Ranker's Return

Chapter 80

Translator: rainbowturtle

Editor: LD & Jyazen

“Sigh...” Hyeonu couldn’t help sighing. There was a treasure in front of him, but he couldn’t pick it up. It was a pie in the sky.

[Monster Wave]

[A monster wave hits Latus Fortress like an annual event. Find out the reason.

Rating: B+

Conditions: Cause of the monster wave 0/1

Rewards: Experience, imperial contribution, the emperor’s gift.]

No matter how much he wandered through the Hejin Mountains, he still couldn’t find a clue. There was nothing different aside from hunting in the Hejin Mountains.

“It isn’t even hunting. This is torture.”

If it were just hunting, then he would be satisfied with his rising experience and level. However, for Hyeonu who already received treasures from quests, the other things didn’t give him much inspiration. At this time, a whisper came from Kim Seokjung.

“Eh? Brother?”Hyeonu cocked his head after receiving a whisper from Kim Seokjung.

‘What’s going on?’

-From Kim Seokjung:Little brother?Are you busy?

-To Kim Seokjung:No, I’m not.What’s going on?

-From Kim Seokjung:Can you come to the Devil’s Valley now?There is a dungeon.

“Dungeon? Why are you calling me?”

Hyeonu felt a thrill when he heard the word ‘dungeon’, but he soon regained his composure.

‘Is there a dungeon that New World can’t clear? If it is the Devil’s Valley, then it should be possible for a Liru Monk...’

-To Kim Seokjung:Can I help?There are many players in New World...

-From Kim Seokjung:I wish I could do that, but there are restrictions on entry to the dungeon.Three people—only three people are allowed to enter.You’re the only one with both skill and my trust.

Hyeonu nodded at Kim Seokjung’s words. It made sense. Kim Seokjung knew that Tang-E had buffs and heals. Then what about Hyeonu? In battle, Hyeonu was incomparable to everyone else, especially in a dungeon with no information known.

-To Kim Seokjung:Shall I go now?Is it the Devil’s Valley?

-From Kim Seokjung:Come quickly.I’ll be waiting.

Shortly after his whisper to Kim Seokjung ended, Hyeonu rushed forward. His goal was Devil’s Valley. If he did his best, he would be able to reach it in 30 minutes.

***

“Oh, you’re here?”

Kim Seokjung and Gang Junggu welcomed Hyeonu at the Devil’s Valley. Hyeonu saw them and realized that they were the two who would enter with him.

“It has been a while, Brother. Brother Gang Junggu as well,”Hyeonu greeted the two of them.

He was in a good mood, so he also used ‘Brother’ for Gang Junggu, whom he had met twice now. Kim Seokjung opened his mouth and asked, “What? This is the relationship between the two of you? Wonderful. I feel sorrowful. Junggu, I didn’t know you had a little brother.”

Gang Junggu showed a panicked expression at Kim Seokjung’s disappointment. He was so flustered that he stuttered, “Brother, no. W-What secret...”

“Then what? Little brother, are you joking right now?” There was a smile on Kim Seokjung’s face. It was clearly obvious that he was teasing Gang Junggu. Only the party concerned, Gang Junggu, didn’t know.

Hyeonu knew it and replied back,“How can I play a joke on you? Perhaps Brother Junggu is playing the joke.”

Hyeonu shrugged.It seemed like he had done nothing wrong.

“Junggu, you are treating me like this...” Kim Seokjung’s facial expression acting was incredible. Even Hyeonu was almost deceived despite knowing everything. It was natural for Gang Junggu to sweat when he didn’t know anything.

“Hey, Brother. It was just a small joke. When we met the other day, we decided that I would be the big brother and he the little brother. Right? My little brother Hyeonu. No, just Hyeonu.”Gang Junggu blinked desperately at Hyeonu.

It was a signal asking for help. Hyeonu winked too, but his target was Kim Seokjung who was just behind Gang Junggu. “Of course, Brother Junggu. We were so manly the other day! Brother, I won’t be your little brother.”

Haha!

The three people were incredibly relaxed as they entered the dungeon.

***

After this brief incident, Kim Seokjung and Gang Junggu led Hyeonu to a huge entrance that existed on one side of the Devil’s Valley. There were stairs leading underground. It felt like a subway entrance. Why hadn’t they found this before? It looked like the entrance of a dungeon.

“Brother, did you find this yesterday?”Hyeonu’s expression was full of absurdity that they didn’t find something so obvious earlier.

How long had it been since they monopolized the Devil’s Valley? The answer flowed from Gang Junggu’s mouth, “In the beginning, our guild members were focused on the demonic goblins and didn’t come this way. I’m glad we’ve found it now.”

Hyeonu nodded. It made sense. There was no reason to leave the demonic goblins, who were like precious honey, to spend time exploring the Hejin Mountains. Considering that there was usually more than a month between main scenarios, New World’s decision was natural.

“Let’s go in.” Hyeonu confidently took the lead.

[Would you like to enter Roton’s Dungeon I?]

[However, the maximum number of people permitted entry is three.]

‘It's an ambiguous number—three people.’

Three—it was a truly ambiguous number. It wasn’t a dungeon that could be challenged alone or a party of six, which was the usual size of a party.

‘It is usually one of these two cases. It might be hard enough that three people are needed to clear it or it might be insanely difficult.’

Hyeonu was thinking about the dungeon when Kim Seokjung opened his mouth and answered, “We would.”

The three of them disappeared.

***

[You have entered Roton’s Dungeon I.]

“Um?” Hyeonu saw the inside of the dungeon and shook his head. It looked quite familiar. He had been in a dungeon that looked like this before. “Black magicians?”

Kim Seokjung heard Hyeonu’s murmur and wondered, “Black magicians? Do you know something about this place?”

“I’ve seen a dungeon like this before. There was a black magician with a chimera as the boss monster.”

“Really? It is good if it is a black magician,” Kim Seokjung said in reaction to Hyeonu’s words.

Both Kim Seokjung and Gang Junggu were Liru Monks. It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that they were the best against black magicians. Their divine power was fatal to black magicians or the undead.

“Brother, my fists are itchy. Let’s quickly go and beat them up.” Gang Junggu was already touching his white gauntlets. He was looking forward to it. After all, he had only been hunting the demonic goblins for weeks, so it was natural for him to anticipate this.

Then a monster appeared in front of their eyes. The monster was an orc. There were monsters that those who played Arena were tired of hunting. The only difference was that this one looked a bit less powerful. It had pale skin and was like a burst balloon compared to normal orcs with hard, swollen muscles.

“Little brother, please give the buffs,”Kim Seokjung left these words behind and ran toward the orcs.

Hyeonu laughed at Kim Seokjung and summoned Tang-E. “Tang-E, buff that person.”

Tang-E buffed Kim Seokjung without protesting. Then he jumped onto Hyeonu’s shoulder.

“Master dude, where are we now? They are contaminated...” Tang-E hit Hyeonu’s head.

Hyeonu turned his head to look at Tang-E. “What do you mean? They are contaminated? Do you know them?”

“I don’t know them, but I know that state. In the past, Father beat up and dragged a guy like that.”

“Who was it?”

“I don’t know. A guy with a pale complexion. An unlucky guy. Thus he was beaten. The one thing I know is that he was very weak to divine power. Fire also works well.” Tang-E was very dissatisfied with these guys. He showed an unpleasant expression just thinking about them.

‘I have obtained better information than I thought.’

They were vulnerable to fire and divine power. Divine power had already been expected to some extent. It was the same for any black magician dungeon. He didn’t know who Roton was, but he could make a guess.

‘It isn’t me who will be active this time but Tang-E.’

Hyeonu decided to step back and let Tang-E take action. It was a great opportunity to raise the rank of the newly acquired ‘Fire’ skill.

“Tang-E, use Fire over there.”Hyeonu pointed to the place where Kim Seokjung and Gang Junggu were fighting the orcs.

***

[You have received Bear’s Momentum.]

[Physique has increased.]

[Strength has increased.]

[You have received the Forest’s Blessing.]

[Physique has increased.]

[Health will continue to recover.]

Kim Seokjung, who had hunted with Hyeonu for a long time, was stunned. Tang-E’s buffs had improved significantly. Tang-E’s buffs were so good that Kim Seokjung felt like he was hunting with a guild priest.

‘I played with a great priest before, but this is enough to be a ranked priest.’

Kim Seokjung’s buffs as a Liru Monk couldn’t compare to Tang-E’s buffs. It was natural. Tang-E’s buffs were now at the C+ rank.

[Bear’s Momentum]

[Gives a bear-like strength and physique.

Type: Buff

Rating: Rare

Skill Proficiency: C+

Increases the target’s strength and physique by 55% for 15 minutes.

Skill Cooldown Time: 1 minute.]

[Forest’s Blessing]

[Grants the vitality of the forest.

Type: Buff

Rating: Rare

Skill Proficiency: C+

Increases the target’s defense by 55% and restores health by 0.6% per second for 15 minutes.

Skill Cooldown Time: 1 minute.]

Strength, physique, and health would increase by 55% for 15 minutes. Of course, the higher the stats, the higher the ascent since it was based on a percentage. Kim Seokjung’s class was a Liru Monk, a close-range class. So, he naturally had high strength and physique.

One minute later, Gang Junggu’s expression changed after receiving the buffs.

[You have received Bear’s Momentum.]

[Physique has increased.]

[Strength has increased.]

[You have received the Forest’s Blessing.]

[Physique has increased.]

[Health will continue to recover.]

‘This?!’

Gang Junggu stared at Hyeonu, who was playing with the bear doll.

“So this is why you brought him, Brother.”

The power Gang Junggu had before and after receiving the buff was completely different. Before the buffs, he would evade the orc attacks and then counterattack. After the buffs, he could accept the hits. Whenever the orc wielded a sword or a fist, he could just block with his gauntlets.

[Roton’s orc slave has been killed.]

[Experience has been acquired.]

‘It is different from the demonic goblins.’ Gang Junggu smiled at the easy hunt. This expression didn’t last long though. His smile was replaced with surprise. It was because the orc’s body caught on fire. Moreover, the fire had a very fierce momentum.

“Chwiik, hot. Chwik!!!” These words became the orc’s final will.

[Roton’s orc slave has been killed.]

[Experience has been acquired.]

Kim Seokjung and Gang Junggu might’ve been hitting it, but the orc wasn’t a monster who would die without resisting. Gang Junggu knew this as he knew better than anyone about the power of the orcs in the Hejin Mountains. He turned his head and looked at the place where the owner of the fire was located.

The owner of the fire was smiling like he knew nothing. It was the cute teddy bear—a bear doll with powerful buffs. Gang Junggu had heard the bear could also use lightning magic. Now there was fire magic.

‘This is a scam, a scam.’

These were the words that filled Gang Junggu’s mind as he gazed at Tang-E.