Ranker's Return Chapter 35

Hyeonu heard Aldred's cry from one wall, "It's time for me to fight. It feels like I can level up once."

-Experience.

-There is a guarantee of a minimum of three level-ups.

-By the way, Tang-E isn't being summoned...?

"Ah! Tang-E, come out." Hyeonu saw the chat window and realized he hadn't summoned Tang-E.

"Uhh, is it still the desert? Master dude." Tang-E was summoned and became annoyed when he could still see the desert.

-Huk huk, Tang-E.

-Capture it quickly.

Meanwhile, the viewers were fascinated by the sight of Tang-E.

-Tang-E's Adoring Fan has gifted you 99 gold coins.

"Thank you for the gold coins. I'll use it well for potions," Hyeonu said. Then he sat Tang-E on the other side of the wall. "Just buff from here. Focus on me. Additionally, watch your magic power well and use Lightning when appropriate, you understand?"

"Understood, Master dude."

Hyeonu finally threw himself off the walls.

***

Outside the walls, it was pandemonium. The zombie desert scorpions and orcs were fighting with the NPC soldiers. However, it was different for the players. They laughed as experience flooded in. In particular, players in a party with priests or lone players were even more pleased. Hyeonu was no different from those players.

'Oh, this is an experience field!'

[You have received Bear's Momentum.]

[Physique has increased.]

[Strength has increased.]

[You have received the Forest's Blessing.]

[Defense has increased.]

[Health will continue to recover.]

[The zombie orc has been killed.]

[Experience has been acquired.]

[The zombie scorpion has been killed.]

[Experience has been acquired.]

Hyeonu felt Tang-E's buffs come in and used Crescent Moon Cut. Wide-area skills were important in large battlefields. They had to be used steadily every time the cooldown returned. This provided the highest efficiency. Hyeonu received character and skill experience every time he used a skill.

[A rebel has been killed.]

[Experience has been acquired.]

[The zombie orc has been killed.]

[Experience has been acquired.]

Over time, the difference between NPCs and players was revealed. The NPCs could feel frightened according to the programmed emotions. Players, however, were different.

"It is a bonanza here."

"We should go to Alley Leader's broadcast and shoot gold coins. This is a sweet hunt!"

"He has a heart, unlike the big guilds."

'I can't lose.' Hyeonu was moving his longsword diligently when a message appeared in front of him.

[There are 7 hours, 59 minutes, and 59 seconds remaining until the arrival of the Knights of Keon.]

'I will indulge today.'

"I should work hard when I have to."

Hyeonu flew toward a zombie orc. This was the beginning of the full-fledged Lipa Castle defense.

***

The hours of fighting caused great damage, and many players were logged out. Additionally, many NPC soldiers and knights were injured or killed. However, the rebels weren't fine either. The number of regular soldiers in the rebels had been reduced by more than half. Now the main focus was the undead, who were made from the black magicians' magic power.

"Damn, the information must've leaked!" The black magician Felion, who supported the rebels, couldn't hide his anger. He remembered something from a few days ago and knew he hadn't been mistaken about what he felt. That had clearly been the movement of a person. It was natural for Felion to be angry. If it went according to plan, Earl Ramon should've opened the gates and allowed them to occupy Lipa Castle with little damage.

Then due to the information given by Hyeonu, Earl Ramon was killed and their troops were reduced by half. The wind that they thought was going to shake up the empire became just a passing breeze. Felion couldn't bear it and ordered the black magicians around him, "Release the chimera right away. Crush those adventurers!!"

"I understand, Felion!" 

At Felion's command, the black magicians started summoning their chimeras.

"Come out!"

"Summon Cutie!"

The forms of the summoned chimeras were varied. The arms and legs of dark elves were attached to werewolves, and there were other bizarre forms that were hard to see. All the chimeras ran forth to kill those below the walls at the behest of their masters, the black magicians.

"Wipe them all out!"

Kung kung kung!

The people fighting under the walls stopped and stared blankly at the vibrations coming from the ground.

"What is this?"

"What?"

Monsters filled their vision.

Bam!

"Ack!"

Peng!

"Chimera..."

The chimeras made no distinction between enemies and allies. They just swept away everything in their path. A giant ogre chimera started chewing on an alive soldier. Everyone who saw it had distorted expressions. Aldred saw it and raised his sword. He charged toward the ogre chimera, which seemed to be the most powerful of all the chimeras. "I will take care of the ogre. Stop the rest!"

"Aldred!" The knights of Lipa Castle called out to Aldred, but Aldred had already jumped at the ogre. The battlefield, which had entered a lull due to the emergence of the chimeras, resumed with the battle between Aldred and the ogre chimera. The atmosphere of the battlefield was like walking on the edge of a blade. 

The ogre's blunt weapon and Aldred's sword collided. It was Aldred who was thrown back with the sound of a bomb exploding. Then Aldred corrected his stance and jumped forward again with no injuries. This time, Aldred had the upper hand against the ogres.

The ogre swung its club, and Aldred hurriedly avoided it. The battle between Aldred and the ogre—a human and a four-meter-tall monster—was incredibly fierce. Nevertheless, the battle between the two of them didn't last for long. Aldred had fought many battles before fighting the ogre, and his health was now severely exhausted.

In other words, the current Aldred was a battery on the brink of discharge. If the battery didn't have energy, the machine wouldn't work. This was Aldred's current condition. He couldn't move.

'Move!'

The ogre's club flew toward him, but he couldn't move a single finger. The result was obvious. He would be hit by the ogre's blunt weapon and then die! His body would be shattered! The ogre's blunt weapon ripped through the air to crush Aldred.

"Aldred!" Everyone screamed at the immobile Aldred. At this moment, there was a sharp wave.

"Kuah!"

The blue light passed through the ogre's wrist. The ogre's wrist was cut in half and fell down.

"Aldred!" The owner of the sword energy was Hyeonu. After defeating a dark elf-type chimera, Hyeonu saw that Aldred was in a crisis and used Crescent Moon Cut. As a result, Aldred was able to return to Lipa Castle in a dramatic fashion.

Filled with pain and anger, the ogre rushed to the wall with its blunt weapon. Every time the ogre's weapon swung, a hole was formed in the wall. Players who didn't have a defense penetration skill like Hyeonu were unable to penetrate the ogre's thick skin.

The walls crumbled as the ogre continued to attack, and its roar could be heard again. This time, the target was the neck, not the wrist. A white sword energy flew accurately toward the ogre's neck, separating the ogre's head from its body.

"Duke Lebron!"

The master of the sword energy was Duke Lebron. He had arrived here after leading the Knights of Keon from the capital in order to save Lipa Castle.

"Knights of Keon, follow me!"

The chimeras and rebels collapsed like rotten straw. 

Aldred cried out to Hyeonu, "Thank you! I might've already died if it wasn't for you."

"No. It was a natural thing to do."

'So give me some skills.' Hyeonu directed a hot gaze toward Aldred with eyes full of dark intentions.

"Come see me after the battle. I have something to give to you," Aldred said the desired words like he had read Hyeonu's mind.

"I understand."

Then cheers rang out around them.

"It is the end!"

"It is finally over!"

The Knights of Keon caused the rebels to flee. They were beasts who jumped onto the battlefield. A counterattack? It was unthinkable. The Knights of Keon were busy cutting down the rebels. The difference between the rebels and the Knights of Keon was like the difference between a child and an adult.

It was an adult hitting a child's wrist. There wasn't a single corpse with limbs still attached in the place where the Knights of Keon passed by. It was bloody. There wasn't a more appropriate expression to describe this scene.

"Lebron, you!!! Who is this damn guy?!!"

Even the evil Felion was killed by Lebron after he appeared. It was a vain end for the rebel leaders. The power of the Knights of Keon was once again imprinted on the continent. The battle was over. This meant the end of the fourth main scenario.

[-Defend Lipa Castle 1/1.]

"Then today's broadcast will end here. See you next time."

Hyeonu ended the live stream hastily. The next contents shouldn't be known to the outside world.

'The moment information about the scenario quest comes out, I will be the prey of the big guilds.'

***

Knock knock!

Hyeonu tapped on Aldred's door. "Aldred, it's Hyeonu." 

"Come in." Aldred had a haggard expression. It was natural. He had been treated by a priest, but it had only been an hour since the battle. This was the essence of an NPC that differed from a player's.

"I hope I'm not causing you any inconvenience..." Hyeonu said cautiously. It was clear why Aldred had called him here—to give him a reward! At this time, the best thing for Hyeonu to do was to be calm and enter.

"I called you, but I won't speak for a long time. Instead, I'll give you this." Aldred handed him a broken sword. The luxurious feeling coming from it was palpable, but it was half-broken. It seemed like a useless item in Hyeonu's eyes.

"I wandered across the continent when I was young. This is what I obtained at that time. I tried to repair it, but the dwarves just shook their heads. They said that this is the finished appearance."

Hyeonu carefully received the half-sword that Aldred handed over.

[The Half-Sword has been acquired.]

'Is this what he is giving me?' Hyeonu trembled with anger, but he didn't express it outwardly.

"Then go. I gave you everything."

"Thank you, Aldred." 

Hyeonu was driven out of Aldred's residence, and he fled hurriedly.

***

"I heard about your performance. You are truly the adventurer I acknowledge."

There was a person waiting for Hyeonu after he met Aldred. It was Lebron. "His Majesty will be pleased. If you do well, you might be the first adventurer to win a title from him."

Hyeonu listened to Lebron silently. In fact, he was trying hard to manage his facial expressions.

'A title, the first time in Arena...'

"I heard news about the south before leaving the capital. The black magicians have already been wiped out by members of the church," Lebron said. Then he continued, "I heard the performance of an adventurer was fine. Of course, that adventurer also came to me. However, I don't remember the name. I remember he was a monk."

"Jin Sijong!"

"Yes, that was the name. Do you know him?" Lebron seemed to remember after hearing Hyeonu's exclamation.

"I know only his face. By the way, why did you come looking for me…?" Hyeonu asked bluntly.

Lebron thought about Hyeonu's question. "Ah, I came to tell you something."

"What do you mean?"

"Do you want to be my disciple?"

"Huh?"

[Do you want to change to the '???' special class?]

Lebron's words struck at Hyeonu's spirit.

Chapter end