Ranker's Return

Chapter 802

“Did Your Majesty know?” Hyeonu asked again with a very surprised expression. Honestly, Hyeonu thought that the emperor hadn’t known. If the emperor had known, he would’ve done something several times before this.

“Did you think I wouldn’t even know this?”

The emperor’s eyes narrowed as he scanned Hyeonu’s entire body. Hyeonu felt his body shrink back like a frog in front of a snake.

“No, Your Majesty. Of course you would’ve known,” Hyeonu nodded vigorously while answering.

“The nobles have been coming in and out of this place for more than a week already. Everybody said the same thing. Adventurers came to visit them. Edward is alive in the north.”

The emperor rose from the throne and slowly descended the stairs to approach Hyeonu.

“It is really annoying. Why does it matter if Edward is alive or not? They don’t know who the subject is and became greedy... then it is when they step out.”

The emperor’s face was full of annoyance. He remembered the nobles who trembled with excitement when coming to visit him.

“Don’t you think so, Marquis?” the emperor arrived in front of Hyeonu and asked while putting a hand on Hyeonu’s shoulder.

“Yes, Your Majesty. Edward is someone who has already been defeated once. If he reappears, then he will be defeated again,” Hyeonu once again replied firmly with a nod.

“Still... the nobles have come and complained. Shouldn’t I at least pretend to listen if I am the emperor?” The emperor held out the opposite hand that wasn’t on Hyeonu’s shoulder. A small bead was on the palm of his hand. “Marquis, go and find out if it is really Edward in the north.”

[A quest has been created.]

[Find Out the Truth of the Rumors]

[Rumors have spread that Edward is alive somewhere beyond the northern glacier zone of the continent. Take a picture of the person believed to be Edward using the video bead received from the emperor.

Rating: SS+

Conditions: Identify the mysterious person 0/1, deliver the video bead to the emperor 0/1.

Rewards: Experience, imperial contribution.]

A quest was created the moment the emperor’s words finished. There wasn't an option to reject. The emperor’s words had to be followed unconditionally.

‘Yes, I will go and check Edward’s face myself.”

It was something Hyeonu was thankful for. Receiving this quest meant that Hyeonu had caught up with the other large guilds in a flash. No, he was a few steps ahead. The large guild had to go to the nobles with their results, while Hyeonu could go straight to the emperor.

Hyeonu received the bead that the emperor had given him and left the great hall. The emperor scanned the quiet hall and slowly ascended back to his throne.

‘I couldn’t mention that.’

There was one fact that the emperor hadn’t told Hyeonu. It was something that Hyeonu would know even if the emperor didn’t say it. It was just that Hyeonu had been focusing on the divine world recently and this resulted in a lack of information.

‘Thinking about the past, it will be quite interesting.’

The present northern glacier zone was hell. The monsters that originally appeared in the glacier zone suddenly started to move south. As a result, the northern cities were forced to defend against an untimely invasion. They were in a hurry to stop the monsters that were constantly coming. Even the large guilds that received the quests of the nobles couldn’t break through to the glacier zone.

The culprit that drove the existing monsters to the south.

The undead—they weren’t able to penetrate the glacier zone dominated by those who had returned from the dead. There was no way that they couldn’t break through the ordinary undead. However, the undead coming out of the glacier zone weren’t normal undead.

Avon Gorge which was considered to be one of the worst hunting grounds in Arena. The dark elves who used to live there had become undead and settled in the glacier zone.

“If he succeeds in this... I’ll have to move onto the next step.”

The emperor once again buried himself in the throne. His body relaxed, but instead, his mind started to spin several times faster than before.

***

At the city closest to the glacier zone beyond the north...

A bloody battle was taking place at the north gate of the city. Near the north gate, the owners of the channels that had recently become the talk of A-World were greeting each other.

“Hasn’t it been a while?”

Hyeonu waved at the six people waiting for him and approached.

“I thought you would live like that for the rest of your lives... have you changed your mind? As a streamer versus streamer, I never dreamed we would meet like this.”

Hyeonu threw a strong punch right from his initial greeting to the Venom Guild. Kalen was unexpectedly attacked by Hyeonu and bit his lip.

“I was thinking about doing this from the beginning. The problem was that things didn’t go as well as I thought and it took too long for the channel to be created.”

Then he soon regained his usual complexion and accepted Hyeonu’s words with ease.

“Even so, I’m glad it went well. Things don’t always work out as planned.”

However, Hyeonu’s attack didn’t stop.

“You didn’t accept my offer to do this, did you?”

Kalen couldn’t handle Hyeonu’s words and raised the white flag first.

“Of course not. I’m not the type of person who has that much time. Then let’s go. I will hear the details while moving.”

Hyeonu immediately changed his attitude as if he had been joking. He quickly moved toward the north gate and the Venom Guild members quickly followed Hyeonu with small steps.

“Alley Leader, I will tell you with confidence while trusting that you have a tight mouth,” Kalen clung closely to Hyeonu and opened his mouth.

‘What is he trying to say?’

“Yes, say it. I have a very tight mouth. I can’t float when falling in the water. Please believe in me," Hyeonu didn’t know what Kalen was trying to say, but he affirmed it.

“Edward in the glacier zone... in fact, we found him first.”

“I know that. I’m not blind and deaf. How can I not know that?”

“It was before it was released on the livestream. It was a long time ago.”

“Huh?” Hyeonu stopped walking and slowly turned around.

Kalen also stopped walking. Hyeonu and Kalen’s eyes met. “We moved Edward’s body directly to the north. In fact, I actually had no idea that Edward’s body was in the coffin.”

“Then isn’t it your fault? I didn’t know this. To be honest, I really like that type of play. Rather, didn't that action open up the main scenario like this? It means that it is something that would’ve been done by someone else, even if it isn’t you.”

“And... Edward is very strong. At first, we were ambushed. Yet the second time, we fought with all our strength... it was difficult to fight properly. He was overwhelmingly stronger than when I first met him,” Kalen provided information about Edward to Hyeonu.

It was information that only the Venom Guild knew. It was that Edward was becoming stronger and stronger.

‘Becoming stronger?’

“He became stronger? So quickly? An NPC?” Hyeonu asked while cocking his head doubtfully.

At first glance, it was incomprehensible. An NPC who became stronger quickly. Somehow, he couldn’t get rid of his reluctance.

“It isn’t just that. Alley Leader, you know of that dark elf incident that was famous in the community a few weeks ago, right?”

“Yes, I’m aware.”

“It seems that all those dark elves have become undead and are following Edward’s orders. Large guilds set out on expeditions to find Edward, but they couldn’t cross the snowy mountain, let alone the glacier zone.”

“Is it true? The large guilds are blocked by dark elves and can’t cross it?”

The fact that the emperor wasn’t able to tell—Hyeonu was hearing it from Kalen now.

“To be exact, they are dark elf undead. There are no species that can show more power in the snowy mountain and glacier than the undead. They don’t breathe and don’t shiver in the cold. There are also too many of them. It would be weird if it was easy to break through.”

“Is that enough? The dark elves I saw weren’t that strong...”

Hyeonu couldn’t understand Kalen’s words. The last time Hyeonu had seen the dark elves was in the League of Different Species. After that, he stopped paying attention to them. The dark elves he saw up to that point didn’t give the feeling of being strong at all.

“Well, what is the point of talking about it here? Let’s just go and experience it with my body.”

Hyeonu confidently stepped toward the north gate.

“I understand.”

However, the expressions of the Venom Guild members as they followed weren't very good. They knew from the footage of the large guilds how strong the dark elves that had become undead were.

“By the way, why is it so noisy here?”

Hyeonu arrived at the north gate and frowned when he heard the roar of the monsters from outside the gate. It seemed impossible to even get out of the city, let alone reach the snowy mountains.

“I will go up first.”

Hyeonu made eye contact with all the members of the Venom Guild once before running up the wall.

“How are we supposed to follow that?” une of the Venom Guild members said with an expression of dismay after seeing it.

“Just run if you have time to say that.”

The other guild members were already running toward the stairs of the city walls.

‘There are a lot.’

Hyeonu arrived on top of the city walls and glanced at the monsters outside the gate. It was full

“Tang-E, Gom-E,” Hyeonu summoned Tang-E and Gom-E. They were the ones who gave Hyeonu a buff with their very existence. Summoning the two of them was preparing for the battle.

“Master, can I kill them?”

“Let’s go out and fight, quickly.”

Tang-E and Gom-E spoke at the same time while pointing to the monsters outside the city walls.

“Yes, instead, you should grow bigger and run while fighting. We have to go through them.”

Hyeonu nodded. He didn’t intend to stop them if they wanted to participate in the battle. Instead, the method was limited. Their purpose for fighting had to be the same.

“You came? Then we’ll go straight away. Follow me.”

Just then, the Venom Guild members appeared on the wall. Upon finding them, Hyeonu spoke these words and immediately fell off the wall toward the swarm of monsters.

“How are we supposed to follow that? Crazy bastard,” Crimson couldn’t stand it any longer and cursed.

The second time was unbearable. Hyeonu kept asking the Venom Guild to do things they couldn’t do. Who would dare to jump down among so many monsters?

“No, it is possible.”

Kalen shook his head while looking out from the city wall. At his words, the other Venom Guild members stuck close to the wall and observed what was happening. Then they groaned.

“This... is it possible?”

“Is he really a human like us?”

“Isn’t that the sixth class advancement?”

The Venom Guild members weren’t the only ones who were surprised. All those fighting on the walls were mesmerized as they watched the phenomena unfolding before their eyes.

Hyeonu slaughtered monsters while wielding a purple longsword that seemed to be dozens of meters long. On the left and right sides, two bears measuring at least 10 meters tall were swinging their paws and smashing the monsters.

A path was being made. It was a path made from the blood and flesh of the monsters.

“Let’s go, run quickly!” Kalen came to his senses and shouted to the other guild members. They had to follow before the path that Hyeonu made disappeared.