Ranker’s Return

The black pure energy that stretched out from the Mysterious Sky Sword ripped through the body of the black-maned lion.

[A black-maned lion has been killed.]

[Experience has been acquired.]

[A black-maned lion has been killed.]

[Experience has been acquired.]

[You have leveled up.]

[All health and magic power have been restored.]

When he saw the message that he had leveled up, Hyeonu smiled and opened the status window.

‘Status window.’

[Status Window]

[Character Name: Gang Hyeonu

Level: 226

Class: True Knight of Keon

Title: Lebron’s Disciple, Warrior Acknowledged by Khan, New Star Acknowledged by Lebron, First Person to Enter the Imperial Palace, First Person to Meet the Emperor, Achieved 100 Consecutive Wins, Solo Raider, Desert Dragon Slayer, Ruler of the Spider Mine, Viscount Vampire Killer, First Detached Force Member, First Person to Clear Laek, First Player to go Beyond The Limits, First to Become a Viscount, True Knight of Keon, Centaur Slayer, Undefeated Sovereign

Stats: Strength: 484 (+1,600)  Agility: 727 (+1,900)  Physique: 341 (+1,750)  Magic Power: 393 (+1,800)  Fighting Energy: 522 (+1,350)  Dignity: 147 (+1,350)

Remaining stat points: 5

Retained Attributes: Dark]

His stats were different from before. He had obtained the Mysterious Sky Sword, and his proficiency of the Mysterious Sky Demonic Art was now at 5 stars. Additionally, all his stats had risen significantly. It was clear that no one could compare to Hyeonu. Hyeonu’s current performance was overwhelming to this extent.

‘I’ve finally found it.’

Hyeonu diligently moved his feet while looking at the stats window. As a result, he arrived in front of the cave that led to Johannes’ residence.

[Would you like to enter Johannes’ Residence, the foundation of this mountain range?]

‘Johannes....’

Hyeonu felt heated up again when he thought of Johannes. This person had thrown him to the East Continent without saying anything. Hyeonu intended to pursue the matter. He couldn’t do anything to Johannes who was a dragon, but he felt like he would only feel better after he scolded Johannes.

“I will enter.”

Hyeonu entered Johannes’ dungeon.

[You have entered Johannes’ Residence, the foundation of this mountain range.]

The moment Hyeonu entered the dungeon, magic power swirled around his body. It felt familiar.

‘Is this teleportation?’

It was the same feeling as when he was moved to the East Continent. Hyeonu was frowning due to his instinctive rejection of his darkening vision, but it soon brightened. A blond man was sitting in front of Hyeonu. “You’re back already? How was the East Continent? Was it worth it?”

“Shouldn’t you apologize? You teleported someone without telling them,” Hyeonu said.

“You were going to head there anyway. Would it have made a difference if I told you? It would’ve just wasted time,” Johannes responded with a shameless expression.

Hyeonu let out a sigh, feeling the desire to argue begin to disappear from his heart. Faced with Johannes’ overly shameless attitude, Hyeonu just had to give up. “Sigh... I’ll let it pass. I don’t think you said anything wrong. So is there a way to go back to the East Continent?”

Johannes smiled at Hyeonu’s question. “Do you want me to send you again? Such work is always welcome.”

Hyeonu shook his head. “You know that isn’t what I mean.”

It was close to an accusation, and Johannes’ expression became serious. “I know. You are talking about releasing the barrier. It isn’t hard to release. This topic even came out at a clan meeting. The problem is that the adventurers are the only ones who can handle it.”

“What can I do?”

“It is simple. You have to prove that you can handle the consequences of removing the barrier between the Balder Mountains and Mount Cheon.”

“How so?”

“First, gain the agreement of the emperor of Yusma. It is an agreement that he won’t start a war unless the East Continent provokes him first. Second, conquer the Balder Mountains without borrowing the power of the empire at all. It has to be done purely with the power of adventurers. I will get rid of the barrier immediately once you reach the top of Cruz Mountain, the highest mountain in the Balder Mountains. Then the continent will become one.”

Johannes’ first condition meant one thing. Hyeonu had to give him justification for removing the barrier. Once the two continents joined as one, the exchange of culture was bound to lead to conflicts and war. This meant Hyeonu needed to have the power to stop a war from occurring. This was the minimum safety device.

If the emperor, the ruler of the West Continent, didn’t intend to wage war first, then the probability of a continental war was decreased by at least half. It was a natural condition for a dragon whose biggest duty was to protect the harmony of the world.

The second was to formally prove his qualifications. Let’s say the barrier was gone. Then what if they didn’t have the ability to conquer the Balder Mountains? It meant removing the barrier was useless. The dragons’ hard work would be in vain.

“How about it? Is it possible?” Johannes looked mischievously at Hyeonu.

‘I have to make sure it happens,’ Hyeonu thought.

This was obviously a jackpot to anyone who saw it. There would be no fool in the world who would give a negative response to Johannes’ question.

“I’ll do it unconditionally. Please leave it to me.” Hyeonu nodded.

Johannes made a strange smile at Hyeonu’s agreement. “Then as I said, the emperor’s agreement is necessary. Get his signature here.”

Then Johannes pulled out a few sheets of paper. Hyeonu accepted the papers from Johannes and slowly started to read them. The papers were written in a very familiar format.

[Peace Treaty]

[The emperor representing the Yusma Empire (hereinafter referred to as the empire) and golden dragon Johannes representing the dragons (hereinafter referred to as the ‘dragons’) will enter into the non-aggression treaty with the East Continent as stated below.

Article 1 of the non-aggression treaty with the East Continent

The empire won’t be the first to express hostility to the East Continent.

(Omitted).

Article 127 of the non-aggression treaty with the East Continent

In the event of any disputes related to this treaty, in principle, the empire shall notify the dragons at least two weeks in advance of the war.

However, if the dragons think that the empire’s notice is unfair, then they might request an interview with the empire.

(Omitted).

The above-mentioned treaty is clearly stated. If you agree, sign at the designated location.]

‘Is this a contract?’

It was similar to the contract with Nike that Hyeonu had spent several nights analyzing.

“Why are you reading it so closely? I was the one who wrote it. There are no unequal or toxic clauses. We are making this treaty because, in our judgment, the power of the West Continent is superior to the East Continent. Go and talk well,” Johannes grumbled, not liking that Hyeonu was only caring about the papers.

[A quest has been created.]

[Beginning of the Integration of Continents]

[The beginning of the exchange between the East Continent and the West Continent comes from the emperor signing the peace treaty.

Persuade the emperor to sign the peace treaty.

Rating: MS

Conditions: The emperor’s signature 0/1

Rewards: Experience.]

‘MS?’

The sixth main scenario—its prelude was opened by Hyeonu. He had opened the sixth main scenario while the many guilds and miners had no results for their efforts. It was an unexpected gain that he never even thought about. Then on second thought, there was nothing unexpected.

‘Isn’t the scale of this bigger than ever?’

It was a natural result. So far, the main scenarios had dealt with things within the empire. Specifically, the fourth and fifth main scenarios had been related to the empire’s rebels, Alkyl. Meanwhile, the Beginning of the Integration of Continents quest that Hyeonu just received was literally on a continental scale. In other words, it was set beyond the empire.

‘Won’t some guilds become angry if they know this?’

Undoubtedly, they would be angry. They spent a lot of money, manpower, and time looking for the main scenario. Then all of a sudden, Alley Leader appeared while holding the main scenario in his hand. How could they not be angry? Their efforts were rendered useless.

‘My hyung-nim will be very happy,’ Hyeonu thought. 

On the other hand, there would be people who would laugh, for example Kim Seokjung who was the master of New World. The name of New World would rise again once Hyeonu became a part of it.

‘Of course, I will be sitting in the best position.’

The spotlight for the sixth main scenario would be taken by him, but he wouldn’t give up on the people around him—New World, Pioneer, Yeongchan, and so on.

It would be no different from the fifth main scenario.

‘By the way, I don’t think the East Continent is very weak? Rather, the level of the NPCs is much higher there.’ Hyeonu felt that Johannes’ words were a bit strange. The East Continent was weak?

“The mountain bandits of the East Continent are on the level of the knights here. So why are they weak?” Hyeonu asked.

“Of course, the average level is high. However, you are here. There are some monsters.” Johannes extended a finger and pointed it at Hyeonu.

‘Me?? Ah! Adventurers,’ Hyeonu realized. “Are you talking about adventurers?”

“Yes. As long as there are adventurers who can’t die, the West Continent will inevitably win if the two continents collide. In addition, the emperor of the empire is a monster. The West Continent will never lose in a war as long as he is present.”

‘Indeed... That crazy emperor is a monster.’ Hyeonu nodded at Johannes’ words. He felt the same way. The emperor was truly a monster. Hyeonu had gone through his third class advancement yet he still felt choked up in front of the emperor.

‘It isn’t because I’m weak. The emperor is just a monster,’ Hyeonu remarked inwardly.

“You aren’t going? Shall I send you? Where do you want to go this time? The East Continent? Or do you want to go north?” Johannes waved his hand before the face of Hyeonu, who wasn’t thinking of moving.

“There’s no need. I am going. Do you have a deadline?”

“Deadline? You can decide it yourself. I’m not the one in a hurry, right?”

“I understand.” Hyeonu politely bowed to Johannes and tore the return book in his inventory to go back to the capital of Yusma.

*** 

Hyeonu exited Arena, took a Coke out of his fridge, and made a phone call. He opened the lid of the Coke, and it made a refreshing sound. Then he drank it to his heart’s content.

“Kyah... It’s sweet. Sweet.”

Drinking Coke after playing Arena made it exceptionally sweet to Hyeonu. Just then, a heavy male voice flowed from his smartphone that had been ringing.

-It is Gang Junggu. Who are you?

The owner of the voice was Gang Junggu, the vice president of New World.

“Hyung-nim, it’s Hyeonu."

-Hyeonu? What is it? It’s only been a few days since we’ve seen each other. Did you call because you miss me already?

Gang Junggu was hidden in Kim Seokjung’s shadow, but he was still a very funny person. Hyeonu shook his head at Gang Junggu’s words. “It isn’t like that. It might be different if you were a woman, but I don’t want to hear your voice.” 

-It is the same for me. So why did you call?

“When are you going to announce it? The fact that I am adding my name to New World, I mean.”

-Let’s see... I had no intention of saying it just yet. Why are you asking all of a sudden?

“I picked up something good. It is something that others will covet.”

-Something good? What is it? Gang Junggu asked.

“It is something that all of you want to have. I heard there have been terrible fights over it lately.”

Despite Hyeonu’s vague explanation, Gang Junggu understood what he meant.

-You found the main scenario again. You are talented, truly talented. How are you so good at finding it? I should’ve added you as a miner instead of just adding your name… Gang Junggu smacked his lips together like he was regretful.

Hyeonu’s ability to find the main scenario quest was almost supernatural.

“I will make a reservation for first class in the sixth main scenario. In addition, I’ll be streaming soon. I will announce it on that day, about the main scenario and joining the guild. Oh, keep it a secret from Seokjung hyung-nim.”

Kim Seokjung was like a rubber ball. A person didn’t know where it would go once it bounced. Uncontrolled elements were a major hindrance when it came to streaming.

-Okay. It will be tiring to do the stream if he appears. I will do the stream alone. Once you set a date, secretly tell me the streaming content of that day. I can’t let Hyung-nim know about it.

“I understand. I’ll see you in my stream soon, Hyung-nim.”