Ranker's Return

“The Masked Fighting King. It is literally a fight with masks.” Hyeonu raised his hand and pointed to his mask. “Do you know the reason for wearing a mask?”

-I don’t know.

-For fun?

-To hide your identity.

After a long period of meaningless chats, Hyeonu finally found the answer he wanted. “That’s it—to hide your identity. That’s why I use it. So why hide your identity?”

-Aren’t you just asking questions and explaining?

-I don’t know. Even if I don’t, there are many people chatting in this room.

-For fun?

Hyeonu scanned the chat window before continuing. No answer was given this time. “This time, everyone's wrong. It is so you don’t know who is fighting. Think about it. Michael of the United States appears. Then what will his opponent think? ‘Oh, he is a swordsman and has been using this skill so far. I will respond like this.’ Would you think like this?”

-Of course. What if it isn’t a ranker?

-Then dozens of image training will pass through my mind.

“However, the game will be no fun then. Right?” Hyeonu asked the audience.

-ㅇㅇThe first few rankers will be fun, but after that...

-It isn’t fun because it is the same with every broadcasting station.

-No fun. Completely no fun. 10 times no fun.

The viewers actively agreed with Hyeonu’s words. The first one or two times would be fun. The duels were in a completely different realm from them. They were gorgeous yet simultaneously boring. It was unknown why, but the sense of coordination made the duels less vivid. Then what if the opponent wasn’t known? There would be another type of fun. It would be more than just a duel.

“If you wear a mask and don’t know your opponent, you are at the same line as that player in terms of known talents. You’ll be able to see something like this. Additionally, there’s one more thing. Won’t it be fun to guess? ‘Oh, that monkey masked player must be famous in the arena. Who is the tiger mask?’ It will be fun to guess.”

Hyeonu was excited. He was pleased that the idea he planned received such a good response from the viewers.

-By the way, did Nike plan this?

-Nike has a good ability.

-So far, it was just one of the big management companies, but now it suddenly stands out.

“Why is this credited to Nike? It is my thing. I came up with the idea.”

-Wow, really?

-You don’t just play the game well.

-You have a good mind as well. You have it all.

-You need to have it all to feel cool!

The viewers were shocked. The source of the novel idea that had never been seen before was Alley Leader. It was already hard to believe his gaming skill. Now it was unfair that he could also think of such an idea.

“Well, it is up to the viewers to believe it or not, but this was my idea,” Hyeonu nailed in the truth like this. Then he started to explain further about Masked Fighting King, “It will be streaming on Friday every odd week. There will be eight performers per day. It will proceed in a round-robin fashion.”

The moment Hyeonu finished speaking, questions flooded in.

-How will the winner be determined?

-Is it first place?

-What is the prize?

There were many questions, and Hyeonu just answered those he managed to read.

“The winner of the round-robin will be the first week’s winner. I don’t know about the prize. I’m not preparing it. Well, I can give you my autograph or even a photo,” Hyeonu replied humorously.

-You need to be a minimum of a gold medal ranker to be a celebrity. Why would I want the autograph of Alley Leader? ㅋ ㅋ ㅋ

-Isn’t this too prideful? ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-No one will appear if the prize is your signature.

-There will be an article from Nike tomorrow, ‘Masked Fighting King has been canceled.’ Everything is due to Alley Leader. ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

“These people? I am a celebrity? Aren’t I very popular? You are ignoring me.”

-Yes, person who follows sources of attention.

-Yes, Pretentious King.

-Yes, Narcissist King.

-Yes, the next axe illness. [1]

Regardless of Hyeonu’s shaking, the viewers were busy making fun of him.

“Bah, I’m going to stop for today. See you next time.”

Hyeonu’s live stream ended in a hurry.

“Bah, person who follows sources of attention? Axe disease? Narcissist? You guys!!!”

***

When Ellis visited Nike Management in New York, it wasn’t Kale or Jamie who greeted him but an ordinary employee.

“Where is the representative?” Ellis asked.

The employee looked perplexed by Ellis’ question, suggesting that perhaps Jamie was absent. “He is in the cube. He is watching a live stream...”

“Streaming? Isn’t it time for his appointment with me?”

“There’s an important announcement today... He is watching Alley Leader’s stream.”

“Alley Leader? Ah! Was the project announcement today?” Ellis understood. He would’ve been watching at home if he didn’t have an appointment today. In order to get the fastest possible feedback, watching the stream was best in terms of efficiency.

“Then he’ll come out soon.”

At this moment, Jamie adjusted his clothes while walking toward Ellis. “I came as soon as possible. I am Jamie Moore.”

“Yes, I’m Ellis.”

“Fortunately, his streaming was just right. I was anxious because it was longer than I expected. I was almost late for the meeting.”

‘He is pretty humorous.’ Ellis seemed to understand how Jamie had managed to become one of the CEOs responsible for Nike’s future at such a young age. Jamie was pleasant, confident, and enthusiastic. At this moment, Ellis thought that accepting Nike’s offer was a really good choice.

Ellis soon arrived at Jamie’s office.

“Please sit here,” Jamie beckoned.

“This project is really important to Nike as well.”

“I’m personally looking forward to it. By the way, is Alley Leader participating in Masked Fighting King?”

“I would like him to appear in the first episode. However, our judgment is that his level is lacking. He should be at least level 110 to 120.”

Jamie and Ellis continued to talk. The theme was naturally about Hyeonu and Alley Leader. Jamie’s smartphone rang at this moment.

“I’m sorry. Um... Can you wait a minute? I’ve got an important call.” 

Jamie looked perplexed when he saw the name on the screen. It was a name that couldn‘t be ignored. Thus, Jamie was forced to apologize to Ellis and take the call. 

“Jin. What's going on? Masked Fighting King? Is that a suggestion from you? It isn’t up to me.”

Then Jamie’s expression became rotten.

“What the ****. That’s not going to happen. Cut that crap about a brother. I’ll take care of it. Yes, I’ll do it.” Jamie hung up nervously.

“Did something happen?” Ellis asked cautiously.

“No, a friend asked me for an embarrassing favor. It’s fine. You don’t have to worry about it.” Jamie laughed. “Then let’s look around the place. Today, I will guide you.”

***

“In the end, I didn’t get a weapon.”

Since Cancun’s departure, Hyeonu had continued hunting in the Frozen Canyon for days. In addition to the Snow Giant Captain that he beat once, he also defeated the glacier troll and ice golem bosses. As a result, he leveled up a lot. He also earned gold. Yet he didn’t get any items.

“Damn, I killed three bosses and not a single weapon dropped?”

If only he got a weapon...

It could be used through conversion as long as it wasn’t a weapon for magicians and priests. Even a bow could be used. However, the weapons were invisible even when he rubbed his eyes and looked up. In the end, he was forced to leave the canyon empty-handed.

“I should go to the Hejin Mountains before finishing the quest in the Black Forest.”

“Master dude. Are you going to the mountains? Is that right?"

Tak tak tak.

Tang-E excitedly hit Hyeonu on the head. Unlike Hyeonu who couldn’t get a weapon, Tang-E was happy. After the desert and ice canyon, he could finally go to his favorite mountains. Tang-E was already salivating as he thought about picking fruit there.

***

[Red Anvil Tribe]

[Find the Red Anvil Tribe somewhere in the Hejin Mountains and meet Golden Hammer.

Rating: B+

Conditions: Meet Golden Hammer 0/1

Rewards: Golden Hammer’s weapon.]

“My level is rising higher but...”

He didn’t have any weapons, so it couldn’t be helped. Hyeonu thought he would be level 120 when he visited the Hejin Mountains—the Red Anvil Tribe, to be exact. In other words, he would visit it in a month or two. The reward for the quest was to choose one of Golden Hammer’s weapons. Thus, he wanted to get the best weapon possible. However, the unexpected misfortune grabbed at Hyeonu’s ankle.

‘Should I just buy one?’

Hyeonu shook his head.

“No, I have to pay off the debt. Additionally, it isn’t a set item. It is just a weapon.”

Looking at the balance of Hyeonu’s bank account and the number of gold coins, he could easily buy a unique weapon that fit his current level. Even so, Hyeonu was stubborn. When he played games in the past, he never spent money on weapons after a certain point. No matter if it was cash or in-game currency, he only bought armor and accessories. He would use the weapons he acquired.

This was Hyeonu unique little motto. Now he seemed to be following this in Arena.

“However, if I get this weapon, I won’t need to change it for a while.”

***

The intuition trained from being a gamer for the past decade was ringing terribly. The Red Anvil Tribe was in the vicinity.

“Where the hell is it?!!!”

It was just that this intuition had been out of order for a long time. He had been wandering the Hejin Mountains for more than two hours. The Hejin Mountains was currently the largest gathering place for Arena’s rankers. There were executives of large guilds and pro gamers. Hyeonu couldn’t even dream of hunting here. The rankers flocked to the monsters as soon as they respawned. It would be a pain if Hyeonu provoked them for no reason.

‘It is a pity to have no guild in instances like this.’

He had the confidence to win against one or two rankers. However, the rankers hunting in the Hejin Mountains were in groups of at least six people, and some had as many as 20 people. It was impossible for Hyeonu to win against that many people.

Additionally, he couldn’t go deeper into the mountains because he would die without seeing rats or birds. Deep in the Hejin Mountains was a place where real monsters between level 200 and 300 were found.

“Just one person. Just...” Hyeonu shouted toward the air.

***

There were always bad relationships in the world that one did not know about. Enemies were always encountered on the bridge. Tian Hu was wandering through the Hejin Mountains today. “Rin, are there any people in the area to watch out for?”

“Not that I know of. It is currently a hunting ground for the top players. I know they’re hunting deeper.”

“Really? Then let’s hunt here. Then I’ll come back in three hours. Call the kids and set up camp. Isn’t it time for us to move?”

“I understand, President.” 

“Oh, I’m not President Tian. This is Arena, Rin.” Tian Hu patted Rin’s head. Soon after, he disappeared. The connection had been disconnected.

The secretary was instructed by Tian Hu and moved diligently to fulfill his orders. Messages were sent to the guild’s elites.

-Send at least three people who can hunt in the Hejin Mountains at the location shown on the enclosed map. This is the president’s instructions.

Rin was sending the message when someone caught her eye. The person was dressed in completely black clothes. He also had on a mask and a longsword hanging from his waist. “Alley Leader?”

Looking closer, it was obvious. This was Alley Leader. Rin was convinced the man was Alley Leader and had a thought, ‘The president is in a bad mood recently. Won’t he feel better if I catch this guy?’

Thinking of Tian Hu laughing, Rin couldn’t help smiling. She immediately acted on the thought.

‘I’ll send a message to the president first.’

She formed an advance team with four members. Then she moved secretly toward Alley Leader’s location.

[1] Korean people say this if you think you’re special and everybody falls in love with you