/

Chapter 484




VG’s signature program, the Ranking Show, began.
“Hello, viewers. I’m one of the show’s MCs, Kim Hoseon,” she said, and bowed her head. She was wearing a neat suit.
“This is Lee Yumi.” Yumi bowed her head.
“Now, let’s take a look at the weekly rankings. Please show us the rankings,” Kim Hoseon said, and Numbers 1 through 10 were shown on the screen.
Rank 1: The One and Only God, Dukeram!
Rank 2: The Master of Gold, Wang Seorim!
Rank 3: Breaker’s Black Lion, Raon!
Rank 4: Predator Kang Oh!
Rank 5: Blood Witch Helena!
Rank 6: Genius Bart!
Rank 7: Spear King Hernandez!
Rank 8: God Hand, Arthand!
Rank 9: Leopard Squad Captain, Snow Flower!
Rank 10: Scheming Master, Jegal!
“Oh, it looks like we have a change.” Lee Yumi’s eyes gleamed.
“Yes. The Worst Criminal, Red has been pulled from the ranks. Red, who was captured by Kang Oh and imprisoned by the Security Bureau, has been on the leaderboard for quite some time, hasn’t he?” Kim Hoseon stared at Lee Yumi, as if saying ‘It’s your turn now!’.
“That’s right. There were a lot of people who thought it wasn’t right that a criminal was in the leader board. I thought the same.”
“Red’s name has finally been pulled from the Numbers. I’m sure there are a lot of people who feel good about that.”
“People keep complimenting Mr. Kang Oh for capturing Red. He was able to do what large guilds couldn’t, no, wouldn’t do.” Lee Yumi smiled.
“Mr. Kang Oh performed an amazing feat. Justice has been served. Ah, our doors are always open for you, Mr. Kang Oh. Please contact us!” Hoseon mimicked a phone, shaking her fist with her pinky and thumb extended.
“Please!” Yumi made a heart with her fingers.
“Now then, let’s get back to the rankings. Red’s absence made room for new members of the Numbers,” Hoseon said.
“That’s right. She’s finally entered the Numbers. The captain of Breaker’s Leopard Squad, Snow Flower!” Lee Yumi applauded.
“When it comes to female players, Helena’s the best at magic, while Snow Flower’s the best at swordsmanship,” Hoseon explained.
“She might be able to turn things around for the Breaker Guild after their humiliating defeat to the Empire Guild.”
“That’s right. Now the Breaker Guild has two Numbers. It’s definitely the second strongest guild now, right behind the Empire Guild.”
“Congratulations to Ms. Snow Flower. Our doors are always open,” Lee Yumi said cutely.
“Are you trying to act cute?” Kim Hoseon looked sick of her antics.
“What!?” Lee Yumi glared at her.
“Aah, I wish I could unsee that.”
“Do you want me to teach you a lesson!?”
“Ahem!” Kim Hoseon slapped her palm and moved on. “That’s enough teasing from me. Let’s take a look at the changes in the ranks.”
“Sounds good!”
As always, Hoseon and Yumi progressed with the Ranking Show as normal. But at some point, the staff seemed unsettled.
‘What’s going on?’
Since Yumi was talking, Hoseon kept her mouth shut, but she could see the staff moving around in a disorderly manner.
At that moment…
Breaking news appeared on her tablet.
She quickly looked it over and then slightly opened her mouth in shock.
“Ms. Hoseon? Ms. Hoseon!” Yumi, who’d passed the baton to Hoseon, called her since she wasn’t responding.
“Ah, yes? Yes!” Hoseon belatedly got a grip.
The producer signaled for her to report the breaking news.
“Yes. Viewers, I apologize, but you’ll have to forget about everything we’ve just said.”
“Excuse me? What are you talking about?” Yumi’s eyes widened, as she hadn’t seen what was on the tablet yet.
‘What’s going on?’
“There’s been a huge change in the rankings. Please take a look!”
A list of the Numbers showed up on the screen once more.
Rank 1: The One and Only God, Dukeram!
Rank 2: Predator Kang Oh!
Rank 3: Master of Gold, Wang Seorim!
Rank 4: Breaker’s Black Lion, Raon!
Rank 5: Blood Witch Helena!
Rank 6: Genius Bart!
Rank 7: Scheming Master, Jegal!
Rank 8: God Hand, Arthand!
Rank 9: Spear King Hernandez!
Rank 10: Leopard Squad Captain, Snow Flower!
“Is this right?” Yumi was shocked. It was indeed a huge change.
“The owner of the Geumsan Store, Wang Seorim, has always been 2nd, but Kang Oh has taken that spot from her!”
By becoming a Master, Kang Oh’s rank had shot up to rank 2. Of course, no one knew that Kang Oh had become a Master yet.
“Wow, rank 1 Dukeram and rank 2 Wang Seorim. Their positions haven’t changed in such a long time.”
“Yes. Ever since the Geumsan Store crushed the Manbok Store and reached the top of the business world, she has never dropped below rank 2.”
“What do you think happened to Mr. Kang Oh?”
“I’m not sure. There’s no way of knowing either. Please call us, Mr. Kang Oh! Please!”
“Yes, please contact us.”
Hoseon and Yumi simultaneously bowed their heads.
After that, Hoseon explained the changes in the other Numbers’ ranks. Snow Flower, who’d just recently entered the Numbers, had been replaced by the Empire Guild’s vice-captain, Jegal.
He even started at rank 7! The Baiyan Kingdom had surrendered to the Arabas Kingdom, or the Empire Guild, resulting in his jump in rank.
The Empire Guild’s power and influence had increased significantly. On the other hand, Breaker and Storm had lost the war, so their power and influence had diminished. With it came the drop in Raon and Hernandez’s ranks, and Snow Flower’s drop to rank 10.
Kang Oh becoming a Master, Baiyan’s surrender, Red’s imprisonment, etc. All of these events caused the sudden change in ranks.
* * *
As soon as Kang Oh rose to rank 2, he was swarmed by congratulatory messages.
– Congratulations. I hope you stay with me for a long time. (Man Bok)
– You beat Vladi, didn’t you? That’s how you became a Master? Damn, I’m so jealous! (Sephiro)
– Oppa, I’m always rooting for you. Let’s play together soon. (Asu)
– Congratulations. Let’s hunt again sometime. (Soren)
– Me too. (Karin)
– Let’s fight. (Bart)
– Please let me interview you! Please! Oh, and congratulations. I guess I got the order backwards. Haha. (TGN Shin Hye Rim)
– Congratulations on rising in the ranks. And please remember, I welcome any and all clips you have for me. (GBS Park Jin Cheol)
He sent them all a return message, and was then lost in thought.
‘Rank 2, huh…’
He was right behind the Emperor, or the One and Only God, Dukeram.
As a result of his car accident, Kang Oh had been forced to start Arth later than others. Despite that, he grew faster than anyone else and had ultimately risen to rank 2.
Of course, he wasn’t content with rank 2. After all, it wasn’t rank 1.
‘That’ll be my spot soon.’
Kang Oh thought of Dukeram’s handsome face and his fighting spirit burned.
Now he was on equal footing with him; they were both Masters. He wouldn’t lose to Dukeram anymore! Plus, he would make sure to pay him back for his loss! No matter what!
Kang Oh made an oath to himself. And in the process, he became sure of what secret move he wanted to create.
“Create a secret move!”
[Creating a Demonic Swordsman secret move.]
[Explain what kind of secret move you wish to create, or show it.]
[Warning: Secret moves are incredibly powerful. Thus, they are as powerful as they are risky.]
“The strongest sword!” he said.
[Please explain in more detail.]
‘As expected… That didn’t work.’
Kang Oh said, “I want to summon the demons sealed within my demon swords. I want to be able to summon multiple demons at the same time!”
[You wish to be able to summon the demons sealed within your demon swords. Is this correct?]
“Exactly.”
[Will you create this Demonic Swordsman secret move? Once you make a decision, there is no going back. This secret move cannot be shared with anyone else.]
He’d made this decision after much thought. There was no reason to hesitate.
“Create the secret move!”
Kang Oh’s body glowed with intense light.
[You have learned the Demonic Swordsman secret move, Demon’s Descent.]
[Due to Earth’s Blessing, Demon’s Descent begins at the intermediate-rank.]
Kang Oh looked over his new secret move’s information.
[Demon’s Descent]
Summons the demon trapped within a demon sword. At this time, the demon sword acts as a medium and allows the demon to have free will.
The number of demons that you can summon depends on the skill’s rank. At the moment, two demons can be summoned at one time.
The demons may choose not to obey you, or may even attack you.
Also, if you die while using Demon’s Descent, there is a chance that the demons will escape from their prison.
Please be very careful when using this skill!
Type: Active/Skill.
MP Cost: None.
Cooldown: None.
Rank: Intermediate.
Proficiency: 0%.
‘It’s exactly what I wanted.’
Kang Oh had been thinking about what secret move he wanted. His combat ability was already overwhelming. And he already possessed several skills he needed to increase his proficiency in.
Slash, Sword Parry, Tempest Tiger, Darkness Strike, Darkness Chain, Transcendent Blade, Mad Wind’s Sword, and Weapon Bombardment. What if he were to add Valan’s Divide the Sea to this list?
He wouldn’t need any more combat skills. Thus, there was no reason to create a combat-oriented secret move.
Therefore, he thought about a way to use the demon swords themselves, and decided upon Demon’s Descent.
‘Wouldn’t it be so much easier if my demon swords, no, the demons sealed within them helped me during battle?’ That was his thought process.
The problem was that Demon’s Descent was, as Kang Oh had anticipated, an inherently risky skill.
What if he couldn’t control the demons, or he was presented with a situation where he couldn’t control them?
Then the Abyss Predator, Ubist, the Great Forest’s Demon, Blood, and the Ice Queen, Saila, would be unleashed unto the world once more.
‘I have to use them well so that that doesn’t happen.’
He was confident that he could use them properly. After all, this was him he was talking about.
Predator Kang Oh! Numbers rank 2, and soon to be rank 1! He was also a legendary gamer that was once called the Human Dragon in Warlord!
Kang Oh started walking.
He wanted to test how much stronger he’d become by becoming a Master, how much greater Blood had become, how well he could control the demons, etc.
There was so much he needed to test out.
* * *
Deep underneath the Saul Graveyard.
Kang Oh appeared in the room where Bone Dragon Akite was sleeping.
Rattle.
Akite stood up, his bones ‘rattling’ as he did so.
“You came, Master.”
“Yeah. I want your help with something.”
“With what?”
“I’m going to summon some demons. If they attack me, I want you to restrain them.”
“It’s not hard, but…”
“You won’t do it for free?”
“You know me so well.”
“Tch.”
‘You money grubbing bone lizard! If Valan wasn’t injured, then I’d have gone to him instead!’
However, Valan was still an injured patient, and Burkan was crazy busy. Thus, Akite was the only one strong enough to help him right now.
He needed someone strong in case something went wrong with Demon’s Descent.
Kang Oh pulled out a 100 gold bar. Just one.
“Just one?”
“If you don’t want it, then whatever.” Kang Oh acted like he was going to put it back.
“No, I’ll take it.”
“A wise decision.” Kang Oh threw the gold bar at Akite and stabbed Blood into the ground.
‘I trust you, Tasha.’
He picked Tasha first, as he believed she’d be the easiest to talk to. Not only had he spoken to her several times already, but he had spent a lot of time flying with her too.
“I’m starting.”
“Alright.”
Demon’s Descent!
Whir!
Demon Sword Blood released scarlet energy, which wrapped around the blade like a cocoon.
‘The sword’s used as a medium to summon her, right?’
In other words, the demon wasn’t pulled out of the demon sword, but the demon sword itself transformed into the demon.
A short while later…
The red cocoon opened up like a flower bud, and Blood, or Tasha, appeared from within.
Tasha was incredibly beautiful. Her long, wavy red hair was striking, and she wore a shoulder-less dress with a bat emblem on her chest.
Her nails were long and sharp, and her eyes were quite fierce.
Gulp.
Kang Oh swallowed hard. How would Tasha react?
‘She won’t attack me right out of the gate, will she?’
“Hi, Tasha,” Kang Oh said carefully.
Tasha looked him over and then opened her pomegranate colored lips.
“Hi,” Tasha replied.
That was a good start.