Chapter 33
At that moment.
“Keh-heh-heh.”
Nick Jakan, the leader of Shadow Severance, let out a low laugh.
“As expected of a master archer. You’re not easy.”
Around him, dozens of blazing blue hellfire orbs spun in the air.
Each one packed enough firepower to rival the S-rank skill ‘Hell Fire’.
“So, you’re in the realm of monsters as well?”
Not all rankers are the same.
If everyone within the top 1,000 is called a ranker…
Then from the top 100 upward, they’re referred to not as ‘human,’ but as ‘monsters.’
Walking natural disasters in their own right.
“……”
The master archer, Ki Parang, silently fixed his gaze on Nick Jakan.
Even as he drew back his bowstring, his expression barely changed.
And then, his lips parted.
“Hellhound.”
“What.”
“Did you really think you could take on Parang just by bringing along Diamond?”
The Diamond, Pavro.
A Canadian ranker.
Ranked 301st overall, an S-rank mercenary.
“Keh-hehh, exactly. Idiot. Called you a 301st-ranked tank, and yet you can’t even deal with one Shadow Empress. Tsk.”
Jakan glanced sideways with an annoyed look.
Sssht! Shhk!
There, moving at invisible speed, was Ki Soyul clashing against the solid Pavro.
The Shadow Empress, Ki Soyul, was currently ranked 380th.
Despite her lower rank, she showed no signs of being overpowered.
Jakan turned his gaze back to Ki Parang.
“Keh, but archer.”
“……”
“You only know half the story. Do you really think my goal is the downfall of Parang? Why would a group like mine, dwelling in the shadows, bother to topple those basking in the sunlight?”
“I don’t see the need to answer that.”
Fwwip!
The bowstring in the master archer’s hands pulled taut.
The Instant Death Arrow.
A skill so named because once loosed, it never missed—
and if it hit, the target would inevitably die.
‘Damn it.’
Jakan’s face twisted.
For all its grandiose name, he had to admit—
Even if he tried his best to dodge or block it with flames—
Thwip!
The fired arrow still sank into his calf.
He couldn’t even track it with his eyes.
There was no time to calculate any counter.
“Khh, as expected… quite the skill.”
If his ranking were just a little lower,
he might have died instantly, true to its name.
His calf throbbed.
But it was bearable.
After all, that skill consumed a tremendous amount of stamina.
“Let me show you why they call me Hellhound.”
Vrrrm!
A stream of fire shot from his hands.
Fwoosh!
It surged forward like a flying fire dragon.
“……”
Ki Parang’s brows twitched as he leapt into the air.
Ping! Ping! Fwing!
He fired three arrows in rapid succession.
Fwoosh!
All were swallowed into the maw of the fiery dragon.
Ranked 92nd, Hellhound.
He was indeed in the realm worthy of the title ‘monster.’
They dodged.
They closed in.
They traded skills.
Kwagagagang!
In a dungeon in Seoul, the two monsters clashed at full force.
If this had been Earth, an entire city could have been destroyed from the sheer intensity of the skills unleashed.
A few minutes passed like that.
“……”
While evading Jakan’s attacks, Ki Parang’s expression changed.
He had sensed something off.
‘That’s not his usual style.’
Hellhound—
The criminal Berserker calls ‘Hellhound’ never fights head-on.
For a lone ranker to…
For someone who has run Shadow Severance for so long…
It’s because of his meticulous and underhanded nature.
“No way.”
“Keh-heh, archer. This was fun.”
“Trying to run?”
“You catch on quick. Farewell. Thanks to you stalling me for thirty minutes, I think I’ve achieved my goal.”
“Goal?”
Ki Parang’s face took on a strange expression.
‘This bastard.’
He seemed completely unaware—
that rankers Ki Soyul had sent were heading to Seonyudo.
Fwooshhh!
Flames flared in all directions.
Behind Jakan, a crimson portal opened.
His escape skill.
He was going to use teleportation.
“Hmm.”
Ki Parang hummed.
He wanted to capture Jakan.
But to do so, he’d have to leave those flames unchecked.
If he did that, his one and only sister, Ki Soyul, could get hurt.
That wide-area attack was that deadly.
‘He probably calculated all of this.’
From the direction Jakan was vanishing—
“Kehahaha, make sure you stretch so your neck doesn’t cramp later. Oh, and that stupid Diamond—he’s yours. Roast him, boil him, do whatever you want!”
Hellhound’s confident laugh echoed like a taunting chorus.
“……”
You’re the stupid one.
Ki Parang exhaled lightly.
He could already picture Jakan clutching his neck and collapsing later.
With his sworn brother Berserker gone, the odds of him achieving his goal were almost zero.
Ssk.
Ki Parang raised his bow again.
It was time to finish this.
Whoooosh!
Wind howled around the bow.
“……”
Noticing Hellhound had fled, Ki Soyul quickly retreated.
“Eek?”
Right between the brows of the flustered tank, the Diamond—
Thunk!
Ki Parang’s arrow pierced clean through.
“…Ugh!”
Pavro couldn’t even finish screaming before toppling backward.
Having already had much of his defense worn down by Ki Soyul, he couldn’t withstand Ki Parang’s attack.
A futile end for the 301st-ranked.
“Phew.”
Ki Parang exhaled the breath he’d been holding.
Thud!
Beside him, Ki Soyul landed.
“Brother.”
“You alright?”
“Yeah, nothing wrong. Just a bit stiff from moving so much.”
“Hmph, what the hell made Hellhound go that far?”
Ki Parang couldn’t understand.
Hellhound, or his sister.
‘Especially my sister.’
Ki Soyul normally showed no interest in anything outside of hunting.
But lately, he’d been hearing rumors.
That she’d been sticking close to some guy named Joo Donghoon.
Apparently, this whole incident happened because of that man.
“It’s nothing.”
“Parang was attacked because of that man, and you call it nothing?”
Ki Parang frowned.
“It’s not because of him. If anything, it’s because of me.”
“And that means…?”
“I’ll explain it slowly later.”
Ki Parang stared at her.
A look of certainty on her face.
It had been a long time since he’d seen that expression on her.
So—
He just smiled.
Whatever it was,
seeing his sister full of life was better than her usual blank face.
“Alright, fine. I’m sure you know what you’re doing.”
—
[Ding!]
[Rankings have been updated.]
[Please check the world ranking board.]
“Oh-ho.”
Berserker, Jang Daewoong, smirked.
“Looks like a ranker…”
“Has died!”
The Black Sword, Lee Seonah, also reacted to the new message.
“Keh, seeing as I’ve gone up to 829th, someone ahead of me must’ve died. I wonder who?”
Chomp, chomp.
Having wrapped up the situation, White Boar, Yoo Sangdon, pulled an instant hamburger from his bag and bit into it.
“Wow? Mr. White Boar! Impressive! To think you’d eat right after a fight!”
“Shut it. Do you know this pain? I have to eat to restore the stamina I burned.”
His skill, ‘Gluttony’.
A broken passive skill that made him a ranker.
The more he ate, the more his stamina recovered.
“I see! So eating is suffering! Anyway, I’m now up to 509th! What about you, Berserker?”
“Me? Still 20th, as always. Hahaha.”
“……”
I stared blankly at their conversation.
Looked like the world ranking board had been updated.
But nothing appeared in my view.
At the start of each month, the update notice could be seen by any hunter.
But rank changes from a ranker’s death—
That privilege was reserved only for rankers.
Ssk.
I habitually pulled out my smartphone.
Curious about the situation.
[Breaking! Ranker system updated!]
[Who died? According to the World Association, the death is suspected to be the current 301st-ranked!]
[301st, Canada’s The Diamond, currently unresponsive! World Association investigative team launches probe…]
[Breaking! New ranker appears on the board! Uzbekistan’s Tyrant, Abdulaziz! Joining at 1,000th place—who is he…]
As expected.
In this information age, articles were flooding out at lightning speed.
“……”
And next to me, Kim Junsu was still sitting there with his mouth agape, not fully grasping the situation.
‘Well, who wouldn’t be shocked?’
One moment you wake up,and you’ve been kidnapped by a global crime syndicate—
And then saved by rankers known as the Five Stars of Seoul.
“This is insane…”
“Are you alright?”
“What the hell am I looking at? What is even going on?”
“I… I’m confused too. Just get some rest for now.”
I patted Kim Junsu on the shoulder.
He hadn’t done anything wrong in this kidnapping.
If anything, his only mistake was getting to know me.
Because of me, he’d been dragged into something dangerous.
I felt a pang of guilt.
But now wasn’t the time to talk with him.
“Ahaha, so you’re that Joo Donghoon, huh? You look really weak.”
“Hey, Berserker! How many times have I told you—hunters are all about potential. Sure, you’re a crazy monster now, but one day, I might catch up to you!”
“Hmph, quite the unrealistic claim, Yoo Sangdon.”
All their gazes were on me now.
Shadow Severance was already gone from their minds.
“Hm! Still—”
Shing!
Lee Seonah wiped her rapier clean of blood and sheathed it.
“If the Shadow Empress says she wants to introduce him, there must be something to him.”
“That’s right! I agree with the Black Sword. I saw earlier—you’ve got a special skeleton, don’t you?”
Yoo Sangdon grinned.
“A necromancer’s unique ability is rare enough, but you’ve twisted it even further? No wonder the Shadow Empress is interested!”
Lee Seonah’s eyes sparkled as well.
“……”
I flinched under their stares.
Yes.
My whole body was stiff.
Having the people I’d always admired speaking directly to me?
And with this much interest?
“Phew.”
I exhaled.
I couldn’t get nervous.
Now more than ever, I had to stay flexible and composed.
‘This is the chance Ki Soyul set up for me.’
They say like attracts like.
If I could just stick to them like a leech, I’d be one step closer to becoming a ranker.
‘More than that—’
Even the three of them combined were nothing compared to the old man or Sunny’s true form.
Oddly enough, that thought calmed me.
“Hm.”
Lee Seonah stepped forward first.
“So, you’re Joo Donghoon? Nice to meet you! I’m Lee Seonah, a friend of the Shadow Empress! I lead the Black Sword Unit!”
The Black Sword Unit.
A name impossible not to know.
They were the first strike force of the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect— one of the world’s strongest guilds.
That sect was led by the Heavenly Demon, Hase Ra—world rank 3, domestic rank 1.
Strangely enough, once you joined that guild, your alias took on a martial arts flair.
“Hey, Black Sword. Don’t cut in line with your black-hearted self. A proper alias should have a nice ‘White’ in it, like mine. I’m Yoo Sangdon, the White Boar.”
Who didn’t know that nickname?
Even though he was ranked in the 800s, no ranker looked down on him.
He was one of the three vice-chairmen of the Global Hunter Confederation of Merchant—‘Guksangyeon.’
The new company he founded, ‘White Boar,’ was practically the top in Korea’s hunter item industry.
A living tycoon ranker.
“Hah, funny. How greedy do you have to be to have ‘Money’ in your alias?”
Lee Seonah shot back.
“Hey… Black Sword. If you’re gonna insult me, at least get it right. It’s not ‘money’ as in currency—it’s the ‘pig’ character.”
“Oh, a pig! Oink oink! A greedy pig!”
“What? Greedy? Hah, still with that ridiculous misconception. Do you even know how clean and unselfish pigs are?”
“And yet your skill’s called ‘Gluttony’? Ah, I understand perfectly now!”
“You little—!”
“……”
The two rankers bickered nonstop.
I’d heard that close friends bicker more— Berserker’s nonchalant gaze at them confirmed it.
And then—
The real deal stepped forward.
World rank 20.
Domestically, the only one who could match him was the Heavenly Demon herself.
“Hahaha, forget those idiots. How about we shake hands?”
He extended his hand.