Chapter 68

In the Thunder Cave, an unseen force flows. Many referred to this force as the power of lightning. Some called it lightning.

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And people often said, “Aren’t they the same thing?”

‘Not exactly wrong.’

The essence of thunder is the sound of a lightning strike. Sound is a part of lightning. Ultimately, both are lightning.

So if people asked whether the hidden rewards in the Thunder Cave were related to his own lightning powers…

‘No one knows for sure.’

Just because it’s the same elemental power doesn’t mean the skills are identical. Even among lightning-related skills, there are countless variations.

While the lightning Suhyuk used was a prominent example, there were innumerable other lightning attributes. What people were really curious about was one thing:

Could Suhyuk obtain the same lightning that’s his trademark within the Thunder Cave?

Step—

Suhyuk continued walking through the cave.

Meanwhile, his eyes scanned the frescoes painted on the walls.

– What are those drawings?

– Just looks like a bunch of lines?

– They’re too thick to just be lines.

The yellow-painted frescoes on the walls were hard to decipher at a glance. If he hadn’t heard about the frescoes from Schneider beforehand, Suhyuk might not have recognized them immediately.

“On my first attempt, I ignored the frescoes. When I heard about the evaluation of thunder qualifications, I was too tense, expecting some kind of trial.”

Qualification of Thunder.

The message didn’t specify how this qualification would be evaluated. It only mentioned the presence or absence of such an evaluation.

“But ignoring those frescoes was a mistake.”

Thud—

His steps halted at one particular spot. His gaze fixed on a section of the fresco.

‘Found it.’

– Did that just move?

A sharp-eyed viewer noticed the subtle change. It was a minuscule shift, yet they caught it.

Squirm—

The fresco began to move slightly. As the movement grew more noticeable, other viewers picked up on it as well.

– Is that a dragon?

– A dragon?

– Looks like it. The part in front of Suhyuk looks like an eye.

– So those lines are its body?

– NO WAY, never saw that coming.

The frescoes started to move. Soon, the drawings on the wall sprang to life and emerged. A tail, a thick body, scales shimmering in golden light.

Sizzle—

Rumble, rumble—

Amidst thunder and lightning, the dragon soared to the ceiling of the cave.

“That creature’s role is similar to the Wolf Warrior you encountered in the starting dungeon. Proving your qualification for thunder means gaining its recognition.”

Gazing up at the dragon in the air. Suhyuk recalled Schneider’s words.

“But there’s one significant difference.”

“A difference?”

“Lee Suhyuk, you defeated the Wolf Warrior, didn’t you? As if you didn’t need its recognition.”

Schneider had evidently studied Suhyuk quite thoroughly. Moreover, they had directly clashed in the recent tournament just a few days prior.

Ignoring Suhyuk would be like spitting in his own face, something Schneider was well aware of.

Even so.

“But this one is different.”

He had said firmly.

“Don’t even think about defeating it. That is absolutely impossible.”

Indeed.

“Once you see it, you won’t even consider it.”

As Schneider had predicted.

Sizzle—

Boom—!

The size of the dragon emerging from the fresco filled the cave’s interior. His entire body tingled. There was no mistaking the dragon’s formidable presence.

Don’t even think about defeating it like the Wolf Warrior?

‘Who do they think I am?’

It was similar to the Wolf Warrior. That creature, too, was designed not to be defeated. But there had been ways to deal with the Wolf Warrior.

Of course, that was because Suhyuk was Lee Suhyuk…

Nonetheless, this dragon was on a completely different level. Defeating it was impossible.

A voice resonated throughout the cave.

Suhyuk replied to the dragon’s inquiry.

“Yes.”

-Yes.

-So cocky lol

-Dragon: Oh… okay

-Can’t afford to show weakness, for real

Viewers thought Suhyuk’s response was cocky, but they didn’t understand. Suhyuk had encountered dragons multiple times during his ascent of the tower.

‘Dragons don’t have a concept of formal or informal speech. Their notion of etiquette is practically nonexistent.’

For them, communication was purely about conveying information. Their posture didn’t matter. What mattered was ensuring that his words didn’t offend the dragon.

Humm—

The dragon lowered itself, beginning to fly. Its eyes, gleaming like embedded jewels, descended before Suhyuk.

– ???

– What is it saying now?

– Is this Wolf Warrior 2?

– Why do these creatures like Lee Suhyuk so much?

Suhyuk felt a bit awkward in response to his viewers’ complaints. This was different from what Schneider had told him.

“The ways the dragon demands proof vary each time. But not every one of my dozens of experiences was unique.”

“For example?”

“There are various types. Enduring electrocution, facing and overcoming absolute terror with all senses blocked, or simply fighting summoned monsters.”

“Tell me more.”

Suhyuk had grilled Schneider about the dragon’s trials in detail. Excluding the final stage of the Thunder Cave, the success of the raid depended on the type of trial he faced here.

But then.

‘Pouch?’

By ‘pouch,’ the dragon was referring to the players’ inventory. And there was only one item in his inventory that could interest the dragon. Something far more valuable than the bread and jerky he had for sustenance.

Suhyuk slowly took out the yellow, gleaming orb. The dragon moved closer, examining it closely.

“And what changes because of that?”

Hearing this, Suhyuk wondered if the Thunder Cave was an extension of the Lightning trials. A possessor of lightning. And someone who had passed all the Lightning trials to obtain the Heart of the Lightning.

The Thunder Cave awaited a player who fulfilled these conditions.

“There are others who possess this, surely?”

Suhyuk was subtly referring to Schneider. Having undertaken countless challenges, Schneider had, at some point, obtained the Thunder Imprint against incredible odds.

But Schneider hadn’t mentioned such a reaction from the dragon. If it had happened, he would have certainly talked about it.

This meant.

The difference between Schneider and himself was clear.

‘Is it because I have lightning? Or the Heart of the Lightning?’

Maybe both. Whether this was a blessing or a curse was still unclear. Nothing definitive had been revealed.

One thing was certain.

‘This won’t be an ordinary trial.’

The information Schneider provided might turn out to be useless. Schneider had never mentioned entering the Thunder Cave by opening the gate.

The dragon spoke, gazing down at the Thunder Imprint in Suhyuk’s hand.

“I have to… swallow this?”

Suhyuk looked down at the Thunder Imprint with eyes widened in surprise at the simplicity of the trial. On the surface, it appeared to be nothing more than a shiny, seemingly useless item.

– And now he had to swallow it?

– You can actually eat that?

– I heard it’s used as a material for crafting items.

– Suhyuk was thinking of selling it for a fortune, now he’s screwed lol

– His points are gonna tank lolol

The viewers thought Suhyuk was hesitating because he was reluctant to waste his points.

And.

They were right.

‘This thing is worth so much…’

His mind really had fixated on the points. His first thought in this situation was how much the Thunder Imprint was worth.

With this, he could potentially raise the level of his Selfish Sacrifice skill by several stages.

On the other hand.

‘What changes if I eat it?’

The outcome of consuming it was unknown. It was a gamble.

【 Thunder Imprint 】

Grade: —

A crystal left after a thunderstorm. Its use is unknown. It may contain immense power, or none at all.

The description seemed more like a riddle. The grade was unspecified. The description was vague and uninformative.

Its use was unknown, and it was unclear whether it contained any power. Despite this, the item fetched high prices in the market due to its value as a ‘material item’.

‘When used in crafting, it grants a lightning attribute and significant power.’

Many players eagerly sought this item. So, without finding any special use for it, Suhyuk intended to sell it after the raid…

And now he had to eat it.

– Eat it! Eat it!

– Eat it!

– Do it! Do it!

– Do it do it do it do it

Even the viewers were united in their chants. Adjusting his microphone, Suhyuk sighed.

“Do I really have to eat this?”

– Of course lol

– Come on, just do it lol

– Lucky ones? Nope! Not you!

– Finally, Suhyuk gets tripped up!

Why did it feel like he had become the villain? Apparently, this was a moment when the viewers were united in trolling their streamer.

“…You know how much this is worth.”

– Lolololol

– If you eat it, I’ll donate 10 points. ^0^

– I’ll give a mission. 100 points worth. ^0^

– Today, Suhyuk eats a thunder crystal. Nom nom~

This won’t do. Reading the chat only seemed to aggravate him further. Suhyuk sighed once more, adjusting his microphone.

He glanced again at the Thunder Imprint, lost in thought.

‘It’s a gamble worth taking.’

The Thunder Imprint held immense power. Its utility as a material item had already proven that. Above all, successfully completing the trial always guaranteed players a significant reward.

The question was whether that reward would surpass the value of the Thunder Imprint. Anyway, the item itself wouldn’t be entirely wasted.

And more importantly.

‘Giving up isn’t like me. No.’

Suhyuk opened the bottom part of his mask and slowly brought the Thunder Imprint to his mouth.

‘It’s not like Lee Suhyuk.’

He knew the potential loss was substantial if he failed. But to neglect the trial for points was equally unlike him.

More than anyone, being true to himself—Lee Suhyuk—was his stream’s motto. And, fundamentally, he really was Lee Suhyuk.

‘Be myself.’

With a swift motion—

He placed the yellow crystal in his mouth.

Crunch—

He bit down on the Thunder Imprint, shattering it with his teeth.

Gulp—

He swallowed.

『’You have consumed the Thunder Imprint.’』

『The Trial of Thunder begins within your body.』