Ranker’s Return

Chapter 765

“Huh? Drink what?” Ket asked with a puzzled look on his face. This wasn’t an issue to be overlooked. Even though he was Alley Leader, there were things that should be said and things that shouldn’t be said. This situation was obviously the latter. He wanted to drink the water of the lake where the elf was soaking…

‘I never thought he had such a hobby…’ Ket’s eyes narrowed and the meaning in his eyes became even more pronounced.

‘What do they see me as?’ Hyeonu read the meaning in Ket’s eyes and frowned. The explanation might’ve been lacking, but… it was very unpleasant for people to look at him like that.

“The name of that lake is Elemental Lake. It is said to be famous among the elves and orcs. There will definitely be some effects when we drink it.” Hyeonu shared what he had heard from Ikta with the Pioneer Guild members.

“Was there such a secret? You should’ve said it earlier…” Asu scratched his head with an awkward expression. He was embarrassed to have misunderstood Hyeonu’s words.

“Now I’m more curious. What type of experiences have you had that you can imagine such a thing…”

Now Hyeonu was in high spirits. No, he was in high spirits right from the beginning. It was just that playfulness was now added to it.

“Do the fans of Pioneer know about this? The five men who always seemed adventurous, pleasant, and gentlemanly are actually…” Hyeonu’s words continued in a smooth progression like it had been prepared in advance.

“It is up to here!”

“Jesus!”

“Stop!”

The Pioneer Guild members couldn’t bear to listen anymore and shouted in different ways.

“Drink it now!” Ket shouted at the guild members. It was his struggling effort to get out of this situation.

“Alley Leader as well. Don’t you think we should share good things?” Ket hurriedly turned around and looked at Hyeonu.

“I have to drink it as well, of course.” Hyeonu saw Ket’s tearful efforts and decided to stop playing around. He approached the side of the lake where the elf was soaking and drank the lake water.

[The player has consumed the water of Elemental Lake.]

[The title ‘Person Who Drank the Elemental Lake Water’ is created.]

[Person Who Drank the Elemental Lake Water]

[A title given to players who drink the Elemental Lake water.

Effect: An additional 10% damage is dealt to attribute attacks. Health and magic power recovery speed are increased by 20%.]

‘The effect is amazing.’

All he did was drink water. He hadn’t expected to get such a good title.

‘I was only thinking about the second option…’

Hyeonu only thought about the latter of the two effects. It was natural. Ikta had cited the Elemental Lake as the reason why the elf could live without eating any food. If the rules of the game were applied to such a phenomenon and organized into a visible explanation, it would naturally come out as the effect of restoring health.

‘By the way… there will be additional damage to attribute attacks…’

It was certain there would be a huge uproar if this were known. The rankers were people who risked their lives for even a difference that was as small as a fingernail. The existence of a title that raised attribute damage by 10% without any restrictions would feel like salvation to such people.

‘First of all, I’ll have to bring the kids from my team here.’

The first thing that came to Hyeonu’s mind was the players of Crescent Moon. They desperately needed it. Ability was important, but specs were just as important as ability. If the ability was similar, those with better specs would win.

‘They can’t improve their abilities in an overwhelming manner anyway.’

The players of Crescent Moon possessed exceptional talent as well as sincerity. That was how they climbed to the position of ranker. However, that was it. Other professional gamers also had that level of talent and put it in just as much effort.

‘It is small, but added up, it will make a big difference.’

Hyeonu had already poured many things into Crescent Moon. It was to the extent that Hyeonu could be described as a tree that gave generously. Good items, good skills, good hunting grounds, and battle maps…

This title was going to be added to all that.

“Everyone, the title has been created, so let’s go quickly,” Hyeonu called out to the Pioneer Guild members, who were staring into the air with a surprised expression.

“Then what do we do with that elf?” Asu was the first to come to his senses and pointed to the elf floating on one side of the lake.

“There are two ways. Either pick him up ourselves or use a tool.”

“Tool?”

“We can make a coffin and put the elf in it or build a stretcher and move the elf. Ikta will be at the forefront, so there will be plenty of people to carry the elf. Aren’t there six of us?”

Carrying the elf on a stretcher wasn’t a difficult feat. Of course, it was impossible in reality, but this was Arena, a virtual reality game. Even the magician, Asu, had a strength and stamina that couldn’t be matched by real-life adults.

“I think it would be better to make a stretcher. It will be several times more comfortable than carrying him on our back.” Ket gave his opinion after hearing Hyeonu’s explanation.

Carrying people on their back or lifting something—the easier option was naturally the latter. The other Pioneer Guild members nodded like they agreed with Ket’s opinion. They had rarely experienced carrying someone on their back. Even if it happened, it was only once or twice for their lover.

“We will make a stretcher first.” Hyeonu smiled and exited the cave.

***

[Alley Leader’s special streaming with special guests.]

Hyeonu’s live stream came to viewers at a fixed time as usual.

-A special guest? Who is it?

-I wish it is Reina. Reina is the most important thing to me.

-It is the same for me. Yet objectively, Reina has appeared too many times to be considered special.

-Then the two people of New World are also out.

-No Crescent Moon. They aren’t special at all. The same goes for Argon.

Today, the viewers were once again arguing over the stream title Hyeonu had released. It was a chat window that was no different than usual. The discussion continued until the black screen brightened, and Hyeonu appeared in a funny mask.

“Hello, I am Alley Leader. I’ve already said it, but today is a slightly special live stream. It is a bit special with the guests.”

Hyeonu caught the viewers’ attention with his colorful gestures, like an actor on a theater stage or musical stage.

-So who is the guest?

-Today’s guests?

-Yes, next is the guest.

The eyes of the viewers were already fixed on one aspect—the guests. They thought today’s live stream was special due to the appearance of special guests. Therefore, the important thing was the guests.

“Are you curious about today’s guests? Then I’ll introduce them straight away. These people have been heating up the community recently. They have the strong support of some people.”

-Huh? Isn’t this completely… ‘Them’?

-‘Them’? Who are they?

-I can tell just by hearing the explanation.

-There is only one group that fits that type of explanation.

“Here are some of Arena’s best explorers, the Pioneer Guild.”

The five members of Pioneer appeared at Hyeonu’s introduction.

-Wow, Pioneer.

-So our Alley Leader is now going to look for the elves?

-As expected, he is a man. It is elves for men.

-I said he wasn’t interested in real women… He’s interested in the ones here.

Just with the appearance of the Pioneer Guild, the viewers noticed what Hyeonu was up to. It was obvious since the Pioneer Guild’s search for the elves was something that everyone knew about. There were countless people supporting their journey. Those who wanted to see the elves cheered for the Pioneer Guild.

“Hello, I am Ket, the master of the Pioneer Guild.” Ket waved in the direction where Hyeonu was looking and greeted the viewers.

“You are missing a word. Do it again,” Maha, a man in a priest’s uniform, complained about Ket’s greeting.

Ket’s expression distorted, but apart from that, his mouth opened again: “Hello, I am Ket, the co-master of the Pioneer Guild.”

Ket’s solo lead was over. Now all five people were captains leading the ship.

“Okay, very good.” Maha clapped with a smile. The others did the same. They liked it with childish reactions.

After Ket, the remaining four men took turns stating their names.

“I am Maha, the co-master of the Pioneer Guild. It is nice to see everyone.”

-By the way, it is true that they are special people, but the live stream doesn’t seem to be that special. I heard that they are just wandering through the forest?

-That’s right. It seems like hunting and moving in the forest was all that will happen.

-If someone special comes out, it will become a special live stream.

-It was originally special. Every live stream with Tang-E is special.

After the Pioneer Guil’s self-introduction was over, some viewers complained about the title of the live stream. So far, Hyeonu’s live stream was nothing special. The guests were fresh appearances, but that was all.

‘This type of reaction has to come out.’

However, Hyeonu was happy seeing the messages in the chat window.

“The special part starts now.” Hyeonu snapped his fingers. A dark shadow appeared from behind Hyeonu. The black shadow was over three meters tall and had a body that matched the word ‘thick’. He also seemed to be carrying something elongated. Crucially… the eyes of the black figure were very red.

-An orc?

-The orc is carrying a coffin!

-Crazy, the guest is an orc.

-A real special guest is here.

The viewers who saw the black shadow, Ikta, expressed their goosebumps in the chat window. They couldn’t help being surprised. Who would’ve expected an orc to be released on a live stream?

“This isn’t the end, everyone.” Hyeonu snapped his fingers again.

Then Ikta put the log wooden box on his back on the ground and opened the lid of the wooden box. The box contained a fair-skinned beauty who was sleeping. The unusual thing was that the body was well-fixed, so it wouldn’t move. The beauty also had very long, pointed ears.

-An elf?

-What a surprise. They found an elf.

-An orc and an elf. This is completely…

-Turn it off. I don’t know what it is, but turn it off.

The eyes of the viewers widened at the combination they had never seen before, and their hands moved quickly. The messages in the chat window were pushed up and disappeared in an instant. The speed of the chatting viewers was too fast. There was also another thing that quickly climbed.

‘Uwah! The number of viewers….’

It was the number of viewers who watched Hyeonu’s live stream. The viewers started flocking at the news that the elves had appeared. It was at a faster speed than ever.