Chapter 227
Before starting the trial, Lee Suhyuk followed the prearranged schedule.
“Before I go in, I’ll have an energy drink.”
He smoothly took out a blue can from his pocket. It was the energy drink he had recently been advertised for.
-Is it homework?
-Feels like homework.
-So random lol, of course it’s homework.
Suhyuk nodded at the flood of chat messages.
“Yes, it’s homework. This is my first time trying it.”
-lololololol
-He’s brutally honest lol
-Is this a genuine reaction?
-No way. He’ll just say it’s delicious.
Without delay, Suhyuk opened the cap and drank the drink straight away. The drink flowed coolly down his throat. With a hand, he wiped some off his mouth and commented.
“Oh, it’s bland.”
-lolololol
-Wasn’t that supposed to be homework?
-What a taste review lol
Even after finishing every last drop, he wasn’t impressed by the flavor. It felt like a truly bland ion drink, as if nothing had been added.
A message flashed, indicating “Very” slowly recovering fatigue, but that was it. Not everything from the system should be taken at face value. Especially messages not quantified, like “very” or “slowly,” should be tested personally.
Suhyuk was displeased with Clementine’s drink.
‘This thing costs 100 points?’
As he looked at the empty bottle, Suhyuk quickly adjusted his expression back to neutral. He didn’t want to show his real thoughts even by expression.
‘They diluted it too much.’
-What do you think of the effects?
-Isn’t that a new product from Clementine?
-Should I try one too?
Suhyuk hesitated at the viewers’ questions, wondering how he should respond. He glanced at Un Hyang, who signaled an X with her arms from outside the camera’s view.
“Hmm…”
After contemplating for a moment, Suhyuk responded.
“You need to step up.”
-lolololol
-Clementine’s gonna cry lol
-But this guy really made it big. Doing ads now…
Next to him, Un Hyang had a startled expression. Despite it being an advertisement, his comment bordered on a mishap.
“But it really wasn’t good.”
100 points wasn’t cheap either. As Suhyuk stared at the empty drink can, a notification blinked.
『SafeAsset” has donated 100 points.』
『Ugh, seriously. That wasn’t helpful.』
The familiar nickname popped up.
-Has SafeAsset-nim arrived?
-King SafeAsset lol
-How much will he donate today?~
-Go opposite of King SafeAsset, that’s half the battle won!
-Opposite concept is crazy lol
-The tale of how he became a chairperson
SafeAsset was the most well-known viewer on Suhyuk’s stream.
He had contributed far more than those who co-broadcasted like Falcon Eye or Bald Suhyuk.
Yet, even he admitted it wasn’t helpful.
Pondering that statement, Suhyuk said, “If you’re mad, then win.”
『SafeAsset” has donated 10 points.』
『Ugh, I’m seriously going to… Aaaaaagh!』
Suhyuk couldn’t help but chuckle at the response. This person was always entertaining.
They laughed and joked, but the advertisement was done.
“Well then…”
Suhyuk walked towards the shimmering light ahead of him.
“Let’s begin.”
* * *
『100,000 points have been paid.』
『The 8th-floor trial begins.』
The sensation of floating dissipated as gravity returned. His blacked-out vision gradually cleared, and his dormant senses slowly reawakened.
“Is this the start?”
Beginning a new trial is always an experience. He wondered what new sights would await him this time.
Lee Suhyuk opened his eyes, but his vision remained dark. He still felt as though his body was being transported somewhere.
A refreshing breeze brushed against him.
Refreshing…
*Whoosh!*
“Gasp!”
Suddenly, his body was lifted into the air by the wind.
Feeling a dizzying sensation of floating, he quickly assessed his surroundings.
“The sky?”
He saw white clouds in his vision. The blue sky was indeed pretty, but he had no idea from how high he was falling.
Just as he was about to move to regain his balance, *Thud*
Something flew by and grabbed Lee Suhyuk’s body.
“Are you alright?”
It was a voice he had heard before.
He raised his head to see a sturdy hand holding his neck.
“Thor?”
The person who had saved Suhyuk was indeed Thor.
Thor was flying through the sky, riding the Sky Horse—precisely the creature Suhyuk had tamed during the trial on the 7th floor.
“So you’ve awakened.”
With ease, Thor hoisted Suhyuk up with one hand and seated him behind himself.
His vision turned black again, and it was only then that Suhyuk realized that the blackness he had first seen was actually Thor’s back.
“You slept quite a bit. Guess you were exhausted from the battle, huh?”
Nodding, Thor acknowledged Suhyuk’s fatigue.
Ah, well.
For Thor, it might feel like only days had passed since the fights with Loki or Heimdall.
For Suhyuk, however, it had been quite some time.
“Every time I ride this, I end up falling.”
The beginning of the trial always seemed to start with him falling after riding the Sky Horse. He vaguely recalled that it was a similar start when ascending to Asgard.
“Where are we headed?”
“Did you forget already?”
“Olympus?”
“Yes.”
In the previous trial, they had ended with Thor telling them where to find the last piece. It seemed that as soon as that conversation finished, they were heading straight for Olympus, marking the start of this test.
“How much longer do we have to go?”
“About two more days?”
They would travel for another two days on the Sky Horse. It might not sound too far, but it was certainly a significant distance.
Suhyuk bowed his head and looked down. The scenery passed by so quickly that it all blurred together.
“We’re flying incredibly fast.”
Traveling at that speed for two days. Plus the time they had already been flying—it was definitely no short distance.
-Not throwing up this time, huh?
-They didn’t last time either.
-They almost did, though, haha.
Nonetheless, it was a relief.
Unlike last time, Suhyuk was now accustomed to riding the Sky Horse. Or more accurately, the Sky Horse was now accustomed to carrying Suhyuk.
After waking up disoriented and being thrown off once, he now found the fast pace manageable.
“Are we just heading straight to Olympus like this?”
“Yes.”
It was comfortable.
Very much so.
Sitting quietly this way and just flying until they arrived at Olympus. The Sky Horse’s back was worthy of being called first-class.
“Why not just wake me up when we arrive?”
“What?”
“Nothing.”
-Hahaha
-What nerve!
-Asking to be woken up in first class, haha.
Suhyuk’s complaint was heard not only by viewers but also by Thor.
Unlike the viewers who understood what he meant, Thor was puzzled by his words.
Despite haphazardly complaining, Suhyuk grew pensive.
‘Why is this time necessary?’
When he traveled to Asgard with Viola, the trial began only moments before their actual arrival.
Yet now, they were still en route to Olympus.
What was the significance of this difference?
‘This time must have meaning.’
Trials never lacked purpose.
Every part, every moment held significance. How one utilized those moments depended entirely on the person facing the trial.
This meant that this very moment also had some significance.
At least, that was always the case in the tests Suhyuk had encountered.
Of course.
‘The test on the 8th floor is new to me too, though.’
For Lee Suhyuk, this place was unfamiliar.
However, that did not change anything for him.
No, on the contrary, because of that, Suhyuk was even more certain.
He was convinced that the trials ahead of him would never be meaningless compared to those before.
“What kind of place is Olympus?”
“Olympus?”
In response to Suhyuk’s question, Thor replied in a lowered voice.
“They’re arrogant and annoying.”
His tone suggested he was somewhat frustrated.
“Why?”
“Because they think they are above us.”
For Suhyuk, who did not know much about either Olympus or Asgard, this was a somewhat vague answer.
Which is superior? The answer to that is known only to them.
But one thing was certain.
‘It’s hard to see them as being on good terms.’
If both sides had a friendly relationship, there would be no need to show such reactions from the beginning.
At the very least, Thor wanted to convey to Suhyuk that he disliked Olympus.
“You’ll find out once you go there rather than just hearing about it.”
*Kiheek!*
While they were flying, the Sky Horse suddenly let out a cry.
Thor grabbed the reins. He calmed the wild Sky Horse and furrowed his brow.
“It seems quite exhausted.”
No matter how great the famed horse was, flying for days without rest would indeed be tiring. And it wasn’t traveling at just any ordinary speed.
“It seems we should take a short rest.”
“Rest?”
Where?
Suhyuk looked around.
It wasn’t a barren field. Literally nothing. Just an endless sky beneath them.
How were they supposed to rest in this clear sky with nothing but the sun in sight?
While Suhyuk was looking around, Thor took out a hammer.
“Mjolnir?”
For a moment, he mistook it for Mjolnir, but it wasn’t. Mjolnir had been destroyed by Suhyuk in the previous trial.
“It’s something made similarly. The center of gravity and size are exactly the same.”
A weapon missing only thunder, perfectly fitting Thor.
Having wielded a hammer all his life, it seemed that even without thunder, the hammer suited his hand better than a sword or spear.
“Why?”
“Don’t we need to make a place to rest?”
“Make a place to rest?”
To the puzzled Suhyuk, wondering what he meant, Thor answered through action.
*Rumble.*
A sound of thunder came from somewhere.
At the familiar sound, Suhyuk raised his head. A power that made his body tingle was felt.
‘No way?’
Surely, Mjolnir was broken.
“I’ve lived for thousands of years with Mjolnir.”
Thor confidently raised the hammer to the sky.
*Rumble.*
Thunder rumbled low again.
A shadow cast over Suhyuk and Thor. The bright sun was obscured as black clouds blanketed the sky.
*Kiheek!*
The Sky Horse raised its front legs and neighed.
The cloud seemed welcome. It cheered excitedly.
The Sky Horse was a breed that lived on clouds. Though it lived on special kinds of clouds, if there were clouds, the Sky Horse could rest.
Suhyuk also wanted to shout for joy.
“How did you do that?”
Thor surely lost Mjolnir. Since he wielded the power of lightning through Mjolnir, Thor should have lost the power of lightning.
But whether big or small, the power Thor just showed was definitely thunder.
Moreover, he even created clouds with it.
“You mean this power?”
There was strength in Thor’s shoulders and voice.
“Losing a weapon does not mean a warrior’s spirit vanishes.”
Raising the Mjolnir-like hammer high into the air, he continued in a dignified voice.
“I have already mastered the art of wielding thunder. Even without it now, that power is embedded in my body…”
“No, not that.”
“… Not that?”
“The clouds.”
Suhyuk’s eyes sparkled.
“Didn’t you already have it? The ability to make clouds.”
He almost gave up finding a way, thinking it was impossible with only a hint.
“How did you make them?”
It seemed he had finally found the solution.