Ranker’s Return

Chapter 145

“Then today’s stream will end here. Everyone, I’ll see you again on Monday. Bbeong!”

Today’s stream ended with the outcry against Big Stars. Of course, Hyeonu pretended not to know even until the end. Everyone knew except him. This was emphasized.

‘This way, I’ll be safe later.’

Hyeonu thanked Lee Hoon, who came willingly despite the sudden invitation. “Thank you for today. I sent you a whisper without contacting you in advance. I’m grateful that you were willing to appear.”

Hyeonu’s gratitude made Lee Hoon bow his head even more. “Ah, no need. Alley Leader called, so I naturally had to appear. Call me the next time you need me. There doesn’t necessarily need to be a reason.”

Lee Hoon was about to leave when Hyeonu called out to him. There was one thing he had wanted to ask from the beginning.

“Excuse me, can I ask why you quit as a proxy knight?”

“Ah, it is my own personal affair… I have a dream, and I need to make preparations for it. You’ll know soon,” Lee Hoon answered Hyeonu cheerfully.

Hyeonu nodded and then said, “Finally, I have one more thing to ask. Perhaps…”

***

The Arena community was on fire for a long time.

Hyeonu threw the bait, and the articles were posted at a tremendous speed. It was the first time the community was so active since Alley Leader Academy was announced.

[It seems to be time for Big Stars to disband.]

[As expected of a private moneylender, they treat their players like debtors.]

[What is the association, Quency, and the police doing?]

[If the association doesn’t announce its firm position today, then won’t they be damned?]

“So President Kim should do a better job. I told you. What era is this that you would still try such exploitation? If you want to give less money, then don’t make them work. If you make them work, then you should give money.” Park Jeonghyun, the person with the highest authority in the Korean Virtual Reality Game Association apart from the president, was making a phone call in a peaceful manner. “So how can I not do anything? I can stop rumors, but this isn’t a rumor. It has already been confirmed by the community. There will be an inspection sooner or later. You should know this.”

Park Jeonghyun examined the documents on his desk. Once he found the document he wanted, he picked it up and started reading it.

“The date is tomorrow? I’ll be coming over tomorrow morning, so be prepared. Be it manipulating the documents or making the players lie, it is what you should do, President Kim. Let’s not make contact anymore. Do you understand, President Kim?” Park Jeonghyun said everything he wanted to say and hung up.

“A jerk who plays with money… Does he think I’m his mother just because we’ve met a few times? Why call me after causing an incident?” Park Jeonghyun’s expression was cold, unlike his somewhat facetious and disrespectful words.

Park Jeonghyun pressed a button on the phone on his desk.

Beep.

“Make an appointment with CEO Moon of Moon Capital.”

-When should I make it for?

“Today. As early as possible. The sooner we meet, the better.”

-I understand.

Park Jeonghyun released the button.

“An orangutan is just an orangutan.”

He smiled coldly. If there was a problem with the orangutan, all he had to do was throw it away. After all, there were still people who could be used.

***

Hyeonu’s stream caused Big Stars’ people to fall into disarray. The protesting calls just never seemed to stop. In addition to the office phone, the director’s and Yoon Hyeongu’s personal phones were on fire.

“Groan…” Yoon Hyeongu frowned when he saw the name ‘Boss’ on the smartphone’s LCD screen.

‘Boss’ must be making the call personally due to Alley Leader’s stream.

Yoon Hyeongu took a deep breath and carefully accepted the call.

 “Yes, it is Yoon Hyeongu, Boss-nim.”

-Hey, you jerk! How can you handle things like this? Now I’m…

Shouting came from the phone the moment Yoon Hyeongu accepted the call. Yoon Hyeongu had already reduced the volume of his smartphone from the maximum like he had expected it. The man who was called Boss had a very angry voice. His voice was enough to show how far the information had spread. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know it was going to spread.”

-Who is the informant? Did you find the informant?

“I’m sorry. I haven’t found it yet. I’ll find it soon. I’m certain it is one of the players.”

-Are you sure? Yoon Hyeongu, if you can’t find them… I won’t let you go.

Yoon Hyeongu smiled at the man’s words. Just then, someone opened Yoon Hyeongu’s door and came in.

“Director, there is no one in the dormitory.” It was one of Big Stars’ coaches. He had followed Yoon Hyeongu’s instructions and gone to the players’ quarters. However, by the time he arrived, the property was already empty. All their luggage had been packed, and even their closets were empty.

“What?!” Yoon Hyeongu forgot he was on the phone and yelled the moment he heard the coach’s words.

Then he realized his mistake. He remembered he was on the phone with that man.

-What’s going on? Did you find the informant? The man on the phone asked sharply.

“No. I just shouted a bit because I heard this month’s quota is a bit short. I’m sorry, Boss-nim,” Yoon Hyeongu lied before he could think about it. It was the moment when cold sweat flowed down his back.

-Really? Then I understand. I have something else to do, so I’m going to hang up. Make sure you find the person. Then bring them to kneel in front of me. Otherwise, you’ll be the one on your knees.

Yoon Hyeongu’s heart trembled at the man’s threat.

He barely managed to respond. “I understand, Boss-nim. Please go.”

The man wouldn’t simply make him kneel. It was clear that he would do things ordinary people couldn’t even imagine. Yoon Hyeongu had already seen many of those who had suffered. They were the ones who had been in his position before him.

“Hey!!! Gather the kids right now! Why are you just standing there?!” Yoon Hyeongu screamed at the coach.

It was very urgent. The coach hurriedly closed the door at Yoon Hyeongu’s shout and went out. Left alone, Yoon Hyeongu held his forehead and buried himself in a chair like he was falling.

‘Ah…’

Yoon Hyeongu knew he now had two choices—find the players who ran away and bring them to the boss or run away.

“How can I…”

Yoon Hyeongu’s expression gradually darkened.

***

After the stream, Hyeonu resumed hunting like before. He didn’t think about what he had done.

‘My job was to just report on it. This is the limit.’

Hyeonu felt sorry for the Big Stars players, but he had no intention of helping them anymore. He thought his role was up to here. The backlash was something the officials should handle. It was not something he should intervene in.

“I don’t think they can be professional gamers anymore. So they will probably start streaming.”

There was a chance they might soon become his competitors. Hyeonu had just arrived in the Balder Mountains when a group welcomed him. They were all familiar faces. Hyeonu had met them in the Balder Mountains not long ago.

“We meet again?”

‘The Venom Guild?’ Hyeonu frowned when he saw the man that welcomed him. It wasn’t a coincidence to meet the same person twice in the wide Balder Mountains.

‘Were they waiting for me? Or did they chase me?’

Hyeonu replied without letting down his vigilance, “What a coincidence.”

The man smiled and responded to Hyeonu’s words, “It is a coincidence. We are just gathering together to hunt.”

“Are you hunting here? You left the Hejin Mountains behind?”

The Balder Mountains were unexplored. Meanwhile, the Hejin Mountains already had an established pioneering village. The Hejin Mountains were still full of undiscovered dungeons and quests, and it wasn’t that hard to hunt there. Yet rather than staying in such favorable conditions, the Venom Guild came to the Balder Mountains.

It was strange.

‘Of course, they might have a quest like me.’

However, that was as unlikely as him encountering them by chance right now.

“Just by looking, it’s obvious we are talented people. Of course, not as much as Alley Leader.” The man laughed frivolously. He laughed for a long time before it gradually stopped. “We met by chance twice. Such a relationship doesn’t seem light. How about entering our guild? I’m not lying when I say they are powerful people from other virtual reality games. They are all among the top five players of those games.”

The man indicated to the players standing behind him. The first man he pointed to was as big as Dwayne. The man could be mistaken as a hoodlum in reality.

“This ugly-looking friend is famous in the fighting game, Road Fighters. He is playing the fighter class in Arena.”

Then he pointed to a woman. She couldn’t be called pretty or beautiful, but she was cute.

“This is a friend who plays a priest. Do you know Berta Online, which was popular before Arena? She was very famous there. Her ability to use her skills is amazing. I brought her over here with great care.”

The man explained up to here and turned back to look at Hyeonu.

“Alley Leader, don’t you think you should go to the best guild in Arena?” The man asked with a light smile.

“Pfft.” Laughter burst from Hyeonu’s mouth when he saw it. 

“The top guild? I think I’m already the best alone… It feels like a foul if I join a guild. I won’t do that.” Hyeonu spoke brazen words. “Additionally, I got my third class advancement. I’m a bit strong. I saw you this time, so let’s not meet next time. If you see me, avoid me. Otherwise, if you drop any items on the ground after you die, you will never get it back from me.”

Hyeonu walked into the Balder Mountains while leaving a bloody threat behind. He moved slowly and in a very laid-back manner. Hyeonu seemed to be saying with his back, ‘I don’t care about you.’

Once Hyeonu couldn’t be seen anymore, a man who gave off a fierce impression in the Venom Guild said, “Why not stop him? We should’ve killed him right away.”

The man’s personality was as fiery as he looked. However, none of them paid attention to this man.

“So what if you stop him? Shall we see you tomorrow after you die?” Rose, the female priest player who was introduced, shot back at Crimson, the man with the fierce impression. “Are you confident in beating Alley Leader alone? I think you will die in three blows. Karen, I think it is better to give up this request. We can’t win.”

At Rose’s words, the guild leader of the Venom Guild, Karen spoke after a long deliberation. “We…”