Ranker's Return

-Was the counter originally a skill like this?

-No. I would know because I have one. A skill isn’t being activated.

-Really. The conditions to trigger a counter are extremely tricky. If it were easy, then it would be as common as dogs and cows. There aren’t many people using it now though.

-So he isn’t using it but covering it up with his own control? The cooldown time can’t be that short.

For the viewers, Hyeonu’s battle was like an onion.

...Or perhaps Pandora’s Box?

There was no end to it. There were no snags and no limits. The more they watched, the more things they saw. It was as if he had been preparing for a long time. Thus, it was more wonderful. 

-Still, please stop. 

-Isn’t he going to surrender?

-There is no way since he is a silver medalist.

-No, I think he will quit the arena.

-Honestly, he is lucky this is the arena.

-The skill and personality are different. I am learning today as well.

The silver medal swordsman who matched with Hyeonu was miserable. The words ‘hollowed out’ could even be used to refer to him.

Like a high school girl riding on the disco pang pang [1], the swordsman couldn’t support himself and had to lie on the ground. 

Hyeonu’s calculations were terrible. He always dealt enough damage so the opponent wouldn’t die. The swordsman smiled as the black sword pierced his chest and he was finally defeated. He couldn’t surrender because of his pride as a silver medalist. The result was that he was beaten, but he still didn’t surrender.

‘Yes, this is enough. This person is just too good.’

 

[Player ‘Gang Hyeonu’ has won.]

 

***

 

Hyeonu reappeared in the arena. His expression wasn’t visible due to the mask, but viewers could tell that he had on a smile like the one on the mask. 

-Wicked, wicked.

-He is clearly a demon.

-As expected of Alley Leader.

‘I’ve been stressed.’

Hyeonu streamed in a bright voice, “Did you see it? I didn’t use the skill because I don’t have it, but the basic principles are the same. Once the opponent’s attack comes, hit back at the right time. This is Arena’s counter skill.”

Hyeonu summoned a scarecrow.

“We had a brief practice run before the stream. Let’s take a look. What are Choi Yoon’s current skills?”

Hyeonu quickly stepped back, and only Choi Yoon remained in the scarecrow’s perception. Recognizing Choi Yoon, the scarecrow swung its sword straight at Choi Yoon.

Choi Yoon stood still and watched the scarecrow’s sword. Then he moved the moment the scarecrow’s sword entered his perimeter. Choi Yoon was thrilled by the changed power of the counter. It was different from the counter he had practiced with Hyeonu, ‘Turning Over the Ground.’ If he had been turning over the ground in the past, his current power was like digging at the ground with an excavator.

‘Is the difference between weapons so big?’

The scarecrow was turned over and knocked down. The problem was after that. The weapon had been upgraded, but that was all. His ability remained the same. Choi Yoon’s counters that didn’t receive the calibration of the skill were poor. He couldn’t get it right. He barely stopped the scarecrow’s attacks. He couldn’t even fight back. It was even more obvious because there was Hyeonu’s perfect demonstration just before.

-This is normal.

-Yes, this is a normal person.

-Well done. With that middle-aged physique... Yes. Just learn and do well.

-Have strength, strength!

Since the Dwarf’s Single-edged Sword was more powerful than the original weapon, the scarecrow disappeared after Turning Over the Ground was used twice more. The intermediate difficulty scarecrow was Choi Yoon’s limit.

“Everyone, did you see it? This is Choi Yoon’s current state. I will continue to teach him in this state. I aim to do an intermediate check in the next stream. After that, we will jump into the ranking battle.”

-Then what is next week?

-There seems to be no answer this time.

-Can he really get a bronze medal with those specs? The bronze medal isn’t a joke.

-If Uncle Choi manages to get a bronze medal this time, then I really have to acknowledge it.

-I have already acknowledged it. If Alley Leader succeeds this time, I’ll need to send some gold coins and ask him to take me as his disciple.

The viewers were half anxious and half full of expectations. Following Dwayne, would Alley Leader be able to gain two consecutive bronze medals? Or would it fail? If it failed, how would he tolerate the storm?

“Then I will explain how to use the counter.”

After that, Hyeonu’s heated lecture continued.

 

***

 

As always, the stream ended successfully. The viewers clamored for more, but Hyeonu hung up. He maintained a polite form. “Choi Yoon, if you have any questions, ask me at any time through a note or a whisper. You have to bother me. That way, you can be a proud father,” Hyeonu requested as he shook Choi Yoon’s hand.

Choi Yoon was different from Dwayne. No matter what, he had to do it unconditionally. Choi Yoon nodded at Hyeonu’s words. He felt that way during the stream today. Consequently, Choi Yoon planned to hunt harder and spend as much time as was permitted in the arena.

‘It is all possible because someone is supporting the cost of the surgery.’

Once his thoughts reached here, he was once again thankful to the man in the child’s mask.

“Thank you. I wanted to say this again.”

Choi Yoon disappeared afterward. He was probably going to his daughter Choi Jisu. Hyeonu was left alone and sat down on the ground.

‘A note has come.’

The note he was waiting for had arrived. The sender was Sunny, and the note contained information about the rebel attacks.

“Now I just need to send this to Brother, and my work is over.”

Hyeonu wrote a note with great sincerity and sent it to Gang Junggu.

[To Gang Junggu: 

Brother, I finally got the correct information.

Two days later, you’ll see the rebels attack 10 castles simultaneously.

From Brigs to Gieti, these 10 places will be targeted.

The more ahead you are, the higher the expected rewards will be.

New World, Pioneer, Red Bull America—they must unconditionally be in charge of these three places.

Additionally, I’ll handle Brigs.

P.S. I hope to see you after this main scenario is over.]

 He wrote a lot, but the more important line was that he would handle Brigs on his own.

‘There are two days left...’

“Shall I spend some time on quests?”

Hyeonu wanted to spend the two days doing some productive work, not meaningless hunting. It was why he picked the quests. Currently, Hyeonu had received two quests. One was a quest from Lebron.

 

[Duke Blake]

[Meet Duke Blake, the former commander of the Knights of Keon.

Rating: A+

Conditions: Meet Duke Blake 0/1

Rewards: Experience, Duke Blake’s secret technique.]

 

Additionally, he had obtained the Trail of the Previous Generation quest after clearing the Successor of the Mysterious Sky Demonic Art quest.

 

[Trail of the Previous Generation]

[Discovered the diary of the former master of the Mysterious Sky Demonic Art.

Read the journal and chase his trail.

Rating: A+

Condition: xxxx’s trail 0/1

Rewards: Experience, xxxx’s keepsake.]

 

“Um...”

Hyeonu struggled to pick between the two quests. He couldn’t choose a quest at all. Both rewards were good. It was hard to tell which one was superior. Duke Blake’s secret technique was obviously a skill while the keepsake could be an item or a skill. The problem was...

“There is no information.”

Arena might not be friendly in this regard, but from the perspective of the community, it wasn’t to this extent. Even the most difficult quests provided some clues so they could be cleared. However, these quests... Hyeonu lowered his head involuntarily. If he had to choose one...

“Let’s go with Trail of the Previous Generation.”

Hyeonu chose this with the hope that there was something written in the journal. He took out xxxx’s journal that had been placed in his inventory.

[Every disciple of the Mysterious Sky Family is called a powerhouse. It was the same with me. It is natural since the achievements of the Mysterious Sky Demonic Art are high enough to be called the best in the history of the Mysterious Sky Family. Then one day...

Something happened on the nameless mountain of Mujang Seong. I ran into a mysterious force. They were strong. I, one of the top ten of the Mysterious Sky Family, was driven to the brink of death.

(Omitted).

I woke up from the crisis of death in a strange place.

It was a world of color.

I thought this was the West Continent on the other side of Mount Cheon [1] that I had only heard about in legends.

I put all my energy into recovering.

(Omitted).

I arrived in the Balder Mountains.

Another name for the Balder Mountains is the Mountain Cheon. If I cross this mountain, I can return to the Mysterious Sky Family.]

 

This was the end of xxxx’s journal.

A smile crossed Hyeonu’s face as he closed the journal.

“Good.”

He felt sorry comparing it to finding Duke Blake when there was a clue to the quest in the journal.

‘By the way, where are the Balder Mountains?’

Hyeonu thought he should gather information on the Balder Mountains.

 

***

 

In the president’s office at Nike’s headquarters, an old man sat on a desk in a manner that didn’t match the image of a president at all. One hand was tapping the desk while the other held a smartphone.

“Jamie, what happened?” 

-There is the video he sent. I sent it to your personal email. You can check it now.

The person on the other end of the line was Jamie Moore, the CEO of Nike Management. “No, I wanted to hear from you before that. Is this it? Will it be enough to find him a big and beautiful piece of shit?”

-It is enough. Based on his personality, he probably won’t be angry at you. However, I think that side will be rearranged from tomorrow. Hahaha.

Bill Knight hadn’t been so relaxed in a long time. Leading a huge enterprise always caused stress. It was a great opportunity to relieve such stress.

“Okay, let’s have a meal together soon. Jamie, we are both in the USA, but I don’t get to see you much.”

-I understand. I’ll go to Beaverton. 

Still, New York and Beaverton weren’t close at all. Bill Knight ended the conversation with Jamie, got off his desk, and sat in an old-fashioned chair. Then he watched the short video of Alley Leader that Jamie had sent him.

One blow...

The second blow...

The third blow...

Bill Knight finished watching the video and burst out laughing, “Puhaha! Lohan, I’ll give you your fill today.” 

He picked up his phone again and started making a call. “Lohan, how have you been?”

-Were you calling just to ask this? The other person responded in a chilly tone. It was uncertain if he didn’t like Bill Knight’s call or if that was his nature.

“I called because I received good news.”

-Good news? What does that have to do with me?

“You should care. It is related to your company. Of course, you need to know.” Bill Knight took his time to answer.

Lohan Dassler, the person who answered his call, started to become upset. -Just tell me what you meant.

“It is faster for you to see it in person than for me to tell you. I’ve already sent it to your email.”

Lohan Dassler was silent at Bill Knight’s words. There was the sound of the mouse clicking.

“Did you see it? I will release this video at the next meeting. I can’t not share such a good thing. Lohan...”

After a while, Lohan said in a cold tone, -...Stop it. This is our mistake.

“That is what I want. It isn’t your decision but I will stop for today. Uhaha!” Bill Knight’s laughter echoed through the president’s office.

[1] Disco pang pang = the amusement park rides that is a circle with a bar on the outside. People sit on the seats and try to hold onto the bars as the ride moves in a crazy manner.

[1] Can also mean Heaven/Sky Mountain