Ranker’s Return

“Wahhhhhhh!” 

Tens of thousands of spectators shouted. Their red faces showed just how hard they were shouting.

“Lee Hoon!”

The name they called out wasn’t Hyeonu’s name though. Instead, it was Lee Hoon’s. They were supporting him.

“Thanks to Lee Hoon’s successive victories, Crescent Moon and Emro Sparks are at 2:2. The game has gone back to the starting point.”

This was the reason why the crowd was shouting Lee Hoon’s name—his achievement of two victories. Lee Hoon had emerged as Crescent Moon’s third player and defeated two Emro Sparks players. In the meantime, Hyeonu and Mason were sitting next to each other and watching Lee Hoon’s game on the TV together.

“Why isn’t he doing it properly? He’s all bloody.”

“He has been reducing his sleep and practicing constantly. He has to win, so he only slept three or four hours a day,” Mason answered while eagerly eating the snacks in his hand.

“He must’ve been quite upset by last week’s defeat. If he keeps doing this, even at Arena Week... I am looking forward to it.” Hyeonu’s eyes still hadn’t left the television.

Lee Hoon’s challenge wasn’t over yet; it was still in progress.

‘He looks a bit overwhelmed,’ Hyeonu thought.

Lee Hoon’s movements were slightly different from what he displayed in the previous two games. The general audience might not sense it, but Hyeonu and the other pro gamers could tell that Lee Hoon’s physical strength was exhausted. To be precise, it wasn’t his physical strength but his concentration. The indicator was how Lee Hoon was shaking subtly.

“Dwayne, what do you think about Lee Hoon’s fight right now?” Hyeonu asked Dwayne, who was staring at the television. Dwayne, who had been focused on Lee Hoon’s game, turned to look at Hyeonu. “He isn’t as focused as usual, be it because he has released all his tension or he has exhausted all of his physical strength. He will come back here soon.”

It was the same as Hyeonu’s thoughts. Although Dwayne didn’t have a high discerning eye, he had experience. He’d fought with Lee Hoon countless times before. This was why he noticed that Lee Hoon was different from the last two games.

“Please congratulate him when he comes. He got two victories, so he has played really well,” Hyeonu said. Lee Hoon’s defeat was already settled.

*** 

‘It’s really hard.’ Lee Hoon breathed roughly.

His body wasn’t tired as his health and magic power were refilled every time a game ended. However, his mind was very tired. He had to focus on every moment while conducting an offensive and defensive battle.

‘How does Hyung keep doing this?’

After experiencing it, Lee Hoon found it even harder to understand. Hyeonu’s winning streak was truly an impossible feat. There was a reason why all-kills didn’t appear among pro gamers.

‘Even if I have to abstain from the next game, I will win this one.’

Lee Hoon made up his mind. Then everything became a bit clearer, and focus returned to his blurred eyes. He started to roughly see the opponent’s sword path.

‘The head!’

Lee Hoon gave strength to his feet and pushed off from the ground. His body moved backward, and the opponent’s shining red sword cut through the space where Lee Hoon’s head had just been. If he had moved back just a bit later, it would have been a fatal blow.

‘Just do as I practiced.’ Lee Hoon emptied his mind. His status was better now, but it wasn’t as good as his condition at the start. So he chose to believe in all the practice he had done and have faith in his usual skills. It hadn’t been long since his first public appearance, so there was no data to analyze properly. This meant the opponent wasn’t fully aware of Lee Hoon’s fighting habits or style.

So Lee Hoon just moved around. He was never in a hurry. There were no benefits at all for him to move fast. Lee Hoon’s weapons were a shield and sword, and his stats were distributed to strength. His speed was limited no matter how fast he moved, making him unconditionally slower than the opponent. It was the limitation of a strength-based stats distribution. Yet, there was someone who overcame it—Hyeonu, who did it with his ridiculous control.

Just like how boxers covered their faces to protect themselves, Lee Hoon covered his entire body with a sword and shield. As the distance narrowed to a certain extent, Lee Hoon slowed down his movement speed even more and circled around the opponent.

Of course, the opponent also started to move according to Lee Hoon’s movements. It was a very funny scene from the point of view of a third party. The two people circled around each other like they were doing a Korean circle dance.

Nonetheless, the parties involved were more focused and nervous than anyone else. They watched each other carefully. Making eye contact was part of the basics. They also looked at each other’s arms, legs, shoulders, and waist. All parts of the body involved in movement were captured by their eyes.

It was Lee Hoon who broke the strange silence first. His calculations were done. He concluded he had the upper hand.

‘I have the advantage in melee combat.’

Lee Hoon moved right away, breaking the rhythm with exquisite timing. He rushed toward the opponent at an explosive speed and held up his relatively short sword. It seemed like it would come down quickly. The Emro Sparks player stretched out his sword to block Lee Hoon’s sword, but the latter’s sword fell without any power. Simultaneously, a round shield protruded forward.

There was a flustered expression on the face of the Emro Sparks player as he realized it was an unexpected trick. Lee Hoon swung his shield with all his might and struck the opponent’s sword. The sword screeched wildly from receiving Lee Hoon’s full strength, none of which leaked. Still, the opponent tried hard not to let go of the sword. Despite his trembling arms and shoulders, he gave strength to his hand that held it.

Then Lee Hoon once again raised his sword toward the sky while the opponent tried to hit Lee Hoon’s sword with magic power. Nevertheless, the opponent’s sword only cut through the air. It was a trick once again. Lee Hoon removed his sword and quickly bent down to avoid the attack. He raised his shield in front of himself and rushed again.

This time, the opponent managed to react. He quickly recovered the sword he swung and aimed it toward the shield. However, Lee Hoon’s attack was more powerful. This was the difference between a sword and a shield, as well as the underlying stats between the two people.

How could Lee Hoon’s opponent stop the attack? He just gave his body to the shield, and that was the end. Lee Hoon’s powerful blow lifted up the opponent’s sword and exposed his chest. It was completely open like tofu on a chopping block. Lee Hoon calmly stabbed his sword toward the opponent’s torso, directly piercing the unguarded chest. It was a blow to the heart. This would a fatal and final blow to anyone.

The opponent, who was hit in the chest, knelt down with blood flowing out from his chest wound. This game was also Lee Hoon’s victory.

*** 

It was up to here for Lee Hoon. After totally exhausting his concentration, he was eliminated in the next game. There was a chance to reverse things, but he missed it. Then his fallen physical strength grabbed at his ankles. However, everyone knew that the next player was Hyeonu. Hyeonu finished the game much faster than the time it took for Lee Hoon to lose. It was an overwhelming performance.

He had to admit it.

“He finished it by piercing the abdomen!”

“Player Gang Hyeonu—he’s really amazing.”

“He showed what it means to be different. It’s a hopeless difference.”

The broadcasting team had nothing to say about the game that ended too quickly. They wanted to drag it out longer, but they had nothing to say. Hyeonu’s skills were too brilliant. Instead, they just comforted the opponent who had been defeated in a disastrous manner.

That was it. There was no way to continue at all.

“In the match between Crescent Moon and Emro Sparks, Crescent Moon has won both the siege and PvP stages. Then I will conduct an interview with the Crescent Moon players.”

There was a short interlude interview while preparing for the next match. The six players were well-positioned with three in front and three at the back.

“The first player to be interviewed is Lee Hoon, who was chosen as today’s MVP player.”

The first interview target was Lee Hoon, not Hyeonu. It was due to his tremendous performance in PvP.

“Yes, hello. I am Lee Hoon.” Lee Hoon rose from the chair and gave a 90-degree bow toward the crowd.

“You won three victories today. Were there any difficulties in the middle? For example, was it hard to fight a certain player?” The interviewer Chae Yunho’s question was plain.

It was a question that was always asked. Naturally, Lee Hoon’s answer was also ordinary: “Every game was difficult. I was lucky as well. The opponents were very talented.”

“In the last match, you were defeated in vain. Is there any secret to showing such a changed performance in a week?”

“There is no secret. I prepared hard as always. However, the skills of my teammates are excellent, so I think my skills are increasing as well.”

Lee Hoon’s interview was just another standard interview they always saw. Chae Yunho knew that and proceeded to end the interview with Lee Hoon after a few short questions. The next interviewee was Hyeonu, who everyone was waiting for. “This time, it’s the person everyone is looking forward to hearing from. I would like to invite over Gang Hyeonu, Alley Leader.”

At Chae Yunho’s words, Hyeonu got up from his seat and greeted everyone: “Yes, hello. I am Alley Leader, Gang Hyeonu.” 

His deep voice reverberated through the speaker at Arena Stadium.

“Wahhhhhhh!” The cheers of the audience filled Arena Stadium simultaneously.

“Gang Hyeonu, you are very popular. This is the first question. In today’s siege battle, you showed the rare appearance of occupying the inner office. Is this a predetermined strategy?”

The first question was about the siege. It was a rare scene to see the attacking side occupy the inner office in a siege. So, naturally, there were questions.

“Yes, it was a carefully prepared strategy. I racked my brains with my teammate to make it.” Hyeonu created facts that didn’t exist. The strategy he’d improved before the game became something he’d made overnight.

“I see... The reason this strategy is possible is... It’s due to your presence, right?”

“That’s right. It is only possible for a team with a firm ace like me. They need to be able to handle at least six people,” Hyeonu continued talking with a confident expression. He had no scruples about bragging. 

“The skills of the Crescent Moon players are changing with every match. Do you have any special training tips?”

This was a question that many teams were curious about. Lee Hoon, Dwayne, and Yuri had all improved over time. Although they were defeated today, both Dwayne and Yuri showed a better performance than in the last match. They appeared to be growing without stopping. Anyone would want to know the secret to continued growth.

“It’s just hard work. There is no other secret. As everyone knows, it starts step by step from the basics.” Hyeonu’s answer sounded like a perfect scorer in an exam saying he only studied from the textbooks.

The crowd naturally showed their disapproval: “Boooooo!”

Hyeonu continued the interview with a casual expression despite the booing, and his interview was soon over. After that, interviews with Sunny, Dwayne, Yuri, and Mason were conducted in turn. Moments later, Chae Yunho saw the signal from the staff that the next match was ready, so he wrapped up the interview.

“The interview with Crescent Moon will end here...”

Just then, Hyeonu raised his hand and interrupted Chae Yunho’s words. He asked Chae Yunho politely, “Can I just say one more thing? Something suddenly came to mind. I’m really sorry.”

Chae Yunho nodded. There was enough time to say a word or two.

Hyeonu took a microphone and directly detonated a bomb: “I suddenly remembered what someone said a few months ago. It’s hard to talk about it now, but I’ll still do it. The pro scene... It wasn’t as impressive as I thought compared to the amateurs. It is enough to be proud, but don’t be complacent. Thank you very much.”