I Became The Rankers’ Number One Pick [EN]: Chapter 231

231.

The monster locusts, which had been endlessly replicating and multiplying, finally succumbed to the dragon’s powerful flames and stopped their reproduction.

The monster locusts, reduced to ashes, disappeared without a trace. While the Flame Dragon caught its breath, Iron Claw and the elf Arcanas were still locked in a fierce battle on one side.

The robot lunged at the slender elf with its massive steel arms, but the elf nimbly dodged and hurled Electric Shower and Water Bomb spells at the robot.

The robot, being made of metal, malfunctioned and momentarily froze when struck by both electricity and water simultaneously.

‘He would have been a great wizard indeed.’

In another world, he might have been a great archmage ruling over that realm. But here he is, being used as a monster spawned from the gate.

Seo-ah felt a similar pang of emotion as when she saw the monster Yoo Ji-an. Speaking of which, where is Yoo Ji-an?

He wasn’t moving. He silently watched the S-class monsters fighting and the hunters observing him from afar.

He fully possessed the memories and personality of the real Yoo Ji-an. Recalling Yoo Ji-an from the 2nd playthrough, he hadn’t fully recognized the people around him when he first became a monster. So, he probably doesn’t see Seo-ah and the other hunters as people now.

However, he didn’t readily attack either the monsters or the hunters unless they directly threatened him. That made it even more heartbreaking.

‘I wish he were just a mindless monster.’

His actions would have troubled me less.

Just as Seo-ah was about to step forward, Yoo Ji-an grabbed her arm. When Seo-ah met his eyes, Yoo Ji-an shook his head. Understanding, Seo-ah lowered her head and stepped back.

At that moment, the Red Dragon recognized Yoo Ji-an and roared.

【You are, that guy from back then…!】

The dragon had died to Yoo Ji-an multiple times and retained those memories. Yoo Ji-an slowly turned his head to look at the Red Dragon.

【Aaaaargh!】

The dragon seemed to regain his senses for a moment, but he was still tormented, unable to fully escape the nightmare’s influence.

Then, he unleashed his breath attack towards Yoo Ji-an.

Yoo Ji-an stepped back and away, firmly gripping Ruin Blade. The battle between the two began.

“I don’t know what’s going on, but this is convenient. They’re fighting among themselves.”

Baek Eun-hee leaned against a tree, taking out potions to heal her various wounds. Fortunately, the Korean hunters close to Yoo Ji-an now knew about Yoo Ji-an’s regression, so there was no need for a lengthy explanation.

The other hunters still seemed confused, but they readily recognized Yoo Ji-an as a monster.

Meanwhile, Kim Soo-hyuk climbed up a tree and offered commentary as if he were watching a sports game.

“No, you should have swung your tail there! Hyung [older brother/term of endearment] is fast. Oh no, you idiot! What are you doing, wasting your breath there!”

Seo-ah stared up at Kim Soo-hyuk blankly.

“Whose side are you on… ?”

“Well, of course, the Dra…gon, no, I’m not on anyone’s side.”

Kim Soo-hyuk turned away, pretending to look into the distance, feeling a strange, stinging gaze.

Seo-ah turned her gaze back to the battlefield and said.

“One of them will win and survive. That will be our opponent.”

“Still, they’ll be tired, so it’ll be a bit easier.”

“Has the last monster appeared yet? Do you know anything?”

Seo-ah asked, looking at Yoo Ji-an, and Yoo Ji-an shook his head.

“This S-class monster isn’t one I encountered in the 3rd playthrough. It seems this changes each time.”

“…I see.”

It was unsettling that only this Legend Gate was different from the previous playthroughs, while the other gates remained similar.

The battle between the elf and the robot was leaning in the elf’s favor, but as expected of an S-class monster, the robot wasn’t easily defeated.

And neither the Flame Dragon nor Yoo Ji-an had gained the upper hand.

The Red Dragon’s firepower was immense, but Yoo Ji-an evaded it all. However, Yoo Ji-an also couldn’t launch any significant attacks against the Red Dragon.

‘It would be better if… he were defeated there.’

It might be difficult to watch, but if Yoo Ji-an were to survive, the group would be thrown into tremendous confusion again. Even when killing Yoo Ji-an in the 2nd playthrough, Yoo Ji-an hadn’t shown it outwardly, but he had suffered greatly.

I didn’t want Yoo Ji-an to experience that again.

“Ugh, I’ve been hit!”

Kim Soo-hyuk, with his sharp eyesight, shouted. Yoo Ji-an was directly hit by the dragon’s flames. Seo-ah tensed and looked at the spot.

But after a moment, Yoo Ji-an walked out unscathed from the surging flames.

“Wow, what?”

“That guy probably has Flame Resistance too.”

Yoo Ji-an calmly explained, watching the scene. After all, Yoo Ji-an from the 3rd playthrough had safely cleared the gate where Ignis appeared. He would definitely have retained that ability.

“But overall, his stats have increased even more. He’s much stronger than I was in the 3rd playthrough. He must have raised his stats while becoming a monster.”

After all, even if they were both S-class, monsters were generally stronger than hunters. That’s probably why several S-class hunters team up to take down a single S-class monster. But if it’s monsters fighting each other, they should be somewhat evenly matched, so the game must have balanced it out.

“…Then.”

If Yoo Ji-an has Flame Resistance and his stats have increased.

“Watch, he won’t go berserk either. Everyone, watch out for the skies. Kim Soo-hyuk, get down from the tree.”

At Yoo Ji-an’s warning, Kim Soo-hyuk was startled and jumped down from the tree.

Yoo Ji-an, having broken through the flames, jumped up with all his might and ran up the dragon’s back.

Even as the dragon roared and thrashed, Yoo Ji-an managed to maintain his balance and reached the top of the dragon’s head.

At that moment, Yoo Ji-an strongly pulled Seo-ah towards him and covered the top of her head with his hand. The other hunters instinctively took defensive actions.

Thud, rumble-!

The atmosphere flickered and shook, creating a tremendous roar. It was Yoo Ji-an’s ultimate skill, Thunderstorm.

Fortunately, most of the lightning struck the dragon and its surroundings, so the damage to the hunters was minimal. Seo-ah grabbed Yoo Ji-an’s collar, swallowed hard, and looked at the other Yoo Ji-an.

The battlefield struck by Thunderstorm became silent, as if time had stopped. The stiffened body of the Red Dragon slowly collapsed.

But it wasn’t just the dragon that was hit by Thunderstorm. Iron Claw, made of metal, also seemed to have been directly struck, creaking and no longer moving.

[‘Red Dragon’, ‘Iron Claw’ Eliminated! Remaining S-class Monsters (7/10)]

“He’s really amazing.”

Someone muttered, looking at Yoo Ji-an standing on the dragon’s corpse. And they glanced at Yoo Ji-an. Who would win if those two Yoo Ji-ans fought each other? They seemed curious, but no one voiced the question.

There are three monsters left.

But the only monsters visible now were Yoo Ji-an and the elf Seleneah. Thanks to the Nightmare Bead, the two seemed to recognize each other as enemies, but they didn’t readily attack.

“As expected, the higher the intellectual ability, the greater the power to endure.”

Choi Eun-gyeol floated in a lotus position on one side, assessing the situation. The hunters watched, preparing to fight at any moment.

But the two only confronted each other and didn’t engage in any significant clashes. Then Yoo Ji-an took out the last bead.

“Is it okay? It seems dangerous to go now.”

“It would be too much to face both of them at once. They’re on a different level from the S-class monsters we’ve faced so far.”

Yoo Ji-an tied a piece of cloth behind his head, covering his mouth and nose.

“Some collision will be unavoidable.”

“Then I’ll go too.”

When Baek Eun-hee stepped forward, Yoo Ji-an shook his head.

“Stay here. It’s better to go alone and return quickly. If I fail, then everyone should come. Be prepared.”

Baek Eun-hee had no choice but to agree.

“Okay.”