Ranker's Return Chapter 701

“Too much?”

The emperor interrupted Hyeonu’s words. He was giving a rare smile. It didn’t affect his eyes and only the corners of his mouth were raised.

“It is too easy. That is what I meant. This is a very easy matter.”

Hyeonu quickly changed his words after reading the energy that passed through the emperor’s eyes.

‘Is the answer already decided?’

Hyeonu expressed his dissatisfaction with the emperor by grumbling inwardly.

“Easy… Marquis, do you have a good way? You are speaking so assertively.”

The emperor smiled even more at Hyeonu’s clear answer.

‘What should I say?’

Unlike his smiling face, Hyeonu was inwardly very anxious. It was because he was under the emperor’s pressure but he couldn’t think of anything. He wasn’t given time to think in the first place. He just changed his words based on the circumstances.

‘Ah! Let’s sell all the people possible first.’

Hyeonu pulled out the words that came to mind with the feeling that things would work out.

“If Duke Blake helps… it isn’t impossible to get Baler out here.”

The first person that Hyeonu thought of was John Blake. Along with the emperor, he was the only other human-born demon king.

“Duke Blake? What does that mean?” The emperor revealed his curiosity. In fact, he knew that what he had said to Hyeonu didn’t make sense.

‘What else will he talk about this time?’

It was just that every time, Hyeonu would say something interesting. Therefore, the emperor had no choice but to continue even though he knew this. It was too fun.

“Baler is bound to show up the moment Duke Blake makes an appearance, Your Majesty.”

“Explain it in detail, in detail. You don’t have to rush.”

Hyeonu wet his lips with his red tongue and started to explain, “Before I started a war under Your Majesty’s name, I wandered around the demon world. I met Baler by chance at that time and he guided me to Duke Blake.”

Hyeonu started to tell the story of the past. He had a purpose for telling the emperor the exact story, but he also needed time to think.

“Baler guided me to Duke Blake and disappeared. The next meeting was after Duke Blake became a demon king. That is when I found Duke Blake to carry out Your Majesty’s command.”

At Hyeonu’s words, the emperor’s eyes shone like he realized something.

‘Something happened then.’

It wouldn’t have been a fight between Baler and Duke Blake. Otherwise, Baler wouldn’t be having peaceful conversations with Hyeonu.

“Did the two of them come to an agreement at that time? For example… don’t come out of the city.”

Hyeonu was startled by the emperor’s speculation. The emperor came up with a speculation that was close to the fact based on just a simple description of the situation.

‘Really. Sitting in place and looking at the world… is it something like that?’

“Your Majesty is correct. That day, Baler demanded Duke Blake’s non-participation in the war as one of the conditions for tolerating the war.”

“Why did Baler stop Duke Blake from participating in the war?” 

“Duke Blake is too strong. With the exception of Baler, no other demon king could gain the upper hand over Duke Blake. From Baler’s point of view, there is no need to make one more variable.”

It was natural. Rubolle, the demon king who died to John Blake, suffered a huge defeat inside his own city even after dragging out all the magic power from the magic power stone. Baler knew it and couldn’t let go of the danger of John Blake.

‘He thought he could deal with one or two talented people as long as there isn’t John Blake…’

Unfortunately, the emperor and Lebron weren’t people who did things halfway. Each one was a monster comparable to Baler.

“So… the moment Duke Blake appears on the battlefield, Baler will make an appearance. Is that what you mean?”

Hyeonu nodded at the emperor’s words. “I think it is highly likely. Baler already knows how powerful Your Majesty is. He wouldn’t want a talent called Duke Blake to join you. He will stop it no matter what.”

It was just something Hyeonu thought about on the spot, but there was a strong possibility that this was actually the case. Baler’s purpose was to hit the other demon kings and gain their positions, not give the demon world to humans.

‘I will be busy.’

There seemed to be no rest even after the battle of Alfore. John Blake’s place wasn’t somewhere Hyeonu could go just because he knew where it was.

‘It is hard if we go around like this now.’

It was absolutely impossible for guilds. It would take a very long time. They could only reach John Blake after the emperor’s patience fell to the ground again and again.

“Once this expedition is over… Marquis, bring Duke Blake to me. I’d like to see his face after a long time,” the emperor said with a smile. 

“I want to see his face… I can’t stand to see him playing alone…”

Lebron muttered after hearing the emperor’s words.

“Teacher, isn’t Duke Blake your teacher? Don’t you want to see him?”

“If it is that face, I’m fine since I’ve seen it before.”

“You saw it earlier. Then do you want to go instead of the marquis?” 

“Go well. You must bring him.”

Lebron patted Hyeonu on the shoulder and delivered words of encouragement. It was a very rapid change in attitude.

“I’ll bring Duke Blake well.” Hyeonu nodded after feeling Lebron’s touch. Then a message window appeared in front of Hyeonu.

[A quest has been created.]

[Another Blow to the Back of the Head]

[The emperor wants to kill even Baler. Bring John Blake to summon Baler to the battlefield.

Rating: MS

Conditions: Meet with John Blake 0/1, John Blake meeting the emperor 0/1.

Rewards: Experience, imperial contributions, ????’s gift.]

A quest that could only be received by Hyeonu was created. It was a quest which no one else received.

‘The quest is good, good.’

A smile automatically appeared on Hyeonu’s face after he saw the quest window. It was different from the previous main scenarios that only gave experience and imperial contributions. There was a gift from an unknown person in the rewards column.

“I will definitely bring him,” Hyeonu vowed once again.

***

Walls over dozens of meters high collapsed. Through the crumbling walls, the demons and demonic creatures surged out like bees. However, their momentum was already over. The demons and demonic creatures became the experience of the players like fish at a fish farm.

None remained in Alfore. They lost their lives to the players, including Hyeonu, outside the city walls. There were no nobles and no variables.

After the slaughter that lasted over an hour, there were no more demons and demonic creatures left in Alfore.

[The fall of Alfore 1/1]

The message window marking the end of the quest appeared as players entered the empty Alfore.

[End of the First Expedition has been cleared.]

[Experience has been acquired.]

[132,998 imperial contributions have been acquired.] 

Players gathered to start the settlement after seeing the quest message. The obtained items were collected and distributed according to their respective standards.

“You’ve worked hard in the meantime. I won’t forget your hard work in this demon world expedition.” The emperor rose in the air and started speaking to players. “The first expedition has ended with this. You can go where you want to go. But…”

The emperor’s words paused for a moment. The emperor looked at all the players gathered in groups of twos or threes. He confirmed that all eyes were on him and continued to speak again.

“Those who remain here and participate in the final battle will get their own rewards.”

The emperor’s body slowly descended toward the ground. The eyes of more than 5,000 players fell away from the emperor.

“This isn’t the end of the main scenario?”

“There is one more left?”

“Didn’t he say it was definitely the end of the quest?”

The players talked to each other. This was the first time they heard it. This was the result of Hyeonu’s quick actions. Hyeonu had numerous experiences turning on and off the sound transmitted during his real-time streaming.

Baler and the emperor—the conversation between the two of them wasn’t streamed. They just moved their lips like goldfish in a fish tank.

Those at the scene heard Baler yelling, but they didn’t hear the emperor or Hyeonu’s low voice. It was because the distance between them wasn’t close. The players were surprised by Teramas’ great majesty and retreated. Only the emperor and Hyeonu stayed at the scene.

“Still, isn’t this a good thing? A war like this means raising our level and getting more rewards.”

“Unless everyone quits together, we must stay or else the viewers will be taken away.” 

“I need to know the exact schedule first… if it is too fast, it will start before the supply troops come.”

The guilds involved in the demon world war consumed huge amounts of potions in each battle. Each of them operated a supply unit to fill up the consumed amount but the results weren’t good. It was fine at first. It was fully available for every single guild. However, as the distance from Etono gradually increased, it was impossible to leave the vicinity of Etono alone.

It was because the demons and demonic creatures continued to appear. From one to two, and then two to three.

The guilds continued to expand the size of the supply unit, but the movement speed continued to increase. The power gap with the expedition team, which could be called the main team, was too great.

“There are around two weeks left until the next supply. We have to get the supplies by any means.”

Battles without health and magic power recovery potions were just suicide. It wasn’t even known if they should be doing nothing in the rear.

***

As the other players were arguing over the emperor’s words, Hyeonu ended the livestream and hid in a corner.

“Return.”

[The Blanc Return Stone has been used.]

[Moving to Blanc.]

[Current number of uses remaining: 5/6]

[Remaining time to charge it once is 5 hours 59 minutes and 59 seconds.]

He moved in an instant from Alfore to Blanc using a high quality item called a return stone. Hyeonu left behind the familiar scenery and moved to the castle in the center of Blanc.

“It has been a long time, Duke Blake.”

After crossing the walls and running secretly through the air, he found John Blake, the master of Blanc and the person Hyeonu was looking for.

“What happened this time…?” John Blake greeted Hyeonu from where he was laying in bed.