The Hero Returns

Boom, boom—!

Fireworks exploded. Noises of people were heard from everywhere. Su-hyeun and Hak-joon shook their heads as they watched the crowds flock to the streets of San Francisco.

"It is like the 2002 World Cup," Su-hyeun said.

"Were you on the street at that time?" Hak-joon asked.

"I was young, so I only remember vaguely. But I remember there were a lot of people instead of soccer games."

"Was it like this?"

"Well…maybe that time was less crowded than this…."

There was no place to put their feet on the street of San Francisco. They headed back to Gordon Tower. Lee Ju-ho was already waiting in front of Gordon Tower.

"Over here! Here!"

Lee Ju-ho's voice came through the crowd. Since there were too many people, it was difficult to find each other even after contact.

"There are too many people! I thought I was choking to death," Lee Ju-ho said.

"Sorry that you suffered," Su-hyeun said.

"Meh. It's alright. I didn't come here to just watch the game, you know. I came here to look after you guys."

They turned around and entered Gordon Tower. The tallest building in the world, Gordon Tower, had been out of service for several days. The inside of the tower was so quiet. It made them felt like the crowd outside was a lie.

"The stadium is underground," Lee Ju-ho said. "And we have about an hour before the game starts. I've finished the process, so you guys just can give your name and wait in there."

"Thank you," Su-hyeun said.

"Don't say that. I volunteered to do it. It was not like you guys asked me or something. Since I have such talented friends, this is the only thing I can do."

The elevator began to descend underground. The elevator continued to descend beyond the tenth and twentieth floors.

"Hak-joon. Please, keep your temper and don't get injured. And Su-hyeun." Lee Ju-ho touched Su-hyeun's shoulder and said as the elevator stopped. "You are going to win, right?"

"Of course."

Ding—

The elevator stopped. The display did not show what floor they were on. Soon, the elevator door opened. A harsh light came through.

"Wow…" Hak-joon exclaimed inadvertently at the sight in front of him.

Su-hyeun was also surprised, which was rare for him. The scene revealed in front of them was unbelievable.

"It is so…huge," Su-hyeun murmured.

"I was amazed, too, when I came down before. I am still amazed."

It was a dome-shaped stadium. The ceiling was hundreds of meters high. It would have seated not only hundreds of thousands of but millions of people. It was bigger than the World Cup Stadium.

<<How big is this place?>>

Su-hyeun and Hak-joon thought the same thing. What Lee Ju-ho said was the answer to their question.

"The entire area of San Francisco is about 147,037 acres. This underground is about 0.5 percent of that, so 735 acres."

"735 acres?" Hak-joon asked back as if he could not grasp that high number.

Lee Ju-ho replied, shrugging as if he knew Hak-joon would ask, "You don't get it, do you? Think of it as 4 times bigger than Yeouido Hangang Park."

"Four times?"

"Yeouido Hangang Park is about 187 acres. So, it is a little bigger than that. I didn't know either. I didn't expect people could make such a big area so deep underground."

Su-hyeun could not help but feel surprised about the fact that this huge stadium was bigger than Yeouido Hangang Park.

"Gordon Rohan must have spent some money," Su-hyeun said.

"About 10% of the Ether stones from the United States go to Gordon Rohan," Lee Ju-ho said. " He is involved in all fields, such as the processing and auctioning of Ether stones, and he also attacks the dungeons."

"He was an oil giant before. Now he is an Ether stone giant…." Hak-joon muttered.

"That is why he is called the world's richest man. This huge space is a work made of Ether stones," Lee Ju-ho said, smashing the wall with all his power.

Thump—

They could feel a small vibration through the wall. It looked like there was some sort of device that could absorb the shock.

"To make this huge space at this depth, shock dispersion technology using Ether stones is essential. I think this place was made with a lot of time and effort."

"Interesting." Hak-joon looked pretty excited about the fact that the stage was huge.

There were many cameras as well. It was broadcasting live all over the world. Even right at that moment, one camera was facing Su-hyeun and Hak-joon.

"If you are done to be surprised, hurry up. You guys are the last ones probably."

Lee Ju-ho guided them to under the stadium. Su-hyeun and Hak-joon looked around the people sitting in the stands. Among them, there were people who recognized Su-hyeun's face and whispered his name.

<<Have they come to see the matches in person?>>

There were spectators looking down the stadium through some safe walls. They were millionaires in this era. They brought A-Rank awakens with them. They were people who had spent a lot of money to watch the Ranking Wars up close.

<<Safety walls and A-Rank bodyguards…>>

He could sense how much money they had spent. At that time, one familiar face was seen.

<<Song Hyeong-gi?>>

When Su-hyeun found Song Hyeong-gi, he also found Su-hyeun and waved his hand. He said something to the old man next to him and then he came out of the stands made of a transparent glass wall.

"Hey! It's good to see you!"

"…Wow. His voice is loud." Su-hyeun sighed and approached Song Hyeong-gi.

"I knew you were coming. I don't know anybody here. I was so bored."

"We don't have much time. Let's talk on the way."

"Sure, sure." Song Hyeong-gi put his arm around Su-hyeun's shoulder and kept smiling as if he was so happy to see him.

After Song Hyeong-gi joined them, Lee Ju-ho waved his hand and left for the stands. "I'm leaving. Be careful not to get hurt. Do well."

"Oh, yes. Thank you."

Su-hyeun and Hak-joon said good-bye. Lee Ju-ho bowed to Song Hyeong-gi and headed to the stands.

As they walked to the stadium, Su-hyeun asked, "So, who was he? Next to you, at the stands."

"Oh. My father."

"Your father?"

"F-father…?" Hak-joon who was listening to them widened his eyes. "You mean, the CEO of Song-il Group?"

Song-il Group was a well-known company not only in Korea, but also around the world. Song Hyeong-gi was the youngest son of the that family.

"Yeah. He came all the way to see the game. He usually has lead in his pants. It's a rare thing."

"Did he come to see you?" Hak-joon asked.

"…No. He probably didn't come here to see me. He didn't say anything to encourage me." Song Hyung-gi made an awkward expression as if his relationship with father was not that great. "But what can I do? Since he came here, I had to say hello. It was so awkward! It was great timing that you guys came. I came out as an excuse."

"Was that why you looked so happy?" Su-hyeun asked.

"Of course. Why else would I be glad to see you guys?"

"Don't you want to see Miru?"

"Miru is an exception."

Song Hyung-gi came down to the stadium with Su-hyeun and Hak-joon. But he still glanced at the stands area. It seemed like he was concerned. Soon, a number of S-Rank awakeners gathered under the stadium. The huge stadium seemed pretty full when hundreds of awakeners gathered together.

<<Not everybody came.>>

Even though it was an event held by Gordon Rohan, there were many people who would not participate. Considering that there would be one or two S-Rank awakeners per country, possibly three or four at most, about half of them had not participated in this competition.

<<Well. Half of them is still a big number.>>

Seeing S-Rank awakeners was not an easy thing. They were usually too busy, so most of them did not know each other. They were all awkward. The only group that had more than three people consisted of Su-hyeun, Hak-joon, and Song Hyung-gi.

"How long do we have to wait?" Song Hyung-gi sat down on the floor and complained as if he didn't have too much patience.

It was about the time to start.

"It will start soon," Su-hyeun said.

"When?"

Su-hyeun looked up the stadium and said, "Probably…now."

A whistle came from the ceiling above the stadium. The awakeners looked up. There was a familiar face looking down at them.

"Gordon Rohan."

"Why did the host come last?"

"Who's next to him?"

Next to Gordon Rohan, there was another person who was covered in a robe. At the appearance of Gordon Rohan, the quiet stadium became disturbed.

Gordon Rohan opened his mouth to speak when everybody focused on him. "Thank you for coming, everybody. And also, I thank the viewers from all over the world for your interest in this event."

Gordon Rohan's voice echoed clearly in the middle of the huge stadium. His words were immediately translated into many other languages, written in subtitles, and spread to the world. It seemed like Gordon Rohan had been preparing for this day from years ago.

"I don't like to say things long. All of you don't like boring speeches, right? I will just introduce the judge of this Ranking War." Gordon Rohan pointed to the man who wore the robe next to him. "I am sure you guys all know him. He is the one who invented the S-Rank awakener examination system. Johnny Brad!"

The awakeners buzzed at the unexpected name.

"Johnny Brad?"

"Really? He came here?"

His name was more known among the awakeners than the general public. The S-Rank awakener examination test was in use in all countries around the world. Johnny Brad was the awakener who had invented that system. He was the best awakener in hallucination skills.

<<Gordan Rohan and Jonny Brad…>> Su-hyeun thought.

Two of the world's leading awakeners stood side by side. This was a pretty remarkable scene to announce the beginning of the Ranking Wars.

<<He really prepared thoroughly.>>

Su-hyeun assumed Johnny Brad did not come just for judging.

<<Jonny Brad is good at hallucination, magic, and spells.>>

His abilities were not simply divided into strengths and weaknesses. What made him special was his versatility. He was the awakener who had the most skills in the world.

"Now…"

Rumble—

Along with Gordon Rohan's words, a huge glow came out from under the stadium.

Whoosh—

"Let's start the Ranking Wars!"