Ranker's Return

Chapter 824

Upon his return, Hyeonu streamed like nothing had happened. The viewers wondered who Hyeonu was talking to and with whom.

-Excuse me, Alley Leader. Was the whisper that entered your ear just now something personal and private?

-Is it a whisper from Reina?

-Are the two of you still in touch?

-Is it Sunny?

-I think it is Jin Sijong.

The chat window became a mess in an instant. No more questions poured out toward Yeongchan and Teika. All attention was turned to Hyeonu.

“It isn’t from the people you are thinking of. It is a personal and private matter. I apologize for being away while streaming.” Hyeonu glanced at the chat window and quickly bowed his head to apologize to the viewers. Then he immediately refreshed the atmosphere by changing the topic.

“Isn’t it hard to see the specific changes just by listening to the explanation in words? Thus, I prepared something. It is time to watch the ranking battles of the two of them one by one.” Hyeonu quickly released the content he had prepared in advance.

It was before the audience’s attention was focused on something useless. This was because today’s protagonists were Teika and Yeongchan, not Hyeonu.

“Which of the two of you will do it first?” Hyeonu asked.

Yeongchan raised his hand first. “I’ll go first. I don’t think I can handle the improved vision of the viewers if Teika goes first.”

This was also an action they’d agreed upon in advance.

“Argon’s words aren’t correct, but if you say this, I will go second.” Teika shook his head humbly.

Yeongchan’s words were definitely true. No matter what anyone said, it was true that Teika’s combat was more spectacular than Yeongchan’s. Still, there was no need to admit this in front of the audience.

“Argon? Please enter the ranking battle as soon as possible.” Hyeonu pressed Yeongchan.

Yeongchan glared at Hyeonu and grumbled, “It is already matching, so don’t rush it.”

“Ah, yes. I didn’t know because you didn’t tell me,” Hyeonu growled at Yeongchan.

Just then, Yeongchan’s figure immediately disappeared. A ranking battle was already determined.

“He has a low ranking, so it started pretty quickly. Meanwhile, it takes me forever to play one match.” Hyeonu immediately started talking behind Yeongchan’s back the moment Yeongchan disappeared. There wasn’t even a single bit of hesitation.

“That is true. 20 minutes is the fastest for me,” Teika added.

In the past, Teika wouldn’t have said this about Yeongchan, a person he didn’t know very well. However, he was a professional streamer now. It wasn’t hard for him to be brazen for the sake of the stream. As Hyeonu and Teika were chatting, Yeongchan’s ranking battle began.

“Thank you, Argon.”

Yeongchan’s opponent recognized him. It was inevitable. The arena had long been fixed. An upheaval only happened once in a while. It was when a ranker leveled up and changed classes or when the main scenario progressed and good items were released. Other than that, the rankings never changed significantly. Therefore, the opponents they saw were faces they always saw.

Yeongchan also recognized the man and greeted him, “Please take care of me, Hyeon-nim.”

The other person’s name was Kim Hyeon. He was a Korean streamer like Yeongchan and Hyeonu. If there was a difference between Kim Hyeon and Yeongchan, it was that Kim Hyeon’s main content was the arena ranking battles.

“Is the opponent Kim Hyeon? He is one of the famous arena rankers. Argon might find this match a bit tough,” Hyeonu exclaimed after confirming Yeongchan’s opponent.

Kim Hyeon was a slightly difficult opponent for Yeongchan. The ranking was similar to Yeongchan, but the waters in which they were fighting were different. Kim Hyeon was fighting against someone lower than him, while Yeongchan was fighting someone higher than him.

“However, Argon said that a change had occurred after changing to an elf... I’m looking forward to seeing if he can overcome the gap.” Teika also thought it was hard for Yeongchan to win. Even so, he had some expectations.

Just as Teika had gained things by becoming an orc, Yeongchan must’ve gained something by becoming an elf.

***

‘Let’s not drag it out too long.’

Yeongchan carefully drew his sword while looking at Kim Hyeon in front of him. A long battle was disadvantageous for Yeongchan. It wasn’t due to his character specs but his lack of skill. His skill didn’t suddenly increase overnight. Constant practice was the only way to improve one’s skills.

‘Dubhe.’

[Dubhe has been used.]

[Your strength stat has increased.]

‘Merak.’

[Merak has been used.]

[Your agility stat has increased by 10.]

‘Phecda.’

[Phecda has been used.]

[Attack power has increased.]

[Movement speed has increased.]

‘Megrez.’

[Megrez has been used.]

[Defense has increased.]

[Your physique has increased.]

‘Alioth.’

[Alioth has been used.]

[All stats have increased.]

[Attack power has increased.]

[Defense has increased.]

Yeongchan used five buffs from the start. He showed with his entire body that he had no intention of aiming for a long battle.

‘Is it all-in?’ Kim Hyeon frowned when he saw Yeongchan flashing from the beginning. Kim Hyeon approximately knew what Yeongchan’s skills were because they had fought more than once or twice. However, in the previous battles, Yeongchan had never used his buffs right from the start.

‘Then I’ll have to match it.’

Of course, that didn’t mean that Kim Hyeon would lose. Yeongchan might’ve never used all the buffs from the start, but Kim Hyeon had a lot of experience fighting a fully buffed Yeongchan. The result had been Kim Hyeon’s victory every time. He had never been defeated.

‘He looks relaxed.’ Yeongchan gritted his teeth at the sight of Kim Hyeon, who didn’t show a significant change in expression even after Yeongchan used his buffs. He had suffered a few defeats before, but today would be different. Now, he had character specs that could overcome even the difference in skill.

Yeongchan moved slowly. Despite his light movements, the distance between Yeongchan and Kim Hyeon decreased in an instant. Yeongchan reached Kim Hyeon’s side at once and swung his sword like a thunderbolt. Wrapped in a blue light, Yeongchan’s sword moved toward Kim Hyeon’s chest.

Kim Hyeon slightly raised his sword from the bottom up. The moment that Yeongchan’s and Kim Hyeon’s swords met, there was a sound like a bomb exploding. Kim Hyeon’s body was pushed back at the same time as the explosion, and his face crumpled badly.

‘Why has he become so strong?’

Yeongchan’s attack seemed like nothing, but it was too strong.

‘I will be in big trouble if I move incorrectly.’ A sense of crisis started to emerge in Kim Hyeon’s heart. He realized that Yeongchan was different from before.

“Have you become a bit stronger?” Kim Hyeon started to talk to Yeongchan to buy time to reorganize himself.

“Can’t you see this? I tried hard, so of course, I have to become stronger,” Yeongchan spoke while pointing to his ears with his left hand. They were ears that were much longer than the ears of an ordinary person. It was a symbol of the elves.

“Elf... Do you like the elves that much?” Kim Hyeon wondered like he was genuinely curious.

Yeongchan nodded. “Can’t you see the results? Ah, I don’t know about other people, but I think it will be fine for Kim Hyeon. You are more concerned about your arena ranking than your level.”

Unlike most streamers who placed great importance on their level, the arena streamers weren’t sensitive to level. It was only when their ranking started to drop due to delaying their class change that they tended to be obsessed with level.

“Thank you. I have something to think about.” Kim Hyeon nodded slightly at Yeongchan.

It was a conversation he started in order to buy time, but it paid off quite a lot. This was a stepping stone to get to a higher position.

“Then I will go again!” Kim Hyeon shouted before rushing at Yeongchan with his sword. Exactly five minutes later, the ranking battle was over. It was Yeongchan’s victory.

***

-He is just trying to hog the good things alone. Look at Argon’s strength.

-I didn’t sense it when killing the undead, but I can feel it now that it is in the arena.

-Aren’t the elves good?

-It is strong just by looking.

-This is crazy. Why is it so good?

The viewers were amazed by Yeongchan’s ranking battle. He was obviously different from before.

-By the way, why is he saying it is good for Kim Hyeon and bad for us?

-Is he keeping us in check?

-Or is he bad enough to keep his opponent in check?

The viewers were now starting to doubt Yeongchan’s previous words. It was because what he said to them was different from what he told Kim Hyeon.

Hyeonu saw the public opinion in the chat window and quickly interjected, “Hey, isn’t that a different situation? Everyone, it takes a long time to fill up the required experience. For most rankers, the level is important. Meanwhile, the arena rankers are skilled, but their level is less important.”

Then he immediately tried to change the topic. “Now Teika will start the ranking battle right away.”

Yeongchan had done it, and it was now Teika’s turn.

“Even if I start, it will take a while for it to match...” Teika spoke with a worried expression on his face. The tension of a good live stream seemed to drop while waiting for the ranking battle.

Hyeonu shook his head. “What are you worried about, Teika? How high is the level of our talk? We’ll cover that time casually. Everyone understood when I took 50 minutes.”

His viewers were very accustomed to waiting. Teika took 20-30 minutes to get a match, but Hyeonu always took over 30 minutes, no matter how quick the ranking battle was decided.

-Yes, we can wait a little bit.

-We are waiting specialists.

-I’ve been waiting for a live stream that doesn’t turn on.

-Just say anything. I’ll listen to anything.

The viewers also agreed with Hyeonu’s words. Hyeonu’s viewers were accustomed to waiting. It was because the owner of the live stream they watched forced them to wait.

“Then I will trust you and start it right away, Alley Leader.” Teika nodded and started the ranking battle. Meanwhile, Yeongchan returned from his neat victory and took the seat next to Yeongchan.

“Everyone, did you see it?” Yeongchan started communicating with the viewers the moment he arrived.

-It’s strong.

-I’m not sure about your skills, but it is definitely strong.

-Yes, the elves are good. He said he didn’t like it, but if it is to this extent... The other classes must be... *tremble*.

-If you consistently play the ranking battles, you can climb higher.

-New content has come out. Ranking battles ㅋㅋㅋ.

The viewers welcomed Yeongchan. Hyeonu had explained why Yeongchan’s words were different, so the reaction from the viewers wasn’t bad. They just welcomed him with praise.

“Teika, Argon has come back with victory. How much do you think he will be able to rise in the rankings?” Hyeonu naturally induced the conversation.

“I think he can gain dozens of places higher than he is now. Other rankers still need a lot of time until their fifth class advancement, so it isn’t easy for them to suddenly increase their power like Argon has done. Therefore, I think he can improve his ranking to that extent,” Teika replied.

“Then what is your opinion?” Hyeonu naturally turned his head toward Yeongchan after hearing Teika’s answer. Then his left eye twitched slightly.

“Ah, first of all, thank you for saying that about me, Teika. I... Probably... My specs have gone up a bit, but my skills are still the same...” Yeongchan started to stutter after receiving Hyeonu’s look.

All the viewers felt awkward watching this. Before Yeongchan’s answer could even finish, Teika interrupted while looking at the chat window with a bright face: “Ah, my ranking battle has been found. I’m glad it took less time than expected.”

Beside Teika was Hyeonu, who was smiling wildly and waving his hand.

“I hope to see you again soon.”

When Teika turned his head and said those meaningful words, Hyeonu quickly erased his smile. “Yes, I also hope so.”

Teika understood Hyeonu’s words as a message for him to end the ranking battle quickly and disappeared with a smile. Soon after, Hyeonu also disappeared.

Upon being left alone, Yeongchan started to carefully curse Hyeonu. “Everyone, this jerk is completely crazy. Right?”