters, it was hard to hunt without AoE (Area of Effect) skills.
Scurrying noises and eerie wails. Spiders approached from all directions. And in between. Numerous eyes glowed red from the dark depths of the cave.
“You’ve come.”
The master of this dungeon.
Anacre.
It appeared, leading its brood.
Zap-.
『‘Lightning’ imbues the ‘Nameless Magic Sword’.』
『‘Selfish Sacrifice lv.4’ resists ‘Lightning’.』
For a moment, the dark dungeon was brightly illuminated. Yellow lightning replaced the lamps. Fueled by stamina and magic, the lightning unleashed destructive power beyond Suhyuk’s current stats.
Moreover.
『‘Heart of Lightning’ resists ‘Lightning’.』
『‘Lightning’ skill effect increases by 20%.』
『Resists status effect: Electrocution.』
Kabang-.
The sound from the sword’s tip brought a smile to Suhyuk’s lips. It was faint but indeed there. The sound of thunder he remembered.
Flash-!
Kwahhh-!
As the sword’s tip dropped, a yellow slash extended outward. Spiders emerging from the depths, aiming for him, were swept away and incinerated. But they were not the target. Clearing the path, Suhyuk raised his sword high and charged forward.
“Got you.”
Flash-!
With a streak of lightning.
Slaaash-.
Anacre, the spider boss, was cleaved in half.
『You have defeated ‘Anacre’s Offspring’.』
『You have defeated ‘Anacre’s Offspring’.』
『You have defeated ‘Anacre’s Offspring’…』
『……』
『You have defeated the boss: ‘Anacre’.』
『Level Up.』
『Strength increased by 1.』
『Focus increased by 1.』
『Magic increased by 1.』
The always satisfying message rang out. But now, his attention was elsewhere. Dozens of charred spiders, the lingering heat of yellow lightning on the walls.
The power was substantial. Enough to instantly kill dozens of monsters and defeat the dungeon boss with a single strike. Yet, more impressive than anything was his current state.
“Wow….”
Suhyuk rarely opened his eyes so wide, staring at his own trembling hand. A slight tremor. The aftermath of channeling lightning power in a burst.
There was a bit of shaking, but this was manageable. No, considering the power displayed just now, it was beyond manageable. Level 4 ‘Selfish Sacrifice’.
And thanks to the increased resistance and immunity to paralysis from the ‘Heart of Lightning’.
‘If I push to the max, even more should be possible.’
He already knew the effectiveness of ‘Selfish Sacrifice’ from past experience. The unexpected part was the ‘Heart of Lightning’. Its effectiveness was far superior to the numerical values.
Immunity to paralysis. Though concentrated on one attribute, there was no more crucial stat for Suhyuk than this.
‘An artifact made by humans to defeat gods….’
He pulled out the Heart of Lightning from his inventory, examining it. A brilliant yellow gemstone, emitting a radiant light. Despite its appearance, its full capabilities couldn’t be discerned.
‘Could it be true?’
Suhyuk recalled Ferius’s words, which had enlightened him about past legends.
“Gods and giants. Magnificent beings no mere human could oppose. This is an item created to fight them.”
An impressive description. And there was no way an item of that caliber would be found as early as the 2nd floor.
Glancing back, he noticed the item’s description.
Grade: Unique (Growth)
Growth.
It meant the item could be further enhanced.
‘It implies there’s more to it still.’
The problem was how to further enhance it. There was no way to find information about it either. Where would one find details on an item appearing for the first time in the world?
He had already searched the player kit for a long time, looking up the Heart of Lightning.
“Looks like I’ve got a new mission.”
It dawned on him that despite using this power for ages, he hadn’t truly considered what lightning was. He had always treated it as just another skill.
But perhaps his struggles with lightning stemmed from not understanding its true potential. Clenching the Heart of Lightning tightly in his palm, Suhyuk resolved to find out.
At this moment, there was no need to ponder too far ahead. He just needed to do what was necessary now.
And that was, ‘I always felt it was a shame, having to conserve stamina while hunting.’
Hunting. Previously, his hunts were slowed down by the need to conserve stamina, often requiring long breaks. But now, he could continuously hunt.
‘Four more days.’
A rare smile spread across Suhyuk’s face, relishing the ample time ahead.
“Time to level up.”