Chapter 34
– Fal-hi (short for Falcon Eye Hi)
– What’s with the stream title LOL
– Drumroll! There’s a streamer leeching off a small channel?
From the start, the chat window was buzzing.
Without turning on the camera that showed his face, Falcon Eye took a moment to catch his breath.
『2nd Suhyuk? No, this is Lee Suhyuk.』
It was quite a provocative title.
Lee Suhyuk.
His name had a radiance that outshone any other word.
‘Things are getting wild.’
– This guy’s really gone too far LOL
– Worshipper mode On
– Damn, even small-time streamers are using Lee Suhyuk’s name now
『“HostileFalconCritic” has been forcibly removed by the manager.』
– For once, hostile Critic actually made sense LOL
Watching the chat was dizzying. But on the other hand, it was also reassuring. The hotter the chat got, the more it proved that the bait had been taken.
“Sigh-.”
With a final deep breath, Falcon Eye turned on the microphone and camera.
“Hello, brothers! Today, yes. You see the stream title, right? That’s what we’re doing today. Or should I say, ‘doing again today’?”
A predetermined opening line. But from here on, Falcon Eye had no prepared script. Reality was the direction he aimed for in his streams.
“I’ve said it before, right? This guy, just in terms of talent, is better than Lee Suhyuk at his peak.”
– Seriously, overkill;;
– Saying that just because of one thing LOL
– Yesterday’s stream had nothing special?
– Not that it was nothing, but it had less impact compared to the first day
Opinions about Lee Suhyuk were divided. As the player who obtained lightning, he had accomplished something great, but that alone wasn’t enough to rate him highly, given the comparison.
Blue Eyes’ Lee Suhyuk.
He was an icon of an era, incomparable to anyone else.
“Alright, alright, brothers. Calm down first and let’s watch the video together. I’ll explain everything.”
– Lol, okay, let’s go
– Let’s go~
– No crotchety remarks today?
– Doesn’t seem like it, given the mood
Click-.
Suhyuk’s image appeared on the stream screen.
“They said lightning was hidden here… but I don’t see anything?”
The Path of Lightning.
Suhyuk, having arrived there, picked up a stone from the ground first.
Crackle-!
A loud noise.
The stone turned black and was flung away.
– “That’s lightning.”
“Quick judgment.”
Entering observation mode, Falcon Eye nodded. It wasn’t a grand exclamation. But it was a situation worthy of praise.
Utilizing the surrounding terrain in unfamiliar environments is a fundamental attitude of a seasoned player.
“The map’s name is quite literal. Walking amidst lightning indeed…”
– “It seems the theme this time is ‘endurance’.”
Falcon Eye chuckled at the ongoing stream.
“The stream is still in its infancy. You can see the awkwardness.”
– LOLOLOL LOL
– He’s still a rookie LOL
– But seriously, he gets awkward as soon as he starts streaming
– The atmosphere wasn’t bad at all.
Before the main trial began, Falcon Eye checked the viewer count.
『Viewers: 9120』
Already 9,000 viewers. Slightly more than his usual numbers. Considering it had been less than 30 minutes since he started streaming, it was a very positive trend.
‘The real show starts now.’
Step-.
Lee Suhyuk began to move.
Crackle-!
The sound of an electric shock marked the beginning of the trial. Falcon Eye fell silent, watching intently even though he had already seen it live once before.
And once again.
“Wow… amazing…!”
Seeing it again sent shivers down his spine. Then, after passing the trial, Suhyuk revealed a legendary-grade item.
– Wow
– Legend;
– My heart swells. It’s truly legendary…
– Note: It’s actually a real legend
The Lightning Spear.
Though it was a one-time-use item, it was the first legendary-grade item to appear in the second-floor segment.
Of course. Its intended use was predetermined from the beginning.
Krrrrr-!
From the top of the mountain, the giant looked down and rampaged through the village like it was crushing tiny ants.
– It’s massive even after seeing it again
– Can we even defeat that?
– Reviewing it since he succeeded?
Most of Falcon Eye’s viewers hadn’t watched Suhyuk’s stream. Falcon Eye’s current viewer count had just surpassed 10,000, while Suhyuk’s highest was only 3,000, so it was understandable.
Crash, rumble-!
The thunderclap marked the activation.
Falcon Eye concentrated on the stream without uttering a word. It took only a few minutes for the giant to notice Suhyuk and start charging.
– Damn, it’s super fast!
– It’s huge but why so fast LOL
– Is he going to be late?
– Nope, one-shot kill incoming
— Spoilers, get banned, please
Roooaaarrr-!
The giant had reached almost within striking distance. But at that moment, the activation of the Lightning Spear finished just in time.
Boom-!
A spear of yellow lightning flew in a straight line. The Thunderclap exploded right in front of him as the charging giant came to an abrupt halt.
The screen shook violently. The power of a legendary-grade item wasn’t something one would normally witness on the second floor.
– Wow, damn. That was startling
– The sound is massive LOLOLOL
– That was satisfying
– Look at the head exploding LOLOLOL
– It really was a one-shot kill
– The moment the giant’s head exploded and it was confirmed.
Click-.
Falcon Eye paused the screen and began his review.
“Alright, up to here. Wow, damn. Brothers, did anyone see the same thing as me? Raise your hands if you did.”
– Hand
– Hand
– hand
– Foot
– Hand and foot? Damn?
– Misunderstanding no Hand and Foot
“Alright, brothers. Let’s keep the chat clean. Please be polite.”
After briefly calming down the rapidly flowing chat, Falcon Eye started his full review.
“First, this—the Path of Lightning. In my opinion, this is a very straightforward trial. Essentially, all you need to do is walk.”
– True
– But it looked super tough though
– Was it an act?
– Idiots, he said the structure is simple, not that the difficulty is low
Falcon Eye nodded at the last comment.
“HotdogGuy is right. Don’t get it twisted. The structure is simple, but that doesn’t mean the difficulty is low. No, in fact, it’s probably really hard.”
Moreover—
“And here’s the key point.”
Falcon Eye rewound the footage to a specific point.
Drip-.
Drip, drip-.
Impurities flowed out from Suhyuk’s body, dripping to the ground.
Dark burnt-looking, viscous substances.
“This. Brothers, you see this?”
– What is that?
– Sweating a lot
— Damn, does that look like sweat to you?
– Please keep the chat polite
This was a fleeting scene in the stream. But when Falcon Eye pointed out the black liquids dripping on the ground, the viewers began to pay attention.
– Is that cleansing?
– No way? That’s too much;;
– But it seems right
A few viewers seemed to get it too, their comments trickling in.
And around that time—
“Yes. It’s cleansing.”
Falcon Eye confirmed the insane ordeal streamer Lee Suhyuk was going through.
“This person is unlocking the Full Body Meridian Path during the trial.”
– ??????????
– ㅇㄱㄴ ㅇㄱㄴ ㅇㄱㄴ ㅇㄱㄴ
– Wow
– What does that even mean, you nerd? LOLOLOL
– Judging by the ignorance about cleansing, it’s clear some people don’t know LOLOLOL
Cleansing. An abbreviation used by players for the Full Body Meridian Unlock process.
And the Full Body Meridian Unlock process was known among players as the first gateway to becoming a ranker.
“Those in the know will understand. This is freaking insane! How excruciatingly painful it is.”
– You don’t know, though
– Yeah, you don’t know
Falcon Eye made a startled expression.
“Well, you’re right about that… But I did try it once, okay? It hurt like hell.”
Though he had climbed quite high in the tower, he hadn’t achieved the Full Body Meridian Unlock. Only the chosen players could achieve that process.
Falcon Eye was just one of those players who had failed to unlock the meridian paths.
“Anyway, the Full Body Meridian Unlock requires immense focus, control, and mental fortitude. Everyone agrees on that.”
Now it was time for the serious feedback.
“But can you do this with just mental fortitude? No, you can’t. To unblock the meridians, you need considerable magic. That’s impossible on the second floor.”
Falcon Eye, speaking rapidly, leaned closer to the screen.
“So here’s the question! Where did the magic for the cleansing come from?”
– Lightning?
– Understood… it’s mindblowing…
– This guy is absolutely insane LOLOLOL
– Wow, so crazy LOLOLOL
Bang-!
Slamming his fist on the desk, Falcon Eye shouted.
“Exactly, lightning! What’s the name of the trial area? ‘Path of Lightning,’ right? It means there’s an abundance of magic everywhere.”
A crazy idea. Using the ambient magic that threatens him to unblock his meridian paths.
“How did he come up with this? Even if he thought of it, how did he put it into practice? And how did he succeed?”
His voice rose in excitement. Anyone who realized how absurd this feat was would feel the same. Half-standing from his seat, Falcon Eye continued his final explanation.
“In a trial of endurance, he added another level of endurance. He layered an additional trial on top of the existing trial!”
– Brother, calm down
– I wondered why he was struggling so much, now it makes sense LOLOLOL
– Truly a madman LOLOLOL
– What’s with the tension today?
Falcon Eye finally sat back down after calming his excitement. Though he often got excited seeing excellent play, this time it was enough to disrupt the stream itself.
“Phew-. Sorry, brothers. Let me relax for a moment.”
After taking a few deep breaths.
“Alright, I’m calm now. Sorry, brothers. Let’s wrap this up.”
Returning to his usual tone, Falcon Eye resumed the stream.
Click-.
The video resumed. Falcon Eye fast-forwarded the footage. This time, it was the part where Suhyuk activated the Lightning Spear.
“Honestly, there isn’t much to say about this part. So I’ll keep it short.”
Boom-!
The Lightning Spear hurled and pierced through the giant’s head.
A single strike.
Watching Suhyuk hit the giant’s head without blinking an eye, Falcon Eye gave his final impression.
“It’s just Lee Suhyuk. What more needs to be said?”
*
“It’s just Lee Suhyuk. What more needs to be said?”
Flinch-.
Suhyuk’s body trembled slightly at those last words.
It hit home.
Hard.
‘It’s true, no matter how you look at it…’
The name he used in his past life and the name he uses now.
Both are Lee Suhyuk.
But still, it felt like he was deceiving everyone.
‘Anyway, he’s good.’
Adding another trial on top of the existing one. He simplified the concept of the Full Body Meridian Unlock so even viewers unfamiliar with it could understand.
If it were him, he’d likely be explaining the entire process of the Full Body Meridian Unlock in detail.
‘So, this is how streaming is done.’
It was a valuable lesson. Moments like these made him painfully aware of how inexperienced he was as a streamer.
“Uh—.”
At that moment, Un Hyang, who had been watching the stream with him, cautiously spoke up.
“May I ask you something?”
She seemed to have been contemplating throughout the entire stream. Unsure whether to ask or not, constantly hesitating.
“Of course.”
“I know this isn’t something a manager should ask. Really, I do! But I just have to know.”
“……?”
What on earth is she trying to ask that makes her this hesitant?
After a long pause, Un Hyang finally gathered her courage and spoke. And her question was straightforward.
“Why are you doing this streaming thing?”
It was definitely not a question a manager would typically ask.
“It’s not for the money, right?”
TL’s Corner:
Of course it isn’t. *Looks sideways nervously*