The Return Of The Genius Ranker Of All Times [EN]: Chapter 202

202.

202.

-The fastest way to get stronger in the Empire? Oh, that’s obviously… Ah, before reaching max level? Then, without a doubt, it’s enhancement.

One of the things Fried, ranked 1,279th in God of War Online, said in an interview.

There were two reasons why he put enhancement first, ahead of all other routes.

One was that, unlike other routes that were often unfair, it was a growth route that gave everyone who entered the Empire an equal opportunity.

The second was…

-Actually, I don’t even think I need to explain this. Everyone knows there’s a huge difference between an enhanced weapon and one that isn’t.

The difference in stats was overwhelming.

You can feel the difference between a piece of equipment that has been enhanced even once and one that hasn’t, but what if it’s +10?

-It’s almost a two-fold difference. It’s like a difference of one grade. Since even the options are enhanced from +11 onwards, you can just think of it as a different weapon…

After that, he explained the brokenness of enhancement, but to summarize it:

Up to +10, it’s stat enhancement like attack power or defense.

After that, the options are enhanced as well.

‘Bora-ajji [term of endearment for an older man, like “uncle”] getting +15 is still legendary.’

Of course, it was right before the end of service, so the only ones who knew that legend were Lightning Emperor, his party members, and a few high-rankers.

The power of +15 that I saw back then was beyond imagination.

It was already a weapon of the final tier at the time, but with +15, even the options were enhanced to the max…

‘There’s a reason why he reigned as the strongest burst damage dealer.’

With that kind of spec [short for specifications, referring to the item’s stats], he could more than cover any lack of control.

As someone who knew the importance of enhancement better than anyone else, he pushed Dohyun to the enhancement shop.

It was when I was about to look around the enhancement shop after a long time.

“Damn it!! I shouldn’t have entrusted the enhancement to that bastard Harrison!!”

Before I could even do that, a man’s scream of anger suddenly rang out.

‘Ugh, that scared me. What, what’s that?’

‘Hmm, that guy’s not the only one.’

‘Liza?’

As Charlie said, the outburst wasn’t just from that man.

Enhancement Alley.

This place was always a neighborhood full of screams and anger.

“Hey, what’s wrong? Calm down. If you make too much noise, the guards will drag you away.”

“Ha, but that bastard Harrison keeps slipping! Did he put oil on his hands or something? Tell him to just go to a massage parlor!”

“You got screwed by that devil… You should have gone to Hyson in the next neighborhood.”

“Ughhhhh!! Damn enhancement! Give me back my ten million won!”

“Oh? Oh oh oh!!? It’s up! It’s up! Ughhhhh! God, oh God, Buddha, I’m not religious but thank you!!”

Most of them had bloodshot eyes and were flashing with murderous intent, and people cheering were as rare as beans.

There were even those who were crying and pounding the ground in front of broken equipment.

Seeing that heartbreaking sight, Jihad was flustered and nudged Dohyun.

‘Ugh, that guy’s crying, Master. Hey, are you crying?’

‘It’s everyday life.’

‘Hmm. It reminds me of when a former subordinate knight went to Enhancement Alley. He couldn’t get past +7 and cried, the poor guy. Master, you will surely be able to go to +10 or higher.’

‘……No. I’m not confident either.’

Dohyun slightly avoided his gaze at Charlie’s words.

The enhancement shop was the place Dohyun hated the most and was not confident in.

Most of what his colleagues teased him about as God’s screams were all because his equipment broke while enhancing.

‘My best record was +9, I think.’

Even that was only one weapon that reached +9 after hundreds of destructions.

All the other equipment only reached +7.

This was because even if you failed up to +7, the enhancement would only decrease, and the equipment would not be destroyed.

If the point of destruction was from +5, Dohyun would not have even touched the threshold of +9.

‘I don’t even want +9. Let’s just get +7 without too much hardship, please.’

Dohyun, who barely endured the dizziness at the thought of repeating the process, looked around.

‘……Who should I get it from? Hmm, let’s pass on that Harrison guy for now.’

It was to find an enhancer NPC [Non-Player Character] who would decide his fate.

After looking around for a long time.

‘That person would be good.’

Dohyun, who soon found a decent-looking NPC, opened his mouth.

“Please enhance it.”

“Hmm? I don’t think I’ve seen your face before. So, you’re entrusting me with the enhancement?”

“Yes.”

“That’s an excellent choice. I’m quite the expert in enhancement, you see. Hehe. Put the equipment here.”

As they were talking, Jihad whispered carefully.

‘……You’re not going to do it yourself and entrust it to him?’

‘Yeah.’

‘Re… Really?’

Jihad, who was asking back, seemed to be asking if that was the right decision.

That’s because…

“Oops, my hand slipped.”

“No, why is your hand slipping there! I saw you deliberately let go just now.”

“It was really a mistake. Don’t despair. I really have a feeling this time. Really.”

“Look at that, that bastard’s eyes. He’s crazy.”

“Ugh, damn it. Production jobs or whatever, enhancing yourself is good for your mental health? I’d rather give more enhancement stones.”

Just looking at what’s happening next to you, isn’t the answer obvious?

Every time you turn your head, you hear dozens of curses about the enhancers, is this right?

As those people say, the eyes of the enhancers are unusual, they even seem addicted to something.

But Dohyun answered calmly.

“It doesn’t matter.”

-Why?

“Because even those crazy enhancers are less of a trash hand than me. Would you believe me if I said I failed 10 times in a row to get to +5?”

-……

Enhancer’s hand slips often? He’s being unfair?

What does it all matter?

After all, it wouldn’t even be a match for Dohyun, who has a minus hand in the enhancement world that God screwed over!

-Uh… Fighting!

-Li, Liza!

“Come to think of it, you said there was a poor friend who couldn’t go to +7?”

-……Cough, cough. You must have misheard. Growth must be done with one’s own strength. Excellent, Master.

Watching the guys who immediately understood, Dohyun also sighed and put up his weapon.

In fact, he said this, but there was no choice.

Since it’s common sense that entrusting it to an enhancer NPC has a much higher success rate unless you’re a blacksmith production job.

[Enhancer NPC, Kilhi designates Thousand Transformations as the enhancement target.]

[Although not excellent, the touch of a fairly skilled expert increases the enhancement probability.]

[The grade of the equipment is high, so a lot of enhancement materials are needed.]

[Consumes 5 enhancement stones and 398 gold.]

[The success rate is 80%, and the destruction rate is 0%.]

The expert’s probability assistance cannot be ignored.

It wasn’t for nothing that they were cursing the NPCs as if they were going to eat them alive, but still entrusting the enhancement to the NPCs.

‘Well, if you really don’t like it, there’s a way to ask the guys called artisans [highly skilled craftsmen], but…’

This is too expensive and it’s hard to make time.

“Then I’ll start.”

[Enhancer NPC, Kilhi starts the enhancement of Thousand Transformations.]

[Success in enhancement by melting the enhancement stone in the furnace and hitting the hitting point correctly with a hot hammer, and failure by hitting the vital point.]

[The hitting point and the vital point are random, which depends on the enhancer’s sense and skill.]

The moment the enhancement called the warrior’s graveyard began.

A job where the enhancer’s skill is more important than anything else because everything is determined by the hitting point and the vital point.

Clang-! Clang!

“Hmm, at this rate, it’ll be enough one more time.”

It was time to watch without being too nervous as it was the first enhancement.

Ting- Whoong-!

“Wa, wait a minute!”

“Hmm? What’s wrong?”

Dohyun, who saw something come into his eyes with a cheerful notification, shouted urgently.

Kilhi, who was flustered looking at Dohyun with his eyes wide open as if he couldn’t believe it, tried to stop, but it was already too late.

Because the hammer was falling due to the acceleration of gravity.

Clang-!

The moment the hammer and Thousand Transformations collided.

[Congratulations. The enhancement was successful.]

[+1 Thousand Transformations has been completed.]

“I was surprised, but I succeeded wonderfully as befits my skills. Shall we continue the enhancement?”

“Wait a minute. It’s not the time for that.”

With a cheerful notification, the enhancement was successful, and Dohyun still had a blank expression.

That’s because he saw something he couldn’t believe.

‘This is perhaps… Hmm?’

But it was then.

Buzzing-

Before Dohyun could continue thinking about this phenomenon, the surroundings began to become noisy.

It was because of the appearance of one person.

“Wow, it’s Leon.”

“Leon? If it’s Leon, he’s the one who became an artisan in the field of enhancement a while ago!”

“What? Leon appeared? This is not the time!”

“Where, where?”

At that, Dohyun also stopped the enhancement for a while and turned his gaze.

There was a young man in his late 20s standing proudly with a lot of attention.

Leon, a famous artisan among production jobs recently.

‘The first artisan in his 20s.’

He was a blacksmith user with unprecedented talent, recognized by the Empire’s skilled blacksmith NPCs.

Among them, he was a man who was awarded the title of artisan for his particularly excellent skills in enhancement.

He was also the only artisan of the Hero Guild, which receives the greatest support from Verze.

“I heard that the top 10 guilds were also watching him? Verze courted him three times to finally bring him in.”

“I’m so jealous… Some people beg to be accepted, but the executive guild doesn’t even look at them.”

“If you’re upset, you should also do a production job. Honestly, there’s no hope for combat jobs now.”

“That’s a bit… When will you do all that grinding?”

Dohyun nodded at the users’ chatter.

‘Unexpected? To see that precious artisan here.’

If there are rankers [top-ranked players] in combat jobs, there are artisans in production jobs.

A position that can only be achieved after a long time, receiving recognition from artisan-level blacksmith NPCs, and passing the examination.

If you achieve artisan-level, you receive an overwhelming buff in one of the production-related fields such as weapon crafting or enhancement.

‘I also broke through +10 for the first time thanks to Bora-ajji.’

So much so that Bora-ajji suddenly learned blacksmithing at the time of Dem Locke, saying that this was a must-do, and became an artisan, which was difficult to achieve, after a long grind.

Thanks to that, Dohyun also entrusted the enhancement to Bora-ajji after that, and was finally able to escape the nightmare of enhancement.

Anyway, that old man was really persistent.

When you look at it from the side, you would shake your head saying, ‘Wow, he even grinds on things like that?’

It wasn’t for nothing that he was called the incarnation of grinding.

‘I don’t think he’s doing that here either… Or is he? If the artisans were almost wiped out like in Dem Locke, he might have done the grinding himself.’

……He was a person who could have done that enough, that old man.

Anyway, those great artisans often had high pride and often did not easily succumb to money.

I don’t know what the Babylon-affiliated artisans are like, but seeing that even Bora-ajji couldn’t cancel his schedule, I think it’s the same as other artisans.

“I heard you’re leaving for the New World, why are you still in the Empire?”

“I heard there’s something going on recently. I heard he’s just doing the title challenge for the last time and leaving?”

“Jackpot… Will he enhance it if I ask him to?”

“Will he do it? He’s famous for being rude. It’s a relief if you don’t get cursed.”

“Anyway, I haven’t seen young guys succeed early without being lucky.”

Well, that’s why artisans are often grumpy and rude.

Not to mention Leon, who succeeded at a young age.

“Um… Leon-nim [term of respect], hello.”

“What is it?”

“Th, th, I’m a fan. Could I possibly ask for an autograph?”

“Get lost.”

“……Yes?”

“Get lost because it’s annoying.”

Leon was merciless even to the fan who carefully spoke to him.

Leon frowned as if disgusted and waved his hand.

“Ha, do you think I don’t know the black intentions of trying to ask for enhancement after saying that?”

“No, why are you saying that? I just requested it with a fan’s heart…”

“Ah~ is that so? Okay, then choose. Shall I enhance one piece of equipment you want? Shall I sign it?”

“Yes?”

“What are you hesitating for? Choose honestly, I will never break my promise. But if you choose one, I will never do the other for the rest of your life, so think carefully.”

“……Yes? Th… Uh…”

Leon raised the corners of his mouth with a bitter smile as he watched the hesitating user.

“I knew it, you cowardly bastard. Put out your equipment and get lost.”

“You can leave the equipment here. Leon-nim is specially doing only one for you, so please choose carefully.”

“No, really… That’s not it… Geez.”

The bodyguard who followed Leon reached out his hand, and the user spoke as if he was wronged, but he didn’t back down.

The sight of him putting out the equipment with an unhidden smile was so ugly.

“Ugh, ugly, so ugly.”

“Do you want to live like that?”

“……But I’m a little jealous. Shall we try asking too?”

At that, the users in Enhancement Alley cursed but expressed subtle envy.

That was the position of an artisan.

A being that makes you feel secretly tempted even after seeing that ugly sight.

Of course, there was no way Leon would let that happen.

“By the way, this is the last time, so if anyone acts impolitely… Yes, you know what I mean, everyone?”

“……Haha, of course.”

“Hey, that’s right. Tsk.”

The users who were cut off at once turned their eyes away while making excuses.

It was then that Dohyun made eye contact with Leon, who was looking down at those users as if they were pathetic.

Leon’s eyes widened slightly as if surprised to see Dohyun, and then he smiled.

Dohyun thought at that nasty smile.

‘What? Who is that villain-like guy?’