The Return Of The Genius Ranker Of All Times [EN]: Chapter 105

Chapter 439

Part 2, Episode 105.

“Confirm.”

As I answered without hesitation, a cheerful notification popped up along with a system window.

[You have acquired the Signature Trait ‘The Book of Defiance’.]

[The Book of Defiance]

– Rank: Signature Trait

– Description: An ancient book that only those who defy can wield.

It consists of three pages, and filling the pages depends on the path the wearer takes.

– Effect: Grants the power to defy what is written on the completed page.

[Currently, 1 page is completed.]

– Chapter of Enmity.

‘Hmm?’

Then, I blinked.

After staring blankly at the trait, Dohyun tilted his head.

‘What is this? Is that all there is to the description?’

The Book of Defiance.

Just by the name, it had the aura of some legendary item, but the description was extremely lacking.

But lacking didn’t mean it looked useless.

‘The path I walk fills the pages, and it gives me the power to defy what’s filled… It’s like something out of an epic movie.’

It was an effect that lived up to its fancy name.

More than anything, the fact that it had three pages meant it had three effects.

Thinking differently, it could be seen as dividing one ability into three stages, but the contents of the three pages couldn’t all be the same.

However, there was one catch.

The fact that it grants the power to defy based on the path one has walked….

‘In other words, if the user who obtains this doesn’t show outstanding actions, the power they gain may not be much.’

It didn’t matter to Dohyun.

The path he walked, surrounded by enemies on all sides, could never be monotonous.

It wasn’t unfounded confidence.

[Chapter of Enmity]

Even the name of the completed first chapter was already flashy.

‘…Yeah, I did have a hell of a lot of enmity.’

Users, NPCs, even gods.

I had impartially created enmity with everyone.

‘It doesn’t say what kind of ability it is separately. Well, it doesn’t matter.’

I’ll know what kind of ability it is once I use it.

After finishing his thoughts, Dohyun closed the window and activated the signature trait.

[Do you want to activate the Signature Trait, ‘The Book of Defiance’?]

The sound of his heart beating was transmitted through his chest.

Raon obtained black flames that burned all projectiles, and Achae obtained a satisfying smash that would blow everything away.

And Dohyun stood shoulder to shoulder with them….

No, he achieved even greater feats and earned a title.

He was so excited about what kind of ability this would be, after all the hardships he had gone through to obtain it.

[The Signature Trait, ‘The Book of Defiance,’ is activated.]

[The ancient book, given only to those who defy, reveals itself.]

[Currently, only the ‘Chapter of Enmity’ is completed.]

Whoosh-!

The Book of Defiance, activated in that way, floated in the air, emitting a brilliant light as if to fill Dohyun’s expectant heart.

A book emitting a strange light as if containing various colors.

It exuded a mysterious atmosphere as if it were from ancient times.

Thud.

As he held it in his hand, the light stopped, and then a page of the book flipped over.

[‘Chapter of Enmity’ unfolds.]

The moment the first chapter was completely unfolded!

“……?”

The Book of Defiance, which had been in his hand, disappeared.

Everything disappeared as if it had never been unfolded from the beginning.

That was the end.

Dohyun, who had been blinking, looked around and repeatedly clenched and unclenched his hands several times, then muttered in vain.

“What is it? Why hasn’t anything changed?”

For a moment, the thought that it might be a signature trait that was even more trash than he had imagined flashed through his mind.

Ding-!

[Could not recognize a target with enmity.]

[Conditions not met.]

[Activation canceled.]

As if to say that wasn’t the case, a notification rang urgently, explaining.

Dohyun, who had felt betrayed for a moment, nodded readily.

‘Hmph, so that’s how it is.’

The name of the first chapter of the Book of Defiance was the Chapter of Enmity.

It grants the power to defy what is written on the page, so it seemed to only activate normally if there was someone with ‘enmity.’

…Even so, it doesn’t even activate at all.

‘It really lives up to its name.’

It was when I was inwardly clicking my tongue.

“……What was that just now?”

-Ugh, you scared me.

-Lizariza…….

When I turned my head to the voice that suddenly came, I saw Achae blinking and Jihad stroking his chest as if to soothe his pounding heart.

“Didn’t a strange book float up and emit light just now? Is that your signature trait?”

“That’s right.”

“A book… that’s unexpected. I thought a close-combat-related trait would come out.”

Dohyun nodded.

Honestly, Dohyun himself was embarrassed by the trait he hadn’t expected at all, so how would Achae feel?

“So, what kind of trait is it? Is it a buff type?”

“Well… I don’t know yet. It’s a bit complicated to explain.”

“Your expression is a bit ambiguous? Is it trash?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Then is it good?”

“It’s probably good?”

“……? What’s the effect?”

“I don’t know.”

“……?”

Achae’s expression, which had been getting stranger and stranger, gradually changed to an expression of ‘what is this…’, but there was nothing Dohyun could do.

What could he do when he really didn’t know anything?

Still, there was one thing he could tell them.

“It seems like a growth-type trait? Seeing that up to three abilities will be unlocked later.”

“Growth type… sometimes there are things like that.”

In fact, it was something that didn’t make sense for a trait.

Because traits were supposed to have passive effects that could produce immediate effects.

But it was different for signature traits.

This was because signature traits were largely divided into three types.

General types that exert direct effects like Smash or Black Flame, and conditional types that are exerted when certain conditions are met.

“There’s nothing that’s better or worse, but if the conditions are right, the latter is generally stronger. However, the general type always has consistent performance, so it’s highly stable.”

Of course, there were exceptions.

There were occasional cheat traits like the Black Flame that devoured the structure.

And the last third type was the growth type.

“Since you said you don’t know, I think your trait is probably conditional… I’ve never heard of a conditional and growth type at the same time. What else did you get?”

‘Anyway, there’s no way you can go normally,’ Achae muttered and added a word.

“Since it’s a case I’ve never seen before, it probably isn’t trash. You’ve achieved results, too. But don’t expect too much. Growth types usually have abilities that aren’t very good when they’re first opened.”

“Well, it’s okay. It’s better than nothing. It doesn’t matter if it’s good in the late game.”

Dohyun shrugged and turned his body away.

With this, he had obtained the signature trait he had been waiting for so long.

Now it was time to get something else.

[‘A Piece of Great Sage Rasha’s Torn Clothing’ guides you to the path left by the Great Sage.]

As if welcoming Dohyun, a faint thread from the piece of clothing in his hand stretched out and headed in one direction.

The place was the opposite of the exit from the tower.

Dohyun tilted his head.

“Hmm?”

It was a completely unexpected location.

That’s because….

“Why is it connected to the ceiling?”

The 15th floor, the last floor of the Tower of Disaster.

The thread from the piece of clothing was pointing above it.

Could it be? Dohyun pointed upwards.

“……Achae, can you smash the ceiling once?”

“Okay. I was thinking of doing that anyway.”

As soon as he said it, Achae swung his huge iron mace at the ceiling, and a strong gust of wind burst out.

Kwaaaang-!

A violent explosion echoed as the wind pressure hit the ceiling.

But despite such an explosion, the ceiling was perfectly fine.

It was neat without any collapses or cracks.

On the outside, that is.

Thud-

A very subtle gap that you wouldn’t know unless you looked closely.

When the ceiling was hit, the cover blocking it went in, and something fell in front of Dohyun.

“This is…….”

It was a map.

A worn and tattered map.

Without a doubt, that was the path the Great Sage had guided him to.

[Sudden Quest, ‘Great Sage Rasha’ has been cleared.]

[You have obtained the path left by the Great Sage, ‘Map of the Rupalo Forest.’]

[Linked Quest, ‘To the Rupalo Forest’ has occurred.]

“……Did this person leave in the meantime?”

“The Great Sage doesn’t stay in one place for long. It’s been a while, so he might have left. Seeing that the Black Nightmare was holding onto the piece of clothing, something might have happened.”

“I guess.”

“Still, where else would you leave a map? Is that map where the Great Sage is?”

“That’s true, but… um.”

Dohyun, who had been looking at the system windows that were blurring his vision for a moment, answered in a reluctant voice.

“……I don’t think it’s just the Great Sage?”

“?”

What Dohyun was looking at was the quest window for ‘To the Rupalo Forest’….

[To the Rupalo Forest]

– Rank: Sudden Quest

– Description: Great Sage Brillion Rasha.

He, who had been staying in the Tower of Disaster, left the tower earlier than planned for some reason.

Instead, hoping that someone would appear to help him someday, he secretly hid a map in the tower.

Go to the ‘Rupalo Forest’ through the arrangement he left behind and meet the Great Sage.

Everything started from there….

– Clear Condition: Meeting with the Great Sage (0 / 1)

However, if you lose the map, the quest will be recognized as failed.

– Quest Success: Linked Quest occurs, ???

– Quest Failure: Linked Quest deleted.

Ding-

[Elinel’s Bracelet is reacting.]

[You have discovered a ‘Clue to the Missing Girl.’]

[You can feel Lucia’s traces on the map. You have obtained the second trace left by Lucia.]

[Linked Quest ‘The Source of All Things’ has occurred.]

……No, it was the messages floating below it.

[The Source of All Things]

– Rank: Sudden Quest

– Description: Lucia Grandel, the lost great hero of Akrana.

Her last trace left in the tower, who was practically known to be dead, points to the ‘Rupalo Forest.’

Something unusual seems to be happening there.

Go to the Rupalo Forest and find Lucia’s trace.

– Clear Condition: Lucia’s Trace (0 / 1)

– Failure Condition: Fails if someone permanently consumes Lucia’s trace.

– Quest Success: Linked Quest occurs, Special Event occurs, ???

– Quest Failure: Quest deleted and related quests deleted.

From the clue of the missing girl to Lucia’s trace, and even the Great Sage.

Everything was pointing to the Rupalo Forest, where Rupalo, a spiritual creature with horns that never break, lived.

At that, Dohyun swallowed hard.

‘This… a big one is coming.’

It seemed that all the secrets were hidden there.

* * *

Meanwhile, at that time.

A hidden residence in the Tower of Disaster, the Black Temple of the Forest.

A man, Raon, who had been left alone there and had been howling in anger for a long time, stopped screaming for the first time.

Raon’s eyes were burning more fiercely than ever.

Whirr-

As if reacting to his emotions, black flames surged wildly over his body.

“Kaiser… dares to screw me over?”

It wasn’t just screwing over, it was a big screw over.

The piece of clothing of the Great Sage Rasha. How much effort had he put into obtaining it?

It wasn’t just a simple item.

It was the one and only button that would open the way for the Great Lawless Zone to dominate God’s Domain.

‘I have to find it.’

Since he had lost it, his hands were trembling with anxiety and anger.

‘I was too careless. I never thought he would hide such a skill….’

He thought that the guy wouldn’t be able to break through the black flames and take it from his chest, but he was wrong.

He shouldn’t have taken it out of his inventory.

It was when Raon was burning inside with belated regret.

Ding-