Ranker's Return

Chapter 905

Time passed like a flowing river. The battle between the divine tribe and the middle world allies was still slow. It was natural. One side was deliberately arranging the situation so no change could occur.

Lebron looked at the battlefield and touched his chin. War was always real for him. He killed and trampled on the opponents to achieve his goal. For Lebron, this type of war was both unfamiliar and awkward.

‘It is so uncomfortable.’

Two people made the war this way. They were the emperor and Hyeonu. Their positions were different, but there were many similarities.

“What do you intend to do when the war is over?” Lebron asked Hyeonu a question.

"Let's see? Nothing has been decided, but... I’m going to do the things I’ve put off one by one,” Hyeonu answered in a vague manner.

“What did you put off? Are you going to rest?” Lebron asked again.

‘Since when has he been paying so much attention to me...?’

Unlike usual, he couldn’t get rid of the feeling of prying.

“It is similar. I’ve been busy going here and there. I think I need to recharge once,” Hyeonu gave a vague answer.

He didn’t say exactly where he was going.

“Shouldn’t you visit His Majesty and discuss the achievements?”

Hyeonu heard Lebron’s words and shook his head. “Why should I get a reward for this? Teacher should go and get it.”

“Me? For what?” Lebron shook his head like Hyeonu.

“So why should I get it?” Hyeonu asked back with a sullen expression.

‘I will be going there to get nothing.’

Hyeonu didn’t think he could get anything from meeting the emperor. There wasn’t even a proper quest. He felt like he would only become stressed from meeting the emperor.

‘I have to relax on Bung Bung Island.’

He was going to rest like that for a few days. During the break, he was going to spend some time in reality.

‘Going home... meeting friends...’

It would be hard to make some time if it wasn’t right now. In the spring, he would have to devote more time to the players of Crescent Moon.

“Then do I have to receive it at this age?”

Lebron’s expression crumpled. Things weren’t going as he expected.

‘This guy has to enter the imperial palace for the plan to proceed faster...’

Hyeonu went to the imperial palace to meet the emperor and receive a prize—this fact would spread throughout the empire. Then Hyeonu’s reputation would naturally rise.

‘Only then... can I put him in that spot...’

After that, the intention was to present Hyeonu as the acting emperor as he had already planned.

“Honestly, what did I do here? I would get it if I did something, but...”

“Who says you didn’t do anything? You helped your allies as the duke of the Yusma Empire...”

Lebron did his best to package things for Hyeonu. It was so that Hyeonu could meet the emperor.

“I’ll go there later. His Majesty isn’t looking for me right now.”

However, Hyeonu didn’t move according to Lebron’s will.

“Then I have nothing more to say.”

Lebron nodded with a bitter smile. It would seem really strange to Hyeonu if he kept forcing Hyeonu to visit the imperial palace.

‘I have to be careful because he is quick-witted.’

Now it was really the last step. It was half a year at the maximum. It was going to be finished in this time. He had to avoid any unnecessary problems.

However, just 10 minutes later, Hyeonu started a fire in Lebron’s heart.

“Are you satisfied with your current position?” Hyeonu spoke in a small, but heavy tone.

‘What does he mean?’

After Hyeonu asked this question, Lebron thought about it instead of answering. He was thinking about what Hyeonu’s words meant.

‘I can’t know right now... I have to exchange a few more words.’

He really couldn’t think of it. It was just that something felt strange about it. There seemed to be too much of a hidden intention behind it to take Hyeonu’s words at face value.

“Am I satisfied with my current position? No. I’m not satisfied.”

Lebron spoke first in order to figure out Hyeonu’s meaning.

“I rose to the top position by becoming a duke of the empire. I also earned the reputation of being the number one knight of the empire. Yet thanks to this, the time to train was reduced. I don’t like it.”

Lebron expressed his usual thoughts.

“As expected, you are easygoing, Teacher,” Hyeonu responded and nodded. Then he continued in a subdued voice, “I have a big dream, Teacher.”

“Good. At your age, there is nothing strange about having big aspirations.”

“I can’t be satisfied with this yet. I dream of a higher place.”

“There is still a long way to go. Step by step, you will reach the goal you had in mind.”

Lebron took Hyeonu’s words to mean strength. This was why he said those words.

“Isn’t it too hard to go at it alone?”

“Originally, it is something that is supposed to be done alone. It isn’t something that others can do for you.”

“You can’t do it for me, but you can help.”

Hyeonu was persistent and didn’t back down.

‘Is he saying something else?’

At this point, Lebron realized that Hyeonu was speaking about something a bit different from what he thought. The topic of conversation was different.

‘If it isn’t individual growth... is there another dream? A different type of growth?’

His thoughts changed directions and Hyeonu’s words naturally came to him differently than before.

‘A higher position than duke...?’

The duke was above all people. There was only one person on top of a duke.

‘Is he aiming for the position of emperor?’

This meant that Hyeonu’s goal was to unconditionally be the emperor.

‘Can things work out like this?’

Lebron tried to stop the corners of his mouth from curving up. He raised his hand and touched his chin while pretending to be struggling.

‘Once it is done... I need to enter the palace.’

He couldn’t keep such good news to himself. It was also necessary to revise the plan and pass it onto the emperor.

‘I need to encourage this guy.’

Hyeonu needed to move more aggressively. It was to see the finale of the plan even faster.

“I am your teacher. Keep this in mind. No matter what you do, I am on your side.”

“Thank you, Teacher.”

Hyeonu and Lebron made eye contact. The two people smiled at the same time.

***

‘It is likely that things will work out with Lebron’s help.’

Hyeonu received the promise from Lebron and thought that the plan he made had become a bit more certain. Honestly, he received the promise of help from other rankers, but he didn’t think much of their help.

‘They have to be helpful if I were to get their help.’

Honestly, Hyeonu thought he would do nothing but die if he fought the emperor now. In this situation, the other players were no different from folding screens. They were all the same before the emperor.

‘Give Lebron a buff and deal with the emperor together... that is better.’

He finally felt a certain sense of reality. It seemed it was possible in the near future, not the distant future.

‘I just need the right opportunity to come.’

Now was the time to seize any opportunity that came.

“Raccoon, it is today.”

Hyeonu visited Raccoon before the battle began. Today was a different day than usual. It was a day of great change to the slow war.

Raccoon looked up from polishing his axe and asked Hyeonu, “Has it already been a month?’

“Yes, it is over.”

Hyeonu nodded.

Raccoon threw away the grindstone in his hand and put the axe on his back.

“What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to create a situation where Luke can’t run away.”

“Can’t run away?”

“My teacher will tear through the battlefield behind Luke. Raccoon, you can comfortably deal with Luke.”

Hyeonu’s plan was simple—appear on the battlefield with Lebron to prepare for any situation.

“Meanwhile, Tang-E will help Raccoon.”

There was one more thing. In order to get rid of any variables, he prepared even Tang-E’s buffs.

“This guy’s help?” Raccoon asked while staring at Tang-E with narrowed eyes.

“Tang-E can use buffs much better than a lot of priests. Didn’t you know?” Hyeonu shrugged and asked back.

“It isn’t about that. I’m asking why I need help.”

There was an evil aura around Raccoon’s face.

“Wouldn’t it be better to have no variables?”

“There will be no variables. I’ve never been pushed by that guy. I don’t care if he has a number of things he has hidden. It is because I’ve been hiding something bigger.”

Raccoon believed in his own eyes, experience, and skills. He was clearly above Luke. It might’ve been similar at first, but now it was different. Just as Lebron’s skills had improved in the demon world, Raccoon had grown further by fighting Luke.

“I understand. Then I want to ask you one final thing. When will the opportunity come to me?”

This was what Hyeonu considered the most important. It was the blow to Luke.ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ N(o)vᴇl(F)ire.net

“I’ll concede the last blow. That is the safest way to do it and I will be less concerned during my battle.”

Raccoon had been thinking for a month about how to give Hyeonu a chance. Hyeonu said he just needed to succeed in attacking once. It didn’t matter if Luke was on the verge of death or not. If so, it was right for it to be something that Raccoon paid the least attention to. It meant letting Hyeonu finish off Luke.

‘What is this profit?’

Hyeonu couldn’t help smiling at Raccoon’s words. Raccoon’s words meant he would give Hyeonu the chance to deal the final blow. Even if he dealt the same damage when in a party, he would get more experience if he dealt the final blow.

“I don’t care. You just need to give me one chance.”

Naturally, there was no reason for Hyeonu to refuse. On the contrary, he welcomed it.

“Then go ahead and worry about yourself. How could you finish it off nicely?”

Raccoon waved his hand and gave Hyeonu an order to leave. Hyeonu smiled and bowed his head. Then he headed straight to the battlefield.

‘I should use Cutting the Moonlight, right?’

Hyeonu pondered on it as he walked toward the wall. He was troubled over how to end Luke as Raccoon said. It was a concern he wouldn’t have normally, but it was different today. No player knew who killed Ragand, except for Hyeonu. However, today, countless people would witness it with their own eyes and it would be uploaded to the A-World channel. It was a scene that would be talked about for a long time, so there should be some embellishments.

‘I need to show it without holding back.’

This video was also a presentation for those who had promised to help Hyeonu.

I am this strong, so trust me and follow me.

“Tang-E, we will go to Bung Bung Island tomorrow. Got it?”

Hyeonu stroked Tang-E’s head as he arrived at the top of the wall.

“Understood, Master dude. We will go to Bung Bung Island tomorrow.”

Tang-E nodded.

At this moment, Hyeonu’s eyes saw the god tribe and divine creatures approaching from a distance.

‘It will be over today.’