Ranker's Return

The mood in the chat window was heavier than ever due to the silence. No one had expected it, so it came as a bigger shock. The first one to move was Yeongchan, who hadn’t received any shock. Yeongchan also took off his mask. “Hello, I am Streamer Argon. I took the role of Alley Leader today in Masked Fighting King.”

-No wonder why the progress was smoother.

-It seemed there was no bluffing this time.

-I see. I see!

-Wow... I really didn’t expect this.

-Why can I see this mask here? I rubbed my eyes the moment I saw it.

-I also thought I was seeing a ghost.

-This is how to properly take command.

-The undisputed king of taking command—Alley Leader.

People started to wake up one by one. They emerged from their shock. However, there were still some things that couldn’t be understood. Alley Leader’s current level was estimated to be 100. The other people in Masked Fighting King were generally over level 180.

How did he overcome the level difference to win, particularly when his opponent was Reina? The Ice Princess, a specialist sought after by all the gaming teams in the world—she didn’t lack skills and stats when it came to duels, raids, and sieges. Yet today, she suffered two defeats to Romantic Assassin (Hyeonu).

Some people even claimed this:

-Today, Reina was taken care of by Alley Leader.

It was convincing. Hyeonu’s record was four victories and two losses. Moreover, those two losses were because he surrendered. This meant they were not true defeats. They were defeats he made by himself. However, a rebuttal immediately came up.

-It is because this is Masked Fighting King. Can’t she win if she meets him on a dueling field?

-If the streaming is turned off, Alley Leader will be packed up.

-Honestly, it won’t work three times. He had good luck. The lack of information was a great advantage.

Hyeonu’s victory was due to luck. When Hyeonu saw the chat window, he admitted it. There was no reason to deny it when it was the truth. ‘The more times we fight, the lower my odds of success are. However, this is when I’m still at a low level.’

Hyeonu didn’t worry about it much. His level was significantly lower than them yet he still won. If so, he would keep winning if he raised his level.

“Then today’s broadcast will end here.”

The second Masked Fighting King, which caused much controversy, ended.

***

[Alley Leader beat the Ice Princess.]

[Alley Leader, stirring up trouble!]

[Alley Leader, the real Masked Fighting King.]

As everyone expected, Hyeonu was at the center of the controversy. Hyeonu’s streaming ID spread through all of Arena’s communities. They talked about Alley Leader, increasing the value of ‘Alley Leader’. It became a type of brand. Alley Leader might’ve been famous, but his popularity had been limited to A-World. The various communities had been packed with people more popular than Alley Leader.

Arena was something enjoyed by people all over the world. There were many popular streamers like Alley Leader. Now his name was announced with Masked Fighting King. If it was compared to a company, it was the company getting listed. Moreover, the company was a blue-chip stock. Success was certain.

At this moment, Hyeonu’s smartphone rang. The name that appeared on the LCD screen was Kale. Hyeonu was bewildered by the sudden call as he accepted it, “Yes, Kale. It’s me.”

-Gang, this time you’ve hit the jackpot again. Congratulations.

“No, what congratulations? Did something happen?”

-Think about advertising from now on. To be exact, your brand. The things you want to do and what you don’t want to do—you have to think about these.

Hyeonu shook his head at Kale’s words. This person called him to think about advertising. He wasn’t even a model, so what was Kale saying?

-You will probably get a lot of inquiries starting from the day after the broadcast. It will make the work easier if you decide in advance.

“Is it to that extent?”

-Gang, you must not have felt it yet or you don’t know how vast Arena is. Um... Yes.

Kale paused for a moment. He was struggling with who to use as an example, but he quickly wrapped up his thoughts. 

-Let’s take Reina as an example. This time, you won twice against the Ice Princess. Her annual income is over a billion. More than half of it is earned from ads and sponsors. It is a great income when you think about the fact that she does streaming irregularly. You will earn more than that... Two—no, three times more than that.

“I understand, Kale. I will think about it.”

Hyeonu still maintained a sullen expression. He decided it wasn’t too late to think about it later. So, he hung up and ordered food straight away.

‘Chicken, chicken feet, bossam [1].What else should I order? What does Yeongchan like?’

Hyeonu was paying back the favor.

***

After arriving at Latus Fortress, Hyeonu visited Herard. It was to receive a reward for completing the quest.

[Hejin Mountains Cleaning]

[In order to reduce the size of the monster wave, it is necessary to reduce the number of monsters in the Hejin Mountains. Deal with the monsters of the Hejin Mountains.

Rating: B

Conditions: Monsters killed in the Hejin Mountains 999/999

Rewards: Experience, Latus’ treasure.]

“I cleaned up the mountains.”

“You came back quickly. What about the cause of the monster wave? You didn’t find it?”

Herard looked amazed when Hyeonu came back from cleaning up the mountains. Hyeonu nodded at Herard’s words but soon felt regretful.

‘At this speed, it isn’t comparable to those adventurers.’

“Take this. It is a treasure I earned while protecting Latus.”

[The quest Hejin Mountains Cleaning has been cleared.]

[Experience has been acquired.]

[You have leveled up.]

[All health and magic power have been restored.]

[Latus’ Treasure has been acquired.]

Herard handed Hyeonu a sheet of parchment.

‘Treasure? This?’

“What is this?” Hyeonu turned the parchment around and examined it. Nothing could be seen on the sheet of parchment. In other words, it was white paper.

“Uhuh. I gave you a map. What else do you want to ask from me?”

[Herard’s Treasure Map]

[-A map pointing to a dungeon that exists somewhere in the Hejin Mountains.

It can be used once the map is complete.]

[Current map completion rate: 0%]

“Go to the mountains. Then the map will be revealed.” Herard waved his hand toward Hyeonu. It was a sign for him to go out. Hyeonu was forced to leave Herard’s mansion.

***

“Eh? Really?” The map changed as soon as he entered the Hejin Mountains. A pale image appeared on the parchment that had been blank so far. It became sharper as it entered the Hejin Mountains. “Tang-E, this is important. Keep looking at this.”

Tang-E looked at the map Hyeonu handed over to him. However, Tang-E’s expression was strange. “Master dude! Have you gone mad? How is this a map? It is just parchment!”

Hyeonu’s expression changed at Tang-E’s words. “No, Tang-E. If you look closely, you can see a picture. So shut up and hold it. You will be scolded if you lose it.”

Hyeonu attached the map to Tang-E’s chest.

‘Damn Master dude. I hope you die from a monster attack.’

***

[A red fur monkey has been killed.]

[Experience has been acquired.]

Hyeonu continued hunting for a long time. It was safe to say that he had already been to all the areas which could be explored. The fact that he hadn’t received any clues about the monster wave meant the clue was deeper within the mountains. This was in line with Hyeonu’s goal of increasing his level further.

“Tang-E, is there anything different?”

“Master dude, I can roughly see it now.”

At Tang-E’s words, Hyeonu took the map. ‘Um... My idea seemed to be wrong? I’ve been wandering around the entrance, but only a bit of the picture has shown up.’

“Do I have to catch monsters to make this image appear?” Hyeonu shook his head despite his guess. It couldn’t be. He had already killed over 100 monsters since coming back to the mountains.

‘Yet it is still faint...’

“Do I have to hunt at least 500 more? Shit.” Hyeonu couldn’t help swearing. It was terrible. The prospect of hunting 500 monsters alone again was bleak. Hyeonu was annoyed and encouraged Tang-E, “Let me know as soon as the map points to somewhere.”

“Understood.”

‘Damn Master dude.’ Tang-E gulped. It was clear he would be hit if he expressed himself. He didn’t want to feel any pain.

***

[The Blackstone Golem has been killed.]

[Experience has been acquired.]

[You have leveled up.]

[All health and magic power have been restored.]

[Your fighting energy stat has risen by 2.]

‘I already leveled up?’

“This speed is really fast.”

Hyeonu’s level up speed would be astounding to anyone who saw it. At two levels per day, it was four or five times the level-up speed of rankers.

‘Status Window.’

Hyeonu opened his status window after a long time.

[Status Window]

[Character Name: Gang Hyeonu

Level: 117

Class: Knight of Keon

Title: Lebron’s Disciple, Warrior Acknowledged by Khan, New Star Acknowledged by Lebron, First Person to Enter the Imperial Palace, First Person to Meet the Emperor, Achieved 100 Consecutive Wins, Solo Raider, Desert Dragon Slayer

Stats: Strength: 220 (+450)  Agility: 345 (+500)  Physique: 150 (+450)  Magic Power: 150 (+500)  Fighting Energy: 127 (+200)

Remaining stat points: 0

Retained Attributes: Wind]

‘I need more titles and stats.’

He was still strong. However, Tang-E’s buffs only increased his strength and physique. Hyeonu felt the need for motion-related stats as he hunted.

‘Or a unique sword with the agility stat...’

Hyeonu thought about what to do and closed the status window. Then he turned to Tang-E’s status window. It had been a long time since he checked Tang-E’s status window.

[Status Window]

[Name: Tang-E

Level: 99

Species: Marionette Bear

Title: Bung Bung Island’s Heir

Stats: Strength: 244  Agility: 230  Physique: 274  Magic Power: 526

-The heir of Bung Bung Island. Bear-like physical abilities and high magic power are racial characteristics. He is very affectionate, unlike his prideful tone.

Intimacy: 82

Skills Possessed: Bear’s Momentum, Forest’s Blessing, Magic Power Affinity, Lightning]

“You will be level 100 if you gain one more level?”

For players, level 100 was a special number. It was the level of the second class change. So what about pets? For pets, level 100 was also a special time.

‘How will this guy change?’

“Tang-E, how do people of your species fight? What about your parents?”

“My species?” Tang-E didn’t know why Hyeonu was asking him about this, but he answered as there wasn’t any particular secret. He looked at his doll-like paws that didn’t even have any claws. “How does a bear fight? Stupid Master dude. We naturally fight on two feet.”

Tang-E was so cute that Hyeonu wondered how he fought.

‘It must be cute. The number of views will be very high when I post it as a video...’

“Then why are you so small? Don’t you fight with your body?”

That was a natural question. It would be hard to fight with that little body.

“Just wait a little bit, Master dude. I think I can grow soon.”

“!!!”

Tang-E would grow at level 100. As his size grew, so would the stats. Considering that Tang-E was a unique rated pet, there was a chance he would be a good tanker. Additionally, Tang-E was now level 99.

“Tang-E, let’s hunt. I’ll make you bigger today.”

A goal was created for this boring hunt.

---

[1] pork dish. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bossam

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