Chapter 165
Chapter 165
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 165
Chapter Title: World Ranker Announcement Ceremony (1)
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Rankers!
The aspiration and idol of all hunters!
Only 1,000 exist worldwide.
Only those listed on the 「World Ranking Board」 can prove their worth.
And.
Thud!
"Hey, that's pretty cool."
Right now, on the TV screen Kim Jin-ah was watching, the massive obelisk in the eastern United States filled the view.
- Here we go, everyone! You've been waiting! It's almost time! In just a bit, at 00:00 world time! To usher in the year of 2023, the Year of the Black Rabbit, the broadcast from the eastern U.S. board is underway!
- As you know! Unlike the start of the month, the new year brings massive changes to the world rankings. Isn't it exciting?
- Of course! How could it not be, as a hunter powerhouse? Haha!
With the new year countdown so close.
Two male and female MCs were chattering away into their mics.
"In the end, New Year's Eve alone, huh."
Kim Jin-ah flipped to a channel that seemed decent enough and chugged her beer.
Gulp, gulp!
On the phone in her hand, live chat messages scrolled by in real time.
└ Ughhhh! It's almost here!
└ Can't wait for the ranking changes? The top 20 probably won't budge this year either?
└ Probably not. No rumors of fights or anything.
└ Yeah, it's a concrete wall there. They're locked in for good.
└ Hi everyone. I'm a newbie hunter turning adult this year. Could you all pray for me? Please.
└ Ooh, a newbie! Must be tense lololol
└ Lmao. Fr.
└ Isn't this when life as a loser gets decided?
└ ……Please pray I get a good unique ability.
└ As long as it's not 'Shit Eater', take whatever gratefully.
└ That Shit Eater bait is still going? Lol wasn't that fake?
└ ……Hey, watch it. That's real.
New Year's is a festival for all hunters in the world.
The day new hunters are born, and ranker shake-ups happen.
About ten years ago.
Before the New Year's bells, they'd announce the year-end music awards and acting awards.
Now.
The hottest event was the 'World Ranker Announcement Ceremony'.
An event that etched the rankers' epithets and names into people's minds once more.
- How many rankers does our country have right now? Could you give us the details?
- Yes, of course! Since Dark Lord Kim Hyeok-seon joined last time, our proud Korean rankers total 37. Take a look at the list!
Like a soccer lineup before the World Cup.
The hunters' rankings scrolled across the screen—swish.
Hasera, Jang Dae-woong, Ki Pa-rang…… and so on.
It was time for the MCs to explain each one before the latest updates.
"Boring. Hic."
Kim Jin-ah hiccuped and snorted.
The same event every year, the same reactions every year.
In short, when Hasera appeared……
└ Whoa! It's Hasera!
└ Hasera! Hasera! Hasera!
└ Godsera! God Demon God Church!
└ 15th century had King Sejong, 16th had Yi Sun-sin! And the 21st has Hasera!
└ Honestly, us being the world's #2 hunter nation is all thanks to Hasera. She's just light itself.
└ Fr. Without Hasera, we'd drop out of the top 20;;
The chat would explode like that.
Sure, they were elevating the nation's prestige.
But what did that have to do with her?
"Hmph."
She wasn't originally this cynical, but being left alone for so long had twisted something in her.
Or maybe it was the booze.
Still, Kim Jin-ah's eyes wouldn't leave the TV.
"No point doing anything else anyway. And Amje's on there."
Amje—Gi So-yul—was no longer with 「Parang」 but 「Demir Workshop」.
As vice workshop head, she had to keep tabs.
'Amje's basically our workshop's firepower soon.'
Kim Jin-ah's goal wasn't just running a workshop.
It was serving the extraordinary Joo Dong-hoon from the start and building the world's top guild.
'The problem is that dungeon-mad owner hasn't shown up in months.'
Grit.
Kim Jin-ah ground her teeth again.
'Just you wait.'
Unless he came back as a ranker or something, she wouldn't let him off easy!
As she inwardly chewed out Joo Dong-hoon.
- Now just 10 seconds to the new year! 10 seconds left!
- Shall we count together? 10! 9! 8!
Time had flown by.
A giant digital clock appeared on the TV screen.
- 7!
"Seven!"
"Seveeeen!"
Outside, it was noisy too.
Voices counting along drifted in.
- 3! 2!
Kim Jin-ah stopped her grumbling and stared at the screen.
No matter how bitter, the anticipation of a new year made hearts race.
- 1!
The moment it hit, her vision blurred faintly.
This was.
"As expected."
Kim Jin-ah grinned.
- 0!
The moment 2023's new year began.
In Kim Jin-ah's vision.
No—in every hunter's vision worldwide.
[Rankings have been updated.]
[Refer to the World Ranking Board.]
The update message appeared.
And then, one by one!
The rankings popped up on screen.
[Rank 1, ???]
[Rank 2, Demon King Jack Smith]
[Rank 3, Heavenly Demon Hasera]
[Rank 4, Oxford's Sage Sophia Silverstone]
[Rank 5, Dungeon Maker Delaila]
[Rank 6, Paladin Aria Yuel]
[Rank 7, Grace of Yggdrasil Nina Kristin]
[Rank 8, Spirit Emperor Ichikawa Takeru]
[Rank 9, Roider Ronnie Williams]
[Rank 10, Spear King Chen Zi-yi]
…….
About one every two seconds.
The rankings started updating on screen.
- Wow! Hasera holds strong at world rank 3 again!
- Amazing! So proud!
The MCs shouted excitedly in response.
Sure, it was their job.
Part of it was for the paycheck.
But their genuine expressions doubled the audience's emotion.
└ Kyaa, as expected of Hasera!
└ Phew, was sweating if she'd drop to 4th. Can't lose to the UK!
└ Insane. How does a tiny peninsula like ours produce talent like that?
└ Just thankful! Love you!
Heavenly Demon Hasera.
Korea's representative in her own right.
Overseas, mentioning Korea brought Hasera to mind first.
And.
[Rank 19, Berserker Jang Dae-woong]
└ Woooah!
└ Berserker climbed a spot!
└ Whoa, Berserker…… scary. Almost top 10 in record time?
Korea's rank 2 was still the Berserker.
[Rank 46, Famous Bow Ki Pa-rang]
Rank 3 was Famous Bow.
Up a whopping 12 spots from 58.
"Whoa. As expected of Amje's big bro!"
Even Kim Jin-ah, nonchalant about hitting 46th, couldn't hold back an exclamation.
Rankings within the top 100 barely shifted.
Outside too.
"Woooah!"
"Well done, Famous Bow!"
"You worked hard!"
They cheered, tossing beer cans skyward.
Citizens sincerely celebrating their country's rankers' success.
「……Did Amje climb a lot too?」
What Kim Jin-ah really wanted to see was just Gi So-yul.
Rank 379.
Even jumping to the low 300s would be huge.
It'd solidify the workshop's position even more.
"Truth is, as long as she doesn't drop, it's fine."
The two high rankers rose, but plenty of hunters fell too.
Obviously.
It was a zero-sum game—someone rises, someone drops.
So, passing 52nd, 53rd, 54th, 55th……
Watching foreign rankers go by.
"……Huh?"
That's when something familiar popped up.
Familiar……
But……
Utterly ridiculous.
"Eh?"
She frowned for a split second.
A weird noise escaped her lips.
Rub, rub!
She rubbed her eyes.
"What the fuck."
Was she drunk?
What?
No way she'd get wasted on beer—she was famous for her tolerance.
But.
No matter how much she rubbed, the text didn't change.
The text floating before her eyes.
[Rank 78, Skeleton King Joo Dong-hoon]
"Bullshit!"
She freaked out.
Joo Dong-hoon?
Common name or not, she only knew one.
Especially with a skeleton-related epithet.
"Real? What? Why's the workshop head there?"
The alcohol vanished—poof.
Blood surged from her toes, head burning.
Goosebumps prickled, hairs standing on end.
"Does that even make sense?"
A Korean.
New to the top 100—shocking enough.
"The workshop head wasn't even a ranker before?"
Top 78 in three months? No way!
"Oooh?"
"Huh? Huhhh?"
Murmurs rose outside too.
"Joo Dong-hoon? What?"
"78th? That's a Korean name, right? Joo Dong-hoon? Sounds familiar…… Not overseas Korean?"
"Wow! What the helllll!"
Her mind went blank.
- ……Ah! Wait a sec. What…… What's going on? Joo Dong-hoon—isn't that Korean?
- Uh, yeah, gotta check. Sorry for the glitchy broadcast.
Even the hyped MCs were buffering.
"Right? Not just me?"
Kim Jin-ah's hands shook.
Ah.
What if.
This wasn't a dream, but real?
He went to some weird dungeon and became a legit ranker like that?
Or unlocked some hidden power?
'Crazy.'
Chills ran down her spine.
78th was Korea's rank 4.
After Hasera, Jang Dae-woong, Ki Pa-rang—fourth place.
Her dream.
Founding a guild with global influence!
The difficulty plummeted to the bottom.
Rankers would line up just hearing his name.
"Ah, ahhh."
She stared at her phone with trembling hands.
└ ??
└ ???? Joo Dong-hoon?
As expected.
Chat in chaos.
Comments flooded so fast she couldn't keep up.
└ Joo Dong-hoon. That guy! Demir Workshop head.
└ Yeah. The S-rank weapon maker!
└ Wait, wasn't he a blacksmith necromancer?
└ Skeleton King?
└ What happened? Spill info!
└ Ffs. If there was info, it'd be headlines already.
└ But if he makes S-rank weapons solo, isn't he already ranker material? Rankers aren't just combat power.
└ Still, 78th is crossing the line. All at once. Unprecedented. And Joo Dong-hoon was outside top 1,000 just now. Ffs. Wasn't a ranker.
"What the…… Real deal."
Pinching her cheek hurt, so not a dream.
Kim Jin-ah was dazed.
That moment.
Rustle! Thud!
A sound from the terrace.
She turned—familiar silhouette.
"Amje?"
"A bit late? Had to pick someone up."
"Huh?"
Between the TV and Gi So-yul, in her stunned view.
Thud!
Another figure dropped down.
"Ah."
Kim Jin-ah's jaw dropped.
The guy who'd tormented her heart all this time.
The hot topic now driving the nation nuts.
"Vice head. Waited long? Ah, uh…… Might wanna close your mouth. Jaw might drop off."
Casual joke of a tone.
"Ah, workshop head?"
The runaway workshop head was back.
As rank 78, no less.