Ranker's Return

Hyeonu gulped several times. He felt like his stomach was burning as the traces of saliva went down his esophagus.

‘Why all of a sudden?’

A test—it was something he hadn’t thought about at all. It was also a test from Raccoon.

‘Is it that much of a problem to deal one blow?’

He honestly didn’t understand it. Raccoon must have some understanding of Hyeonu’s abilities. He could nod willingly when he thought about the trust and image he built up with Raccoon before this. It was like this in Hyeonu’s mind.

‘For now, passing the test is the priority.’

Being annoyed didn’t change anything.

“By the way, do we have to do it recklessly like this? There is the trust we have built up...” Hyeonu said while giving strength to the hand holding the spear.

“It isn’t that my trust is light, but Luke isn’t easy.”

Raccoon smiled and approached Hyeonu. Every step taken caused the presence of Raccoon that Hyeonu felt to grow beyond imagination. It was as if the sky was falling.

“If I prove my qualifications... can I take it as a promise that you will give me a definite chance?” Hyeonu received the final confirmation as Raccoon came closer.

“Of course. I’ll give it at any cost. I’ll insert his two legs firmly into the ground.”

Raccoon’s arms moved the moment he finished speaking.

“No jokes.”

Raccoon’s axe shook wildly.

‘Why is it like this from the beginning?’

Hyeonu frowned. The pressure around Raccoon was no joke. It was on a different dimension from the previous spar.

‘I don’t know.’

Hyeonu poured a lot of magic power into the Guardian’s Spear and threw it. Hyeonu’s spear knocked away Raccoon’s axe. No, it didn’t knock it away. Hyeonu’s spear was stuck to Raccoon’s axe like there was a magnet.

“Didn’t I say there would be no jokes?”

An explosive force erupted from Raccoon’s body. It didn’t just feel that way.

[You have heard the Fear of the orc chieftain, Raccoon.]

[Due to the influence of fighting energy, you have resisted the Fear of the orc chieftain, Raccoon.]

[Resistance has failed.]

[Due to the influence of killing intent, you have resisted the Fear of the orc chieftain, Raccoon.]

[Resistance has failed.]

[Due to the influence of Immovable Heart, you have resisted the Fear of the orc chieftain, Raccoon.]

[Resistance has failed.]

The message windows told Hyeonu that he had a problem. They were always reliable stats and skills, but they were useless in front of Raccoon.

[Player ‘Gang Hyeonu’ has entered a ‘slowed’ abnormal state.]

Hyeonu felt his body suddenly lose strength.

“Tang-E!”

Tang-E had been blankly watching the spar between the two of them. Now he made a surprised expression when he heard Hyeonu’s call. “What is it, Master dude?!”

“What else? Buff me!” Hyeonu’s expression distorted as he shouted again.

Tang-E’s paw pointed at Hyeonu and three colored magic power permeated Hyeonu’s body. Hyeonu became more comfortable after receiving Tang-E’s buff and asked Raccoon, “It will be the same then and now... it won’t be a problem, right?”

“I said there are no jokes.”

Raccoon had an attitude that was asking him to do anything. No, it was an attitude like Raccoon would kill him if he didn’t do it.

‘Just one time, one time.’

There were bound to be standards for the test. Hyeonu knew precisely what the standard was and intended to pass with just that.

‘It is hard even if I want to do more than that.’

Hyeonu used his remaining magic power generously. As a result, the spear that was attached to Raccoon’s axe like it was one body was finally freed. The spear fell and the distance between Raccoon and Hyeonu widened. Hyeonu’s body was pushed back. However, the distance between the spear and the axe didn’t increase that much. It was because Hyeonu’s spear had grown longer.

At a certain point, the speed at which Hyeonu’s body was pushed away decreased. Soon, Hyeonu’s movements stopped completely. He didn’t move back any further. Hyeonu strongly stomped his feet. It was hard enough to dig into the ground. Apart from that, Hyeonu quickly rushed to Raccoon as if it was nothing.

‘I will finish it at once.’

Just then, Hyeonu shook his hand. Hyeonu’s spear crossed through the air like a snake. It was many times faster than the speed Hyeonu was approaching Raccoon. There was no sound as the spear made its way forward. It was moving so quickly and secretly that it was impossible to follow.

“It is quite usable.”

Raccoon saw Hyeonu’s strike and smiled. Then he swung his axe. The axe looked very slow, but it was enough to block Hyeonu’s spear. It was because Hyeonu’s spear slowed down as it approached Raccoon’s vicinity. However, the power contained in the spear remained the same.

Raccoon’s axe shook. It was in a very fleeting manner. The trajectory was restored at once as if it never happened. The axe swung again. It moved with the momentum to swallow Hyeonu.

‘Cutting the Moonlight won’t work? Then it is Mysterious Sky Demonic Strength.’

Hyeonu didn’t panic. He calmly prepared for the next attack. The pure energy that covered Hyeonu’s spear disappeared. Instead, the spear blade shone brighter. A dazzling purple light wrapped around the spear blade.

Hyeonu threw out the spear like this. It was the same blow as before. If there was a difference, it was the type of skill used and the magic power invested. There was an explosion several times louder than the previous collision. The shockwave was just as great as the loud explosion.

‘I can’t be pushed!’

Even at this moment, Hyeonu was pushing magic power into the spear. It was in order not to be pushed.

New novels chapters are published ᴏn !

‘Be more blunt.’

The only thing Hyeonu wanted was just to push back Raccoon’s blow a little bit. Nothing else. That was all. This was enough to pass the test. However, the monster didn’t seem to have the intention of doing so. Hyeonu’s spear started to be pushed back more and more. It had nothing to do with Hyeonu’s will. It was difficult at first, but then it became easier.

Hyeonu’s spear continued to be pushed. Hyeonu faced the spear that was being pushed away and started to prepare. He was prepared to take out the power.

‘Why isn’t it stopping?’

It was just that Raccoon’s axe was like a bulldozer. There seemed to be no intention of stopping.

‘I don’t have any magic power left now...’

He wanted to hold on for longer, but he couldn’t hold on any longer. He used his magic power too explosively. However, there was no time to kill other monsters and restore his magic power.

“Uwaaah!” Hyeonu let out a scream and added strength to the hand holding the spear.

Now was the time to push forward bravely even if it meant dying. Just then, Raccoon’s axe, which was approaching like a ghost, stopped. That wasn’t all. Raccoon took back the axe and placed it on his back. The problem was Hyeonu’s spear. It didn’t matter when Raccoon’s axe was blocking it, but now that the obstacle was gone, the spear literally flew toward Raccoon’s face.

Raccoon snatched Hyeonu’s spear with the one hand that wasn’t holding the axe. The scene was so natural that it looked like it had been prearranged.

“If I think that you have hidden things... It will suffice,” Raccoon said while pushing Hyeonu’s spear with his hand. He looked very relaxed.

“Is that so? I passed the test... I’m glad.”

Hyeonu smiled at Raccoon’s comment that he had passed the test. A good thing was a good thing.

‘There are some things I have hidden away, but...’

It was as Raccoon said. Hyeonu had hidden some things. In some cases, it was a buff that was helpful to Hyeonu and in other cases, it was a debuff that was harmful to Raccoon. It was just that the debuffs wouldn’t mean much. It was because it didn’t seem like it would affect Raccoon.

‘I don’t think I can ever win over this monster.’

He would have no conscience if he wished to win against Raccoon with hidden things. Even Hyeonu had that much conscience.

“Then knowing this, I will leave.”

Before Raccoon could say anything else, Hyeonu snatched away Tang-E, who was talking to Cancun, and disappeared as if kidnapping Tang-E.

“The growth of adventurers might be steep, but... is it to this extent?”

Raccoon couldn’t take his eyes off the place where Hyeonu had disappeared.

Dakan approached Raccoon and replied, “It seems so. Brother, I can’t believe he took your blow... he has changed a lot from before.”

“Of course, he can’t take my blow. That is impossible for him. But... the attack was more intense than I thought. If I think about how the spear isn’t a weapon he originally used... it is a force that doesn’t make any sense.”

Raccoon recalled the two stabs that Hyeonu made. The trajectory with strong magic power that couldn’t be broken. A single blow without anything extra that could be called the textbook for stabbing.

‘He is aiming for such a person...’

Raccoon’s gaze shifted to Cancun. It was a pity. He felt that Cancun had picked a wall that was hard to overcome.

“This damn war will end sooner or later.”

Raccoon growled. It was anger toward someone with a sense of elitism.

“It should be. He will be a great help.”

Dakan nodded as well. Hyeonu’s participation in the battle today alone allowed them to get a big lead. The damage was very reduced.

“It is a pity that he isn’t an orc. Seeing that he is so close to the happy bears of the world, his personality isn’t bad...”

The more he spoke, the more he felt it was a pity. He kept thinking about wanting Hyeonu to be an orc.

***

“Ugh, I feel a bit bad.”

Hyeonu felt a sense of eeriness that went beyond coolness.

“Why is this happening again? People are anxious.”

Yeongchan’s expression distorted when he heard Hyeonu’s words. He was even more annoyed because he knew that Hyeonu’s senses were pretty good.

“T-T-That mouth is the problem.”

“What’s wrong with my mouth? Your mouth is the problem.”

Hyeonu shot at Yeongchan before leaving the officetel.

“That’s right. If I don’t do anything, then you are the one who will feel uncomfortable. You are making me uncomfortable because you tease people with that mouth.”

Yeongchan quickly followed Hyeonu. It would be difficult to fix it if he had a problem while alone. He needed someone to take care of him.

“That’s enough. Let’s go in your car today.”

“Why? Aren’t we taking your car?”

“Do you want to ride it? People will recognize it.”

Hyeonu glanced at Yeongchan. The vehicle that Hyeonu owned was a really striking vehicle. No matter what car it was, it was all the same. It was even more so on a day like today.

“Indeed, it is full of individuality. I understand.”

Yeongchan immediately understood Hyeonu’s words. Looking at Hyeonu’s cars, anyone could think of Hyeonu at least once. There wasn’t a single vehicle in what was called a plain color. They were colorful. Now it was almost like a rainbow.

“By the way, did Dwayne have to do it here?”

Yeongchan, who got into the car and started the engine, spoke to Hyeonu again. The destination he was headed to with Yeongchan was a hotel in Gangnam. In that place, Hollywood’s top action star, Dwayne, was scheduled for a press conference. The purpose of the press conference was to establish a non-profit foundation.

“I don’t know. He said he had to do it in South Korea. It should’ve been done in the United States.”

Hyeonu shook his head incredulously.

“You, this bastard. You want to go to see Reina using that excuse.”

Yeongchan clicked his tongue at Hyeonu. It was with an expression that said it was obvious to anyone with eyes.