LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 181
**Real World.**
[Important Announcement]
Dear users,
First, we would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to all the users who have shown overwhelming support for ‘Last Round.’ With the conclusion of ‘Last Round,’ Season 1 of Ranking of Soul has officially come to an end.
The previously announced 4th generation of Season 1 will no longer take place. Instead, a new era will begin, driven by the will of the players. Additionally, the preparation period, initially scheduled for March 23, will be indefinitely extended. We ask for your understanding.
Please look forward to Season 2, which will be conducted in a new cycle and manner in the future. ^^
Additional: The finale video of Season 1 of Ranking of Soul, along with a special video from the representative of the players, will be uploaded today at 18:00.
As the holiday break ended and she returned to work, Han Nayeon kept re-reading the notice posted on Mijon’s website while on the subway.
Upon entering the office and sitting down, despite three days having passed since the airing of the Last Round, the young employees were still busy chatting about Ranking of Soul. In the past, she would have been the most excited one, jumping into the conversation, but now, Han Nayeon pretended to be busy, quietly smiling and pre-reading documents.
She was now special. She held a secret that no fans worldwide possessed.
“I’m so glad I liked Rudel. I’m happy Rudel is my favorite. Waiting is painful, but…”
Knowing that the special video for Season 1 was going to be uploaded at 6 PM, she could hardly wait for the end of her workday.
As soon as the clock struck six, she quickly packed her things and sped out of the company, trying to avoid her boss’s attention.
It was already past six when Han Nayeon boarded the subway and found a seat.
Her friends, who had been camping in the chat room an hour before the upload, went wild in the chat as soon as it went live.
Despite her curiosity, she held back. From this moment on, they weren’t friends but enemies of temptation.
Fearing spoilers, she turned off her phone and rushed home like a bullet, only turning it back on once she arrived.
[Video from the Player Representative_4:10]
[Season 1 Finale_7:04]
Could the representative be…?
With a trembling heart, Han Nayeon started playing the first video.
The space shown on the screen was an indoor area made of wood. It looked like a large auditorium. The stage was empty, as if waiting for someone. The camera angle was a frontal view, like a presentation video.
Han Nayeon anxiously waited for the person to appear on stage.
Thud, thud.
A person wearing low-heeled shoes, black slacks, and a casual suit leisurely appeared from the back of the screen and stood in the center.
“Ah…”
Han Nayeon let out an involuntary exclamation.
Rudel stood there, looking incredibly dashing. As a revolutionary and the new representative of the characters, what kind of impressive speech would she give? Rudel was, to put it nicely, a master of boasting. She always knew how to strike a pose perfectly. Although it seemed she had been deleted from the game and was blamed for leading the guild to its demise, in the end, she overturned the world. She had plenty of reasons to praise herself now.
Han Nayeon’s eyes were fixed on Rudel’s lips, which were just starting to open. However, Rudel paused, as if choosing her words carefully. She rolled her eyes slightly to the side and fell into deep thought. It looked like she had many things to say but was pondering how to begin. Was this also part of Rudel’s act? Probably.
But then, Rudel shook her head, as if trying to free herself from all previous pretenses and speak genuinely this time.
[“I have worked really hard.”]
Han Nayeon listened without even making a sound.
[“Each day was intense. Especially after I left the game on my own. There were moments when the burden and the overwhelming feeling almost drove me crazy.”]
If words had power, surely Rudel’s voice was reaching beyond the tiny screen, touching and moving countless souls around the world.
[“Yet… in retrospect, maybe it’s due to the rosy lens of memory. I don’t know how other players felt, and many might not sympathize with me, but… I had fun. I had experiences I’ll never have again.”]
Tears welled up in Han Nayeon’s eyes.
[“Did you all enjoy sending your comments too?”]
Regardless, the viewers loved them, supporting them until the very end. They survived and were recognized because of the viewers.
Despite knowing she was a game character being used, Rudel still showed respect to the viewers. She gave a dependable smile that fans loved and bowed.
[“We will now step back. And, we plan to start a second life. Whenever that happens, once we settle down… we’ll share our updates.”]
Even though it was indefinitely extended, it was a promise of the next season from Rudel’s own lips. Han Nayeon nodded.
After soaking in the afterglow for a while, she played the Season 1 finale video as well.
The video started with a pitch-black screen.
Thud. Thud.
The video began with the sound of drums leading the way, as if a majestic beam of light was unfolding onto a dark stage. The low, rumbling electronic tones heightened the tension, while a quiet chorus from a choir added gravity. Just as the music began to play with the viewers’ hearts, a sharp violin melody cut through the air.
Out of the pitch-black darkness, a crackling white hand extended from outside the screen, electricity sparking and scattering into the void.
[Hon｜Electric Shock]
Hon from the Fairy Guild opened the finale with a sly smile on the dark screen. The video was a mad movie, introducing the names and abilities of key figures from each guild, each segment lasting 15-20 seconds.
The background remained black, filled only with the characters’ movements and abilities. It looked as though the characters were acting like actors, suggesting that the video was not captured in the game but rather produced directly by Mijon’s GMs. The extreme division of roles must have required all the game company employees to give their best, resulting in such high quality.
[Runnehan｜Copy]
The first highlight of the music featured Runnehan’s Meadow, a hugely popular guild from the second generation. Standing solemnly like an orchestra conductor with closed eyes, Runnehan’s comrades were introduced one by one. Runnehan traced their abilities with his hands, smiling slightly with his eyes closed.
[Yudy Rey｜Gravity]
With the dramatic closing of multiple black sliding doors, the screen flipped dizzyingly up and down. Opening the blocked door, Yudy Rey’s blood-red eyes glared with murderous intent as she hurled an axe towards the screen.
Thud-!
The camera zoomed out to reveal the person who had blocked the axe with a single finger.
[Lesia｜Wind]
Lesia, giggling, used her long legs to leap off the camera like a perch, with an eagle swiftly flying overhead.
[Shemarin｜Poisonous Vine]
The second highlight featured the third generation’s sole leading guild, Red Monarch. The formidable men of Red Monarch passed by one by one, while the lighting slowly ascended from below, illuminating the queen seated on her throne with her legs crossed. Her smooth bare legs were partially covered by a black curtain, with only one eye and a sharp smirk visible through the slightly parted drapery.
The final part of the music’s variation turned a deep blue.
[Aleon｜Freezing]
The saint, radiating a forlorn aura like a blue violet, looked up at the screen while lying upside down.
He stood tall, and behind him, countless followers were silhouetted in the background. The final guild to grace the music’s ending, as everyone had expected, was them. Black rocks surged, almost bursting the screen, and a long-missed familiar figure appeared.
[Gio｜Earth]
As always, Gio brought a comedic moment. Fixated on a girl’s feet caught on camera, he dropped the stones he had been manipulating with his hands in surprise.
[Lilith｜Warmth]
Lilith’s calm green eyes were highlighted like emeralds, and suddenly, the screen zoomed in like a sniper’s scope. Within the reversed scope, a man’s face receded.
[Kanell｜Accelerated Shot]
The screen went completely black before reappearing. A handsome man, standing with his back turned, only moved his head to glance at the screen, causing many female viewers to sigh.
[Unhar｜Wolf]
A massive wolf, hidden in the darkness, flashed its blood-red eyes behind him before disappearing. Unhar was depicted with such heart-wrenching beauty that it revealed the guilt and affection the game characters’ representative had for him.
The music concluded.
[Agatha｜White Phoenix]
Portrayed with her adult form’s white-hot ability, she returned to Agatha instead of the Red Monarch guild. The white phoenix she released filled the screen with stunning visuals until it formed the letters ‘Ranking of Soul’ with its body.
The only character absent from the video was Rudel. Her name and abilities were not introduced. Instead, viewers could find her name at the bottom of the credits.
[Leader of Players｜Rudel]
The finale curtain fell.
Han Nayeon lifted her head, glancing around her home, which now felt like a faint dream of memories where they once lingered.
“When you update us on your whereabouts… you’ll visit me again, right? I’ll be waiting, Rudel.”
Thank you for making yourself special, and for making a fan who loves you feel special too.