Ranker’s Return

“Of course, I will challenge it after the break,” Emperor said right before brazenly sitting down on the floor of the stage and pulling out a mirror.

He then started to communicate with the viewers.

-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Wow, who is this? Why haven’t I recognized a star like this yet?

-You aren’t streaming? Please come and do it. I definitely want to see it.

-I will go and see it on any day except Monday and Friday.

-I’m a fan from today. Just take off the mask...

The viewers greeted him enthusiastically. They really liked this type of temperament.

“If you have any questions, just ask. I will answer a few of them.”

-His tone is also very charming.

-Isn’t this being too immersed in the concept?

-Your showmanship is the best.

-By the way, I’m really curious about who you are.

Emperor scanned the messages in the mirror. Despite his words, there were only a few questions in the comments window. They were just busy talking about him.

-Can you beat Warrior? He was very good just now.

Finally, there was something Emperor could answer.

“Of course, I can win. I am the emperor. Nothing can stand in the way of my victory,” Emperor said confidently.

He was proud and arrogant, but no one criticized this attitude. It was because they knew it was a concept. That’s why they enjoyed it even more.

“I will end the break here. I think it’s okay to proceed quickly since the opponent is determined. Do you agree, Warrior?” Yeongchan said after coming up to the stage.

The named Warrior also nodded and moved. He was preparing for revenge—revenge on Emperor, who had randomly thrown him onto the stage.

“I’m fine with it,” Warrior replied.

“Then it’s the fourth match of today’s Masked Fighting King. We will start the match between Emperor of the ancient empire and Otherworld Warrior.”

The moment Warrior came onto the stage, Yeongchan went down like he’d just passed off a baton.

‘Who will win?’ Yeongchan watched the two people standing on the stage with great interest.

Two matches had already been played, but Warrior’s identity was still unknown. The Emperor had yet to fight, so his identity was naturally still unknown. As everyone’s attention turned to the two of them, the Emperor stood still and showed no movements.

“Why don’t you pull out that sword?” Warrior asked as he drew his sword.

There was clearly a long sword hanging from Emperor’s waist.

“This? I was given this and just received it. This isn’t the weapon I use the most,” Emperor responded.

Everyone who saw this burst out laughing at Emperor’s absurd answer.

-Hah... He is wearing a sword, so I thought he was a swordsman.

-In this way, the production crew is trying a fake-out.

-So he’s a fighter then?

-It seems so. If he uses something like a spear, they wouldn’t have given a sword.

‘Yes, he must be a fighter. That’s why I was pushed earlier.’ Warrior was able to understand what happened previously after hearing Emperor’s words.

He had quarreled with Emperor and so had to climb onto the stage. The reason as to why he lost the disagreement was simple. He had been unable to use his strength properly and had gotten pushed back.

‘If he is a fighter... all I have to do is keep a moderate distance. I am in a good condition today,’ Ryan, the Otherworld Warrior, told himself.

Today was an opportunity to wash his past clean.

‘I’ll show you that I originally wasn’t such a person.’

Ryan hadn’t forgotten the humiliation he suffered in the past when Alley Leader appeared on Masked Fighting King. On that day, Ryan lost and left without any impact.

‘I will win five straight victories today and take off my mask.’

Today was a special feature, so he would reveal his face even if he became the Masked Fighting King. If that happened, the stigma would disappear. Ryan pointed his sword at Emperor while approaching. Emperor also got neared Ryan little by little. He moved his body and took light steps with a very skillful appearance.

Just then, Ryan suddenly jumped out with his sword. He struck like a lightning bolt, but the sword just cut air instead of slicing Emperor.

‘He avoided it? Where is he?’ Ryan retrieved his sword the moment he realized his attack had missed, and he looked around for his target.

“Tsk... You don’t deserve the name of Warrior.” Emperor had arrived at Ryan’s location before the latter even knew it.

‘When?’ Ryan felt sweat start to form on his face and back. ‘They’re definitely the same stats, right? He is a fighter, but he doesn’t have any special skills...’

Warrior didn’t understand. Emperor’s movements didn’t make sense.

“I’ll let you go once. There is no next time, weak warrior.” Emperor returned to where he had been standing originally.

Ryan’s pride was hurt. He couldn’t just do nothing. There was more to him than this.

‘I can’t collapse here,’ Ryan thought.

He had two victories...

He couldn’t be defeated in vain here.

“You will regret it,” Ryan said.

“Who knows? I don’t think so? It’s because I don’t know the word ‘regret’,” Emperor refuted Ryan’s words with ease.

Ryan quickly realized there was nothing to gain from continuing the conversation and inserted strength into his hand that held the sword. Just then, Emperor’s hand burned with a brilliant gold color. It was pure energy. The people who saw it broke into chaos. It was because they had a rough idea of what Emperor was intending to do.

“He is trying to finish it in an instant.”

“Is it a stat distribution method that isn’t aiming for a drawn-out battle?”

“The time it takes to manifest the pure energy is short. Was there a player like this?”

The surprise of the masked fighters was especially great. It was a sight that couldn’t be seen in the real league. In order to manifest pure energy so rapidly, a certain amount of magic power was essential. However, this meant other stats had to be lowered. Yet Emperor tried it and succeeded.

Nevertheless, white pure energy rose from Ryan’s sword. The light might be shallower than the Emperor, but it was definitely also a strong pure energy.

Emperor and Ryan ran toward each other. It was a straight charge with no finesse. There was a clash of strength and strength, and the two men collided without any retreat. Just then, Emperor punched Ryan’s sword, and it shook like a reed on a windy day.

“Kuoh!” A groan emerged from Ryan’s mouth.

He felt the palms of his hand getting torn, but he didn’t give up. The fight would be over the moment he lost his weapon. Ryan injected more magic power into his sword and finally managed to hold onto it. He didn’t stop there though. Rather, he poured in even more magic power to try and fight back.

‘I will lose if this continues.’

Ryan stepped forward with his left foot. Simultaneously, he swung the sword that was full of pure energy diagonally. It was a strike that would change the atmosphere if it hit. Just then, a sight unfolded that caused everyone to rub their eyes. Ryan, who was showing a neat cut, made a heavy sound and collapsed straight to the ground. It all happened in an instant. Right before Ryan’s sword moved, Emperor had dug deep into his space and slammed him upside down.

‘What?’ Ryan stared up at the sky, seemingly unable to recover his mind.

He wasn’t properly aware of the reality he was in.

“Well? I think it’s over?” Emperor turned and looked at where Yeongchan was sitting. Upon receiving Emperor’s gaze, Yeongchan glanced urgently at the staff. It was the first time he had experienced this.

‘He isn’t dead or seriously hurt, so why can’t he get up from the ground?’ Yeongchan wondered.

It was the same for the staff members. In the end, everything had to be decided by Yeongchan. Yeongchan walked onto the stage in a dumbfounded manner and announced the results with an embarrassed expression: “Otherworld Warrior is judged as being unable to fight, and Emperor has won.”

Then he approached Ryan who was still lying down blankly.

“Excuse me... Can you see this?” Yeongchan waved his hand in front of Ryan’s eyes.

Ryan quickly reached out and grabbed Yeongchan’s hand before getting up.

“Is it... the end?” Ryan asked.

He felt like he was dreaming. ‘Did I really lose?’

It was as futile as a dream, much like he had seen an illusion. Ryan’s mind returned at the answer of the MC, Yeongchan.

“Yes, it has finished. Warrior’s defeat has been confirmed. Even so, don’t be too discouraged. There are still many opportunities,” Yeongchan said.

Ryan trudged off the stage. His shoulders were sagging due to a lack of strength.

“Then I’ll start the next match after a short break.” Yeongchan finished hosting and left the stage. However, there was a man who came to Yeongchan’s seat first and sat down.

“Warrior...?” Yeongchan uttered.

Warrior had moved and was now sitting in Yeongchan’s seat. Beside him was naturally Emperor.

“Right? Am I right?”

“No, I’m really not. How many times do I have to say it? No.”

The two people were bickering endlessly. They didn’t even take out the mirror to talk to the chat room.

“The two of you over there, please stay away from each other. Under the rules of Masked Fighting King, private conversations between fighters aren’t possible,” Yeongchan said while squeezing in between the two people.

The reactions of the two people were different. Emperor welcomed him while Warrior was blatantly disappointed.

“What have you been talking about?” Yeongchan asked Emperor.

It was for verification rather than curiosity. He didn’t know if they had fought or not.

‘It isn’t up to that level, but...’

It really was a one in ten thousand chance. Naturally, Yeongchan didn’t think Warrior would start a fight. The top pro gamers weren’t really concerned about winning or losing. Of course, they could get angry in the moment. However, if they couldn’t control it, they wouldn’t have been able to rise to this position.

“He asked if I was Alley Leader. So damn persistent. I said I’m not, so he should just accept it,” Emperor answered.

“Keuk!” Yeongchan suddenly snorted when he heard that.

It was too funny. Still, Warrior’s question made sense. There weren’t many people who could go beyond common sense. The most likely person to do such a thing was Alley Leader.

“What is so funny?” The Emperor wondered as he turned his head toward Yeongchan.

“Nothing. I just suddenly had a funny thought. How many matches do you think you will win? You said that ‘defeat’ isn’t a word in your dictionary?”

“Of course. Today will end sooner than ever. I’m going to win five in a row,” Emperor confirmed it.

When Yeongchan heard that, he laughed while commenting inwardly, ‘Does he really think he is an emperor?’

The bluff was so absurd.

Then exactly one hour later...

Once Emperor defeated three masked fighters, Yeongchan could no longer laugh at him.

‘Gang Hyeonu. Emperor is Gang Hyeonu.’ Yeongchan’s mind was just full of these thoughts.

“I don’t speak empty words.” Emperor—no, Hyeonu smiled at Yeongchan.