I Became The Rankers’ Number One Pick [EN]: Chapter 101

101.

Thump, thud, thump, thump, crash-!

The ground shook several times again. Seo-ah and the A-class Hunters, who were investigating near the lake, had grim expressions on their faces.

“Ugh, what on earth are they doing to cause such a ruckus?”

As Yoon Ah-jung grumbled worriedly, Kim Su-hyuk clicked his tongue in agreement.

“As if he’s not a monster. Look around here, it’s completely devastated.”

The terrain looked as if a giant meteorite had collided with it.

“And to think there was water underground. We should assume someone artificially collected it.”

“It must be that black magician. And this lake is probably the entrance to that subspace.”

Kang Hae-in asked curiously at Seo-ah’s confident tone.

“How did you know that?”

“When I fell into the lake in that world, I met Hunter Yoo Ji-an in the water.”

“You met in the water, so you really went into this lake and met him.”

Seo-ah blushed slightly at the memory, and quickly changed the subject.

“This is not the time for this. Hunter Yoo Ji-an is fighting those skeleton soldiers alone. And that black magician was there too….”

“Skeletons? He can handle that, right?”

The other hunters seemed to agree with Kim Su-hyuk’s words.

“Don’t worry too much. If he managed to get Hunter Park Seo-ah out of there alone, he must have some kind of plan. He’s always like that.”

Song Jin-ho, who was using a recovery skill on Seo-ah from the side, soothed her in a gentle voice.

‘If they believe it, there must be a reason.’

Even while thinking that, Seo-ah recalled the last battle scene of Yoo Ji-an that she had seen a little while ago.

‘He’ll win, he can handle that much. He’s an S-class Hunter, after all.’

It wasn’t that she didn’t trust his abilities. Rather, she was worried about his mention of a rampage.

Seo-ah, who had been quietly watching the hunters, asked Song Jin-ho as if she had just remembered something.

“Oh, right, what about Ellis?”

“I left her with Ignis for now.”

“Is that okay? She’s still a child….”

“I promised Ignis, so the fire engraved on Hunter Park Seo-ah’s heart should be gone too.”

At those words, Seo-ah touched her left chest. There had been no symptoms other than when the fire was first engraved, so she couldn’t tell even if she touched it like this.

Kang Hae-in put his hands on his hips, approached the lake, and looked down into the deep water.

“If this water is really a connecting passage, should I go in first?”

“You alone? If you’re going, we should go together.”

“I’m the only one who can handle water… and we don’t know how deep it is.”

While they were exchanging opinions, the ground shook again. It seemed like an extension of the previous one, but the vibration was much greater.

Seo-ah, who almost fell, barely managed to stand her ground.

But suddenly,

“Everyone, get out of the way!”

Kang Hae-in, who was closest to the lake, shouted loudly. Almost at the same time, all the water that had been collected in the lake was sucked in at once.

Before Seo-ah could move, Song Jin-ho hugged her and quickly retreated. The others also moved far away.

Yoon Ah-jung came to Song Jin-ho and Park Seo-ah’s side and deployed the skill [Sand Armor].

Seo-ah also cast [Fighting] and [Love Yourself] on those nearby.

“What is it? What’s about to appear?”

“What happened to Ji-an? He’s still not visible on the map… oh, he’s up!”

His location had not been displayed on the map while he was in the black magician’s subspace. But the fact that his location appeared on the map meant that Yoo Ji-an had come to the surface.

“Where did he appear… Waaah!”

Kim Su-hyuk, who was looking at the map, screamed in horror at the suddenly rising ground and retreated further out.

Seo-ah stared at the scene in front of her with an unbelievable expression.

What rose from the deep pit where the water had disappeared was a black snake. A very large and hideous one. The size of one scale of the three-headed snake was almost the size of one person.

The group seemed to be overwhelmed by the snake’s overwhelming appearance and did not react at all.

Then, Seo-ah pointed to the middle of the snake with her hand.

“There…!”

There was something dangling from the middle of the black snake. It was a person.

“Ji-an hyung [older brother/term of endearment]!”

Song Jin-ho, who found Yoo Ji-an, called out to him in a loud voice. Yoo Ji-an seemed to look this way for a moment, then pulled out the Ruin Blade that was stuck in the snake and jumped to the ground.

Kuaaaaak!

Pure white light poured out from the spot where the Ruin Blade was pulled out.

【Insects!】

Seo-ah was surprised by the voice she had heard before and looked at the snake again.

“Black magician?”

Then a system window popped up.

[Forsaken Black Magician (Evolved)]

[Overall Rating: A⁺⁺]

‘Evolved, huh.’

The rating was also one level higher than when she first saw it.

[A black magician who worshiped a demon, but became a demon himself after the demon disappeared.

The screams and pain of humans are the source of his power. As long as humans cry out in pain, his life will last forever.

He overcame his weak body and became the strongest creature on earth.

When his roar echoes in the world, everything under the ground will be terrified.]

[Items that can be obtained: Black Serpent’s Scale, Satan’s Eye]

The description at the bottom had also changed. Before, it said that the main body’s power was not strong, but now it said that he was the strongest creature on earth.

Yoo Ji-an, who had landed on the ground, jumped towards Seo-ah.

“Hunter Yoo Ji-an!”

“Ji-an hyung! What happened?”

Yoo Ji-an, who glanced back at Song Jin-ho’s question, briefly looked at Park Seo-ah.

“Are you hurt?”

“No, are you okay, Hunter?”

“I’m fine. You see that thing now.”

Seeing Yoo Ji-an come out, the other members also ran this way.

“Oh, oh, what do we do about that?”

“Wow, that, that snake, what is it doing?”

But the black snake had been repeating strange behavior since a while ago.

It raised its head to the sky and kept ramming into something.

Thump, thump, thump.

As if thunder was striking, the sky roared and the air trembled.

“Ceiling… ?”

“There’s a ceiling in the sky? What, is this place a closed space?”

“Ah, that’s not important right now, look there!”

Yoon Ah-jung pointed to the open lake.

There were things crawling up from there.

“They’ve regenerated already.”

Yoo Ji-an muttered bitterly. They were the skeleton soldiers that Yoo Ji-an had destroyed earlier.

“You guys take care of those for now.”

Yoo Ji-an pointed to the skeleton soldiers for the group.

“What about you, Ji-an?”

When Kang Hae-in asked, Yoo Ji-an pointed to the black snake with his eyes.

“I have to take care of that.”

“…Can you do it alone?”

Yoo Ji-an, staring at the black snake, scanned everyone, including Seo-ah.

“You should know. If I seem strange, run away immediately.”

Fortunately, a gate had been created near where they were.

Usually, the exit appears 6 hours after entering the gate. One at the entrance where they came in, and one around where the hunters’ battle is taking place, so two appeared.

They didn’t know why they were created in those locations.

“Hunter Yoo Ji-an.”

Seo-ah, who was next to Song Jin-ho, approached Yoo Ji-an. She placed her hand over Yoo Ji-an’s and gave him a buff [enhancement spell].

Yoo Ji-an looked down at Seo-ah with calm eyes. Perhaps embarrassed by the gaze, Seo-ah started to babble.

“Well, it might not be necessary for Hunter Yoo Ji-an, but still… it’s better than nothing.”

“No.”

Then Yoo Ji-an simply denied it and gently placed his hand on the top of Seo-ah’s head.

“Thank you.”

“…….”

Then he immediately turned around.

Towards the skeleton soldiers crawling up, Yoo Ji-an swung the Ruin Blade horizontally.

A strong wind poured out from the tip of the sword, and the skeletons were pushed back and fell back into the hole.

“Wow… he took them all out in one shot.”

Kim Su-hyuk exclaimed, beyond admiration. Yoo Ji-an said indifferently, looking at the group.

“It’s easier to catch them as they come up.”

“Okay, good idea.”

Kang Hae-in and Yoon Ah-jung went near the lake first to catch the guys.

Seo-ah also made eye contact with Yoo Ji-an for a moment, then ran to the pit with the group to help them.

Thump, thump, thud!

Yoo Ji-an looked up at the black snake, which was still hitting its head.

【Let me out! You can never trap me!】

Yoo Ji-an knew the meaning of what he was saying. The more intelligent individuals among the ‘trapped ones’ must have noticed that something was wrong with this world.

But he was not in a position to sympathize.

If he didn’t get rid of him, and a gate break occurred, the earth would be in danger.

Yoo Ji-an gripped the Ruin Blade tightly. And just as he was about to jump towards him, a wind with strong heat blew in from somewhere.

Looking that way, he saw surging flames.

And Seo-ah, who was near the pit, also recognized them and waved her hand.

“Ellis!”

And Ignis was there with Ellis in his arms.

Ignis stared at the black snake with burning eyes, then looked at Yoo Ji-an.

【The power belonging to this world cannot finish that guy. But I will help.】

At those words, Yoo Ji-an faintly raised the corners of his lips.

“That’s reassuring to hear.”

Ignis put Ellis down on a hill a little away from them.

【Ellis. Now, stand here and swing this.】

Ignis was extremely kind to his young spirit master.

Krrr-

Then suddenly, the sound of hitting the sky subsided.

Seo-ah’s face, looking up, turned pale.

The black snake stopped what it was doing and was staring at the ground with its yellow eyes.