Ranker’s Return

Gambling often meant leaving everything to chance, rather than planning. Regardless of whether it was gambling or using a detailed plan, these were tactics mostly used by the weak against the strong. The strong didn’t need such things. They just pushed forward, and of course, victory awaited them. It meant that considering such a thing was a futile effort in itself. Yet at this moment, Alley Leader took out a ridiculous gamble that was different from usual.

“Groan...” Choi Eunho couldn’t prevent a momentary groan from escaping his mouth. He had been letting out these little screams ever since the PvP game started. He was crumbling before overwhelming power.

‘How many points did he distribute to the strength stat?’

Choi Eunho wanted to ask, but he couldn’t afford to express his thoughts. Even at this moment, Alley Leader was weighing down on him like a mountain. That wasn’t the only thing Choi Eunho couldn’t understand. Judging by the strength of the collision, Alley Leader definitely wasn’t using magic power. It was a clear fact.

‘Until this spring, most PvP games were like this...’

There was no way Choi Eunho couldn’t know that. He had started his professional career last year, so he had at least one year of PvP experience. From that experience, he knew Hyeonu’s force was one that unconditionally came from the strength stat.

‘Then how is he stopping all my attacks?’

This was what Choi Eunho didn’t understand. Alley Leader had such focus on the strength stat that there was no way he should be able to block Choi Eunho’s attacks, especially with such a small number of points in the agility stat. In addition, Hyeonu’s attacks were clearly slow, yet they still reached Choi Eunho unconditionally. It was impossible to avoid them. The only option left for Choi Eunho was to stop the attacks.

‘How is he following my movements?’

There was no end to the questions that Hyeonu’s actions created for Choi Eunho, and Choi Eunho couldn’t answer them.

Hyeonu’s hand descended toward Choi Eunho’s head again. Once again, Choi Eunho failed to prevent Hyeonu’s attack. The previous attack had already affected his arm.

-The winner of the first game is Gang Hyeonu of Crescent Moon! After a while, we will start the second game.

Chou Eunho disappeared from the arena along with the announcer’s words.

***

Hyeonu took a short break in the time it took for his next opponent to appear.

‘When else can I fight without magic power if not at this time?’

As Choi Eunho had guessed, Hyeonu hadn’t invested any stat points in magic power, not even a small amount. Moreover, he put the minimum number of points into physique. He didn’t give much points to agility, and he overwhelmingly put everything into the strength stat.

Nevertheless, it was Hyeonu’s excellent skills that allowed him to follow Choi Eunho’s movements. There was no other reason. He had predicted Choi Eunho’s movements and acted first. So even though he moved at a slow pace, he managed to catch up.

‘I can use it one more time.’

Hyeonu hadn’t been certain before trying this stats distribution, but now that he had actually used it, he felt it was pretty good. Of course, it wasn’t as good as his original distribution, which really was the perfect style developed through his research. However, today’s stats distribution was also useful as a surprise strategy.

While Hyeonu was checking this and that, a player appeared for the second game.

‘There are... three people left? I have to finish it quickly.’

“I’m sorry. I’m a bit busy today,” Hyeonu suddenly apologized before running straight forward. Without drawing his weapon, he ran blindly toward his opponent.

“What?” The player from Mino Dyrus looked bewildered. He had no choice but to feel this way as he didn’t remember ever hearing an apology in PvP. However, he soon regained stability. He had watched with both eyes how Choi Eunho had lost. There was also the data he had analyzed from Hyeonu’s last six matches.

The Mino Dyrus player looked at Hyeonu’s running movement with a bit of confidence.

‘It’s slow. As Eunho said, he didn’t invest much in the agility stat.’

He felt his mind calm down. When Hyeonu’s movements entered his eyes, the Mino Dyrus player was naturally relieved. He wasn’t lacking strength or practice. He could do this.

‘It is just to this extent...’

Then Hyeonu’s sword moved more than 10 times in an instant. It was like a snake moving through the air.

“Huh?” The Mino Dyrus player managed to roll onto the ground to escape Hyeonu’s attack. If he hadn’t laid down, his head would have flown away at once.

“Crazy!” he exclaimed. It was astonishing. He couldn’t even imagine the movements of the sword. Still, he wasn’t given time to admire this. The serpent that was filled with a terrible killing intent moved again.

‘Quickly, quickly!’

“Come on!” the man muttered in a hurry. It took pure energy to stop this attack, but the man didn’t have the talent to create strong pure energy in an instant like Hyeonu.

Clang! The man miraculously blocked Hyeonu’s blow. Magic power as blue as the sky swirled around the Mino Dyrus player’s sword. He didn’t think about how he made the pure energy and immediately tried to fight back against Hyeonu. His sword stretched out in a flash and stabbed forth, creating a blue afterimage in the air.

Hyeonu moved his feet lightly. This small movement allowed him to get out of the range of the Mino Dyrus player’s attack. Then Hyeonu gently made a diagonal slash with his sword. Blood splattered on the ground like water droplets on drawing paper. The man’s knees dropped to the ground as he collapsed helplessly, without even knowing why he fell.

-The winner of the second game is Gang Hyeonu of Crescent Moon! After a while, we will start the third game.

***

“Crescent Moon has won against Mino Dyrus!” Commentator Jang Junhyung’s voice echoed through Arena Stadium. The viewers were surprised. They had forgotten because Hyeonu always appeared after the other team members lost and only fought one or two games. However, with this, they were reminded about what Hyeonu’s PvP was truly like.

“Gang Hyeonu has finished PvP neatly with four victories!”

“It took him less than five minutes to play four games of PvP. It is a ridiculous thing!”

The victory naturally went to Crescent Moon. It was Crescent Moon’s first and last Winter League performance, and they got 7 victories and 0 losses. Simultaneously, they were given various titles: seven wins out of seven, undefeated, Royal Roader, and winner of the Winter League. They got all the titles every team wanted and hoped to have in the future.

“This means the end of the brief yet long Winter League. The winner of the Winter League is Crescent Moon!”

Once Jang Junhyung’s words ended, the audience gathered at Arena Stadium stood up and cheered: “Waaaaaaaah! Alley Leader! Crescent Moon!”

The crowd showed off their loud voices that reached beyond Arena Stadium and went all the way to Sangam-dong. Just then, the door of the cube opened, and today’s main character emerged.

“Crescent Moon’s Alley Leader, player Gang Hyeonu, was named the MVP of today’s match and the MVP of the Winter League. Everyone, please welcome meleegod!!” Jang Junhyung shouted again with a red face. His shouting had the power to lead the audience.

They called out Hyeonu’s name again: “Alley Leader! Gang Hyeonu!! meleegod!!! I love you!!!”

‘Wow, my eardrums.’ Hyeonu came out of the cube and trembled at the shouts of his name. He lifted his hands to his ears before raising them over his head.

“Thank you! Thank you very much!” Hyeonu expressed his gratitude in a louder voice than any other player had done alone.

‘I’m here because of them.’

It was a happy thing to see so many people supporting him. Bowing his head and waist weren’t enough to express his gratitude.

Jang Junhyung continued, “Then we’ll bring the Crescent Moon players up onto the stage. Please come out.”

Lee Hoon, Dwayne, Mason, Sunny, and Yuri—the five players walked out onto the stage one by one, and the audience called out their names as they appeared.

Hyeonu approached the Crescent Moon players and shared a hug with them one by one. He told them, “I said it in the waiting room, but you all did a great job. You became professional gamers because of me.”

Hearing that, everyone shook their heads. It wasn’t because of Hyeonu that they became pro gamers. They had their own reasons for doing so.

“I originally dreamed of being a professional gamer.”

“It was one of the jobs I’ve always longed for.”

Mason and Dwayne originally wanted to be pro gamers, but their situations hadn’t suited it.

“I chose to be a pro gamer because it would help me with my life. It isn’t because of Hyeonu.”

The main reason Sunny accepted Hyeonu’s offer was that she judged it would be helpful for her future streamer life. Her guess was right. Thanks to her soaring skills and awareness, she became more famous and wealthy than before she made her debut as a professional gamer.

“Me too, Hyung. If it wasn’t for Hyung, I would still be living with a different ID.”

Lee Hoon was worse. Hyeonu had saved him from the shadows and given him an opportunity to get rid of his past as a proxy knight. It raised awareness for Lee Hoon who would remain a streamer. Additionally... Hyeonu’s suggestion of a pro gamer life provided Lee Hoon a reason to live proudly. Hyeonu had given so much to Lee Hoon.

Lee Hoon glanced at Yuri. Then, in a very small voice so that she couldn’t hear him, he whispered to Hyeonu, “Only Yuri noona helped Hyung without any benefits.”

‘Indeed... Yuri really got nothing.’ Hyeonu thought about it for a moment after hearing Lee Hoon’s words. 

Yuri really was different from the other players in the team. She wasn’t a streamer presently, and it was unlikely she would become a streamer in the future. All she got from the competition was recognition. It was a useless thing for her. For Yuri who was living an ordinary life, awareness wasn’t a benefit but shackles.

‘I should do something for her,’ Hyeonu thought. No matter if it was a gift or a wish, he would do anything within his limits.

‘What does Yuri like?’

Nevertheless, Hyeonu’s thoughts came to an end soon after it began as a voice called out his name.

“Player Gang Hyeonu? Player Gang Hyeonu!” It was Jang Junhyung. He was calling out Hyeonu’s name in a pitiful manner.

Hyeonu turned to look at him. “Huh?”

“Ah, you are answering now. Do you know that there is a gift that player Gang Hyeonu should receive?”

“A gift? Does the Winter League MVP get a gift?” Hyeonu cocked his head at the words he was hearing for the first time.

He wondered inwardly, ‘A gift? Is he talking about merchandise?’

Jang Junhyung shook his head and shouted loudly again, “I’ll give you the gift right now.”