Reincarnator’s Stream

Two Hearts.

After first obtaining it, Lee Suhyuk dedicated himself to learning how to use the heart.

“This is all connected.”

Thunder and lightning, and the two hearts with similar related element names.

He felt it instinctively.

Depending on how he used this, his destiny would change.

He didn’t know where it would end. Like in his past life, it could be a catastrophe that cost him his life, or he might turn into a madman like Thor.

But if he were that scared, he wouldn’t have started in the first place.

【Heart of Thunder】
Rank: Legendary (Growth)
Equip Limit: –
Non-tradable (Bind)
Reduces resistance to lightning attribute by 30%
Increases attack power with the lightning attribute by 100%
Increases the effect of lightning attribute skills by 50%

The Heart of Thunder was like a double-edged sword.

It diminished the resistance to lightning that he had painstakingly obtained through the Heart of Lightning and his selfish sacrifice, but in exchange, it drastically increased his attack power.

An item meant for mutually assured destruction.

Normally, he wouldn’t have preferred this type of item, but the options made it impossible not to use it.

“Crazy.”

A legendary-ranked item.

Moreover, it doubled the attack power related to a specific attribute. With the skills’ effects increased by 50%, not using this double-edged sword wasn’t an option.

No matter how much he looked, this was a carbon copy of the Heart of Lightning.

If the Heart of Lightning focused on stability, then this focused on destructiveness.

After thinking for a moment, Suhyuk decided to swallow the blue gem he held in his hand this time.

Gulp.

The moment he swallowed the heart,

Thud.

The two hearts in Suhyuk’s chest started beating.

* * *

Crackling-!

Swinging his sword, Suhyuk focused his nerves on the beating hearts.

He could feel the output increasing. Although the strain on his body was also increasing, it didn’t matter since this fight wasn’t going to be a long one.

With the increasing strain on his body, his breaths gradually became heavier.

Taking a deep breath, he raised the output another notch.

“Whew-.”

Crackle.

Electricity formed again at the tip of his sword. With his eyes gleaming, he looked at Jin Hwaryung’s approaching blade storm.

Blades flying destructively straight at him.

He pictured the strike to counter it in his mind.

【Five-Headed Dragon Slash】

Screech.

Boom-!

A dragon with five heads respectively bit down on the blades.

Past the lightning dragon flying at lightning speed, Suhyuk’s body surged towards Jin Hwaryung like lightning.

“Not yet.”

To prevent him from getting any closer, Jin Hwaryung’s blades flew again.

They weren’t the same blades.

Five swords came from above and all around him.

A faint specter of a demon was swinging them.

“No gaps.”

Just swinging his sword wouldn’t be enough to block it.

To block it, a more extensive technique was needed.

Bang-!

He struck the ground with his sword. The electricity seeping into the ground burst upward in an instant.

【Earth Dragon Slash】

Boom-!

Electricity burst upward from the ground.

Four of the five ghostly demons were torn apart and scattered.

But one remained.

Squish-.

A blade from the specter flew straight at him, piercing his shoulder.

Crunch.

He crushed the specter’s head with his hand. Ignoring the wound on his arm, he continued charging at Jin Hwaryung.

Bang!

As he collided with Jin Hwaryung, a thunderous noise erupted, loud enough to shake the sky. Their eyes came within a palm’s distance of each other.

It matched, didn’t it?

In his mind, Jin Hwaryung’s voice echoed.

“Lee Suhyuk.”

Flinch.

Suhyuk’s brow twitched slightly behind his mask.

A tiny opening.

But Jin Hwaryung did not exploit it. If he intended to take advantage of it, he wouldn’t have come this far in the first place.

* * *

*Crackle*-.

『Triple Lightning Flash』

*Roar*!

Three slashes struck down over Jin Hwaryung’s head. With the thunderous sound, yet another peak where Jin Hwaryung stood crumbled.

Lee Suhyuk ignored Jin Hwaryung’s telepathic message and continued to unleash his techniques.

He swung each strike with maximum power, accumulating damage with every blow.

“… It’s the same”, he muttered.

*Swish*.

*Thud*!

“…!”

Jin Hwaryung’s palm struck his chest.

It felt like a light tap, but it seemed as if his bones were shattering.

The impact twisted his insides, and the magic flowing within him disrupted.

*Grind*.

Gritting his teeth, Lee Suhyuk tried to hold onto his magic. As he regained his focus, he found Jin Hwaryung right in front of him.

*Clang*!

Their swords clashed repeatedly. Thunder soared and, with each clash, crimson sparks erupted from Jin Hwaryung’s blade.

A dark ghostly shape began to form. Deciding that he couldn’t block it, he threw his body to the side, slicing one of the peaks in half.

“…heart…mine…”

The voice was growing clearer.

It meant Jin Hwaryung was putting forth more power.

『Fatigue rises to 70.』

A warning about his rising fatigue coincided with the clarity of the voice.

It was becoming dangerously high.

Based on experience, once his fatigue surpassed 80, that voice became perfectly audible.

But, “In this case, it’s good.”

Right now, he welcomed that voice.

*Flash*!

“…!”

A bolt of lightning flashed and wrapped around Jin Hwaryung. In an instant, Jin Hwaryung’s body lifted and was pushed back.

*Swish*.

Lee Suhyuk quickly closed the distance Jin Hwaryung had been pushed.

*Crack*.

*Boom*!

The ground split as their clash created an even larger tremor. When all the scattered swords around Jin Hwaryung flew at once, Lee Suhyuk unleashed an even greater technique.

『Sixfold Lightning』

Hexagonal bolts of lightning shot upward like a magic circle. Caught within it, Jin Hwaryung stepped back with a painful expression.

“Pant, pant-.”

One step.

Just one step back by Jin Hwaryung.

* * *

After seizing the heart and pushing lightning to its limits.

About ten days ago, Lee Suhyuk met it.

That was when he encountered it above the clouds. It had no face, no presence.

Just an empty voice.

It looked at him and spoke.

“This time, is it you?”

This time.

It implied someone else had come before.

And it wasn’t hard to guess who the previous one was.

“You drove Thor mad, didn’t you?”

“His greed created me.”

“Created?”

He pondered what that meant, and then it spoke.

“Still, you’re different. Much… closer.”

“Speak so I can understand.”

“I’m saying you’re better than Thor. How’s that? Easier to understand?”

Lee Suhyuk frowned at the mocking tone. Everything about its attitude irked him.

“Are you trying to make me like Thor?”

“That’s up to you.”

“…!!!”

In the blink of an eye, it closed the distance to his face, forcing Lee Suhyuk to step back.

When had it gotten so close?

Even though he tried to widen the gap, it remained in front of him.

“You came here of your own accord, didn’t you? Because you needed me. Needing more power, even if it burns your body and soul.”

*Sizzle*.

As it extended its hand, sparks flew from Lee Suhyuk’s heart.

Thump, thump. The Heart of Lightning and the Heart of Thunder responded. From that beat, Lee Suhyuk could partially grasp the identity of the presence before him.

Those hearts had originally belonged to it.

“It’s… you.”

His whole body trembled with the realization of who stood before him and a surge of fear flooded over him.

“The human who stood against the gods.”

He found it strange that one human could stand against gods.

There could not possibly be a human capable of such things. However, if it were someone other than an ordinary human, it was somewhat believable.

What if the person who had opposed the gods had acquired lightning just like him? And what if that person had gone mad under its influence, like Thor?

If the gods had then restrained that person, the vague picture began to take form.

“Well.”

It was neither a denial nor a confirmation.

Instead of replying to Suhyuk’s words, it took a different action.

“There is only one thing I can tell you with certainty right now.”

Tzzz—.

Thump, thump, thump—.

As the sparks intensified, the heart beat larger and faster.

“I can give you what you want….”

『’Selfish Sacrifice Lv. 10’ resists ‘Thunder and Lightning’.』

Fsssk—.

An invisible force pushed away the hand that had been touching Suhyuk’s chest. The effect of Selfish Sacrifice had started to manifest.

Now separated, it remained silent for a moment, as if in surprise.

“…You have something strange.”

“It’s my insurance.”

“Surely, it’s different from before.”

Sgrin—.

It, which had been stark white, smiled for the first time.

With the expression, it finally seemed alive. At the same time, the chilling fear that had lingered earlier slowly dwindled.

“I don’t know what it is, but take good care of it. It might become your lifeline.”

“What do you actually want?”

“Why? Are you curious if I’m on your side?”

“I hope so…”

In that instant, the mad, frenzied visage of Thor surfaced in his mind.

“Doesn’t seem likely.”

“Don’t overthink it. For now, just consider me as something that will help you.”

He knew.

He heard it through the message. The thing standing before him.

“I am the lightning and thunder you hold.”

No one was closer to him than this.

* * *

‘Help me.’

Thump—.

『’Heart of Thunder’ throbbed violently.』
『’Heart of Lightning’ resists.』

Both hearts beat rapidly.

Time flowed differently than before. Everything around them slowed, while Suhyuk’s thoughts accelerated.

‘I need you.’

He knew.

Even though this was a world created by the trial, there was no guarantee he wouldn’t end up like Thor if engulfed by lightning and thunder.

Suhyuk was risking his life in this trial alone.

『Fatigue level rises to 90.』
『’Lightning’ resides in the body.』
『’Thunder’ resides in the body.』
『All stats increase exponentially.』

Boom—!

A thunderous roar erupted from beneath his feet.

Kicking off the ground, he rode the lightning, soaring upward. He looked down from the sky to where Jin Hwaryung was.

-He flew
-He’s using it here lol
-The visuals are insane;

Facing the Heavenly Demon, Suhyuk soared into the sky. Dark clouds formed above, and thunder and lightning struck down.

It was as if witnessing a scene from the past.

But what sent chills down the viewers’ spines was the fact that this was happening in the present.

Boom—!

Riding the lightning, a spear formed in Suhyuk’s hand.

No.

It was not something one would typically call a spear.

Crack—.

The catastrophe that should have flashed from the sky and crashed to the ground was now clutched in a human hand.

An immense bolt of lightning, enough to pierce through the thick dark clouds in the sky, was held by Suhyuk’s hand as he gazed at Jin Hwaryung.

Jin Hwaryung was smiling.

As if enjoying this situation.

Shing—.

As if to echo his emotions, the swords surrounding Jin Hwaryung surged like waves.

It was as if saying, “Throw all you’ve got.”

In response to Jin Hwaryung’s provocation.

Boom, crash—!

Suhyuk swung the lightning that seemed to beg him to release it.

“…Yes, that’s right.”

And within that thunder.

“It’s me.”

Suhyuk’s voice quietly trailed off.