The Return Of The Genius Ranker Of All Times [EN]: Chapter 196

196.

Hamode was very confused.

No matter how he thought about it, he couldn’t understand the current situation.

‘The King is intervening because we messed with a user? What did Kaiser do? And that long-haired knight is someone we’ve been building rapport with for over six months.’

While proceeding with the hidden quest, they had built rapport with the guards and residents, just in case.

Perhaps it was thanks to that.

What initially felt like an odd barrier had somewhat crumbled, and now they were at a point where they exchanged greetings and asked after each other.

Merchants would occasionally lower prices, and knights would take better care of quests.

Even if it wasn’t a huge benefit, they were now on friendly enough terms to say they had acquaintances.

‘But they’re protecting Kaiser instead of us? What did Kaiser even do?’

On the other hand, Kaiser?

At most, it’s been a month. No, to be precise, it probably hasn’t even been a full month.

In that short amount of time, the relationship has reversed like this?

It was absurd.

Why is it only Kaiser who’s different again?

Buzzing-

Hamode wasn’t the only one thinking that.

The onlookers couldn’t shake off the feeling that something was strange, and they became noisy.

“……Doesn’t something seem off? Why is the King protecting Kaiser?”

“They say he’s the benefactor and hero who saved Fratel? Is it because he caught Rudra?”

“……Wait a minute, then if we hadn’t been stolen from, the Hero Guild would be in that position right now?”

“Huh? Then the last lamp ritual, could that also be…….”

“Wow, it seems to fit the circumstances?”

“Crazy. If it were me, I would have died of jealousy.”

Grinding-

And as the story led to a certain conclusion, the sound of Hamode grinding his teeth grew louder.

If those words were true, then the King’s favoritism was originally the Hero Guild’s share.

‘……If the Master finds out about this.’

Gulp.

Whether that was true or not didn’t matter.

What mattered was how the Master would react upon learning this.

Considering the Master’s personality, who hated having his things taken away more than anything, he would definitely go wild.

In that situation, following Zerfac, even he fails?

‘……I’m screwed.’

He had to stop it somehow.

But how?

“Ugh! Let go! Let me go!”

“Stay still. Obstructing justice is a serious crime. Do you want to go to jail?”

“No, what did we even do?”

“H, Hamode! Everyone is being arrested! At this rate, we’re all going to get caught.”

The Knights were forcibly arresting the guild members even now.

If they fought, they would get at least a prison sentence. And he didn’t have the confidence to win against them in the first place.

The other knights could easily hunt field bosses.

Moreover, the commander of the Knights, Hyde Lacradier, was on a different level.

Those who rose to the position of Knight Commander possessed strength that ten knights couldn’t even scratch.

‘Hyde is among the top Knight Commanders in the city……. He’s someone who even received scout offers from the Empire.’

This was also something he learned while maintaining friendships with the knights.

Even if he wasn’t as good as Lord Lebed of Brion, he was definitely an incredibly skilled person.

Besides, if they started a war against NPCs [Non-Player Characters], they could end up being targeted by the Empire.

“You ask what you did wrong? That’s a ridiculous question.”

“What did we do! Why are you doing this!”

“You dared to threaten our hero and presumptuously blocked his path. Know that the King has shown mercy on a heinous crime that deserves the death penalty.”

“Crazy…….”

Above all, these guys weren’t normal right now.

How could they impose the death penalty for threatening one user!

Even a communist country wouldn’t do this.

It was almost like they were beyond a Kaiser fan club, and it reminded him of the Church of Cacin.

“Yes, those NPCs know what’s up. Those who insult Cacin deserve to pay with their death.”

“He’s worthy of being a great follower of the Church of Cacin.”

“I need to tell the cafe manager about this.”

“The cafe manager must be very busy right now……. Hmm, well, he might be happy to hear such good news.”

In fact, among the onlookers, some people presumed to be from the Church of Cacin looked pleased.

If they were praising it, that said it all.

“Arrest them all!”

“Yes, sir!”

“Ugh! H, Hamode. Let’s retreat for now…… Huh! Let, let go! I said let go!”

In an instant, 40 out of 200 people were arrested.

At this rate, they were all going to move to jail.

It was a wise choice to retreat here without acting recklessly, but…….

‘Damn it, what should I do?’

Is it really okay to leave like this?

He had put on all sorts of airs, and if he showed such a pathetic escape, his image would be ruined, and he wouldn’t be able to face the Master.

‘If it weren’t for the King and the Knights…….’

Perhaps he heard those words.

“Looking a little anxious, huh?”

As if he knew, Kaiser raised one corner of his mouth in a sneer.

“What, you think you would have won if it weren’t for the Knights? Well, I don’t think you’re any different, considering your so-called elite couldn’t even land a single effective hit…….”

“Wh, what? That damn bastard……!”

“What? What did you just say! Arrest that axe-wielding thug who insulted the hero!”

Hamode growled immediately, but Gilberun’s voice was even louder.

At that moment, a whisper came into his ear.

[Verze: ……Hamode. Retreat for now.]

“……Master? Were, were you watching?”

[Verze: There are so many people broadcasting. People are watching. Don’t ruin your image any further and get out cleanly.]

“Bu, but…….”

[Verze: Hamode.]

Hamode closed his mouth at Verze’s cold voice.

He knew from experience that when his voice sank so low, he shouldn’t argue.

[Verze: Don’t make me say it twice.]

“……I’m sorry. I’ll retreat immediately.”

Hamode answered immediately and quickly moved away, pulling his guild members back.

“Everyone, retreat for now!”

“I, is that okay?”

“It’s the Master’s order. Avoid getting caught by the Knights as much as possible and retreat.”

“……Ah, yes! I understand!”

As those who were huddled together quickly scattered, a path opened in an instant.

A path split like the Red Sea.

Hyde, who had approached Dohyun and Gilberun standing on that path, asked cautiously.

“……Shall we chase after them?”

“Hmm. It seems like we caught about 50 people. It’s a disappointing number, but…… Hero, what do you think? If you want, I’ll catch them all.”

“No, this is enough.”

Dohyun shook his head.

It didn’t matter if they caught them all, but there was no reason to do so.

He was going to leave this place anyway. Whether they were caught or not didn’t affect his play.

And…….

‘If they go to jail, I can’t beat them up.’

Dohyun smiled slyly and stroked Cheonbyeon.

The eyes of that guy, Hamode, or whatever his name was, weren’t dead yet.

He would definitely come to the Empire. He needed to personally educate someone like that.

Leaving an enemy who had harbored hostility was not Dohyun’s style.

“Hmm. I understand. I will follow your opinion. But I don’t like that guy’s eyes. I will keep an eye on his future actions.”

“I understand.”

“Then…… is this goodbye?”

At Gilberun’s words, Dohyun paused for a moment.

Gilberun, whom he glanced at, looked somewhat small and haggard.

But there was no need to worry.

The determination in his eyes was shining more brilliantly than ever.

Even the name of the completed hidden event was the birth of a brilliant monarch.

“Yes, it’s goodbye now. Thank you.”

So Dohyun smiled and replied.

Rather, Gilberun, whose expression had become more relaxed at that sight, also smiled and replied.

“……I think I should be the one thanking you. Thank you so much. If you ever need our help, let us know. I’ll put everything aside and come to you.”

“I appreciate the thought. What are you planning to do from now on?”

“……Well. I think I’ll be very busy. I hope this place can become a place that Angela can be proud of when she happens to look at it.”

“It will definitely happen.”

“Thank you.”

That was the end of the conversation.

It wasn’t that one person ended it.

They just felt it was time to leave and nodded.

“……The Empire is a place where powerful monsters run rampant. The reason why so many strong people gather is because it’s that dangerous. I want to tell you to be careful, but…… I’m sure you’ll do well.”

“Yes.”

“Then I’ll leave now. I won’t let anyone touch even a strand of your clothes.”

Dohyun, who smiled, took a step forward.

Step.

Clack. Clack. Clack. Clack.

Then the Knights stood on both sides of the path Dohyun was walking, like guards, controlling the path.

They held their weapons as if they would summarily execute anyone who interfered.

With the escort of so many knights, Dohyun moved again.

-Ahem! Cough.

-Um!

-Lizariza!

Then the Guardians followed behind him, straightening their shoulders.

Perhaps it was because of the occasion, this bizarre combination of Guardians looked particularly radiant.

Step, step.

Step.

At this moment, everyone had no choice but to agree.

No matter what anyone said, the protagonist of this stage was Kaiser.

“……That’s so cool.”

“The class of being escorted by the King’s Knights and the King’s escort.”

“That’s so romantic.”

The Hero Guild and everything else were not even on their minds right now.

They were just busy staring blankly at Kaiser walking towards the warp.

And that was the same for the Hero Guild and Hamode.

Grinding-

‘Damn it, damn it, damn it……!!’

It was so frustrating that he had to watch that unlucky bastard walk confidently even with so many troops.

He hated that all the users were looking up to Kaiser as if they were watching a celebrity walking on a red carpet.

He wanted to slap that bulging back of his head right away.

‘……Should I just do it?’

He was seriously considering whether to just go for it or not.

[Verze: Hamode, don’t even think about doing anything reckless.]

“……Yes.”

Verze’s whisper flew in like a ghost.

Hamode flinched and answered, and Verze opened his mouth as if he knew everything.

[Verze: There’s no need to worry. I don’t know what kind of trick he used to win the King’s favor, but it’s just flashy on the outside.]

“……But.”

[Verze: Hamode. Have you forgotten where that warp he’s heading to leads?]

“Ah.”

Only then did Hamode smile.

It was a vile smile.

Where would he go if he took the warp?

Of course, he would move to the Empire.

‘And the Master’s army is waiting in the Empire.’

No matter how good Kaiser is, he’s only showing off his overwhelming power here.

The NPCs and users of the Empire are on a different level from here.

Moreover, if the Master is leading the army himself, there’s no need to say anything.

[Verze: I’ve finished talking with the 100 largest guilds about not interfering.]

Then what about the top 10 guilds?

[Verze: They’re busy right now, and even if they weren’t, they wouldn’t interfere in something like this. Especially when it comes to Kaiser, they’ll rather welcome it.]

From the perspective of the top 10 guilds, Kaiser was like a poisoned chalice [something that seems appealing but is actually harmful].

Both in terms of symbolism and skill.

If they brought him into their affiliation and raised him well, he would definitely help them take a leap forward.

Especially now that he’s suspected of being in the middle of a main quest.

Kaiser was an existence that could cause a war if someone approached him carelessly.

[Verze: That said, they have no justification to step in directly, and their image will be ruined.]

The top 10 guilds wanted someone to get rid of Kaiser more than anyone else.

In other words, no one would interfere with the Hero Guild and help Kaiser right now.

[Verze: Kaiser, he’s walking into the tiger’s den himself.]

That red carpet he’s stepping on now.

In fact, it was no different from a path leading to a future made of his blood.

‘Kaiser, your era is over now.’

Step, step.

Kaiser, who didn’t even dream of that fact, was just walking confidently.

Finally, Kaiser, Dohyun, who had reached the warp, raised his head.

[You have met the graduation requirements.]

[You have completed all four trials of the continents located in the east, west, south, and north, and have obtained the qualification to go to the Central Empire.]

[Would you like to move to the Arnis Empire?]

[You cannot return to Fratel once you move to the Empire.]

‘Finally, the Empire.’

It had been about a month and a half since he started God of Creation Online.

He was filled with new emotions at the time that had passed in an instant.

If they heard that he had reached the Empire in a month and a half, everyone would shout not to lie, it was such a crazy speed.

‘I didn’t know it would be this fast.’

Even Dohyun himself didn’t know he would reach it so quickly.

Anyway, he had done it, and now it was time to step onto the main stage.

It probably wouldn’t be easy.

He had many enemies, and now that he was entering the Empire for the first time, it would be more vulnerable than ever.

‘When wasn’t that the case?’