Ranker's Return

NEW NOVEL: First and foremost, I'm delighted to announce that our long-time veteran translator littleshanks has finally launched his new novel, Rise!  Rise is a novel about the esports scene in Shanghai, the competitive gaming capital of China. It follows the story of Lin Feng, a boy who has just moved to the city for his last year of high school. He's a passionate gamer and dreams of being the best professional League of Legends player in the world. The twist? He almost achieved his dream, but failed at the...

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Choi Yoon’s daughter, Choi Jisu, was staring at her laptop on her bed in the hospital room. Her laptop was showing two men engaged in a fierce battle. There was a series of slashes! It was a battle that would make viewers sweat.

“Jisu? It’s time to prepare...” The nurse usually in charge of Choi Jisu spoke to her. Now Choi Jisu had to prepare to be discharged. The time to depart for the airport was approaching.

“Wait a minute. It is an important moment. My father is fighting. I’ll watch for another 10 minutes,” Choi Jisu said to the nurse as her eyes remained fixed on her laptop.

She couldn’t believe that one of the men in the video was her dad. Just a week ago, he had been an ordinary South Korean player. Now he was fighting a thrilling battle that made people sweat. Choi Jisu’s thoughts on this didn’t last long because the nurse continued to call out to her. 

“Didn’t you say that you’ll only watch for another 10 minutes? Get ready. Don’t you need to be prepared before your father comes?”

It was already the third time Choi Jisu had said this. There might be plenty of time, but it couldn’t be wasted on watching the video on her laptop. The distressed nurse approached Choi Jisu. Just then, there was the sound of knocking on the room’s door. Knock knock!

“Jisu? Your father’s here! Are you ready?”

Choi Yoon appeared after the stream ended.

“Father!!” Choi Jisu hadn’t moved despite the anxious nurse’s urging. Now she jumped out of bed and ran toward Choi Yoon.

‘Ugh.’ Choi Yoon held back letting out a groan. Choi Jisu might be light, but she obviously weighed more than just a couple of kilograms. It was natural for him to groan when Choi Jisu threw herself at him. Choi Yoon examined the room. There was a neatly arranged travel bag and a pile of clothes that was probably for Choi Jisu to change into. The preparations were over.

“My daughter, do you want to change your clothes? Wear them quickly. We have to get on the plane. It is Father’s wish.”

“Yes. By the way, what happened, Father? Did you get a bronze medal?” Choi Jisu might be pale, but her eyes were lively.

She stared at Choi Yoon with these eyes.

“Ah! That?” Choi Yoon smiled at his adorable daughter.

***

Another ranking battle ended. This time it was still Choi Yoon’s victory. It was close to a formula. He would defend and then subsequently use Turning Over the Ground. Until now, there hadn’t been any player who could withstand this pattern. Choi Yoon’s ranking was still too low.

“It’s okay,” Hyeonu muttered. Choi Yoon’s battle wasn’t as dynamic and glamorous as Dwayne’s style, but he had one great blow. As a result, Choi Yoon was cruising toward the bronze medal.

‘Then why do I feel so anxious?’

The journey to the bronze medal was going smoothly. If this continued, then Choi Yoon would win a bronze medal like Dwayne had done. It was just that a strange sense of anxiety filled Hyeonu’s mind.

-Wow, the uncle is great!

-How long will it be now until the bronze medal?

-What is his current ranking?

-Is it six consecutive victories?

The viewers didn’t know Hyeonu’s insecurities and were simply intrigued by Choi Yoon’s performance. They liked it. Choi Yoon was as ordinary as them, so they felt a surrogate satisfaction when they saw him winning.

‘Well, it isn’t a big deal.’

Hyeonu streamed the show while ignoring his unrest.

“Choi Yoon, what is your ranking now?”

“Now it is around 83 million. I won five times in a row. So after the last match, I went up five million spots instantly.”

Arena’s system analyzed Choi Yoon’s ranking battle and determined he wasn’t suitable for his current ranking. As a result, Choi Yoon was matched with a higher ranking player, and his ranking climbed a lot.

-Wow, five million at once.

-Crazy, crazy. Five million...

-I want to raise my ranking by five million as well.

-So he will get a bronze medal if he wins 15 more consecutive matches?

‘73 million... Wasn’t it 20 wins for Dwayne? It should be roughly around that many matches.’

Hyeonu had started the ranking battle at a very low level, and due to the system, he played the ranking battle against quite high-level players. It was only after 100 consecutive victories that he could become a bronze medalist (9,999,999 to 1,000,000 ranking).

However, Dwayne and Choi Yoon were different. Their ranking swelled every time they won because their level was already above the player’s average.

“Choi Yoon, continue the ranking battle.”

***

Choi Yoon continued to fight the ranking battles. Four ranking battles led to four wins. The three battles ended as easily as the first one. He blocked the opponent’s attack and pierced the opponent’s vital spot. However, the last match didn’t end with just one or two attacks. It was a close fight where their weapons collided each time.

This allowed Choi Yoon and the others to realize something. It was that the opponents didn’t have lower specs than Choi Yoon anymore. Then there was the 11th ranking battle. If he won this, it would be 11 consecutive victories.

‘Huh?’ Choi Yoon had a strange expression when he saw his next opponent. The opponent was a knight, the most common class in the arena. The exception was that the opponent’s weapon was a big sword. ‘Based on what I can see, the player is mainly strength oriented. Avoid it and block thoroughly.’

Choi Yoon was thinking ahead when the ranking battle began.

[The ranking battle has started.]

‘I absolutely can’t block it head on.’

Due to the nature of Arena, the attack power of a greatsword or broadsword wasn’t very strong. The shape could be placed in a capsule and converted, but that was it. However, the use of such a weapon showed how much the character had invested in the strength stat. The opposing knight’s sword moved toward Choi Yoon.

Choi Yoon was ready to move from the beginning. The moment the knight’s sword moved, Choi Yoon was no longer in the same location. The knight’s greatsword seemed to stick to the ground. Choi Yoon had predicted it and moved quickly.

‘Huh?’

However, he didn’t hear the sound he expected. There wasn’t the sound of metal striking the earth. Choi Yoon turned his head with a frown, and something cut through the air. It was the knight’s greatsword. Choi Yoon was frightened and raised the Dwarf’s Sword to block the opponent’s sword.

‘How?’

Choi Yoon couldn’t understand it. How did the opponent’s sword turn toward him? Just a few seconds before the greatsword hit the ground, the knight stepped forward with his left foot and turned his body. As a result, the greatsword that was headed toward the ground flew toward Choi Yoon.

‘Is this possible?’ Choi Yoon didn’t know the series of processes, but he knew one thing. No one who could do this type of thing would remain in this ranking stage.

‘Don’t tell me...?’

***

“Damn,” Hyeonu cursed in a low voice that no one could hear.

‘A proxy knight was met again.’

The proxy knights that others couldn’t meet had appeared for the second time in Alley Leader’s Academy. Moreover, it was at a critical moment. Choi Yoon’s momentum was at its peak after 10 consecutive victories. It was clear that if he continued his winning streak while maintaining his current momentum, he would be able to win a bronze medal. Yet now...

Unfortunately, he met a proxy knight. It was impossible for players who could make such movements to stay in the 50 million section. After all, it was the psychology of normal people to show off when they had skills. Even if they didn’t brag to anyone and kept it a secret, their ranking would still rise.

“You must’ve seen that movement. He absolutely isn’t a local. It is clearly a proxy knight.” Hyeonu sighed.

The viewers who normally teased Hyeonu or opposed Hyeonu’s words agreed with his opinion.

-Is that a ranking similar to mine? ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-When did the level of a deep-sea player rise so high?

-He must be enjoying Arena in the inner core, not the deep sea, right?

-Usually at this ranking, the player’s weapon would be stuck in the ground and then they would be hit in the back. ㅋㅋㅋㅋ This is too absurd.

This acrobatic movement was literally outrageous. The audience watching the ranking battle knew it best. It was impossible.

-The uncle needs to implement justice like Dwayne.

-Dwayne was able to make up for his lack of skill with items. It isn’t possible for the uncle.

-Uh... I’m sorry to see the uncle lose.

-Uncle, have strength! Crush the proxy knight!

“Fortunately, there is a chance of winning. He can target his opponent’s carelessness. It is the pride of the proxy knight. Choi Yoon will win if he targets this.”

Choi Yoon should aim for the other side’s negligence. It was negligence based on the pride of a player who shouldn’t be in this ranking. If this existed, then Choi Yoon had real hope.

‘Please have a personality problem...’ Hyeonu prayed earnestly.

***

Choi Yoon was pushed back while blocking the opponent’s sword. He managed to fend off the attack in a manner that seemed precarious.

‘Still, it is better than I thought.’

Choi Yoon’s constant opponents had been the scarecrow and Alley Leader. The current opponent’s skills and specs were good, but they didn’t reach Hyeonu’s average level set for the bronze medal section. In other words, it meant there was more room for leisure than when Choi Yoon had been practicing.

‘There is only one chance.’

Choi Yoon kept defending and occasionally used a counter while hiding Turning Over the Ground. He left it as his secret weapon.

[Turning Over the Ground]

[Counterattack the opponent’s attack with a momentum to overturn the ground.

Type: Immediately Activated

Rating: Rare

Skill Proficiency: D-

Invalidate the opponent’s attack.

Increases your attack power by 80% of the opponent’s attack power.]

‘The equipment is poor compared to his skills,’ Choi Yoon analyzed soberly. Choi Yoon had studied the equipment representing every level ever since Hyeonu started teaching him. The equipment worn by the opposing proxy knight was similar to his own. He didn’t know the exact information of the weapon, but it was assumed to be unique rated. The various armor equipment were either common or uncommon. If the combo of Turning Over the Ground and Heavy Blow hit properly, then the opponent could be killed in one breath.

‘It is a disgusting defensive.’ Han Jaeyeol, the knight opposing Choi Yoon, frowned.

This was an order from the team’s director, Yoon Hyeongu of Big Stars, but he was full of dissatisfaction.

‘What bullshit about my skills increasing? It is more like regressing.’

Han Jaeyeol’s goal was to make a prominent debut in PvP of the professional league and move to another team.

‘Yet I have to be a proxy knight?’

However, Han Jaeyeol knew the reason why Yoon Hyeongu had him acting as a proxy knight. It couldn’t be helped. If Yoon Hyeongu didn’t do this, then Han Jaeyeol might be kicked out of the team.

‘How many assignments are there today?’

Han Jaeyeol stopped paying attention to Choi Yoon. His mind was full of the rankings he had to achieve today. Han Jaeyeol swung his greatsword like before. The sword moved quickly and aimed at Choi Yoon’s head. At this moment, light started to gather at Choi Yoon’s sword.

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