Reincarnator’s Stream

The first to return was Un Hyang.

Her haggard appearance and hollow eyes were unlike anything seen in the past few years. Her pale complexion made it clear she had been through a lot.

It had been a long time since anyone had seen her in such a state.

“Let’s go get some candy!”

That was probably the last time they saw her like this.

“…Where have you been?”

“Did it take a while?”

“You didn’t come back quickly.”

“Sorry, sorry. I got lost on the way.”

Lost on the way?

It seemed highly unlikely. Despite not being particularly meticulous, she wasn’t the type to roam around unwashed.

She must have hurried back here. Even then, there must have been a good reason for her delay.

“Anyway, why are you alone? Where’s Suhyuk?”

“He hasn’t returned yet.”

“Is he still sleeping?”

“No. Since he went up to the eighth floor, I haven’t heard anything from him. I want to go find him, but I don’t have the qualifications…”

Cheon Ryang could only climb up to this point. Only Suhyuk and Un Hyang had the qualifications to ascend to the eighth floor.

“Did everything go well for you?”

“What do you mean go well? I just went to find some persimmons.”

“It must be different. It’s the first time you’ve genuinely decided to do something yourself.”

Until now, Un Hyang had never learned martial arts on her own. Whether learning martial arts or climbing the tower, it had always been due to someone else’s coercion.

But this time, she moved on her own accord. When the mindset changes, everything can transform despite doing the same tasks.

“Yeah, that’s true.”

Though it was a story of success, Un Hyang’s expression and voice sounded bitter.

“It’s infuriating, but that person’s words were right.”

“…What do you mean?”

Cheon Ryang couldn’t understand what Un Hyang was saying.

‘That person’, what had Un Cheon-guk said to her? Un Hyang always clammed up whenever he was mentioned.

And that was unfamiliar to Cheon Ryang. Having been together since infancy, the two had never kept secrets from each other.

“There are things like that.”

Thud-.

Un Hyang walked over and collapsed into the seat opposite Cheon Ryang.

“Ahh~ I’m so tired~!”

The child who once cried for candy had grown into an adult. Witnessing the breaking of the shackles she confined herself in, Cheon Ryang intuited it.

Perhaps this moment would be the turning point in her life.

* * *

Having hurriedly taken a bath, Un Hyang fell asleep in Cheon Ryang’s room. She didn’t even eat or wait for Suhyuk, indicating just how exhausted she was.

Suhyuk returned shortly after she fell asleep.

There was no time to question why he was so late. They both hurriedly signed up to participate in the Counter-Fight.

“We barely made it.”

Cheon Ryang let out a sigh of relief and glanced at Suhyuk’s appearance.

‘He’s not much different.’

Whether they had been together or not, both Un Hyang and Suhyuk looked equally disheveled.

The difference was that if Un Hyang looked like she had been rolling in mud, Suhyuk bore scorch marks all over.

There was no need to ask why they were late.

He must have spent the same amount of time as Un Hyang.

“Sorry for being late.”

“No need to apologize. We made it in time.”

“Where is Un Hyang?”

As soon as they returned, the first thing they did was inquire about each other.

“She’s sleeping now. She came back a while ago.”

“Returned? Where did she go?”

“It’s a long story…”

Would it only be long? It was a difficult matter to speak of. The person to talk about it wasn’t himself, but Un Hyang.

“Please hear it directly from Un Hyang later when she wakes up.”

“Alright, sure.”

Lee Suhyuk nodded. Since it wasn’t an urgent matter, it didn’t really matter when he heard about it.

Belatedly, Lee Suhyuk asked about what had happened while he was away.

“There haven’t been any significant issues, have there?”

“Well, given the Counter-Fight is around the corner, the viewers understand the break in streaming. If talking about noteworthy events… there was someone looking for you, Suhyuk.”

“For me? Who was it?”

“Big Mouth.”

Big Mouth. He was a journalist associated with Falcon Eye and a prominent streamer handling various major incidents that occurred in the Tower. It wasn’t unusual for him to be looking for Suhyuk.

After all, Lee Suhyuk had become one of the hottest topics in the Tower recently.

“Other than that, there were just some guild contacts… but nothing that needs mentioning, right?”

Once again, Lee Suhyuk nodded.

Issues related to guild membership had always been irrelevant in the past and remained so. It wasn’t about conditions or value. Knowing his comrades were still alive, Lee Suhyuk would always make the same choice.

“What kind of person exactly is Big Mouth?”

“If you mean that, the team leader has organized a file. Would you like to look at it while we’re on the way?”

“Yes.”

Cheon Ryang handed over the document to Lee Suhyuk. The data transferred to his player kit contained various pieces of information about the streamer Big Mouth.

‘So he has started to cover issues related to me lately.’

There were quite a few articles about the streamer Lee Suhyuk.

It was only natural, given that no other player had made it to the eighth floor of the Tower so quickly before.

Big Mouth’s interest was no different.

His approach to Suhyuk was likely driven by a desire to get stories faster and more abundantly than others.

“If he’s an issue-specialist streamer, his connections must be extensive, right?”

“Probably, yes.”

“And he must know a lot of high-end information, too.”

Cheon Ryang showed a hint of curiosity on his face. He had thought Suhyuk would refuse outright, but unexpectedly, Suhyuk showed interest.

“He’s nearby, actually.”

Given Big Mouth dealt with issues, he had come to watch the Counter-Fight.

“Let’s meet him.”

So far, Suhyuk had focused on climbing the Tower, streaming, and accumulating points. He hadn’t had the power, and without sufficient power, information was useless scraps of paper.

What made information valuable was the power to use it.

And over time, Suhyuk had finally acquired the minimum power he deemed necessary.

‘I’m lacking information.’

What he needed from now on was information.

Suhyuk read and re-read the data on Big Mouth.

* * *

While waiting for Big Mouth’s response, Lee Suhyuk settled the revenue from the previous streams.

“This is the post-paid advertising fee, this is the revenue from additional videos on the Players’ Channel, and this…”

As the streams grew larger, so did the ways to generate revenue.

Combined with mission money from the last stream, advertising revenue, video profits, and additional incoming ads, the total revenue exceeded 1 million points.

[Available Points: 2,972,198]

Lee Suhyuk checked the accumulated points while adjusting his new mask. He and Cheon Ryang entered a cafe with cool air and sat down.

“You’ll soon become a rich man, won’t you? Or are you already one?”

To the perpetually struggling Cheon Ryang, the points Lee Suhyuk earned felt unreal.

Of course, Lee Suhyuk also struggled with poverty.

“I wish I were.”

Skills that consumed points were generally not favored among players. It wasn’t that the skills themselves were ineffective; they just weren’t cost-efficient.

Spending hundreds of thousands of points to level up skills was less efficient compared to using the same amount of points to acquire better equipment.

‘This is absurd,’ he thought.

Yet Lee Suhyuk had no choice.

The Selfish Sacrifice was the only hope to overcome the penalty of lightning.

Therefore, he could only keep earning points and pouring them into a bottomless pit.

Ting-a-ling.

At that moment, the bell at the café door rang.

“Ah, here you are.”

Big Mouth, recognizing Suhyuk, approached him. Given the ostentatious mask he wore, Suhyuk was easily visible within the café.

“Nice to meet you. I go by the nickname Big Mouth, but you can call me Rosteadd. Feel free to use any name you’re comfortable with.”

“I’m Lee Suhyuk.”

“And I’m Cheon Ryang, the manager.”

“Are you the one who contacted me?”

“Yes.”

Soon after, Big Mouth ordered a drink. Since entering the café, he had been watching Suhyuk with keen interest.

“It’s fascinating to see you in person. To meet the hottest topic in the tower like this.”

“Isn’t Big Mouth also quite famous?”

“I merely survive by leeching off streamers like Lee Suhyuk.”

He wore an amiable expression, lowering himself while elevating the other, crafting the relationship as he desired.

Teaming up wasn’t a bad idea.

At that moment, they both wanted something from each other.

After a brief introduction, Big Mouth’s ordered drink arrived, prompting Suhyuk to ask.

“So, why did you want to meet?”

“Getting straight to the point, I like that,” Big Mouth remarked, taking a sip of his drink before answering.

“I want to secure an exclusive interview with Lee Suhyuk.”

“Exclusive?”

“Yes, not just this once. I want the first interview with you continually from now on.”

It wasn’t an outrageous demand.

Agreeing to interviews didn’t cause any harm or depletion, so it was something Suhyuk could easily accommodate.

“If you’re uncomfortable with any interview content, you don’t have to answer. In return, if there’s something you can talk about, please respond to me first.”

“Is that really all?”

“Yes.”

There was nothing to lose from this proposal. In fact, it might even be beneficial for Suhyuk.

Big Mouth ranked among the top streamers dealing with issues. He had the power to create issues as well as cover them.

Using Big Mouth as a megaphone was something people might even pay for.

“I want to invest in Lee Suhyuk’s future.”

Big Mouth knew.

He knew how valuable his interviews were.

Despite this, he approached humbly, reflecting the high regard he had for the streamer named Lee Suhyuk.

Specifically, for his future, not just his present.

“…Is that so?”

Suhyuk nodded.

“Alright. Let’s do that.”

“Are you serious?”

“But I have one condition.”

Finally, Suhyuk revealed his condition, causing Big Mouth to feel momentarily tense, unsure of what to expect.

“I want to use your information network.”

“Information network?”

“Yes, no matter what information you have, I don’t want you to hide it from me.”

“All of it?”

Big Mouth’s smile briefly faltered.

Being a streamer who dealt with issues, he had a lot of information networks, and Suhyuk’s request was akin to asking him to reveal everything.

Despite this, Suhyuk proposed a demanding condition.

“If you weigh it, you won’t be losing out.”

There was only one reason.

He believed this deal wouldn’t harm Big Mouth.

Because if the other dealt with issues,

“I’m going to change this tower soon.”

Every step Suhyuk took towards past glory and revenge would be incredible material for news articles.