Ranker’s Return

Arena Stadium was in week 2 of the Winter League, and it was just as crowded as the opening matches. There were many people lined up to enter, but many others had already entered and were moving in search of their seats.

“Is this real? Why is the entry like this? You got it directly from Alley Leader, right?” Jang Junhyung, a veteran commentator, asked the staff member who had given him the piece of paper about the lineup for PvP.

“We confirmed it several times before we received it. He really intends to do this,” the staff member answered. 

This staff member was someone with a lot of experience in e-sports. He had entered the field of e-sports at the same time as Jang Junhyung and was now in the position to manage the venue.

“It might seem good, but... doesn’t it feel a bit empty because there aren’t many games?”

“What do you mean by empty? If they lose three times and win four, isn’t it seven games? It was six games the other day. Rather, this has actually increased.”

“Yes. He has increased it. By the way, Yuri’s coming out too? Isn’t she a priest?” Jang Junhyung’s eyes widened as he carefully read the paper.

Looking closely, there was a strange name—Yuri. There were many words to describe her: the biological younger sister of Streamer Argon, someone who was close to Alley Leader, and the only priest of Crescent Moon.

“A priest? Ah! Right, wasn’t she always a warrior until Arena? There is also no specific rule that she has to play with the same character class.” The staff member shrugged.

He actually liked Crescent Moon’s lineup. It was perfect for gossip; it couldn’t be more controversial.

“Still, there are standards. How long are you just going to look at a showy performance?”

“That’s why there is Alley Leader. Don’t worry too much. You don’t look like your usual light-hearted self. It was the same for your last interview,” the staff member said.

Jang Junhyung relaxed his frown and turned to check the lineup of the other teams.

***

Crescent Moon’s waiting room was really noisy. There was a shrill voice that seemed like it could pierce Arena Stadium’s roof.

“Oppa! Why am I appearing in PvP?!!” Yuri screamed at Hyeonu for the first time since knowing him.

Her voice was so loud that it wasn’t inferior to Hyeonu’s shouts on the South Pacific island.

“Be quiet. Those outside will hear you,” Hyeonu calmed Yuri down.

His efforts paid off as Yuri drank cold mineral water to calm her excitement.

“It originally wasn’t this week. Didn’t you say it would be after the first half?” Yuri asked in a calm manner as usual.

The reason why Yuri went wild was simple. She knew she was coming out in PvP, but the timing was different from what Hyeonu told her previously.

“I’m not ready yet. It will just be embarrassing if I come out now...” Yuri said.

This was why she was angry. It was fine for her to lose in front of a crowd. After all, she couldn’t help losing because her skills weren’t good enough. It was okay for her to be scolded alone. She was just worried about the accusations that Hyeonu would receive.

‘Isn’t it troublesome...?’

If she came to help, she should help. She shouldn’t let him be scolded. That wouldn’t be helping; it was being troublesome.

“What are you worried about? Just go out and experience it once. Just fight comfortably, and come back. This way, you can show your best appearance when your skills have improved properly,” Hyeonu replied. After that, he picked up the water bottle placed on the table and looked at the players sitting around him.

One of the other players was at a loss, and his eyes trembled. Hyeonu added, “This isn’t only for Yuri but also for Dwayne. Dwayne will be the third player to compete in PvP today. Don’t feel burdened and just enjoy it.”

Dwayne was startled when Hyeonu called out to him. Then his expression relaxed as Hyeonu’s words continued. By the time they were over, Dwayne had regained his usual confidence.

Hyeonu stated, “Today’s opponent isn’t a strong team like JT Telecom. These guys were last in the last league and are currently the weakest team of the Korean Arena League. So be confident.”

***

“It is finally the third match of week 2,” the commentator Jang Junhyung’s voice echoed across Arena Stadium.

“This game is a match between Crescent Moon, which contains Alley Leader who dreams of becoming a royal roader for the winter season, and Ellen Waze, who is dreaming of a reversal!!”

“Crescent Moon has gained momentum since beating JT Telecom, the number one team in the league.”

“Ellen Waze lost to UK Heights in the last match. The encouraging thing is that they are completely different from the last league. Thus, I’m looking forward to today’s match.”

Jang Junhyung and the other broadcasters talked about the game to make the audience and viewers interested. Even so, people didn’t pay attention to their words. They focused only on the screen and the stage. There was only one thing they wanted. It was for Alley Leader, Hyeonu, to emerge.

“The players from both teams will enter! Please welcome everyone with applause and cheers!” Jang Junhyung let the players enter faster than usual as if he read the expectations of the audience members.

There were six Crescent Moon players and 12 Ellen Waze members. Close to 20 people came to the stage at the same time.

“First, let’s greet Ellen Waze!”

Following the commentator’s words, the Ellen Waze players came to the front of the stage to greet the crowd. Some players waved, and others bowed.

Wah!!! The crowd welcomed the Ellen Waze players with a huge burst of cheers. After their greetings, they entered their assigned cubes.

“Next is Crescent Moon!”

Four men and two women walked toward the front of the stage. They gave greetings in their own way, but someone gave a unique greeting—Hyeonu. It wasn’t known where the candy came from, but he was sprinkling them out into the audience. Once he ran out of candy, Hyeonu placed his hands in his pocket and threw out a handful of candy again. He repeated this action several times before eventually being dragged away by Yuri and Mason to the cube.

The spectators burst out laughing at the sight. It was like a skit at half-time.

“Since both teams are ready, the siege will start immediately.”

It was just before the start of the match between the two teams.

***

Due to the coin throw, the roles in the siege were established. The attackers were Crescent Moon, and the defenders were Ellen Waze.

“I greet the lord.”

Hundreds of soldiers were seen on the meadow. The soldiers were all carrying good-looking armor and weapons. In particular, the 50 or so people who wore black armor looked quite intimidating.

“Hyung, haven’t they changed a lot?”

“Yes, I think they’ve become different people in a week...”

Mason and Dwayne murmured when they saw the soldiers of Phinis. They seemed different from the last siege. The energy they gave off was totally different; it was like looking at the before and after a class advancement was applied.

“Ah, the ones in black armor are knights, not soldiers. They are the Knights of Keon, so... Just think of them as a second or third unit,” Hyeonu spoke with a casual expression. 

Nevertheless, it wasn’t content that could be passed over lightly. This was huge. They were knights, not soldiers. The only troops that could be in the siege were those who had been raised after obtaining the territory. Of course, a basic force was given to teams who weren’t ready, but they were just at the basic level.

It was a level equivalent to spending one or two months of Arena time training soldiers after obtaining a territory. Yet there were knights among such soldiers here. It was no different from a wolf running between sheep.

“So this is why you prepared that strategy yesterday?”

Last night when talking about the siege, Hyeonu said there was nothing special to prepare. He said they just had to do as they normally did. Hyeonu just repeated this. He didn’t specifically explain anything. The secret was finally revealed now.

“Isn’t this enough to fight without me and Tang-E?” Hyeonu asked.

Everyone nodded. Based on this, there was no way they could be pushed in a fight. They had Sunny’s undead, Mason’s magic, and the soldiers who were of an overwhelming level. Even if they didn’t win, they would be able to hold on.

“Then Tang-E and I will move from the side as planned. Take care of the front. Everyone is important today. Don’t lose focus.” Hyeonu left the party and hid himself on the other side of the meadow.

***

“Gang Hyeonu has exited alone to the left. Does he want to infiltrate the castle?”

“That’s likely correct since the other players are heading for the castle gates. It seems he plans to attack alone from the side. However, it is definitely an impossible plan.” 

“That’s right. Crescent Moon’s plan can be poison. Ellen Waze might be weak, but they are strong compared to Crescent Moon without Gang Hyeonu. It is hard to see them as being on the same level as Ellen Waze. Crescent Moon is a team of five, six with Alley Leader.”

The commentators had their own thoughts, but there was something in common amongst them. They all thought Crescent Moon’s plan was reckless. It was an operation with a very low chance of success.

“Still, won’t it be a different story if Gang Hyeonu has planned a special strategy?” Jang Junhyung presented a different possibility among the commentators who were feeling negative.

“I guess, but... there have been many attempts so far, and no one has succeeded.”

“There is a prerequisite for the operation to succeed. It is that they have to withstand Ellen Waze’s attack at all cost.”

Despite Jang Junhyung’s words, the commentators didn’t change their negative opinions.

***

“There is no Alley Leader.”

“Is he hiding alone?”

“What is going on? Is he coming at us?”

The Ellen Waze player panicked momentarily when they saw the Crescent Moon team appearing in front of the gates. It was a very unexpected situation.

“Wait until Alley Leader appears. They will never break through the gate anyway.”

“That’s right. Save as many skills as possible. Use only small things. Never use the big ones.”

However, they were pros. They quickly and coolly accepted the situation. There was certainly such a situation among their numerous practice exercises. Crescent Moon and Ellen Waze confronted each other without much gain. To be exact, Ellen Waze didn’t hit Crescent Moon. They didn’t waste any magic power on the latter as most of it had to be used for fighting Alley Leader.

At that moment, an NPC soldier ran to tell them the news: “There is news that Alley Leader was seen in the east.”

It was that a man in dark red had appeared.

“Get six people ready. Finish it before Alley Leader comes over here.”

The Ellen Waze players stormed out of the gate.