Ranker's Return

‘He said they were leaving tonight... the only time is now.’

Hyeonu wanted to visit the orc great tribe chief, Raccoon. They had to meet once before Raccoon set out to wage war against the god tribe.

‘I can’t let him mess around on his own.’

Raccoon was almost certain to sweep through the battlefield.

‘This is good enough, but... it is a problem to finish the war altogether.’

Hyeonu wouldn’t think much of it if it was leading the war in their advantage. However, Raccoon wouldn’t stop there. It was clear that he would run around impatiently with the air of getting rid of the entire god tribe.

‘The war must continue in moderation.’

It was only in this way that Hyeonu would have a stage to move.

‘I should check this before I go...’

Hyeonu stopped walking and stared intently at the Mysterious Sky Sword that he was holding in his right hand.

The Mysterious Sky Sword—it was the highlight of the equipment upgrade.

‘Item Information.’

[+12 Mixed Sky Sword]

[The relic of a sect in the East Continent that was remade by a dwarf great chief. The essence of chaos is added, making it much more powerful than existing weapons. The power of the sword will increase as the achievements in Mixed Sky Demonic Martial Art increases.

Rating: Legendary

Durability: 26,000/26,000

Restrictions: One who has learned the Mixed Sky Demonic Martial Art.

Attack Power: 9,800 + 13,720

Effect: All stats +600, defense penetration is increased by 48%, magic power consumption is decreased by 48%, and the power of magic power is increased by 48%.]

‘It exploded.’

Hyeonu checked the changed item information and couldn’t stand it any longer.

“It exploded!!!” he shouted loudly. Four epic items became four legendary items. No one could react to this type of luck calmly. Then a message window appeared in front of Hyeonu as if to fan his excitement.

[The Mixed Sky Sect’s Divine Objects (4/4) have been worn.]

[The four part set effect is applied.]

[All stats +1,000.]

[The power of Mixed Sky Demonic Martial Art has increased by 100%.]

[The skill ‘Chaos Sky’ can be used.]

[Chaos Sky: Inflict 50% additional damage on the opponent when using chaos attribute attacks.]

“Uwaaaaah!” a scream burst out from Hyeonu’s mouth. It was the most instinctive sound a person could make.

Hyeonu immediately covered his mouth and continued to run. It seemed like it would come out endlessly if he didn’t block it.

***

Raccoon glared at the man standing in front of him.

“What the hell are you doing? Why are you screaming?”

Hyeonu offered no excuses at Raccoon’s scolding. It was right that he had done something wrong. He had nothing to say.

“It\'s nothing, Raccoon.” Hyeonu just bowed his head.

“It normally doesn’t matter if you run around, fly, or scream. However, it is different now. The atmosphere of the league isn’t good.”

Raccoon shook his head from side to side. This wasn’t an act of blaming Hyeonu. It was a warning.

“Everyone is on fire with vengeance. You shouldn’t make a fuss.”

“I know. I made a mistake.”

“Is there any information I need to hear?”

“Raccoon, the thing you should know... sooner or later, my teacher will join the battlefield. There is nothing particularly important other than that.”

“Your teacher? Are you talking about that human being? He will be a great help to the war.” Raccoon nodded and smiled with satisfaction. He didn’t particularly need reinforcements, but it was good to have it.

‘I will take less damage.’

In Raccoon’s opinion, Hyeonu’s teacher wasn’t powerful enough to determine the direction of the war. The victory of the war already belonged to the league and the human allied forces. The only question was how much damage would be reduced.

“Raccoon, based on your expression... I think you intend to end the war as soon as possible.” Just then, Hyeonu uttered meaningful words.

“Of course, the war won’t last long. I will make it so.” Raccoon nodded like it was natural. The war would be long, but it wouldn’t last more than a month at most. It was about this much even if the travel time was taken into account. The time it took for the pure battle would be much shorter than that.

“Is it revenge, Raccoon?”

“Is there any other way? The only substitute for blood is more blood.”

Raccoon was adamant. All the different species, including the orcs, had the same belief.

“I don’t mean that. I’m just asking if you will be satisfied with that much blood.”

“What does that mean?”

“Based on what I know, there are two main reasons why the ra tribe suddenly attacked the middle world. One reason is their desire for the middle world and the second reason is a deal with the ran tribe.”

Hyeonu delivered the processed information to Raccoon in a peculiar way. It was a clever mix of truth and lies. It was one of Hyeonu’s main specialties.

“A deal with the ran tribe? What does that mean?”

Raccoon ate the bait that Hyeonu threw. This was how serious the matter was. The mere appearance of the ra tribe made the continent fall into turmoil. It was necessary for the League of Different Species to prepare if the ran tribe also emerged.

“The undead army appeared in the north. It is the chief of the ran tribe who is leading that army.”

“The undead army? Isn’t the ran tribe in the demon world? Why is that name coming out here?”

Raccoon couldn’t understand. The ran tribe went to the demon world and the chief of the ran tribe remained under the name of demon god. Now he reappeared as the leader of the undead army.

“There is a complicated situation here. The chief of this age is a human being. He only has the memories of the previous chief. It isn’t wrong to say that the ran tribe actually only had one chief.”

Hyeonu roughly explained the situation to the confused Raccoon. However, that was enough.

“Really? That’s too bad. The tribe will be wiped out.” Raccoon shook his head. He actually had no contact with the ran tribe, but he couldn’t help feeling sorry when saying the words ‘wiped out.’

‘It is a deal, but... how can there be a deal?’

The reason why Raccoon wasn’t very agitated even though he heard Hyeonu’s words about the deal between the ran tribe and ra tribe. It was because he knew the positions between the two tribes were never equal. A human being who inherited only the memories and a chief who had lived for a long time—it would be more of an extortion than a deal if anything was going on between the two of them.

‘He is misunderstanding it well.’

Hyeonu smiled at Raccoon’s appearance. It was clear what Raccoon was thinking. It was all revealed in his expression.

‘It started with Edward, not Luke.’

Raccoon guessed incorrectly. The deal was proposed by Edward. Luke accepted the deal in order to obtain the ran tribe’s secret arts from Edward.

‘The misunderstanding is good.’

Hyeonu had no intention of correcting Raccoon’s misunderstanding. It was also good for Hyeonu if it continued like this.

“The ra tribe won’t be able to give up the war, even if it is just because of the deal with the ran tribe.”

“Really?”

“What is the purpose of your revenge? Is it simply to pay back the lives of those who were killed?” Hyeonu asked in a subtle tone.

Raccoon fell silent in thought in order to understand Hyeonu’s intentions.

‘Deal... Give up... Revenge...’

A few words kept popping up in Raccoon’s mind. They were pretty individual words, but Raccoon put them together.

“The ra tribe can’t give up the war. Don’t just kill the ones participating in the war, but keep dragging them in. Is that what you mean?” Raccoon finally told Hyeonu what he had come up with.

“That’s right. I think it is more of a revenge to inflict a severe blow on the ra tribe itself. Would killing the ra tribe present in the middle world make a big difference? We have to root them out so they never do this again,” Hyeonu answered with a solemn expression.

“Right, that is true... I’m not certain I can kill the chief of the ra tribe straight away.”

Raccoon seemed to agree. Hyeonu’s words felt good. It wasn’t just killing the ra tribe members who took part in the raid, but eroding the power of the entire tribe.

“I will keep this in mind. However, the biggest damage comes from killing the chief. I will do anything to kill him.”

Raccoon tapped his temple with his thick fingers.

“It is okay to kill the tribe chief, but... Raccoon, you must not be injured. Then it won’t be a loss.”

“A loss... you don’t have to worry about that. I won’t lose.”

Raccoon was full of confidence. He never thought about losing.

“Is that what Kapa made after not sleeping for a week? It looks good.”

Raccoon naturally changed the topic. The talk of the war was over. There was no point in talking about it more.

“That’s right, I asked Kapa for a favor.”

“It was worth it. It is a very excellent weapon. Use it well. He might have a cranky personality, but his dexterity is enough to make him the best on the continent.”

Raccoon glanced at the axe that he was carrying on his back.

“This was also made by Kapa. It is an axe made from the bones of some monsters.”

“I somehow felt an unusual aura from the axe...”

Hyeonu and Raccoon started talking about pointless things.

They didn’t seem like those about to go to war.

***

A man with short brown hair entered the imperial palace. The man moved through the interior of the palace to the extent that the word ‘crossing’ fit it. The man quickly arrived at the great hall where the emperor was staying.

“Your Majesty!” the man called out to the emperor in a loud voice.

“I’m not deaf. I can hear everything even if you speak in a small voice.” The emperor rose from his throne and glared at the man who entered the great hall, Duke Lebron.

“Why should I go to the East Continent?”

Lebron gave the emperor a look of resentment. The emperor’s command that came through Hyeonu as he was training comfortably in the demon world was nothing more than a thunderbolt in clear skies.

“What is wrong with going to the East Continent? Do you plan to stay in a corner of a room for the rest of your life and only train? You have to put it into practice.”

The emperor looked at Lebron and smiled.

“Additionally, there will be the god tribe if you go to the East Continent. It is suitable to test what you have learned in the demon world,” the emperor added.

“If the god tribe is on par with the demons... I think it will be okay.” Lebron’s expression relaxed.

“Additionally, drag out the war as much as possible if you go to the East Continent,” the emperor spoke to Lebron in a subtle tone.

“Huh? Drag it out? Then why should I go to the East Continent...?” Lebron asked with an expression of confusion.

The emperor’s intentions couldn’t be read.

“Duke will go to the north and take back a lost city. Then he will go to the East Continent and win over the god tribe.”

The emperor smiled brightly when he finished speaking.

“Shouldn’t the adventurer called Gang Hyeonu build up a lot of achievements in order to fulfill our plan?”

Lebron heard this and also smiled in the same manner as the emperor.