Ranker’s Return

Just like the universe, the black sword moved more spectacularly than ever before—from left to right and from right to left. The trajectory of the Mysterious Sky Sword covered the air regardless of whether it was above, below, left, or right. Accordingly, blue and red trajectories also appeared.

“Oof!”

Every time they blocked Hyeonu’s strikes, Beyond and Matsumoto would make groans of pain. They couldn’t stand it. The power in the light-moving single-edged sword was so heavy that it could be mistaken for a blunt object.

‘I’m getting used to it,’ they thought.

However, this was it. Surprisingly, the attacks were very simple. They didn’t reach the level of the person who was ranked first in the arena and an undefeated player. It was just that they couldn’t cope with Alley Leader’s high stats and attack power.

“It isn’t as complicated as one might think.”

“I agree. It seems players of this level are also in the master rank.”

The two men whispered while they were far away from Alley Leader. They seemed to be finding a ray of sunlight in despair. Of course, they would die today. However, they were hopeful they could win the next time they met.

Matsumoto asked, “Are you shooting the video? I’ve been doing so since we’ve started.”

Beyond nodded as he too had started filming from the moment Team Hell ran away. “Of course. We have to gain as much as possible before we die. Then we will have fewer regrets.”

The two of them had only fought together briefly, but in the meantime, they had become quite close. This was a bond gained by dealing with their common enemy known as Alley Leader.

“Then let’s go again. We must pour out everything without caring,” Matsumoto said.

Beyond nodded at Matsumoto’s words. The current humiliation wasn’t important. The only important thing was that they could pay it back later.

“I’ll go first this time,” Beyond declared and ran toward Alley Leader. Beyond thought about all the trump cards he had kept hidden so far. He had a buff type skill that he acquired from an instance dungeon he accidentally came across.

‘Ram of Destruction.’

Ram of Destruction was a good buff skill. It only lasted a few moments, but his stats were doubled. However, it was a skill that should only be used in certain situations since his stats would decrease by half for 30 minutes after the duration of the skill was over.

[Ram of Destruction has been used.]

[All stats have increased.]

‘I can hold on like this.’

Now that all his stats had doubled, it seemed that he could last against Alley Leader’s attacks. No, he had to endure unconditionally. It took less than a minute for him to realize how arrogant he had been. His confident heart was broken when Alley Leader’s sword headed toward him.

Alley Leader’s attacks were terribly powerful. Beyond realized it only after being hit by it. So far, Alley Leader hadn’t even used sword energy, let alone pure energy. The black flames swirling around Alley Leader’s single-edged sword ate at Beyond’s pure energy like the flames of hell. In addition, it didn’t only eat up Beyond’s sword energy; it swallowed up Beyond himself.

Surrounded by black pure energy, the Mysterious Sky Sword cut through Beyond’s defenseless body. Beyond’s body was split in two, and blood scattered everywhere like spring flowers.

Matsumoto saw it and got goose bumps. It was only one exchange of attack and defense, yet this alone caused Beyond’s sword to fly away before he was cut in half by Alley Leader.

‘This is crazy.’

Just then, Matsumoto’s eyes widened even further as Alley Leader appeared like a ghost in front of him. Alley Leader’s sword contained the momentum of splitting the world in half. Matsumoto miraculously managed to raise his sword to stop Alley Leader from attacking.

However, it was up to there. Matsumoto lost strength in his hand and dropped his sword. He hurriedly lowered his head. Due to his urgency, his hands shook, and he couldn’t pick up his sword properly. When Matsumoto finally picked up his sword and looked up, his gaze met Alley Leader’s eyes that were filled with black flames.

Blood soared like a fountain from Matsumoto’s cut neck.

“Uwah! It’s over. Tang-E, come out. Pick up the items.”

Now was the pleasant looting time.

*** 

As Tang-E picked up the items, Hyeonu leaned halfway down against a tree.

‘I feel cool inside.’

Hyeonu felt like he had been suffocating for weeks. It was even more so because it was a mistake that hadn’t been made by him.

‘I’m glad it’s cleaned up.’

The Mano Guild was a true spy. It had been easier for Hyeonu to organize his plan thanks to the information Patrick sent him from time to time. He often sent Hyeonu the details of the movements and plans of Five Stars and the Zenith Guild.

‘I am forced to work with Mano. The other two are completely finished.’

This was natural. Mano proved they weren’t betrayers. Hyeonu was the one who brought them into this situation, so he had to take responsibility for it. Meanwhile, Five Stars and Zenith were over. At least, until the end of the main scenario, they would never be able to reappear.

Hyeonu’s current wicked deeds figure was zero.

‘At least 20 of those who died today had over 20 points.’

This meant that many players of the two guilds who died in Hyeonu’s hands had the mark of a murderer. At this moment, Hyeonu showed a subtle smile as he had a thought.

‘They bought it well.’

Today, Hyeonu didn’t show proper control apart from his technique of reflecting the opponent’s pure energy. This was a very calculating act. It was a deliberate move to make rumors about himself.

-Alley Leader isn’t powerful because of his control but because of his high stats and items.

The reason for this rumor was simple. It was to throw them a rice cake called hope when he made his professional debut. In the Pro League, all contestants had the same stat points in PvP. The only difference was in distribution. This was why each player’s skills shone even more. Those who heard the rumors from this video would have preconceived notions about Hyeonu. Then Hyeonu would break that preconceived notion in his debut match.

‘Drama, drama.’

“Kyah! I am drunk. Drunk.”

Hyeonu admired the big picture he drew.

*** 

During the time when Hyeonu was indulging himself, Tang-E was eagerly picking up the items dropped by the players of both guilds.

“This is mine, this is for Master dude, this is for Master dude...”

Tang-E glanced at Hyeonu and secretly slipped the item into his chest. Then he picked up the other items and threw them in front of Hyeonu like nothing had happened.

“Master dude, I’ve finished picking them up. Check them out.”

Hyeonu was amazed by the items gathered in front of him. In fact, the number of items was quite large.

“Why is there so much?”

“Is it a lot? I picked up everything that was dropped.”

Tang-E misunderstood Hyeonu’s words because of his secret actions and defended himself. However, Hyeonu didn’t notice. He was distracted by the items in front of him and wasn’t interested in Tang-E.

“This is all...”

Each item was rare rated or higher. In some cases, unique items were also visible. However, he didn’t intend to wear them because the performance was worse than Hyeonu’s current equipment.

‘I will leave it to Nike to sell them.’

There was no need for Hyeonu to sell them himself. It was easier to leave it to Nike, his management. Originally, such a thing should be done by management anyway.

*** 

Hyeonu buried himself in his newly bought massage chair. The massage chair was newly bought because the intensity of his PT was increasing every day. Now it wasn’t possible for his body to recover before the next PT session with just rest. However, Hyeonu hadn’t been able to use it properly because he had been busy with the Balder Mountains and Alley Leader Academy. During this period of time, only Yeongchan had been using it.

Hyeonu entrusted himself to the pleasant vibrations beating his whole body. An exclamation involuntarily flowed from Hyeonu’s mouth, “Ah, it’s good!”

Yeongchan walked past the living room and discovered the scene. “You’re only using it now? It seems that things went well based on your expression.”

“That? It’s great. They are finished. First of all, I killed all the masters. I also killed half of the rest.”

“So it will be hard to see them for a while? I don’t know about their streams, but I guess that means they won’t be seen in the Balder Mountains?”

“Yes. I also got a few items. Was it around 40-50? There is a list on the table. Tell me if there is anything you need. I’ll give it to you.”

At Hyeonu’s words, Yeongchan hurriedly picked up the piece of paper on the table in the center of the living room.

“You got all of this? Crazy. This is crazy!” Yeongchan exclaimed when he saw the list of items on the paper.

It was literally crazy. At first glance, dozens of the items listed weren’t easy to obtain from the current auction house. The items listed here could be sold for billions.

‘I wouldn’t be able to sleep after having these things taken away. I would be furious.’

Now he even had sympathy for them. How could they fall asleep after these expensive items had been robbed from them?

“Then give me these two rings. That’s it.” Yeongchan pointed to two names as he pushed the paper in front of Hyeonu. The items that Yeongchan pointed to were better than those he wore currently.

“Really? Then you have to pay for it, right?” Hyeonu made a circle with his thumb and index finger. The items couldn’t be given for free. They might be friends, but a transaction should be thorough.

“A price?” Yeongchan cocked his head at Hyeonu’s words. ‘Is he asking me for money?’

“I’ll give you money. How much should I send you?” Yeongchan had no objection to Hyeonu’s words because the closer they were, the more careful they should be to give money for things.

“What nonsense are you saying? Why should I take money from you? Are you crazy? Have you not taken your medicine today?”

“Then what is it?” Yeongchan was impressed with Hyeonu’s words. Did he mean to give two items to Yeongchan as a gift?

‘This jerk, I understand.’

Yet at this moment, Hyeonu’s words shattered Yeongchan’s touched emotions.

“You have two choices. Wash the dishes for half a year or clean for half a year. Which one will you choose, Yeongchan?” There was a bright smile on Hyeonu’s face, and it was brighter than ever.

“...I will wash the dishes.” Yeongchan gritted his teeth and walked to his room.

At this moment, Hyeonu got up from the massage chair. “Right, Yeongchan. I forgot something.”

Yeongchan instinctively turned to look at Hyeonu. Hyeonu looked more comfortable than ever.

“What is it this time?” Yeongchan opened his mouth while trying to hide his anxiety.

“The transaction fee is two chickens. Fried chicken with onions is delicious these days. I ordered that and the original fried chicken. Pay for the food when it gets here. Understood? In addition, set the table. I will come out after washing up.”

After he finished speaking, Hyeonu jumped into the bathroom.

Yeongchan yelled, “Gang Hyeonu!!!”