Reincarnator’s Stream

Swoosh, swoosh swoosh-.

As soon as the drawing ended, Hailz and the participants she selected disappeared from their spots.

Naturally, the red dragon Hailz was riding also vanished.

They moved to the stage where the real Counter-Fight took place. The Counter-Fight had a format similar to that of a trial and was conducted in another virtual world.

Thunk-.

When Hailz’s dragon disappeared, Lee Suhyuk, who had been riding on it, landed in its place.

Just moments ago, he had been with Hailz, and he felt the eyes of the crowd focusing on him.

‘It’s been a while.’

Appearing with Hailz had quite the effect.

However, it was slightly irritating that the majority of those gazes were negative, as if saying, ‘Who does this guy think he is?’

These sharp looks didn’t last long. Soon, a giant screen appeared in the sky of the arena.

“This time, it’s mountainous terrain.”

“Not the best environment for facing multiple opponents.”

“Do numbers even matter?”

“There’s a pair of twin grand spiritists among the participants. It won’t be that easy.”

Faces of Hailz and the other participants appeared on the screen.

The crowd’s interest soon shifted to the list of participants chosen by Hailz.

Among them, only one person showed interest in approaching Lee Suhyuk.

“I didn’t expect to meet you here so soon.”

It was a somewhat unwelcome face, one he had encountered not only in his past life but also once in his current one.

“I recognize the face… Who are you?”

“It’s Cha Unhyeop. Known as the Lightning Sword in the Murim World.”

Lightning Sword, Cha Unhyeop.

A high-ranker affiliated with Divine Dragon Group in the Murim World, he had participated in the Counter-Fight as a member of the Murim World.

“Are we being broadcasted right now?”

“Shall I turn it off for a moment?”

“Please.”

Lee Suhyuk glanced at the chat box.

Despite the chaos in the chat box over their conversation being cut, Lee Suhyuk paid it no mind.

“It’s done.”

“… Confirmed.”

Cha Unhyeop nodded after checking that Lee Suhyuk’s stream was muted through his player kit.

“But it’s strange. We’re not exactly on friendly terms, are we?”

“I apologize for what happened last time.”

He had once tried to kidnap Un Hyang under the orders of the Divine Dragon Group. Fortunately, thanks to Lee Suhyuk’s help, they overcame it, but Un Hyang had been uneasy ever since.

“I was merely following my elder’s orders. It wasn’t personal.”

“I do have personal feelings about it.”

Lee Suhyuk bared his teeth verbally. From that day forward, Cha Unhyeop had been his enemy, regardless of the situation.

“That’s unfortunate. But understandable.”

Cha Unhyeop chuckled and stepped closer to Lee Suhyuk, lowering his voice.

“Soon, we’ll target that child again.”

Lee Suhyuk’s expression behind the mask became complex.

It felt like a preemptive warning to be careful.

“Why are you so obsessed with Un Hyang?”

“I don’t know. Only the elder probably knows.”

“… Why are you telling me this?”

“Because you’re the one by her side.”

Cha Unhyeop shrugged his shoulders.

Looking at him, he truly seemed like a caring mentor. It was hard to believe it was a lie, and thinking it over, there was no apparent benefit for the other side.

“Whose side are you on, after all?”

“I’m on the side of the Divine Dragon Group.”

Cha Unhyeop added to his statement.

“And that child is the future of the Divine Dragon Group.”

“It doesn’t seem like Un Hyang has a future in the Divine Dragon Group.”

“Then I must have been mistaken.”

It was confusing.

Was he truly thinking about the Divine Dragon Group? Or was he genuinely concerned about Un Hyang’s safety?

It was impossible to tell. But one thing was clear; at least for now, he had some goodwill towards Lee Suhyuk.

“May I ask you one more thing?”

“Go ahead.”

“What is the relationship between the Divine Dragon Group and the Heavenly Demon?”

At Suhyuk’s words, Unhyeop’s eyes wavered.

Heavenly Demon.

At that name, Unhyeop’s gaze turned far away to Jin Hwaryung.

“…Don’t associate our Divine Dragon Group with that devilish person.”

It wasn’t an unusual reaction.

Generally, people’s reactions to the Heavenly Demon fell into one of two categories.

Fear or disdain.

In either case, it was hard to see it as a positive response. Among them, Unhyeop was in the disdainful category.

‘This is a genuine response.’

Then did the Heavenly Demon and the Divine Dragon Group have no relation at all?

But if that were the case, why did Un Hyang follow the Heavenly Demon, which gnawed at his mind?

As he pondered these and other thoughts, the first match of the Counter-Fight began.

* * *

The trees of the grand wilderness towered high into the sky. The shadowed mountain, without a single gust of wind, exuded an eerie atmosphere rather than a fresh one.

The first match’s participants, the Spirit Summoners Ma-re and No-re, strolled slowly through the thickets.

“It’s unfortunate that we are matched against the Great Mage…”

“Well, at least the map is favorable.”

The duo, with their silver hair and pale skin almost gray in hue, looked eerily identical like reflections in a mirror.

Despite their beautiful appearance, their inseparable presence evoked a sense of fear among those around them.

Twin great spirit summoners, Ma-re and No-re.

They had entered this stage through random selection by Hailz.

“Wouldn’t it be worth trying here?”

“Wouldn’t it be worth trying here?”

They spoke in unison as if sharing one mind.

There was no need to answer. The two understood each other’s thoughts better than anyone in the world.

Their confidence, despite facing Hailz, stemmed from the terrain’s characteristics.

The foundation of spirit summoning lay in nature. Spirit summoners exhibited manifold power in areas rich in natural energy.

In that sense, this terrain was a stage set for the two twins.

“If we eliminate the Great Mage here…”

“We might aim for second place.”

Their world, Elpradov, always maintained prowess within the top five ranks.

But that was all. Elpradov had never claimed the first spot before.

Hence, their goal was always to secure the top rank.

Hailz was a tall and formidable obstacle for that goal. If they could eliminate Hailz in the first match, Elpradov’s chances of winning would increase.

“Though there’s the Heavenly Demon…”

“But he’s an individual, not a guild.”

“Surely, Hailz comes first, right?”

Again, there was no answer.

It was a sign of agreement.

In sheer combat power, the more dangerous one between the Heavenly Demon and the Great Mage was undoubtedly the Heavenly Demon.

Jin Hwaryung, the last Heavenly Demon of the Murim World, was universally acknowledged as the strongest among the existing players. There was no dispute about this fact.

However, the Demonic Cult no longer existed in the current Murim World.

The Demonic Cult. A dangerous and closed group that worshiped and followed the Heavenly Demon as a god.

Originally, the power of the name ‘Heavenly Demon’ largely stemmed from the mighty force of the Demonic Cult. But the current Heavenly Demon, Jin Hwaryung, had wiped out the Demonic Cult from the world with his own sword.

The Great Mage, however, was different.

She not only possessed the power to threaten the Heavenly Demon but also commanded a guild’s forces.

“Let’s find the Great Mage.”

“Let’s do that.”

The twins agreed.

And in the next moment,

Ting, ting…

Green lights, resembling fireflies, began to rise all over the forest.

Swish—

The uncountable lights illuminated the forest brightly. These were the smallest spirits the two great spirit summoners could control.

The lowest spirits that existed everywhere in the forest.

These spirits, numbering in the thousands or millions, became the eyes and ears of the two.

Through the scenery of the forest seen this way, they could locate Hailz’s position.

“Oh?”

“…Right in front of us?”

Crunch-.

Clearing the bushes in front of them with his hand, they saw familiar red scales.

Crouched down was the Red Dragon Volkanus, and at the top of it, waving her staff, was Hailz.

“Oh? You came quickly.”

“What are you doing here?”

At Hailz’s surprised greeting, Ma-re and No-re wore puzzled expressions.

Since there had been no earlier response, they thought they must be far away, but they were right in front of her nose.

Moreover, Hailz was humming a tune, as if she had come out for a walk.

“I was just getting ready for a moment.”

“Getting ready?”

“Yeah. When showing something, it’s better if it’s a bit spectacular, isn’t it?”

Showing something?

The puzzlement on Ma-re and No-re’s faces deepened.

They had never heard of Hailz caring about the audience’s gaze before.

“You two are Ma-re and No-re, right? If you plan to do something, hurry up. There’s not much time.”

“We were just about to do that.”

When the Ma-re on the left spoke, No-re on the right moved.

Woooong-.

Light flowed from her fingertips and seeped into the ground. At the same time, the entire forest began to stir.

Crack, crack-.

The nearby trees rose simultaneously.

Roots that had been embedded deep in the mountains soared into the sky like whips.

The forest had become a monster. Ma-re and No-re, the two people, were spirit mages who had the power to control the forest.

“Wow.”

Even Hailz was impressed by the spectacle. Ma-re and No-re were players she knew by name and face, and the spirit magic wielded by the twin spirit mages was indeed extraordinary.

Wooooong-.

Crash-!

A thick root flew towards Hailz but shattered into pieces.

It wasn’t clear what it hit, but Ma-re and No-re sensed that some transparent barrier was protecting Hailz.

“That’s why mages are so annoying.”

“Our opponent is a Great Mage. Be on your guard.”

Mages possessed powerful firepower. On the other hand, their physical abilities were much lower compared to players of the same level.

To overcome this physical weakness, Hailz and others like her utilized barriers.

Mages who could handle more than two types of magic at the same time usually surrounded themselves with barriers of a certain strength.

Wooooong-.

Crash, crack-!

Countless trees and roots flew towards Hailz.

Some trees compressed under great force, attempting to pierce up from the ground to exploit any potential weaknesses in the barrier.

Kyahhh-!

The Red Dragon Volkanus tore apart flying trees with its fangs or breathed fire to burn them.

Ma-re and No-re, who had been launching relentless attacks, began to sweat on their foreheads. Despite their onslaught, Hailz’s barrier was gradually cracking.

“It will shatter soon.”

“Yeah. And it looks like they’ve noticed too.”

Sensing the presence around them, Ma-re and No-re smiled.

“Right. This isn’t just a fight between the two of us.”

Other participants, realizing a fight had started, were beginning to head their way.

Just as the barrier was about to shatter, reinforcements arrived in the nick of time.

Hope began to bloom in Ma-re and No-re’s hearts.

“Perfect timing.”

The words that should have come from Ma-re and No-re instead came from Hailz’s mouth.

“You’ve shown everything, right?”

Despite the barrier cracking, Hailz still wore a bright smile.

Ma-re and No-re realized it belatedly.

Since the fight had begun, Hailz had been using only the barrier and not any other magic.

“I did say this.”

Swoosh-.

Hailz, who had been sitting atop Volkanus all this time, slowly stood up.

“We don’t have much time.”

Thump-.

The hat on Hailz’s head floated about a span above her.

Whooosh-.

As if the season had changed in an instant, the surrounding air heated up, and the sky turned red.