Reincarnator’s Stream

Big Mouth’s contemplation was not brief.

He remained silent for a while, displaying his caution.

Although a long time had passed, enough for the ice to melt, Suhyuk did not feel impatient.

A long consideration was a good sign. If it was a ridiculous condition, he would have readily rejected it. He could only leave his proposal to Big Mouth’s conscience. If he deceived Suhyuk with false information, there was little Suhyuk could do.

Of course, if it was discovered, the exclusivity of the interview would also be compromised.

‘He’s being cautious.’

Slurp—.

Big Mouth sipped the water from the melted ice.

Soon, with a firm voice, he made up his mind.

“Alright.”

But then, he sighed, covering his face with his hands.

“Oh, is this the right call…?”

“You’ve made the right decision.”

“Hearing you say that makes me even more anxious.”

Big Mouth jokingly waved his hand.

Though an invisible bridge seemed to connect the two, Suhyuk knew.

This bridge was fragile and could collapse at any moment. Their relationship was solely based on necessity and would end as soon as that necessity disappeared.

“Now, I have no choice but to hope that streamer Lee Suhyuk will turn the tables.”

“Someday, it will happen.”

“Not anytime soon, though, right?”

Big Mouth had said it jokingly, but Suhyuk responded seriously.

“I can create an interesting story for you.”

“Right now?”

“Tomorrow.”

Tomorrow was the day of the Counter-Fight. Big Mouth sensed that Suhyuk was planning something.

“Could you tell me in advance what you intend to do?”

“That’s a secret.”

“That’s a shame. But the first interview after that, it will be with me, right?”

“Of course.”

Big Mouth smiled broadly at Suhyuk’s confirmation.

Even in the preliminaries, Lee Suhyuk had caused quite an event. No participant had ever achieved a thousand kills alone before.

“Speaking of which, should we do an interview about the preliminaries?”

Curious, Big Mouth adjusted his sitting position and pulled out a pen.

Just as the interview was about to begin, Suhyuk spoke.

“Before that, I have a few questions.”

“Ah, do I go first?”

Big Mouth nodded.

“Ask me anything.”

It was the first question in their necessity-driven exchange. Big Mouth was willing to answer anything.

However,

“Do you know if Lee Suhyuk’s death is related to the Counter-Fight?”

The question was far from ordinary.

“…….”

Big Mouth was silent for a moment. It was more a pause from shock than from a lack of an answer.

Suhyuk was confident that he had come to the right person based on Big Mouth’s reaction.

“…Isn’t that why you need me, because you’re out of the loop?”

“I paid a high price to obtain it.”

“If you paid a high price… Dark Map? Why?”

“I’m searching for the truth of that day.”

‘We prepared a lot as well.’

‘We thought this was the only way to catch you. But somehow, other guys weren’t easy either. It was tougher than expected.’

Kim Ilsoo never answered Suhyuk’s question regarding his motives till the very end.

Lee Suhyuk suspected that the act of betrayal might not just be simple greed; he felt there was something more to it. The second life he had been given in reality came with three missions he believed he had to undertake. To exact revenge, to reunite with his surviving comrades, and to uncover why such events occurred on the day the legend of Blue Eyes ended.

“There have always been such stories. Conspiracy theories claiming that Lee Suhyuk’s death was planned or perhaps the hidden truth.” someone mentioned.

On the day Suhyuk died, numerous players were present. They were all elite members of their respective guilds, but no matter how much control was exercised, not every mouth could be silenced.

“The prime suspect has always been Kim Ilsoo. Well, that story gained much traction especially after the Hwang Gyuseong incident.”

“So, what’s the truth?”

“I don’t know either.” Big Mouth replied, shaking his head.

“There are probably many who know the truth of that day, like all those who attempted to capture the Hydra. It might be quicker to seek them out.”

But the statement wasn’t particularly nourishing to Suhyuk. He knew the truth of that day already. What Suhyuk sought was not the truth of that event, but its connection to the Counter-Fight.

The information Suhyuk wanted emerged a bit later.

“If it has to do with the Counter-Fight, then there’s one certain thing.”

“Certain thing?”

“It’s simple. If someone monopolizes victory, the others become enemies.”

From a certain moment, Suhyuk and the Blue Eyes had monopolized victories. For about ten years after Suhyuk defeated the Heavenly Demon, the Counter-Fight had been the stage of Suhyuk and the Blue Eyes.

Was that really the problem? Suhyuk, behind his mask, grimaced with each passing second.

“There are likely various interests involved. The Counter-Fight looks like a festival, but many lives hinge on the rankings. There might be far more crucial reasons that people like us are unaware of.”

“So, you know nothing more?”

“No. It’s likely the same in the Dark Map as well. It’s information I got from there.”

Evidently, Big Mouth had connections with the Dark Map. Considering he disclosed the source, Suhyuk could not doubt it. Moreover, if this information genuinely originated from the Dark Map, its cost would not be cheap.

Thanks to this, Suhyuk saved quite a number of points.

“Thank you. Now I won’t need to visit the Dark Map.”

“You’re welcome.”

Big Mouth didn’t ask why Suhyuk was trying to uncover the truth of that day. But his questions confirmed to Big Mouth that his investment wasn’t a failure.

The man before him was undoubtedly going to cause a huge stir in the Tower.

* * *

Later on, Suhyuk had a long interview with Big Mouth.

“With your skills, qualifying for the finals wouldn’t have been difficult even without pushing yourself. Was your performance in the preliminaries a conscious effort for the mission?”

“How did you come to know Cha Minwoo? How do you evaluate his skills?”

“What do you think is the key to climbing the Tower so quickly?

It seemed Big Mouth had prepared in advance; he fired questions without pause.

To each question, Suhyuk’s answers were straightforward.

“Yes. If given a mission, it should be completed.”

“Cha Minwoo approached me first. He said he was a fan. His skills were decent.”

“The key? … It just came naturally.”

Depending on the listener, these answers might have seemed lacking in sincerity. However, Big Mouth found Suhyuk’s responses rather interesting.

‘What a clear character.’

Collecting his notes in a notebook, the character of streamer Lee Suhyuk came into full view at a glance.

He was like a large hexagonal character. From the start, Lee Suhyuk exhibited incomparable talent compared to other ordinary players. His seemingly insincere answers stemmed from his inability to articulate his extraordinary talents. His somewhat terse evaluation of the capable Cha Minwoo was simply how he truly saw it.

After a few more questions, Big Mouth finally closed his notebook.

“That’s it for today.”

“Thank you for your efforts.”

“You as well, Suhyuk. Contact me if you ever need anything.”

As he rose from his seat, a sudden thought struck Big Mouth and he added, “Oh, and the Murim faction along with the Blue Zone won’t be participating in this Counter-Fight.”

The two guilds were strong contenders for the championship that connected to the Panthera.

Surprised by the unexpected news that those guilds would not be participating, Lee Suhyuk asked in astonishment.

“Why?”

“It’s probably because of the Heavenly Demon.”

“Heavenly Demon?”

“This is under embargo.”

Big Mouth, revealing how secretive the information was, leaned in and whispered.

“Murim and Blue Zone were completely defeated by the Heavenly Demon.”

“Defeated?”

“Shh. Lower your voice. Whoa, whoa.”

Even though he hadn’t spoken loudly, Big Mouth still made a fuss.

He quickly glanced around before speaking in an even quieter voice.

“I don’t know if the fact that the Heavenly Demon is participating in the Counter-Fight for the first time in a long while is related to this incident. As you know, it’s not possible to interview the Heavenly Demon.”

Suhyuk knew that the Heavenly Demon was participating in the Counter-Fight after several years.

Due to this, the Players Channel had been chaotic for a while, and no matter where he went, he couldn’t help but hear about the Heavenly Demon.

‘Wasn’t it because of me?’

No one knew why the Heavenly Demon had decided to participate in the Counter-Fight after all these years.

Suhyuk vaguely thought it might be because of him, but perhaps it was not.

‘Then, I wouldn’t be able to meet Kim Ilsoo…’

This situation diminished the reasons he had for participating in the Counter-Fight.

‘And those guys too.’

Lee Suhyuk had two reasons for deciding to participate in the Counter-Fight this time.

The first reason was the slight hope that he might find clues related to Kim Ilsoo’s betrayal here. The chances were low, but you never know.

The decisive reason was the second one.

The Counter-Fight was the place where Shiwoo or Yerang were most likely to appear. But if Kim Ilsoo did not show up, the two would probably not reveal themselves either.

“Thank you for the valuable information.”

“Not at all.”

As if by mutual agreement, both of them stood up simultaneously. Cheon Ryang, who had been dozing off next to them out of boredom, belatedly greeted them.

“Oh, are you leaving?”

“Yes, I have other engagements.”

The Counter-Fight was the best stage for streamers or journalists who dealt with issues like Big Mouth.

Today alone, he was likely to meet dozens of rankers.

Big Mouth exchanged farewell greetings with Suhyuk and Cheon Ryang. Stepping out of the cafe, Big Mouth made a phone call somewhere.

“Did you meet him?”

The voice of Falcon Eye came through beyond the call tone. He had a vested interest in anything related to Lee Suhyuk.

“Yes. I met him.”

“How was it? Your impressions?”

“Honestly, I had high expectations, but…”

Big Mouth’s lips curled into a smile.

“Yet he exceeded those expectations.”

“Right?”

Meeting Lee Suhyuk was thrilling.

Everything about him—the aura he exuded, his demeanor, and every word he spoke—was distinctly different from other rankers. It had been a long time since his heart felt this ablaze.

The stories unfolding before his eyes were purely driven by the essence of events, not just articles crafted to attract public interest.

“I’m really glad I met him.”

Lee Suhyuk.

He clearly stated with his own mouth.

That he would change this tower.

“Every step he takes from now on is going to be very stimulating.”

That day, Big Mouth’s day felt much longer than usual.

His heart wouldn’t calm down, filled with expectations for what the next day would bring.

Time flowed as usual. Everyone participating in the Counter-Fight looked at the same sky, awaiting the next day.

And so, the first day of the Counter-Fight dawned.