Chapter 43-44

Chapter 43-44: Ranking Competition

Ranking competition!

It was only a few days until the competition that would divide the Awakened into ranks .

Kim Yong-woo leaked the information to all the other guilds and used a banner on the homepage of the Awakened cafe to attract attention .

It was a rare opportunity to see the Awakened fight . The other guilds could also confirm the strength of Heaven’s Will .

Kim Yong-woo generously used his money .

The ranking competition was held at the transformed Seoul World Cup Stadium . He rented an enormous lobby .

The admission was free . Famous celebrities were also invited .

Anything else? Information about the teams participating in the ranking competition were also promoted .

There was no need to say that Kim Yong-woo’s account balance decreased significantly . However, Kim Yong-woo didn’t scrimp on the costs . It was a cheap investment if it would preserve his position as guild master .

The reaction was hot .

News about it hit the individual stations and newspapers and the reporters were all talking about it .

In particular, the large cable tv channels were spreading the news about the Awakened . It was possible to raise a large amount of profits from the ranking tournament .

At this point, the famous guilds that were watching started feeling itchy . The name of Heaven’s Will would rise significantly among the public .

“Do you want to participate in the ranking competition? Yes . Each guild can have one raid group participate . Specifically proceed . Come up with the most powerful configuration for the raid group . ”

Kim Yong-woo didn’t mind .

Kim Yong-woo was hoping to get more attention from the audience .

Thus, he was determined to involve all 5 guilds .

Even though each guild could only have one raid group, that was enough to cause a huge stir .

Determining who was stronger among the Awakened was a subject of constant attention in the public . In addition, there was an intense rivalry among the 5 guilds . No one could predict the results if the strongest teams from the 5 guilds participated .

The expectations of the public and the Awakened rose to an unprecedented level .

The strongest would win the tournament . That perception was embedded in everyone’s mind .

People came from all over the country to watch the competition . The interested foreigners and Awakened from overseas also got on the planes .

“Wealth has come to Korea!”

Kim Yong-woo had a dark smile on his face .

* * *

Bambabam~

The huge sound of trumpets .

An orchestra wearing white were lined up and playing wind instruments .

A magnificent performance that contributed to an inspiring atmosphere .

After it finished, cheerleaders entered the centre of the stadium .

Their uniform was a short skirt and top that exposed their navel . The shiny red and blue dressed females danced wildly and sensually .

“Hwiik!”

The mouths of the men naturally rose .

The Seoul World Cup Stadium that could house 64,000 people currently had 40,000 . And that number was still steadily rising .

The cheerleaders finished and then it was the turn of the invited singers .

“Mori! Mori!”

A famous idol group had been invited, Mori!

This 5 member group had outstanding skills and was currently a hot topic in South Korea . An outstanding sight .

The atmosphere was further heightened .

After Mori was sent off, members from Heaven’s Will including Kim Yong-woo appeared .

Exactly one hundred and sixty eight people! They were the members of Heaven’s Will participating in the competition .

In particular, Kim Yong-woo was here to speak some words as the host of the competition . Kim Yong-woo grabbed the microphone and said with a smile .

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the first ranking competition . Welcome . I am the leader of the Heaven’s Will guild, Kim Yong-woo . ”

After the formal greetings, Kim Yong-woo turned his head .

“These are the proud faces of the people from Heaven’s Will who will participate in the ranking competition . There were 21 raid groups in this place but I’ve also issued a special invitation to 4 other raid groups . The rankings for these 25 raid groups will soon be decided . An exciting feast that will make your heart pound! Who will win?”

Tension filled the faces of all the participants .

It was the same for the visitors .

Kim Yong-woo laughed .

“Then I hope you enjoy the three day festival and I will end the boring speech here . Thank you!”

“Waaaaahhhhh!”

The deafening shouts!

The ranking competition had now started .

* * *

Preliminaries .

It would choose what raid group would advance to the main round .

Half of the 21 Heaven’s Will raid groups were scheduled to fall in the preliminaries .

The 4 special raid groups were invited so they would advance to the main round .

It was naturally for the participants’ eyes to filled with fire .

“Captain-nim . Our first opponent is called Black Panther?”

Kim Chun-won said while they were in the waiting room .

Lee Ji-hye replied .

“That is the name of the raid group . All 8 people in it helped establish the Heaven’s Will guild . They are equipped with several good equipment and have considerable skills…it won’t be easy to fight them from the beginning . ”

“Are you afraid of being hurt?”

I asked and Lee Ji-hye shook her head .

“It’s not like that . Isn’t there a shield that blocks a certain amount of shock? There are also sleeping potions in the warehouse . I’m just a little worried that we are meeting a strong group like Black Panther at the beginning . ”

Participants in the competition would carry real swords and weapons . There were some safety measures . The right to hold some shield items .

Enchanters had worked with blacksmiths to create a shock absorber .

The shield would last throughout the battle until it broke . If the shield broke in the struggle then that member would be left out of the team .

There were also numerous sleeping potions prepared in the warehouse . A number of potions found from the dungeon would be committed to the ranking competition .

The physical burden was significantly less but Lee Ji-hye was still worried .

They needed to win against a strong raid group . It felt like someone was influencing the bracket .

“There’s no need to worry . You guys don’t need to do anything . ”

It was true that they trained for 3 weeks but they were still at a human standard . Their weapon handling, technique and skills couldn’t be compared to the opponent .

A wall mounted TV in the waiting room relayed videos of the tournament .

The first preliminary was the ‘Akbari’ raid group against the ‘Misteik’ group .

Akbari was the raid group where Kim Tae-hwan was the leader .

In the list that Kim Yong-woo handed over, Kim Tae-hwan’s name was on the side of the Devil Hunters . His words in the elevator really was advice .

“What? Is this imitating the special forces?”

Kim Chun-won muttered in a small voice . The members of Akbari had ink marks on their faces and were wearing orange shirts .

The shirt had ‘Victory’ written on it in traditional characters . Victory…it wasn’t guaranteed .

At the same time, the whistle was blown to announce the start of the ranking competition .

“Doesn’t the Akbari team have a lot of warriors? In contrast, the Misteik team has their close and long ranged attackers appropriately placed . ”

Yoo Eun-hye said from next to me .

Looking at it simply, Akbari seemed to be at a disadvantage .

They only had warriors so they couldn’t cover the gap . Defense was limited . In addition, the guarder on the enemy team could prevent the attacks while long ranged attacks were used .

Then the voice of a broadcaster came from the speakers attached to the TV .

-Unbelievable! The powerful assault of the Akbari raid group . Hasn’t the guarder raised his shield? It will enter into a melee!

-Foolish . Look here . Haven’t there already been some people with broken shields?

-Kim Yoo-won, it is impossible for him to continue! Ah, that must hurt . Even so, Akbari isn’t stopping their assault!

-The best . Misteik has fallen into chaos . But isn’t a black light coming from Kim Tae-hwan? What is that skill?

-Magic Power Cohesion . A skill that raises the cutting force of the sword . Ahh! Misteik’s guarder is unable to block it and was pushed back!

-In the end, it turned into a melee . Huh…a great breakthrough power .

-Misteik’s long distance members are sticking to the same skills! Keep their eyes open or a mistake will occur!

-It seems to be almost over . It is obvious they would be hurt after failing to block the opponent’s hit . This ranking competition, they are still lacking but it is rather interesting . Let’s continue .

There was an overwhelming response after Akbari was decided as the winners .

It reminded the audience of gladiators fighting in a coliseum so there was a hot response .

“…I’ve done some research on Black Panther in advance . Do you want to know about their formation and operation?”

Lee Ji-hye suggested after realizing the importance of tactics .

It wasn’t simply gathering 8 people together but also involved psychological warfare .

But I said firmly .

“There is no need . ”

“Huh?”

“Krasla and I are good enough . ”

“Captain-nim . The stories about the Black Panther raid…”

“I hate to say it twice . ”

“…I understand . ”

Lee Ji-hye nodded . She knew that I wasn’t helpless . It also wasn’t strange if she thought Krasla was stronger than me .

However, this time was different .

It was very desirable .

People were trying to contain the Devil Hunters raid group . The ones who wrote the bracket…maybe Kim Yong-woo didn’t even get a chance to touch the bracket list .

Lee Ji-hye wanted to smash Black Panther in order to change the impression of them .

“Devil Hunters raid group! Devil Hunters, come with me please! Your preliminaries will begin in 5 minutes!”

A yellow dressed helper opened the door of the lobby and yelled .

Our turn had come .

Tension filled the eyes of all the members except for Krasla .

I took the lead .

“Let’s go . ”

My mouth was in a smirk .

An overwhelming force……

I would make sure to use this opportunity to clearly show it .

Spacious ground .

There was a line between the 16 people .

However, there were differences in their formations .

Black Panther had 4 people in the front and 4 people behind while Devil Hunters had 2 people in front with 6 people in the rear .

In particular, the members of Devil Hunters were all wearing skull masks . But they didn’t give off an intimidating presence so the opponents and spectators were puzzled .

-What do you think? They aren’t guarders .

Of course, I was in the front lines along with Krasla . And the reason we stood in front……

Biiiik!

Kung!

It was to bridge the gap between the opponents . I wouldn’t even give them time to breathe .

The moment the whistle sounded, I pushed off strongly against the ground . Dust rose as I arrived in front of the opponent .

“Eh? Eh……”

Kwajik!

There was no need for swords .

I advanced too fast . My fist hit the other person in the abdomen .

Chaeeeng!

The shock absorption shield broke . The necklace that the shield was attached to broke .

A single clash .

Neither defense or offense . Just a one-sided strike .

“Uweeek!”

The opponent coughed out blood before collapsing .

But that wasn’t all . I used the residual power of Lightning God Technique the moment I made a fist .

This meant……

The lightning power would gnaw at the blood vessels and cells and would slowly kill the person .

Of course, the future of the humans had already been somewhat decided .

The Black Panther raid group was one of those slandering the Devil Hunters . It couldn’t end simply with one blow . I needed to pop that attitude of theirs . I would finish them off before they could even start .

“Kkack!”

Krasla thrust his spear at the opponent’s body . He had spun it round and round before striking . The shield was destroyed and the body received considerable damage .

Sheep and wolf?

No .

It was like a tiger, lion and wasps hunting sheep . It was like the scene of thousands of worker bees being massacred .

They were no match for us .

It was like a storm was striking them .

The members of Black Panther collapsed one by one until they were all on the floor .

-What…this……

The bleachers were quiet .

Even the broadcasters couldn’t say anything .

A scene that reminded them of something beyond the ‘standards . ’

Biiiik!

The whistle that blew sounded louder than ever .

* * *

Swept away!

We fought 3 more times and Krasla and I ended it every time . We were the raid group that dealt the most injuries .

After the first day of qualifiers finished, the videos were spread over the internet .

The netizens felt envy as they saw the many attractions and the performance of the idol group Mori . But among these stories, many of them were about the raid group Devil Hunters .

[Devil Hunters raid group? They seem too strong . No other raid group can match them . ]

[Aren’t they like Barcelona?]

[Heaven’s Will isn’t weak . We still don’t know . The strongest in each guild hasn’t come out yet . ]

[Only two people in Devil Hunters finished the match . Nothing has been seen from the remaining six . ]

The reactions were divided into two types .

But they had to admit that the two members were strong enough to end things .

Public opinion wondered about ways to deal with Devil Hunters . Everyone searched for exclusive methods to defeat the Devil Hunters .

But they realized such methods were useless the next day .

The 2nd day .

It was the main competition .

The skull mask wearing Devil Hunters had risen to the top . Their attitude was more casual than yesterday .

I don’t know why they would be worried . In the end, there were only two protagonists on the stage . I had to admit that I made a scene on the first day……

-Now, the biggest issue that has surfaced is the appearance of the raid group Devil Hunters . Their opponent is the strongest raid group of the Mithril Guild, ‘Grizzly . ’ Weren’t there some shocking moves yesterday?

The broadcasters looked at the stage with expectations in their eyes .

Yesterday’s preliminaries were only held with the Heaven’s Will Guild .

But today, the main competition was different . The strongest raid group from one of the four guilds . In fact, before yesterday it had been expected that Grizzly would be the winner .

Biiiik!

At the same time, the whistle was blown to announce the start of the match .

But no one moved .

All 8 members of Grizzly were wary of Krasla and I .

I read their intentions in an instant .

‘They intend to wrap around both of us . ’

I smiled .

They could try but they wouldn’t be able to catch my ankles .

“Guarder! Strengthen shield!”

“Strengthen Shield!”

Chuck . Chuck .

The 4 guarders started moving in a unit . It would act as both defense and offense and seemed to be a provocation .

“Power of Breath!”

There was even a blessing from a priest?

The formation was extremely defense focused .

It was certainly a strong formation to deal with a powerhouse . They intended to wait until I exhausted myself piercing the defenses .

But this was a different situation from normal .

I pulled out Wrath for the first time in this competition . My strength that reached 86 wasn’t something that could be stopped by the guarders and priest .

Kwang!

The shield’s surface rippled before exploding in all directions .

-Ah, is that the effect of the item?

-Amazing!

None of them thought the results would be pure power .

They thought it was the effect of Wrath .

Kwang! Kwang!

There were wild screams every time the shield exploded . The guarders stepped back and retreated but were mercilessly struck by Krasla’s spear .

The Mithril Guild’s strongest raid group, Grizzly .

But the scene wasn’t much different from the preliminaries .

This was halfway to the finals . The raid group Devil Hunters hadn’t been defeated yet . There were no rivals for the Devil Hunters . The other team would definitely be broken .

It wasn’t just the performance of only two people .

Only there were only 4 people left, the rest of the members would handle it . The opposing team was already helpless due to our attacks and couldn’t fight back .

It was similar to dealing with leftovers but the members didn’t have any complaints . They knew that they could reach this point thanks to me .

The competition had already been decided from the start .

In the end, no surprises happened .

S rank!

The ultimate proof indicated South Korea’s strongest raid group…it was the moment the name Devil Hunters became known to the public .

* * *

After refusing numerous interview requests, I returned to the dungeon .

Devil Hunters were nationally recognized and each of the Awakened had the S rank attached to them . The ultimate title that only belonged to the strongest raid group!

There was no need to raise a fuss . It was to the level that I wanted .

‘Thanks to this, I can accelerate my plan . ’

I had originally planned to slowly increase the influence of my raid group . Thanks to Kim Yong-woo and the ranking competition, I could progress much faster .

In my previous life, there wasn’t the ranking competition .

There were many Awakened that competed against each other but they weren’t divided into ranks .

In the future, the Awakened would co-operate with each other depending on their country . But the ranking competition that Kim Yong-woo developed thanks to my presence had changed the future .

I had only come back here for a little over a year .

The clear image of the Awakened?

I thought it would take 3 years for my plan .

‘I don’t need to bother with such a troublesome thing . ’

My plan had been reduced by 2 years .

If I returned to the guild and trained the members then the time would be dramatically reduced .

But there was no need to do such an annoying thing .

‘It is time to prepare a monster wave . ’

Monster wave .

A large number of monsters would escape the dungeon to invade the country!

I had been preparing the dungeon .

My original plan was to execute it 2 years later after obtaining the title of the strongest so I had been preparing all year for it .

I arrived at the top floor of the dungeon and lightly touched Yihi’s forehead who was dozing against the Dungeon Core .

“Ya! Aish! Who!”

Yihi frowned while waking up and rubbed her eyes a few times .

“It is good . ”

“I-I just fell asleep . Yihi has been waiting for Master to return . ”

The saliva at her mouth indicated that it was an obvious lie .

I ignored it and asked .

“That’s okay . How many points are left?”

“Um . Wait a minute . After using 100,000 points to purchase the elixir, there is 163,752 points left . ”

“It is slightly lacking . ”

I had used most of my points buying things from the auction . Of course, my balance was bankrupt but I didn’t regret it .

Yihi was confused .

“Why Master? Did you want to use the points?”

“I want to buy a few Ogres and Twin Head Ogres .

“Uhh, it is incredibly lacking……”

Yihi tried to calculate it while talking .

The advanced ogre was 40,000 points while the twin head ogres was 250,000 points . I had 160,000 points so 4 ogres was the limit . I couldn’t even dream of obtaining a twin head ogre .

I stroked my chin for a moment before saying .

“Convene the dark elves and dwarves . I need them to do some work . ”