The Return Of The Genius Ranker Of All Times [EN]: Chapter 230

230.

Dohyun was stunned by the sudden message.

He couldn’t help but be.

‘……What? A World Quest?’

It was a term he had never imagined.

What was a World Quest?

It was, as the name suggested, a quest given on a world scale, and the moment it started, all users could participate.

With so many people involved, it was naturally a large-scale event.

In God of Creation, where there was no main quest, it was an important event treated as *the* main quest.

‘The World Quest has only opened twice.’

Once at the hands of the most popular player, the Destroyer.

And the other time at the hands of the Adventure King, Barion.

The two World Quests opened by these two were still receiving a lot of attention.

‘It’s only been opened twice in almost two years, so it’s understandable… but apart from that, it’s undeniably popular.’

Overwhelming scale.

A new type of dungeon and boss, almost like an event in itself.

The fact that you could participate in a huge event that you thought was only for the top players made it impossible not to be popular.

The rewards for ranking in the strategy rankings were also huge, so everyone from those confident in their skills to ordinary users participated in the World Quest.

‘But that was half a year ago.’

That was when the eccentric Adventure King Barion miraculously opened the last World Quest.

Since then, even after reaching the New Continent, they hadn’t even found a clue to another World Quest.

Even the top 10 guilds, and Barion, who was unrivaled in filling the Book of Adventures, had all failed.

For this reason, the prevailing opinion was that the World Quest wouldn’t open for several years to come….

[The quest is created by discovering the World Quest item ‘Forgotten King’s Brooch’.]

[Forgotten King’s Brooch]

-Grade: World Quest

-Description: A brooch in the shape of a white lion worn by the Forgotten King.

It was also his symbol, and at the time, all the villains who saw this brooch trembled with fear, but now they don’t even know his name.

You can feel the resentment of the Forgotten King. Also, you can feel a strange energy.

You may learn something if you go to the ‘Spirit of the Lion King’, the only being who knows the identity of the brooch.

-When accepting the quest: World Quest occurs in the mainland, information about the Forgotten King, linked quest.

-When rejecting the quest: World Quest occurrence canceled and linked quest deleted.

‘…It’s popping up *here*?’

Dohyun chuckled at the absurd situation.

Who would have known that climbing the Lion King’s Tower would trigger a World Quest?

Thinking about it this way, the rankers’ predictions that it would open in a few years weren’t lies.

According to what the Spirit of the Lion King said, the test seemed to be scheduled to end in at least three years.

Was it the artificial intelligence’s judgment that it could be concluded around that time, or was a change scheduled to occur in the tower three years later?

‘Well, that’s beside the point….’

But one thing Dohyun was most curious about wasn’t that.

‘Then why did the message that it was related to the main quest pop up?’

No matter how much I read the quest, it’s only about the World Quest.

Then *is* the World Quest related to the main quest?

If that’s the case, it’s not a good thing.

The moment the World Quest opens, countless users will flock to it. It would be a disaster if someone found a piece among them.

Dohyun frowned for a moment, but soon regained his composure.

‘…No, it won’t be related to the Fragment of Fate. If it was, the main quest would have reacted.’

If he had obtained a clue, the ‘Fifth Fragment of Fate’ quest would have reacted.

In other words, it is highly likely that this is a main quest on a different route….

‘Sigh, I don’t know yet.’

Dohyun pondered for a moment and then shook off his thoughts.

If you accept the linked quest that opens when you accept it, you will learn something.

And….

‘Just in case, it’s better to postpone claiming the reward.’

‘I think so too.’

‘Yes! That’s a great decision, my lord.’

‘Lizariza.’

There is no time limit for receiving the reward, and there is still quite a bit of play time left.

It won’t be too late to listen to the Spirit of the Lion King and make a decision.

So, when he came out of the door with the brooch, the Spirit of the Lion King approached as if he had been waiting.

[Yes, you’re bringing it out after all. I guess I really felt the energy a while ago…. ]

Then he looked at the brooch in Dohyun’s hand and nodded.

[I apologize if you were offended. I was going to ask you anyway, but I kept looking at the door and wondered if you knew the energy contained in it.]

“Well… It’s okay.”

[Now that my curiosity has been satisfied, I must satisfy your curiosity.]

The Spirit of the Lion King, who smiled at Dohyun’s cool answer, opened his mouth.

[That rotten body you fought… As you may have already noticed, it is not my body.]

“…Yes.”

From the name, it was the Forgotten King, the rotten body of the Forgotten King, so it was not surprising.

But the words that followed were enough to surprise Dohyun.

[The world calls me the only king who reached the supreme realm in my time… but that is not true. There was a king who reached the supreme realm before me. He was like a white lion.]

‘Huh?’

‘This… is too different from history, master?’

The Lion King is still called the Great Lion King and is considered one of the most powerful kings in history.

Was the person who is respected by so many knights not the best king?

This was not the only thing that was different from history.

[It is known as the Lion King’s swordsmanship… but in fact, my swordsmanship is just what I learned from that king. Even I, who was confident in swordsmanship, could not create such a chilling energy and the shape of a white lion.]

“…….”

[But the world has forgotten him. To be exact, he was forgotten by his sacrifice.]

The Spirit of the Lion King spoke in a very bitter tone.

A voice that coexisted with apology, guilt, gratitude, and pity.

He raised his head and looked at the ceiling as if recalling something, and soon opened his heavy lips.

[…Do you know of the existence of the Abyss?]

“…Yes.”

Dohyun responded a beat late, taken aback by the unexpected name.

The Abyss… it was impossible not to know of them.

They were the ones who displayed overwhelming presence in Brion, the ones who turned Takshinel into a murderous fiend.

Moreover, they were the primary contributors to sacrificing humanity in the ancient war against the gods, so it would be stranger not to know them.

[It seems they are almost forgotten now, but back then, the Abyss was an existence of terror. I only heard of them as legends in my childhood, but that fear was clearly imprinted.]

“…….”

[But I didn’t truly grasp it. Deep down, I thought that with my current level, I could face the Abyss or anything else… It was a foolish thought.]

“…….”

[When the Abyss actually struck the Empire, I couldn’t protect anything.]

And now, that name was being mentioned once again.

In the form of a world quest.

With a bitter voice, the Spirit of the Lion King spat out the truth, as if resolving age-old emotions.

[Instead of me, who couldn’t protect anything, it was none other than that king… no, my friend, who jumped into the Abyss’s maw.]

[He was swallowed by the terrifying monster of the Abyss… ‘The Existence Devourer,’ sacrificing himself in a self-destruction that erased his existence from the world, saving the Empire.]

Ting-

[You have heard of the existence of the Abyss in the Lion King’s Tower.]

[It is recorded in the Adventure Log.]

[You have heard the story of the Forgotten King.]

[It is recorded in the Adventure Log.]

[You have heard the forgotten history of the Empire.]

[It is recorded in the Adventure Log.]

‘…This scale is insane.’

Dohyun chuckled in disbelief at the flurry of notifications.

Was it just his imagination that things had been non-stop since coming to the Empire?

‘Well, it was about time for something to come up. It’s been a while since Brion.’

Come to think of it, it was chaotic even before coming to the Empire, so it was only natural that the scale would increase upon arriving in the massive Arnis Empire.

The Abyss had been quiet for a while, too.

More than anything, if it was related to the Abyss, it made sense that the brooch triggered a main quest-related notification.

-Those vile bastards, again….

Turning to the voice, Dohyun saw Charlie trembling, his hand gripping his sword.

He looked ready to cut down anyone in front of him if they were related to the Abyss.

As someone with a strong hatred for the Abyss, it seemed like it was a difficult story for Charlie to bear.

“…Charlie.”

-…I apologize, Master. I have shown an unknightly demeanor.

“No, it’s alright.”

-Lizariza….

Seeing that he quickly regained his composure, Eliza approached and patted him on the shoulder.

To break the atmosphere, Dohyun quickly changed the subject.

“That’s unfortunate. Now that I’ve heard the truth, I can’t just stand by. What can I do?”

[To not even bat an eye after hearing such a story, truly a knightly quality I recognize. As expected, I can trust you with this.]

Satisfied, the Spirit of the Lion King finally spoke of the quest.

[If the Forgotten King has a body, then surely he also has a soul. What I want to ask of you is this: to save the soul of my friend, trapped in the ‘Forgotten Tomb’.]

“Of course.”

Ting-

[World Quest, Forgotten Tomb, has been generated.]

[All users can participate in World Quests, and rankings are assigned based on the score of the strategy.]

[In addition, rewards are given differentially according to the strategy ranking.]

[Save the Forgotten King who sleeps in the Forgotten Tomb.]

Dohyun grinned as he saw the message.

Now, he just needed to quickly finish the conversation, get the linked quest, and participate.

But the world doesn’t always go as planned.

[Hoo… I’m truly grateful. I will never forget your contribution. In that sense, I ask just in case… have you heard of the Forgotten King’s Wraith?]

“No, this is my first ti…?”

Dohyun, who had answered immediately, trailed off.

Then, he paused for a moment to think.

‘What is it? Why does it sound familiar?’

The name, which should have been completely new to him, felt strangely familiar.

As Dohyun carefully retraced his past, he turned pale the moment he recalled Fratel and Ruidra.

He remembered where he had heard it.

‘The Ember of Purification and Ruidra’s Monument…’

The wraith dwelling within.

The name of the wraith who desperately cried out before dying, saying it couldn’t end like this, was none other than the Forgotten King’s Wraith.

Unaware of Dohyun’s inner turmoil, the Spirit of the Lion King continued.

[I heard it’s sealed in a monument guarded by a being called the Dream Witch. I don’t really understand it. Unless someone used their power, I can’t understand how it ended up there.]

“…I… see.”

[Well, that’s not important now. What’s important is that the wraith is very important.]

“…Important? How so?”

[The Forgotten King’s Wraith is a thought-form [a being or entity created by strong emotions or thoughts] created from the negative emotions of my friend.]

“Ah!”

Dohyun’s face brightened instantly.

If that was the case, wouldn’t it be fortunate to have eliminated it?

Surely, it meant that he absolutely had to eliminate it.

Dohyun felt relieved, having narrowly escaped a near-treasonous crisis.

[There’s something that can only be obtained from that thought-form. According to prophecy, there will be an apostle who will become a hero chosen by the thought-form… have you ever heard of it?]

“…….”

Dohyun couldn’t bring himself to speak at the Spirit of the Lion King’s words, which were driving the nail in the coffin.

A hero chosen by the thought-form? He had never heard of it.

And he never would.

The wraith was gloriously destroyed while sealed in the monument, and the would-be heroes were thoroughly crushed a while ago.

Dohyun, with cold sweat trickling down his back, nodded.

‘…Shit.’

He seemed to be screwed.