Ranker's Return

Chapter 715

“So, you’ll look around and come back?” Gang Junggu asked again and again as if he heard something he shouldn’t have heard.

“Yes, Hyung-nim. I think it is better to look around to a certain extent than to wait in a still manner.”

There was no other reason. It was tedious to hunt around Alfore.

“It is better to do anything than just hunting here.”

Gang Junggu also understood that. There were many differences from hunting alone, even if there were a lot of monsters around Alfore and no competition at all.

‘In the first place, if it wasn’t for the emperor’s words... I wouldn’t be in the vicinity.’

If it hadn’t been for the large-scale battles and the emperor’s quest, the big guilds would’ve left Alfore to create their own zone.

“I will keep in touch with Hyung-nim. I will give you as accurate information as possible, so just use potions. What use is it to save it?”

Even if this wasn’t the case, the reason why large guilds continued to hunt only near Alfore was due to the limit on magic power recovery potions. Someday, the battle would take place. They were saving potions in preparation for the day they didn’t know when would come, so they were very passive in their hearts. Adventuring was impossible. They hunted in a calculated manner in a thoroughly confined space.

“Honestly, we are free due to the amount you supply.”

However, it was a bit better for New World. It was because Hyeonu bought a large amount of potions in ways that were impossible for other large guilds.

The potions that he bought were sold to New World at the same price.

“If anything goes wrong, please send me a whisper immediately. I’ll be right back.”

Before leaving, Hyeonu left these final words to Gang Junggu.

“Yes, go quickly before you get caught by Hyung-nim.” Gang Junggu shook his head at such a Hyeonu.

***

After leaving Alfore, Hyeonu opened Baler’s map and looked at the nearby cities.

‘From which way will the demon kings come?’

This was the most central issue that would determine the direction in which Hyeonu moved. He left Alfore because he was bored, but he didn’t intend to move away from the most important event, the invasion of the demon kings. He was going to put a spoon in it unconditionally.

‘There are two cities connected to Alfore in total.’

The moment the news of a large army of the demon world was heard, it would undoubtedly be heard about in the cities. So, if they passed through the city like this, there were only two cities that had contacts with Alfore. They were Shusra and Twei, the realm of the now dead Demon King Galiya.

‘Which one is more likely?’

Hyeonu started to speculate on the route that the demon kings would pass through.

‘Baler will unconditionally be in Blanc.’

There was one piece of definitive information, and that was that Baler would be in Blanc. Baler knew the power of John Blake.

‘Thus, he will try to get a definite answer until the end.’

He would be sure to check that John Blake was idling in Blanc as he had been until now.

‘The question is whether Baler will come to Blanc alone. Or will he lead everyone...’

“Won’t he come alone?”

After a brief pause, Hyeonu thought that Baler would find John Blake alone.

‘The promise between the two of them is a secret to the other demon kings.’

If they visited Blanc together, it would be almost impossible to have a conversation with John Blake. The other demon kings would move together. Furthermore, Baler had the ability to move through space. It was more likely that he would move alone.

‘Twei is good.’

Shusra was connected to Blanc, while Twei wasn’t connected to Blanc.

‘I will go nearby and make variables. Then go far away.’

Hyeonu made the judgment and moved straight to Twei.

***

The more Hyeonu moved toward Twei, the more convinced he was that his speculation was correct. The closer he got to Twei, the more frequently the demonic creatures and demons appeared. Nobles were often seen among them.

“Master dude, can we go like this? They all have a bunch of subordinates,” Tang-E spoke with a worried expression.

It was as Tang-E said. The nobles brought a large number of demonic creatures and demons. The number was at least in the hundreds. Hyeonu sometimes killed them or sometimes hid and waited for the large forces to pass by.

“It is okay. We have a way to escape anyway. What’s the problem?” Hyeonu had a confident expression on his face. There was a way to escape even in times of crisis. Hyeonu had killed a large number of nobles since the beginning of the main scenario. As a result, he was able to get eight rings. It wasn’t just that.

‘I have the return stones.’

He obtained Alfore’s return stone that allowed him to move to Alfore. This was what Hyeonu believed in—the presence of the return stone, which allowed him to return to Alfore at any time. WIthout it, Hyeonu wouldn’t have left Alfore no matter how bored he was.

“I’m glad, Master dude.” Tang-E was relieved by Hyeonu’s words which are spoken in such a resolute manner.

“Something is weird, isn’t it, Tang-E?” Hyeonu asked while stroking Tang-E’s head.

“Yes, the demon kings are approaching as Master dude said.”

Tang-E looked around. The demonic creatures and demons looked different from before. He felt strongly that they were thoroughly trained, rather than their bodies entrusted to the wildness or instincts. They were like soldiers.

‘It took three days to get here...’

Considering Hyeonu’s unstoppable movement speed, it would take another day or two for other rankers.

‘Even though they are a large army and slow to move, they are a different species in the first place... they will take around four days.’

The movement speed of the demonic creatures was very fast. The speed at which they walked or ran was ridiculous due to their unique innate physical abilities. There was little time for rest. The slow moving demons and demonic creatures climbed onto the bodies of the large ones to move.

“Master dude, I feel a strong energy over there. It is very strong.”

Tang-E pointed to the end of the endless procession of demonic creatures and demons.

“How strong?”

“I think they are a bit weaker than the one I’ve seen before.”

“A demon king? Who are you talking about? Baler? The one the emperor killed? Or the one who died to John Blake?”

Hyeonu and Tang-E hadn’t seen only one demon king.

Baler, Damanos, Galiya, and Rubolle—they had seen four of seven demon kings. Naturally, it had to be clarified who Tang-E was talking about.

‘Baler...’

If Tang-E felt Baler’s momentum, then Baler would clearly also be aware of Tang-E and Hyeonu’s existence. Still, Baler wouldn’t kill them right away.

‘If he is angry, then he has been to Blanc. Otherwise, he hasn’t been to Blanc yet.’

Baler’s attitude would allow him to get another piece of information.

“It is those guys. The two that were beaten by the emperor. I think this one is a bit weaker than them.”

Tang-E looked back through his memories for a moment before soon replying.

Galiya and Damanos—it was a bit inferior to the two of them.

“This is a bit ambiguous...”

Hyeonu groaned. It was because Tang-E’s words were very ambiguous.

‘If it was Baler or Rubolle... it is definitely a demon king...’

Rubolle, not to mention Baler, were clearly stronger than the average demon king and Rubolle was assisted by the magic power stone. It would’ve been certain. However, if this energy was a bit weaker than Damanos and Galiya, then it was uncertain if they would be another demon king or just a duke.

‘Should I check it out?’

Hyeonu shook his head. He didn’t think he needed to check.

‘I have to leave now anyway.’

He roughly determined the time when the demon world army would come to Alfore. It was time to go to Blanc and see if Baler had noticed John Blake’s absence.

‘It doesn’t matter if it is a demon king or noble.’

“Return.”

Hyeonu used the Blanc Return Stone without hesitation.

***

‘What happened?’

Hyeonu appeared in Blanc using the return stone and couldn’t help being flustered when he saw Blanc, which was completely different from the other day.

“Master dude, isn’t this wrong? This isn’t a city. It is ruins, ruins.”

It was the same for Tang-E. No, everyone would be like this if they saw Blanc now. Blanc was in a state like an earthquake had just occurred. It was hard to find a seemingly intact building.

‘By the way, I hear something... I don’t think all the demons are gone...’

A loud noise was heard not far away from where Hyeonu and Tang-E were located. It was the sound of something heavy being put down.

‘I need to go there.’

Hyeonu secretly moved toward the epicenter of the sound. Hyeonu didn’t make any noise as he stepped on the rubble of the shattered buildings and the air. Hyeonu was soon able to get to the epicenter of the sound. There, they were clearing the rubble of the broken buildings and rebuilding them. The identity of the sound Hyeonu heard was the rebuilding of the shattered buildings.

“Stupid guys, not there, but next to it. If you don’t want to work, then don’t work. Why do you want to make others do things twice?”

Hyeonu knew the identity of the demon who was making a lot of noise in the middle.

‘Viscount Garcia?’

Viscount Garcia was never gentle.

‘By the way, why is he putting on things like that?’

Viscount Garcia’s body had many white things wrapped around him.

‘It is none of my business.’

Hyeonu shook his head slightly and directed fighting energy toward Viscount Garcia.

“If you don’t want to sleep on the side of the road all day, keep working on it—eh!”

Viscount Garcia’s eyes shook momentarily as he shouted. Then he finished what he was saying as if nothing had happened and quickly exited the construction site.

‘Okay.’

Hyeonu followed after Viscount Garcia. After entering a small alley, Viscount Garcia stopped his footsteps. Hyeonu appeared behind Viscount Garcia.

“What happened, huh? The city is smashed. I don’t think John left you the city to do this...” Hyeonu slyly brought up the topic.

Viscount Garcia saw Hyeonu and kept his mouth shut for a moment.

“That is what I want to say, Viscount Argon! No, Argon! What the hell are you up to?! What bad feelings do you have toward me to put me in the gutter?” Viscount Garcia yelled at Hyeonu.

'Gutter?'

Hyeonu’s eyes looked like a goldfish in a fishbowl at Viscount Garcia’s unexpected words.

“That Baler came to look for John. The moment I said that John isn’t here, he swung his fist at me, smashed the city, and disappeared. It is you who took John away with you. Why are you speaking as if you don’t know this?” Viscount Garcia continued to yell. His voice was full of resentment.

‘These were bandages, yes.’

Hyeonu noticed the identity of the white things around Viscount Garcia’s body.

“Sorry, this was something I didn’t know.”

Hyeonu smiled humorously at Viscount Garcia. It was as if he didn’t know this would happen.