Reincarnator’s Stream

The Path of Lightning.

That was the name of this stage.

Apart from the name, he knew nothing about this place. Inside the gigantic door was a long, white space that seemed to stretch endlessly.

“They said the lightning shard was hidden here…”

Whispering to himself without adjusting the microphone, as there was no one to listen.

“It’s not here?”

– LOLOLOL LOL it’s not here LOLOLOL

– For real, there’s nothing here

– The trial theme seems to be a prank

– A blank, white space so startlingly empty it was almost embarrassing.

– But there was no way it was truly empty.

‘It’s not that there’s nothing here; it just looks that way.’

This was a trial. And he was the player who had to accomplish something in this place. He needed to find a clue.

‘You can’t just overlook the name.’

The Fifth Stage, legend. And this stage’s name is the Path of Lightning. The only given information was the name, so the hint must be in the name.

Suhyuk surveyed his surroundings. Rolling his eyes, moving his head. His view didn’t change.

Swish-

Thinking that keeping his eyes open or closed made no difference, Suhyuk decisively closed his eyes.

‘This isn’t a trial meant to be found with your eyes.’

In that case, there was only one way. To find what couldn’t be seen.

Buzz-

With his eyes closed, he felt his surroundings with his body. A faintly familiar sensation came from slightly ahead. His skin tingled. Something was flowing in this space.

He opened his eyes and looked for a stone lying on the ground. Confirmation was necessary.

– What is he doing?

– He’s moving

– Did he find something?

– A pebble?

Suhyuk picked up a pebble.

‘It’s a classic method, but…’

What choice did he have?

For a player steeped in tradition, the classic method was always the best.

Swish-

With all his strength, he threw the pebble down the long, white path before him.

Then.

Crackle-!

With a loud spark, the pebble Suhyuk threw turned black as it flew. Seeing the pebble crackling and popping like popcorn in the empty space was truly shocking.

– Wow?

– What was that just now?

– What kind of trial is this?

Questions poured in.

Not being able to guess the trial’s content only heightened the curiosity. Seeing the rapidly growing chat window, Suhyuk shared what he had just learned from his action.

“It’s lightning.”

– Lightning?

– Yeah, isn’t the map name the Path of Lightning?

– So the pebble popping just now was because of lightning?

Suhyuk nodded.

“Just like the map name. It means walking through the lightning…”

Step-

With those words, he began walking slowly inside.

Then.

Buzz, crackle-

A tingling sensation that stimulated the skin. It felt so familiar, it was almost endearing. This place was filled with unseen lightning everywhere.

“It seems this stage’s theme is ‘endurance’.”

Crackle-!

As Suhyuk extended his hand forward, it sparked and was repelled like the pebble. Clenching and unclenching his tingling fingertips, Suhyuk spoke with a tone of disbelief.

“This trial is telling me to die?”

Indeed

– Trial: This time, please go and die.

– LOLOLOL LOLOLOL

– Alright, let’s go for a roast~

– Although he said it jokingly, it was no joke.

– Even close by, he could feel the high concentration of electric discharge.

– From the pebble check, he knew that the deeper within, the more severe it became.

– Endure this and go further inside?

– It was no different from asking him to walk into death.

“This is absurd…….”

Suhyuk stood silently for a moment. It was clear to anyone that he was hesitating. After a brief pause.

『‘AirAllergy’ has donated 100 points.』

『Will you take the challenge?』

A message he had been waiting for. At that moment, the corners of Suhyuk’s mouth lifted in the darkness.

*

Creak-.

On an old rickety chair. Sitting face to face, Shiwoo and Yerang were cautiously watching each other.

No.

More precisely, Shiwoo was watching Yerang’s reactions.

“What are you doing?”

Flinch-

At Yerang’s question, Shiwoo’s shoulders slightly trembled. Shiwoo slyly hid the kit he was holding behind his back and asked.

“You, you?”

“Just, the usual stuff.”

Turning the screen of her kit away, Yerang continued.

“Don’t misunderstand; I’m not watching that stream again. I really quit.”

“Oh… yeah, sure.”

“Why do you sound so unsure?”

Yerang’s puzzled expression made Shiwoo break out in a cold sweat. His gaze flickered slightly towards the player kit he was holding.

‘Because I’m watching it right now.’

He couldn’t say it out loud. He had gotten mad at her for constantly watching streams related to Lee Suhyuk, and now he was watching that exact stream.

How could he admit to something so embarrassing?

“No, just. Good job.”

A somewhat awkward lie. Yerang, who was eyeing Shiwoo suspiciously, eventually lost interest. Calming his pounding heart, Shiwoo refocused on the stream.

“They said lightning was hidden here… but it’s not.”

The trial area was entirely white. The only thing visible was the rapidly scrolling chat.

‘What is he supposed to do there? I almost feel like I should be there instead.’

If he were there, he could find something for sure. This trial surely involved finding something invisible.

But the only thing he could confirm through the stream was visual. And in this trial, visual elements were excluded.

Furrowing his brows out of frustration for a moment. He saw Lee Suhyuk picking something up.

‘A pebble?’

Swish-

A quick flying sound.

Immediately after, following Suhyuk’s gaze, a bright light appeared on the screen.

Crackle-!

Golden lightning burst.

In that moment, Shiwoo’s eyes sparkled.

‘It’s lightning.’

He had found a clue. Sure enough.

“The map name is literal. It means walking through the lightning…”

‘Yes, that’s it!’

For the first time in his life, Shiwoo felt the fun of watching a stream, seeing a streamer who shared his same thoughts.

Wasn’t this player just now tackling the second floor?

His talent was extraordinary. Not only his skills but also his seamless and confident progression through the trial.

Moreover.

“This trial is telling me to die?”

He even joked around with a carefree attitude.

‘He really does seem like Suhyuk.’

Watching this made him wonder if the streamer was really Suhyuk reincarnated. Understanding why Yerang got addicted to this stream, he felt a bit sorry and glanced at her.

But.

‘Still, this looks impossible.’

Judging by the pebble that had just turned black. The level of electric discharge flowing inside was not something a second-floor player could endure.

Players who advanced to higher floors were known to have bodies harder than rocks or steel, but this streamer was merely a second-floor player.

As a player, he was still a newcomer.

‘Well. It makes sense that a linked trial after defeating the Giant Tribe leader would present a higher challenge.’

Complaining about the difficulty wasn’t an option. The harder the trials, the greater the rewards, and the streamer Lee Suhyuk had already received the gift of golden lightning.

This was the next challenge.

An easy trial didn’t make sense.

But.

‘If it’s that guy…’

“There is no trial that can’t be overcome.”

Those were Suhyuk’s words every time they faced a tough situation. He never knew how to give up. Even when they hesitated about tackling the Hydra, Suhyuk confidently told them.

“What’s there to worry about? I’ll take care of everything.”

And he did. He really defeated the Hydra. If it hadn’t been for Kim Ilsoo’s betrayal, he would have become a true hero.

Lee Suhyuk never stopped challenging. He never gave up, and eventually, he always succeeded.

That was the true Lee Suhyuk.

‘What choice will you make?’

Shiwoo’s eyes sparkled as he watched the stream. Failure in the trial didn’t equate to real death.

However, in that case, there was a penalty where the reward obtained from the previous stage would be reset.

For this streamer, it meant losing the hard-earned lightning, the worst possible penalty.

‘Will you take the challenge? Or will you stop here?’

The screen was paused.

Streamers like Suhyuk hesitated to challenge. This was, without a doubt, different from the Suhyuk Shiwoo knew.

His anticipation slowly started to wane.

At that moment.

『‘AirAllergy’ has donated 100 points.』

『Will you take the challenge?』

In the upper right corner of the screen. A donation message appeared along with the message.

『‘MissionVillain’ has registered a mission.』

『Can’t resist a mission LOLOLOL 1000 points if successful』

『‘IloveLeeSuhyuk’ has donated 1000 points.』

『Suhyuk ㅠㅠㅠ Don’t do it, you’ll lose the lightning you worked so hard to get』

『‘LivePlayer’ has registered a mission.』

『Just do it 2000 points』

Messages poured in. While a few were advising against it, most were missions encouraging him to take the challenge. It was only natural.

Viewers always wanted to see more thrilling and entertaining trials. Moreover, viewers were looking forward to seeing the living legend Suhyuk, who would pass every trial.

And the next moment.

“Everyone.”

He had made his decision.

“Thank you for the donations.”

His confident response as if he had already passed the mission. This too seemed like the Suhyuk he knew… but…

‘This guy intended to take the challenge from the beginning.’

The reason for hesitating was different, much too different.

– LOLOLOL money lover on

– Can’t resist the points even if I die~

– This actually confirms he’s the second Suhyuk

– For real, the real Suhyuk wasn’t interested in points LOLOLOL

Points.

The currency of this world, the lifeline for players.

It wasn’t unusual; everyone liked money. Streaming was a job too, and jobs were for making money. But the Suhyuk he knew never risked his life for points.

He always said that excellent players shouldn’t chase money; money should chase them.

‘He’s different from Suhyuk.’

Shiwoo knew it too. The stream currently streaming was just someone mimicking Lee Suhyuk. This person had just obtained the lightning and was following Suhyuk’s mannerisms and behaviors more closely than anyone.

At the core, he was simply a person who used his friend’s image to earn points.

“You and I are the same. We both can’t move on from the shadow of Lee Suhyuk.”

He recalled the words he uttered just yesterday.

‘You fool. What are you even doing?’

He was angry with himself. He actually knew all along.

This wasn’t the real Suhyuk. There was no way the Suhyuk who conquered the 8th floor would take on a 2nd-floor trial, and above all, Suhyuk would never use streaming to consume his image.

For Suhyuk, it wasn’t points that mattered but his revenge on Kim Ilsoo.

‘What was I expecting?’

Shiwoo finally woke up from his reverie.

And at that moment.

Step-

On the screen.

The streamer Lee Suhyuk began walking the path of lightning.