Ranker’s Return

Thump!

The purple ogre’s ugly face collided with the ground. Then all that was heard was the sound of the Mysterious Sky Sword being sheathed. The space seemed to be stationary, and no one moved. It was the same with the chat window that should be actively moving. The chat window froze when Hyeonu started slaughtering the purple ogre. It was now in a state with no comments, just like when Hyeonu didn’t allow chatting.

“Who froze the chat window? You aren’t saying a word. Is it a bug...? Excuse me? Knock knock knock.”

The moment Hyeonu spoke playfully, the frozen chat window melted. The chat messages rose faster than before like they were shouting after the silence.

-Is this a true story?!!!

-Noooooo! He is worth 24 people, not 12!!

-I have to watch this ogre hunting video when it is uploaded. This way, I can feel the enormous sensation again.

-Isn’t this crazy? Really. He didn’t even use any skills. He just cut four times, and they died. Just cutting four times...

The viewers felt that what happened a few seconds ago was a fantasy. It wasn’t realistic. Sure, it was funny to talk about being realistic in a virtual reality game, but what they saw was simply too unreal.

-No way...?

-Isn’t this just a trick?

-He even invited Red Bull. I acknowledge Alley Leader’s ability.

-We need to have a hearing. Come on, bring over Mascherano.

The viewers denied what happened. It was declared a surprise event prepared by Alley Leader to make fun of them. Hyeonu obediently followed the rhythm of the viewers. The positive participation of the viewers increased, and the fun of the stream multiplied.

Hyeonu knew this and accepted it. He approached Mascherano, who was talking seriously with the other people to one side, and called out, “Mascherano? Can you come here for a moment?”

Mascherano stood up with a confused expression. He walked around 20 meters away from his team members before asking, “What is going on?”

“It’s not me. There is something that the viewers want to ask Mascherano.”

“Viewers?” Mascherano spoke briefly before looking at the chat window shared by Hyeonu.

-It is collusion, right?

-I’m a Red Bull fan. I didn’t know this was going to happen. I thought you were taking a break from the league, but you actually held hands with Alley Leader to fool the viewers.

-Uncover the truth!

After seeing the chat window, Mascherano shifted his gaze and stared at Alley Leader. Then while watching the chat window, Mascherano repeatedly wondered, ‘What does this mean?’

He couldn’t understand it. Cheating? Who was deceived by what...?

“Everyone, how did this Mascherano deceive you? I feel wronged. There is no one more sincere than me. I’m the truest and most consistent Arena pro-gamer.” Mascherano seemed to be frustrated.

At this time, Hyeonu quietly stepped in. “You’re wondering about the situation? They suspect that I’m cheating them. They think the Balder Mountains is actually between level 100-200, and I’m showing a type of manipulation.”

“Manipulation?” Mascherano looked outraged. He couldn’t help being dumbfounded as the viewers seemed to have seriously misunderstood something. 

“No, wait a minute. I’m a bit flustered right now.” It was the first time in his life that he felt like this. Then he asked, “How did the viewers gain such a misunderstanding? It’s clear that the Balder Mountains is a very difficult hunting ground.

-Well, that... The giant black-maned lions—they died in one blow.

-There was also the big wandering wolf.

-It couldn’t even hit Alley Leader once. The AI seemed very low.

-Does it make sense for it to die in one blow?

-It seems that the Balder Mountains is a perfectly suitable place for kids.

“Do you have any videos, Alley Leader? I also want to see it,” Mascherano stated.

Hyeonu nodded. There was a video of him hunting the black-maned lions. Aside from streaming, Hyeonu filmed a separate video whenever he thought it was important. This made it easier to edit. He could upload the video as is or edit the extracted parts separately.

“Here it is. Take a look.” Hyeonu gave Mascherano a mirror.

It was something he had previously handed to Tang-E.

“Viewers, let me take a look first,” Mascherano said.

By the time Mascherano got the mirror, the video was already playing. Three giant black-maned lions were revealed in the mirror. ‘It is truly the black-maned lions. It isn’t easy from the very beginning of the Balder Mountains. They are beast-type monsters with quick and powerful attacks.’

The more he watched the video, the more bizarre Mascherano’s expression became. His eyes grew wide, and his hands trembled as he held the mirror. He couldn’t acknowledge the video in front of him.

“What is this?”

The video showed that the fast movements of the black-maned lions were meaningless. The attacks just brushed past Alley Leader. Every time a black-maned lion tried to bite and scratch him, its waist would be cut. Mascherano exhaled as strongly as possible. A short time later, he returned the mirror to Hyeonu.

Then Mascherano pulled out an identical-looking mirror from his inventory. “Viewers, look at this. It is a video of Red Bull America, last season’s runner up and the winner of the raid section of Arena Week, hunting black-maned lions.”

Hyeonu changed the streaming perspective to his own view and started to watch the video in the mirror. The video showed 12 players block the blacked-maned lions with the correct timing. The players used their skills and managed their aggro. Even the team’s priest escaped the attack of a black-maned lion. Everything was perfect; it was a play with no errors.

-Wow, good job. As expected from the best raid team in the world.

-It is a perfect raid. 

There were no gaps.

However, it was different from Alley Leader’s perfection. If Red Bull America’s perfection was like a perfect cog, then Alley Leader was the peak of personal prowess.

-Still, it is unfortunate. There is nothing overwhelming.

-Apart from that, it confirms that the Balder Mountains is a high-level field.

Hyeonu stared closely at the chat window and opened his mouth to say, “Yes, that’s right. The Balder Mountains is such a dangerous place. Those who haven’t gained their third class advancement will be killed by the lion. Please be careful, everyone.” 

Mascherano added to this, “If you come here after watching Alley Leader’s videos, you will lose a day after dying. It is true.”

*** 

After that, Hyeonu streamed with Mascherano and Red Bull America. This gave him a nickname—bus driver. It was literally the same as the original meaning. A high-level player helping low-level players hunt. In Hyeonu’s case, the targets being leveled up weren’t low-level players but professional players currently at the top of the rankings.

“Then I will end the streaming here today. I’ll try to show you how to hunt deeper in the next stream.”

Hyeonu ended the streaming with this closing remark. He logged out of Arena the moment the streaming ended. It was because he had an important promise to keep.

‘What time is it? 8:30? It’s tight.’

He was running out of the time before the appointment. The streaming had started faster than usual, but the time of the stream was longer than usual. This meant there wasn’t much time left.

“Hey! I’m going out.”

Hyeonu hurriedly changed clothes and left the house without being able to brush his hair properly. He arrived at the parking lot and stopped in front of a large red sedan. It was his car, Hope. Hyeonu started Hope, unlocked his smartphone, and sent a message somewhere.

-I’m departing now. I will arrive soon.

He looked at the watch on his wrist and frowned. 10 minutes had passed.

‘There are 20 minutes left.’

The good news was that the meeting place wasn’t far from Hyeonu’s house.

*** 

“Thank you for coming. I wondered if I should be calling someone who is so busy.” Moon Doyeong stood up and greeted Hyeonu after seeing him enter the room.

“No. I neglected the work of the team under the pretext of being busy. I’m sorry,” Hyeonu apologized to Moon Doyeong with a bow.

“I shouldn’t have mentioned it. Let’s sit down and talk.” Moon Doyeong reached out and pointed to the seat in front of him.

Hyeonu sat down, and Moon Doyeong started the conversation in earnest. Moon Doyeong was a high-profile club owner with an extremely high interest in Arena. Since Arena was released, the number one goal on his bucket list was to own an Arena Pro League Club. He had now achieved that dream.

“It is no different from me fully serving Alley Leader. I said that I would give you full control of the professional club, but I still have some questions. For example, the players recruited. I want to know about the players, the players.”

Moon Doyeong emphasized precisely what he wanted to know about—the players. Who was coming to the team? This was the thing he was curious about.

Hyeonu responded by grinning. He was pleased with Moon Doyeong’s interest. It was right that such a person was in charge of the team. This was much better than someone who only saw the club as a source of money.

“It is natural that you are curious. I understand. You don’t have to be so polite. There is only one person that has been confirmed. It’s Mason. He will be the magician of Crescent Moon.”

“Mason? Ah, the disciple of that great magician?” Moon Doyeong’s expression and voice sank in an instant. He tried to hide it, but it couldn’t be hidden.

“I know that Mason hasn’t been verified, but he is the best magician I know,” Hyeonu said. 

Hearing this, Moon Doyeong’s expression brightened. Hyeonu’s praise changed Moon Doyeong’s evaluation of Mason from an unverified player to a player guaranteed by Alley Leader. Moon Doyeong’s mood transformed in an instant.

“Can I hear about the candidates?”

He was looking forward to it. What was Alley Leader’s lineup?

“I’m thinking about three. Dwayne, Sunny, and Leah.”

“Pfft!” Moon Doyeong spat out the water he had been drinking. He hurriedly pulled out a tissue and cleaned up the water. “What does that...?”

It wasn’t quite right. They were names that didn’t fit with the profession of a professional gamer. Hollywood’s best action star, an A-World reporter, and Streamer Argon’s younger sister as well as the student of the third Alley Leader Academy. What was the formula for combining their skills?

“Don’t you trust me?” Hyeonu stared into Moon Doyeong’s eyes. It seemed like sparks would fly from Hyeonu’s eyes.

“Of course, I trust you. Who can I trust if I don’t trust Alley Leader?” Moon Doyeong replied.

“Tomorrow, I’ll send you an email detailing why I chose them.”

Moon Doyeong nodded at Hyeonu’s words. He said he believed in Hyeonu, but he was still anxious. He wanted to hear the reason. He wanted to hear it right now, but he respected Hyeonu and couldn’t ask him here.

Hyeonu opened his mouth, “Then can I ask you a question?”

“Yes.”

“The 30 billion that I paid off. Please give me an explanation about that 30 billion.”