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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Hyeonu felt like a fool as he blinked repeatedly. This situation didn’t make sense. Tang-E was a golden furred teddy bear. A handsome Western-looking man and a beautiful woman called such a teddy bear their son. If someone didn’t know the exact circumstances, they would’ve called it crazy. If Hyeonu told this to Yeongchan, Yeongchan would only say, “Are you making fun of me?”

“Is Tang-E really your son?”

“Ah, is my child’s name Tang-E? Tang-E... It is a good name. It is a name that can reveal my child’s cuteness.”

Tang-E’s father, Hugo listened to Hyeonu’s words and only said what he wanted to say. Hyeonu felt frustrated by Hugo’s words and questioned again, “No, this... Why is Tang-E different from the two of you?” 

“Ah, did you ask a question? It is possible to change to a human appearance after the second awakening. It is the unique ability of our clan.”

Hyeonu listened to Hugo’s words and shook his head. “Tang-E has already completed his second awakening though?”

“Then it is possible for him. It just hasn’t appeared yet. We don’t force our children to change to a human form because we like the way they look as little bears,” Hugo explained.

“We can no longer stay like that once we get older. I want to see him a lot when he is young,” Tang-E’s mother, Manong, added after hearing Hugo’s words.

‘A human version of Tang-E? I’ll have to ask to see it later. If he is cute, I can stream it...’

‘Ohuhu.’ Hyeonu gave a sly smile.

In response, Tang-E felt a sense of anxiety for some reason. 

“Then why didn’t Tang-E have a name?” Hyeonu planned to ask all the questions he had been curious about.

Hugo and Manong thought that Hyeonu’s question was Hyeonu showing an interest in Tang-E and smiled.

“A name is given after the second awakening. Only then can you consider yourself a proper clan member. It is a tradition of our clan.”

“I see...” Hyeonu nodded.

‘So there was a secret like this.’

For a Marionette Bear, the name held considerable value. A name meant being recognized as an adult in the Marionette Bear clan. It was natural for Tang-E to want a name as well. Hyeonu gave Tang-E a name at their first meeting. Therefore, just naming him had increased their intimacy.

“I heard you are an adventurer, so I was uneasy. However, if you are such a person, there is no need to worry. My child—no, my Tang-E. Please take care of him.”

“I’ll take good care of him.”

Hyeonu talked to the three bears for a long time.

‘It is uncomfortable...’ Hyeonu felt like a prospective husband going to meet his girlfriend’s parents, and it felt like he had sinned. He kept bowing. Tang-E’s parents might be very kind to him, but he felt uncomfortable. It couldn’t be helped. His instincts rejected having this conversation.

‘Since I’m here, shouldn’t I receive something?’

However, he wasn’t able to leave Bung Bung Island, which he arrived at after a lot of work. He came to Bung Bung Island after a lot of struggle and felt like he should at least receive something.

‘No, I can’t ask in this atmosphere.’

Hyeonu shook his head, but it was only for a moment. Something demonic appeared in Hyeonu’s heart.

-I came all this way. You’re just going to go? Without gaining any profit?

Hyeonu fell to the temptation of the demonic enemy.

‘Yes. I have to ask before leaving. I came all this way.’

“Are there monsters or dungeons on Bung Bung Island? Is there anything I can hunt?”

At Hyeonu’s careful question, Manong and Hugo glanced at each other.

“Oh, you’re an adventurer. I heard that adventurers hunt monsters to grow.”

“Then why not ask him to deal with that cave? It has to be cleaned up soon. It was something we had to do anyway...” Manong said and then suggested something to Hugo.

Hugo accepted it readily, “Yes, let’s do it.” 

Tang-E and Hyeonu didn’t understand the deal made between them. The two people ended the secret conversation and looked at Hyeonu again.

“You have a personality that we can entrust Tang-E to, but there is still a question of your skills.” 

Tang-E refuted Manong’s words with a sulky expression on his face as he thought they were not acknowledging his master, Hyeonu. “No, Master dude is strong. He isn’t weak.” 

“I don’t know that. It can’t be helped, no matter how much you insist, Tang-E. We haven’t seen it with our own eyes,” Manong said and stroked Tang-E’s head. 

The warm touch relaxed Tang-E’s expression.

“I’ll do it.” Hyeonu had no reason to refuse when he would be given a quest.

‘It isn’t strange to wonder about how strong I am.’

In fact, he hadn’t come to Bung Bung Island with great expectations. It was just a place he had to go to one day. If there was one more reason, it was that Tang-E wanted to take him to Bung Bung Island. Hyeonu didn’t express it in words, but his thoughts were revealed with his facial expression. ‘He is so cute.’

Tang-E’s parents told him, “It isn’t very hard. There aren’t any big problems on Bung Bung Island.”

[A quest has been created.]

“If you head to the west of here, you’ll see a huge mountain. There is a cave in the middle of the mountain. It is giving off an unusual aura. I would like you to investigate it.”

[Survey Bung Bung Island’s Central Cave]

[An unusual energy is flowing from the cave in the center of Bung Bung Island.

Investigate the cave’s problem.

Rating: S

Conditions: Survey the cave 0/1.

Rewards: Experience, Hugo and Manong’s recognition.]

‘Good. It is a quest.’ Hyeonu saw the quest window in front of him and clenched his fists. In this way, it was worth it to have left the Balder Mountains to come to Bung Bung Island. The amount of experience given by the quest reward at an appropriate level was enormous.

The experience gained from hunting one or two monsters wasn’t at all comparable to that. The experience given by this quest reward was the same as the experience gained when fighting boss monsters of the same level. He could get that much. Besides, that wasn’t all. It might not be written in the quest rewards, but there were hidden rewards. For example, there were gifts from NPCs or items that could only be obtained from a quest.

‘Will the cave have a boss monster?’

There were many things that could be inferred from the cave’s background. The biggest probability was that a monster was causing problems in the cave. It was a cliche that couldn’t be missed in any game. That was obvious. Just as obvious as the fact that a rabbit was the first monster to be hunted in a virtual reality game.

‘Or perhaps it is a dungeon.’

Secondly, there was the possibility that the cave’s identity was a dungeon. It wasn’t just killing a single boss monster. He might only be able to meet the boss monster after breaking through the dungeon.

‘It doesn’t matter which one it is.’

It was good if it was a boss monster. Then what if it was a dungeon? It went without saying that it was better than just beating monsters.

“I understand. I will go and investigate the cave straight away.” Hyeonu happily accepted Hugo’s quest.

At Hyeonu’s acceptance, Hugo grabbed Hyeonu’s hand and shook it. “Thank you very much.”

There was a satisfied smile on his face.

***

On the way to the cave, Tang-E sat on Hyeonu’s shoulder like a five-year-old child.

“Master dude, did you see it? I think my parents really like you.”

“Yes. They seem like nice people.”

As Hyeonu spoke, he raised his head to look at the blue sky of Bung Bung Island. The sky of Bung Bung Island was extremely blue as if it collected all the blue in the world. The white clouds that were visible from time to time fluttered and showed their own sense of presence.

‘Father...’

After listening to Tang-E’s words, Hyeonu clearly remembered his father’s face in the hospital. His father was strict but more pleasant than anyone else.

“Let’s finish it and go back.”

Hyeonu didn’t know who he was talking to as he moved toward the cave.

***

[Are you sure you want to enter Bung Bung Island’s Central Cave?]

Hyeonu frowned, unable to smile at the message window in front of him. The central cave on Bung Bung Island was a cave with a terrible aura.

‘Doesn’t this feel wrong?’

It seemed that he would have a hard time. The quest appeared to be more troubling than he had expected. It didn’t look easy to deal with. Just then, Hyeonu recalled Hugo’s and Manong’s appearances as they talked among themselves.

‘It was clear that they handed over what they had to do.’

Otherwise, they wouldn’t have let it be until Hyeonu and Tang-E came to the island. It was clear they delayed and delayed investigating the cave until the limit was reached.

“Tang-E, do you look a lot like your parents?” Hyeonu asked as he glanced at Tang-E next to him.

“Of course. I am my mother and father’s child. I resemble the two of them. It is the same for the other clan members. It is a copy,” Tang-E said with a proud expression.

Hyeonu smiled as he thought about it. ‘I got it. I got it.’

“Yes, I think so. It seems to have been inherited properly, Tang-E.” 

Hyeonu finished speaking and entered the dungeon straight away. He was resigned to it. Things wouldn’t change if he complained here. In any case, he asked for it himself. It would be funny if he ran back to Hugo to argue.

“I will enter.”

Hyeonu and Tang-E disappeared into the cave.

***

The cave was exactly the same as what he saw from the outside. It was really unpleasant. There was no sunlight, and the air was humid. He could only see 1 to 2 meters in front of him. It would be better to try and sense for any monsters with his other senses instead of seeing them. However, Hyeonu had an all-rounder pet.

“Tang-E, turn on the fire.”

The more than 3,000 magic power stat was a huge reservoir. A fireball with no power was like water dripping from the reservoir. It could be maintained all day. This wouldn’t strain Tang-E at all.

“I know, Master dude.” Tang-E made a small sphere of flames according to Hyeonu’s order, and it floated in the air.

Hyeonu’s field of view brightened, and the appearance of the cave became more obvious.

“Umm...” Hyeonu groaned when he saw the interior of the cave. Its size was more like that of a dungeon than a cave. There were countless dents here and there. At first glance, they looked like a pattern. The size of the marks was overwhelming.

‘Is it an ogre? Or perhaps it is a golem.’

Hyeonu guessed the monster that made these marks. If a ‘monster’ made such marks, it would surely be a large monster, unless it was a boss monster that could pull out a strong pure energy like Raccoon. Just then, a thumping sound resonated through the cave.

‘It is coming.’

Moments later, a giant monster appeared. Once Hyeonu saw it, his body stiffened unconsciously.

“!!!”

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