The Return Of The Genius Ranker Of All Times [EN]: Chapter 268

268.

[You have entered the Labyrinth of Rejection.]

[The difficulty of the labyrinth increases due to the large number of entrants.]

[A condition has been added to the labyrinth. Those who die in the labyrinth cannot re-enter.]

[The structure of the labyrinth has changed. Be careful.]

“……The difficulty has increased?”

Do Hyun frowned at the message that greeted him upon entry.

There was no such information in the dungeon details, but the system was undeniably making things difficult for the users.

‘It would have been chaos if just anyone could participate. The Emperor’s distrust of the users’ skills actually worked out for the best.’

If there hadn’t been entry requirements, hundreds of thousands of users would have entered.

Considering that the difficulty increases with the number of people, it would have been an unimaginable level of difficulty.

Moreover, a condition had been added that prevents re-entry.

‘I almost wasted my chance for nothing.’

Thinking about it made him feel a cold sweat.

“No, what is this? Why are there monsters everywhere we go?”

“Why are there so many traps? Why is the damage like this?”

“Ugh! Paralysis poison from that spear! Be careful!”

Do Hyun raised his head at the commotion and saw users struggling.

The structure was indeed very different from when they first entered, with all sorts of traps and monsters lurking from the very beginning.

‘Still, the basic structure of a maze made into a labyrinth is the same.’

It felt like the same framework had been recombined in a more complex and challenging way.

Monsters were lurking everywhere, to the point where the Eye of Truth [an ability to see hidden things] was meaningless.

Even the level of those monsters was unusual.

Despite appearances, they were top-tier users verified by the Imperial Knights.

The fact that such skilled individuals were struggling meant that the monsters were at least boss-level.

‘The size of the maze has also increased to match the number of people.’

Even though the prior research was almost meaningless, Do Hyun grinned.

It was actually better.

‘I can test it out quickly.’

It was an opportunity to check the performance of the newly acquired armor and his improved stats.

Do Hyun reached into his inventory and took out the armor.

However, its appearance could hardly be called armor, no matter how generously one looked at it.

‘This stone is armor? I wondered what it was when I first received it.’

A small, insignificant stone.

If there was anything noticeable, it was the deep black color that shimmered as if it contained the universe.

But when he placed the stone in the air, something mysterious happened.

Swoosh-

It floated in the air as if unaffected by gravity.

The stone, which didn’t stop there and slowly approached, touched his hand.

Swish- Swish-

The stone’s form changed, and something black wrapped around his arm.

Like when he proved his iron will, the stone that had swallowed his entire body beyond his shoulders was no longer a stone.

Do Hyun, who turned on the customization mirror, grinned.

“Oh, neat.”

A thin robe made of black cloth.

It was a light outfit that didn’t seem to offer any defense, but the unique material, scorched by lightning strikes, showed that it was extraordinary.

Overall, it matched the Black Rain Mask so well that it could be considered a set.

Swish.

Do Hyun, who felt much more comfortable after taking off the stuffy armor and putting on the comfortable robe, looked around.

His eyes were searching for prey.

‘That place would be good.’

And the moment his eyes saw the left fork, they narrowed sharply.

There were many people gathered, so there were bound to be people around, but it was the only place where there were no users fighting monsters.

In other words, it meant that the monsters there were strong enough to be inefficient, but he didn’t care.

‘Shall we go wild for a bit?’

It was the perfect condition to check the performance.

Do Hyun grinned and kicked off the ground.

* * *

“What the heck! Why are the monsters so strong?”

“Wow, is this a dungeon? I thought it would be over quickly with this many people, but there was a reason why the Emperor commissioned it.”

“Are these monsters all boss-level or something?”

“And the traps keep flying, it’s driving me crazy.”

Approximately 40 minutes since the labyrinth raid began.

It wasn’t a long time in terms of numbers, but it was a considerable amount of time considering that thousands of people were raiding it.

Especially since it was a raid conducted by guilds, not small groups like this time.

“The guild guys are breaking through with numbers.”

“Sigh, only those of us without guilds are dying. Why can’t NPC forces enter?”

“The guild guys must be grinning from ear to ear.”

In this situation, those who were still at the entrance were close to being dropouts.

These were usually those affiliated with NPC forces rather than guilds.

Quick-witted users had already formed teams with other NPC-affiliated users, but these were the ones who couldn’t even join them.

A makeshift raid party hastily gathered by those who were left behind.

No, a small party that was too embarrassing to even be called a raid party.

“Still, aren’t we somewhat ranked? Let’s try to raid as much as possible. We need to get some crumbs [small rewards].”

But they were also top-tier users who could flex their muscles outside.

They had no intention of leaving in disappointment.

“Okay. Where should we break through?”

“Of course, to the right, why would we go to the left?”

The user who was burning with enthusiasm had a seizure [sudden outburst of emotion].

He remembered the time when he went to the left fork without knowing anything and got into big trouble.

“Why? All the guilds are going to the left.”

“There are dozens of traps and the monsters’ attack power is ridiculously strong, so it’s tough. It’s hard to go there without a force.”

Instead, their defense is much weaker than the monsters on the right, but what good is that?

It would be difficult to land a proper blow in that crucible of traps.

It would be fatal to be grazed by mistake if you acted recklessly.

It would be easier to break through with at least dozens of people.

“Okay, then let’s do as you say… Huh?”

It was when the party members were about to give up neatly after hearing the story.

The party members who found something tilted their heads.

“…Hey, then what is that?”

“? What is it… Huh?”

The moment the user who was questioning turned his eyes to the left, they shook greatly.

An unbelievable sight was unfolding.

“…Is that guy fighting alone right now?”

“What? There was no one there until just now?”

“Why are the people behind him standing still… Wait a minute, that’s Golden-haired Charlie.”

“Huh? That mask! No, could it be Kaiser?!”

Although his attire had changed, I could be sure.

His Guardians had become so famous that it was impossible not to recognize them.

Even if it’s Kaiser, is he breaking through that alone?

Why bother when there’s an easier path on the right?

At that incomprehensible act, they were about to shout to stop him, but they closed their mouths.

“Is it… possible?”

“He’s even flying?”

“Does he have eyes in the back of his head? Why isn’t he getting hit by the traps?”

Kaiser was literally massacring the monsters.

Swish- Crack!

The way he dodged traps and attacks with near-divine movements and countered was truly a work of art.

What didn’t make sense was that he occasionally seemed to stop on purpose to get hit…….

“Didn’t they say those monsters have strong attack power? How come he doesn’t even get a scratch when he gets hit?”

“……That’s strange. He’s definitely wearing a dobok [Korean martial arts uniform], right? Why is he so tough?”

Even they, wearing heavy armor, would have been blown away by that attack, but Kaiser, wearing a dobok, didn’t budge and instead launched a counterattack.

Seeing the incomprehensible sight, they were convinced.

‘……It was really true that he caught the Bloodshed Master.’

‘Even the top 10 guilds didn’t break through like that.’

‘Kaiser, is he a god?’

The worries they had just had on their faces were gone.

They were just lost in the overwhelming battle unfolding before their eyes.

* * *

Thud!

[You have defeated the demon beast of the left path.]

[Your level has increased.]

Do-hyun stopped at the notification that appeared as he skewered the last demon beast’s jaw like a skewer.

Looking around, he saw a pile of demon beast corpses.

The number was easily over five.

On the other hand, the time spent hunting was only about 5 minutes.

‘My stats have definitely jumped ridiculously.’

The effect of leveling up for 3 days was also there, but the effect of the armor was the greatest.

[Atram’s Masterpiece – Heavenly Garment]

[Grade: Legendary (Unique) (Growth)]

[Description: Atram, the master craftsman of the Argetlam Workshop.

He is the object of envy of all artisans, and he created this masterpiece using a special mineral that is the only one in the world.

Only those chosen by the mineral can wear it, and others can only refine it with the permission of the chosen one.

It will defy the heavens and stand firm no matter what adversity comes.]

[Wearing Restriction: Those chosen by the Stone that Defies the Heavens]

[Physical Defense: 3,594]

[Magic Resistance: 3,275]

-Strength + 10

-Agility + 10

-Stamina + 10

-HP + 1,000

-MP + 1,000

[Unbreakable Stone: Reduces damage taken by 20%, and defense increases when taking consecutive damage. Also, it will never be damaged without the wearer’s permission.]

[Defying Heaven: All options are amplified when overcoming adversity. The greater the adversity, the greater the amplification, and when the limit is reached, hidden options can be used.]

‘This thin dobok is tougher than plate armor.’

Its physical defense and magic resistance easily surpassed other legendary plate armor.

Thanks to this, he could hunt while taking hits, which greatly reduced the time.

Not only that. His stats also increased by a total of 30.

Thanks to the basic options like gukbap [Korean rice soup] that greatly increased his health and mana, his mana shortage was greatly reduced, allowing for more efficient hunting.

‘All damage taken is reduced, and defense is amplified…… The options are also excellent.’

Among them, the Defying Heaven option was a bit unique.

It was the first time he’d seen armor with the concept of getting stronger as he overcame adversity.

But for Do-hyun, who handles the Reverse Heavenly Energy, there was no better option.

It would increase the probability of succeeding in high-risk, high-return.

‘There’s no better option than this when breaking the main quest.’

He was curious about what the hidden option was.

It was a pity that these monsters were not even treated as adversity, so the option was not activated.

‘Is it already level 88?’

He had only leveled up twice in three days, but he leveled up once with just that hunt.

Maybe it was just that the remaining experience was filled, but even considering that, the experience was high.

The left path was more difficult than the right, so it was natural.

‘Usually, they gather and break through, so the experience is distributed, so it’s all the same…….’

It was a different story for Do-hyun, who was moving alone.

[Eye of Truth is activated.]

In his eyes, he could see where the traps were, what kind of traps they were.

He could even see where the monsters were hiding.

‘A hunting ground with no people and high experience? This is honey [jackpot].’

As the saying goes, a hunting ground with no people is the best honey pot.

Do-hyun smiled and moved forward quickly.

Bang! Kwang!

Various traps greeted him roughly, but Do-hyun easily avoided or parried them.

Later, he even reached the point where he detonated the traps in advance before they came, or broke through by taking them with his body because even that was a waste of time.

“……What is that?”

“I don’t know, me neither. He’s just not human.”

“Let’s just give up. I don’t think we can do it.”

“Yeah…….”

The users who were watching his back in bewilderment eventually decided to give up on understanding.

For some reason, the users who had a moment of realization trudged away, and there were no more people here.

Except for the man who was naturally mixed in with the group of users, pretending to be a dropout.

He looked at the left fork that Do-hyun was heading to and quietly smacked his lips.

“……He’s entered. Yes, he’s alone. He’s heading to the left path. But…… he’s breaking through in a unique way. He’s going to reach the maze faster than expected.”

At the cautious voice, a cold voice soon returned.

-To think he would even think of going alone here…… He’s so arrogant.

“…….”

-If that’s the case, we’ll have to prepare too.

“……Yes, Master.”

A low and thick voice, but somehow fishy like a snake.

-I hope you like it, Kaiser. This will be your grave.

The master of the top 10 guild, Aegis.

Damian Alexander, he was starting to move in earnest.