Ranker's Return

Supplementary Story 2

The desert stretched out endlessly like a horizon, but it didn’t take long for Alexander and Tung-E to cross the desert. Alexander and Tung-E didn’t walk or run. They advanced by flying. No obstacles on the ground were a problem for them.

“Master, the desert has ended.”

The quickly flying Tung-E abruptly stopped. Then he turned around and spoke to Alexander, who was following him.

“It is visible to my eyes. The tiresome desert is over.” Alexander nodded as he looked at where Tung-E was pointing. He could see it with his eyes. There was a boundary between the desert and plains as if someone had drawn it with a ruler. It was a very strange sight.

‘Is it the territory of the Holy Kingdom from here onward?’ Alexander quickly scanned the plains in the distance. Honestly, he had only heard about the Holy Kingdom before this. It was actually his first time coming here. Tung-E wasn’t much different.

‘Just a little bit more.’

However, Alexander wasn’t too worried. To be precise, it was right that he didn’t have to worry. It was impossible there was any danger on the continent that could threaten his life. If there was one problem, it might be a matter of food.

‘There is still a lot of food in the subspace, so it doesn’t matter.’

However, there were already sufficient preparations.

“Master, what are you thinking so much about? Aren’t we going quickly?” Tung-E approached Alexander, who was standing in the air and looking into the distance.

“What are we doing after arriving at the Holy Kingdom?” Alexander asked as he stroked Tung-E’s head.

“Um...” Tung-E cocked his head for a while before soon giving Alexander an answer. “I think the first priority should be to find Master’s family. We can do other things after that.”

Tung-E had talked a lot with Alexander during their travels throughout the West Continent, and Alexander’s reason for going to the Holy Kingdom had come up at some point.

“By the way, why are you living separately? I don’t understand. Isn’t Master the emperor of the empire?” Tung-E suddenly wondered. Why was his master’s family elsewhere? They weren’t living in the empire where they could wield omnipotent power but in another nation.

“I have a situation. It is a bit hard to say right now.” Alexander smiled strangely at Tung-E.

“I see, Master. Tung-E is good at waiting.” Tung-E’s curiosity wasn’t resolved, but he still smiled. He thought that Alexander had a reason for not telling him. Even if he didn’t say it right now, Tung-E believed that his master would tell him when the time came.

“Yes, I won’t make you wait too long.” Alexander was delighted with such a Tung-E. “You will know everything once we get to the Holy Kingdom.”

A strange energy flowed through Alexander’s eyes.

***

They crossed the plains after the desert, and traces of humans started to appear in front of Alexander and Tung-E. They didn’t see any humans though; they only found traces of humans passing through.

“It seems that we have come to the right place, Master.” Tung-E caught the traces that continuously appeared. While doing so, he tracked them as this was the only way they could know the path to the Holy Kingdom.

“I can’t be wrong.” Alexander didn’t hide his feelings. He looked at Tung-E with a triumphant expression. It was because he couldn’t tell Tung-E that he didn’t perfectly know the way to the Holy Kingdom.

“As expected, you are great Master.” Tung-E raised his paws and moved his legs, regardless of whether he knew what Alexander was thinking.

Alexander and Tung-E moved in a slightly more relaxed manner. It was a relief to know that their actions were correct. They had been moving for a few more hours when Tung-E, who was ahead of him, suddenly stopped.

“Master... isn’t that a human?” Tung-E stretched out his round paw and pointed somewhere.

“A human?” Alexander’s gaze naturally followed along Tung-E’s paw. At the end of where the paw was pointing was a human being who had fallen to the ground.

“It really is a human,” Alexander said.

Tung-E was right. It was really a human.

‘The energy that I feel...’

“It is divine power...”

Furthermore, it was a human that exuded a very deep divine power. Meanwhile, Tung-E quickly approached the human lying on the ground. Then he shouted at Alexander, “Is the human dead? He isn’t moving, Master.”

In Tung-E’s eyes, the human being was no different from a corpse. It didn’t seem alive.

Alexander shook his head. “No, he is alive. Look carefully.”

This human being was definitely alive, not dead.

The divine power would’ve never been felt if he had died.

“Understood, Master.” Tung-E nodded and stretched out his paw toward the fallen human. “Wake up, human.”

Seven-colored magic power flowed from the paw and seeped into the fallen human. After a brief period of time, a change occurred in the human being who was like a corpse. His fingers twitched, and his body started to shake slightly.

“This place...?” The human got up very slowly like he lacked strength. At the same time, he looked around slowly.

“Did you wake up, human?” Tung-E approached this human and talked to him. The human being cocked his head when he saw Tung-E.

“You’re awake, human.” Tung-E looked at the human with a pitying expression on his face.

“...The bear speaks!” Yelleun, the human who had collapsed, screamed and pointed a finger at Tung-E. It was the reaction of a person seeing a talking bear for the first time in his life.

“Master, it seems that human has come to his senses.” Tung-E ignored Yelleun’s actions and called out to the approaching Alexander.

“Who do you serve?” Alexander asked Yelleun, who was still looking at Tung-E with a curious expression.

“I live a life spreading Liru’s grace widely.” Yelleun didn’t feel any objection to Alexander naturally treating him like a subordinate. It felt like it was natural.

“That is what I thought.” Alexander nodded when he heard Yelleun’s answer.

‘This is the divine power of the sun god...’

Now he had a sense of the divine power.

‘I haven’t seen them in a long time.’

Alexander had rarely met with priests recently. Thinking about it seriously though, there were all those priests of New World who were with Hyeonu.

“Were you on the way back to the Holy Kingdom?” Alexander asked Yelleun again.

“Yes, I was on my way back from practicing asceticism on the continent.” Yelleun nodded. He had been walking toward the Holy Kingdom until just before he fell.

“Then why did you fall here, human?” Tung-E asked.

“I ran out of food...” Yelleun looked at Tung-E with hesitation and scratched the back of his head.

It had been an accident. Originally, Yelleun should’ve arrived at the Holy Kingdom without difficulty. However, he had run out of food faster than expected because he distributed it here and there. Eventually, Yelleun grabbed his hungry stomach and collapsed in the middle of nowhere.

“I think you’re a bit stupid... Will it be okay, Master?” Tung-E sighed loudly as soon as he heard Yelleun’s words. Yelleun didn’t seem very trustworthy.

“We’ll just be going together to the Holy Kingdom. What does that have to do with us? Rather, it is good.” Alexander smiled at Tung-E. It didn’t really matter if Yelleun was smart or stupid. He had only one role. It was to lead Alexander and Tung-E to the Holy Kingdom.

“Move quickly once you have regained your physical strength. I don’t have time.” Alexander stared at Yelleun with an indifferent expression that was completely different from when he looked at Tung-E. “What’s going on with the Holy Kingdom?”

Yelleun didn’t answer Alexander’s question this time. Rather, he asked Alexander a question. “Why are you going to the Holy Kingdom on foot...? It is rare.”

Most of those traveling to and from the Holy Kingdom moved through the magic circles. Few people traveled on feet like Yelleun; he was a very unusual case.

A human traveling with a bear—this wasn’t normal either. As a member of the Holy Kingdom, Yelleun couldn’t just meekly take suspicious people to the Holy Kingdom. He had to get at least some answers.

“I have business there, so why shouldn’t I go?” Alexander didn’t show any displeasure and resolved the curiosity, as if he had read Yelleun’s mind. It was something he would never show if he were in the emperor’s position. “You don’t have to be wary. I have someone I need to meet.”

Alexander’s words weren’t a lie. It was the truth. This was delivered directly to Yelleun.

‘I don’t think he is lying...’ Yelleun thought. Yelleun was a priest whose name was a god worshiper, which was quite a high status. This meant he had the ability to distinguish between the truth and lies.

‘If he causes any problems... Well, it doesn’t matter.’

The man in front of him was suspicious, but he didn’t think the man could post a fatal threat to the Holy Kingdom. The Holy Kingdom was strong. There were quite a few cardinal-level priests and many paladins and monks.

‘In any case, he won’t be able to pass if there is a problem...’

Anyone who wanted to enter the Holy Land had to go through a strict examination. If they didn’t pass, they would have to go back the way they came.

“I understand. I’ll show you the way.” Yelleun made up his mind and nodded at Alexander.

Suddenly, Tung-E settled on top of Yelleun’s head, shook his paw, and shouted, “Let’s go, human!”

***

Unlike his first impression of stupidity, Yelleun led Alexander and Tung-E normally. Of course, leading didn’t mean anything. It was just a living guide role.

“Aack! You... You are too fast! Alexander! Please!! A bit slower!” Yelleun screamed as he was semi-forced to fly due to the emperor’s magic power. Yelleun couldn’t get used to the speed at which he was moving during this period of time. No, he couldn’t get used to it. It was because he had never flown before. Moreover, he wasn’t flying out of his own intentions but due to another’s.

“Stop being ridiculous, human. How is this fast? Just tell us the way. Which way is it? This way or the other?” Tung-E was still sitting on Yelleun’s head. Now he tapped Yelleun’s forehead while talking to him.

“It is over there, uwaah!” Yelleun screamed and stretched out his arms.

Alexander reached out his palm toward where Yelleun was pointing. There was the sound of the air exploding, and Yelleun’s body shot forward in the exact direction where he had previously pointed.

“Aaaack!” The volume of the scream that came from Yelleun’s mouth was even louder. It was a byproduct of the sudden change in direction. After this happened exactly nine times, Yelleun was finally able to step foot on the ground.

“Liru, you made this trial to let me know the preciousness of the earth...” Yelleun landed on the ground and immediately knelt down to pray to Liru, the sun god. Alexander and Tung-E ignored Yelleun and walked toward the great wall in front of them.

“Master, the gate is closed. There also don’t seem to be any humans.” Tung-E cocked his head at the tightly closed gate.

“If the gate is closed, we should knock. What are you worried about?” Alexander stroked Tung-E’s head.

Then he raised his hand and tapped the air. At this moment, a seven-colored light covered the world.