Reincarnator’s Stream

The sky turned red.

The surrounding air became hot and dry, as if they had fallen into the center of a desert at midday.

The trees withered. Flames began to appear on trees, unable to withstand the fiery, scorching weather.

Ma-re and No-re heard it.

The spirits of the forest were crying out in agony.

“This is insane…”

Looking up at the sky, Ma-re and No-re despaired.

Something was descending, cutting through the red sky and clouds.

A spell powerful enough to obliterate mountains and cities entirely.

Meteor.

The meteor summoned by Hailz was falling right above them.

“If that thing falls, do you think you’ll be safe?!”

“Are you trying to kill us all?!”

Hailz shrugged her shoulders at Ma-re and No-re’s protests.

“Of course not. Do you think I’m crazy?”

“Then what are you trying to do…?”

“Do you know how many spells I can cast at once?”

At Hailz’s question, the two were left in shocked silence.

The number of spells a Great Mage could cast simultaneously. Among the countless spells she could command.

“Well, goodbye~”

Twong-

Shwoosh-

As Hailz flicked her staff in the air, she and the form of the Red Dragon vanished into thin air.

And right after that.

Fwoosh-!

The meteor struck the ground.

* * *

Rumble-.

The mountain vanished without a trace.

There was no way to avoid it. What remained in the space where the meteor had fallen were the unrecognizable, mangled bodies of participants and pitch-black, charred bloodstains.

From quite a distance away, Hailz watched the scene while riding the Red Dragon.

The other participants watching the same scene through the screen renewed their understanding of the grandeur of a Great Mage.

“A meteor…”

“If something like that falls during a guild war, it would be a catastrophe.”

She had dropped a meteor with just a few minutes of preparation.

Moreover, she had simultaneously used barriers and teleportation.

In battles involving multiple opponents, a Great Mage possessed firepower on par with the Heavenly Demon.

If the only one who could rival the Heavenly Demon was the Great Mage, then conversely, only the Heavenly Demon could rival the Great Mage.

‘This is no joke.’

Lee Suhyuk, who had been watching the match through the screen, was equally astonished.

No matter how big the screen, it couldn’t compare to the real thing.

Even so, the grandeur of the player named Hailz beyond the screen sent chills down his spine.

’20 years…’

He suddenly felt the void of that time.

The level of the players of this era had undoubtedly risen compared to before.

Not just Hailz, but the twin competitors Ma-re and No-re also displayed remarkable skill.

If Lee Suhyuk were to reincarnate in this era, could he stand shoulder to shoulder with Hailz?

Now, he could somewhat understand those who treated Lee Suhyuk as a ghost of the past. The times were changing.

“It ended more easily than I thought.”

Cha Unhyeop, who had been watching the match together, clicked his tongue.

“Indeed, the only one who can match a Great Mage is the Heavenly Demon…”

『Participant – Cha Unhyeop, please choose your opponent.』

Just in time, his turn had come around.

Although not on the level of a Great Mage, Cha Unhyeop, the Lightning Sword in the Murim World, was a high-ranking player who was quite respected.

He briefly glanced at Suhyuk before shaking his head.

“I’ll pick that side.”

He chose an opponent who seemed relatively easy.

It was a wise decision.

He didn’t need to bolster his name, nor was the Murim World aiming for victory in this Counter-Fight.

Above all, considering that the next match would be against the Great Mage, anyone would seem insignificant in comparison.

“Well! How was it?”

As Cha Unhyeop’s match began, Hailz returned.

She approached Suhyuk and confidently smiled at the viewers.

“I prepared something pretty fiery on purpose. Was it worth watching?”

– Was it just worth watching? LOL
– Asked for some magic, and she blasted a meteor
– Normale: Ah, Great Mage ㅡㅡ
– 1st round odds 1.02x LOL You’ve got to be kidding me LOL

Normally, it wasn’t a match where she should have used a meteor.

However, Hailz showcased her best magic in the first match.

It was to keep the promise she had made to the viewers.

Naturally, the reaction was heated.

『’GreatMageHater’ has donated 10,000 points.』
『I have no regrets now ㅠㅠㅠㅠ』

A viewer, new to Suhyuk’s stream today, had donated a large amount of points.

“Thank you for the ten thousand points, GreatMageHater. They said they have no regrets even if they die?”

“Oh my, you shouldn’t die. Live long and prosper~”

“They say the odds were 1.02x….”

“This time it’s a bit higher than last year. Is it because there were many opponents?”

Hailz conducted the stream smoothly again.

Thanks to her, a lot of viewers gathered. He had wondered what to do while waiting for his turn, but Hailz made the progress easy.

『Participant – Elba, please select your opponent.』
『Participant – Lonari, please select your opponent.』
『Participant – Jaegal Jayeop, please select your opponent.』
『Participant….』

The matches continued.

Most participants pointed out just one opponent. They thought passing to the next stage was the priority.

While watching the ongoing matches,

『Participant – Lee Suhyuk, please select your opponent.』

Finally, it was Suhyuk’s turn.

* * *

『Viewers: 273,901』

273,901 viewers.

Aside from the official channel, it was quite a number of viewers for this Counter-Fight content.

Most were likely here to see Hailz, rather than Lee Suhyuk. Fans of the Great Mage, who usually did not stream, flocked to see her.

“This is incredible, really. Look at the subscriber growth?”

Cheon Ryang, who was on a call with the team leader, John Dale, smiled brightly.

“A collaboration with the Great Mage. We’ll surpass 300,000 viewers in a few more minutes.”

– Where did Lee Suhyuk get such golden connections?

“How would I know? Oh? We’ve hit 280,000!”

While talking on Kit, Cheon Ryang checked the incoming emails in real time.

Advertisers wanting to connect with the Great Mage. Their emails were pouring in by the minute.

“Articles are also continuously coming up in real time.”

The fastest one was from Big Mouth.

Just the day before, he had made a connection with Suhyuk and was now posting speculative articles about the relationship between Lee Suhyuk and the Great Mage.

But that wasn’t all.

『Big Mouth: How do you know the Great Mage?』
『Big Mouth: Would’ve been nice if you told us about something like this beforehand?』
『Big Mouth: After it’s over, can you please ask Lee Suhyuk for an interview….』

He seemed quite frustrated.

“Everyone is only talking about the Great Mage”, Un Hyang said, her voice carrying some discontent.

“Is this Suhyuk’s stream or the Great Mage’s bragging session?”

“Isn’t it good that there are more viewers?”

“…I don’t like it.”

While everyone was excited about the Great Mage, Un Hyang’s focus was solely on Suhyuk.

Unlike John Dale and Cheon Ryang, who were cheering this situation as a jackpot, Un Hyang couldn’t bring herself to smile.

“Nobody cares about Suhyuk.”

“Well… It’s natural that the Great Mage outshines him.”

Cheon Ryang, commenting as if it were obvious, continued to observe the increasing number of viewers.

“How about you join the stream as well? The genius of Murim, Un Hyang. Making your debut as Lee Suhyuk’s manager.”

“…Me?”

“Yeah, to be honest, you have a great personality and skills. You’ll be really popular, you know that? Even the team leader has been suggesting for a while that it would be better if you did the streams.”

“Are you crazy? Why would I do streams?”

It had been John’s role to push for streaming, while Cheon Ryang had continuously opposed it until now.

He had only one reason.

“If the problem was hiding, that ship has already sailed.”

If she started streaming, the Divine Dragon Group would find her location.

But that was a ship that had already sailed. The Divine Dragon Group had already tracked down Un Hyang’s location and could target her at any time.

“And you, you have no intention of hiding like you did before.”

“…….”

“See? I knew you’d say that.”

Cheon Ryang sighed.

He inwardly wished for Un Hyang to separate from Suhyuk.

Whether they liked it or not, streamers constantly exposed their locations. Suhyuk would keep doing streams, and eventually Un Hyang would also reveal her location.

“The way to protect you now is quite the opposite.”

Broadcasting.

That was precisely how Un Hyang could protect herself.

“No matter how powerful the Divine Dragon Group is, they can’t break the laws of the top. Especially famous streamers are under public attention and protection.”

“You’re suggesting I use the viewers’ attention as a shield?”

“What’s wrong with that? I’m not suggesting you use your actual body as a guard; it’s about finding a way to protect you!”

Cheon Ryang’s tone gradually escalated.

Seeing his unusually agitated response, Un Hyang took a moment to ponder before shaking her head.

“No, I don’t want to do streaming.”

“Hey, this isn’t the time to be stubborn….”

“Still, it seems good to help Suhyuk’s stream. Maybe I’ll appear as a guest later?”

Saying that, Un Hyang made a sly smile.

Cheon Ryang suddenly stood up in response to her expression.

“Fine, do whatever you want.”

“Why are you angry?”

“You’re a fool who cares more about Lee Suhyuk than your own life. You’re just happy being the manager to some cheap knockoff who only cares about money. Is that what you want?”

Cheon Ryang’s words were sharp.

An unusual reaction.

Usually, she would have been worried if something might have happened, but Cheon Ryang had hit Un Hyang’s most sensitive spot.

“…Why are you insulting Suhyuk here?”

“Is that knockoff, Lee Suhyuk, the real deal?”

“Take that back.”

“Hit me like you usually do. I’m not taking it back.”

He leaned his face forward as if daring her to do it.

Watching Un Hyang’s trembling fist, unable to hit him, Cheon Ryang muttered one last thing.

“…You hopeless fangirl.”

Smack-!

In the end, Un Hyang’s fist hit Cheon Ryang’s head.

It was just a flick. With tears welling up in her eyes, Un Hyang turned away.

As if she couldn’t bear to look at him, she moved further away from Cheon Ryang.

Cheon Ryang, ensuring she had indeed left, muttered.

“…She’s gone.”

A small voice.

At those words, someone approached Cheon Ryang.

“Are you sure it’s alright to let her go?”

“You know? If I don’t do this, she won’t leave.”

“You might never see her again.”

A momentary pang hit his chest.

He knew that.

However, knowing it and having someone else confirm it were two different things.

To shake off his anxiety, Cheon Ryang checked the screen of the kit in his hand.

“Well, at that time….”

He saw the screen of Lee Suhyuk’s stream that he had been watching earlier.

Because of the argument with Un Hyang, he had missed some details, but Lee Suhyuk was choosing his opponent.

『The one I’m going to fight is….』

On cue, Cheon Ryang’s eyes widened.

『Heavenly Demon, Jin Haryung.』

Normally, he would have freaked out, wondering what kind of nonsense this was.

But right now, those words felt incredibly reassuring.

“…Our money-loving knockoff will handle it himself.”