Ranker's Return

Chapter 896

Chapter 896

Hyeonu and Jeras clashed on the battlefield even after Hyeonu made a sinister offer to Jeras. The only difference was that they fought for 30 minutes and then rested for 30 minutes. During those 30 minutes, Hyeonu killed the members of the god tribe and the divine creatures to fill his consumed magic power while Jeras helped Luke push Raccoon.

Then 30 minutes later, Hyeonu and Jeras fought again. Too many members of the god tribe would die if Hyeonu continued to be left alone. It would’ve been impossible for the battlefield to be maintained. Lebron participated in the battle, but he didn’t participate in the war.

Meanwhile, Hyeonu put his energy into both. He couldn’t be left alone.

“Time is passing. The damage is getting bigger and bigger,” Hyeonu kept talking to Jeras. If anyone who didn’t know what Hyeonu had said previously heard this, it would sound like he was saying to withdraw from the war.

‘What am I supposed to do?’

It was different for Jeras though. To him, Hyeonu’s words were a compulsion to make a decision quickly. Hyeonu’s words were quite effective. Jeras’ infinite trust in Luke was cracking.

“Don’t talk nonsense.”

However, he didn’t admit it. Instead, he stabbed his spear hard at Hyeonu.

“Think about it.” Hyeonu smiled strangely and used Jeras’ power to step back. Then he exited the battlefield.

Jeras was left alone and stood staring at where Hyeonu had disappeared.

***

“Master dude, is he going to do as you think?”

Tang-E didn’t really trust that Hyeonu’s actions would work. It was because he knew that Jeras wasn’t someone who would be changed with just a few words.

“It is enough.” Hyeonu nodded. This was enough. Jeras was already beginning to fall apart.

“What do you mean, stupid Master dude? He is fine at first glance.” Tang-E laughed at Hyeonu’s confidence. It was ridiculous. Anyone could see that Jeras was the same as at the beginning. Hyeonu’s words didn’t work.

“No, that isn’t the case?” Hyeonu shook his head.

“No, it is. Stupid Master dude.” Tang-E pressed his paws to Hyeonu’s cheeks to prevent Hyeonu from shaking his head.

Even in this state, Hyeonu shook his head with the power of his neck. “No? What is fine?”

“Bah. Then tell me why.” Tang-E shook Hyeonu’s head a lot before placing his paws on his waist and snorting.

“He is already halfway to the moment of agitation, Tang-E.”

“What do you mean?” Tang-E asked because he didn’t understand Hyeonu’s words.

“Think about it. Jeras worshipped Luke as a god. I don’t know what Luke did, but he probably showed the right appearance.”

Hyeonu didn’t know what Luke was like in the divine world, but one thing was certain. Luke had shown as much ability as his status.

“Now it is different. Luke is only showing disappointment. Nothing has actually changed. Luke is so strong that it is hard for Jeras to look at him, but what about the results?” Hyeonu asked Tang-E.

“He got beaten by Uncle every day,” Tang-E replied coolly. This question was very easy for anyone to answer. It was so obvious Luke being pushed by Raccoon that even a baby could recognize it.

“Yes, that’s right. It isn’t once but every day. This means that Luke’s status will soon go down.”

If Luke were to become a god whose status had fallen and had no dignity, the faith of his followers would naturally fade. In such a state, if someone like Hyeonu made a dangerous proposal and kept sticking to it...

“It would break down on its own.”

At first, it would be very weak. Then it would grow quickly. It was to the extent of bursting the dam called faith.

“He could think like this now. That guy is finished. He isn’t qualified to lead the tribe. He did a lot of damage due to the wrong choice.”

***

“God, why don’t you stop the war now?” Jeras knelt down in front of a man and bowed.

“That isn’t possible,” Luke answered firmly. Now it was a matter of pride.

Jeras opened his mouth and spoke again, “Time is on our side. After 50 or even 100 years, all the humans and orcs who are active today will disappear. After that, we can invade the middle world again...”

It wasn’t the time yet. There were too many strong people in the middle world. It was like looking at the days of the ancient empire. Meanwhile, the tribe that Luke had poured a lot of time into was just showing its effectiveness. It was clear that the tribe would be much stronger than it was now with the passage of time.

At that point, it wouldn’t be too late to invade the middle world again. Continuing now would be nothing more than driving the tribe to death. It would be a meaningless sacrifice. More preparations were needed.

“It isn’t possible. I waited too long. My patience has run out...” Luke was well aware that he couldn’t back down now. Therefore, the war had to continue for other reasons.

‘There will be a problem if I stop here...’

A leader who lacked dignity always had problems. All the great tribe chiefs from Luke’s childhood died for similar reasons. They were brought down for failing to lead the tribe properly.

‘This war will end with my victory.’

A leader with flaws was bound to be challenged at any time. Luke could not tolerate it.

“Since it is a long wait, it isn’t too late to make full preparations before starting a war. Please... Reconsider it just once...” Jeras couldn’t understand Luke’s words.

The years he had already spent waiting were too many to count. It didn’t matter if several decades were added now. There was no reason to go out in such a hurry. This was only the case when he was defeated by an opponent who didn’t match his pride.

Meanwhile, Raccoon was the great tribe chief of the orcs and a tremendous powerhouse. He was not pushed by Luke. The ra tribe was once one of the tribes of the middle world.

“We will launch a full-scale attack one month later. We will win the war using the ones who have eaten the fruit.” Luke was adamant. Rather, he involved even the future of the tribe.

‘No, it can’t be...’ Jeras’ eyes flashed as he gazed at the ground.

***

Hyeonu couldn’t hide his confusion. ‘Why is he so strong today?’

Jeras changed so dramatically. This wasn’t the same Jeras that Hyeonu had been fighting this entire time. He was much stronger than before.

‘What happened?’ Hyeonu blocked Jeras’ attacks with a puzzled expression. Jeras pushed Hyeonu as if there was no one behind him. Hyeonu was pushed back mindlessly. It was a luxury for him to be able to think. All he had to do was stop Jeras’ attack in front of him. There was a burst of concentration that normally only appeared when sparring with Lebron or Raccoon.

‘Is it over?’

Thus, they fought for a long time. At a certain point, Hyeonu realized that there was no flying spear and lowered his weapon while looking around.

‘We’ve gone a long way.’

Hyeonu had been moving away from his original position for a long time. Raccoon and Luke were blurs in the distance.

Just then, Jeras spoke to Hyeonu without hesitation, “I will accept.”

“It is a good decision.” Hyeonu smiled.

“Aren’t you asking for the reason?”

“The reason doesn’t matter. Only the results matter.”

“That’s correct.” Jeras acknowledged Hyeonu’s words.

Hyeonu was right. The reason didn’t matter. It was only important that the choice was made.

“What should I do now?”

“What should you do? Um... You should...” Hyeonu stretched out his words as he fell into thought. “For now, have Luke hand over the secret arts that he has.”

“The secret arts can’t be given.” Jeras shook his head. The secret arts of the ra tribe belonged to the ra tribe. He couldn’t give it to Hyeonu.

“Who means to ask for that? You have to learn them.” Hyeonu frowned. The mask on his face meant that his expression wasn’t visible to Jeras, but the emotions in his voice were enough to convey it.

“The thing I want is Luke’s death, not the weakening of the ra tribe,” Hyeonu gently pacified Jeras. He poured out coaxing words and gave legitimacy to the act.

“What about after that?” Jeras asked.

‘There is definitely something he wants.’ Jeras wasn’t an idiot either. He knew this wasn’t the only thing Hyeonu wanted.

“Continue the war as Luke is doing now,” Hyeonu presented the condition he had hidden.

“The war? That isn’t okay,” Jeras refused adamantly. It wasn’t just the war. This was the act of selling out the tribe.

“Let’s see? It is the case now, but... will it still be the same after Luke dies?” The corners of Hyeonu’s lips curled up.

Jeras seemed to have lost his senses. Hyeonu naturally understood why this was—possibly because the current structure had been solidified for too long.

“What does that mean?” Jeras frowned this time. It was because he couldn’t easily understand what Hyeonu’s words meant.

‘Will it be different at that time?’

There was one thing that changed—replacing Luke with Jeras. That was all.

‘Don’t tell me...’

Jeras thought about it, and many things popped into his mind. Luke was the absolute. The entire ra tribe were currently worshipping him like a god, but in the early days when Luke became the tribe chief, there were many people who didn’t follow him. They acknowledged the authority of the tribe chief, but there were times when they kept him in check. Luke established his authority by subjugating or killing them.

‘I have to do it this way.’

Once Jeras ascended to the position of chief, there would definitely be more such people.

“Are you saying I should kick out my competitors like this? Using the justification of war?”

“Yes, isn’t it an excuse that can be taken out? Where else can you find a justification like this? The tribe’s long-cherished wish and revenge for the deceased. They can’t go against it.” Hyeonu nodded candidly.

“That is true... Then what do you get out of it?” Jeras’ questions hadn’t been resolved yet. He still had doubts remaining. Since Jeras himself had something to gain…

‘Or is there something I don’t know about?’

Then what about Hyeonu? The continuation of the war didn’t seem to have any benefits for him.

“What do I get? There is something.”

“What is it?”

“The continent shouldn’t be peaceful. Adventurers need to keep growing and the non-adventurers need something to pay attention to.”

The most important thing was the growth of the players. To be precise, it was the growth of the people who would join Hyeonu’s plan. Their growth was Hyeonu’s only concern.

‘As for the god tribe and divine creatures... they are a ridiculous hunting ground.’

They were hard to kill, so they were good for developing skills. The items that came out were also good. Even if only material items came out, they could be used to create items and good equipment would emerge.

“You are scheming something.” Jeras caught a strange feeling from Hyeonu’s words. This was never something an ordinary adventurer could say.

“You don’t need to know this. In addition, if you are planning to break your promise, it is a good idea to be very determined. You guys don’t have a good relationship with Liru, but... I am different.” Hyeonu didn’t forget to give one final threat.