The Fate-Seeing Genius Streamer - Chapter 25

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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24. [Night Soul] It Just Works When You Do It? (4)
Halkenburg.
“You know… you might actually have a knack for teaching. So you say you defeated Trinex, that patient fool? Good, good… how about it?”
The white-haired old man bared his few remaining teeth, his lips curling into a sinister grin as he extended a peculiar proposal.
“Would you consider… receiving instruction from me, Halkenburg? With your talents… I believe you could become my greatest masterpiece…”
-?
-???????????
-What?
-Are you serious?? This insane monster old bastard is offering to take a disciple????????
-Wait??? Halkenburg?? Is it actually possible to become a disciple of THE Halkenburg?? What??????
The viewers watching erupted in the chat, their shock palpable, while Joo Seo-yoon standing behind him gasped in astonishment, her eyes widening.
=B-Big bro! Is this real? Halkenburg? He’s… he’s really offering a disciple training quest? Is this… is this actually real? It has to be real, right? It’s definitely real, right?
“….”
However, that was merely the reaction of the viewers watching [Night Soul] and Joo Seo-yoon. Joo Seo-jin stood motionless, meeting Halkenburg’s gaze before slowly opening his mouth.
“…How did you just do that?”
“…Huh? Kgh-ugh! What a strange question. Kgh-heh, boy, are you interested in becoming my disciple or not? Just answer me───”
“-That wasn’t a movement you made with your own body. I don’t understand the principle. Setting aside the biomechanically impossible movement patterns… the way you accelerated and then immediately stopped doesn’t make sense.”
“…What? Boy, what did you just───”
“If something like that is possible, you’re not human—you’re closer to a puppet. At least, that’s what your movement mechanics suggest…”
“….”
And in that moment, Halkenburg’s unpleasant smile faded, and a grave seriousness settled across his aged features.
“…Heh. Oho—so that’s how it was. So you’re saying you ‘observed’ and then ‘understood’ my movements.”
“To some extent.”
“Kgh-kgh-kgh—ah, that’s amusing. What kind of monster are you? I’m starting to doubt you’re even human. Damn. The world really does have surprises, no matter how long you live.”
“I wouldn’t say it’s quite that extreme.”
“No. From what I can see—you are indeed a monster of ‘that extent.’ Boy, just as I thought… you truly do have the potential to become my greatest masterpiece. Certainly.”
“….”
-?
-What is this Night Soul thing
-?? What are they even talking about…
-Seo-jin, stop talking in riddles only you understand!!!!!!!!
-?? Why did Grandpa Halkenburg suddenly get so serious? What is it? What are they talking about?;
I have no idea what you’re talking about… I should just stay quiet… lol;;
-What is this explain it to us you nerds!!!!!!!!!!
However—
it was only momentary.
Joo Seo-yoon, watching Joo Seo-jin and Halkenburg exchange what seemed like vague remarks, expressed her confusion through body language alone, her curiosity evident.
“Um… big bro? What are you and Halkenburg… the old man… talking about? What’s going on?”
-For real
“Man, is this an encrypted conversation?? I can’t understand a damn thing.”
-What the hell is going on here..?
-Um; could you explain this to us, Seo-jin..?
-Hmm.. indeed.. is that so? I understand.. as expected, I knew it would be like this… so that’s what it was..!
-Myeong Bang-ul, go over there and translate that alien language for us …
Joo Seo-yoon, who had somehow ended up on the same wavelength as the viewers, asked with a somewhat vacant expression, and at the same time, a similar question erupted from the front.
“Ugh. What- what is it…? What are you two talking about? Halkenburg! What’s going on here? What are you two discussing, huh?”
-?
Why don’t you know this, you bastard lol
-Damn it; what is it, you..? You should know something about this, you bastard.. sigh..
-?? No.. shouldn’t he understand what they’re talking about..?
I’m confused lol
Haha, tell me too, come on haha. I have no idea what you two are talking about haha.
-Seriously, a conversation even the locals don’t understand is basically an encrypted message, right..?;
That’s legendary lol
Hartan. The middle-aged man with tousled brown hair, who held the highest position in the Star Sect after being scolded for speaking disrespectfully to Joo Seo-jin and Joo Seo-yoon, posed his question in that manner. However, the answer that came back was cold.
“Grrr- grrrgh- I told you to shut your mouth, but this brat won’t listen. Honestly, what good would it do for someone like you to know? You’ve consumed that many Runes and still spout nonsense, which is why your father ended up hanging from a tree.”
“…What, what did you say? You, you damned old bastard─! What did you just spout───”
“Grrr- grrrgh- What, shall I say it again? You’ve consumed that many Runes and still act like an idiot, which is why your father ended up hanging from a tree, I said. And… I told you not to speak carelessly, Hartan.”
“….”
“Tsk- I’ve already given you as much as you deserve. It would be wise not to get any more presumptuous than this.”
Halkenburg spoke to Hartan with a notably colder demeanor than when he addressed Joo Seo-jin, his tone carrying a clear warning.
“The previous king… if there had been no ‘Non-Aggression Pact’ made with your father, why would I have kept an idiot like you alive all this time? Know your place, Hartan.”
Halkenburg’s eyes grew hollow, a chill crossing his gaze as he continued with scornful words.
“This world is intricately woven. The age of gods, the age of men—I believe in none of such things. Only overwhelming power decides everything. You yourself know why your father’s hanging from a tree served merely as a warning and nothing more.”
Eyes filled with regret. A gaze tinged with anger, or something close to resentment. Halkenburg spat out his words, one by one, in a seething voice.
“That day… if I had not been deceived by that foolish previous king’s cunning words—if I had not bound myself with the Non-Aggression Pact, I would have been the victor. Had that been the case… those wretches would not have been cursed, nor would they have fallen.”
“….”
“Hmph. Do you not realize that you live and scheme for the future only thanks to this old man? The Solar Sect, those sinister garbage—do you think you don’t know why they don’t take the lead in hunting us down?”
“Damn it…”
Hartan narrowed his eyes, sat back down in place, and ground his teeth with a harsh crunch.
Then Halkenburg let out a scoff, glanced at Joo Seo-jin, and added as if explaining.
“…’Soul Power’. Or, the force called Ether or magical energy. It is an ability obtained by gathering ‘Soul Pieces’ that dwell in living beings or ancient natural objects and transforming them into ‘Runes’.”
Halkenburg spoke with a mischievous smile, as if asking whether the boy understood.
“Young one. Your judgment was not wrong. The reason this old body could move faster than you and execute movements that should have been impossible—was thanks to this Soul Power obtained by gathering Runes.”
At that, Joo Seo-jin’s eyes widened slightly. It seemed like worldbuilding lore from [Night Soul]… and it looked serious. The chat flowing among the viewers reflected the same sentiment.
-Ah~
-I was wondering what he was talking about, and it was about Ether..?? Now I understand a bit;
Ah, I get it now lol; this was about how to operate a virtual machine, right
-Real talk; if you know how that crazy old man Halkenburg’s A.I was created, it makes sense.. that’s what it was about.
-And thinking about it, that insane old geezer.. [Gun Ground].. he’s a master who trained that Stein player’s premium data pack and all sorts of virtual machine operation enhancement learning;
-Ah, so the teleportation that happened in front of Seo-jin was the virtual qi manipulation technique? Then… Seo-jin saw it once and figured it out just like that??; What is this??
-This is insane..
‘Virtual qi manipulation…’
I felt like I’d heard of it before.
In virtual reality games like [Eternal Saga] or [Gun Ground]… unlike the Marshal Skills of [Infinite War], there existed something called ‘virtual qi’—or shortened, ‘virtual qi’.
This was one of the game elements commonly adopted in [Eternal Saga], [Gun Ground], and most other high-level games. That’s why [Night Soul] also had a similar function.
‘-So Halkenburg’s movements without any preliminary tells, moving like a puppet—that was because of this.'”
The moment I was about to lunge forward, unable to bear Hartan’s insulting words, Halkenburg moved at tremendous speed without any warning signs, coming before me and stopping my action.
That was—undoubtedly using some force to bounce my body like a rubber ball, gaining propulsion from the recoil and accelerating… and the moment I reached my desired point, I forcibly cut off the state of motion caused by inertia. Strangely enough.
Rather than utilizing my body to its limits, it felt like I was using an invisible, bizarre force. Because of that, I was certain that Halkenburg hadn’t moved his body directly and questioned him. And it turned out to be true.
‘Halkenburg… a character created by reinforcement learning with all sorts of technical elements applied to the real combat data of top-tier professional gamers—is that what he is…’
In other words, the [Night Soul] NPC standing before me—’Halkenburg’—possessed skills equivalent to an actual professional gamer.
Perhaps, at least within this [Night Soul], he might be even beyond that. I found myself feeling tremendous interest in that fact.
When I faced Crack, evaluated as a top-tier professional gamer among current professionals, in [Infinite War]—honestly, while it was difficult, I didn’t feel any great sense of crisis.
But—Halkenburg’s sudden movements… the manipulation of spiritual force called ‘virtual qi’ was different.
‘If I hadn’t consciously activated my divine sense to some degree and kept my sixth sense open… there’s a possibility I might not have reacted properly.'”
Facing this sense of danger I felt for the first time… I began to harbor a tremendous sense of interest.
I imagined facing such an opponent, with such techniques, with such abilities, pressing me. Even if I read fate and matched the answer I desired, it wouldn’t be easy to handle.
And… because of that, I couldn’t help but feel great interest. Without realizing it, I opened my mouth and accepted Halkenburg’s proposal.
“Teaching… I’m willing to listen to some of it.”
-Kyaa
-Huh… a disciple quest from Halkenburg; getting a disciple quest from that monster old man..? This is legendary content right..????????
-Getting a disciple quest in Night Soul is something even the worst players have to either talk a lot of trash or do all sorts of crazy things to get… but this..?
-Getting a disciple quest from that insane psychopath old geezer is really legendary;; So if you unlock the hidden route, this kind of thing becomes possible..
-Sigh.
And. At the same time, Halkenburg tilted his head back slightly, chuckling—tsk tsk tsk—then suddenly thrust his face forward and let out an excited sound.
“Kuhk-! Is that so? Ohhh, good…!! Don’t worry, you brat. I’ll personally make you into Halkenburg’s greatest masterpiece…! A few months should be enough───”
But.
“Hmm—do we really need to learn for that long? I’m getting a feel for it already. Just teach me everything in one go.”
“?”
In stark contrast, I spoke calmly, as if I had no intention of learning for such a long time.
When I learned the Lakrants Style in [Infinite War]—wasn’t it enough just to face Crack in two matches?
Virtual qi. Even with its systematic manipulation method, once I grasped the feel for it, it didn’t seem like it would be that difficult to learn—I had that strange intuition. Because of that, I made a simple request.
“Just keep it simple—through sparring.”
“….”
“That’s all I need.”
“Kuhk, puhahahaha!”
Halkenburg lowered his head for a moment, trembling—then suddenly burst into raucous laughter.
“Uhhaha-! Indeed, the world is worth living long to see! Truly—truly—a proper madman!! A real lunatic has been caught…!! Yes, I’m certain!! You will be Halkenburg’s greatest masterpiece…!!”
-That crazy old geezer;
-Ugh… this psychopath’s old hag just hit her trigger again… terrifying;
-No seriously, every time I hear that laugh, man, PTSD kicks in;;;
Whether it’s Instructor Seo-jin saying he’ll teach all the virtual machine operation methods in a single one-on-one sparring session, or that old man breaking it down after hearing that and thinking it’s great… neither of them seem quite right, lol.
It wasn’t anger, irritation, or displeasure—it was a madness closer to ecstasy.
* * *
《 Achievement Unlocked 》
*’Halkenburg’s Final Disciple’
━Achievement Completion Rate: ‘One and Only’
━Description: You have been accepted as Halkenburg’s final disciple in ‘Nightmare’ mode. Beyond this point, great teachings await.
The hologram window that materialized in my vision announced the unlocking of a hidden Achievement in Night Soul, and simultaneously… Halkenburg drained the bottle in one gulp—glug, glug—before wiping his mouth and speaking.
“Hck! …Hoo. Brat, once your work is done and you’ve received the Priestess’s blessing of runes, come to the Training Ground Behind Temple. I’ll be waiting. Come when you’ve made your resolve. Understood?”
Whoosh—
And then… as if he had nothing more to say and had lost all interest, Halkenburg turned his body and opened the door without hesitation, leaving the Conference Hall.
Thud, thud…
When the sound of Halkenburg’s footsteps could no longer be heard, Hartan struck the round table lightly with a thunk— and ground his teeth.
“This— damn old geezer. …Now, he takes on a disciple? Not me, but that bastard? Damn it!”
As Hartan spat out words filled with rage, a young man who looked like a hunter wearing a felt hat responded languidly.
“A supreme masterpiece… since Halkenburg has spoken thus… there is no room for doubt that they are truly the one who reclaims the light…, Prince Hartan.”
A woman with a grotesque face stitched together with threads of various colors also wore a pale smile and expressed the same opinion.
“Hmm—. From the moment we recovered the knight’s soul, the truth was already confirmed, was it not? I fail to see why we must continue this farce. Besides, there is no choice in the matter.”
The Stitched Woman, her face sewn together with threads, spoke in a rather chilling voice.
“Prince Hartan. Three bishops of our sect have already fallen. The Night Soul of ‘Restraint’ that we barely managed to secure has also flowed into the hands of the Solar Sect… If you consider the significance of ‘the one who reclaims the light,’ then what must be done should be clear, no—?”
Swish—
“There. You think the same way, do you not? Hehehehe.”
“…”
-Damn..
-This is like telling someone bigger to back off.. man..?
-That smile on that face gives me chills.. am I the only one..?;
-Wait, does she actually like Seo-jin because he’s handsome..?
Joo Seo-jin did not answer. He simply stood there. And so, silence hung for a moment… before Hartan, his expression displeased yet his tone considerably softened, spoke.
“…Sigh. There’s no helping it. Out of respect for Halkenburg, I’ll specially forgive your rudeness just now and appoint you as a knight.”
Tsk—
“…Both of you state your names and get out. From now on, after receiving the blessing of runes from Grandis, you’ll be able to hear what you must do going forward.”
Hartan scratched his tousled brown hair roughly and continued speaking in a perfunctory manner.
“Hmph. You there, bastard like a parasite—your name is Joo Seo-jin… is that right? The mute bitch in the back, what’s your name───”
The next instant.
Crack———!
Suddenly, a violent impact erupted, cutting off Hartan’s words—and a small, pained groan escaped him.
And… as the hilt of a longsword fell with a thunk— in front of Hartan’s face, his nose swelled bright red and blood dripped.
-?
-What..?
-Insane..?
Haha, what?
…That was the hilt of Joo Seo-jin’s longsword—the one whose blade had shattered beyond repair before arriving at the Twilight Temple, rendering it unusable.
-??
-What?? Did I just see that right????
Is this for real?? lol
-Teacher Seo-jin.. did you seriously just pull out that broken longsword hilt and.. throw it at the Sect Leader’s face..?
-No.. if you do this here.. it’s.. completely screwed up…?????? How do we even fix this???????
It’s been a while lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol Teacher Seojin, you’re a total legend, a real man lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol
Whoosh—
“Didn’t Halkenburg already tell you? Don’t speak carelessly. Yet here you are, still doing it.”
“You…”
“Please—think before you speak.”
“….”
I withdrew my extended right arm, drawing every eye in the hall upon myself as I spoke with measured calm.
“If I accidentally kill you because of this nonsense, that’s my loss.”
-??
You crazy bastard lol
-Mjaengbangul was talking so loudly that he shouldn’t fight like that, but he just ignored it lol.
-If you kill me for no reason, it’s my loss, so don’t fool around. What kind of bullshit are you?
Damn, that sudden acceleration is legendary lol
…Purely and genuinely—as if I simply didn’t want to suffer unnecessary losses—my tone carried an exasperated edge.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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