Ranker’s Return

“There are an estimated 700 people over there. It is a number that doesn’t include the mentioned adventurers,” Bakar started to explain in earnest. 

However, it didn’t last long as Chen Long interrupted him in the middle: “So how do we hit them? Hit them all at once or wait for them to come out?” 

“First of all, according to internal opinion, the mainstream idea is to cut those who come out in turn.”

“So catch them when they pop out? Will that work?”

“It should work. It is because fat pigs can’t stand hunger.” Bakar smiled coldly.

He knew they would never be able to stand it. They had too much flesh around their stomachs for that.

“My thoughts are slightly different,” Hyeonu intervened in their conversation just then. 

“They will probably be waiting for you. They’ll be standing firm in an open place. Otherwise, there would be no reason for the adventurers to gather today. Information has leaked from somewhere, and they've prepared for you based on it,” Hyeonu summarized his thoughts in a clear manner.

The two men were lost in thought as they listened. After a while, Chen Long opened his mouth first and said, “Yes, that is possible. Adventurers can’t be gathered all the time, so information has obviously leaked from our side. Bakar, once this is over then handle it well. I think one month is too short.”

When Chen Long gave instructions to Bakers, he spoke as if the mission against the remaining leaders was already successful.

“Understood, Leader.”

“Moreover, the response should be flexible. Let’s move first. We can have an additional exchange of opinions once we arrive.”

At Chen Long’s words, they left the place. 

***

“What happened?” It was Gang Junggu who welcomed Hyeonu when he returned.

“It has been decided that we will move first. Everyone, gather together.” Hyeonu turned his head and made eye contact with the players around him. The people he'd met up with were the representatives of each guild he was working with. At Hyeonu's words, Mascherano, Liu Shei, and Reina approached him.

“On the way here, I met players who introduced themselves as the Venom Guild. They told me an interesting story about how there are a significant number of players over on that side. This is why I said it won’t be easy,” Hyeonu stated. 

Hearing that, Kim Seokjung’s eyes widened and appeared like those of a snake. He said, “Really? If I find out who they are, it will be worth seeing them.”

Hyeonu rubbed Kim Seokjung’s shoulders with both hands while saying, “Hyung-nim, just trust me. I now have a +12 weapon. It is powerful enough to kill them with just one blow.”

The others heard Hyeonu’s words and approached him.

“It’s +12? Didn’t the enhancement patch just occur this morning?”

“I think I spent 10,000 gold just to get to +5...”

Liu Shei and Mascherano each spoke respectively. The others were silent, but they spoke with their expressions. Hyeonu explained, “I picked up something that looked like a stone before. It turned out to be an item that can be used for enhancement. Fortunately, it was a success.”

Despite his words, the others all continued to stare at him. Hyeonu didn’t know what to do about these burdensome gazes. In the end, he pulled the Mysterious Sky Sword from his inventory.

“Sigh... This is what happens when you reach +12.” Hyeonu sighed and drew the Mysterious Sky Sword. It gave off a subtle blue light and looked a bit mysterious, making anyone who saw it desire to possess it.

“From today onward, I should continue challenging the enhancement,” Mascherano murmured when he saw the Mysterious Sky Sword. It wasn’t just Mascherano. Everyone gathered here had such a heart.

***

“Hyung-nim, can I go directly to Incheon Airport tomorrow?”

Hyeonu was attached to Kim Seokjung’s side as they moved. The workshop was scheduled for tomorrow, but Kim Seokjung still hadn’t told him anything properly.

‘Still, it’s him...’ Hyeonu trusted him anyway.

It was Kim Seokjung after all. In return for Hyeonu’s trust, Kim Seokjung responded with a confident voice, “Of course. It’s at 11 o’clock tomorrow morning. By the way...”

“By the way...?” Hyeonu turned his head at Kim Seokjung’s abruptly cut-off words.

Kim Seokjung made eye contact with Hyeonu and asked, “How many more people can come? They are all people who will help, and you know them.”

When Hyeonu heard those words, he felt flustered as he never even considered the idea that there would be other people coming. Then calmness was soon restored to his face.

‘They’re people I know? It should be okay then.’

They wouldn’t be bad people if they were called over by Kim Seokjung. As such, Hyeonu agreed easily and didn’t think about it any further. No, he couldn’t think about it as countless people could be seen in the distance.

“Stop!” Chen Long shouted for his group to stop. Then he stepped forward and yelled, “Chen So! Where are you hiding? If you have any dignity, come out now!”

In Hyeonu’s eyes, Chen Long himself seemed to have no dignity. Starting from those words, Chen Long started swearing like a local gangster until a man called Chen So came out. He yelled back, “Chen Long, you! I heard it, I heard it. You never know when to stop! I cared for you so much yet you stabbed a knife in my back?!”

The man presumed to be Chen So wasn’t as old as expected. At first glance, he looked young enough to be brothers with Chen Long. It was hard to believe that he had a child of an adult’s age.

“You are the one who stabbed the knife first, Chen So. You abandoned me using a ridiculous excuse and handed that position over to the unqualified child,” Chen Long launched a preemptive strike at Chen So who appeared.

A sharpened sword was aimed at the chest of Chen So who replied, “It is a matter of circumstances. I was just giving him a position that matched the achievement.”

“Calling it an achievement is even more ridiculous. The Mysterious Sky Demonic Art of the Mysterious Sky Sect? That incomplete rubbish? Did you think things would come to this point because of that?”

“What does that mean?” Doubts appeared on Chen So’s face.

“The leader of the Mysterious Sky Sect is with me because of what you did. If anything should be an achievement, then it should be this,” Chen Long said with obvious ridicule appearing on his face.

Then he turned behind him and shouted, “We will create a new Gucheon Secret Department with our hands!”

The battle began with Chen Long’s words.

***

Hyeonu was distracted. Was it because of the silver blades in front of him constantly disturbing his eyes? No, they were typical attacks and wouldn’t cause much trouble for Hyeonu.

[Dignity of the Sect Leader is activated.]

[You can limit the movements of those who have learned the Mysterious Sky Demonic Art.]

This was the main culprit that scattered Hyeonu’s focus. The message constantly appeared and tormented Hyeonu’s eyes.

‘It means so many people have learned the Mysterious Sky Demonic Art.’

Hyeonu withdrew the Mysterious Sky Sword. Moreover, he did it in the middle of the battlefield. The nearby players saw that, and their opened wide like they were looking at a crazy person.

‘Focus, focus.’ Hyeonu focused his thoughts and concentrated, drawing an image in his mind. It was of NPCs falling down like leaves.

[Dignity of the Sect Leader is activated.]

[You can limit the movements of those who have learned the Mysterious Sky Demonic Art.]

Dark red threads emerged from Hyeonu’s body and shot at some NPCs around him. Those NPCs had only one thing in common: they had all learned the Mysterious Sky Demonic Art.

“What?!!”

“Ack!!”

Screams rang out all over the place. Taking a brief pause in a fierce battle meant death. Hyeonu didn’t kill them himself, but he made it happen. The battlefield collapsed in an instant, and the flow of the battle completely leaned toward Chen Long’s side. With Hyeonu at the center of battlefield, those who had mastered the imperfect Mysterious Sky Demonic Art were helpless like mice in front of a cat. Like sinners waiting for Hyeonu’s judgment to fall, they stopped and stretched out their necks.

[Cheon Su of the Secret Camp has been killed.]

[Experience has been acquired.]

Another Secret Camp member lost his life and fell to the ground.

‘Where is he?’ Hyeonu was looking for one person on the battlefield that was filled with many people. It was someone whose face he didn’t know. Hyeonu only knew the person’s name, but he felt like they were someone he would be able to recognize just by looking at the face. He was looking for Chen Tai.

‘There is a high possibility Chen Long will be there.’

Chen Tai should be in that group with Chen So, who was his father, and the other leaders. They were well aware that scattering their people on a battlefield like this was the worst.

‘Where is Chen Long?’

Hyeonu slowly moved to find Chen Long in a place where fierce battles were occurring. Of course, he wasn’t just moving. He used Mysterious Sky Steps and moved like a ghost. Hyeonu moved secretly so that no one would notice him, and he did so while cutting at the opponents’ bodies. In the place where Hyeonu passed, the only ones who existed were those who collapsed while bleeding.

‘There he is.’ Hyeonu ran through the battlefield and succeeded in discovering Chen Long. Chen Long was fighting a difficult battle. He emitted strong pure energy as he tried to kill his opponents without a break. It wasn’t a one-on-one battle. Beside Chen Long were Bakar and the people of the Cheonryong Group Hyeonu had seen previously. Of course, their opponents also numbered in the dozens.

Hyeonu quietly observed the opposing party from a distance.

‘Which one is Chen Tai?’

He thought about the girl from Buncheonru and felt that Chen Tai must not be old. Chen Tai must be in his 20s. This was enough.

‘It’s you.’ A man with a face around that age entered Hyeonu’s eyes. Aside from this man, the rest were old.

‘What should I do?’ Hyeonu was troubled for a moment. He really wanted to enter the battlefield and blow away Chen Tai’s head, but that wasn’t possible. It was too ridiculous for him to simply enter the group of enemies and achieve his desired goal. Therefore, he needed a plan.

‘First, I need to attract attention... I will aim for when everyone is flustered.’

However, there was no time to make a plan. This wasn’t a quiet valley but the middle of the battlefield filled with the beautiful sound of metal crying. His worries lasted a short while, and the time it took for him to put his plan into action was shorter.

Hyeonu used all of his available buffs, ranging from the giant buffs to One Who Yearns. Everything that could be used was mobilized.

‘In any case, this is the place where the strongest people are gathered.’

There was no need for him to save his buffs. He just needed to kill these people, and the quest would end. Hyeonu pulled out the Mysterious Sky Sword and pointed at the battlefield where the fierce battle was unfolding. Then he shouted inwardly, ‘Summon a Giant Sword!’

A huge sword appeared in the air. It was a black seven-meter-long sword, and it fell quickly. The giant sword descended in a strange position. It fell down half-way between where the leaders, including Chen So, were located. Naturally, they fled from that location, and they did so in a very urgent manner.

Just then, a black light pierced through the air like lightning.