Chapter 165

Ranker!

The aspiration and idol of all hunters!

Only 1,000 exist in the entire world.

An existence whose value can only be proven by having their name listed on the 「World Ranking Board」.

And.

Thump!

“Wow, that’s awesome.”

The TV screen that Kim Jina was watching was filled with that massive monument in the eastern United States.

Alright, alright! Everyone’s been waiting! It’s almost time! It’s almost 00:00 world time! To celebrate the year of the Black Rabbit, 2023, the bulletin board in the eastern United States is being broadcast!

As you know! Unlike the beginning of other months, the beginning of each year is when the World Ranking undergoes massive changes. Aren’t you excited?

Of course! As a hunter powerhouse, how could we not be excited, haha!

With only a few moments left before the New Year’s countdown, two male and female MCs were holding microphones and chattering excitedly.

“In the end, I’m spending New Year’s Eve alone.”

Kim Jina turned on a channel that seemed decent and chugged her beer.

Gulp, gulp!

Live chat was streaming in real-time on the phone in her hand.

└ Ahhhh! It’s almost time!

└ I’m so excited for the ranking changes! The top 20 won’t change this year either, right?

└ Probably not? There haven’t been any news about fights or anything.

└ Yeah, that’s a concrete wall. It’s just fixed now.

└ Hello. I’m a newbie hunter becoming an adult this year. Could you all please pray for me? Please.

└ Ooh, a newbie! You must be so nervous, lol.

└ Lol. Fr.

└ Isn’t today the day your life spoon is decided?

└ ……Please pray that I get a good Unique Ability.

└ As long as it’s not something like ‘Shit Eater,’ be grateful and accept it.

└ That ‘Shit Eater’ meme is still going on, lol. Wasn’t that a lie?

└ ……Hey, hey, watch your mouth. It’s real.

The New Year is a festival for all hunters in the world.

It’s the day new hunters are born, and ranker tectonic shifts occur.

About ten years ago, before the striking of the New Year’s bell, they announced the Gayo Daejejeon and the Drama Awards.

But now.

The most popular event is the ‘World Ranker Announcement Ceremony.’

It’s an event that imprints the rankers’ titles and names into the minds of people all over the world once more.

What is the current number of rankers in our country? Could you give us a detailed explanation?

Yes, I will! Our proud rankers of South Korea have a total of 37 members after the addition of Dark Lord Kim Hyukseon. Let’s take a look at the list!

Like a soccer player roster before a World Cup match, the hunters’ rankings were neatly arranged on the screen.

Hase Ra, Jang Daewoong, Ki Parang…… and so on.

It was time for the MCs to explain each one, using information that hadn’t been updated yet.

“Boring. Hic.”

Kim Jina snorted with a hiccup.

The same event every year, the same reactions every year.

In short, when Hase Ra appears…….

└ Wow! It’s Hase Ra!

└ Hase Ra! Hase Ra! Hase Ra!

└ God-Hase Ra! Heavenly Demon Cult!

└ The 15th century had King Sejong, the 16th century had Yi Sun-sin! And the 21st century has Hase Ra!

└ Honestly, the fact that we’re the world’s second-strongest hunter nation is all thanks to Hase Ra. She’s just light itself.

└ Fr. Without Hase Ra, we’d be pushed out of the top 20 right away;;

The comment section goes wild like this.

Of course, it’s true that they’re enhancing national prestige.

But what does that have to do with her?

“Hmph.”

She wasn’t originally this cynical, but being neglected for so long had twisted her somehow.

Or maybe it’s because she’s drunk.

However, Kim Jina’s eyes were glued to the TV.

“I don’t have anything else to do anyway. And there’s the Shadow Empress.”

Shadow Empress, Ki Soyul, now belongs to 「Dmir Workshop」, not 「Parang Guild」.

Therefore, she, as the Vice President, must always pay attention.

‘The Shadow Empress is our workshop’s power, after all.’

Kim Jina’s goal isn’t just to run a workshop.

It’s to serve Joo Donghoon, who’s different from the start, and build the best guild in the world.

‘The problem is that the President is a Dungeon-crazed maniac who hasn’t shown up for months.’

Gritting her teeth, Kim Jina gritted her teeth again.

‘Just you wait.’

Unless he becomes a ranker or something, she’ll never let it go!

Just as she was internally chewing out Joo Donghoon.

Now, just 10 seconds until the New Year! We have 10 seconds left!

Shall we count together? 10! 9! 8!

Time had already flown by.

A huge number board appeared on the TV screen.

7!

“Seven!”

“Seveeeen!”

It was noisy outside too.

She could hear people shouting together.

3! 2!

Kim Jina also stopped complaining and stared at the screen.

No matter how bitter it is, the anticipation of welcoming the new year makes people’s hearts flutter.

1!

At the same time as one, her vision blurred slightly.

This is.

‘Indeed.’

Kim Jina grinned.

0!

At the same time as the start of the New Year 2023.

In Kim Jina’s.

No, in the vision of all hunters around the world.

[The rankings have been updated.]

[Please refer to the World Ranking Board.]

An update message appeared.

And whoosh!

The rankings appeared on the screen.

[Rank 1, ???]

[Rank 2, Demon King Jack Smith]

[Rank 3, Heavenly Demon Hase Ra]

[Rank 4, Oxford’s Sage Sophia Silverstone]

[Rank 5, Dungeon Maker Delilah]

[Rank 6, Paladin Aria Yuel]

[Rank 7, Grace of Yggdrasil Nina Christine]

[Rank 8, Spirit Emperor Ichikawa Takeru]

[Rank 9, Roider Ronnie Williams]

[Rank 10, Spear King Chen Ziyi]

……

About one every two seconds.

The rankings began to update on the screen.

Wow! Our Hase Ra again! She proudly records 3rd place in the world rankings!

Amazing! Amazing! I’m so proud!

The MCs shouted excitedly in response.

It was just their job.

They were shouting to make money.

But their expressions were sincere, so people’s emotions were doubled.

└ Kya, as expected of Hase Ra!

└ Hwaaa! I was nervous that she might be pushed down to 4th place. We can’t lose to England!

└ Seriously crazy. How can such talent come from this small peninsula?

└ Thank you! I love you!

Heavenly Demon Hase Ra.

She is the very representation of South Korea.

In fact, when people overseas mention South Korea, they think of Hase Ra first.

And.

[Rank 19, Berserker Jang Daewoong]

└ Waaaaa!

└ The Berserker’s ranking has risen by one step!

└ Wow, Berserker……. He’s really scary. Isn’t he entering the top 10 in almost the shortest amount of time?

South Korea’s 2nd ranker was still the Berserker.

[Rank 46, Marksman Ki Parang]

3rd place is the Marksman.

He jumped up a whopping 12 places from 58th.

“Kya. As expected of the Shadow Empress’s Hyung!”

Even Kim Jina, who had been indifferent to the news that he had become 46th, couldn’t help but exclaim.

Rankings within the top 100 hardly ever change.

Even so.

“Waaaa!”

“Well done, Marksman!”

“You’ve worked hard!”

Outside, they threw the beer they were drinking into the sky and cheered.

They were sincerely congratulating their country’s ranker for achieving good results as citizens.

“……I wonder if the Shadow Empress has risen a lot too?”

In fact, the only scene Kim Jina wanted to see was Ki Soyul.

Rank 379.

It would be a huge success if she jumped to the early 300s this time.

Because the workshop’s position would become even stronger.

“Actually, it’s enough as long as she doesn’t fall.”

Although the scores of the two high rankers ahead of her had risen, there were countless hunters who fell more than they rose.

In fact, that’s obvious.

Because it’s a zero-sum game where someone has to fall when someone rises.

So, she watched the passing rankers from other countries at 52nd, 53rd, 54th, 55th…….

It was then that something familiar caught her eye.

Familiar, yet…….

A bit…….

Such nonsensical letters.

“Eh?”

She frowned momentarily.

A strange sound flowed out of her mouth involuntarily.

Rub, rub!

At the same time, she rubbed her eyes.

“What the fuck.”

Am I drunk?

What is it?

No matter how much she drank, there was no way she, who was famous for being a heavy drinker, could get drunk on just beer?

But.

No matter how much she rubbed her eyes, the letters didn’t change.

The letters floating in front of her eyes.

[Rank 78, Skeleton King Joo Donghoon]

(T/N : HOLY FREAKING SHIIIIIIIIITTT!!)

“Bullshit!”

She was immediately shocked.

Joo Donghoon?

No matter how common the name is, there’s only one Joo Donghoon she knows.

Especially if he has a title related to skeletons.

“Is it real? What? Why is the President here?”

It felt like the alcohol was instantly wearing off.

Blood flowed backward from her toes, and her head became hot.

Goosebumps spread all over her body, and her hair stood straight up.

“Does that make sense?”

It’s surprising that a Korean is newly included in the top 100.

“In the first place, the President wasn’t a ranker, was he?”

But how can he be 78th in just 3 months!

“Ooooooh?”

“Huh? Huh?”

She could hear a commotion outside too.

“Joo Donghoon? What?”

“78th? Isn’t that a Korean name? Joo Donghoon? I’ve definitely heard it somewhere. Is he a Korean-American?”

“Wow! What is it!”

Her mind was blank.

……Ah! Wait a minute. What is this…… What is going on? If it’s Joo Donghoon, isn’t he Korean?

Uh, we need to check it out for a moment. We apologize for the broadcast not being smooth.

The two MCs, who had been excitedly chattering, were also buffering.

“Right? It’s not just me who thinks it’s weird, right?”

Kim Jina’s hands were trembling.

Ah.

Maybe.

If this isn’t a dream, if it’s real?

If he went to some strange Dungeon and became a ranker of that level?

Or if he unlocked a power he had been hiding by some means?

‘Crazy.’

She got goosebumps.

78th place is 4th in South Korea.

It means he’s in fourth place after Hase Ra, Jang Daewoong, and Ki Parang.

Her dream.

Her ambitious goal of establishing a guild with influence in the world!

The difficulty of that would drop to the lowest level in an instant.

Because there would be countless rankers who would join just by seeing Joo Donghoon’s name.

“Ah, ah, ah.”

She looked at her phone with trembling hands.

└ ??

└ ???? Joo Donghoon?

As expected.

The chat room was in chaos.

Comments were constantly being uploaded, making it hard to even check them.

└ Joo Donghoon. Isn’t that the person! The President of Dmir Workshop.

└ That’s right. The person who makes S-class weapons!

└ What, wasn’t that person a blacksmith Necromancer?

└ They say he’s the Skeleton King?

└ What the hell happened? Info, please!

└ Fuck. If there was info, it would already be in the news.

└ But if you can make S-class weapons by yourself, aren’t you already a ranker? Rankers aren’t necessarily judged by combat power.

└ Still, 78th is a bit much. Especially all at once. It’s an unprecedented event. Besides, Joo Donghoon was outside the top 1,000 until just now. Fuck. He wasn’t a ranker.

“What, really.”

Pinching her cheek hurt, so it couldn’t be a dream.

Kim Jina was out of her mind.

At that moment.

Rustle! Thud!

She heard someone’s voice from the terrace.

When she turned her head, she saw a familiar figure.

“Shadow Empress?”

“Am I a little late? I had to bring someone.”

“Yes?”

In her vision, standing blankly between the TV and Ki Soyul.

Thud!

Another figure fell down.

“Ah.”

Kim Jina’s mouth dropped open.

Wasn’t that the man who had been making her suffer all this time?

The man of the hour that the whole nation was going crazy looking for.

“Vice-President. Have you been waiting long? Ah, um…… I think you should close your mouth. You might dislocate your jaw.”

A tone that sounded like a joke.

“Ah, President?”

The President who had left home had returned.

And he had become the 78th ranker.

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