Chapter 229
To create clouds, Lee Suhyuk learned Formations from Jinwoon.
The art of creating clouds.
Before that, Jinwoon had asked him, “Are you looking to create mist? Or clouds?”
Of course, it was clouds.
Lightning strikes from clouds, but not from mist.
When he answered, Jinwoon shook his head. “With that mindset, you’ll never succeed, no matter how long you try.”
Lightning is created because clouds exist.
There are no instances of lightning striking or rain falling from a clear sky. It was an obvious law of nature.
Skills were powers that defied such laws of nature.
It allowed lightning to strike and thunder to roar from a cloudless sky.
“Don’t go against it. Think naturally. That is both the beginning and the end.”
In other words, creating results without a process—this defied the natural order.
There was only one way to realign this back to the natural order.
‘Reverse it, the other way around.’
The initial thought of creating clouds was wrong.
The Blue Dragon had said, you already possess the power to create clouds.
Indeed.
He already possessed the power to control lightning and thunder. On the other hand, creating clouds was impossible.
Therefore, the process needed reversal.
*Zzzzpt.*
The lightning that stirred within him scattered, having lost its direction.
Up until now, Lee Suhyuk had used lightning with a clear goal: to defeat an enemy or to destroy something.
But using lightning for this purpose was a first.
‘Return to the beginning.’
*Rumble.*
Thunder resounded through the clear sky.
The disoriented lightning trembled, as if asking where it should go.
In his hand was Mjolnir, or rather, just an ordinary hammer.
This hammer, not charged with thunder, was merely a tool.
A medium to focus the power of lightning.
*Ku, guuuu.*
The thunder sounds grew faint.
When these sounds disappeared, Lee Suhyuk slowly opened his eyes.
And in that moment.
‘It worked.’
Not far from him was a small cloud he had created.
『”Hidden Stage – Cloud” completed.』
『Level increased.』 x 3
『Strength increased by 2.』
『Agility increased by 1.』
『Stamina increased by 1.』
『Magic increased by 2.』
『Skill – Thunder Cloud acquired.』
* * *
For several more days after, Lee Suhyuk continued focusing on creating clouds.
Thor was incredulous. The size of the clouds Lee Suhyuk created was expanding.
“Is… is it possible this quickly?”
The audience, watching, laughed with amusement at his reaction.
-That’s what a system can do
-Haha, look at Thor’s face
-What did you say? I can’t hear anything from someone without a system
But unaware of this, Thor, thinking he was being mocked, could only laugh awkwardly.
“It shouldn’t be possible.”
A feat that took him years was achieved by Lee Suhyuk in mere days.
Having expended much effort, Lee Suhyuk lay down to rest for a while.
‘This is exhausting.’
While outwardly it seemed like nothing, the drain on his mental and spiritual energy was substantial.
It wasn’t difficult to continue doing what one was accustomed to. However, doing the same thing in reverse wasn’t easy at all.
It was like telling someone who had only run forward to now run backward, it couldn’t be easy.
“How did you do it?”
Eventually, Thor couldn’t contain his curiosity and asked.
“What?”
“How is this possible? This?”
“What specifically?”
“It took me years!”
It was a tone as if deeply wronged. Lee Suhyuk, finding it hard to believe that the so-called prince of Asgard was such a petty person, spoke with disbelief.
“That took quite a while.”
“Ugh!”
Thor clutched the area around his heart, evidently seeing Suhyuk’s words as a sharp dagger.
– So we are supposed to be Lee Suhyuk, and then what, lol
– We’ve seen this all too often
– Safety Asset isn’t taking on any missions today
– Chicken hearted??
Unlike Thor, the viewers didn’t seem overly impressed.
In truth, when you thought about it, it had taken quite long for a reason. Ordinarily, that is.
‘The old man’s and the Azure Dragon’s words were hints.’
There were similarities between crafting a formation and creating clouds. Without having met Jinwoon and the Azure Dragon, Suhyuk might have fumbled for quite some time.
Sure, Thor was a teacher here too, but still.
“Was I… slow to catch on…?”
This guy appeared to have muscles stuffed in his brain instead of sense, so he wasn’t exactly reliable.
Suhyuk turned his head, lying on the ground, and spoke.
“Then, how long did you think it would take?”
There was a somewhat snide tone to his words.
Thor looked puzzled at Suhyuk, who didn’t seem particularly happy despite having achieved something remarkable.
“Why are you like that, friend?”
“Look over there.”
“There? A cloud?”
Suhyuk had been observing the small cloud he had created earlier.
“Why? You did a good job with it.”
“What’s so good about that?”
“Didn’t you make it?”
“That tiny thing?”
“Well, even if it’s small, a cloud is a cloud.”
Indeed, he had made it. But the problem was the size of the cloud. The one Suhyuk created was still too small.
‘That’s no cloud, just a cloudlet.’
Clouds could be any size. Some contained more water than small lakes, while parts of many clouds dispersed into tiny dots were still called clouds.
True.
A cloud is a cloud.
However, the cloud before them was far too small to satiate Suhyuk’s aspirations.
In contrast…
『’Safety Asset’ has registered a mission.』
『Don’t chicken out. Create a cloud bigger than the current one within three days for 10,000 points.』
– It’s as tiny as mouse poop, lol
– Thor, you’re loud and wrong
– He did make it… hmm
– Why? It’s small and cute
The cloud Thor had created—on which Suhyuk lay—was no less than a small lake.
‘Three days.’
Suhyuk frowned upon seeing the mission posted by Safety Asset. The reward was less than usual, making him anxious, but Suhyuk was, in fact, the most unsure.
‘Is it possible?’
“Your ambition is too great.”
Could Thor see Suhyuk’s ambitions clear as day? Thor firmly shook his head.
“You can’t have everything from the start. Plus, the first step is always the toughest; it’s much easier after that.”
Saying so, Thor patted Suhyuk’s shoulder with his large hand.
“We have plenty of time. Let’s not rush, my friend.”
He understood it as a way of consoling him. Actually, it hardly felt like consolation. On the surface, Suhyuk had a clear road ahead and was handling everything gracefully and efficiently.
And, to be precise, that was the truth.
However, “… Time.”
“Hmm?”
That was what made Suhyuk the most impatient.
“That’s the problem, I don’t have time.”
-Lololol
-King Safety Asset, haha
-To be precise, time is gone, haha
The viewers misunderstood Suhyuk’s words as being about the mission. But Suhyuk didn’t care about that.
He knew he needed to stay calm.
Just because his mind was in a hurry didn’t mean his body would comply.
However, he simply couldn’t. Not once, but twice, Lee Suhyuk had witnessed a friend dying right before his eyes.
“It’s worrying.”
“Worrying?”
“It seems you’re treading the same path as I did.”
Thor, who had stood up to look down at Suhyuk, then sat beside him.
“I have… witnessed the essence of thunder.”
Thor’s voice was thick, as if his mouth was filled with blood that needed to be spilled.
“It is by no means a noble power meant for Asgard. Perhaps it is more fitting for a demon.”
“Are you talking about the dream you mentioned at that time?”
“A dream? I don’t even know if it can be called a dream.”
Apparently, the comparison was wrong. Thor sneered.
“I faced thunder there.”
Fear crept into his voice.
Even recalling it sent shivers down his spine, yet Thor spoke of it out loud.
“It showed me the most terrifying things I could imagine.”
“What was it?”
“The people of Asgard, all killed by my own hand.”
*Crack*
The sound of flesh tearing came from his clenched fist. The veins bulged as if they might burst, and his neck reddened.
“I remember vividly. Though it may have been a dream after that, the beginning was not a dream. Consumed by thunder, I… truly killed my people.”
Thor, consumed by thunder, had become a madman.
Eventually, he was subdued by Odin, but what could it have been like the first time he became a madman?
Surely, there would have been no survivors.
“I still remember vividly. The feeling of crushing my people’s skulls. The voices that screamed for mercy.”
“Do you regret it?”
“Is that even a question?”
Thor let out a faint laugh.
“If I hadn’t been so confident I could command thunder, they wouldn’t have died. I… could not become a good king, nor a great warrior.”
His broad shoulders seemed to droop.
Suhyuk saw himself overlapping with Thor.
He recalled how he had confidently shouted to conquer the Hydra, just as Thor had believed he could command thunder.
‘Exactly the same.’
He continued to think.
Perhaps it was he who had caused them to die.
If they hadn’t met him, perhaps none of them would have died.
Suhoon. Minjae. Jiyoung…. Gyuseong too.
The weight of their deaths pressed heavily on his shoulders. If Shiwoo and Yerang were added to the burden, he might just collapse.
Then perhaps…
He might find himself turning into the mad Thor he feared.
“What drove me there was impatience. The fear I might not be able to command thunder. The anxiety I wouldn’t live up to my father’s expectations. The dread I might never become a great king.”
Thor’s voice carried a note of desolation.
“So, don’t be too sure that you can command thunder. And don’t let impatience consume you for it.”
“… Afraid that I might end up regretting it like you?”
“Yes.”
Thor’s regret was well known. It was something he had heard before.
For Thor, it was perhaps a story he never wanted to tell again. Yet he shared his pain with Suhyuk out of concern.
Afraid Suhyuk might make the same mistake he did.
However…
“… Right.”
Suhyuk, who had been lying down looking up at the sky, suddenly sat up.
“Huh?”
“There was that guy.”
Listening to Thor, Suhyuk realized something entirely different.
He had forgotten.
Caught up in Thor’s words and seeing himself mirrored in him, he had failed to realize.
Completely forgotten.
Perhaps a clue to resolve this impatience.
“That guy? What do you mean?”
Even as an explanation was demanded, Suhyuk abruptly closed his eyes. At that moment, Thor’s voice faded into the distance.
“Huh? Who is that… Hey, fri…end…”
Slowly, the world fell into silence. Though Thor seemed to grasp his shoulders and shake him, he couldn’t feel the rough grip or even the shaking anymore.
He was disconnected from everything around him.
And when he reopened his eyes—
“You’ve come again.”
*Grin.*
Before Suhyuk, thunder was smiling.
Thor spoke out of fear that Suhyuk might be devoured by thunder, yet Suhyuk, unlike Thor, willingly entered it.