Ranker’s Return

An uninvited guest visited Liu Shei while other people were playing Arena.

“Mr. Liu Shei, do you plan to go to the East Continent?”

The uninvited guest wasn’t of any help to him, and Liu Shei’s face couldn’t help scrunching up slightly whenever the uninvited guest wasn’t looking.

‘Why did this jerk come to me? I’m already so busy that I’m going to die.’

Liu Shei had been very busy since the main scenario began. In particular, he had devoted his heart and soul to clearing the drake raid by fighting several other dragon types, especially those with nothing in their heads. Liu Shei already knew from Alley Leader’s streams that he would never be able to kill the drake.

“Of course, I want to go? The East Continent is already trending now. It would be nice to stay in the West Continent and go on quests, but... don’t you know how many rewards you can get from interacting with the East Continent?”

However, Liu Shei had no choice but to show a smile in front of this person. It was because Bi Yoon was one of the masters of Five Stars. [1] 

The Five Stars guild wasn’t scary; they were just nasty. Of course, if Five Stars and Kowloon fought each other, then it would surely be Kowloon’s overwhelming victory. Still, it would inevitably cause some damage to Kowloon. In particular, the damage would focus on the guild members in addition to the Nine Dragons.

‘What is the use of becoming Kowloon’s master...?’

Liu Shei had to be more careful and thoughtful than he was when he had been the Third Dragon. The responsibility of the numerous guild members weighed on him now.

Liu Shei glanced at the watch on his wrist and spoke to Bi Yoon, “What do you want to say? I don’t have time for this.”

He actually had some time, but there was no need for him to have a useless conversation with Bi Yoon in a situation when every minute and second was valuable.

“I thought I said it. The drake—how about hunting it together?” Bi Yoon proposed.

Liu Shei had been trying to pretend he didn’t know the meaning of Bi Yoon’s words.

‘Why should I team up with guys like you? It is better to beg the dokkaebi [2].’

Five Stars might be a large guild, but they were a drop in the ocean compared to New World. It would be better for Liu Shei to grab onto New World.

‘...However, they’ve already passed over.’

Thinking about it again, he remembered that they had already taken Alley Leader’s boat and crossed the barrier.

‘It can’t be helped.’

“Y...” Liu Shei sighed and was about to give a positive answer when his smartphone rang. “Hello? Yes, I understand. I’ll go soon.”

Liu Shei lowered his head and gave an answer to Bi Yoon. All Liu Shei said was: “I’m sorry. I’ve been contacted to go and hunt the drake.”

There was a sly smile on Liu Shei’s face. He seemed to be laughing at Bi Yoon. Bi Yoon felt it and tried to suppress his anger. “Who is it?”

“It’s Mascherano. He is a close friend of mine.”

“Five Stars isn’t lacking compared to Red Bull. They might be strong as a group of 12, but beyond that, Five Stars also...”

Liu Shei cut off the words that the red-faced Bi Yoon was spewing out by saying, “What if Alley Leader is also present? Are you still feeling confident about that? Isn’t it a big problem if you meet each other? I listened to you once because we are both Chinese, but don’t come next time. I’ll feel bad.”

*** 

[Monument destruction 1/1]

Mascherano smashed the monument with his right hand. The moment the monument shattered, Johannes appeared with a smile... only for his face to distort.

“It’s you again? Again?” 

It was because he found the masked Hyeonu waving at him. If it was going to be like this, then there was no reason to restrict movement between the two continents.

“Do you just come to kill the drake when you’re bored? Huh?” Johannes growled as he approached Hyeonu. He seemed like he would grab Hyeonu’s collar if it wasn’t for the other people around them.

“This is the last time. There is no one else for me to help,” Hyeonu said casually to Johannes. Johannes stared at such a Hyeonu for some time before turning his gaze to the other players.

“In any case, you’ve smashed the monument, so I will give you the right to cross the mountain,” Johannes declared and waved his hand. Then a golden light appeared around Red Bull America and some of the Kowloon guild members.

[You can move to the East Continent.]

The players smiled when they saw the messages that appeared in front of them. Johannes glanced at Hyeonu again before disappearing. After that, Liu Shei and Mascherano approached Hyeonu.

“Thank you for taking care of me to the end, Alley Leader.”

“Thank you every time.”

Mascherano and Liu Shei each expressed their gratitude. Hyeonu smiled and waved off their thanks. Truth be told, he felt sorry for them as he intended to use them for the sixth main scenario. This was just shallow self-rationalization though. He still had additional hidden intentions. The more players there were in the East Continent, the easier it would be to progress on quests related to the Gucheon Secret Department.

‘It would be nice if someone found one...’

Hyeonu imagined that there might be a ridiculous situation such as one of the players unknowingly revealing the location of the Gucheon Secret Department to him.

“No need. It wasn’t too difficult for me. I hope you both have a fun East Continent experience.” Hyeonu left behind this comment, which was like what an employee of the amusement park would say, and then disappeared.

*** 

Kim Junsik was sitting in the chief public prosecutor’s office, not the department chief’s office.

“Junsik... How long have you been with me?” Kim Younggyun, the chief public prosecutor of the Seoul Central Office, put down a cup of vending machine coffee in front of Kim Junsik.

“Hasn’t it been seven years, Chief Prosecutor-nim?” Kim Junsik replied carefully as he pulled over the coffee that Kim Younggyun put down in front of him.

“Things are a bit big this time, you know?”

“I know. There is quite a lot of money involved. Moreover, it’s money tied up in Yeouido.”

In Yeouido, the slush funds of the National Assembly members were also tied to the Arena match manipulation. To be precise, the funds were invested by the people who managed the slush funds. Even so, it didn’t change the fact that they were not the owners of the funds.

“However, I’m not the one who can stop this. It won’t be too hard since these people were stupid...” Kim Younggyun carefully grasped the steaming paper cup with both hands.

“Prosecutor Chief-nim, I will work hard. I will never do anything to hurt you.” Kim Junsik rose from his seat and bowed to Kim Younggyun.

“It’s fine. There’s just one thing you should keep in mind instead, Junsik...” Kim Younggyun finished the hot coffee in one breath and stood up. He grasped Kim Junsik’s shoulder, as the latter was still bowing, and pressed it, gesturing for him to sit down. “Once you find proper prey, finish it and recover the money. No more than that. I don’t have the power to stop any more than that. I promise... If we move across the street to the 8th floor, we will do it then, Junsik.”

Kim Junsik lowered his head at Kim Younggyun’s deep words. There was only one time when Kim Younggyun refused to speak in his dialect. It was when he was really angry. Otherwise, he would always speak in his distinctive Gyeongsang Province dialect. Right now, Kim Younggyun was using the Seoul dialect.

‘He is already angry... He has been angry since the beginning...’ Kim Junsik knew it as well.

There was a limit to the things he could do by announcing the investigation to the media. He wanted to make the final struggle, but he was blocked by Kim Younggyun, who found out in advance. Nevertheless, it was also for the sake of Kim Junsik’s future.

“I understand, Chief Prosecutor-nim. Instead, you must keep that promise. We will move across the street to the 8th floor,” Kim Junsik said and then drank his coffee.

He had no way to calm his burning anger other than to drink it.

“We have to go. No matter what happens, we have to go to the 8th floor. Junsik, this is my promise to you. I will be on the 8th floor, and you will be on the 10th floor,” Kim Younggyun added to Kim Junsik’s words.

This was a long-standing promise they’d made in Daegu seven years ago. He would be on the 8th floor, and Kim Junsik would be on the 10th floor.

‘We must go there.’

Thus, no matter what, they had to go there—to the 8th floor across the street. There...

“I will be the general, and you will be in charge of the anti-corruption department. It must be so, Junsik.”

The Supreme Prosecutor’s Office was across the street from the Seoul Central District Prosecutor’s Office, and the 8th floor was the prosecutor general’s office.

*** 

The place where Hyeonu disappeared to was Phinis’s administrator’s office. Hyeonu sat in the chair in the office, holding Tang-E in his arms as he stared at something. It was a piece of white paper. Hyeonu was currently holding the information he received from Liu Yongyun about the Gucheon Secret Department, and he had been reading it for a few minutes.

[Gucheon Secret Department]

[It was created by the Yuxin Empire to control local forces, but eventually, it went out of control.

The Gucheon Secret Department is divided into Buncheonru, which is in charge of funds, and the Samsungga, the armed force.

The Samsungga is divided into the Secret Camp, the Yeokcheon Group, and the Cheonryong Group.

Externally, it is known as the Southern Star.

The Southern Star sits in Linakalu, known as the flower of the continent.

(Omitted).

Currently, the power level can’t be estimated.

Their goal also can’t be estimated. However, it is judged that they aren’t aiming for the emperor’s seat.]

‘Samsungga? Southern Star? Linakalu?’

The first time he read the information, he thought it was absurd.

‘Linakalu…’

Hyeonu’s perception of the East Continent so far was destroyed.

‘It isn’t just a continent of the east; it is a real eastern continent.’

The preconceptions he had about the East Continent were blown away. The more he thought about it, the more ridiculous he felt it was. Without having experienced it properly first, he had been acting with the preconceived notion that this place would be a certain way.

‘It will be from now on...’

It was necessary to keep this in mind.

*** 

Hyeonu grabbed an NPC wandering around Taeyang and asked, “Do you know where Linakalu is?”

He was looking for information about Linakalu. Nonetheless, it didn’t take a lot of effort as there was no one in the East Continent who didn’t know about Linakalu.

“Linakalu? Isn’t it the resort in the south of the empire? It will take at least two days to travel there using a high-speed carriage.”

A famous resort and tourist attraction in the East Continent—that was Linakalu. However, it was so far from Taeyang that it was hard to go there even if Hyeonu knew the location.

‘Should I travel for two days by carriage?’

The carriages of the Yuxin Empire weren’t ordinary carriages; they ran as fast as cars on the highway. A total of four horses pulled each carriage. It was unknown what the horses grew up eating, but they were amazing.

‘It will still take two days...’

It was an extremely far distance.

‘Linakalu… I have to go there. The question is what to do on the way.’

Hyeonu sat on the ground and wondered what to do on his way to Linakalu. It would be a serious loss if he didn’t do anything while traveling there. That would just be a waste of time.

“Tang-E, what should I do?” Hyeonu sighed as he stared at Tang-E.

Tang-E was smiling happily while holding the meat skewers that Hyeonu gave him in each hand.

“Isn’t it a holiday place? Then there is delicious food... Let’s go there, Master dude,” Tang-E replied while biting the meat of the skewers.

The journey would take two days, but Tang-E didn’t care at all. ‘I’ve already stored enough in my Subspace.’

Tang-E’s Subspace skill was evolving every day. In some ways, it was his most frequently used skill; he used it more than attack magic. He often put in the meat or food he had obtained from Hyeonu.

‘I haven’t even been eating the food that’s cooked at home,’ Tang-E remarked inwardly to himself.

Now that the skill’s rank had risen and the space had increased in size, Tang-E was able to eat to his heart’s content even when he returned to Bung Bung Island.

“Yes, you don’t care anyway.” Hyeonu smiled in a dumbfounded manner as he saw Tang-E’s happy expression.

6th Anniversary Event Link (Submission Final Date: 15th November)

[1] Changing Beyond of the Five Stars Guild to Bi Yoon 

[2] Korean goblin