The Hero Returns

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The event boasting the biggest scale in the world got canceled from an unexpected commotion. The Gordon Company responsible for organizing the competition held a press conference soon afterward.

"There will be no more Ranking Wars."

Gordon Rohan was never a fan of beating around the bush, and he remained the same for the particular event.

He was fielding questions from reporters.

"Sir, can you tell us the exact reason why?"

Perhaps Gordon had already anticipated this question, so he answered without a fuss. "Because it's meaningless."

"Meaningless? Are you implying that it's not the issue of safety?"

"Unless another lunatic like Adel Castle appears, and since precedence has already been set, we won't have another event like this one. That I'm sure of."

"In that case…"

"Well, the winner has already been decided. I've come to realize that through this incident."

"Are you referring to South Korea's awakener, Kim Su-hyeun?"

"That's correct."

"Isn't it too premature to determine that without actually holding the finals? We were under the impression that you've been looking forward to your rematch in this Ranking Wars, but could it be that you already had a private bout without the public's knowledge?"

"You don't necessarily have to fight to figure that one out. Don't forget, Kim Su-hyeun solo-hunted the boss monster that came out of the indigo dungeon. Unlike me."

"But isn't it possible that there could be a hidden gem, a rookie who's a diamond in the rough among the other awakeners? So for you to be this certain about it is—"

"If there is someone like that out there, tell them to see me first. Of course, if it's some small-fry punk hoping for their 15 minutes of fame, then I assure you, they aren't going back home in one piece."

Gordon continued to answer the reporters' questions without holding back. Since the very beginning, he never minced his words nor was he the type to hold his tongue while worrying about offending someone.

"And so, I'll be delivering the victory prize from this Ranking Wars to Kim Su-hyeun."

The press conference was held for that purpose—to let the world know that he intended to deliver the prize of the aborted Ranking Wars to Su-hyeun—and so, the press shouldn't question him about whether such a thing constituted a preferential treatment or favoritism.

"But, surely, there will be questions on whether or not you're giving preferential treatment to him because both of you are awakeners in the same guild."

Sure enough, one of the reporters cottoned on to that point and threw out that question. Of course, Gordon had also prepared a suitable reply in advance.

"The victory prize is from me, to begin with, so what about it?"

"…"

No one could rebut that.

Officially, the man hosting the Ranking Wars was Gordon Rohan, and since the tournament was canceled, the "victory prize" had lost its meaning. In addition, it was also the right of the item's owner to decide who gets it in the end.

"Don't be too bitter about it. If it wasn't for Kim Su-hyeun, California would be a desolate wasteland by now. No, wait—maybe the entire United States would've ended up like that."

That was his real reason for holding the press conference.

"He's the hero who protected the United States of America, so I think he should receive far more than just our cheering and applause but an actual, adequate compensation. Anyone with a sense of honor should think that, too."

Gordon emphasized the last part of his declaration.

"And so, this prize is my gift to the hero who saved America."

Act 3

"And that's the reason why I was tasked with delivering this package to you, Mister Kim Su-hyeun."

Su-hyeun wore an awkward expression as he stared at the familiar blonde woman that came to visit him at his home.

Gordon said he would dispatch a courier, and he ended up sending someone pretty important in the process.

"You know, you didn't have to personally come here," Su-hyeun said.

The courier was none other than Ashlyn. One of America's S-Rank awakeners had actually come to visit him in his small studio apartment.

"How long have you been waiting for me?"

"Around five days."

"Were you planning to wait until I cleared my trials and returned home?"

"It was actually fine with me. I was able to sightsee around South Korea, and overall, it was an enjoyable experience."

Su-hyeun could only sigh.

It wasn't that hard to figure out the reason why she of all people had to come this far—there was the likely possibility of the item being stolen during its delivery or someone snatching it midway.

Ashlyn was one of the closest people to Gordon. Not only that, she was an S-Rank, so not many folks in the world would be capable of snatching things from her hands.

In other words, Gordon had tasked the safest person he could think of with the delivery.

"What is Mister Gordon Rohan doing right now?"

"He's currently climbing the tower."

"So soon?"

"It seems that he's become even more motivated than ever before due to the last event. Also, he asked me to pass on a message to you."

"A message…?"

"He said, use that thing well. If you plan to stay above him, then you must reach the heights where he can't even dream of touching, and you should look down upon the world below you."

"Sometimes, it feels like Mister Gordon says a lot of middle-schoolerlike things."

"Middle-schoolerlike things?"

"You know, those cringey speeches. Nowadays, kids call it chuunibyou syndrome. Apparently, it's a real disease, too."

"Ah, I see. I completely agree with you on that one. He certainly has that side to him. Personally, it's a real turn-off for me." Ashlyn's businesslike speech softened just a tad. She smiled softly at what Su-hyeun said and then stood up from her spot. "Now that I've delivered the item safely, I shall be on my way. I heard that you have reached the 60th floor. I'll pray that you safely clear the trials."

"Thank you."

After her business was over, Ashlyn exchanged brief pleasantries with him and left his home without drinking anything, not even a cup of tea.

Su-hyeun opened the small box sent by Gordon Rohan.

Click—

He opened the lid to find a ring and a note.

Su-hyeun took out the note first. Ashlyn probably passed on all of Gordon's messages already, so he was kind of curious to see if the burly American still had something else to say.

[Hit on her and you're dead.]

"…"

Su-hyeun didn't need a name to "her" here to figure out who he wasn't supposed to hit on.

"Looks like he's really into her," Su-hyeun thought.

He thought they were merely long-time friends, but it seemed that Gordon really, really liked her.

Unlike many other successful businessmen, Gordon never tried his luck with something as common as dating someone even at his current age. And maybe that was because of Ashlyn all along.

"Well, I'm sure he'll take care of himself…"

Su-hyeun was never interested in Ashlyn that way anyway, so he had no reason to sweat over this warning. Instead, he focused on taking the ring out from the box.

[Ring of Memories]

*This ring allows you to copy a technique for later use.

<ul>

Number of copies: 3

Number of usages: 3

</ul>

The plain-looking silver ring didn't seem particularly special, at least outwardly. Even the aura it emitted was nothing special.

However, anyone would lust over the item for its effect alone.

"Doesn't matter what technique it is…three times," Su-hyeun thought.

Not only that, but this item could also be activated without wasting magical energy.

The value of this ring's effect would wholly depend on how you used it. Depending on which skill you copied, you could use a truly cheat-like skill three times in a row without restrictions.

On the other hand, this item could end up as a mere trinket in the hands of an unskilled awakener. Fortunately, though, this ring found its way to Su-hyeun's possession.

"Its worth depends on what skill has been stored in it," he pondered.

Three opportunities.

Su-hyeun decided to think about this topic far more thoroughly than he had done before. Of course, he was definitely not planning to store a skill right now.

There might come a time when he would need to use his current set of skills in a row, and there was the possibility of earning even better skills later down the line.

Su-hyeun put the ring on and stood up from his spot.

Fortunately, he was able to pass the 59th floor's trial without much of a problem. He also didn't think he had overexerted himself.

"I'm challenging it right away," he thought.

The 60th floor.

The sixth difficult hurdle.

Su-hyeun went for it right away.

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Two million points. That was the amount Su-hyeun needed to spend to get the hint for the 60th floor's trial.

It was indeed an exorbitant amount. However, he had no trouble paying it.

He had an excess of points these days, plus he had also saved up a lot during each of the "10-floor" sections so far.

"Aah, this is a somewhat huge hint, you know…"

The gatekeeper seemed to hesitate for a while after receiving the points.

Su-hyeun didn't press him on and simply waited patiently. The gatekeeper, or the administrator, wouldn't eat up the points and pretend nothing had happened, after all.

The only reason for this waste of time was simply to wind him up.

"Tsk. I guess there's no choice." Sure enough, the gatekeeper lost interest and opened his mouth pretty easily after Su-hyeun displayed no reaction whatsoever. "Remember that the most dangerous enemy is always near you. This is your hint."

"That's surprisingly detailed, I have to say."

"Well, it's gotta be worth its asking price, right? I'm not a thug like some other punks, you see."

A hint this detailed was quite uncommon. Su-hyeun mulled over the gatekeeper's hint as he walked away.

"The most dangerous enemy, huh?"

The meaning behind the hint wasn't that hard to figure out.

When it said the "nearest," it possibly meant that someone he thought of as an ally could actually be not an ally at all.

"I better keep that in mind."

One mistake and he might get stabbed in the back.

[The 60th floor's trial is commencing.]

He stepped through the portal in the plaza, and the surrounding scenery began changing along with that message.

The first thing he felt even before his view had changed completely was the stifling heat. Soon enough, though, his eyes caught sight of a tall cliff face, as well as the sky dyed in a crimson hue.

"And where exactly am I?" he thought.

No message came his way either.

He didn't get flustered by this situation since he had already experienced something similar back on the 50th floor.

Su-hyeun raised his head to look at the cliff face, instead.

When he did…

"Hey, you down there—!"

A loud voice rang out from above.

It came from the top of the cliff that emitted a stifling heat, where he had also been sensing a rather noisy presence for a while.

"Come and help me out, will ya—?!"

Will ya—?! Will ya—?!

Echoes resounded.

The cliff was so tall that Su-hyeun couldn't even see what's up there. Therefore, the guy must have had one hell of a pipe if his voice could be heard so loudly from where Su-hyeun stood.

"Can that person see me all the way down here?" he thought.

Su-hyeun narrowed his eyes and concentrated his magical energy on them.

He could see something, but it was so small that he failed to make out what it was exactly. But then, "someone" up there somehow could clearly see him down there.

Whatever the case might have been, the owner of the voice had to be related to the current trial.

Su-hyeun promptly jumped up.

[Leap]

He repeatedly kicked the air. The cliff was so tall that he couldn't possibly reach the top with a single "Leap."

Only after using up almost all "Leap" skill available to him did he finally reach the top of the cliff.

And that's when he saw it.

Rumble, ruuumble—

The top of the cliff was enveloped in blazing flames, and above the flames was a cage that held a man with white hair.

"Oh, you are quite a bit stronger than you look, aren't you? I figured it would take you a long time to climb up here."

This man's eyes were different from a normal human's and were so crimson that one might as well say they were purely red.

The moment he saw the white-haired guy, Su-hyeun instantly recognized who he was.

"Sun Wukong."

An existence that is also known as the Great Sage, Heaven's Equal.