Ranker’s Return

It was the emperor’s attack that killed the red dragon. Still, the red dragon was dead, so it was certain that Rondal’s first stage had been cleared.

-You have completely passed the given test. Compensation will be paid before moving on to Stage 2.

‘A reward will be given.’

Hyeonu let out a faint sigh. It was a sigh filled with fairly complex emotions. In fact, he had been expecting, to a certain extent, that he wouldn’t be able to kill the red dragon. The red dragon was too strong. It wasn’t an opponent that could be overcome with skill.

‘In the first place, it isn’t something that can be helped with control.’

All of the red dragon’s attacks were wide-area attacks. They were skills that couldn’t be blocked or deflected, so they could only be avoided.

‘I could only attack due to the buffs.’

The moment the buffs disappeared, Hyeonu was driven to a one-sided defensiveness. He was the involved party, so he knew that better than anyone. Yet at that time, the emperor killed the red dragon with just a single hand gesture.

‘He is a crazy monster.’

The moment Hyeonu saw it, he made a vow to never attack the emperor.

[Experience has been acquired.]

[You have leveled up.]

[All health and magic power have been restored.]

[You have leveled up.]

[All health and magic power have been restored.]

[You have leveled up.]

[All health and magic power have been restored.]

[You have leveled up.]

[All health and magic power have been restored.]

[You have leveled up.]

[All health and magic power have been restored.]

[Your title will be changed.]

[The title ‘Hatchling Slayer’ has been created.]

[Hatchling Slayer]

[A title given to players who have defeated a true dragon, not the desert dragon variant.

Effect: 15% additional damage is added when dealing with dragon-type monsters. The effect of magic-power-related skills is increased by 15%.]

“Wow!” Hyeonu exclaimed.

He hit the jackpot. The title Desert Dragon Slayer was changed to a title with a huge effect, and this wasn’t the end. Something more important than the title remained.

[The red dragon’s Breath is in the Senu Completion Proof Ring.]

It was a one-line message, but the content was not light. The fact that the red dragon’s Breath was in the Senu Completion Proof Ring meant the ring would have a new effect.

[Incomplete Red Guardian]

[A ring that is proof of the red guardian of the ancient Luos Empire.

However, it isn’t complete yet.

Rating: Unique

Restrictions: Senu graduate.

Effect: All stats +300, magic power consumption is reduced by 15%, the fire attribute is generated.]

‘Good, good.’

The effects were very satisfactory. There was an additional 100 points to all stats, and the fire attribute was added to the existing ring. Of course, the fire attribute was useless garbage for Hyeonu since the Mysterious Sky Demonic Art set his attribute as dark.

Still, there was an additional 100 stats and growth potential. There was room for the ring to become complete. This meant there would be a higher item effect once that happened.

‘I am looking forward to its completion.’

***

Stage 2 of Rondal didn’t take place in the plains area and was moved elsewhere. The place where Hyeonu arrived at for Stage 2 was a drab and dark cave.

‘It’s a very annoying place.’

Hyeonu frowned at the poor surroundings. It was such a bad place that just standing still made him annoyed. This was the same with Tang-E, whose expression was extremely distorted. Just then, a voice rang out in the cave.

-Stage 2 is where you gain experience against those threatening the empire. Defeat all enemies that appear in sequence, and the Stage 2 test will end. The total number of enemies that will appear is five.

‘It is fighting again?’

Hyeonu smiled with regret. In Rondal, there were no tests that could be passed easily like in Senu and Laek.

‘Additionally, I don’t have any buffs at all...’

It was frustrating. Hyeonu had nothing. The only buffs he had left were Tang-E’s buffs. He had poured everything else into the battle with the red dragon.

-The first threat has been summoned. Good luck.

The first threat was revealed while Hyeonu was sighing over his missing buffs. It was a six-meter-tall monster with dark skin and mountain-like muscles. Originally, it would’ve seemed very large to Hyeonu. However, he had just fought the red dragon, so six meters felt short.

‘It seems very familiar?’

It was a dark cave, so he couldn’t see the monster in detail. Only a rough outline was visible. Nevertheless, it was very familiar.

Thump thump thump!

The monster approached Hyeonu with loud footsteps. Once the monster’s face came close enough to be identified, Hyeonu frowned deeply.

“Sigh, why is it so ugly?”

The moment he saw the monster’s face, a name immediately came to him, popping into his mind like he was hit by a baseball bat.

‘The lomelon.’

It was the lomelon he'd met in the cave on Bung Bung Island. This was the worst-looking monster Hyeonu had ever seen, and it had now appeared in Rondal’s second stage.

‘Is it the threat of the demon world?’

Since the lomelon appeared, the demon world was likely to be a threat to the Luos Empire. The lomelon was the lowest-grade demonic creature in the demon world.

[You have been exposed to the spirit of the low-grade demonic creature, the lomelon.]

[The influence of fighting energy has allowed you to ignore the spirit of the low-grade lomelon.]

These messages appeared as the distance between the lomelon and Hyeonu narrowed. Just like in the past, Hyeonu wasn’t affected. It didn’t make sense for him to be affected by the lomelon when he wasn’t affected previously and especially since he had now grown stronger.

‘Let's finish it quickly.’

Hyeonu gripped the Mysterious Sky Sword with full strength. He was going to finish it all at once. One strike might be impossible, but it was more than enough to win the fight. Hyeonu kicked off from the ground and shot like an arrow toward the lomelon. Sensing Hyeonu’s presence, the lomelon stretched out its fist as fast as lightning, and the air burst like a balloon.

However, Hyeonu was already gone when the lomelon’s fist moved. Its fist just struck empty air. The lomelon’s ugly face became even uglier. Feeling an empty sensation, the lomelon kept throwing out punch after punch. Yet once again, the attacks only struck air as there was no Hyeonu. Hyeonu hadn’t run there in the first place. He just made it feel that way using Mysterious Sky Steps.

In short, the lomelon was doing a show alone. The real Hyeonu was running smoothly along the cave floor.

‘It’s a bit different from the lomelon on Bung Bung Island.’

The appearance might be similar, but the strength was completely different. This one was fast and powerful.

‘Is it an extraordinarily strong one, or was the one on the island just weak?’

Hyeonu thought it was the latter. The lomelon that had emerged from the crack on Bung Bung Island was likely to be a straggler who had broken away from the group or just a scout.

‘This guy should be used to fighting.’

He only thought for a moment. Then the Mysterious Sky Sword started to leave traces on the lomelon. Up, down, left, and right—the blade moved like crazy and tore at the lomelon’s shoulder. Just then, the Mysterious Sky Sword became lodged in the lomelon’s forearm.

Hyeonu showed a flustered expression. The Mysterious Sky Sword shouldn’t be stuck right now. He had definitely sliced the arm. It wasn’t a stab.

‘This jerk?’

The lomelon had strengthened its arm and then immediately contracted it firmly using magic power. The corners of the lomelon’s mouth rose slightly. It was definitely a smile.

“Kuooooh!”

Surrounded by black air currents, the lomelon’s fist swung toward Hyeonu, who was trying to remove the Mysterious Sky Sword. This punch was on a totally different level from the one before. The lomelon’s blow came from a short distance. It was a result of what he had learned from numerous combat experiences. This attack was powerful even if the lomelon didn’t stretch out its arm to the end.

“How can it fight better than people?” Hyeonu murmured from behind the lomelon after he dodged it.

The lomelon was more responsive and tougher than rankers. So, unsurprisingly, fighting it was trickier than fighting rankers. This felt like one of the battles from a few months ago when Hyeonu had just returned to Arena. They had been the days when he fought hard.

‘Still, I won all of them.’

The winner was always Hyeonu. Hyeonu inserted magic power into each of his fingers, and sharp elongated black nails emerged. He stabbed them into the lomelon’s thighs and didn’t stop there. As he squeezed his fingers tightly, the black pure energy ravaged the lomelon’s flesh.

Black blood burst out like a geyser, and half of the lomelon’s thigh was gone. The lomelon wasn’t a dragon. There was no way for it to recover its lost body parts. The monster fell to one knee, looking like a knight swearing their loyalty.

‘Last one!’

Hyeonu reached out toward the abdomen of the kneeling lomelon. His hand dug into the lomelon’s hard muscles like it was mashing tofu. Then Hyeonu’s magic power started to wreak havoc inside the lomelon’s body. Rising upward from the abdomen, the magic power moved in an unstoppable manner. Its destination was the lomelon’s heart. The moment it got there, the magic power ran wild.

There was the loud sound of firecrackers ringing in the cave, and the lomelon’s veins and internal organs ruptured. Finally, the lomelon’s heart burst as well, and its chest split open.

Hyeonu stepped back and sat down on the ground. He had a throbbing headache due to his tremendous focus during the short battle. The fatigue from fighting the red dragon in Stage 1 finally exploded.

-The first threat has been defeated. If you shout ‘summon’, the second threat will be summoned.

‘I will take a break.’

Hyeonu closed his eyes.

***

‘As expected of Lebron’s disciple,’ the emperor marveled as he watched Hyeonu’s battles continue.

Hyeonu’s fight against the demonic creatures was amazing. It’s not that it was surprising he was able to kill a demonic creature. Thinking about what he showed against the red dragon, it was right that he should be able to deal with a demonic creature easily. It was just that...

‘His absorption is fast.’

Hyeonu sucked up experience as fast as a sponge. The technique that the emperor had shown when he killed the red dragon—Hyeonu had swallowed it. He’d copied it as much as possible.

‘He is calmly grasping his own abilities,’ the emperor thought.

Hyeonu couldn’t cause explosions by triggering the magic power inside the opponent’s body like the emperor had done. He didn’t copy it to that extent. Nevertheless, he used it to suit the situation.

‘Is this the last one?’ The emperor remarked.

Hyeonu had already killed four demonic creatures. In Stage 2, there were five threats in total, but there were only four demonic creatures. The last one wasn’t a demonic creature.

‘Is it a divine creature now?’

A divine creature, a creature of the divine world, which was in contrast with the demonic creature of the demon world—this was the fifth and final threat. It wasn’t just the demon world that threatened the ancient empire but the divine world as well.

-The fifth threat has been summoned. Good luck.

“Eh, what? It isn’t a demonic creature?” Hyeonu uttered.  

The emperor smiled lightly when he saw Hyeonu’s surprise at the divine creature that appeared. It was because the match between Hyeonu’s magic power and the divine creature wasn’t very good.

‘This is interesting, interesting.’