Ranker’s Return

Chapter 603

‘He can’t regrow his hand.’ Hyeonu thought as he looked at Clone’s cut wrist. Somehow, the blood soon stopped, but there was no regeneration of the hand. It was fortunate.

‘I don’t know if I’ve become stronger, or… perhaps the boss monster is weak.’

He didn’t know. The thing he was certain about was that the battle was easy.

‘I don’t know how they combined all the data.’

In Hyeonu’s opinion, it was clear that Quency had done it incorrectly. Something was lacking. He wasn’t sure what it was, but there was definitely a lacking part.

‘What does it matter? I just need to kill him quickly.’

Hyeonu approached Clone with the Mysterious Sky Sword pointing down. Clone looked at the approaching Hyeonu and straightened his sword. Then he kicked off from the ground.

Hyeonu’s sword collided with the clone’s sword. The air was torn around the two of them, creating a powerful shockwave. Hyeonu pressed the handle of the Mysterious Sky Sword with one hand and the back of the blade with the other hand.

Clone’s face turned red as his right hand holding the sword trembled. It was like he was convulsing. Hyeonu used both hands while Clone could only use one hand. The difference in strength was obvious. Eventually, Clone gave up on the battle of strength against Hyeonu and his sword bounced off.

‘Where are you going?!’

Hyeonu wasn’t going to just watch. He would never miss the chance to seize the opportunity that he had created.

Hyeonu’s sword gently touched the clone’s sword that was pushed in momentarily. Then he moved his sword together with the clone’s sword when it fell back. It was never removed, as if magnets had been attached to their weapons. Hyeonu stuck to Clone persistently and once again pushed strongly against the Mysterious Sky Sword with his left hand.

“Kuoooh…” a rough groan burst from Clone’s mouth. This was a clone created by combining the combat data of numerous players, but there was no data to cope with the current situation. It was because no one had the experience of continuing to fight with one hand cut off. Clone didn’t have the basic experience, so he couldn’t apply it. Clone had to rely solely on the input data to move.

The problem occurred once again in this part. The incomplete data caused momentary distress. That brief hesitation became a big gap for Hyeonu.

Hyeonu turned his hand and pointed the Mysterious Sky Sword toward the bottom of Clone’s sword. Then he used the recoil of his sword to bounce Clone’s sword upward. Hyeonu drew the Mysterious Sky Sword without missing the moment when Clone’s body was briefly defenseless.

A line was drawn on Clone’s body. Blood soared out from the line like a fountain. At the same time, the area near the wound started to turn purple. It was like bruising.

“Hap!” Clone stepped back while enduring the pain. It was because he judged that he could no longer fight by sticking closely together. The wound was huge. It was impossible to endure and fight. Clone had high stats, but in the end, he was a human being like the players. He was very vulnerable to wounds.

“You haven’t figured it out yet? Whose data was used? You are so stupid.” Hyeonu clicked his tongue at Clone’s decision to fall back. ‘He has been beaten like this so far… yet he is pulling back again?’

He couldn’t be that stupid. Clone was helpless due to Hyeonu’s ridiculous technique and was helpless after he couldn’t step back as he pleased. Yet now Clone was stepping back again.

Hyeonu quickly swung the Mysterious Sky Sword and created a purple line in the air. It flew toward the clone. Hyeonu followed it.

Clone swung his sword at the purple pure energy heading toward him. Dark magic power was forming a shape around Clone’s sword. The strongest shockwave among the shockwaves that had occurred so far swept over the battlefield in an instant. The ground turned over and the air exploded.

Hyeonu kicked off from the ground and jumped up. Then he stepped on the debris soaring into the air and released the gorgeous Mysterious Sky Steps. Hyeonu avoided the aftermath of the shock. It was Clone who was troubled by the shockwave. Clone was once again wounded by the aftermath of the impact.

Blood flowed again. The ground was wet.

Just then, the floating Hyeonu fell while swinging the Mysterious Sky Sword at Clone’s head. Clone lifted his sword and barely stopped the Mysterious Sky Sword above his head.

A shockwave burst out again. Once again, blood burst from the wounds. The wound became worse and worse. Even humanoid boss monsters were able to recover to some extent. This was due to the high physique stat.

Clone could also use magic, but this meant nothing. Hyeonu wasn’t giving Clone the time to use it. Clone was overwhelmed just responding to Hyeonu’s storm of attacks. He couldn’t even dream of recovery. Additionally, this was a raid. It wasn’t a one-on-one battle between Hyeonu and Clone.

The ground around Hyeonu and Clone was frozen. It wasn’t an attack. It was just changing the environment around them.

“Master dude! I froze the ground!” Tang-E’s intention was obvious. Tang-E knew that Hyeonu could walk in the air for a while. This was why he froze the ground.

“Thank you!” Hyeonu shouted. Tang-E’s choice was outstanding.

‘It is natural to have restrictions on his movement as long as he can’t step on the air like me.’

Then Hyeonu would be overwhelmingly favorable in combat. Slippery ice was deadly in combat. Everything was different from battles on a typical plains. Everything changed, from basic movements to the consequences of combat. Hyeonu ran as fast as he did in the beginning. It looked like he was moving on the ground, but he was actually running in the air at a very fine height.

Hyeonu swung the Mysterious Sky Sword with a lot of magic power. It was a neat slash that was drawn diagonally. The clone took a step forward and swung his sword. It wasn’t an attack to be received in place, but a judgment. At the same time, Clone used magic with its severed wrist. Black flames appeared and tried to melt the ice on the ground.

However, Clone’s attempt came to nothing. Mason’s ice spear flew from a distance and scattered the black flames. Of course, the ice spear melted in an instant and became smoke.

Clone’s sword collided with HYeonu’s Mysterious Sky Sword. Hyeonu used magic power generously this time. As a result, Clone was pushed back badly in this exchange. If it was normal, he would’ve taken one step back. However, the ground had now turned to ice and he was badly pushed back.

This was a big problem. He couldn’t take his feet off. If he took it off, he would fall straight away.

Hyeonu rushed toward Clone who was being pushed out like this. His first step kicked off the ice ground, not the air. He used the power of his body sliding forward and moved with his other leg, kicking strongly into the air. Hyeonu’s body moved through the air as quickly as an arrow. It was a huge acceleration.

Hyeonu held the Mysterious Sky Sword in his left hand. Then he focused his magic power into his right hand. Then in Hyeonu’s right hand, a purple sword that looked exactly like the Mysterious Sky Sword appeared.

Hyeonu used two swords and moved both hands splendidly. Hyeonu struck Clone’s sword more than a dozen times in an instant. Clone was pushed back much faster than ever before. It was natural to bleed from his entire body. Clone tried to prevent himself from being pushed back on the ice, but it only resulted in torn palms, worsening the situation. Wounds covered his entire body.

‘I will finish this.’ Hyeonu crossed the swords with both hands and swung them toward the pushed Clone. An overwhelmingly huge purple cross flew toward Clone. The purple cross pushed through the space itself. It was heavy rather than fast but Clone couldn’t avoid it. It was because the purple magic power was bound to Clone’s body.

Before long, the cross touched Clone’s body. Then it slowly erased Clone’s body. After a while, Clone disappeared without a single trace like he had been erased.

Crescent Moon’s first raid time attack at Arena Week came to an end. It was so fast. The raid had a ridiculous time of 2 minutes and 18 seconds.

***

“I can’t speak.”

“It is truly overwhelming specs and prowess.”

“Player Gang Hyeonu never let his guard down from beginning to end. He coldly hunted Clone.”

The commentators were astonished when they saw Crescent Moon’s raid time attack. It was wonderful. They were broadcasting, but it was literally just a broadcast—there was no commentary, but no one could blame them. There were few people with enough perspective to narrate Hyeonu’s battle. They had no idea why Clone wasn’t able to use his power properly.

Of course, the level of the commentators wasn’t low. They had the perspective that was at the level of a ranker. However, Hyeonu’s combat far exceeded that level.

“It was a raid that I really couldn’t understand. Clone, who is overwhelming for other teams, is just mild in front of Crescent Moon.”

Even at this moment, other teams were engaged in a bloody battle against Clone on the screen. It was literally a bloody battle with blood flowing and flesh scattering. They would’ve died several times without the priest’s recovery magic.

At this moment, several of the cubes that filled the stadium started to open. They were the cubes of the Crescent Moon players who finished the raid time attack.

“Crescent Moon was the first to kill the raid boss and they are coming out of the cube. Please welcome them with a round of applause.”

The audience shouted following the host’s words. It ranged from whistles to chanting the players’ names. Several things were mixed together.

“Gang Hyeonu! Gang Hyeonu!”

Of course, it was Hyeonu’s name that was the most obvious among them. It was too natural to pay tribute to Hyeonu, who produced a phenomenal scene.

“Let’s briefly hold an interview with player Gang Hyeonu, captain of Crescent Moon. Player Gang Hyeonu.” 

The host tried to interview Hyeonu who came out on the stage. Then a field staff appeared from somewhere, approached Hyeonu, and offered him the sound equipment.

“Yes,” Hyeonu briefly answered as he took it and wore it.

“The raid time attack record is 2 minutes and 18 seconds. You started the raid time attack with a great record. How do you feel right now?”

“I feel very good. The boss monster wasn’t as tricky as I expected. I think it will end well if it continues like this.”

Hyeonu gave a confident answer as the captain of the team with a record of 2 minutes and 18 seconds. Perhaps it might seem arrogant, but there wasn’t anyone who could criticize this attitude.

2 minutes and 18 seconds—this overwhelming record crushed everything. Just one question remained.

“So… do you really feel that the boss monster isn’t that tricky? All the other teams are struggling right now.”

“Yes, it really wasn’t tricky,” Hyeonu firmly answered the host’s question.