Reincarnator’s Stream

It couldn’t be. Isaac shook his head. The guy who had crawled beneath his feet throughout their training at the institution.

Obtaining Lightning and being praised by Falcon Eye as more talented than peak Lee Suhyuk, that streamer being the same person? Impossible.

“There must be some mistake…”

Crackle, crackle—

He tried to deny it desperately.

“This can’t…”

The dazzling golden lightning was so bright it was nearly blinding. Creating lightning of this magnitude was something even he couldn’t do.

And that mask.

Sure, it was a cheap mask that could be bought anywhere, but what were the chances this guy would just happen to have it?

‘What’s going on?’

Isaac wasn’t stupid. Nor was he oblivious, and by now, even he had realized. The Lee Suhyuk standing before him was indeed the same person he had watched streaming in the morning.

He knew that.

But.

“It doesn’t make any sense…”

He just didn’t want to acknowledge it.

Step by step, Suhyuk moved closer to Isaac.

“No.”

Sssshhh—

He thought it was just a step.

“It does.”

In the blink of an eye, Suhyuk was already right in front of Isaac.

BOOM!

CRACK—

With an explosion of electricity, Suhyuk’s fist drove into Isaac’s chest. It quite literally drove in. In that moment, Isaac thought he had been impaled by a spear, not punched.

“…!!!”

THUD!

His body was lifted off the ground and hurled backward. Gravity-defying, he flew back and landed hard on his back, rolling several times.

Just as he pressed his hands against the ground, trying to regain his balance,

“Gruahhhh—!”

Broken bones pierced his lungs, and everything inside him flipped over, causing him to vomit blood. Spitting up heaps of bloody vomit, he eventually lifted his head.

The considerable distance he had flown was being closed by Suhyuk, who approached leisurely. Suhyuk removed his mask as he walked, as if daring Isaac to look at his face again.

“Why is it so hard to believe? Because I was the one you used to beat up?”

“How… how did you…”

“Never thought I might surpass you one day?”

Clutching his shattered ribs, Isaac painfully picked himself up.

Fwoosh—

Flames gathered at the tips of his fingers behind his back. Gritting his teeth, he gathered his magical power, preparing for a counterattack.

“You… really think you’re Lee Suhyuk?”

Instead of answering, Suhyuk just looked into Isaac’s eyes. Even now, facing such overwhelming power, Isaac’s eyes hadn’t lost their defiance.

His father, Reinhardt, had been defeated by Suhyuk, but he had still been a formidable Ranker.

“Lightning… doesn’t seem so special. If a loser like you could get it…”

Isaac was trying to convince himself, to muster the courage. Convincing himself that the person before him couldn’t possibly be the new wielder of Lightning.

Just a loser who had crawled beneath his feet throughout their time at the training institute.

“You think… just because you got… that thing… you can stand up to me?”

“Of course—”

As Suhyuk began to answer,

“Take this—!”

Isaac, who had been waiting for an opportunity, swung his concealed hand forward.

“Eat this!”

Whoosh—

Five fireballs, each at the tips of his fingers, shot forward.

It was an ambush at a distance close enough to strike with a sword. A sneak attack so sudden that reacting properly, let alone seeing it coming, was near impossible.

‘Got him.’

Isaac grinned triumphantly.

He was certain that at this distance, Suhyuk couldn’t possibly evade his magic.

But then,

Flash!

Bam, bam, bam, bam!

A yellow streak cut through the air.

A line connecting the five fireballs he had launched.

Simultaneously, the resulting explosion sent a plume of smoke billowing upward. The strong smell of burning filled his nostrils, causing a cough that racked his lungs.

Dumbfounded, Isaac wondered what had happened.

“You interrupt when I’m speaking. That’s rude.”

Whoosh—

As the smoke cleared, Suhyuk stood there unharmed.

The intercepted fireballs fell to the ground. Isaac, still coughing, looked shaken.

“H-How…?”

How.

The question slipped out like a monologue as Isaac tried to process what had happened.

‘Did he dodge? No, did he block them? Or maybe…’

The yellow streak he remembered.

And as his eyes fell on the sword in Suhyuk’s hand, Isaac’s expression turned shocked.

“He… cut them?”

Not one but five.

And at such close range, reaching him in an instant.

Cutting all of them with a single strike meant his timing, precision, and reflexes were perfect.

—

“In terms of control alone, he’s better than prime Lee Suhyuk.”

—

Falcon Eye’s assessment flashed through his mind.

‘Was that true?’

Talent surpassing prime Lee Suhyuk. Watching the falling ashes, Isaac was left in stunned silence.

If that assessment was accurate, was there any way for him to survive this encounter?

Crunch.

Suhyuk’s leg swept Isaac’s legs out from under him.

Crack!

“Oof!”

With the sound of breaking bones, Isaac hit the ground. Just as he attempted to stand using his other leg, Suhyuk stomped down on it.

Snap.

“Ahhhhh—!”

“Well, that’s enough of that.”

In stark contrast to the piercing screams in the forest, Suhyuk’s voice was calm and detached. Looking down at Isaac, Suhyuk continued speaking.

“It just pisses me off.”

Crack.

Under normal circumstances, he would have simply beheaded him. But there was a single reason why he didn’t.

“The fact that a bastard like you insulted them.”

It was pure venting. An outlet for the anger over his friends being insulted, those who had died trying to save others. For the nerve-wracking annoyance caused by this worthless bastad.

Crunch.

“Your childish antics are something you should pull with your father. Don’t you think?”

As Suhyuk grabbed Isaac’s shoulder, who was writhing in pain from his broken leg, Isaac’s eyes widened in shock when electric sparks surged from Suhyuk’s hand.

Crackle, crackle—!

“…!!!”

Isaac opened his mouth to scream, but no sound came out. His body convulsed violently as if he were being electrocuted, and then he fell forward.

With charred skin and a paralyzed body, he wasn’t dead yet, but he could sense his impending doom.

“S-save me…”

Lifting his head with great difficulty, Isaac changed his plea.

“If… if my father finds out… H-he won’t stand for this…”

After pleading, he resorted to threats. He realized just by looking into Suhyuk’s eyes that begging wouldn’t work.

However,

“You asked earlier if I was really Lee Suhyuk.”

No matter how renowned a Ranker his father was, it wasn’t enough to intimidate Suhyuk.

“I am Lee Suhyuk. But you’re mistaken.”

Reinhardt.

How dared he try to use that name to threaten him. It showed just how much the world had changed.

“Think about it. Do you really believe there’s only one Lee Suhyuk you know of?”

Reinhardt was a Ranker who had been defeated in a single strike by Suhyuk, earning the shameful nickname ‘First Sword’.

“What nonsense…”

Isaac’s eyes widened as Suhyuk’s words, which initially seemed incoherent, began to make sense. He thought there was nothing more to shock him, but one seemingly impossible idea crossed his mind.

“You interrupt when I’m speaking. That’s rude.”

An adult.

He realized that the term wasn’t something a peer from the same training institute would typically use. It was something he hadn’t fully registered due to the pain of his leg being broken.

“It just pisses me off.”

“The fact that a bastard like you insulted them.”

Piecing together those words and considering one outrageous theory, Suhyuk’s words started to make sense. A lowly Lee Suhyuk from the academy.

A masked streamer who captured Lightning.

And another one.

“No way!”

The one who had defeated his father, Reinhardt, with a single strike. They were all the same person.

“This doesn’t make any sense…”

More than knowing he had Lightning, this reality was harder for Isaac to accept. It was that unbelievable.

But, “You’re quite smart.”

Suhyuk acknowledged with a nod, as though confirming Isaac’s worst fear.

“Are you really…?”

Under normal circumstances, Isaac would never have believed it. But he vividly remembered.

The face of Lee Suhyuk, who had been beaten, humiliated, and stripped of any points he had, the entire time at the training institution.

Yet, the same face that now, instead of being angry about his past abuse, was furious about him insulting Blue Eyes.

As if.

As if he were a completely different person who had forgotten the past where he had been tormented.

‘He really has changed—’

The moment that thought crossed Isaac’s mind,

Slash—

His thoughts were abruptly ended by Suhyuk’s sword slicing through his neck.

Thud, roll—

Isaac’s head hit the ground and rolled away.

Crackle, crackle—

The lingering remnants of Lightning gradually faded. Suhyuk flicked the blood off his sword and let out a long breath.

“… I got too worked up.”

He had spoken too much. He could have just cut Isaac’s head off immediately, but he hadn’t.

—

“You tend to talk more when you’re angry.”

—

He remembered Yerang’s passing comment from some time ago. Normally, Suhyuk was on the quiet side, but in situations where he got angry, he spoke more.

Anger controlled emotions, and when controlled by emotions, one’s movements naturally became duller. He talked more to manage that anger.

Squeeze—

He tightened his grip on the sword. Looking up at the sky, he murmured,

“… I hope they’re alive.”

*

Shower—

Back at the lodging, Suhyuk took a long shower. After soaking in the hot water for a while and eating a simple meal, he felt much better. Feeling full, he checked the time.

‘It’s almost time for the meeting.’

Before proceeding with the next trial, Suhyuk had arranged a meeting with someone from Balhae Entertainment.

There were several points that had been unsatisfactory during his last stream, and he wanted to handle any troublesome matters quickly.

“What’s with that guy?”

“A mask? Is he cosplaying?”

“Maybe he’s streaming?”

Suhyuk arrived at the nearby café wearing his mask. Whether during his stream or in general, he intended to keep his face hidden from everyone who might recognize him.

‘Revealing the face of streamer Lee Suhyuk would be disadvantageous in the long run.’

Staring at the steaming coffee, Suhyuk thought, ‘The fact that people don’t know what I look like is a significant advantage.’

Eventually, he would have to confront Blue Zone and Kim Ilsoo. Being an unknown face was like being an assassin, so for now, he needed to maximize this advantage.

“…”

Even so, it was inconvenient not being able to eat anything while wearing the mask. He decided that next time, he should make a mask he could open for eating.

“Ah! Have you been waiting long?”

With an enthusiastic voice, the manager of Balhae Entertainment approached Suhyuk. With her long black hair and tall stature, Un Hyang introduced herself.

“Hello? I’m Un Hyang!”