The Return Of The Genius Ranker Of All Times [EN]: Chapter 175

175.

I checked the wording again, thinking I might have misread it, but nothing had changed.

It was exactly as I had seen it.

‘……A hidden raid boss means it’s a Hidden Raid Boss, right?’

It was already surprising enough that it was a Hidden Piece, but it was even more shocking that it was a Hidden Raid Boss.

Do-hyun, who couldn’t even imagine that the Hero Guild was recruiting a raid team, was speechless at the information.

“But I feel a little relieved now. Luel brought you, the foretold Apostle.”

“……What exactly is this foretold Apostle you speak of?”

“……Hmm?”

Do-hyun, annoyed by the constant incomprehensible remarks, asked again.

Gilberun’s eyebrows twitched.

Then, he looked at Luel, expecting an explanation, and Luel smiled sheepishly.

“Haha, now that I think about it, I didn’t explain it.”

“……Luel.”

“Sorry, sorry, there was something that caught my eye, so I was busy figuring things out. I can tell you now.”

“Haa…….”

Gilberun sighed, as if saying, ‘That’s what I expected,’ and looked back at Do-hyun, opening his mouth.

“I apologize. I thought it had been discussed, but I didn’t realize it hadn’t. May I explain it now?”

“It’s alright.”

“Thank you for your understanding.”

Gilberun smiled slightly, barely lifting the corners of his mouth, and continued.

“We are currently in trouble. Not from someone else’s threat or interference, but purely due to my own fault. And the only one who can solve it is an Apostle.”

“…….”

“But we cannot receive help from just any Apostle.”

A trustworthy person who wouldn’t leak information.

And at the same time, someone with enough power to help them.

Gilberun desperately wanted such an Apostle, and according to the prophet Luel, such an Apostle would appear within a few years.

“And you appeared. With Luel.”

Charlie clapped at the simple and clear explanation.

-Indeed……! The prophet recognized the Lord’s heroism!

-……What ‘sim’? Eliza, what is he saying?

-Liza?

Jihad couldn’t hide his bewildered expression at Charlie, who was nodding with sparkling eyes, agreeing with him.

Do-hyun found it just as absurd.

Listening to it like this, it was nothing short of a hero’s tale.

“You are the knight of the foretold Apostle, and your words are correct. Well, it is a few years earlier than originally predicted.”

“……Things change all the time. The timeline can always be moved forward.”

Gilberun nodded at Luel, who was pouting.

“I’m not blaming you. It’s a good thing for me.”

“Of course, of course. Why are you staring again? Is there something you’re curious about?”

“What do you mean you vouched for me, Luel?”

“It’s nothing much. It literally means I guarantee you are qualified as the Apostle of prophecy.”

Do-hyun, having his question answered as well, nodded.

‘That grind quest was a kind of test, I guess.’

It seemed too difficult to be just a simple grind quest.

It was no exaggeration to say that he had done everything he could in Pratel’s field.

So, he was a little puzzled.

He wondered if this was really just a rare-grade quest.

He had just assumed that the final quest was very grand, but now it seemed there was also a test purpose.

‘Did clearing it in a week have an impact?’

Even if it had taken longer, he might still have received the linked quest, but it probably had some effect.

At this point, their purpose was obvious.

It must be to defeat the Hidden Raid Boss, Ruidhra.

But he had too many questions before that. Among them, the most curious was the Sleeping Beauty.

“Then what about Angela? Why is she asleep in the forest?”

“…….”

Gilberun’s face hardened at the name Angela.

But that was only for a moment.

Soon, with a bitter expression, he sighed.

“I see. You’ve been there.”

“Well……. I heard you were looking for Angela. I promised to tell you about Angela and tested you, so I had no choice. Is that a problem?”

“No, it’s not. These are things I have to tell you anyway. He should know what happened here and what situation we are in now.”

Then, after a beat, Gilberun stroked his beard as if deep in thought.

“Hmm. Where should I start…….”

With eyes filled with reminiscence, he spoke calmly.

“I have a congenital mana control disorder.”

“I already mentioned that.”

“I see. Then you must have mentioned Angela’s ability as well.”

When Luel nodded, Gilberun closed his eyes and slowly traced back to the past, step by step.

Finally, after finishing his thoughts, he parted his chapped lips again.

“Yes, let’s start with the first time I met her. It was when we were children, but for some reason, the word ‘destiny’ came to mind.”

Thus began the story of Gilberun and Angela.

* * *

To summarize the story:

Gilberun, a boy of about 16, and Angela, who was 15 at the time.

Unlike now, both were going through difficult times.

Not long after learning about his congenital mana control disorder, he was going through a turbulent period, and Angela’s family was in decline.

Looking back, it was a moment when he thought it was a really difficult time.

“Foolishly, I fought with my worried parents and ran to the end of the forest. It’s too steep to enter carelessly, but I liked watching the moon from the edge of the cliff there.”

A place too difficult for a young boy to climb.

But Gilberun often climbed there.

Standing on the steep cliff, the full moonlight shone on him softly, as if he were looking at the horizon.

It was as if it was comforting him, telling him it was okay.

“That day was also a day when I needed comfort.”

His father, who wanted to pass the throne to Gilberun, and the knights who had expectations.

And on the contrary, his little mother and household members, who were not happy with Gilberun suffering from mana control disorder.

He was exhausted by all of that and ended up exploding and running out.

But what was this?

For the first time, an uninvited guest came to his spot, which only Gilberun visited.

He was wary and got up, but there was no need to be.

It was a girl who still looked young. A pure girl with the impression of a small rabbit.

It was 15-year-old Angela.

She also couldn’t bear her family’s decline and ran away.

But when she came out, she had nowhere to go, and she got lost and arrived at the end of the cliff.

“Isn’t it amazing? The first time we met, when we both needed comfort, was at the end of a cliff. Maybe it was because our hearts were driven to the edge of a cliff.”

The first meeting, which started by chance, changed their destiny completely.

They were able to perfectly help each other with the weaknesses that they thought they could not overcome with their own strength.

So, at the end of the cliff where the moonlight stayed.

They gained comfort and hope from each other, and naturally, they began to sprout feelings of love.

The two were a perfect match.

When what had been tormenting them so badly disappeared, the emotions that had been dried up blazed uncontrollably.

“So, I became king, and I often walked through that forest with her, dreaming of the future.”

He thought they would be each other’s sanctuary for the rest of their lives and live a happy life.

“Until I found that necklace.”

“Could it be that the necklace is…….”

“That’s right. Angela’s necklace that you found at once. The necklace of truth that changed our destiny and created Ruidhra.”

[You have heard the truth about Gilberun and Angela.]

[Recorded in the Book of Adventures.]

[You have cleared the quest ‘Angela’s Secret’.]

[Acquired 300 gold and a lot of experience as a reward.]

[Level up.]

‘Oh my god.’

He had expected it to some extent, but the Fragment of Destiny was really the culprit.

This fragment causes problems wherever it goes, to the point where he suspected it was an incident generator.

‘No. The sword is not guilty. The problem is the person wielding the sword.’

The problem is the people who gained strong power and lost their minds.

Unfortunately, Gilberun and Angela were also such cases.

However, the direction in which they exerted their power was slightly different.

“Have you ever seen the Lantern Festival?”

“Yes. I’ve seen it about twice.”

“Originally, the Lantern Festival was not such a lighthearted festival. It was closer to a ritual.”

“A ritual……?”

“Hmm, how much do you know about the necklace? Do you know nothing?”

Do-hyun nodded at the question.

He was in a position to collect the Fragments of Destiny, but honestly, he didn’t even know what each fragment looked like.

“The necklace was half broken and faint, but it contained a powerful seed of purification.”

“…….”

So, Do-hyun listened to Gilberun’s words.

The seed of purification.

It was literally a seed that purified something, and as expected of the Fragment of Destiny, even the seed contained in the broken fragment showed tremendous purification power.

“Just wearing it calmed the mind and purified any pollutants.”

Up to this point, it was just a necklace that had unique effects and was good for the mind and body, but the problem was Angela’s ability.

The eye that sees the flow of mana.

Sensing the seed of purification in her body, she grasped the true power contained in the necklace.

“The seed of purification could purify not only external things but also internal things.”

Even wounded hearts and mental pain.

Here, the two thought.

“With this ability, can’t we create a society where no one suffers? A country where everyone is full of hope.”

Not suffering, living happily with loved ones, and going happily.

Wouldn’t that be a paradise of dreams?

And the two had the ability to put it into practice.

‘Necklace’ that boasts tremendous purification ability even when broken.

‘Angela’s eyes’ that can see the flow of mana and the source of the soul to be purified.

‘Gilberun’s overwhelming amount of mana’ that would make it possible to raise the seed of purification throughout the city.

Everything fit together perfectly, like a divine revelation.

“Could it be…….”

“……Yes. We began to light the seed of purification in the lanterns to comfort the hearts of those who were losing their dreams and becoming exhausted. A ritual to make everyone happy just by being alive without any worries. That was the previous Lantern Festival……. No, the purification ritual.”

Tting-

[You have learned the hidden secrets of Pratel.]

[Recorded in the Book of Adventures.]

‘Oh my god.’

It was the moment he learned the birth story of how the dream city of Pratel came into being.

* * *

And at that time.

Outside the castle, the city was more bustling than usual.

“It’s time. We are starting to recruit the Ruidhra Raid Team! If you want to apply, come this way.”

“Me, I’m first!”

“Get out of the way, you bastard!”

“Waaaaa!”