BXBX NOVEL Chapter 8
‘Does he think points come out of thin air?’ Maybe Isaac didn’t have to worry about points due to his father, but it was a different matter for Su-hyeok—he needed to save every point possible so he could focus on leveling his skill.
Isaac’s expression turned cold when he say Su-hyeok’s defiant look. “Are you declining?”
“Does this look like a yes?” Su-hyeok asked.
“How disappointing. What’s the point of being friends if you can’t even buy me a cup of tea?”
“Friends?” Su-hyeok’s lips crept into a smile. All he could do was laugh at such a shameless remark. “Don’t make me laugh.”
“…?” Isaac’s eyes twitched. He hadn’t been expecting such a reaction. ‘What’s going on?’ He hadn’t expected to be cut off in such a manner. Su-hyeok wasn’t acting like the man he knew.
No, the problem wasn’t just the man’s reaction. Su-hyeok leisurely drank his tea while not even giving him a second glance—it was as if he didn’t matter at all.
“Hey…” Isaac’s voice and atmosphere turned aggressive, leaving any semblance of his playful act behind. His magic flared up. “Do you think passing the tutorial changed anything?”
“Things have changed, of course.” Su-hyeok placed his coffee on the table and asked, “Are you curious enough to test it?”
Clack—
He had no intention of getting involved in a childish fight, but if Isaac kept trying to antagonize him, then things would be different. No matter how young Isaac was, there was a limit to his patience.
For a while, Isaac gave Su-hyeok a menacing glare. The atmosphere was so tense that it wouldn’t have been unexpected if he unleashed magic at any moment.
“Forget about it.” In the end, Isaac looked deflated and stood. “What’s the point of hanging around with someone as lowly as you? We’re not even in the same class anymore.”
Tap—
He patted Su-hyeok’s shoulder and headed for the cafe door. “As a former friend, let me give you a piece of advice… I know you’re excited about passing the tutorial, but you’re going to get yourself killed without notice if you keep it up.”
Su-hyeok raised his middle finger at Isaac’s back. “Friend?” He clicked his tongue and downed his cooled coffee in one gulp, the bitter liquid flowing over his tongue.
Isaac’s insincere mention of ‘friend’ reverberated through Su-hyeok’s chest for some reason. Of course, it wasn’t just because of Isaac.
“A real friend is…” Faces flashed through his mind.
‘MinJae, Suhun, JiYeong…’ He remembered the man who’d taken a spear for him, the one who was blown away by magic, and the friend who’d lost their limbs. He could still vividly imagine their faces.
Though 20 years had passed for everyone else, it was just a few days for him. They had died for him, but more than that, they were his friends.
“Damn it,” Su-hyeok muttered, feeling weird as he looked at where Isaac had been. “If you dare bother me again, you better be prepared.”
* * *
Reaper Scans
Translator – SCM
Proofreader – ilafy
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* * *
There were two main ways in which a player could grow.
First, they could pass the trial and move up to the next floor. Whenever a player passed one of the trials, they naturally grew. Though taking an trial cost points, they were guaranteed safety and didn’t have to worry about death.
The second way a player could grow was by hunting monsters outside the safe zone or clearing dungeons to increase stats and gain experience. If done well, a player could even earn points. Unlike the trials, hunting meant risking your life.
Many players avoided hunting because not many were willing to risk their lives to save some points.
‘There’s nothing as slow as the safe route and nothing as quick as the dangerous path.’
Thud—
A drop of water fell from the cave’s ceiling onto Su-hyeok’s hand. He’d entered a dungeon and just finished hunting. The nest of orcs was dead, and he took time to catch his breath.
Thud—
“I should get a separate sword. I can’t handle such Fatigue levels.” Magic swords continuously drained a user’s Stamina, even when not activated. He had Selfish Sacrifice to help, but the drain was still troublesome.
‘It’s fortunate that I leveled up.’ Most would consider it a madman’s errand to solo a dungeon. At least, that was the usual case. Typically, dungeons were tackled by parties of around 10 people, and multiple guilds had gotten involved with the ‘Hydra Dungeon’.
‘As expected, it’s possible.’ He was confident he could handle it. Not only did he have a rare-rank item, but he also had a skill that allowed him to use it more easily. Above all else, though, he was Lee Su-hyeok. Was there any other explanation needed?
It was almost disappointing that he couldn’t find any dungeons with a higher rank.
‘I guess I have no choice but to go up.’ All that remained was the boss fight. During his break, Su-hyeok pulled out his player kit. He wanted to get used to streams before challenging the next trial.
He’d concluded that streaming was the quickest way to earn points, but he still didn’t know much about it and watched at first. He used his kit to enter a ‘Playerz’ channel so he could watch another Earthling’s stream.
“Wow! Friends! It’s bald Su-hyeok~ Today, finally, we’re going to take on the notorious ‘Demon’s Cave’. 4th floor, here I go~!” The streamer was wearing a mask similar to Su-hyeok’s and acting funny. Even his clothes were similar to what Su-hyeok used to wear.
‘How many people are using this concept?’ The streamer, who went by the name ‘Bald Su-hyeok’, had just reached the end of the 3rd floor.
– No, you’re the only one struggling.
– It feels like I’ve already seen this.
– You’re right. This is his 8th try.
– Finally, he’s at it again, lol.
– Bald hyung’s just doing what he always does.
The chat window quickly filled. It was incredible that he’d fail the 3rd floor’s trial eight times.
‘So people can fail this…’ Su-hyeok, who was always surrounded by his fellow Blue Eyes members, was shocked.
“You guys like sensitivity. Pretend you don’t know. Let’s act as if this were my first try.”
– Reported for stream manipulation.
– Woah! Finally, the 4th floor! (Is this how we should do it, hyung?)
– This guy will die here. He won’t get past the 3rd floor.
– Don’t kill our bald hyung’s spirit with such mean comments!
– He absolutely won’t be able to do it.
Despite his long career as a streamer, the man was still stuck on the 3rd floor.
[‘Bald Idiot’ has registered a mission.]
[10,000 points if you pass on the first try.]
Su-hyeok’s eyes sparkled. 10 thousand? It was a considerable number of points. Were they going to give the bald streamer so many points just if he passed an trial?
“Mr. Bald Idiot, I don’t know why you’ve chosen such an ID, but thanks for the mission! This time, I’ll really pass the trial and recover the test fee.”
[‘I love baldy’ has registered a mission.]
[5,000 if you pass it on the first try.]
[‘Poor Wallet’ has registered a mission.]
[If this guy passes, I’ll burn my hands. I’m going to add 2,500 points.]
[‘Safe Asset’ has registered a mission.]
[2,500 USD. I’m going to add another 2,500 points to make it 20,000.]
“Woah…” Su-hyeok’s eyes widened in surprise. The missions for the streamer amounted to 20,000 points. If he were in the streamer’s place, he could immediately pass and raise Selfish Sacrifice’s level again.
Of course, one had to pass the mission, but that wouldn’t have been a problem for Su-hyeok. ‘This trial is very easy.’
Streamer Bald Su-hyeok had decided to challenge the trial without looking at the viewers’ chat, but the result was still bad.
Su-hyeok couldn’t help but frown. “Why can’t he do it?” If it were the man’s 8th attempt, it was impossible for him to not be somewhat proficient, right? Still, somehow it looked like it was the man’s initial try.
‘What kind of nonsense is he doing with my name?’ He could no longer bear to watch it. In fact, Su-hyeok had the urge to toss his player kit away.
In the end, Bald Su-hyeok failed. He ended up being pierced through the head with an arrow and was eliminated from the trial, which resulted in him being summoned back to the trial hall on the 3rd floor.
“That’s too bad. Still, I improved a lot, right, guys?”
– Lol!
– My assets are still safe. Good job!
– Agree.
– Hyung-nim, just stop.
– That was really close…
– Get the traitor!!!
– I wish people who disgrace the name of Lee Su-hyeok like this guy would disappear. If I were Lee Su-hyeok…
– Get this overly-serious guy!
“Ugh…” Su-hyeok sighed as he watched the stream. He’d been watching different streams over the past few days and was certain about something.
‘This can make someone a lot of money.’ Points were used as currency in the tower, and streaming was a great way to earn those points.
The ‘Bald Su-hyeok’ streamer he’d just seen had over 100,000 viewers. Contrary to his concept, he was a successful streamer not because of his skills but because of how entertaining he was.
Su-hyeok was known to be the greatest player in history. The point of the bald imitator’s stream was the stark contrast between them.
‘I can’t do something like this. It doesn’t suit me.’ There were several types of streamers: comedy streamers had to make the viewers laugh—one needed to have an eye-catching appearance and talk with the chat a lot.
There were also players who streamed dungeon raids or trials.
Finally, there were those who combined the three.
“Streaming, huh…” Su-hyeok wanted to show everyone his skill.
* * *
A few days later….
After running through dungeons and getting used to how streams worked, Su-hyeok took out the mask he’d thrown into a corner of his inventory and covered his face. Over the past few days, he’d been thinking about the concept he’d use.
‘Interesting.’ With his face covered by the mask, he headed toward the mirror on one side of the wall. His youthful face was covered, so he saw the Su-hyeok from his memory.
‘I never thought I’d use this again.’ His dark eyes shone. He started it because he needed points, but since he was going to do it, he thought he should do it properly. He walked past the mirror and headed out of his room.
Some might point fingers at him, saying he was imitating Lee Su-hyeok. So what, though? It didn’t matter what others thought.
After all…
[‘Lee Su-hyeok’ has started streaming.]
– I’m the real one.
____