The Return Of The Genius Ranker Of All Times [EN]: Chapter 104

104.

Dense Forest.

A landscape thick with trees and rocks.

‘Nothing special?’

Considering it’s a Hidden Piece with such a grandiose name, I expected a more unique landscape, like a training ground for warriors.

But it looked just like the Stinky Rock Forest.

The only differences were the slightly thicker fog and the absence of Orcs.

‘It was said that monsters can’t reach it.’

The explanation was that the distorted space, caused by the energy of death, prevented low-intelligence Orcs from entering.

If that’s the case, I wonder what the point of the first discovery reward is….

Well, the first discovery reward is always pretty standard.

I had to assume I was just unlucky.

-Ugh… Master, I don’t like it here.

-Lizariza….

“Hmm? Why?”

-It feels eerie. How should I put it? It’s creepy.

But that feeling seemed to be Do-hyun’s alone.

Seeing Jihad and Eliza shudder as if they were walking through a graveyard at midnight, I knew something was up.

‘There must be something here.’

It was certain, seeing those two reacting so sensitively to energy.

How long had it been since he led the tense duo, pushing through the bushes and examining the rocks?

After about 10 minutes of fruitless searching, Do-hyun finally frowned.

“What do you mean there’s something? There’s nothing here.”

-It’s strange… I definitely felt something eerie.

-Liza!

Eliza agreed with Jihad, but despite their words, nothing was found.

Not even a fragment of fate. I even doubted if there was really a trace of the Destroyer in a place like this.

‘What can happen in a place where you can’t even see a single animal, let alone a monster…?’

Do-hyun had experienced several Hidden Fields in Demlock, but this was the first time he had seen a Hidden Field with absolutely nothing.

At this point, it would be okay to confidently do some card draws to pass the time….

‘Huh? Not a bad idea?’

Card draws in a Hidden Field?

Something about it felt right.

As he indulged in the absurd delusion that it might become a third hot spot for card draws, Jihad, who was listening nearby, shook his head.

-Sigh.

“Sigh? Are you sighing now?”

-No.

“It’s because you haven’t experienced card draws yet. It’s incredibly addictive….”

-I don’t know… Master, wait a minute.

Jihad’s face, which had been bewildered, suddenly became serious.

Looking to the side, Eliza also had a serious face, craning her neck towards her pouch. Thanks to them, Do-hyun, who had become serious as well, held his breath.

“…What is it?”

-Master, there’s someone over there.

‘Someone’s there? Here?’

It was the first Hidden Field he had discovered; how could that be?

At that moment, Destroyer Gaiman naturally came to mind. If someone was here, there was a high probability it was him.

Swish.

Quickly lowering his head and hiding in the bushes, Eliza also covered her mouth with her front paws, making a “shh” sound.

Carefully looking ahead, there really was someone, as Jihad had said.

Do-hyun was currently on a slightly hilly area.

Below it, there was a small cave, and a man in armor was standing in front of the cave.

Do-hyun’s eyes widened as he looked at the man, clearly surprised.

‘…Zerdic?’

‘Why is that unlucky bastard here?’

‘Liza!?’

A handsome man with silver armor and shiny blonde hair.

Seeing that familiar, somewhat irritating face, it was definitely Zerdic.

‘Why is he here?’

Could that guy be Destroyer Gaiman?

Come to think of it, that guy also uses divine power like Aura to strengthen his body; he is a Holy Knight, after all.

He always attended the meetings, so it wasn’t an impossible assumption….

‘Hmm.’

It’s not like he’s some ten-million-dollar movie star, and it doesn’t make sense that those moments of near-rage were all acting, does it?

While Do-hyun’s mind, confused by the unexpected appearance of Zerdic, was racing, it was then.

“…Is this the last place? If it’s not here either, that means he’s hiding in the city.”

Muttering that, Zerdic took out a pocket watch from his chest, checked the time, and clicked his tongue.

“I don’t have time. I need to check quickly and go back.”

With that, Zerdic entered the cave.

Only then did Do-hyun and his party exhale the breath they had been holding.

-…My heart hurts.

-Lizariza….

While the two cowardly Guardians were calming their surprised hearts, Do-hyun also organized his thoughts.

‘Was that guy also looking for traces of the Destroyer? And ended up coming here.’

It was a plausible guess.

His family was annihilated by the Destroyer, and he had lived solely for revenge.

He was the one who showed the greatest anger in the measurement ceremony [a ritual to assess magical potential].

He wasn’t the type to sit still and wait for the high priests to come up with a plan.

‘If he’s a bodyguard of High Priest Gildete, he might know this place.’

To be in charge of guarding the High Priest, he must have considerable connections and power.

More than anything, he wasn’t just a simple bodyguard. As a knight with the potential to rise to the next generation of Holy Knight Commander, it wouldn’t be strange if he knew.

The problem here was Do-hyun.

‘…Can I run into him?’

It’s not strange for Zerdic to be here.

But what about himself?

The guy reacted so strongly just to the fact that a stranger knew about the Abyss, how would he react if he was in a Hidden Field that even the NPCs [Non-player characters] didn’t know about?

‘It would be a relief if he didn’t try to kill me right away.’

It was obvious.

He had the detection orb back then, but now there was no way to explain it.

It wasn’t a place you could accidentally stumble into, and he couldn’t sell Gamilion out.

[Remaining Time Limit: 00:14:28]

That being said, he couldn’t just wait for Zerdic to come out like this.

Time was running out, and his goal was the Destroyer’s trace.

It overlapped with his own goal.

If there was only one trace and that guy took it, he would fail the quest.

‘I have no choice.’

In the end, Do-hyun made a decision.

Having made his judgment, Do-hyun activated Eliza’s bracelet.

[Using ‘Faint Stealth’.]

-Master, what are you going to do?

-Lizariza?

Jihad and Eliza asked worriedly, seeing Do-hyun become translucent.

Do-hyun coolly replied to them.

“Tail him.”

-…Tail him?

“I’ll sneakily follow him and just grab the trace. If I’m lucky, it’ll be a freebie, right?”

-….

Even if something comes out, Zerdic will buy him time, so if he snatches the trace first, it’s all good.

If he even encounters the Destroyer, he can just fight together.

Since the Destroyer has already appeared, he wouldn’t be asked to explain, would he?

-…Perfect plan?

“Right?”

-Yeah, it’s a bit sneaky, but there’s nothing to criticize.

-Lizariza.

Eliza nodded in agreement.

Do-hyun chuckled and stepped forward, saying.

“Then I’ll be back, so you two wait here. Keep an eye out for anything that comes out.”

-Huh? You’re going alone?

“Yeah. You guys can’t use stealth.”

-Lizariza….

Eliza, who originally had the ability, was somewhat dejected, but when he stroked her head, she rubbed her face against him as if nothing had happened.

-Well… okay. Actually, I felt a bit of an ominous energy there, so I was uneasy.

“…Really?”

-Yeah, so be careful.

-Lizariza!

There must be something there after all.

Jihad might be exaggerating, but Eliza wasn’t the type to exaggerate.

‘I need to get in quickly before it’s taken.’

With that, Do-hyun entered the cave.

* * *

As with most caves, the inside of the cave was dark.

But it wasn’t so dark that you couldn’t see an inch ahead.

‘This is not bad.’

Compared to when he broke through the fog to find the Hidden Field, this was nothing.

[Glowstone]

-Description: Usually attached to cave walls and emits light on its own in dark places.

Still, there were glowstones attached to the ceiling and walls in various places.

It wasn’t very bright, but it was about the level of streetlights placed one by one on a dark night alleyway.

‘I don’t see any traces.’

He was walking while carefully looking around, just in case, but nothing was found.

The Eye of Truth wasn’t activated either.

It wasn’t like there were any bugs or monsters coming out, so the inside of the cave was just quiet.

‘How far did he go?’

It had only been a few minutes, but he had gone so deep that he couldn’t be seen at all.

Just when he was reasonably suspecting that he might have gone out because there was an exit on the other side.

[…You’ve followed me this far.]

A chilling voice was heard from somewhere.

The grating, cracking voice, like scratching a chalkboard, echoed heavily inside the cave, making it impossible to tell which direction it was coming from.

Instinctively, he knew.

‘…Destroyer.’

The owner of this chilling voice was definitely Destroyer Gaiman.

As expected of a race that touches the fundamental fears of humans, it was a voice with a certain power. He never thought he would really be here.

‘Did I get caught?’

It was when he was swallowing hard and looking around.

“Stop right there—you villain!!”

Do-hyun instinctively hid himself at the angry shout that came from the front.

Then he saw it.

The ground and walls were horribly melting down, corroded by the Abyss, and the figure of Destroyer Gaiman was standing on it.

The darkness surging around him was fluctuating somewhat unstably.

And Zerdic, with his sword aimed at the back of the Destroyer, who was turned away.

“Don’t even think about denying it. That hideous horn on your forehead, I remember it clearly. I’ve engraved it in my brain over and over again, dreaming of the day I kill you.”

Do-hyun’s eyes widened at Zerdic’s voice, which was filled with desperation.

‘Wow, what’s going on.’

What kind of morning drama [soap opera] atmosphere is this?

Do-hyun, who had suddenly witnessed the scene of a desperate knight’s revenge, wore an expression of utter fascination.

It was then that Destroyer Gaiman’s mouth opened.

[…This is troublesome. I didn’t intend to kill you right now.]

“…Kill? You kill me? Don’t be mistaken. It’s not you who’s killing, it’s me.”

[Is that so….]

The Destroyer muttered and slowly turned around.

He was being threatened by the sword at his neck, but he didn’t seem to care.

The emotions of Zerdic, who had lived longing for revenge, were overwhelming, and Do-hyun, who was watching from behind, could even feel it.

Ten years had passed, and the two men finally faced each other.

“…What?”

Zerdic’s face, facing the Destroyer, was filled with bewilderment.

He trembled as if he couldn’t believe it, and even took the sword off Gaiman’s neck and stepped back.

‘What, what’s going on.’

Naturally, Do-hyun’s curiosity also grew.

What on earth did he see that made Zerdic react like that? No matter how much he moved his head from side to side, the Destroyer’s face was not visible because it was partially covered by Zerdic.

However, the glimpse of human skin that was revealed was only proving that he was currently in an unstable state.

“No way… No way….”

Zerdic, who was in shock as if he couldn’t believe it, soon let out an angry shout.

“How… How could you betray us!”

[….]

‘Betrayal?’

Then he must be one of the people who attended the meeting?

Among them, he was definitely a person who was so close that Zerdic felt betrayed. He was just thinking about who that person was for a moment.

[Betrayal… I think this should be expressed as compassion rather than betrayal.]

“Ah… Ahh….”

[…I have no ill feelings towards you, but it’s a pity. To run into me when I’m turning back into a human… Was it your destiny to die anyway?]

I was never on your side from the beginning. It was just a bit of compassion.

Zerdic’s eyes turned bloodshot as he realized that.

Grasping the sword so tightly that he would break it, he spat out a desperate curse as if chewing.

“Kill… I’ll kill you. I’ll never let you die comfortably. I’ll cut off your flesh piece by piece and give it to the wolves, and tear off all your fingernails and toenails….”

But Zerdic’s curse could not continue to the end.

Swish-.

“…Huh?”

The moment the unstable energy of darkness stabilized for a moment.

Something flashed and the Destroyer disappeared, and when he reappeared, he had already passed Zerdic.

Thud-.

With a single strike.

Zerdic, who had his neck neatly cut off in a single strike, knelt down.

His head, which rolled and rolled, fell in front of Do-hyun.

His face, which was glimpsed, had his eyes wide open as if he couldn’t believe it until the last moment.

“…Crazy.”

It was when he was unknowingly muttering at the shocking sight.