Ranker’s Return

“Thanks for the hard work. It will end here for today,” Hyeonu said to Choi Yoon, who was barely holding onto his sword.

-Uncle, you did a good job.

-Someone who is beaten like that will feel pain in reality.

-Still, his skills have improved a lot.

-Alley Leader seems to be pushing him to the limit really well.

-Comparing when he started to when he ended, the difference is like the difference between heaven and earth.

The hellish stream that never seemed to end was finishing. Choi Yoon sat down on the ground with his sword.

“Was it hard work?”

“No. Alley Leader, it was probably much harder on you. Teaching people like me...”

Hyeonu shook his head at Choi Yoon’s self-deprecating words. “No. You’re following along better than you thought. At this speed, you’ll be able to get a bronze medal.”

Hyeonu cleverly mixed truth and falsehood. The former was sincere and the latter was false. It was correct that Choi Yoon followed Hyeonu better than expected. Occasionally, Hyeonu also showed surprise. However, if he were asked if Choi Yoon could get a bronze medal, then his answer would be ‘hard to say.’

Due to the specs of a basic character, it would be decided depending on the matching results on Monday. Still, such a thing couldn’t be known to the party involved. All Hyeonu could do was believe in this person. If he became anxious, then Choi Yoon would be more anxious.

“Just practice and ask me questions like before. Do you understand?”

Upon hearing Hyeonu’s words, Choi Yoon nodded uncontrollably. His blurry eyes showed a firm will.

“Then I’ll be going.”

***

Hyeonu separated from Choi Yoon and headed to the Black Forest in the north.

“I really have many memories of this place.”

Hyeonu felt sentimental. A lot had happened in the Black Forest. He’d met Mason and then Dakan, fighter of the Meadow Wolf Tribe. After fighting with Dakan, Hyeonu also met the tribe chief, Raccoon.

“Ah!”

Moreover, the character deletion bet with the Black Skull Guild had also occurred right here.

“Tang-E, do you know where this is?” Hyeonu asked Tang-E on his shoulder.

“Wasn’t there a one-against-three fight here? I remember,” Tang-E bluntly replied.

“So do you know where we’re going now?”

“Um... I don’t know. Why are you asking me, Master dude?” Tang-E thought about it, but he didn’t know the answer.

Hyeonu had summoned Tang-E in Dakan’s residence, so it was natural Tang-E wouldn’t know how to get there.

“I’m going to see your friend.”

“My friend?”

“I’m on the way to see Cancun. We will arrive soon.”

Clack clack clack.

Tang-E was so excited by Hyeonu’s words that he drummed on Hyeonu’s head with both hands. “Wow!! I’m going to see my friend. Master dude, thank you.”

They walked for five more minutes. Then Hyeonu’s eyes spotted a familiar wooden house.

‘Here.’

[You have entered the residence of Fighter Dakan.]

As if to prove it, an opaque message window appeared in front of Hyeonu’s eyes.

[Would you like to enter the residence of Dakan, fighter of the Meadows?]

“I will.”

Then Hyeonu and Tang-E disappeared from the Black Forest.

***

[You have entered the residence of Fighter Dakan.]

As Hyeonu entered the instance dungeon, he was greeted with familiar scenery and a familiar orc. The muscular orc was close to two meters tall. It was Dakan.

“It’s been a long time, human. It has also been a long time since I’ve seen this little guy.” Dakan welcomed Hyeonu. “Are you here to see my brother again?”

“Well... since he is here as well...”

“You’ve become a lot stronger. I’d love to fight with you.”

“I will have to decline. Oh, take this. I’ll return it to you. I used it well in the meantime.” Hyeonu returned the Symbol of the Meadow to Dakan. It was an item that no other player could use due to the restriction on wearing it. He thought it would be better to give it back instead of letting it take up a spot in his inventory.

“Is that so? I won’t refuse if it is returned to me.” Dakan wore the necklace he had received from Hyeonu. “Then let’s go. Cancun would like to see you.”

Hyeonu walked with Dakan to where Raccoon and Cancun were located. They were currently engaged in a fierce battle. Raccoon’s axe ruthlessly hit Cancun’s single-edged sword. A huge explosion occurred like a bomb had been detonated. There was a sudden heavy wind that was centered around the two orcs.

However, Cancun just swung his single-edged sword toward Raccoon like he was fine. Many beams of pure energy were shot at Raccoon, but he resolved Cancun’s attack by simply swinging his axe. The strength fired from Raccoon’s axe smashed all of Cancun’s pure energy. Cancun was rushing toward Raccoon once again when Dakan intervened between the two orcs.

“Let’s stop. A guest has come after a long time. How long are you going to keep fighting?”

At Dakan’s words, the two orcs turned toward Hyeonu and Tang-E.

“Who is this? Well, if it isn’t the cutie of Bung Bung Island.”

“Friend!!!”

Raccoon smiled when he saw Tang-E while Cancun jumped straight at Tang-E. Hyeonu and Raccoon chatted while Cancun and Tang-E shared the joy of a reunion.

“Aren’t you too late? It’s been a while since Cancun came back.”

Upon hearing Raccoon’s words, Hyeonu just scratched his head. He thought so too. Every time he said he would go, he had only spoken and never actually moved.

“It is what happened. I was busier than I thought.”

“I didn’t say this for you to apologize. I probably know what you have been doing based on your changes. It is hard to compare the current you with the past you. Moreover, you’re an adventurer. I understand everything,” Raccoon said. Then he asked in a secretive voice, “That’s why I want to ask if you can fight with Cancun once? You must’ve learned many things while looking around the continent. Dakan and I have been fighting him every day... I think it’s time for him to get some new stimuli.”

Hyeonu shook his head. He hadn’t come here to fight. He just wanted to take a break from his quest.

“I want to take a break today. We can spar next time.”

Raccoon seemed to feel regretful regarding Hyeonu’s refusal. “Is that so? I’ve prepared a good gift... I’ll give it to you next time then.”

Once Raccoon finished talking, a message appeared in front of Hyeonu’s eyes. It was a message informing him that he cleared the quest.

[Raccoon’s Message]

[The father, Raccoon, has a message for his son, Cancun. If you ever meet, tell it to him.

Rating: C+

Conditions: Tell Cancun about Raccoon 1/1.

Rewards: Experience, Raccoon’s Gift]

[Raccoon’s Message has been cleared.]

[Experience has been acquired.]

[Raccoon’s Gift has been acquired.]

‘A good gift?’

“Wait a minute!” Hyeonu called out to Raccoon just as the latter was taking something out.

“Why? Do you have something to say?” Raccoon answered with a smirk. 

Hyeonu’s expression was slightly distorted.

‘He isn’t an orc. He’s a raccoon... a raccoon.’ (Actual korean word for Raccoon, not the romanized way Raccoon’s name is spelled.)

“If I spar with Cancun, will you give me what you originally intended?”

Raccoon smiled at Hyeonu’s words. It was a bright smile that didn’t match his ugly appearance.

“In fact...” Raccoon swallowed his words.

It was clear that if he said this, the human would never compete with Cancun.

‘In fact, I’ve only prepared one thing...’

Thorough preparation for an orc was absurd.

***

Hyeonu was tricked by Raccoon and prepared to fight against Cancun. Cancun was serious in his own way, and Hyeonu was worried about how much he should show in the fight.

“Anyone can win. Cancun can win or Master dude can win,” Tang-E shouted while waving his hands.

Hyeonu pulled out Dark Star from his inventory and hung it from his waist.

“How much can I fight?” Hyeonu asked Raccoon.

The answer came from another place though.

“Please do your best.” The source of the answer was Cancun. His expression was grim. Since the moment Hyeonu appeared, Cancun had been paying attention to him, even while sharing the joy of a reunion with Tang-E. Time had passed, and this human had become so strong. The fighting energy hidden in Hyeonu’s body stimulated Cancun.

“Then you’ll get hurt. I can’t hurt Tang-E’s friend. Additionally, we’re not fighting for our lives. It is just a spar,” Hyeonu said bluntly. Doing his best wasn’t a problem, but that meant Cancun could be injured or killed.

“I think so too...”

“This is how I see it, Brother.” 

Raccoon and Dakan agreed with Hyeonu’s words. The fighting energy deep inside Hyeonu’s body was intense. Furthermore, Dakan had once competed with Hyeonu. At that time, Hyeonu’s level was poor. Nevertheless, Hyeonu had gained Dakan’s recognition. Cancun couldn’t accept it. “You think I will lose?”

Cancun’s eyes were burning. If he could kill with his eyes, then Hyeonu would’ve already been burned into a pile of ashes.

“Then let’s do this. The one who sheds blood first loses. The weapon is a wooden branch. Does that work?” Raccoon acted as an arbitrator.

The moment Raccoon spoke, Dakan cut off branches from the tree around him. Then he started pushing at the branches with his hand. Miraculously, the surface of the branches became smooth.

“Take this. Cancun, you as well. The rules are exactly the same as what Brother said.”

Once Dakan finished speaking, Cancun and Hyeonu opened up a distance from each other while watching each other. No sound could be heard in the forest except for the breathing of one orc and one human. Just then, Hyeonu became dazed.

[Master of Combat is activated.]

[Your stats have increased.]

[The stat ‘fighting energy’ has caused your stats to rise.]

[The other party is stronger than you.]

[Your stats have increased.]

[The stat ‘dignity’ has caused the opponent’s stats to fall.]

[Mindset of a Murderer has activated.]

[All stats have increased by 15%.]

‘As expected, his level is higher than mine.’

Hyeonu was able to infer the level of the opponent thanks to the fighting energy stat. Cancun’s level was higher than Hyeonu. Even so, Hyeonu didn’t tremble. Superiority wasn’t decided with just the level. Hyeonu had many skills, items, and even titles. He had many things boosting him—too many for him to be daunted by having a lower level.

[The other side has the fighting energy stat.]

[The other party is stronger than you.]

[Your stats will drop.]

[You have the ‘fighting energy’ stat.]

[The stat reduction effect won’t occur.]

These messages appeared in front of Hyeonu.

‘Indeed... It is impossible for the debuff to occur if both people have fighting energy...’

With a higher level, Cancun’s fighting energy stat caused Hyeonu to get a debuff. However, Hyeonu also had fighting energy, so this allowed him to ignore the debuff effect. Hyeonu nodded like it was something good. At this moment, Cancun moved. He saw the moment when Hyeonu’s head moved. Cancun’s branch cut through the air and approached Hyeonu with great momentum.

‘It is too late to avoid it.’ Hyeonu quickly stepped back. It would be suicide to deflect the branch now. Cancun saw Hyeonu withdraw and spun his body like a spin top, naturally swinging the branch back toward Hyeonu. Hyeonu didn’t avoid it this time. His thin branch cut through the air and aimed at Cancun’s branch.

The two people collided. The result was a one-sided dominance.

“Kup.”

The one who was bounced back was Hyeonu.