Ranker's Return

Hyeonu smiled softly and replied, “This is a temporary weapon. Something happened... I will carry the spear when I fight against the god tribe.”

He had no intention of changing weapons. The Guardian’s Spear was only temporary. His real weapon was the Mixed Sky Sword.

“I don’t know how it will look in Teacher’s eyes, but among the adventurers, I’m pretty good with it.”

“So you want me to check it? You don’t want to go out and die?”

“Hey, it isn’t to that extent. I have the basics, the basics.” Hyeonu pointed the spear at Lebron.

‘Isn’t that a joke?’ Lebron made a surprised expression at the sharp air coming from Hyeonu’s spear tip. It was because Hyeonu’s posture was better than expected.

‘Isn’t that considerable skill?’ Lebron had never taught Hyeonu techniques for other weapons.

Hyeonu might not possess any mysterious or bizarre weapon techniques, but in Lebron’s eyes, Hyeonu seemed to know the basics. Therefore, Lebron hadn’t taught them to him.

“Come and see.” Lebron raised his hand that wasn’t holding the branch and nodded lightly at Hyeonu.

“I will go lightly.” Hyeonu literally moved lightly. He used Mixed Sky Steps to quickly narrow the distance between him and Lebron before throwing the spear. Hyeonu’s spear made a light sound as it stabbed at a certain point.

Lebron raised the branch with an expressionless face. It was a light blow with the intention of disrupting the trajectory of the spear. However, Lebron’s branch failed to fulfill its purpose. Hyeonu’s spear split into two like a snake’s tongue and exquisitely avoided the tree branch.

‘This guy?’ Lebron frowned at the unexpected blow. It was an unexpected move.

Lebron raised his magic power and pulled back the branch. The branch returned to its original position several times faster than the speed at which Hyeonu’s spear stabbed. After blocking Hyeonu’s spear, the branch vibrated slightly.

“They weren’t empty words...”

“When did you ever see me talking nonsense? I don’t say anything that isn’t true,” Hyeonu answered confidently.

Lebron frowned as if he didn’t like seeing Hyeonu’s expression.

Hyeonu continued, “The problem is the Mixed Sky Demonic Martial Art.”

He had been thinking about the Mixed Sky Demonic Martial Art shortly after discovering that he needed to use the Guardian’s Spear. All the other skills didn’t matter much. It was just the Mixed Sky Demonic Martial Art that was the problem.

“The Mixed Sky Demonic Martial Art?”

“It is concerning. It isn’t easy to swing the spear like a sword.”

“Mixed Sky Range is the problem.” Lebron immediately recognized the meaning of Hyeonu’s words.

Mixed Sky Range fired many pure energies by rapidly swinging the weapon in his hand. It was a concept that didn’t go well with the spear.

“Mixed Sky Demonic Strength is much more efficient when it comes to a stabbing.”

“Yes. There is a reason divided up in the first place.”

“Is there no way?”

“A way? There is. There are two.” Lebron raised his index and middle fingers. “One way is to use it with Mixed Sky Steps.”

The moment Hyeonu heard Lebron’s words, he pictured what Lebron was saying in his mind. It was to use Mixed Sky Steps to make clones in the air and have them use Mixed Sky Range at the same time.

“What is the second one?”

“You can go into the middle of the enemy camp and spin around.”

The second method was a bit ignorant.

“Can I do that?”

Lebron’s eyes widened as he stared at Hyeonu. “Try it and tell me. Don’t just say it is impossible.”

“I understand, Teacher.” Hyeonu nodded.

The reason why he asked wasn’t that he couldn’t do it. The only problem was ‘jumping into the middle of the enemy’s camp’.

‘I will only use it when dealing with the god tribe...’

The danger was different from that of the undead. It was about planning and hitting or pushing purely with his own strength. The difference between the two was visible to anyone.

“What else is there?” Lebron asked with an annoyed expression on his face. His excitement cooled down.

“I must kill the king of the god tribe.” Hyeonu pointed his spear at Lebron again.

“The king? It must be hard for you to kill him, right?” Lebron’s eyes widened at Hyeonu’s sudden words.

“Still, wouldn’t it be easier than killing a god?”

“Killing a god? That is something even I can’t guarantee that I can do.”

“It can’t be helped. One of the two is a must,” Hyeonu answered firmly.

“Does it have something to do with the spear?” Lebron asked Hyeonu while wielding the branch.

Thick purple pure energy flowed out along the trajectory of the branch.

“Yes, Teacher,” Hyeonu told the truth without hiding anything. The pure energy from Hyeonu’s spear exploded Lebron’s pure energy.

“Then let’s give it a try. Do you have the skills to do so?” Lebron stretched out the branch and smashed it toward Hyeonu.

***

Hyeonu, who had been beaten up by Lebron, wandered around while touching the back of his head that was still tingling. He turned his head and looked everywhere like he was searching for something.

‘Where are you?’

The thing Hyeonu was looking for was very conspicuous.

‘I was told it was around here...’

Hyeonu couldn’t find what he wanted after walking for a long time, so he kicked off against the ground and jumped into the sky. He prioritized what he was looking for over the eyes of others.

‘It is over there.’

Hyeonu found what he wanted not far from his current location. It really wasn’t far away. It was a location that would take him less than five minutes to reach if he ran at a moderate speed. Hyeonu confirmed the goal and came straight down to the ground.

Then he summoned Tang-E, “Tang-E.”

A golden bear appeared above Hyeonu’s head.

“Sniff, where is this, Master dude?” Tang-E took a big sniff and looked around. It was a familiar but strangely unfamiliar landscape. There was the faint smell of blood everywhere.

“This is a battlefield. There is the god tribe.”

Hyeonu raised his arms and grabbed Tang-E tightly, pulling Tang-E into his arms.

“The god tribe? Ah, those guys from back then?” Tang-E nodded as soon as he heard it was the god tribe. He had to know. It was because the memories of fighting like crazy in the divine world were still vivid.

“So are you going to fight again, Master dude?”

“No, not now.” Hyeonu shook his head.

Not now—the battle would start from tomorrow.

“Then what did you come here to do?”

“It is to meet someone.”

“Here? Is it a human you know?” Tang-E asked with wide eyes.

“It is an orc, not a human,” Hyeonu corrected Tang-E’s words.

“An orc? Don’t tell me...?” Tang-E dragged out the ends of his words. It seemed that the orc Hyeonu was talking about was an orc he knew.

Hyeonu nodded. “That’s right. I’m here to see Raccoon.”

“Will my friend be there?”

Hyeonu nodded again. “Yes, Cancun and Dakan will be there.”

“Yaho! Where is my friend, my friend?!!! I’m here!” Tang-E screamed as he was held by Hyeonu.

His voice was so loud that the forest echoed. Two orcs appeared in the distance, perhaps because they heard Tang-E’s shout. One of them was Raccoon, who boasted a much larger size than ordinary orcs.

“This guy, what did you eat to get so big? Your loud voice sounds just like my mother’s.”

A black shadow was cast over Hyeonu’s head. Raccoon had arrived in front of Hyeonu.

“It has been a while, Uncle.” Tang-E got out of Hyeonu’s arms and approached Raccoon. Then he climbed Raccoon’s body without hesitation and took a seat on Raccoon’s shoulder. Raccoon’s shoulders were large enough for Tang-E to sit on.

Raccoon turned his head and asked Tang-E, “Is there anything wrong on the island?”

“It is the same every day.” Tang-E shook his head.

Bung Bung Island was peaceful. Demonic creatures no longer appeared from the magic circle connected to the demon world. There were no variables.

“Then is he still shaking?” Raccoon asked again.

“He said it isn’t about shaking. It is just following along.” Tang-E’s eyes widened. It was a sign of dishonesty.

However, Raccoon just sneered at Tang-E’s words. “Who said that?”

“Father said it.”

“Usually, those who tremble like that make excuses. You should know it well.” Raccoon stroked Tang-E’s head with a hand that was the size of a pot lid.

“No, it isn’t like that. It’s not.” Tang-E’s expression distorted at Raccoon’s rough touch, but he denied Raccoon’s words.

“Stop it.” Cancun was unable to see the scene and pulled Tang-E out of Raccoon’s grasp.

“Friend... It has been a while.” Tang-E laughed and waved his paw at Cancun.

Cancun smiled bitterly at the sight of such a Tang-E. Tang-E was always the same. He was no different from when they first met.

“What have you been doing?”

“It isn’t a big deal. I just focused on training. I have to get revenge.”

“It will be difficult. It might not be possible.”

“Even so, I will still do it. I need to have a goal.”

Tang-E and Cancun started to have a conversation that they never had before.

Raccoon smiled at the two of them before turning to look at Hyeonu. “Are you joining the war?”

Hyeonu nodded and answered, “Yes, that’s what happened.”

“That’s good. I can kill that damn guy,” Raccoon said with joy.

There would be enough power if it was Hyeonu. He wasn’t strong enough to change the course of the war with the god tribe, but he would be enough to keep Jeras in check.

“I heard it’s 50:50... Is it possible for you to kill him?”

“50:50? Who said that? What type of person?” A strong wave burst out from Raccoon’s body.

“Honestly, if there was a large difference, you would’ve killed him on the first day. Right?” Hyeonu continued talking as if nothing had happened.

Contrary to his harsh reaction, Raccoon immediately acknowledged Hyeonu’s words, “It wasn’t the case back then, but I’m definitely stronger now. I’ve filled in everything that I was lacking.”

“So I have to take on Jeras?”

“Give me two hours. You just have to tie him up for two hours, and... it will be possible.” Hyeonu couldn’t smile at Raccoon’s confident words. He honestly didn’t like it much at all.

‘It doesn’t make sense if I can’t kill him...’

Honestly, the best situation was for Hyeonu to be able to kill Luke. If that were the case, it would be possible to purify the Guardian’s Spear without wasting much time.

‘Raccoon’s nature means he won’t let me insert even a spoon into it...’

It was just that the chances of that happening were slim. Raccoon would definitely want to fight Luke alone. It was obvious what Hyeonu would do in such a situation. He had to prevent Raccoon from killing Luke.

‘I need to interfere in moderation.’

There was a way to prevent Raccoon from killing Luke. It was just a matter of fighting Jeras in moderation like Lebron had done so far.

‘Even if I can’t do so, I can delay it for two weeks.’

In two weeks, he could fill up the rest of the conditions except for Jeras.

“I understand, Raccoon. I will try my best,” Hyeonu replied with a smile.

It was with his black heart hidden.