(Ranker Above Rankers)

Multi-Title

Grade: S

Special Abilities:

· When you encounter someone judged to be an Ares ranker, all Attack Power and Defense increase by 5%.

This was a title Hyunsoo had been able to obtain thanks to Hope.

A title that increased all Attack Power and Defense by 5% against rankers was tremendously powerful.

Also, after Hyunsoo returned to Atlas, Raon came to find him.

“I only take half of my winnings.”

“......?”

Raon, apparently, had fallen completely in love with Korean dramas and movies ever since becoming close with Hyunsoo lately.

Hyunsoo had been able to obtain quite a lot of kingdom operating funds from looting the Indian rankers this time.

The amount came to a full 12 billion won.

Their luck had been poor.

For roughly two hundred Indian rankers to drop only about 12 billion won was not actually a staggering amount.

Of course, Raon had said he would offer the entire 12 billion to Hyunsoo.

Hyunsoo had refused at first, but Raon argued that if Hyunsoo had not come, everyone would have died, including the disciples of the Grand Thief.

The half of the winnings Raon was talking about now was the profit generated through Corpse Plunder.

Naturally, depending on the thief’s level, the chance of stealing through Corpse Plunder or Soul Theft must increase too.

Hyunsoo was curious how much profit Raon and the disciples of the Grand Thief could generate when they used it together.

Soon, Raon handed over the amount.

[You have obtained 13,000,000 gold.]

It was an amount equivalent to a full 13 billion won.

Raon knelt and offered it up, reciting the same line as always.

“A slave among slaves. Grand Slave, Slave King Raon, offers this to Lord Hyunsoo. Heh heh.”

Hyunsoo was impressed by Raon’s ability.

The things he and his disciples plundered from corpses and souls are worth far more than the normal drops?

Of course, Raon could not use this indiscriminately.

If he used it, he could use it on monsters.

This time, it had only been possible because the Indian rankers had provided enough justification.

Raon also said,

“The Indian government came to see me. They said they would cover half the cost needed to build the orphanage. And thanks to you, Lord Hyunsoo, I think I will use the profits from this incident to challenge myself to found a kingdom too.”

Hyunsoo had not accepted Raon’s request to join his guild.

Because this was what he had wanted—to see Raon stand somewhere higher.

The two of them were now clearly close friends.

But Raon said jokingly,

“A slave among slaves. And even King Raon will diligently assist Lord Hyunsoo.”

And the disciples of the Grand Thief were watching this scene together.

The disciples of the Grand Thief.

Every one of them was a figure close to Legendary.

Those disciples of the Grand Thief could not understand Hyunsoo and Raon’s relationship.

Paya, in particular, understood it least of all.

Paya was the youngest among the disciples of the Grand Thief, but he was also the most promising talent.

In fact, Grand Thief Dakuan had passed down every aspect of assassination to Paya.

“This makes no sense...... How can our Grand Thief be a mere slave?”

Seven disciples of the Grand Thief were positioned not too far away.

All of them agreed.

The old man Kalaon shook his head.

“It is incomprehensible. How can the Grand Thief be no more than a slave? Should he not be his closest friend? No, at the very least, should they not have a family-like relationship?”

They did not know why Raon jokingly called himself a slave.

They simply wanted to give Grand Thief Raon, who had no family, a family of his own.

As it happened, the little thief Paya had an interesting item.

“This is Alchemist Fun’s family register.”

“Family register?”

“By Alchemist Fun, do you mean that eccentric?”

Alchemist Fun.

He was the most famous alchemist across all of Ares, and he was an eccentric.

He was an unusual figure who created all kinds of interesting items.

“They say the family register shows his family relationships. Heh heh. Of course, it apparently assigns the family register based on Affinity, age, and so on.”

“Oh, that is an interesting item.”

“Why on earth did he make something like that?”

The family register was a truly absurd item.

But because the person who had made it was Fun, an eccentric by nature, they did not pay it much mind.

They simply wanted to see Hyun’s family relationships as acknowledged by the family register, and whether there was any room for Raon inside it.

Mischievous Paya went to Hyunsoo first and explained it to him.

“That’s an interesting item.”

Hyunsoo did not dislike the disciples of the Grand Thief either.

“We need one drop of blood.”

Hyunsoo held out his hand, and Paya cut his palm.

A single falling drop of blood landed on the parchment labeled “family register.”

Then names began to be written rapidly on the family register.

[Playfully peeking at Hyunsoo’s family register.]

[Great-grandfather. Story King.]

[Great-grandmother. Overlord.]

[Grandfather. Azure Heaven Ben.]

[Uncles. Sword King Barad, King Antro.]

[Children. Lucky Lump, presumed divine beast, Transcendent species Hope, Legendary Myriad Mile Bird, Brightest Moon Pretty, Transcendent species of Gathering Golemmy, dragon KyooKyoo.]

[Friends. Asura Kabel, Sword God Valhalla, Tower Master of the Sword Blacksmith Tower Daeng, Tower Master of the Bow Blacksmith Tower.......]

“......?”

“......?”

“......?”

The disciples of the Grand Thief, seeing it, were rendered speechless.

Of course, this family register was nothing more than a playful thing.

But what was certain was that it showed relationships connected by “Affinity.”

Paya looked back and forth between Hyunsoo and the family register.

No, his great-grandfather is the Story King...... Cough! Why is his great-grandmother the Overlord!?

The family register had no prejudice.

His grandfather is Azure Heaven, his uncles are the Sword King and Antro. His friends are Asura and the Sword God? This is insane. And what is this now!?

The last thing written nearly made Paya stop breathing.

[Cousin. Divine beast White Tiger.]

White Tiger was known as the strongest among the four great divine beasts.

He is cousins with that White Tiger!?

Only then did Paya understand how Raon felt as he stood off to one side, staring blankly.

The seven disciples felt relieved that he had at least become a slave.

“Only...... there is no grandmother.”

Hyunsoo also looked at the family register they had created.

It had been a playful thing, so he had readily agreed to it.

But then, the remark that there was no grandmother suddenly brought one thought to mind.

It was Purung.

Purung.

He had migrated to the nation of Hyun not long ago, and he needed a new position.

Also, recently, Purung had fallen into a listless state.

Because he had met the Overlord again, cleared up the misunderstanding, and his life as an examiner had ended as well.

On top of that, though the citizens of Bardrei had returned this time, the Ironclad Corps members were not there.

Because the descendants of the Ironclad Corps members had apparently been scattered.

So Hyunsoo went to meet Purung.

“I’ve decided on your position, Purung.”

“My position, you say?”

Purung, who had been trapped in listlessness, was swept up in enormous anticipation.

Luxiu already held the Commander position.

And the Deputy Commander seats were already filled by others.

So Purung did not know what he would do.

“You used to hold the position of examiner, and you’re better than anyone at examining and judging people. So I decided. Your position will be Talent Scout.”

“......Talent Scout, you say?”

“You’ll travel all over the continent, discover talents, and bring them back. And you’ll examine their qualifications.”

“......?”

At first, Purung wondered what kind of job that even was, but it seemed strangely good.

Hyunsoo also said,

“They say the only person missing from my family register is a grandmother. Bring me my grandmother, the scattered Ironclad Corps members, and any new talents you discover.”

Hyunsoo had simply wanted to give the listless Purung new work.

However, Purung felt an enormous sense of responsibility at the idea of finding the descendants of the scattered Ironclad Corps and bringing back the grandmother missing from his family register.

And additionally—

It is a splendid task.

Discovering and bringing in talent?

“......I accept your command.”

That day—

[Purung has been granted the position Talent Scout.]

A new position was born, and Purung left, carrying an immense sense of responsibility.

After hearing this notification, Nell came running in a rush and said,

“Then depending on the situation, he’ll knock people unconscious and bring them back if they don’t listen, won’t he......?”

“......??”

“It’s called Talent Scout because you made it sound nice, but he’s a kidnapper.”

“......!!”

And at this point, Hyunsoo still did not know.

That Purung would end up bringing back the World Tree as Hyunsoo’s grandmother.

*****

Yibaek.

He was the painter drawing the nation of Hyun, and he was the one who had recently created the Magnum Opus Old Man Ben.

On the day Yibaek had drawn the old man preparing his own funeral, he had realized something.

Stories are incredibly important in this Ares.

After that, Yibaek had continued drawing Atlas.

But after Old Man Ben, Yibaek had not been able to create another Magnum Opus.

As a painter, Yibaek wanted to capture a great many excellent stories of Hyun.

In fact, Old Man Ben, too, had originated from Hyunsoo’s story.

And today—

Yibaek encountered a second story.

It was the story of a Cerberus named Hope.

Yibaek picked up his pencil and began drawing on the sketch paper.

Cerberus, in the end, was a “dog.”

So he wanted to capture the story of a dog and a human.

Dogs were special beings to humans.

They follow only their masters every time.

How they never tired of it, he did not know. They lived only for their masters.

A master’s world has so much in it, but in their world, there is only their master.

SCRITCH, SCRITCH, SCRITCH-

He began drawing the existence called Cerberus with that feeling inside him.

And while a master, too, had so many things to do in the world—

They love you asleep in their arms.

They love the one curled up asleep in their arms, the warm, nutty smell that tickles the tip of their nose, and the walking path they sometimes run down together.

And then—

Day by day.

A dog that had been healthy begins to grow sick.

The master grieves over the dog that cannot eat as it once did.

The master had once had so many things to do in this world.

But now, thinking that the time they have left together has grown short, they increase the time they spend together.

They come home earlier.

And for the dog growing older than ever before, humans move their feet beneath the sun.

The human remains healthy. The dog feels itself growing frail and wags its tail as it looks at its master.

SCRITCH, SCRITCH, SCRITCH-

That is how the love of those short thirteen to seventeen years fades away in the lives of humans and dogs.

Why was that?

As Yibaek drew a single picture, he recalled Cerberus’s childhood like a panorama, and he imagined Hyunsoo running together with him.

He also saw the tenderness between the two, the sadness between the two, and the scene of Hyunsoo holding Cerberus in his arms while watching over his final moments, saying, “Thank you......”

SCRITCH, SCRITCH, SCRAAAAATCH-!

Inspiration came faster, and he continued drawing.

Cerberus had left, and he thought of Hyunsoo standing in the space where they had once slept together.

The ball he used to play with.

The water bowl from which he had eaten.

The cushion where his scent still lingered.

And the master weeping on the path they had walked together.

In a single picture, he captured the grief of losing a dog.

The wish of the person who had sent off the dog, and the wish of the dog who had gone first, were drawn into that single picture.

Without realizing it, Yibaek woke from deep immersion and looked at the picture he had completed.

In the end, the picture he had drawn had been completed after hearing the story of Hyunsoo and Hope.

It was a picture of Hyunsoo spreading his arms wide with a bright smile, and Hope running toward him with all his strength after overcoming torment, hardship, and adversity.

[The work’s name is Reunion.]

[The second Magnum Opus is written.]

[You have obtained 15 all stats.]

[You have obtained 200 Dexterity.]

[You have obtained 500 Fame.]

[All painter-related skills rise by 1 level.]

[Congratulations.]

[You have created consecutive Magnum Opuses.]

[A World Message rings out.]

The world was turned upside down once again.

The story being written by an unknown painter was stirring curiosity in people all over the world.

The second “Magnum Opus” once again dominated real-time search rankings, and throughout the entire day, the media spoke only about the nameless painter.

Did they know?

That the first Magnum Opus, the second Magnum Opus, and even the works that would be born from now on—

All of them originated solely from Hyun’s story, and all of them would one day belong to him.

*****

Ben, the subject of painter Yibaek’s first Magnum Opus.

For days on end, he had been immersed in training.

He walked among dozens of leaves fluttering down from the air.

“Ghost Step.”

BANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANG-!

Dozens of leaves were split in half in the single instant of one second.

I must complete it.

Old Man Ben was drawing closer.

Toward a power that could rival the secret arts said to have been created by absolute monarchs.

He was about to activate Ghost Step again.

“Cough!”

Blood poured from his mouth.

It was not because he had overexerted himself.

It was a phenomenon that came with age.

“Hah, haha.......”

Ben looked up at the sky and smiled sadly.

Hyun......

The old man’s death was approaching.