Ranker's Return

Chapter 418

Translator: rainbowturtle

Editor: LD & Jyazen

The camera on the roof of the bus was busy. Every time the six people pressed the button on their tablet PC, it had to move to that person.

“No? Our dormitory is very good.”

“Practice? Everyone is just working hard.”

“Just do it. Work hard.”

The six people talked about different things while looking at the screen.

-I watched today’s match well.

-You won today as well!

-Let’s win it all!

-The raid is also number one!

Hyeonu read and answered the messages he saw in the fast-rising chat window: “Yes, thank you. It is all thanks to everyone.”

-Don’t say something you don’t mean.

-Right, we all know it.

-By the way, how long will this stream go for?

-Are you going to use this as this week’s stream?

The viewers were pleased with the sudden stream, but they didn’t know when it would end and didn’t like that. They were worried that if Hyeonu did this, he would subtract it from the quota of scheduled streams. Hyeonu read and answered the viewers’ worries: “Ah, I’m planning on streaming only until we go back to the dormitory. I will go back home and stream alone.”

This was just an event. He was preparing for the Arena stream separately.

-Phew, I’m glad.

-By the way, what type of vehicle are you riding?It is very luxurious.

-It looks like a bus?

“Ah, this vehicle was made-to-order, so I don’t know. It is just our ride to the stadium.”

-Who ordered it?

-Mason must’ve done it.Isn’t he a chaebol?

-Doesn’t Alley Leader have enough money to order this type of bus?

-Would he do it though?He probably never even thought of ordering something like this.

“That’s right, I didn’t order it. It is a vehicle that Mason bought,” Hyeonu chatted with the viewers.

It was at this time that Mason, who was drunk off the atmosphere, caused some trouble. He said, “Hyung, shall we have a team dinner elsewhere today? We’ve only been eating at that one place all day, so it’s a bit boring. We’ve played half the league smoothly... Isn’t this okay?”

Mason had been instigated by the viewers, who constantly posted messages with content like this: -It is the first time streaming in reality. Won’t it be disappointing if it ends like this? Please do a bit more or broadcast the dinner.

So Mason was tempted to continue the stream.

Hyeonu turned to look at Mason. “Eh? A team dinner? This sounds good. Is there a place for us to go?”

He didn’t notice Mason’s intentions at all and just accepted the superficial meaning, perceiving it as eating out instead of at the dormitory as usual.

“A place to go? I’ll take care of it. So we are going today?”Mason’s face brightened at Hyeonu’s permission that wasn’t actually permission.

“Everyone, it’s fine. Let’s go!” Mason shouted while looking at his tablet PC.

Seeing that, Hyeonu realized what was going on. ‘Don’t tell me...?’

“Just now, were you talking about continuing to stream while we’re there?”

“Yes, why? Didn’t you say it was fine? No?” Mason frowned at Hyeonu’s words. To be precise, it wasn’t a frown. He looked like he would cry at any moment.

‘It can’t be helped.’ Hyeonu sighed lightly and nodded. Mason wouldn’t have liked it this much if Hyeonu hadn’t allowed it in the first place.

‘It is my fault for not noticing,’ Hyeonu thought. It wasn’t that he disliked it. It was just a bit unfamiliar. This was his first time doing a stream in reality rather than virtual reality.

‘This was why, at the beginning, I just wanted to say hello and talk...’

“Well, there isn’t much of a difference.”

‘I was going to do it for the next stream anyway...’

He could think about what to do for the next stream ahead of time. Hyeonu felt comfortable with the current situation when he thought about it this way. The moment Hyeonu’s full permission was given, Mason immediately pulled his phone out of his pocket and made a call.

“John, it’s me,” he said to the person on the other end of the line—John, Mason’s butler.

-Yes, Young Master.

John was staying on the floor just above Crescent Moon’s dormitory. It was an inevitable choice for him since he had to stay by Mason’s side.

“I have a request. We’re going to have a team dinner. That place isn’t right.”

-You don’t like that place?Do you want a larger practice room?John said, with his expression stiffening a bit. He thought Mason’s words were implying that the practice room was small.

Noticing that John had misunderstood, Mason resolved the misunderstanding: “No, that isn’t it. I just want to create an atmosphere today. Find a place with a good atmosphere outside. In addition, we haven’t eaten yet.”

Then he explained in detail why he called, “In addition, it should be a place that’s only for us. Ah, we will also be streaming, so please send the equipment and people.”

-I will find the best place, Young Master.

“No, I don’t need such a nice place. I don’t want a place like a hotel. Just in moderation, okay?”

-I understand, Young Master.I will do as you say.

“Then I will trust you. Just let me know the place.” Mason finished everything he had to say and hung up.

-The extension of the stream is confirmed!Scream loudly!

-By the way, if the party goes on for longer, then will there still be a stream tonight?

-So what if there isn’t one?They just need to lengthen this stream.

-That means we can’t see Tang-E.

-Ah, that’s right...I didn’t think about that.

It was only then that the viewers realized Hyeonu wouldn’t be streaming Arena tonight if the reality stream became longer, and if he didn’t stream Arena, they wouldn’t be able to see Tang-E. The week-long wait would be in vain.

-It can’t be helped.

-Tang-E might not be present, but this is the first time he’s streaming in reality.

-Who knows?There might be a legendary scene today.

-I hope so.It must be worth Tang-E not appearing.

While the viewers prayed sincerely, the bus drove on the open road.

***

‘Still... nothing has changed from when he was a child.’

A smile appeared on John’s face as he thought this. His young master was always friendly. Mason was like this as a child and even now.

‘If a hotel doesn’t work... where can I hold it?’

John struggled to complete his young master’s request.

***

John made contact a short time later. He had received the report that they hadn’t eaten dinner, so he booked a restaurant specializing in Korean beef.

“We will arrive soon. Be prepared to get off,”the man in the driver’s seat informed his passengers.

“Everyone, did you hear that? We’re here now. However, the camera isn’t a portable one. I think I will need to turn off the stream for a while before turning it on again. Can you wait 20 minutes for us to enter the restaurant and to set it up?” Hyeonu said, asking the viewers for their understanding.

The camera installed on the bus wasn’t something that could be carried around.

‘There is no handle...’

In order to stream while moving, they needed to attach a camera to the end of a long stick or have someone else film it. Presently, neither option was possible. Even if there were someone to carry around the camera, Hyeonu’s camera wasn’t something that could be carried.

‘If I knew this, I would’ve brought another camera...’

Yeongchan’s house had quite a few cameras because he also did outdoor streams.

-You need to turn it on quickly.

-20 minutes is too long...

-I won’t go to another room. I will wait here.

Nevertheless, the viewers accepted Hyeonu’s words. In fact, there was nothing to accept. Nothing would change just because they didn’t accept it.

“Then I\'ll turn it off. I’ll see you later.” Hyeonu ended the stream and turned off the camera. For a moment, he closed his eyes and buried himself in his seat. A wave of tiredness suddenly came over him.

“We’ve arrived. You can get off now.” Soon, the bus arrived at its destination.

Crescent Moon’s players started getting off the bus one by one.

“Wow, is this a restaurant?”

“There was a place like this?”

“Why do I feel like we’ve come to a forest instead of a restaurant?”

The players who got off the bus expressed their admiration. The scenery around the restaurant was very different to the rest of the area. They couldn’t believe a place like this was in the middle of the city. The restaurant was surrounded by a significant number of trees. The only thing disappointing was that it was winter now, so the trees only had bare branches remaining.

“Look, this is a pond. There is also a water wheel.”

There was even a water wheel. It didn’t move, which was also because it was winter. Nevertheless, just its existence here was novel.

“Young Master, come this way,” John greeted Mason and the other players.

As John approached the players who were busy looking at the surrounding scenery, he said, “I booked the biggest room. We have also finished preparing for the stream. Originally, the staff here would cook the meat for you, but I refused because I was afraid it would get in the way.”

Once John’s explanation finished, Mason thanked him, “Thank you, John,”

With a slight smile, John guided the players to their room. As they walked inside the room, they were in awe again. Too many things had been prepared in such a short time. The particularly surprising thing was the large television installed on one side of the wall. Such a thing couldn’t be found in a normal restaurant.

“What is this?”

“We prepared this to make the stream chat easier to see.”

The intended usage of it was even more amazing. The television was simply for looking at the chat window, nothing else.

“Then please have a pleasant meal...” John slipped out of the room after his work was done.

The only ones left in the room were the players of Crescent Moon and the sole staff member brought in by John to manage the shoot.

“Can I set it up now?”Hyeonu asked as he approached the staff member standing in front of the camera.

“Huh? Yes. Just log into your A-World account, and I’ll take care of the rest,”the staff member replied with a confident face like he was quite experienced at this.

‘It is better than I expected.’

Hyeonu felt satisfied with the staff’s attitude. In fact, he felt the staff wouldn’t be very reliable since they had been found in a hurry. Nonetheless, Hyeonu was now satisfied with such a good person.

Knock knock knock.

At that moment, someone knocked on the door and called out, “The fire and meat are ready. Can I come in?”

It was the staff of the restaurant who knocked on the door. The answer didn’t come from Hyeonu but someone else. Hyeonu was busy with the camera, so he couldn’t afford to answer the question.

“Yes, come in,”Sunny replied in a lively voice.

The door opened.

“It is hot, so be careful.” Three employees came in and placed the stove full of black charcoal into the slot on the table.

“The meat has been prepared with special cuts that were ordered in advance. Please enjoy it.”The staff member carrying the fire disappeared.

Then the other staff member put down the meat on the table. It was the beef the team had ordered. The strange combination of red and white of the raw beef was beautiful.

“Look at the marbling!”Lee Hoon exclaimed when he saw the beef piled up on the plate.

The moment Lee Hoon tried to pick up the meat with the tongs, Hyeonu said, “It’s done. I will start the stream, so get ready, everyone.”

Lee Hoon quietly dropped the tongs back onto the table. Moments later, the television on the wall showed all of the players except Hyeonu. Underneath, the chat messages were rising quickly. The streaming session had restarted.

“It took exactly 13 minutes. It is nice to see you again, everyone.”

The second stream began at a Korean beef restaurant.