Ranker's Return

“Yes, Jamie. H Hotel that we met at last time? I see. Three hours. Yes, I’ll see you then,” Hyeonu said and ended the call with Jamie. Then he questioned Yeongchan, who was staring at him, “What are you looking at? Do you have something to say?”

“Are you really going to become a pro-gamer?” Yeongchan was genuinely curious. 

A pro-gamer—it was a profession that was chosen for honor rather than money. It would be better not to do it if it was just for money. They could earn a few times more money by streaming.

“Of course. I don’t have to be a pro-gamer for the rest of my life, but isn’t it okay just once? I have something to do,” Hyeonu stated like it was a natural thing.

He didn’t intend to be a pro-gamer for a long time. It would only be for one year. Investing more time in it would just be a waste.

“Is it because of that jerk? You want to prevent him from participating in World Arena, right?”

“No, that isn’t my purpose. It is just an intermediate step. In any case, there are two World Arena quotas assigned to South Korea. To be exact, there is one, and the other one is the Asia quota. This is the maximum.”

“Then?” Yeongchan asked with slight relief.

“Yeongchan, how many games have we played together already? There have been a few games where I used to be a ranker. I need to show my face at least once. I am such a person. Once I become a pro-gamer, I’ll reveal it. Just like in the past.”

Hyeonu had already set up a big plan. The question was if he could make it a reality. Could it be carried out as planned without anything going wrong? However, Hyeonu wasn’t worried.

‘I just need to find team members for one season. It will be good for one season.’

He would achieve everything and retire in one season. This was the goal of Hyeonu’s plan.

“So there is no need to worry. It isn’t just because of that jerk Jung Hanbaek. You should worry about your own love affair. Last time, I heard you making a commotion while talking on the phone. Will you break up soon?” 

Hyeonu left after saying these mischievous words to Yeongchan and headed to H Hotel, the venue of the meeting place.

***

“Jamie! It has been a while.” Hyeonu waved to Jamie Moore, the Caucasian man waiting for him in the hotel lobby.

“Mister Gang! It is nice to see you. You seem to look better every time I see you,” Jamie greeted.

These weren’t empty words. Hyeonu was looking better every day due to regular diet management and exercise.

“The owner of Crescent Moon already arrived and is waiting for us. Let’s go in.” Jamie led Hyeonu to a restaurant in the hotel.

On the way to the restaurant, Hyeonu asked Jamie a question. “By the way, who is the owner of Crescent Moon? I’ve had a lot of work lately, so I haven’t looked it up at all.”

Hyeonu hadn’t paid much attention to Crescent Moon, formerly Big Stars. In fact, he couldn’t pay attention because of the Book of Random Luck Enhancement.

“He doesn’t know much about business, but he is a good person to act as manager for an Arena club. He has a great amount of interest and affection for Arena. He doesn’t overdo it though as he analyzes himself coldly. That’s why the talk went well.”

Hyeonu nodded at Jamie’s explanation. ‘Really? He seems perfect for a club.’

Moreover, Hyeonu wasn’t trying to make money with a club, so there was no need to be too picky. The manager had a high level of affection for the club. This was extremely rare in any sport. If this assessment was true, the owner of Crescent Moon could be called a wannabe in the circle.

Upon arriving at the restaurant, the employee at the front welcomed them. “Do you have a reservation?”

The person who answered the employee’s question was Jamie. Jamie responded in fluent Korean, “Moon Doyeong. It is reserved under Moon Doyeong.”

“Moon Doyeong... I will guide you there. Please follow me.” The front desk staff skillfully escorted Hyeonu and Jamie to the reserved area. 

After guiding the two of them to the reserved room, the front desk employee disappeared with a courteous greeting. “This is the place. The guest is inside.”

“Then let’s go in.” Jamie opened the door and led Hyeonu into the room.

The room was very familiar. It was the place where Hyeonu met Kale for the first time and also where he met Jamie. This was a place that was meaningful to Hyeonu. It was safe to say that Hyeonu’s fate had changed in this place. Inside the room, there was a man in a navy-blue shirt.

It was Moon Doyeong, the owner of Crescent Moon. "Hello. I am Moon Doyeong, the owner of Crescent Moon.”

Hyeonu was stunned after seeing his face. It was a familiar face. They had only met two times, but the encounters were unforgettable.

“Moon Capital?”

“You’re Alley Leader...?”

Hyeonu and Moon Doyeong were very surprised to see each other. They were surprised.

‘No wonder why the name was familiar.’ Hyeonu blamed himself for not remembering the name Moon Doyeong. Why didn’t he remember it? The CEO of Moon Capital was the man who had taken the 30 billion won that was like Hyeonu’s own blood.

Jamie was also surprised. “Then the two of you know each other? I thought you were meeting each other for the first time, but the two of you know each other?”

It was naturally something for Jamie to be curious about. As if to prove that Moon Doyeong had lived in society for a long time, he quickly adjusted his feelings and responded tactfully to Jamie’s words. “It was a personal thing, and we’ve only seen each other’s faces once or twice. This is the first time we’ve had a separate conversation.” 

Moon Doyeong didn’t show that anything was strange even if he felt it. This was the answer Moon Doyeong gave.

“We have seen each other a couple of times. We don’t meet often,” Hyeonu also added something to Moon Doyeong’s answer.

‘The surname Moon isn’t very common yet I didn’t remember it.’ Hyeonu was regretful for a brief moment.

However, things had already happened, and the past was the past. It was an unchanging fact that Moon Doyeong was the CEO of Moon Capital who had taken his 30 billion won. It was also a fact that he was the owner of the club, Crescent Moon.

‘It isn’t a bad thing.’ Hyeonu didn’t have any bad feelings for Moon Doyeong.

In fact, Moon Doyeong hadn’t done anything unfair to him. Despite the complexities, he had rightfully exercised his rights. Naturally, there had been nothing illegal about the process. In other words, it had simply been a very large financial transaction.

“I’ll greet you again. I am Gang Hyeonu. During the stream, I use the name Alley Leader,” Hyeonu greeted Moon Doyeong with an adequate expression and tone.

‘This is how he earned 30 billion in such a short time... It is possible for Alley Leader!’ Moon Doyeong realized. Then he also greeted Hyeonu with a courteous attitude, “Hello. I am Moon Doyeong, the one in charge of Crescent Moon. Thank you very much in advance.”

The two of them exchanged an awkward handshake. From then on, Jamie started to set the mood. “We should eat first before talking, even though this is a strange time to eat.” 

At Jamie’s words, the server came in and started to set the food on the table. The meal began with a refreshing Caesar salad. The combination of colorful vegetables and parmesan cheese was wonderful. Of course, Hyeonu didn’t think so. ‘Ugh, it’s vegetables. Vegetables.’

There was no taste. The vegetables were dirty, and there wasn’t enough Parmesan cheese to be tasted.

‘How much fried chicken can I buy for the price of this dish? What the hell...’ Hyeonu covered up his grumpy thoughts. 

On the surface, he smiled and said it was very delectable. “Delicious. I think the salad is really appetizing.”

“Right? I’m glad it fits your taste buds. If you need to live in a dormitory later, I will hire the chef here.” Moon Doyeong smiled.

Jamie agreed, “Or you can find a person from the United States. Is money a problem? You are Alley Leader and can get any treatment.”

‘Are you crazy? I’d rather eat chicken.’ Hyeonu smiled bitterly at the two men’s words. “It’s okay. Perhaps it is because I have a Korean palate, but I’d like to leave this as an occasional taste.”

After a friendly meal, the three of them started to talk about the operation of Crescent Moon in earnest.

It naturally started with Hyeonu. “I won’t place any restrictions on the nationality of the players. However, they should be able to speak English. Age doesn’t matter, but I want their personality to be extroverted or thoughtful.”

Unlike other sports leagues, the Arena League had no restrictions on foreign aid. In any case, it was possible to communicate freely within Arena. Quency also had no intention of imposing sanctions on such areas.

“Then I will make direct contact with rankers in Arena. I already have one or two people in mind.”

Jamie heard Hyeonu’s words and asked, “What limit do you have on their skills? Most top rankers are pro-gamers or those who don’t intend to be pro-gamers.”

“There is no need for them to be top rankers. They can improve and level up. Items can also be acquired. There is a lot of time until the next season. Jamie, there are two things you need to look at—talent and toughness. The cut-off line for their skills is the arena gold medal. There is no need for anything more or less,” Hyeonu answered with confidence.

‘It’s fine if their skills are just at a good standard. The important thing is related to me.’

Currently, the PvP mode of the Arena League was a series of consecutive games. It was the same method as Masked Fighting King. The winner would continue to play as the losers would keep challenging.

‘I have to win it all.’

PvP wasn’t a problem at all as long as the Arena League stuck to the current rules. It was the same for the raids. Hyeonu alone proved his raid ability to be superior to that of large guilds. If there was a problem, it would certainly be the siege.

‘I need people with spirit.’

Sieges could never be won by himself. It was impossible even if he tried his best. After all, it was simply impossible for one person to stop all enemies in a siege. Hyeonu had only one body, which meant he could only stop the incoming opponents in one location.

‘So I need people who will listen to me and communicate well.’

“Right, how many people are needed to play in the Arena League?” Hyeonu smiled meaningfully.