The Return Of The Genius Ranker Of All Times [EN]: Chapter 135

135.

The Divine Beast.

Not just any monster, but a sacred creature with high intelligence and mysterious powers.

The ultimate boss of the Guardian realm and the final goal for all tamers, Divine Beasts were all noble beings.

‘I classified Jihad as a Divine Beast, but… it’s ambiguous to call him a true Divine Beast.’

Jihad was just a unique, irregular existence.

Generally, Divine Beasts boasted power far beyond human comprehension.

They were beings who had lived for at least hundreds, if not thousands, of years.

‘Beings like the Azure Dragon or White Tiger.’

Even they were only upper-tier among Divine Beasts, not the highest. The Empire’s NPCs even respected Divine Beasts.

‘Now I’m even fighting a Divine Beast.’

That’s why I never imagined the day would come when I’d fight one.

Not just any Divine Beast, either. The Divine Beast of an ancient king. I’ve never seen it before, so there’s no information available, but as the Divine Beast of an ancient king, it couldn’t be weak.

I thought it was too easy for a secret dungeon with such a bad reputation.

[Arlagini]

– Title: Ancient Divine Beast

– Type: Snake

– Trait: Sealed

– Description: The husk of a Divine Beast that has lived for a very long time since ancient times.

A Divine Beast that guarded the king, possessing mysterious powers, a strong body, and poison.

However, as it is a husk and not the true body, it cannot use its mysterious powers and cannot exert its full strength.

Still, this game wasn’t completely without conscience.

The giant being was not a complete Divine Beast, but a husk of one.

To face a Divine Beast that guarded an ancient king in this section one-on-one would be no different than being told to die.

Of course, that didn’t mean the situation was fair now.

Thud.

The pressure felt from just the husk was immense.

Destroyer Gaiman was at least a size where a fair fight was possible, but this was like a kaiju [Japanese for strange beast] battle.

It reminded me of the Iron-Blooded Magic Dragon species because of its size.

Saa-

The creature flashed its reptile-like golden eyes.

The gaze seemed somewhat cloudy, like that of a corpse, which made it even more eerie.

It flicked its tongue, making me feel like I’d be swallowed into that huge mouth if I made even one mistake.

Moreover, each of those black scales was bigger than Do-hyun’s face.

At that point, wouldn’t it just ignore the seal and crush everything with its physical abilities alone?

‘Seriously, this crazy game… the scale is always like this.’

Anyway, the difficulty goes wild as soon as it’s connected to the main quest.

It was originally a main quest that would be done in three years, so it was natural, but even considering that, the difficulty was insane.

‘I need to dissect the brains of the people who made the main quest.’

It was a situation that naturally brought out curses, but Do-hyun did his best to think positively.

‘Let’s stay calm. It’s not all bad.’

Demrok or God of the Century were luck-based games, but one thing was clear.

That was high risk, high return.

If the risk was high, the rewards would be great, so defeating such a monster would surely bring tremendous rewards.

[Thousand Transformations is transforming into ‘Brilliant Taxinel’s Blue Sword’.]

‘Okay, let’s do it.’

I’ve already gained enough as it is.

There would be no loss even if I couldn’t complete it, but who knows?

Maybe I’ll get a legendary reward after catching that thing!

Giving up this unique opportunity for that possible chance was not in Do-hyun’s dictionary.

Tap!

First strike is a must win!

Keeping that rule this time as well, I charged forward, and Arlagini quickly turned its body.

Kwagagag-

A simple tail swipe.

But that alone split the ground.

[Using Backstab on Arlagini.]

[A mark is created.]

Clang!

I aimed for the back and ambushed it, but it was not enough to penetrate the hard scales.

Still, was there at least some damage?

Whir-

Arlagini abruptly twisted its body.

Like a snake, it gracefully twisted its body at an unbelievable angle despite its huge size, and the next moment, it was surrounding Do-hyun with its body.

Squeeze-

Arlagini coiled around him.

The coiling, done at an incredible speed, had enough force to crush even steel.

But Arlagini’s expression was not satisfied.

[Reusing Backstab.]

[The mark disappears.]

Do-hyun barely managed to escape using Backstab.

Moreover, its scales were slightly damaged because he stabbed it several times right after.

Sshik-

Was it annoyed by Do-hyun, who was dodging and throwing small attacks?

Arlagini didn’t move right away and stared at Do-hyun with its reptile-like eyes.

Do-hyun was the same.

‘It would have been dangerous if I was even a little late.’

Is that what it means to be grazed and die?

I could be sure even without being hit.

If I was even a little late and didn’t use the invincibility time of Backstab and was hit directly, I would have suffered at least a critical injury, or even death.

It wasn’t just fear-mongering.

[HP is below 80%.]

Just being grazed by the shockwave had already reduced it by 20%.

‘I need to be careful.’

I can’t use Backstab for the next 50 seconds.

During that time, I have to dodge with Dash Slash or purely with movement. Fortunately, the good thing is that it doesn’t move easily either.

“…Jihad, Charlie.”

-Yes, Master.

-I understand! Children, appear.

Charlie stepped forward at Do-hyun’s serious voice.

Then Jihad immediately raised black mana and summoned eight undead from the ground.

[Guardian ‘Jihad Black’ summons undead.]

[Summoning ‘Forest Red Goblin Undead x2, Forest Blue Goblin Undead x1, Orc Undead x3, Lycanthrope x2.]

[Using Legion Control, they are all judged as one entity.]

[More than 50% of the undead in the legion are judged as monsters from the lower city. Mana consumption is reduced.]

[Using Darkness Coating on ‘Undead Legion’.]

Groooo- Groo-

The situation instantly became 10 to 1.

[Intruders… danger… eliminate….]

Arlagini, who had been exploring as if searching, seemed excited and tried to rush in, flicking its tongue.

But the undead were even faster.

The scattered creatures grabbed Arlagini’s tail and neck.

Sshishik……!

Its strength was its excellent flexibility, which allowed it to generate power and exert a strong force.

This was to prevent that in advance.

Groooo!

Among them, the Lycanthropes were outstanding.

The creatures covered in darkness properly grabbed its neck with the strength from their thick arms.

-Master, I’ve got it!

-Well done! You are truly excellent undead! Truly fit to be rulers!

-Ahem!

Charlie, who didn’t miss the praise even in this situation, rushed in and swung his sword.

Do-hyun was the same.

However, even though they were holding it, it was still huge, so they couldn’t completely restrain it, so they had to repeat hitting and running.

But that was enough.

[Using Sword Aura.]

[Using Darkness Coating on Thousand Transformations.]

[Using Striking.]

Puk, Chang-!

Do-hyun, who couldn’t miss the chance to deal damage, immediately applied a triple buff, and the feeling was definitely different from before.

‘It’s slowly getting in.’

Even if it wasn’t a critical hit, it was definitely dealing damage.

It was truly a honey-like free-deal time, but unfortunately, that sweet moment was short.

Shieeeek-!

Grooo!

Perhaps angered by the fact that the two were taking turns swinging their swords and running away, Arlagini spun its body around.

The undead, unable to withstand the force, fell like leaves.

Thud-!

[Forest Red Goblin Undead is unsummoned.]

…….

[Forest Blue Goblin Undead is unsummoned.]

The relatively weak Goblin Undead couldn’t withstand it and were unsummoned.

Even the Orc and Lycanthrope Undead, who were quite large, were groaning while stuck in the wall, but perhaps they were still relatively high-level creatures.

Groooo!

The guys who quickly got up rejoined the battle.

How many times did they repeat having the undead draw attention as much as possible, and then Charlie and Do-hyun taking turns dealing damage?

Shiiiiik-!!

The creature’s movements grew larger as it couldn’t stand it any longer.

Running rampant through the dungeon with that huge body was a powerful weapon in itself, but conversely, Do-hyun’s expression gradually became more comfortable.

Generally, the bigger the opponent’s movements, the easier it is to predict.

‘I’m getting used to it now.’

I had only faced small-sized enemies recently, so I couldn’t adapt at first when facing such a huge monster.

But now I could see it clearly.

When the attack will come, how far I need to retreat to barely avoid it.

And even where to stab for the most effective damage.

Shiiik! Shwik!

A huge snake that had all its traits sealed and was only relying on its physical abilities was no longer a threat to Do-hyun.

Especially with a legion and Charlie to draw aggro.

-Excellent, Master!

Groooo!

It wasn’t letting the undead grab its body anymore, but it was still drawing enough attention.

-Liza! Lizaliza!

“Yes, you did well too, Eliza.”

Eliza was also on Do-hyun, shooting webs, so it must have been very annoying for the creature.

Swish- Puk!

[Arlagini’s health is below 70%.]

[Mana is below 50%.]

‘It’s damn tough.’

The problem was that its toughness was more than I thought.

I thought I had been hitting it like crazy with Sword Aura, but I had only managed to shave off 30%.

In terms of health alone, it was by far the top among the bosses I had met so far.

‘At this rate, my mana will run out first.’

[Mana recovery is increased by 200% due to the effect of Benevolent Light.]

Fortunately, I was holding on with the recovery from the Saint King’s Mark, but if I continued like this, my mana would definitely run out.

‘This won’t do.’

From here on out, pace control was key.

I was easily dodging its attacks, but it was going to be a long battle, and if I ran out of mana, it would be difficult to catch it in the end.

If I made a mistake and was hit by its attack even once, the tide would turn.

I needed to give it one big hit before that.

“Charlie.”

-Yes, Master! You bastard! This side is open!

As soon as Do-hyun made his decision and gave the signal, Charlie, who understood perfectly, rushed at the creature.

Charlie’s sword was clearly different from before.

Flash-

A sword emitting a dazzling light and containing a powerful energy.

[Guardian ‘Charlie’ uses Sword of Light.]

It was the sword I saw during our first reunion.

Sshik-!

Perhaps sensing the threat instinctively.

Arlagini looked at Charlie with its cloudy eyes and quickly coiled up.

It was a posture seen when taking a defensive stance.

When it takes that posture, it protects all its vitals, but there is one part it cannot protect.

‘Now’s the time.’

When it coils up, its lowered face inevitably faces backward.

[Reusing Backstab.]

[The mark disappears.]

[You can deal a powerful blow.]

What happens if you use Backstab then?

Shi……ik?

A place where the most vulnerable vital points for any living creature are gathered.

Do-hyun, who appeared in front of Arlagini’s eyes, smiled and swung his sword. Then, a blue energy soared from Do-hyun’s sword, which contained Sword Aura.

Paat-!

The energy soon took on a shape.

An elegant creature.

It was a peacock.

[Using ‘Blue Peacock’ of Brilliant Taxinel’s Blue Sword.]

[Deals a powerful blow in proportion to the damage stacked on the mark.]

The second option in Brilliant Taxinel’s Blue Sword.

It was the moment it was activated.

Swaaa-!

A giant blue peacock, over 3 meters tall, spread its wings and flew towards the creature.

-Wow…….

-Ooh…….

Jihad, as well as Charlie, were momentarily mesmerized by its elegance.

The blue peacock, which was Taxinel’s symbol during his time as the vice-commander of the great Lair Holy Knights, had descended here.

-Heup!

They were distracted by it for a moment.

Charlie, who quickly came to his senses, swung the Sword of Light.

The Sword of Light from behind, and the enhanced Blue Peacock from the front. In a situation of being caught between a rock and a hard place, Arlagini was stunned and couldn’t move.

Kwaaaang-!

Soon, a huge explosion occurred.

Shiiiiik-!!

A message rang out along with a scream of pain.

[Arlagini’s health is below 50%.]

It succeeded in breaking through that tough defense and shaving off 20% in an instant.

The creature forgot to coil up and fell over due to the tremendous power.

This alone was incredibly powerful, but sadly for the creature, there was still one shot left.

[Sword Aura – Slash is used.]

The flower of Sword Aura, Slash!

The best burst damage skill Do-hyun currently possessed.

It was the moment he was about to slash down with a darkness-coated slash towards the creature’s eyes.