Reincarnator’s Stream

On the terrace of the building overlooking the Counter-Fight screen.

Big Mouth was watching the screen, ready to write an article with coffee in hand.

“Quite a start already.”

Lee Suhyuk appeared with Hailz.

The audience stirred, and Big Mouth’s hands moved busily.

『A Super Rookie Appears Alongside the Great Mage.』

The headline of the quickly drafted article.

Many reporters probably moved their hands to write this article, but no one would have been faster than him.

『Lee Suhyuk: I’m on my way with Hailz. Get ready to write the article.』

A text that had arrived a few minutes earlier.

At that time, he had no idea what it meant. Lee Suhyuk and the Great Mage seemed to have no connection.

But Big Mouth, who had been prepared in advance, was able to draft the article immediately following Lee Suhyuk’s message.

“That was a good investment.”

With the article finished, Big Mouth sipped his coffee and reviewed his previous work.

Just the day before, he had written an interview with Lee Suhyuk.

• Streamer Lee Suhyuk, his Story. •

『Text: There is a Super Rookie who swept through the preliminary stages of the Counter-Fight. A participant known for slaughtering 1000 contestants on his own, that famous name is Lee Suhyuk. Lee Suhyuk is a name from an old legendary player. Streamer Lee Suhyuk coincidentally shares the same name. However, the name is not the only similarity.

…….』

The article, based on the interview with Lee Suhyuk, had garnered some interest. It hadn’t gone viral, but it hadn’t gone unnoticed either.

– Acting all high and mighty LOLOLOL – Same name? What a concept LOLOLOL – Who cares about an amateur hyped up by the pros?
– Seems like Big Mouth has lost his touch LOLOLOL The Counter-Fight was a stage for stars.

Countless renowned Rankers participated, and even they were overshadowed by luminaries like the Heavenly Demon or the Great Mage.

If it had been any other stage, Lee Suhyuk wouldn’t have been so overlooked. His records were far from ignorable.

But this was the Counter-Fight.

A place where not future potential, but only the present mattered.

Amid countless stars, only a few exceptionally bright ones stood out. And, at least until now, Lee Suhyuk hasn’t shone that brightly.

Certainly.

That was how it had been until just now.

“Knowing how to utilize the Great Mage, huh.”

Hailz, the Great Mage, was the brightest moon among the shining stars.

By appearing with Hailz, Lee Suhyuk made his presence known. The Great Mage’s interest would soon become the interest of the world.

It might have been a coincidence.

But even if it was a coincidence, it was likely aligned with Lee Suhyuk’s intentions.

“I can surely provide you with at least one interesting article.”

He had no intention of just passing through this stage.

“No matter how unpredictable, he won’t win.”

Big Mouth muttered, looking at the screen with intrigued eyes.

“What on Earth does he plan to do?”

He couldn’t tell what Lee Suhyuk was thinking, but he was sure of one thing.

Lee Suhyuk’s investment would be a huge success.

And then it happened.

Buzz-.

Big Mouth’s kit, which was placed on one side of the table, buzzed.

『’Lee Suhyuk’ has started a stream.』

* * *

The view from atop the Red Dragon was magnificent.

Rankers at the peak of the Tower were visible at a glance. He could feel their stinging, heated gazes.

Wariness. Interest. Jealousy. Desire for victory….

All kinds of emotions and gazes pierced through him.

It seemed his escort by Hailz had greatly stimulated them.

‘I’ve come up quite far.’

He once again felt how high he had climbed.

The Counter-Fight was a sort of milestone.

Though it wouldn’t be a perfect comeback.

From this day on, the name Lee Suhyuk would be etched into the Tower once again.

No.

He would engrave it himself.

“How does it feel to get some attention?”

Hailz had a face that looked like she was having the time of her life.

“Well… it’s not bad.”

“Do you actually enjoy things like this?”

“That’s why I do streams.”

“Is that so?”

Ignoring Hailz’s giggles, he looked around.

‘… There they are.’

Familiar faces appeared.

The faces of those who had played a key role in ending the legend of Blue Eyes that day.

‘Endure it.’

He suppressed his murderous intent.

Hailz was right next to me. Not only her but all the participants here were quite high-level players.

He shouldn’t reveal his murderous intent or release his magic carelessly.

Fortunately, Kim Ilsoo wasn’t in sight. If he had been here, it would have been really hard to hold back his feelings.

“Counter-Fight is a big event.”

“……?”

Suhyuk turned to look at Hailz, who had made a sudden comment right next to him.

She spoke as if she knew where Suhyuk’s gaze was directed.

“Everyone wants to stand out. Whether it’s through streaming or something else. Well, some people do it just for fun too.”

“…Why did you suddenly mention that?”

Suhyuk, curious about her sudden comment, looked puzzled.

But soon, he realized what Hailz was misunderstanding.

“Everyone, this is huge. Right now, in this place….”

“Finally, the Great Mage and the Heavenly Demon have gathered in one place. The tension is already off the charts!”

“Do you know who’s beside me right now? Everyone, prepare yourselves….”

Participants who were streaming here and there came into view.

Even Reinhardt, now dead and gone, had been a famous streamer. It seemed there were quite a few rankers streaming at the moment.

Apparently, she had mistaken Suhyuk’s gaze for him watching the busy participants engrossed in their streams.

‘Letting her misunderstand is probably for the best.’

There was no need to admit that he was counting how many he was going to decapitate here and now.

“Why? You also do streams, don’t you?”

“Yes. I’m already streaming right now, actually.”

“Really? Already?”

Suhyuk had started streaming as soon as he arrived at the arena.

Despite this big event, and even with Hailz adding significant flair, the number of viewers was lower than expected.

『Viewers: 47,112』

Not even reaching 50,000.

Although the number was rapidly growing, it wasn’t much different from his previous stream. Without Hailz, the numbers might have been even lower this time.

‘Is it inevitable to be dispersed?’

As Hailz mentioned, rankers streaming would increase significantly during the Counter-Fight period.

From the viewers’ perspective, their attention naturally gravitated towards the once-a-year event rather than their daily routine broadcasters.

Moreover, unlike the preliminaries, the main rounds had an official channel for coverage.

Given the prominence of the main channel, private streams inevitably received relatively less attention.

– It’s really Hailz.
– It’s my first time seeing Hailz this close, omg.
– How did you two meet?
– Please tell us the story.

Predictably, viewers’ interest was focused on Hailz.

It was only natural. While the Heavenly Demon was the embodiment of fear, Hailz was practically the guardian deity of the Tower.

“Could you say hi to them?”

“Say hi? Me?”

“Yes. Considering you’re right here, could you contribute a bit?”

“Well, you’re the one who took a ride on the Dragon, so why should I pay?”

“I’ll buy you food.”

The chat grew even more excited with their conversation.

– Are they really close friends?
– Damn, I’m jealous… I also… I also want to be with my sister…
– How far will you be happy, man…?

Various comments flowed by. Ignoring the chat, Suhyuk waited for Hailz to greet the audience.

After hesitating briefly, Hailz finally waved at the empty air.

“Hello? Nice to meet you. Is this the right way…?”

Hailz awkwardly greeted and continued to speak.

“Does this show up well? Most viewers here are probably from Earth, right? Guys, sorry. This year, Earth is doomed again. But don’t be too disappointed. I’m probably doomed this time too.”

– LOL, that’s right
-ㅎㅎㅎㅎ
-Of all people, the Heavenly Demon made a grand entrance, haha.

Moreover, she spoke quite well. After that, Hailz continued babbling by herself.

“Is she made for streaming?”

Hailz filled the audio gaps that she needed to fill. It was amazing how she kept talking so well even without seeing the chat.

Just as I thought she should be the one streaming instead of me, a donation came in.

『’TheGreatMage’ has donated 1,000 points.』
『Hailz, are you not streaming?』

The username seemed to be a fan of Hailz.

“They’re asking if Hailz is streaming.”

『’TheGreatMage’ has donated 1,000 points.』
『I want to see Hailz’s magic, hey.』

“They want to see your magic, Hailz.”

“Streaming? Uh… I get a bit shy. I don’t have the confidence to be as successful as Lee Suhyuk, the streamer.”

She definitely did not look shy at all. More importantly, if she started streaming right now, a million viewers would tune in.

“Unfortunately, you can watch my performance on the official channel.”

-OK
-You all heard that, right?
-Let’s head to the official channel!

At Hailz’s words, the viewers seemed ready to move over to the official channel.

Of course, they merely said that and didn’t actually leave.

“And about my magic…”

『Welcome to the Counter-Fight.』

As Hailz’s words continued, a message appeared in the sky of the tournament hall.

-Wow
-It’s starting
-Get your popcorn and chicken!!

A message announcing the start of the Counter-Fight.

The Red Dragon looked up. The rules of the Counter-Fight appeared in the sky.

『Participants can choose their opponents.』
『The number of opponents must be at least one.』
『Scores will be awarded based on the number of opponents defeated.』
『Defeated participants will be automatically disqualified.』

The rules for the first round were simple.

It was a battle format test without complicated rules.

The unique aspect was that the opponent to fight might not be just one person.

Facing multiple opponents was challenging. However, to achieve a high score, one needed to take such risks.

‘The winner will be either the Heavenly Demon or the Great Mage anyway.’
‘This is a fight for third place.’
‘To aim for third place, scores must be secured in the first round…’

There were many strategies to raise the ranking.

The first method was capturing weaklings to accumulate points.

However, being too greedy and capturing weaklings could lead to elimination in the first round.

The second method was pre-emptively eliminating competitors vulnerable in 1:1 battles.

While the first method was more conventional, eliminating competitors in advance was also crucial.

Each guild started discussing their strategies, whether to eliminate competitors or target weak opponents.

『Participant – Hailz, please choose your opponent.』

The start of the match began with the champion of the previous Counter-Fight.

Participants who already anticipated this, tensed up from the beginning.

To avoid being chosen by Hailz, many averted their gaze downward.

“Hmm…”

Hailz, who initially planned to randomly pick someone and move up, hesitated.

Usually, she would randomly pick an unknown participant, but this time, she felt different.

“You want to see my magic?”

She mumbled, filled with hesitation.

Even at this moment, with the Counter-Fight starting, she was conscious of Lee Suhyuk’s stream.

Soon, her hand pointed forward.

Swoosh-.

“Then from here.”

Swoosh-.

She moved her hand.

“To here.”

With a casual hand wave, Hailz randomly chose hundreds of participants within her sight and smiled brightly.

“If I’m going to show, I’ll show it intensely.”

At this moment, she was more dedicated to the stream than Suhyuk.