Ranker Who Lives Twice

Chapter 291 – Poseidon (3)

Team: HH, thursdays, Yahiko (8/12)

Ted was always confident in his skills. The god he served, Antaeus, symbolized power and battle. He was also a king who had never lost before being defeated by Heracles.

Ted was the same.

He had only lost twice in his life.

Once was when he was captured by Lana, who was his former captain.

And the other was right before Benteke had mutinied, when they had fought in order to establish a hierarchy.

But looking back at it now, Ted felt wronged about both those times.

‘Back then, I wasn’t in my best condition. Lana and Benteke’s skills were pretty dynamic…..and all else aside, back then, I was young. If I fight them now? It would end differently. I’ve definitely changed since then.’

Ted was thinking of defeating Benteke and even becoming the leader of Triton. Why wouldn’t he be able to do what Benteke did? However, unlike back then with Lana, he didn’t have a reason to.

So Ted changed his mind. He would show their subordinates just who was most qualified as the leader of Triton.

He was given a nice chance.

Benteke had fought the Hoarder with all his power, but he couldn’t prevail. Benteke was also robbed of Triaina, the symbol of Triton.

And if he brought back the head of the Hoarder?

Things would be very different.

The gazes of the subordinates who looked at him would change, and he would also kill Jinrang, who looked down on him.

If Benteke made a few more mistakes with his right arm gone….. at that point, it would become Ted’s world.

He got there with such great plans for himself…..

‘But how…..!’

Ted didn’t even have the opportunity to use his skills. He was defeated just like that.

With Boo’s Inferno Sight strongly embedded in his soul, taking with him an immense amount of fear.

* * *

Ted’s head crumbled. Brains and flesh flew out, but everything was quickly absorbed by Bathory’s Vampiric Sword.

The last of Ted’s vestige floated into Yeon-woo’s head.

Yeon-woo snorted at Ted’s thoughts. He was overflowing with greed and overconfidence. He really didn’t know his place. Ted thought he could win against Benteke?

‘That’s an insult to Benteke.’

Benteke was an outstanding player that he would’ve liked to be friends with if they weren’t enemies.

He was as confident as his skills warranted, and moreover, he didn’t hesitate to walk his own path.

He was someone to learn from.

That was what Yeon-woo thought of Benteke. Also, Benteke probably thought the same of him. They were different but similar.

But Ted wanted to be one of them?

Bull****.

He didn’t even know the power of his enemies and died because he ran head-first into the situation. And he wanted to do what?

Yeon-woo almost felt bad for Antaeus, who was about to have some of his holy power stolen.

“No. Didn’t Antaeus die because he was arrogant and ended up being killed by Heracles? I guess the apostle was just taking after the god.”

[Poseidon is furious!]

[Poseidon is furious!]

Yeon-woo laughed at Poseidon’s response, which he was used to now, and completed his absorption.

Antaeus’s holy power flowed into his body.

Divine Blessings spun inside of him, and when he absorbed holy power, the Blessings were amplified.

The formation of his cells changed slightly, and he could feel his body becoming firmer.

‘But compared to the arm of Poseidon’s apostle….. it’s a shame.’

The amount of holy power was similar to when he absorbed Benteke’s right arm. It wasn’t that Antaeus lacked holy power; it was that Poseidon just had a lot.

[You have completed 20% of the sudden quest (Ceto’s Resentment).]

A message saying he was progressing through the quest that Ceto gave him kindly popped up. Thanks to that, the Sea Water Charm around his neck emitted a blue light, and a small amount of holy power was restored.

‘Is it telling me to work harder?’

And on one hand, he was interested in Boo, who had instantly dominated an apostle.

Even though he had the help of Shanon, Hanryeong, and other Monster Portents, the reason why Yeon-woo was able to catch Ted without too much trouble was because of Boo’s abilities.

‘Boo is definitely that person.’

Yeon-woo grinned and looked down the cliff again.

A burning port could be seen. There were also players who were shocked by Ted’s death. Their pale faces contrasted the red fire.

“Take care of the rest.”

The Monster Portents moved again.

* * *

The news that Triton’s port on the 30th floor was completely blown away spread throughout the tower like wildfire.

When the news that one of the commanders of Triton, Ted, died without being able to do much, everyone was surprised.

One person was behind it all.

The Hoarder.

The famous player, who was now better known by his nickname than the name Cain, repeated what he did on the 28th floor on the 30th floor.

The Hoarder was considered a super rookie who might’ve been the next person to reach the level of a king.

Moreover, Triton was one of the new emerging clans who could potentially take the spots of the Eight Large Clans. The Ruler King Benteke, apostle of Poseidon, was also there.

Of course people’s attention would be on this clash.

People thought this was a chance to see the Hoarder’s real skills, which were shrouded by rumors, and confirm the hidden forces of Triton.

Also, other clans who were competing with Triton considered it a good opportunity to decrease their numbers and began to move busily.

* * *

[All trials have ended.]

[Would you like to register your name in the hall of fame?]

The trial ended when the small amount of soul poison left in his body was digested.

However, he didn’t plan on heading up to the 31st floor yet. He moved the message window aside and silently trod on.

He was in a field that was lying bare in the hot sun. At night, sharp winds blew.

Yeon-woo extended his Magic Armor into a robe, covering his head with the hood, and tracked where Benteke was. There wasn’t that much distance between them anymore.

‘Why hasn’t he shown up yet?’

Yeon-woo had collided with Triton’s forces multiple times while passing through the stages.

Entire ports and fleets had been blown away, so the financial damage they suffered was probably immense. Also, Ted’s death was a loss of manpower for them. Triton and Yeon-woo had gone beyond a point of no return. A war with their lives at stake had begun.

Unlike Yeon-woo’s expectations, which was that Benteke would arrive soon, Benteke hadn’t shown himself once.

‘Is he not recovered yet? But by now, his holy power should be recovered.’

Actually, Yeon-woo was more injured than Benteke. He could heal himself again with Regeneration, but the same went for Benteke. The frightening regeneration power that brought back his entire body wouldn’t go anywhere.

No, even with that aside, considering Benteke’s personality, he should’ve come by now. He wasn’t someone to avoid a challenge just because his injuries were severe.

Triton must’ve thought that they would really be destroyed at this rate because the frequency of their attacks decreased, and they didn’t show themselves since the day before yesterday.

‘Did something happen?’

Just when Yeon-woo was considering whether he should invade Triton’s base, Shanon suddenly called for him.

「Look, Master.」

He seemed strangely excited.

“What?”

「You know.」

Shanon was speaking in a high pitched voice. It was uncomfortable to listen to.

Yeon-woo narrowed his eyes.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

「Nah. Not between us.」

Yeon-woo’s face crumpled more.

「Master, a servant must read their master’s intentions even if they aren’t ordered. If you feel uncomfortable, sir, what about giving it to me?」

This time, Hanryeong appeared next to Yeon-woo and whispered. Shanon shouted.

Shanon and Hanryeong had a fight of wits. It was because of Ted’s soul that was still in his collection.

Yeon-woo clicked his tongue. The level of an apostle’s soul was bound to have a high level.

「Hey! That’s mine!」

「That’s for Master to decide.」

Yeon-woo glanced up at the sky. He could see Rebecca lightly floating around in her spirit form.

From some time ago, Rebecca, didn’t say anything about wanting to become a human again. She changed to her spirit form from time to time and just spun around Yeon-woo.

When Yeon-woo spoke to her, she would only reply with a short answer.

They didn’t have to communicate because they were connected, and he didn’t care too much, but Rebecca wasn’t even looking at him, like it didn’t matter to her.

She was different from Boo, who faithfully followed Yeon-woo.

“After we get all of Triton. Not now.”

「Hmph.」

「If you say so, Master.」

Shanon and Hanryeong didn’t speak about the soul any further. They that Yeon-woo never changed his mind. Also, they needed to have an extra soul in case of emergency.

‘I should talk to Rebecca later.’

When Yeon-woo looked away from Rebecca, he suddenly sensed something with his Extrasensory Perception. They were a small group of soldiers in the oasis.

Yeon-woo thought it was Triton and put his hand on the Magic Bayonet, but he realized that it wasn’t them soon enough.

They were stronger than them. And he was familiar with them as well.

‘The Fantasy Regiment?’

To be exact, it was the Second Squad, the Illusion Knightage, who had been useful in putting distance between him and Waltz’s Primeval Body.

Yeon-woo’s shadow wavered. The Monster Portents were ready to move. The reason that they didn’t was because the Fantasy Regiment didn’t have any murderous intent towards him.

Rather, they were waiting gladly for Yeon-woo.

When Yeon-woo reached the oasis, they all stood up. They were all wearing shining silver armor that must’ve been difficult to wear in the scorching heat, and there were long capes on their bodies.

“Nice to meet you, Cain. I’m Creutz of the Illusion Knightage.”

Creutz stepped up and held his hand out. He looked happy to see Yeon-woo.

Yeon-woo silently looked at the hand and replied without a gesture.

“What are you guys doing here?’

Creutz must’ve felt awkward because he rubbed his right hand with his left hand, but the smile didn’t leave his face. He spoke with a bright face that looked sculpted by a god.

“We’ve been waiting for you.”

“Me?”

“Indeed. Actually, I wanted to speak with you at the River of Souls, but the timing wasn’t right. It was such a shame. I looked everywhere for you again, and I was able to find you with much difficulty. It’s such a relief that I did end up meeting you.”

Yeon-woo frowned. Another set of pupils opened within his eyes. It was Draconic Eyes.

‘It’s the truth.’

Still, he didn’t let his guard down.

“Why were you looking for me? For revenge?”

“Ah, I’ll apologize on behalf of the Fantasy Regiment for what the 92nd Squad did.”

Creutz bowed his head in an elegant manner to apologize. The other players behind him also bowed their heads.

They didn’t seem to have any tricks up their sleeves.

‘Truth.’

Yeon-woo narrowed his eyes even more. Creutz definitely wasn’t lying. The same went for the other players. He couldn’t see any enmity. They looked to be apologetic and well-intentioned.

However, Yeon-woo was suspicious of their goodwill because he didn’t think there was any reason for it.

“Why did you look for me?”

Creutz lifted his bowed head and spoke again.

“Our Regiment Leader longs to meet you. Also, we even have orders to help you no matter what if you’re in danger.”

What was he talking about?

“Who is your Regiment Leader?”

“He said that you’re his dear old friend.”