Ranker’s Return

“Who is Alley Leader? Is he at a level where he can grab it in the first place?”

Marco didn’t care much about Alley Leader. He had been interested in the past because of a sponsorship issue but forgot about Alley Leader once it was settled. That’s why he went onto Masked Fighting King.

“No. The actual friction with the Aisis Guild a few weeks ago was said to have occurred in the Hejin Great Mountain Range. It is already famous among the rankers. Alley Leader is wandering in the Hejin Great Mountain Range.”

Marco showed an unhappy expression at Patrick’s words. However, as he listened to Patrick, he felt there was something that didn’t make sense.

“The other guilds just left him alone? He was allowed to wander through their territory?”

“He is already in a position where they can’t touch him. The Aisis Guild might’ve done dirty work, but their combat power itself is quite good. Besides, public opinion is currently with him, so they must’ve thought it would be a loss.”

“Are you sure he is the main scenario opener? Where is the source?”

“I heard that Lebron’s apprentice is with the imperial rangers in the Hejin Great Mountain Range.”

“Then set up an expedition team straight away. We will get involved in the fifth main scenario. The first part might’ve been taken away, but we will get the last part.”

Marco was the head of a large guild, Mano. He couldn’t restrain his anger for a moment, but he didn’t let go of his reason. Otherwise, he would never have been able to rise up to his current position.

“The debt from this time will definitely be paid back, no matter what it takes.”

“Yes, Guild Leader.”

It was the moment when the Mano Guild joined the fifth main scenario.

***

In the forest, two people sat staring at each other. One of them was covered with a robe, and their face was completely invisible. The other was wearing a mask and a dark blue coat. The man in the dark blue coat, Hyeonu, asked, “So you’re my fan?”

Nod nod. The person in the robe moved their head up and down without stopping.

“You gained a rare black magician type class, and now you’re trapped in an organization. You don’t know what this force is, but based on the quest, they must be the rebels. Is this what you mean?”

Nod nod. The head moved more violently than before.

“You want me to believe this? How can I trust someone I am meeting for the first time?”

“It is real. Shall I show you the quest window?” A voice emerged from the robe. It was a voice full of resentment.

“Then I’ll ask you one thing. Please tell me the name of the force and the name of its leader. Then I’ll add you as a friend.”

“Y... Yes. The name of the force is Alkyl. The leader is called Edward. Then will you add me as a friend?” The person in the robe jumped around. They seemed very pleased. At this moment, the hood of the robe fell back.

“…? A woman?”

The identity of the robed person was a young woman with a youthful face.

“Ah, it shouldn’t have come off... You can’t see my face... ” The woman muttered rapidly as her face was revealed.

‘Why is that? Is her face strange? There aren’t any scars or cuts though?’ Hyeonu looked at the woman with a strange expression. Her face was fine. It wasn’t a face that would cause people to react strangely. Rather, it was pretty.

‘What is the situation?’

“What’s wrong? Do you have some situation...?”

Hyeonu looked at the woman’s face. It was a familiar face he had seen somewhere before. ‘It’s weird, but no one I know looks like this.’

“You don’t know me? Really? Alley Leader doesn’t know me?” The woman heard Hyeonu’s words and turned her head. Her facial expression was completely different from before. At first glance, it even seemed poisonous.

“Who are you? Should I know you? Your face is a bit familiar but...”

“It’s me, Sunny. Sunny, the top one in the reporter system... It’s Sunny!”

“Ah! That’s why you’re familiar...” Hyeonu realized the identity of this familiar person. Reporter Sunny—she was one of the most popular streamers in A-World. Her streaming had more influence than some game broadcasting stations. The accuracy and speed of her information were so great that she was even called the 9 o’clock news of Arena streaming.

“Ah, so I’m familiar? You are too much! So let’s start by adding me as a friend. Quickly!” Sunny approached Hyeonu’s side and grabbed his arm, waving it about. Swept up by her mood, Hyeonu accepted Sunny’s friend request.

Then he wondered, “So the reason you haven’t been streaming Arena recently...”

“Yes, I can’t stream because I’m trapped by this force.”

“Have you contacted Quency?”

“They say they can’t do anything unless it is a bug. Just like always.”

Since the identity of the suspicious player was Sunny, the information she gave was more likely to be true.

‘If I use this well...’

It might really be possible for him to gain the profit alone. History had proved it. An inside traitor was more frightening than an outside enemy. If he used Sunny as an internal source, he might be able to compete alone in the main scenario competition.

‘I have to do it right.’

He had to pull as much use from her as possible and gain as much profit as he could.

“Then get in touch frequently. If this scenario goes well, we can do a joint stream once.” Hyeonu threw a fake offer at Sunny. He was hiding an ulterior motive in his heart.

Unaware of it, Sunny was activating her own imagination as she heard Hyeonu’s lip service. ‘Won’t a joint stream give me twice as many viewers? Then we will appear on TV, and I’ll make money. Between a man and a woman...’

“Hohoho!”

***

After separating from Sunny, Hyeonu headed straight to the camp of the imperial rangers.

[Kill the Tattooed Monsters]

[The tattooed monsters are created by forces that threaten the empire. Kill them to reduce the influence of these forces.

Rating: MS

Conditions: Kill the Tattooed Monsters 47/???

Rewards: Experience, imperial contribution.]

‘I’ve killed 47.’

The number was neither small nor large. Considering he spent half a day streaming, Hyeonu had hunted many tattooed monsters. Yet the number would still fall far short of what the New World and the Pioneer Guild had achieved.

“Are you back now? Everyone else has come here once. How many did you get?” Garon greeted Hyeonu bluntly.

“I killed 47.”

“Ohu? You killed quite a lot even though you’re alone. As expected from the duke’s apprentice...”

[Kill the Tattooed Monsters has been cleared.]

[Experience has been acquired.]

[470 imperial contributions have been acquired.] 

“Then hunt more monsters. The more power they have, the better.”

[A quest has been created.]

[Kill the Tattooed Monsters]

[The tattooed monsters are created by forces that threaten the empire. Kill them to reduce the influence of these forces.

Rating: MS

Conditions: Kill the Tattooed Monsters 0/???

Rewards: Experience, imperial contribution.]

‘It is a recurring quest. It will keep repeating if the conditions aren’t met.’

This was one of the obvious patterns of an RPG. However, Hyeonu had information to satisfy one of the many conditions. It was what he heard from Sunny. “I have obtained good information.”

“Good information? Tell me.” Garon made an interested expression.

Hyeonu passed on the information he heard from Sunny to Garon. “The name of the group is Alkyl, and the leader is called Edward.”

“How do you know this? Did His Majesty or the duke tell you?” 

“No, it is information I got on my own.”

“Is that so? Then you are qualified.” Garon’s expression changed. The new expression wasn’t a polite look but a serious expression.

“What am I qualified for?” Hyeonu asked politely. It was always up to a player to lead the conversation with a NPC. This was something a guild miner was skilled at.

“The right to know the truth. Everyone knows about the last rebellion, but the actual truth is different. They are just a tail branch. The real force is separate.”

“Is it that Edward?”

“Yes, he is the head of Alkyl and also the younger brother of the current emperor. 2nd Prince Edward—that’s his identity.”

Hyeonu’s mouth dropped open. It was a truly amazing fact.

‘The head of the rebels is the 2nd prince... It is quite a broken family...?’

He wondered out loud, “Then what should I do? Please tell me.”

Upon hearing Hyeonu’s words, Garon’s eyes sharpened. Garon’s expression was sullen, and Hyeonu could predict what he was going to say. However, the words that came out from Garon’s mouth were a bit different from what Hyeonu had expected. “You? You can’t do anything alone. You just have to wait. The people you brought are decreasing Alkyl’s power little by little, and you also brought useful information. In any case, the achievement is yours. This is the result of the time His Majesty sent you to me.”

‘What is this wealth?’ Hyeonu grabbed hold of an unthinkable fortune, but he was bewildered instead of pleased. He wondered why this had happened.

‘Is it because I went too far ahead alone? So is this a jackpot falling from the sky?’

It wasn’t a lightning bolt from the sky but a jackpot from the sky.

“However, if you don’t meet the criteria, you’ll have to compete with them on the same line.”

[A quest has been created.]

[Garon’s Standards]

[You have preempted a good position in the rebel skirmishes, but this position can only be maintained if you meet Garon’s standards.

Pass Garon’s standards until the fighting completely starts.

Rating: MS

Conditions: Level 140/175, skills with an A- proficiency 0/2

Rewards: Experience, Garon's quest.]

“Then when will the battle begin?” Hyeonu asked about the most important thing—the duration. It would be a big problem if he only had a week or 10 days. Then it was obvious that he would have to hunt without sleeping.

‘It isn’t possible.’

Garon opened his mouth and asked, “Why? Are you nervous? Well, it is a long time. Based on the current speed, it will take two months.”

Hyeonu’s lips started to rise up when he heard Garon say two months. It was just that Garon’s words weren’t over.

“However, I received a message via communication magic just now. I’ve been informed that they are sending more adventurers to hunt the tattooed monsters. Then it will be a month at most. One month.” Garon smiled when he finished speaking.

‘I want to hit him just once.’ Hyeonu suffered from the desire to hit Garon’s face.

***

“Group Leader-nim, can we leave it like this? I think it is enough to look at Alley Leader’s leveling speed,” Arena’s GM, Park Cheolhyeong, asked the head of the operations team, Kim Jinyeong.

This was a balance breakdown. An NPC promised the best rewards for a player, even if the player did nothing.

“So? Do you want me to reverse it now? Haven’t you been to the development team? Do you know how many days they have been working overtime? If you ask them to fix it, you will be shot. Bang bang bang!” Kim Jinyeong said and fired a finger gun at Park Cheolhyeong.

“Additionally, this was all created by Alley Leader. There are no bugs. It is just that his direction of play coincides with the main scenario at this time. Is it synergy?” Kim Jinyeong continued talking and tapped Park Cheolhyeong on the head. “Moreover, do you think it is common sense to gain one level per day when you are at level 140? It is only possible because it is Alley Leader.”