Ranker’s Return

The next day in Arena time, Hyeonu visited Bakar, who was standing at the entrance of Southern Star. Hyeonu called out, “Bakar, I’m here.”

Bakar waved while staring at Hyeonu. Then he approached Hyeonu and said, “I will go with you. I have been waiting for some time.”

Hyeonu cocked his head at Bakar’s words. 

‘Why is he going with me?’

After all, Hyeonu already knew the way. So why go together? He asked, “Aren’t you standing guard?”

“Isn’t it obvious? I’m doing this because I am bored. I’m just someone who was demoted to being a guard. Demoted! It is a job in which I just stand still and breathe. Thus, there is no penalty for not doing my job,” Bakar spoke quickly.

He had already stepped out of the entrance and neared Hyeonu.

‘Based on this level, I don’t think his identity is ordinary?’

How outstanding was he to be able to give Hyeonu such benefits? Regardless, Hyeonu was grateful to Bakar. It was god’s hand that led Hyeonu to the guard.

“Then let’s go together. I brought a lot today.” Hyeonu patted the pocket of the coat he was wearing.

Bakar smiled and walked toward the location of the guard leader. The two men walked for a long time without saying anything. There was only the sound of their footsteps until Hyeonu opened his mouth and asked, “By the way, what is the name of the guard leader? You only called him ‘Master’ yesterday...”

Bakar’s pace slowed down a bit, and his mouth moved at the same speed as his slow pace. He said, “That guy? Didn’t I tell you? His name is Chen Long. He was originally the master of the Cheonryong Group. He is one of the direct descendants of Southern Star.”

‘Cheonryong Group?’

It was one of the three major armed forces of the Samsungga—Secret Camp, Yeokcheon and, Cheongryong.

‘His position is higher than I thought?’

In addition, the name ‘Chen Long’ was somehow familiar to Hyeonu. He knew a similar name—Chen Tai. Hyeonu had heard from the girl at Buncheonru that Chen Tai was a disciple of the Mysterious Sky Sect and the man known as the son of the Gucheon Secret Department’s leader.

“Do you know Chen Tai?” Hyeonu mentioned the name. Bakar’s face became strange after hearing it; his smiling expression had turned ugly.

“How do you know that name? Chen Tai is the new master of the Cheonryong Group. He is an unqualified man who reached his position using the power of his parents. It is said that he made a great achievement, but... This is why Master left the Cheonryong Group,” Bakar spat out with an angry face.

‘Are Chen Tai and Chen Long brothers?’ Hyeonu wondered.

Setting aside the question in his mind, he started to explain, “It is a name I’ve heard quite a bit since coming to Linakalu. There is a man called Chen Tai in Southern Star... He just doesn’t seem to have a good reputation.”

Hyeonu just made up some stuff he hadn’t actually heard about. However, Bakar was on the verge of losing his temper and didn’t notice that.

He said, “I suppose so. He believes in the power of his parents and rose to the position of leader of the Cheonryong Group. Does it make sense for him to suddenly appear and become the leader? Now look. It’s been quite a while since I’ve left Linakalu. I left shortly after he became the leader.”

Hyeonu clenched his fists after hearing Bakar’s words.

‘The achievement he gained...’

It seemed to refer to destroying the Mysterious Sky Sect and taking away the Mysterious Sky Demonic Art. This wasn’t clear yet, but it was quite possible. The Mysterious Sky Sect Demonic Art that defeated the Gucheon Secret Department hundreds of years ago was of great value even if it wasn’t complete.

“This is why I thought they were brothers,” Hyeonu stated.

“What is that bullshit?!! How could Master have such trash for a brother?! Absolutely not. Master is alone. He has no blood relationship in the world now. They are...” Bakar spat out heated words.

Hyeonu ignored Bakar’s words and got lost in his own thoughts.

‘The conditions are so perfect...’

The more he heard, the more complete the story became. It seemed that with the guard leader, Chen Long, Hyeonu would be able to overturn the Samsungga.

‘I need more time. Time to build up trust...’

“Let’s go. The master must be waiting.”

“Of course. We should go.”

The two people quickened their pace.

*** 

“What nonsense about waiting? I knew it would be like this,” Bakar expressed harshly.

He was agitated by the sight in front of his eyes. The guard leader was lying on the floor of the training ground and sleeping in the warm sunlight.

Hyeonu called out, “Bakar...?”

However, Bakar ignored Hyeonu and strode over to Chen Long.

“Master, get up. Wake up!! I brought the newcomer!” Bakar stood over the sleeping Chen Long to wake him up. Then when Chen Long didn’t reply, that was when Bakar started shouting.

“Uh... I thought my eardrums would burst. Why are you screaming like this? Eh? Isn’t this the newcomer? Hey, you really came?” Chen Long got up with a deep frown and shook his head when he saw Hyeonu behind Bakar.

“I’m a guard now. I have to come. Why did you think I wouldn’t come?” Hyeonu replied with a shrug.

“Of course. Adventurers are beings who only live and die for the benefits in front of them. They aren’t people who will stay with someone like me,” Chen Long said while twisting and stretching his body. Then he glanced at Hyeonu and continued, “Especially if it is an adventurer as powerful as our newcomer. Isn’t that right? Bakar must’ve also felt it to some extent since he decided to take you in. Neither of us are blind.”

Hyeonu’s gaze turned toward Bakar, asking if it was true. Bakar nodded silently.

‘Damn artificial intelligence,’ Hyeonu scolded the Arena NPCs for their superior AI. It would be nice if the NPCs were pigheaded, but they were actually so excellent. As such, it was difficult for Hyeonu to get away with anything.

‘How can I deceive them and clear the quest...?’

“Not all adventurers are like that. In addition, the Samsungga... Isn’t it the power that created Linakalu, the best resort in the East Continent?” Hyeonu replied with a smile.

Still, Chen Long didn’t believe Hyeonu and continued to push him. It was because Hyeonu made a mistake. Chen Long questioned him, “Samsungga? Who taught you that name? We are Southern Star...?”

‘Damn...’

It was a decisive mistake. ‘Samsungga’ was the name that only some forces knew. On the surface, the Samsungga were generally known as ‘Southern Star’, and ‘Samsungga’ was an unrevealed name.

“So tell me. Why did you enter our Southern Star—no, Samsungga?” Chen Long asked with a deep smile.

Hyeonu also smiled before saying, “Do you want to be the master of the Samsungga?”

“...?!!!” Chen Long’s eyes widened at Hyeonu’s words. Then he whispered slightly, “What does that mean? The master of the Samsungga?”

“If you have such a goal, I can help. After all, an enemy of an enemy is a friend,” Hyeonu offered with a smile. Then he continued talking: “It isn’t just me who is tangled up with the Samsungga—no, the Gucheon Secret Department. You are from the Gucheon Secret Department, so you should know that it isn’t just one or two people who are your enemies, right? The imperial family of the Yuxin Empire is already an enemy of yours.”

Chen Long had no reply to Hyeonu’s words. He knew better than anyone that Hyeonu’s words were true. The Yuxin Empire longed for the old Gucheon Secret Department, and there were secret contradictions with the nobles and forces in all parts of the empire.

‘He’s tangled up with them?’ Chen Long wondered, feeling that there was something strange about this. What was this adventurer’s conflict with the Gucheon Secret Department? In recent years, there had been a lot of external activity. Was it related to that?

“You’re tangled up with them? Aren’t you an adventurer?” Chen Long asked with a curious expression.

“Our goals are very closely related. I am the leader of the Mysterious Sky Sect.”

“...!! You are the Mysterious Sky Sect Leader?! Isn’t the Mysterious Sky Sect Leader dead?”

“The former leader is dead. However, I inherited everything, so I’m the current master of the Mysterious Sky Sect.”

Hyeonu finished talking and raised the intensity his magic power. He just raised it slightly, but it was enough for Chen Long to recognize it as the Mysterious Sky Demonic Art. This was enough. Knowing this, neither Bakar nor Chen Long raised their magic power. They just watched Hyeonu silently.

‘I didn’t believe it completely, but... I didn’t expect him to be so careless,’ Chen Long thought. Chen Tai had claimed that he had killed the Mysterious Sky Sect Leader and brought the Mysterious Sky Demonic Art to the Samsungga. Yet nothing had been done properly. Now it turned out to be a lesson instead of an achievement.

‘The Mysterious Sky Sect was inherited by an adventurer, and the Mysterious Sky Demonic Art that Chen Tai brought is incomplete...’

The imperfect Mysterious Sky Demonic Art definitely wasn’t ahead of the complete martial arts inside the Mysterious Sky Demonic Art; imperfection couldn’t overcome perfection.

‘Becoming an enemy to this powerful adventurer...’

Adventurers were immortal, and there was no limit to their growth. Chen Long was worried about the Samsungga’s future. After all, he currently belonged to the Samsungga, which was part of the Gucheon Secret Department.

“What if I don’t want to become the master of the Samsungga?” He asked.

“Then I will leave here straight away and start attacking. A huge group is powerful but slow. I will break it all down from the bottom. I’ll just leave it as a name in the legends. In any case, I have the imperial family behind me.” Hyeonu stopped talking here.

This was Hyeonu stepping back to nail in the wedge. He then raised his hand, and a vivid black pure energy was created in it.

“As you can see, I can use pure energy. I have more than a dozen adventurer companions of this level,” Hyeonu stated.

It was a threat. There were dozens of adventurers who could use pure energy, and he said he would attack the Samsungga with them. The Samsungga might be a powerful force, but it wasn’t powerful enough to be able to ignore the reckless attacks of dozens of strong users. Furthermore, it was certainly hard to ignore immortal adventurers.

“Master! What are you worried about? We naturally have to accept. Didn’t I say it before? Become the leader. This is an opportunity, an opportunity!” Bakar had been silently watching the conversation between the two of them, but now he grabbed Chen Long’s shoulder and started to persuade him.

In Bakar’s opinion, this was an opportunity. The current the Samsungga was rotten. They had chosen the new master based on blood, not ability. It was said that this was the source of the contradiction, but the reason Chen Long quit the Cheonryong Group was because his parents had been killed.

“Aren’t you going to get revenge? You have to think of them. Think of the reason why you left the Cheonryong Group and came here!” Bakar continued to persuade him.

After listening for a while, Chen Long raised his right hand to stop Bakar: “I understand, I understand. I don’t know if this rope is rotten or made of gold, but I still have to grab onto it.”

Then Chen Long’s gaze left Bakar and stopped on Hyeonu. “What do you want from me, newcomer?” 

Hyeonu smiled brightly and said, “For now, let’s drink some alcohol first.”

Simultaneously, he pulled out a bottle.

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