Ranker's Return

Supplementary Story 6

“How was Arena in the early days?”

“Arena in the early days was very different compared to what it is now. There were fewer people playings, and their levels weren’t that high.”

-That’s right. Arena wasn't a masterpiece from the start.

-Honestly, in the early days when it opened, it was just a common new game.

-There were games that already held the market. The big guilds also hadn’t migrated over.

-Wasn’t it just a bunch of dark gamers in the early days? A few guilds made the gamble and jumped in.

Hyeonu recalled old memories. Then his expression naturally changed.

“That’s right, it was the case. So I had this thought at the time. ‘Ah, this is single player mode. It is a game I am playing alone. Except me, everyone else is an NPC.’”

Hyeonu’s mouth was strangely twisted.

***

There was what appeared to be a boy and some young men. The man with youthful looks, who appeared like a boy, had an annoyed expression on his face. He seemed to be standing somewhere along the border.

“I don’t know when these bug-like guys will disappear.”

The reason why he was annoyed was related to the tragedy that happened around him. The ground was dug up, and blood was everywhere. It was evidence that a fierce battle had just taken place here.

‘They are greedy for things when they don’t have the skills.’

Hyeonu, the man with the sword on his shoulder, stomped his feet strongly. No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t get over his anger.

“If you aren’t going to fight, just get lost, you jerks!” Hyeonu shouted at the people around him. Dozens of players had been forced to log out during the battle, but a significant number of players still remained.

“What should we do?”

“Can we win if we fight?”

“Won’t it be difficult for us?”

The players just looked at each other, unable to rush in. Dozens of colleagues had been killed right in front of their eyes. It would be strange if they weren’t afraid.

“The level difference between us can’t be that great. He must already be almost running out of magic power,” a man comforted the frightened players. His name was Xiao Chun, and he was the master of the Baekyang Guild that they belonged to.

“Master, no one knows how many magic power recovery potions he has left. I think it is better to reorganize and aim at him again.” Liu Xing, the man standing next to Xiao Chun, expressed his disapproval.

He judged the current situation in a relatively sober manner. ‘We misjudged his power. This isn’t enough.’

They were inferior and were pushed from the very beginning. In addition, they didn’t know how many potions the opponent had.

‘It is right to step back now.’

Some of them had to be put on the lifeboat before the ship completely sank. This was the only way they would have a future.

“Liu Xing is right. This time, we didn’t use all our power either. I think it is right to aim for the next opportunity,” another executive agreed with Liu Xing.

The number of people mobilized in this attack was around 50% of the guild’s strength. There was no need to make a bet on such uncertainty.

“If that is what the two of you think... I guess we should leave it here today,” Xiao Chun yielded.

His relationship with those around him was not short. The faith that built up high over time led him to make a move.

“Everyone, tear your return scrolls! Return to the base!”

The moment Xiao Chun finished speaking, the players started to disappear as light. Hyeonu just stared at the disappearing players. No action was taken against him.

‘Are they gone?’

“I almost died to them for nothing.” Hyeonu sighed with relief when he saw that all the players surrounding him had disappeared.

‘I ran out of potions.’

Hyeonu had pretended to be fine and vented his anger, but he had actually been in a great crisis.

‘How did they come as soon as the hunt was over?’

Right before he was attacked by the Baekyang Guild, Hyeonu had been hunting for a quest. He naturally drank the recovery potions in his inventory like they were water. Compared to what he had at the beginning, all he had left was a really small number.

‘I will have to pack more with me from now on.’

Forewarned was forearmed. It didn’t hurt to prepare in advance. In any case, he always had to use all the potions he bought.

***

-Pfft, you want me to believe this?

-Are you kidding me? ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-It hadn’t been long since Arena started at that time, yet how many did you go against?

-I can’t believe it ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ.

-Really, isn’t he a mythomaniac?

-He is acting pretentious in front of Reina. ㅋㅋ

The viewers who were listening to Hyeonu laughed. Hyeonu’s words had to be a lie. He spoke of a time when even the first main scenario had yet to be released. It was a time when good items and skills were rarely released. Therefore, the gap between gamers wasn’t very large. This was normal at the time.

-Yet you fought them like that?

-You are talking nonsense.

-You must think that we are fools to believe that.

-It is impossible even if you were meleegod.

‘Why don’t they believe me?’ Hyeonu was frustrated. This was obviously the truth. It was the truth without the slightest exaggeration.

“Why don’t you believe it? I’m only telling the truth.”

At this moment, Reina started to talk: “I also find it hard to believe.”

Right now, Reina was the representative of the viewers in a way as she had the same reaction they showed. No, she found it even harder to believe. Unlike the viewers, she was a ranker player turned professional gamer. She knew more than they did, so she had a worse reaction.

‘He made such a large gap from the beginning? In Arena?’

It was a natural question. The early days of Arena that Reina knew were really hell. Presently, rare items might be as common as uncommon or common-rated items, but it wasn’t the case at the time. They fought while equipped with uncommon and common items. It was difficult just thinking about it.

‘I knew his past was splendid, but... was it to this extent?’

Even so, Reina didn’t think that Hyeonu was lying. It was because Hyeonu didn’t have to do that. He had already gone higher than anyone else under the name of Alley Leader. There was no need to take unnecessary risks to add some fame.

“Then I’ll have to explain how it was possible.” Hyeonu shook his head with a frustrated expression.

***

“With this, you’ve unlocked more secrets of the desert. Your achievements in carrying out His Majesty’s orders are high.”

[Exploration of Arti Desert has been cleared.]

[Experience has been acquired.]

[You have leveled up.]

[All health and magic power are restored.]

[Baron Haggis’ Longsword has been acquired.]

Hyeonu glanced at the message windows that appeared in front of him before reaching out and receiving the longsword from the middle-aged Baron Haggis in front of him. “What else can I do, Baron?”

“I want you to eliminate the threat that exists deep in the Arti Desert.”

[A quest has been created.]

[Ruler of the Arti Desert]

[Collect information about the desert in advance to pioneer the Arti Desert.

Rating: MS

Conditions: Eliminate the desert threat 0/1

Rewards: Baron Haggis’ reward.]

‘Is it because it is the main scenario? The quests follow one after another.’

Hyeonu didn’t show emotional fluctuations even with the reward. He instead focused on the quests ahead.

‘The ruler of the desert?’

A faint smile appeared on Hyeonu’s face. The name alone showed that it was a boss monster.

‘It is interesting.’

It was intriguing. Just as many people enjoyed extreme sports, a boss monster raid had the same meaning for Hyeonu. He enjoyed the thrill of a battle with a boss monster.

‘Before that, I have to deal with those jerks first...’

However, there was something he had to do before hunting the boss monster—deal with the Baekyang Guild that was aiming for him.

‘I shouldn’t be disturbed during the hunt.’

One corner of his lips curled up. It looked like a dangerous expression to anyone who saw it.

‘First of all... let’s focus on the boss monster.’

Hyeonu erased the smile on his face and spoke with a serious expression, “Baron, can you tell me any information that you know?”

“He is the king of the desert scorpions. He has an overwhelmingly larger and harder shell than the others. It isn’t easy to scratch with a blade. You also can’t even see how fast he is.” Baron Haggis revealed all the information that he knew.

“He is really dangerous. No matter how adventurous you are, for once I hope you will form a party.” He also expressed concern for Hyeonu. The lord of the desert, the scorpion king, was a truly terrifying monster. It wasn’t easy enough for the adventurer in front of him to catch it alone.

“Thank you for your concern, but... I’m more comfortable alone. Moreover, I’m confident I can do it.”

Baron Haggis shook his head. “If you say this, I have nothing more to say. No matter whether you are alone or in a group, you just have to kill him.”

It had gone this far.

‘There is plenty of time...’

Thanks to Hyeonu’s hard work, Baron Haggis had more room in the schedule than expected.

One month…

It was okay to leave everything to Hyeonu during this period of time.

“Trust me. Once again, I won’t disappoint you.” Hyeonu bowed with a confident smile.

***

‘The information is really poor.’

“This is the only information?”

After separating from Baron Haggis, Hyeonu kicked the sand in the desert strongly. It was outrageous.

The body was hard and fast—this was something that anyone could say.

‘It can apply to anyone, not just this guy.’

Any boss monster was bound to be fast and strong apart from a very small portion.

‘I have to check the items.’

Hyeonu kicked against the sand hard again and raised the sword in his hand.

‘Item Information.’

[Baron Haggis’ Longsword]

[One of the treasures passed down through Baron Haggis’ family. A dwarf’s touch could be felt.

Rating: Rare

Restrictions: 150 strength, 120 physique.

Durability: 1,200/1,200

Attack Power: 350

Effect: Strength +45, Agility +20.]

“Hey, isn’t this good?”

A cry burst out of Hyeonu’s mouth as soon as he checked the information of the longsword. It was much better than the item he was currently equipped with.

‘Now it is all rare items.’

“I am ready to go once I buy the potions.”

A deep smile was on Hyeonu’s face.

***

-What? What is the reason for the rare items?

-No, at that time, there was more than one rare item?

-Looking at the strangeness, are there any unique items?

-No, if he plays online games alone...

-Ah, this is a bit...

The more the viewers listened to Hyeonu’s story, the more frustrated they felt. It didn’t feel like the same human being.

“The item setting can be like that. I concede to this fact a hundred times. The main scenario had progressed to some extent, and he was killing a boss monster by himself, so it is a possibility. So...” Reina thought that Hyeonu’s story was probable. If he had played in a unique manner from level one until he progressed through the main scenario, it made sense he would have such items.

“What type of class do you have that it is possible to fight like this? Isn’t it a state where you haven’t even done your second class advancement?” Reina asked. The thing she couldn’t figure out was the class.

-That’s right, what is your class?

-It is obviously a rare class.

-It looks like it was a melee class.

-He said at Arena Week that he never used magic, so it isn’t a magic type.

The viewers were also curious. Opinions were still divided because of meleegod’s class.

“Are you curious about my class at that time?”

-Yes, I’m curious.

-Tell me quickly.

-Do you need gold coins?

Hyeonu shrugged and a corner of his lips curled up.

“What class... Just...”

Hyeonu didn’t say it easily. He dragged out the end of his words. The more this happened, the more frustrated Reina and the viewers felt. It was like chewing on a whole bunch of sweet potatoes.

“I don’t remember precisely, but it was a rare class involving assassins.”

At this moment, the chat window froze.