Ranker’s Return

-Huh? Level 299? Did I hear incorrectly?

-I think I heard that as well. Level 300 is right around the corner...?

-No, wait, is this a level that can be reached alone? He must’ve doubled his experience by himself.

-Rain said he was level 291 a while ago...

-I said that was crazy too. I will reflect on myself. Alley Leader is every crazier.

-So what will he do when he reaches level 300?

The chat window was filled with disbelieving words. It was natural since leveling up was harder as the level went higher. This was common sense. The current average level of Arena was 180. It had arrived at this number very quickly. Compared to the stagnant average level from before Hyeonu’s return, this was a big jump that was like the difference between walking and flying.

“Once I reach level 300? I will do my fourth class advancement. Well, is there anything else?” Hyeonu asked with an expression like it was natural. The fourth class advancement was something no one thought of. It was because they thought level 300 was too far away.

-The fourth class advancement? I’m still challenging the third one. It is the third time. I have to do it this time.

-I haven’t reached level 200, so I haven’t got my third class advancement.

-Then will you continue until the fourth class advancement today?

Hyeonu smiled when he saw the chat window.

‘This is diverting their attention.’

Now he couldn’t find any talk about JT Telecom in the chat window. Everyone was talking about the fourth class advancement and level 299.

“Of course, you will be able to see Tang-E too. The quest I’m doing now is also because of him.”

Hyeonu was someone who used things very well. So, he summoned Tang-E, intending to fully erase the words JT Telecom from the viewers’ minds.

***

The armor covering the blue soul broke, and blue smoke leaked through the shattered armor.

[Defeated the guard spirits 3,333/3,333]

[Defeated the guard knight spirit 35/35]

Hyeonu had fought exactly three battles since he started streaming. He killed 205 guard spirits and three guard knight spirits.

[Kill the Spirits has been cleared.]

[Experience has been acquired.]

[The entrance to the imperial palace of the Luos Empire is open.]

The fog that covered the imperial palace finally disappeared. Hyeonu could now see the scene clearly.

‘Good, good.’

The hunt hadn’t been boring. By turning on streaming mode and watching the chat window from time to time, it made hunting fun for Hyeonu. The time he spent hunting, which could have been boring, passed by in an exciting manner.

“Now, the hunt is over. I will move on and proceed with the quest,” Hyeonu told to the viewers about the current situation.

However, the viewers weren’t interested at all. The fourth class advancement? That was also just temporary. Once Tang-E appeared, Hyeonu wasn’t even as good as a neighborhood mutt. For them, Tang-E was the only truth.

-Do it alone... Can’t you just play with Tang-E?

-It’s been a while since we’ve seen Tang-E’s eating show. I go to A-World every day to watch it.

-I need a new Tang-E’s video!!!

Hyeonu looked at the chat window with an expression that was filled with embarrassment. The viewers’ reaction was too extreme.

‘Isn’t this a bit unexpected? If I had known it would be like this, I would’ve just shown Tang-E instead of mentioning the 4th class advancement,’ Hyeonu thought.

Tang-E grabbed Hyeonu’s leg and shook it. He looked very earnest like he wanted to receive a gift.

“Master dude, when are you going to give me the bracelet? I have been waiting for a few days.”

At Tang-E’s plea, the messages of the viewers changed dramatically. It was like they became different people.

-What are you doing? How do you have time to rest?

-Aren’t you going to get the bracelet for Tang-E? Can’t the soles of your feet leave the ground right now?

-There’s still one level left until the fourth class advancement. The quest experience is sweet, so clear it quickly.

The viewers now urged Hyeonu to hunt and didn’t ask him to show Tang-E to them anymore.

“Okay, let’s go find the bracelet,” Hyeonu said.

He looked at Tang-E, who was attached to his leg, and stroked Tang-E’s head. While hugging Tang-E, Hyeonu moved to the imperial palace where the door would be open.

‘What is this? Why is the atmosphere so bad?’ Hyeonu frowned. The firmly closed gates of the imperial palace opened, revealing a beautiful view of the interior. Lepil originally had the atmosphere of an abandoned place, but the atmosphere at the imperial palace was several times worse than that.

-Is this a haunted house?

-It is a good atmosphere for ghosts.

-What item would be in this place?

-It is a haunted house in a theme park.

The viewers who saw the imperial palace had similar thoughts. They felt it didn’t have a good atmosphere. This was accentuated by the fact that this place contained artificial light instead of warm sunlight.

“Then I will go in slowly.” Hyeonu put down Tang-E and walked inside the palace without hesitation.

The interior of the palace was as empty as it seemed from the outside. There was nothing to see. Hyeonu walked continuously through the vast imperial palace, but only splendid buildings could be seen occasionally. He and Tang-E were the only living things breathing in here. No monsters emerged.

“I can’t see anything. There really is nothing.” Tang-E had a very bored expression unlike when he first entered the imperial palace. It was blatantly revealed to everyone that he didn’t like this situation.

“Master dude, why did you tear up the map? Stupid Master dude.”

Eventually, Tang-E blamed Hyeonu for ripping up the map before they entered Lepil. Hyeonu couldn’t give an answer to Tang-E’s question. He too felt like it was a very rash action now.

“Yes, I was crazy. Why did I tear it up?” Hyeonu also started to blame himself. He hadn’t guessed at the time that the interior of the dungeon would be so wide. At this moment, the viewers started tempting Hyeonu to rest for a bit before moving again.

-Why don’t you eat here?

-I heard that the items you find with a full stomach have better effects.

-Isn’t it okay to have one meal while you’re looking for an item?

Some of the messages included really ridiculous things, but it really was very tempting. Hyeonu also wanted to take a break.

‘No, I need to find it before resting. I can’t find it today if I take a break.’

If he couldn’t find it today, he would have less time to hunt. Once the time to hunt decreased, the fourth class advancement would be further away. Thus, Hyeonu made up his mind.

“I’m grateful for your words, but I’ll find it first before resting.”

He thanked the viewers. The viewers who heard those words lamented.

-Tch, it is a pity. He almost fell for it.

-Should we try it again later? I think we only need to do it three more times.

-Yes, challenging Alley Leader endlessly challenges is the only way to win Tang-E.

The viewers also made up their minds. There was no tree that wouldn’t fall after being hacked 10 times.

***

The tree called ‘Hyeonu’ was very thick. They tried cutting it down over dozens of times, but he didn’t budge. Then he finally found his destination.

‘I was lucky.’

It was all due to his luck. Hyeonu had just moved as much as possible. Ignoring Tang-E’s complaints and the requests from viewers, Hyeonu had pushed forward like a bulldozer. As a result, he found the bracelet, which had been drawn in the book Hugo saw, inside a building in the imperial palace. It was a bracelet with black patterns that twisted into a white line.

“Um... Tang-E, it’s the bracelet you are going to use. Why don’t you grab it?” Hyeonu didn’t move due to having a strange sense of reluctance, and he stared at Tang-E instead.

“Go and grab it. Don’t you want to go home? Cowardly Master dude,” Tang-E said, staring back at Hyeonu.

He never thought of moving directly to the bracelet. The reason for that was simple. The location of the bracelet was a problem.

-Looking at this, it feels like it will move the moment you get closer. ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-Still, he looks very strong.

-He feels like a boss monster.

The white bracelet was worn on the wrist of a man who was sitting in a huge chair. His legs were wide open while he had one arm on the armrest and the other supporting his chin. The bracelet was on this very arm under the man’s chin.

“Um... I think this battle will mark the end of the stream. Of course, I won’t turn it off straight away. As promised, I will proceed with the eating show afterward.” Hyeonu put down his fear, expressed his determination, and approached the man wearing the bracelet.

The man didn’t move even as Hyeonu approached.

‘Please don’t wake up.’

Did he hear Hyeonu’s earnest prayer? The man didn’t move when Hyeonu’s hand touched the bracelet. The problem was that to get the bracelet, the man’s head had to be moved. Hyeonu looked at the unresponsive man and sighed with relief. He carefully pushed the face away. Just then, the man’s eyes suddenly opened, and light instantly burst from them. 

“What a surprise!” Hyeonu screamed and quickly stepped back.

“Uhh! He opened his eyes, he opened his eyes!” Tang-E screamed as well.

“How did you get in here? For sure... The empire must’ve become a ruin with no records left...” The man was surprised by Hyeonu’s appearance.

There was no display of hostility from the man. He was simply surprised.

“I can feel a familiar aura... Yes, it is like that of the guardians. No, there is something else that is more familiar besides that.” The man kept muttering strange words.

To be precise, Hyeonu was the only one who could understand them. The viewers of the stream, on the other hand, couldn’t understand what they meant at all.

‘Guardian of the Luos Empire? Descendant of the giants...’

The mention of ‘guardians’ was definitely related to the title he earned after passing Rondal. It was the only thing he could guess.

“I don’t know. It is obviously familiar, but... What did you come here to do?” The man finished talking to himself and asked Hyeonu a question. He couldn’t solve the question himself, so he was trying to solve it through Hyeonu.

“I came looking for that bracelet—the holy relic of the ancient giants, Wisdom of the Sky,” Hyeonu answered. Upon hearing that, the man looked even more surprised. He never imagined that Hyeonu would know the identity of the bracelet.

“You know the name of this bracelet? Yes, the familiar aura was that of a holy relic. It seems you have Infinite Valor?”

“Valor?”

“Wisdom of the Sky refers to this bracelet, while Infinite Valor refers to three rings. Both are holy relics of the giants. Wisdom is for the shamans, and valor is for the chieftain.”

This was what Hyeonu already knew because he had seen the information in Hugo’s book.

“A descendant has finally appeared through time and space...” The man muttered as he looked up and stared at the ceiling.

Hyeonu spoke carefully to the man, “Can you give me that bracelet?”

“I can give it to you. It is no use to me anyway. I’m not a shaman.”

Upon hearing the man’s words, Hyeonu smiled. Things were going well. It seemed he wouldn’t need to waste time on unnecessary fighting. However, this feeling only lasted a moment. The man said, “Then do you know the saying of the giants?” 

“Huh?”

“If you want something, take it with strength. It is my favorite saying.”

The smile on Hyeonu’s face disappeared.

-A big fish was caught!

-You should listen to people until the end.

-Kuek... The boss monster here has caught Alley Leader.

The viewers enjoyed the joyful sight that had suddenly appeared.