Ranker's Return

Chapter 938

After the successful end of the meeting with Hyeonu, Quency started the promotions in earnest. In addition to promoting it through FOX’s channels, they also promoted it through a number of their partners. The effectiveness of the promotional activities was terrific. All of the Arena communities, as well as people who didn’t know Arena very well, started to pay attention at least once.

Hyeonu, who was actually the subject of attention, was unhappy about the emperor’s coronation ceremony.

‘Why is it so complicated?’

He sighed as he looked at the schedule of the emperor’s coronation ceremony, which had been left behind by the chief of staff. The ceremony’s schedule was too long.

“What is the Yusma march? Really. It isn’t even a car parade.”

Among them, Hyeonu’s biggest problem was that he had to ride a horse and move through the system in a ‘ㅣ’ shape for more than an hour.

‘How can I endure for an hour?’

Underneath the parade was a note that read ‘with a smile’.

-From Kale: It is said that the filming will start now. I think you have to be careful with your words and actions.

Hyeonu’s annoyance lasted up to there when he heard a whisper that the filming had begun.

-To Kale: I understand. I’ll be careful from now on. Hyeonu replied to Kale and put the paper in his hand away.

Just then, the voice of the chief of staff came from outside the great hall, “Your Majesty, the time has come to begin the coronation.”

“I understand. Let’s go.” Hyeonu trudged down from the throne.

‘Wow, there are a lot.’

There was a huge number of NPCs outside the great hall. At first glance, there seemed to be thousands of them. Most of them were wearing colorful armor. They weren’t soldiers but armed people who were at least at the rank of a knight. Such large troops were lining up in the palace. It was truly the first time Hyeonu had seen such a sight.

‘It seems like everyone was able to come because they are nobles.’

Hyeonu found familiar faces among the many troops—Kim Seokjung, Gang Junggu, Yeongchan, Liu Shei, Mascherano, Reina, and so on. The masters of large guilds and the best-looking ones of the pro gamer teams were in attendance as well.

“Your Majesty, please sit on the prepared throne.” The chief of staff, who was standing behind Hyeonu, taught Hyeonu what to do.

“Understood.” Hyeonu sat on the prepared throne as the chief of staff instructed.

Just then, someone yelled loudly, “Presenting His Majesty!”

In response, the arranged troops got down on one knee simultaneously and shouted, “I greet the new emperor.”

It was spectacular. More than one thousand people moved as one body and spoke as one voice.

The chief of staff stood behind Hyeonu and whispered to Hyeonu again, “Envoys have arrived from the East Continent, the Holy Kingdom, and the League of Different Species to celebrate the inauguration of Your Majesty, the new emperor.”

“I will listen to them.” Hyeonu nodded slightly. At the same time, he crossed his leg, placed his elbow on the armrest, and rested his chin. It was an imitation of the emperor that he had seen most often.

The chief of staff gestured toward somewhere. Then some of the people standing in line walked out in front of Hyeonu. Two of them were faces that Hyeonu knew.

“I am called Teika, and I represent the League of Different Species. Congratulations on becoming the new emperor.” One of them was Teika. Teika was an adventurer and a disciple of the orc great tribe chief. Thus, he took on the role of congratulatory envoy and came to the coronation ceremony.

“Thank you for the congratulations,” Hyeonu responded to Teika’s congratulations with a smile.

Teika bowed and returned to his spot. After that, another person that Hyeonu knew stepped out.

“I am Liu Yongyun, and I represent the Yuxin Empire. Congratulations on becoming the new emperor of the Yusma Empire.” It was Liu Yongyun, the third prince of the Yuxin Empire. He was a connection that Hyeonu made when he crossed the Balder Mountains and headed to the East Continent for the first time. At that time, they had the statue of an earl and prince, but that had been reversed. They were now reuniting with the status of interim emperor and prince.

“I appreciate your congratulations too.” Hyeonu also received Liu Yongyun’s congratulations while resting his chin on his hand. He didn’t abandon the strange concept.

“I hope that the Yusma Empire will have endless glory.” Liu Yongyun didn’t say much about Hyeonu’s appearance but actually wished for a bright future for the empire. It was natural. In the battle against the god tribe, it was proven that the power of the Yusma Empire was more overwhelming than that of the Yuxin Empire. So he had no choice but to keep a low profile.

Liu Yongyun left, and the spot was filled by a middle-aged man in a white robe.

“I am Cardinal Berland, and I represent the Holy Kingdom. Congratulations on your ascension to the throne. May the blessing of the sun god be with you in the days ahead...” The man who introduced himself as Berland drew a cross and blessed Hyeonu.

Just then, brilliant sunlight started to shine above Hyeonu’s head.

-May there be blessings in your future.

A voice full of sacredness echoed through the imperial palace. It was the voice of the sun god, Liru.

“God...” Berland heard Liru’s voice and knelt down on the spot. He prayed for a while before saying to Hyeonu with a thrilled expression, “God Liru has blessed Your Majesty’s future.”

However, Hyeonu didn’t smile this time and replied with a slightly stiff face, “I am thankful for the congratulations and blessings.”

‘Is he making fun of me?’

There was something that wasn’t heard by others, but it was heard clearly by Hyeonu. It was the laughter of the sun god.

“Chief of staff?” Hyeonu said. It was evident to anyone who looked at Hyeonu that he had an obvious expression of displeasure. They couldn’t figure out the reason for Hyeonu’s current appearance. He had just been blessed by a god, not a mere priest, so it seemed strange that he had that type of expression.

Nevertheless, this was the place where Hyeonu’s coronation ceremony was being held, so they couldn’t express it here.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” the chief of staff responded to Hyeonu’s call in a polite manner.

“Let’s move onto the next process.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. The next process is the march through the capital. I’ll prepare the horse.”

The chief of staff bowed to Hyeonu and left quickly.

***

“He doesn’t look very pleased…?”

“Why is he angry?”

“I don’t know.”

The members of Quency’s general planning team cocked their heads as they watched Hyeonu’s coronation ceremony. They couldn’t quite understand Hyeonu’s behavior.

“I found the reason,” a young female employee said at this moment while pointing to the monitor.

“You found it?”

“What is it?”

The other employees gathered around.

“Listen carefully.” The female employee clicked the mouse.

-May there be blessings in your future.

Then there was the very small sound of laughter. It was obviously full of ridicule.

“Ah... This makes sense.”

The employees understood Hyeonu’s reaction. It was understandable that he was annoyed by this.

‘I didn’t know he would become the emperor...’ The young female employee, Jung Dahui, looked surprised when she saw Hyeonu passing through the capital on a horse.

When Hyeonu came back after deleting meleegod, Jung Dahui had been curious about whether his old abilities remained, so she skipped the tutorial process halfway and sent out the dark elf, the most difficult opponent. However, Hyeonu killed the dark elf easily.

‘It was amazing back then...’

Honestly, she never imagined that Hyeonu would kill a dark elf at level one. Furthermore, she never dreamed that the curiosity she showed due to her past relationship with meleegod would produce such a result.

‘I hope you continue to do well.’

Jung Dahui recalled that day from a long time ago. It was when she met a cold city man who genuinely helped a newbie who knew nothing.

***

“What is going on?”

“Who knows? I don’t know either.”

Yeongchan and Kim Seokjung talked as they watched Hyeonu’s back on the horse in the distance. The conversation topic was the irritated expression that Hyeonu had shown.

“Is it because he doesn’t like the emperor’s position?”

“It’s more than that... Something must’ve happened again. He isn’t a guy who would just do that for no good reason,” Gang Junggu muttered as he looked at Hyeonu’s back. They were people who knew Hyeonu’s usual self, so they didn’t understand the reason for his irritated expression today.

“By the way, it was really cool when the knights were doing the military duties earlier, right?”

“Yes, it was cool. I can’t believe my dongsaeng is the emperor...”

Yeongchan and Gang Junggu marveled as they recalled the previous ceremony. It was a sight they couldn’t see anywhere else and probably wouldn’t see again in the future.

“However, I just had a thought. My friend has now become the emperor... Do I get to see some benefits as well?”

“Well, let’s see…? I think it will be difficult to see any benefits. Receiving a quest is like winning an auction... It isn’t something he can direct.”

“What is the point of getting it?” Kim Seokjung laughed at Yeongchan and Gang Junggu.

Based on what Hyeonu had told them for hours, it would be absurd for them to receive preferential treatment from him. The quests that Hyeonu could give out couldn’t be monopolized, and it was impossible for him to push a quest to someone specifically. In addition, the quests weren’t particularly good; they were too easy for the rankers of New World to clear.

“Don’t speak nonsense, and just look at what is in front of you. Understood?”

Yeongchan and Gang Junggu shrank back at Kim Seokjung’s scolding.

***

Those who roughly knew the process that Hyeonu went through to become emperor could have a slightly calmer reaction to the emperor’s coronation. However, the general public didn’t know anything about the process, so they couldn’t help but watch the coronation ceremony in front of them with great immersion.

-Wow, isn’t this really crazy?

-Our Alley Leader is the emperor.

-The title of the next live stream will just be ‘The Emperor’s Progress Streaming.’ ㅋㅋ

-Lool that would be funny.

The viewers who mainly watched Hyeonu’s live stream or videos were pouring out their admiration for Hyeonu while watching the FOX broadcast or the emperor’s coronation ceremony that other rankers streamed. Meanwhile, the emperor’s coronation ceremony was reaching its end. The march through the capital was completed, and all the nobles walked out in front of Hyeonu and took the time to swear their allegiance.

At the end of the whole process, the viewers watching FOX’s broadcast saw a one-sentence subtitle: -The real-time streaming will soon begin on Alley Leader’s personal channel.

The viewers who saw the subtitle or who heard the news all flocked to Hyeonu’s live stream.

[Streaming to introduce my house ㅎㅎ]

The title was also unconventional. It was about his house. Hyeonu was the only one who could call the imperial palace his house.

“Is everyone seated?” Hyeonu smiled brightly when he saw the tens of millions of viewers.

-Yes, Emperor.

-Shouldn’t it be Imperial Emperor, not Alley Leader?

-That’s right. The emperor is right.

“No, I like the name of Alley Leader. It is a name that I gave myself.”

Hyeonu shook his head at the messages of the viewers.

-The leader’s alley is a bit wide ㅋㅋㅋ.

-There are many people who live in that alley. Isn’t that right?

The viewers started to chat in a playful way after hearing Hyeonu’s words.

“The alley I am walking through is a bit wide. The house I live in is quite spacious.”

Hyeonu spread his arms wide and turned around. Then naturally, the live stream screen switched to a bird’s eye view looking down at the sky behind Hyeonu. A spectacular view of the palace was shown.

“Isn’t it great? The gardens are well maintained, and the facilities are very nice.”

Hyeonu walked around the imperial palace and introduced the interior of the imperial palace. It was a progression worthy of the current streaming title.

“This is a place that you would’ve seen often. This is the location of the video where you see my meeting with the emperor,” Hyeonu said as he entered the great hall.

-Wow, that is the throne.

-It is where the emperor used to sit all the time.

-Please sit down.

-Do the emperor cosplay just once...

“Emperor cosplay? Wait a moment...”

Hyeonu blinked a few times before slowly climbing the stairs to the throne. Then he sank down on the large throne. As he stared at the viewers, Hyeonu’s eyes were very dull. It felt as if he had lost all of his passion. Simultaneously, he gave off an intimidating feeling. It was a kind of pressure like something serious would happen if they came at him in the wrong manner.

Hyeonu remained like this for a long time before asking the viewers, “How is it? Was it a bit similar?”

-Yes. It is similar.

-Wow, it is really similar.

-Is that why he became emperor?

-By the way, tell us what happened to the emperor.

The viewers clapped because they liked Hyeonu’s appearance.

Hyeonu watched the chat window for a while before coming down from the throne. Then he hurried to another place.

-Where is this place?

-It looks good here as well.

-The imperial palace is good.

“This is where I work as the emperor. It is called the office.”

The place that Hyeonu entered was the office. It was the place where Hyeonu managed government affairs.

“I’ll show you how I do the work in the office.”

Hyeonu sat on the chair in the office. Then he called Tang-E and Gom-E.

“Now guys, you got it? Do what you were taught last time.” Hyeonu gestured with his chin toward Tang-E and Gom-E.

“Understood, Master dude.”

“Believe in me, Master dude.”

Tang-E and Gom-E stood beside each other and nodded.

“I will hand it over.” Gom-E placed the paper on the desk in front of Tang-E.

“I will stamp it.” Tang-E stamped the jade seal on the paper that Gom-E put down.

This process was repeated over and over again. There was no end.

“This is how I am doing things. It is hard for me alone, so I have to borrow even the paws of these guys.” Hyeonu looked like he was crying as he looked at Tang-E and Gom-E.

-This is child abuse.

-It is labor exploitation.

-How can you make these kids work...?

The viewers scolded Hyeonu when they saw it. This was too cruel.

Hyeonu casually ignored the viewers’ words. He wasn’t weak enough to be swayed by such words. It was more important to resolve the government matters in front of him right away.

“I am looking for talented people to work with me. I am recruiting people who want to run the huge territory called the Yusma Empire. Experienced people are preferred. The more administration skills you have, the better. The salary will naturally be paid at the highest level. There will be employee welfare once a month! I guarantee a meal with Tang-E and Gom-E.”

Hyeonu smiled and released rapid-fire words.

-A dinner once a month?

-I unconditionally have to go.

-I will go even if it’s without a salary.

-It is better to be an imperial administrator than a territory administrator.

The eyes of the viewers widened at the conditions Hyeonu mentioned. In their eyes, Hyeonu’s words were ridiculous conditions. They thought it was really good. However, not everyone was caught up in the conditions.

-It sounds like he is looking for slaves, not just talented people?

-It seems like he is looking for someone to do it for him.

-I think that sounds right?

Hyeonu’s eyes trembled when he saw such messages.

-To Kale: Please deal with the viewers hindering the recruitment of administrators.

“If you are a talent who will illuminate the future of the empire together, please contact Nike Management.”

“Give them a call, you guys.”

“Do it by all means, you guys.”

Hyeonu, Tang-E, and Gom-E smiled brightly and waved.

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