The Return Of The Genius Ranker Of All Times [EN]: Chapter 176

176.

The city erupted in excitement as soon as the recruitment began.

“Wow, is this the entire raid team?”

“Daebak [Korean slang for ‘amazing’ or ‘jackpot’]… How many people are there?”

“I’m glad I waited in line for two hours. They’re flooding in so fast.”

“If they had allowed lining up in advance, there would have been a fight, right?”

Everywhere you looked, there were players and long lines.

It was only natural.

After all, it was an opportunity to participate in the first raid of a hidden raid boss.

Although they couldn’t participate in the Ludra raid try team [the initial attempt team], just being part of the larger raid team was a huge benefit.

“What’s the point if all you do is catch mobs [common enemies] and watch the boss fight with nothing to do?”

“So, there wouldn’t be any point?”

“Just participating in the raid team gets recorded in the Adventure Log, and you get raid rewards. Does that mean nothing? Are you crazy?”

You don’t get the items or benefits from defeating the boss directly, but that didn’t matter to most.

What was important was sharing the raid quest by participating in the raid team.

Just participating and defeating mobs is recognized as participating in the raid, and you can get quest rewards.

And that’s not all.

It’s also recorded in the Adventure Log, and you get to witness the first raid attempt firsthand.

No matter how you look at it, there was nothing to lose. It was beneficial in every way.

“Wow… Is this for real? You have to participate no matter what, right?”

“That’s why the line is overflowing, you idiot. I should have come a little earlier, but I had to take a dump…”

That was why the crowd surged forward like a wave as soon as the recruitment started.

At first glance, there were thousands of players.

Among them, there were those who tried to cut in line and got into fights, but those people quickly disappeared without a trace.

“Cutting in line is not allowed.”

“…I, I’m sorry.”

The Hero Guild executives were monitoring the lines and removing those who were causing trouble.

“Wow… They’re causing a scene in front of the Hero Guild.”

“Isn’t that a suicide attempt? If they get caught, they’ll be taken care of as soon as they do something villainous.”

No one would dare to cause a ruckus in front of the Hero Guild executives, who are authorities and experts in dealing with troublemakers.

Thanks to that, the recruitment ended quickly.

“100 people… Okay, recruitment is now closed. Unfortunately, it’s on a first-come, first-served basis, so everyone else can go home now.”

“Ah… I was right behind the last spot. Can’t you just let me in?”

“No, I can’t. The maximum number of raid participants is 100.”

“Ah, damn it! I waited for an hour, and this is what I get. How can it end in less than 5 minutes?”

As the person receiving applications at the recruitment booth put away the papers, complaints erupted from all directions.

All of them had waited for at least an hour, and many had waited for more than two hours.

They had waited aimlessly for that long, but it ended in just 5 minutes, so the feeling of disappointment was inevitable.

It wouldn’t be surprising if a riot broke out.

“Sigh… This is why I was reluctant to accept just anyone.”

“Anyway, when you do someone a favor, they act like they’re entitled to it. Why are they raising their voices?”

“Right. Well, the Guild Master must have a plan. He’s never been wrong about these things.”

This was the problem when providing benefits to everyone without restrictions.

They raise their voices as if they’re entitled to it.

“What, get out of the way.”

Then a man suddenly cut in.

“Who told you to move… Huh. Mr. Jerpak.”

“Why didn’t you leave it to us…”

The Guild member at the recruitment booth, who had been frowning at the man who suddenly cut in, immediately bowed his head deeply after recognizing the man.

The man had been watching quietly with his arms crossed from the back.

“Tsk, that’s enough. We need to finish quickly and leave. It’s an important matter.”

On the surface, he was an ordinary, unremarkable, pot-bellied middle-aged man.

But his appearance silenced everyone for a moment.

Not only the Guild members at the recruitment booth, but also those who were lined up behind him.

Some might wonder why they were making such a fuss over just a pot-bellied middle-aged man, but this was God of Seoul [a well-known player].

You shouldn’t judge by appearance alone.

‘A pot-bellied middle-aged man is actually an amazing expert!?’ That was part of the appeal of virtual reality games.

A prime example of that was Jerpak.

Jerpak. A 38-year-old middle-aged player.

Unlike players from Lineage [an older MMORPG known for its hardcore PvP], Jerpak had considerable skill and control, and he was said to be in the top 10 in combat power in Frathel.

At least in this place, it meant that there were only a handful of players who could beat him in a one-on-one fight.

“It’s Jerpak…”

“…Damn it.”

His appearance made the players tense up and straighten their posture.

Those who had been complaining couldn’t raise their voices and grumbled to themselves.

Jerpak wasn’t the only problem.

Jerpak alone was intimidating, but the executives who came up behind him were all incredibly skilled.

Now that an atmosphere where they could talk was established, Jerpak turned on his megaphone item.

“Okay, just in case, I’m telling you again, remember that those who cause trouble will be subject to extermination, as announced in advance, right?”

“……”

“We made a social agreement. Instead of giving benefits to everyone without any conditions, we agreed to at least not cause harm, right?”

“……Damn it.”

What he meant was that they had the justification to PK [Player Kill] you without hesitation if you messed with them.

Since they had received a social agreement through prior notice, they had justification. Who would object to them PK-ing troublemakers?

Especially now that they had allowed them to participate in the first hidden raid boss?

Even if they brutally eliminated them, public opinion would be on the side of the Hero Guild.

“I’m going to drop out.”

“Damn it, I’m just unlucky.”

“I’m leaving, I’m leaving.”

They grumbled but couldn’t make eye contact and retreated, only to start talking behind their backs.

And there were those who watched them from across the way with a schadenfreude [taking pleasure in the misfortune of others] attitude.

“Wow… I’m really glad I came early.”

“I was really surprised when I heard there were only 10 spots left. I was right in front.”

“The person who got kicked out earlier was originally at the front, but he’s so unlucky. It seems like he got a sudden urge to poop and his bio-alarm went off.”

“What kind of luck is that? Hehehe.”

They were the raid team members who succeeded in getting into the top 100.

“The Hero Guild is still a top 100 guild. Everyone is speechless.”

“The top 10 guilds wouldn’t step in in a situation like this, so they’re in their element. Honestly, the Hero Guild is pretty good at PK.”

They were just proud, and their tension was very high overall.

Then, one player said as if he suddenly remembered something.

“But I don’t see Kaiser?”

“Why are you suddenly looking for Kaiser? Is Kaiser the kind of person who would participate in something like this?”

“But it’s the first hidden raid boss. I thought even Kaiser would want it.”

The player who had been refuting the statement paused for a moment and then agreed.

“Well… that’s true. The conditions are open to anyone, so he could apply.”

Even a normal raid boss would cause a stir, but this was a hidden raid boss.

Since it was the first boss discovered in Frathel, it wouldn’t be strange for him to show interest, right?

It seemed that they weren’t the only ones thinking that.

“That’s right. I honestly thought of Kaiser as soon as I saw the ‘anyone’ announcement. If Kaiser joins the raid team, it’ll break the balance. I feel like I’ll lose all my points.”

“Really? I think that would be fun. When else would I get to fight alongside Kaiser?”

“Now that I hear it, that’s true too.”

As they started talking about Kaiser one by one, most of the raid team players joined in.

“What is Kaiser doing? I haven’t seen him today.”

“There are many rumors that he’s doing the main quest… Did he have a better source than Ludra?”

“Nah, he probably wasn’t interested in being a mere extra. Honestly, the Hero Guild probably has a grudge against Kaiser, so would they let him join the try team?”

“Is that so?”

They were talking about Kaiser’s whereabouts when Jerpak, who had finished organizing the situation over there, walked over with the executives and turned on the megaphone item.

“Ah, I’m sorry. There was a commotion, so there was a slight delay.”

“It’s okay!”

The players immediately stopped talking and answered energetically.

Those who were full of expectations and had their tension up, and those who were on high alert.

And even those who were just trying to fit in.

Perhaps because of what they had just witnessed, the atmosphere wasn’t too bad.

“Hmm. Good. That’s 100 people. Well… is everyone ready?”

“Yes!!”

Jerpak nodded with a satisfied face.

“Okay, let’s go. Follow me closely.”

“Waaaaah!!!”

Then came a roar like thunder.

Jerpak smiled as he listened to the energetic shouts of 100 people and turned around.

Thus, the Ludra raid team departed.

[Hero Guild Completes Formation of First Hidden Raid Boss Raid Team in Frathel!]

[It is known that they are embarking on the Ludra raid as of this moment…]

-Wow, they really recruited a raid team. I’m so jealous…

-No, I graduated [stopped playing] a week ago, why now!!! I’m so upset.

-Did you turn on the live broadcast? Did you?

-Hey, it’s on! Everyone go in!

At the same time, various portal sites and God of Seoul communities were ablaze.

It couldn’t be helped.

-What? Hidden raid boss? There’s something like that in Frathel?

-It’s the first discovery?

-It’s been a year and seven months, and it’s the first?

-Wow… Verze did something.

-No, when was the announcement posted? What are you old men doing now that you’re hearing the news ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ You’re so behind.

-It’s been a while since I graduated from Frathel, so I was just going to watch, but they’re starting the raid right away, two hours after posting the announcement. What’s with the drive? He’s a real man ㄹㅇ [Korean slang for ‘real’]

└I guess he was angry because they called him a dating sim gay ㅋㅋㅋ

└He’s a real man this time ㅇㅈ [Korean slang for ‘ 인정’, meaning ‘ 인정합니다’, which translates to ‘I acknowledge it’ or ‘I agree’] ㅋㅋㅋ

It’s been over a year and seven months since God of Seoul was released.

The title of ‘first’ was worth creating a huge ripple effect. It wasn’t just any first, it was the first hidden raid boss.

They started the raid right away without dragging it out, so reporters were busy uploading articles.

And that’s not all.

To make matters worse, Jerpak even turned on a live broadcast.

[Number of viewers: 345,113]

-Look at the number of viewers increasing ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ [Korean laughter slang]

-I can’t see the chat. Are there no managers? Manage the chat room.

-Ah, it increases by 10,000 every time I refresh, how can you manage it~

-Just freeze it ㅅx [Korean slang, censored version of a swear word]