Hyeonu moved his feet to avoid the branch that approached him.

‘?!!’

However, his body didn’t listen to him. His body was as stiff as a log, and he couldn’t 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 ‘fighting energy’ stat.]

[The stat reduction effect won’t occur.]

[The other party has used Fighting Energy Emission.]

[Resistance has failed.]

[Player ‘Gang Hyeonu’ has entered a ‘slowed’ state.]

Hyeonu couldn’t move his gaze away from Raccoon’s branch. Just before the branch touched Hyeonu’s body, his body was scattered. It was Blink. Hyeonu appeared 10 meters away using Blink.

“Why are you being like this? You have to teach me how to use fighting energy!” Hyeonu shouted.

Then Raccoon hit himself on the head like he just remembered something. “Ah, I haven’t explained it yet? Let me explain then. Fighting energy is literally a willingness to fight. Think of it being emitted.”

“What nonsense is this?!”

It was just like trying to catch a cloud.

“Then the explanation is over. Shall we start over?”

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 hadn’t 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.

‘Son, this is the way you should go.’

Green energy rose from Raccoon’s branch and formed the shape of an axe. The green axe caused the space to burst with an overwhelming force.

‘Crazy.’

Hyeonu managed to escape from Raccoon’s attack using Blink. There was no way to escape if he had physically moved his body. It wouldn’t 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.

‘Now it is a bit okay.’

It seemed that he could ‘evade’ even if he couldn’t attack or counterattack. Just then, Raccoon’s axe-shaped branch struck Hyeonu again. This time, Hyeonu wasn’t beaten helplessly. The moment the branch approached, he moved behind Raccoon using Mysterious Sky Steps. Then he aimed his branch at Raccoon’s branch with no hesitation. There was a burst of magic power that struck Raccoon’s back. Hyeonu’s damage wasn’t low even though he was using a branch.

However, Raccoon waved his branch casually like he hadn’t received much damage. Hyeonu dodged Raccoon’s attack by bending his back, but the aftermath shook the balance of his body.

‘It is dirty.’

Hyeonu’s branch also started to take another shape with black energy. Behind the mask, Hyeonu was smiling. He couldn’t remember when he had fought such a one-sided battle.

‘This is truly more interesting.’

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 Hyeonu’s 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 opponent’s will to fight.

The power will vary greatly depending on the opponent.

Type: Continuous

Rating: Unique

Skill Proficiency: F

Usually reduces the opponent’s stats by 5%. Your stats will increase by 10%.

If fighting energy is emitted, the opponent’s movements will slow down.

The more severe the stats difference, the more effective the skill will be.]

“Wow!” Hyeonu screamed as he forgot he was sparring with Raccoon. The new skill was one that decreased the opponent’s 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 opponent’s movements meant that Hyeonu’s attack was more likely to be effective.

“Oh... You are truly an adventurer. You learned how to use fighting energy in such a short time...” Dakan exclaimed. He truly thought that this adventurer was an orc. Otherwise, fighting energy couldn’t be used so naturally. Hyeonu was a phenomenal talent.

“My friend, your master is amazing.” Cancun was also amazed. He was a talented orc, but even he had taken a long time to use fighting energy.

“Of course. This is what he needs to deserve to be my master.” Tang-E’s shoulders went up upon hearing the praise from the two orcs. It was at this moment that something red burst from Raccoon’s body. The sticky aura took control of the surroundings.

Then Raccoon moved. His attack shattered Hyeonu’s branch, and the spar was over. Raccoon felt Hyeonu’s use of fighting energy and showed his full-fledged strength.

“I felt it before, but it’s really great.”

Hearing Raccoon’s praise, Hyeonu bowed his head lightly.

“Right, aren’t you going to Bung Bung Island? Shouldn’t you go at least once if you’re that little guy’s master?”

“I was busy and forgot about it. Bung Bung Island...”

“It will be quite interesting if you go. It is a really great place.”

Raccoon’s words made Hyeonu curious about Bung Bung Island. He had to go there once anyway because of Tang-E. It wasn’t 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.

“Tang-E, can I go to Bung Bung Island now?”

Tang-E was surprised by Hyeonu’s sudden question. “Why are you asking all of a sudden? Do you want to go to Bung Bung Island?”

“Just... I wonder about where you live. I’m curious about what your parents are like.”

Upon hearing Hyeonu’s words, Tang-E looked satisfied. “Master dude, I think you can go now. You are much stronger than you were before. However, I don’t know the exact location, so I’ll teach you next time. I will ask about it first.”

Tang-E didn’t 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.

“You can take it slowly. There is still a lot of time.” Hyeonu smiled as soon as he saw Tang-E scratching his head.

The more he saw, the cuter he thought the bear was.

‘This little bear doll.’

“Master dude, wait a bit. I’ll teach you next time.”

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 Arena’s community. The protagonist of the photo was naturally Hyeonu. It was unknown who shot it, but they had taken a photo of Hyeonu’s back at a nearby castle which he had stopped by on his way to the Balder Mountains.

This wasn’t 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 ‘Alley Leader’ appeared, even if it wasn’t the real Alley Leader. In some ways, he was like a goblin holding many treasures.

It wasn’t a false expression. After all, regardless of who saw it, Hyeonu’s 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 someone’s gaze.

‘There’s more trash chasing after others.’

Trash...

They were trash called hyenas. Hyeonu’s face became even more distorted. It was an expression that couldn’t be seen anymore.

“Hey, can you come out now?” Hyeonu called out.

Then a group of people appeared.

“Hello? Alley Leader. We are called the Venom Guild.” The leader of the party showed a general level of courtesy to Hyeonu.

‘Venom?’

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 didn’t 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.

“Venom... This is the first time I’ve heard of it? There was a guild like this?”

To ordinary people, Hyeonu’s words were very rude. He had an obvious disregard for the other party.

-I don’t know who you are. You aren’t at a level I need to care about.

This was what Hyeonu was implying. Rankers hated it when their pride was touched.

“Well... our guild isn’t that famous. It is understandable.” Yet this man received Hyeonu’s words like the Venom Guild was indeed insignificant.

It was unknown if he accepted Hyeonu’s words or just pretended to do so. There didn’t appear to be a crack on the surface nor did any anger appear.

“Today, I came to say hello. We’ll see each other soon. I’m looking forward to that time.” The man disappeared with a hot laugh.

“Isn’t he a completely crazy bastard?” Hyeonu 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 wouldn’t be able to say such remarks so casually.

“My fingers are curled up because it is so cringy...”

Hyeonu’s fingers couldn’t 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 Yoon’s growing skills, but he was uneasy about the rumors. Just then, someone else appeared in the arena room where only Hyeonu was present.

“Ah, you’re here? Have you finished packing your luggage?” Hyeonu welcomed Choi Yoon who appeared.

“Huh? Yes. Thanks to your consideration, the preparations are complete.”

“You’re going on a plane tonight?”

“Yes, it is at 12 o’clock. The day of the surgery is set to the nearest date.”

“Once we’re done streaming today, there will be a car waiting outside the hospital. Nike said they prepared it. Take it and go to the airport.”

Upon hearing Hyeonu’s words, Choi Yoon bowed his head and reiterated his gratitude. He seemed to be favored every time they met. “Thank you every time. I don’t know if I’m receiving too much...”

Hyeonu waved his hands at Choi Yoon’s words. “No, it isn’t what I’m giving to you. Choi Yoon, you only need to pay attention to the stream today.”

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.

“Why is it like this?” It 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. “Looking 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.”

Then Hyeonu stopped talking for a moment before continuing. “It is rumored that their numbers have increased considerably.”

“Them?” Choi Yoon asked.

‘Them? Who is he talking about? Are they people who have anything to do with me?’ Choi Yoon didn’t know who they were.

Hyeonu repeated, “Yes, them.”