Translator: rainbowturtle
Editor: LD & Jyazen
Choi Yoonâs daughter, Choi Jisu, was staring at her laptop on her bed in the hospital room. Her laptop was showing two men engaged in a fierce battle. There was a series of slashes! It was a battle that would make viewers sweat.
âJisu? Itâs time to prepare...âThe nurse usually in charge of Choi Jisu spoke to her. Now Choi Jisu had to prepare to be discharged. The time to depart for the airport was approaching.
âWait a minute. It is an important moment. My father is fighting. Iâll watch for another 10 minutes,â Choi Jisu said to the nurse as her eyes remained fixed on her laptop.
She couldnât believe that one of the men in the video was her dad. Just a week ago, he had been an ordinary South Korean player. Now he was fighting a thrilling battle that made people sweat. Choi Jisuâs thoughts on this didnât last long because the nurse continued to call out to her.
âDidnât you say that youâll only watch for another 10 minutes? Get ready. Donât you need to be prepared before your father comes?â
It was already the third time Choi Jisu had said this. There might be plenty of time, but it couldnât be wasted on watching the video on her laptop. The distressed nurse approached Choi Jisu. Just then, there was the sound of knocking on the roomâs door. Knock knock!
âJisu? Your fatherâs here! Are you ready?â
Choi Yoon appeared after the stream ended.
âFather!!â Choi Jisu hadnât moved despite the anxious nurseâs urging. Now she jumped out of bed and ran toward Choi Yoon.
âUgh.âChoi Yoon held back letting out a groan. Choi Jisu might be light, but she obviously weighed more than just a couple of kilograms. It was natural for him to groan when Choi Jisu threw herself at him. Choi Yoon examined the room. There was a neatly arranged travel bag and a pile of clothes that was probably for Choi Jisu to change into. The preparations were over.
âMy daughter, do you want to change your clothes? Wear them quickly. We have to get on the plane. It is Fatherâs wish.â
âYes. By the way, what happened, Father? Did you get a bronze medal?âChoi Jisu might be pale, but her eyes were lively.
She stared at Choi Yoon with these eyes.
âAh! That?âChoi Yoon smiled at his adorable daughter.
***
Another ranking battle ended. This time it was still Choi Yoonâs victory. It was close to a formula. He would defend and then subsequently use Turning Over the Ground. Until now, there hadnât been any player who could withstand this pattern. Choi Yoonâs ranking was still too low.
âItâs okay,â Hyeonu muttered. Choi Yoonâs battle wasnât as dynamic and glamorous as Dwayneâs style, but he had one great blow. As a result, Choi Yoon was cruising toward the bronze medal.
âThen why do I feel so anxious?â
The journey to the bronze medal was going smoothly. If this continued, then Choi Yoon would win a bronze medal like Dwayne had done. It was just that a strange sense of anxiety filled Hyeonuâs mind.
-Wow, the uncle is great!
-How long will it be now until the bronze medal?
-What is his current ranking?
-Is it six consecutive victories?
The viewers didnât know Hyeonuâs insecurities and were simply intrigued by Choi Yoonâs performance. They liked it. Choi Yoon was as ordinary as them, so they felt a surrogate satisfaction when they saw him winning.
âWell, it isnât a big deal.â
Hyeonu streamed the show while ignoring his unrest.
âChoi Yoon, what is your ranking now?â
âNow it is around 83 million. I won five times in a row. So after the last match, I went up five million spots instantly.â
Arenaâs system analyzed Choi Yoonâs ranking battle and determined he wasnât suitable for his current ranking. As a result, Choi Yoon was matched with a higher ranking player, and his ranking climbed a lot.
-Wow, five million at once.
-Crazy, crazy.Five million...
-I want to raise my ranking by five million as well.
-So he will get a bronze medal if he wins 15 more consecutive matches?
â73 million... Wasnât it 20 wins for Dwayne? It should be roughly around that many matches.â
Hyeonu had started the ranking battle at a very low level, and due to the system, he played the ranking battle against quite high-level players. It was only after 100 consecutive victories that he could become a bronze medalist (9,999,999 to 1,000,000 ranking).
However, Dwayne and Choi Yoon were different. Their ranking swelled every time they won because their level was already above the playerâs average.
âChoi Yoon, continue the ranking battle.â
***
Choi Yoon continued to fight the ranking battles. Four ranking battles led to four wins. The three battles ended as easily as the first one. He blocked the opponentâs attack and pierced the opponentâs vital spot. However, the last match didnât end with just one or two attacks. It was a close fight where their weapons collided each time.
This allowed Choi Yoon and the others to realize something. It was that the opponents didnât have lower specs than Choi Yoon anymore. Then there was the 11th ranking battle. If he won this, it would be 11 consecutive victories.
âHuh?â Choi Yoon had a strange expression when he saw his next opponent. The opponent was a knight, the most common class in the arena. The exception was that the opponentâs weapon was a big sword. âBased on what I can see, the player is mainly strength oriented. Avoid it and block thoroughly.â
Choi Yoon was thinking ahead when the ranking battle began.
[The ranking battle has started.]
âI absolutely canât block it head on.â
Due to the nature of Arena, the attack power of a greatsword or broadsword wasnât very strong. The shape could be placed in a capsule and converted, but that was it. However, the use of such a weapon showed how much the character had invested in the strength stat. The opposing knightâs sword moved toward Choi Yoon.
Choi Yoon was ready to move from the beginning. The moment the knightâs sword moved, Choi Yoon was no longer in the same location. The knightâs greatsword seemed to stick to the ground. Choi Yoon had predicted it and moved quickly.
âHuh?â
However, he didnât hear the sound he expected. There wasnât the sound of metal striking the earth. Choi Yoon turned his head with a frown, and something cut through the air. It was the knightâs greatsword. Choi Yoon was frightened and raised the Dwarfâs Sword to block the opponentâs sword.
âHow?â
Choi Yoon couldnât understand it. How did the opponentâs sword turn toward him? Just a few seconds before the greatsword hit the ground, the knight stepped forward with his left foot and turned his body. As a result, the greatsword that was headed toward the ground flew toward Choi Yoon.
âIs this possible?âChoi Yoon didnât know the series of processes, but he knew one thing. No one who could do this type of thing would remain in this ranking stage.
âDonât tell me...?â
***
âDamn,âHyeonu cursed in a low voice that no one could hear.
âA proxy knight was met again.â
The proxy knights that others couldnât meet had appeared for the second time in Alley Leaderâs Academy. Moreover, it was at a critical moment. Choi Yoonâs momentum was at its peak after 10 consecutive victories. It was clear that if he continued his winning streak while maintaining his current momentum, he would be able to win a bronze medal. Yet now...
Unfortunately, he met a proxy knight. It was impossible for players who could make such movements to stay in the 50 million section. After all, it was the psychology of normal people to show off when they had skills. Even if they didnât brag to anyone and kept it a secret, their ranking would still rise.
âYou mustâve seen that movement. He absolutely isnât a local. It is clearly a proxy knight.â Hyeonu sighed.
The viewers who normally teased Hyeonu or opposed Hyeonuâs words agreed with his opinion.
-Is that a ranking similar to mine?????
-When did the level of a deep-sea player rise so high?
-He must be enjoying Arena in the inner core, not the deep sea, right?
-Usually at this ranking, the playerâs weapon would be stuck in the ground and then they would be hit in the back. ???? This is too absurd.
This acrobatic movement was literally outrageous. The audience watching the ranking battle knew it best. It was impossible.
-The uncle needs to implement justice like Dwayne.
-Dwayne was able to make up for his lack of skill with items.It isnât possible for the uncle.
-Uh...Iâm sorry to see the uncle lose.
-Uncle, have strength!Crush the proxy knight!
âFortunately, there is a chance of winning. He can target his opponentâs carelessness. It is the pride of the proxy knight. Choi Yoon will win if he targets this.â
Choi Yoon should aim for the other sideâs negligence. It was negligence based on the pride of a player who shouldnât be in this ranking. If this existed, then Choi Yoon had real hope.
âPlease have a personality problem...âHyeonu prayed earnestly.
***
Choi Yoon was pushed back while blocking the opponentâs sword. He managed to fend off the attack in a manner that seemed precarious.
âStill, it is better than I thought.ân/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Choi Yoonâs constant opponents had been the scarecrow and Alley Leader. The current opponentâs skills and specs were good, but they didnât reach Hyeonuâs average level set for the bronze medal section. In other words, it meant there was more room for leisure than when Choi Yoon had been practicing.
âThere is only one chance.â
Choi Yoon kept defending and occasionally used a counter while hiding Turning Over the Ground. He left it as his secret weapon.
[Turning Over the Ground]
[Counterattack the opponentâs attack with a momentum to overturn the ground.
Type: Immediately Activated
Rating: Rare
Skill Proficiency: D-
Invalidate the opponentâs attack.
Increases your attack power by 80% of the opponentâs attack power.]
âThe equipment is poor compared to his skills,â Choi Yoon analyzed soberly. Choi Yoon had studied the equipment representing every level ever since Hyeonu started teaching him. The equipment worn by the opposing proxy knight was similar to his own. He didnât know the exact information of the weapon, but it was assumed to be unique rated. The various armor equipment were either common or uncommon. If the combo of Turning Over the Ground and Heavy Blow hit properly, then the opponent could be killed in one breath.
âIt is a disgusting defensive.â Han Jaeyeol, the knight opposing Choi Yoon, frowned.
This was an order from the teamâs director, Yoon Hyeongu of Big Stars, but he was full of dissatisfaction.
âWhat bullshit about my skills increasing? It is more like regressing.â
Han Jaeyeolâs goal was to make a prominent debut in PvP of the professional league and move to another team.
âYet I have to be a proxy knight?â
However, Han Jaeyeol knew the reason why Yoon Hyeongu had him acting as a proxy knight. It couldnât be helped. If Yoon Hyeongu didnât do this, then Han Jaeyeol might be kicked out of the team.
âHow many assignments are there today?â
Han Jaeyeol stopped paying attention to Choi Yoon. His mind was full of the rankings he had to achieve today. Han Jaeyeol swung his greatsword like before. The sword moved quickly and aimed at Choi Yoonâs head. At this moment, light started to gather at Choi Yoonâs sword.