Translator: rainbowturtle
Editor: LD & Jyazen
Hyeonu moved his feet to avoid the branch that approached him.
â?!!â
However, his body didnât listen to him. His body was as stiff as a log, and he couldnât move. No, he was moving, but it was like he was being stopped. So there was no difference.
[The other party has the fighting energy stat.]
[The other party is stronger than you.]
[Your stats will drop.]
[You have the âfighting energyâ stat.]
[The stat reduction effect wonât occur.]
[The other party has used Fighting Energy Emission.]
[Resistance has failed.]
[Player âGang Hyeonuâ has entered a âslowedâ state.]
Hyeonu couldnât move his gaze away from Raccoonâs branch. Just before the branch touched Hyeonuâs body, his body was scattered. It was Blink. Hyeonu appeared 10 meters away using Blink.
âWhy are you being like this? You have to teach me how to use fighting energy!â Hyeonu shouted.
Then Raccoon hit himself on the head like he just remembered something.âAh, I havenât explained it yet? Let me explain then. Fighting energy is literally a willingness to fight. Think of it being emitted.â
âWhat nonsense is this?!â
It was just like trying to catch a cloud.
âThen the explanation is over. Shall we start over?â
After Raccoon finished speaking, he pushed Hyeonu terribly again. Raccoon had prepared the spar with Hyeonu despite not needing it to teach Hyeonu. This spar was actually for his son, Cancun. Cancun had been consistently pushed by Hyeonu and lost. He hadnât been able to dominate in strength, and in terms of technique, he had gotten pushed so badly that it could be said he had been overwhelmed.
âSon, this is the way you should go.â
Green energy rose from Raccoonâs branch and formed the shape of an axe. The green axe caused the space to burst with an overwhelming force.
âCrazy.â
Hyeonu managed to escape from Raccoonâs attack using Blink. There was no way to escape if he had physically moved his body. It wouldnât have been possible to avoid it without Blink. Hyeonu used Area Proclamation like he did in the spar against Cancun. Other than this, he barely had any way to fight back. The use of Area Proclamation caused black energy to cover the place.
âNow it is a bit okay.â
It seemed that he could âevadeâ even if he couldnât attack or counterattack. Just then, Raccoonâs axe-shaped branch struck Hyeonu again. This time, Hyeonu wasnât beaten helplessly. The moment the branch approached, he moved behind Raccoon using Mysterious Sky Steps. Then he aimed his branch at Raccoonâs branch with no hesitation. There was a burst of magic power that struck Raccoonâs back. Hyeonuâs damage wasnât low even though he was using a branch.
However, Raccoon waved his branch casually like he hadnât received much damage. Hyeonu dodged Raccoonâs attack by bending his back, but the aftermath shook the balance of his body.
âIt is dirty.â
Hyeonuâs branch also started to take another shape with black energy. Behind the mask, Hyeonu was smiling. He couldnât remember when he had fought such a one-sided battle.
âThis is truly more interesting.â
One-sided hunting was also fun. However, the most interesting thing was PvP. To be exact, it was a fight that risked his life against an opponent stronger than him. It was at this moment that a red energy started to flow from Hyeonuâs body. The pure struggle caused his fighting energy to appear on the outside.
[A skill has been created.]
[Fighting Energy Emission]
[Emit fighting energy to defeat your opponentâs will to fight.
The power will vary greatly depending on the opponent.
Type: Continuous
Rating: Unique
Skill Proficiency: F
Usually reduces the opponentâs stats by 5%. Your stats will increase by 10%.
If fighting energy is emitted, the opponentâs movements will slow down.
The more severe the stats difference, the more effective the skill will be.]
âWow!âHyeonu screamed as he forgot he was sparring with Raccoon. The new skill was one that decreased the opponentâs stats while increasing his own. In a way, it maximized the performance of the fighting energy stat itself. The additional effect of Fighting Energy Emission was even greater. It was an extremely sweet effect for Hyeonu who had no proper CC skill. Limiting the opponentâs movements meant that Hyeonuâs attack was more likely to be effective.
âOh... You are truly an adventurer. You learned how to use fighting energy in such a short time...âDakan exclaimed. He truly thought that this adventurer was an orc. Otherwise, fighting energy couldnât be used so naturally. Hyeonu was a phenomenal talent.
âMy friend, your master is amazing.âCancun was also amazed.He was a talented orc, but even he had taken a long time to use fighting energy.
âOf course. This is what he needs to deserve to be my master.âTang-Eâs shoulders went up upon hearing the praise from the two orcs. It was at this moment that something red burst from Raccoonâs body. The sticky aura took control of the surroundings.
Then Raccoon moved. His attack shattered Hyeonuâs branch, and the spar was over. Raccoon felt Hyeonuâs use of fighting energy and showed his full-fledged strength.
âI felt it before, but itâs really great.â
Hearing Raccoonâs praise, Hyeonu bowed his head lightly.
âRight, arenât you going to Bung Bung Island? Shouldnât you go at least once if youâre that little guyâs master?â
âI was busy and forgot about it. Bung Bung Island...â
âIt will be quite interesting if you go. It is a really great place.â
Raccoonâs words made Hyeonu curious about Bung Bung Island. He had to go there once anyway because of Tang-E. It wasnât a bad idea to visit Bung Bung Island once his work in the Balder Mountains was over.
***
Hyeonu and Tang-E were escorted by three orcs as they left the Black Forest.
âTang-E, can I go to Bung Bung Island now?â
Tang-E was surprised by Hyeonuâs sudden question. âWhy are you asking all of a sudden?Do you want to go to Bung Bung Island?â
âJust... I wonder about where you live. Iâm curious about what your parents are like.â
Upon hearing Hyeonuâs words, Tang-E looked satisfied.âMaster dude, I think you can go now. You are much stronger than you were before. However, I donât know the exact location, so Iâll teach you next time. I will ask about it first.â
Tang-E didnât know how to get to Bung Bung Island. Why? It was because he had never left Bung Bung Island before he was summoned, and he always went back when his summoning was released. In other words, Tang-E had never walked out of Bung Bung Island on his own feet.
âYou can take it slowly. There is still a lot of time.â Hyeonu smiled as soon as he saw Tang-E scratching his head.
The more he saw, the cuter he thought the bear was.
âThis little bear doll.â
âMaster dude, wait a bit. Iâll teach you next time.â
It was a bit rough though.
***
Hyeonu frowned at the loud sound that came from the surrounding forest. Two days had passed since Hyeonu stopped at the Black Forest. In the meantime, a lot had happened in the Balder Mountains. A photo was posted to Arenaâs community. The protagonist of the photo was naturally Hyeonu. It was unknown who shot it, but they had taken a photo of Hyeonuâs back at a nearby castle which he had stopped by on his way to the Balder Mountains.
This wasnât a big deal. The problem was that many players were rushing there to see him. Hyeonu was like someone playing the flute. People flocked once âAlley Leaderâ appeared, even if it wasnât the real Alley Leader. In some ways, he was like a goblin holding many treasures.
It wasnât a false expression. After all, regardless of who saw it, Hyeonuâs performance up to now had been amazing. There was always an incident everywhere he went. He had also driven the main scenario and become the center of Arena. As such, he now attracted the attention of many. At this time, Hyeonu felt someoneâs gaze.
âThereâs more trash chasing after others.â
Trash...
They were trash called hyenas. Hyeonuâs face became even more distorted. It was an expression that couldnât be seen anymore.
âHey, can you come out now?â Hyeonu called out.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
Then a group of people appeared.
âHello? Alley Leader. We are called the Venom Guild.âThe leader of the party showed a general level of courtesy to Hyeonu.
âVenom?â
It was the first time Hyeonu had heard of this guild. They could never be anonymous if they were active in the Balder Mountains. The fact that they were obscure meant they didnât make money by selling themselves. However, no one could be indifferent in front of an astronomical amount of money. Even the richest Pioneer Guild did streaming or community activities.
Additionally, even if someone enjoyed it purely, they would become famous after becoming a ranker. This was Arena.
âVenom... This is the first time Iâve heard of it? There was a guild like this?â
To ordinary people, Hyeonuâs words were very rude. He had an obvious disregard for the other party.
-I donât know who you are.You arenât at a level I need to care about.
This was what Hyeonu was implying. Rankers hated it when their pride was touched.
âWell... our guild isnât that famous. It is understandable.âYet this man received Hyeonuâs words like the Venom Guild was indeed insignificant.
It was unknown if he accepted Hyeonuâs words or just pretended to do so. There didnât appear to be a crack on the surface nor did any anger appear.
âToday, I came to say hello. Weâll see each other soon. Iâm looking forward to that time.âThe man disappeared with a hot laugh.
âIsnât he a completely crazy bastard?âHyeonu muttered as he watched the direction in which the man had disappeared. It was clear that this crazy guy had the chuunibyou disease. Otherwise, he wouldnât be able to say such remarks so casually.
âMy fingers are curled up because it is so cringy...â
Hyeonuâs fingers couldnât stretch back out.
***
Time passed, and it was once again Monday. Hyeonu waited for Choi Yoon in the arena. His mind was filled with a mix of anticipation and anxiety. He was excited about Choi Yoonâs growing skills, but he was uneasy about the rumors. Just then, someone else appeared in the arena room where only Hyeonu was present.
âAh, youâre here? Have you finished packing your luggage?â Hyeonu welcomed Choi Yoon who appeared.
âHuh? Yes. Thanks to your consideration, the preparations are complete.â
âYouâre going on a plane tonight?â
âYes, it is at 12 oâclock. The day of the surgery is set to the nearest date.â
âOnce weâre done streaming today, there will be a car waiting outside the hospital. Nike said they prepared it. Take it and go to the airport.â
Upon hearing Hyeonuâs words, Choi Yoon bowed his head and reiterated his gratitude.He seemed to be favored every time they met. âThank you every time. I donât know if Iâm receiving too much...â
Hyeonu waved his hands at Choi Yoonâs words.âNo, it isnât what Iâm giving to you. Choi Yoon, you only need to pay attention to the stream today.â
Then Hyeonu showed Choi Yoon a video. It was an ordinary ranking battle video of two swordsmen fighting, except that one side was overwhelming the other.
âWhy is it like this?âIt was naturally Choi Yoon who asked the question.
He had watched videos like this countless times.It was of no use when it was just before the ranking battle. Hyeonu started to explain to Choi Yoon why he was showing the video. âLooking at the recent battle video, I think you are on track to a certain extent. The problem is... there are a lot of bad rumors these days.â
Then Hyeonu stopped talking for a moment before continuing. âIt is rumored that their numbers have increased considerably.â
âThem?â Choi Yoon asked.
âThem? Who is he talking about? Are they people who have anything to do with me?â Choi Yoon didnât know who they were.
Hyeonu repeated, âYes, them.â