The Return Of The Genius Ranker Of All Times [EN]: Chapter 223

223.

‘What am I thinking…?’

But the thought flashed only for a moment before disappearing again.

I was just overwhelmed by how overwhelmingly he was defeating the skeleton soldiers.

‘He’s just an Apostle who hasn’t even Transcended. He’s not comparable to someone who has reached the level of Sword Emperor.’

Even if that Apostle was impressive, he was nothing compared to that man.

It was almost insulting to even compare them.

The level of the Trial of Limits that the Sword Emperor underwent was worlds apart from the one that Apostle was facing.

But it was true that he had momentarily come to mind.

The Apostle’s movements and overwhelming performance were not something an ordinary Apostle could display.

‘I know that there’s a particularly large gap in power between Apostles, but….’

A lot of Apostles have appeared in recent years.

With their unique trait of being immortal, the gap in their power was especially large.

There were many who were just sigh-worthy, but there were also some who were impressive enough to be proud of.

Among them, there were quite a few whose skills were so different that it was hard to believe they were in the same realm.

In particular, some of them possessed skills so outstanding that they satisfied the Lion King’s spirit….

Clatter! Bang!

‘……I feel sorry for the soldiers for the first time.’

It’s not like he was just unilaterally beating them up like that.

This wasn’t a matter of skill.

It was just that the difference in specs between the soldiers and him was already as extreme as heaven and earth.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

Grr, grrr… grrr….

He seemed to find it increasingly bothersome to dodge, so he just took the hits while beating them down one by one. It was such a one-sided massacre.

[You have cleared Stage 5 perfectly.]

…….

[You have cleared Stage 7 perfectly.]

Neither the elite skeleton soldiers of the 5th floor nor the Death Knights of the 7th floor could stop that man’s rampage.

-Wow, that’s quite a sight… I thought only the skeleton soldiers were feeling left out because they were just bones, but I wonder if they’d be happy if we had them as soldiers too.

-Ho, so you’re finally taking care of your subordinates, even though you’re always bickering. It’s a good look for you.

-Rizariza.

Even at this moment, the Guardians didn’t move.

-Ah, no, well. It’s just that they’re all bones, so they kind of look like them. Why would I take care of that guy? What’s so pretty about him?

-No need to be embarrassed. It’s a very admirable attitude as a lord.

-Me? No way? I didn’t take care of him? I wasn’t embarrassed?

-Rizariza. Riza.

They were just sitting face to face, scratching their backs, and chatting.

Seeing that, the Lion King’s spirit couldn’t help but feel a sense of futility.

What was the point of taking the Trial of Limits if things were like this?

‘……This won’t do.’

Even if they were undead, it made him uncomfortable to let them meet such a dishonorable and miserable end, even after death.

That was an insult to his forgotten friend.

‘I didn’t want to use this… but I have no choice.’

Muttering to himself, the Lion King’s spirit took something out.

A crystal imbued with a special energy.

As someone without a body, only a spirit, it was an item that required a great price to use.

That was why he had been reluctant to even touch it, but this time was different.

Everything was so absurd that he felt he had to do this to understand.

‘Apostle. I will uncover everything about what you possess that allows you to display such an absurd power that doesn’t suit your level.’

Holding the item, his eyes flashed with the brilliant golden eyes of a lion.

[Using ‘The True Lion King’s Eyes.’]

[Identifying the true qualities hidden deep within the target.]

‘……This, this is!’

At the same time, something filled his vision.

His eyes widened as he saw it, and were soon filled with shock.

* * *

Thump-! Bang!

A heavy roar echoed, and the light in the eyes of the Death Knight, who was once a great knight, faded.

Thud-

The Death Knight fell so futilely.

The man who stepped on the fallen Death Knight, Do-hyun, couldn’t hide his smile.

It wasn’t that he was reveling in victory.

[You have defeated the Great Lion King’s Death Knight.]

[The Lion King’s spirit is blinking, wondering what he just saw.]

[Reflected in the score.]

[The Lion King’s spirit seems to think something is wrong and takes something out with a firm resolve.]

[Reflected in the score.]

[Level up!]

[Level up!]

“Yes! Good experience. How many level-ups is this already?”

He was too busy enjoying the even sweeter experience.

No less than two levels had risen.

There was no honey sweeter than this, so how could he not smile?

Not even Gandhi or Buddha could have tolerated this.

-Master, too much honey will give you a stomachache.

-Rizariza…….

“No, it’s okay. I can still eat three more times~”

-Ugh, the world is so unfair.

“The world is originally unfair, you X… no, Jihad.”

-Hmm. Opportunity is given to those who are prepared. It’s all thanks to the lord’s skill.

“Yeah, Charlie knows what’s up.”

-……Eliza, come here.

Charlie’s unchanging attitude made Jihad give up and try to take Eliza back with him….

-Riza!

-……Eliza?

-Rizariza!

Eliza had already jumped over Jihad, avoiding his hand, and landed on Do-hyun’s head.

Jihad’s face was filled with shock.

It was as if he were watching his young daughter, who used to be affectionate in his arms, go to some other punk when she grew up.

-That’s it, I don’t need anything anymore……. They say raising daughters is useless.

-Riza? Rizariza!

Eliza, seeing Jihad looking dejected with a wounded expression, subtly went down and comforted him.

‘……Those guys will never be bored.’

It seemed like they were chatting and playing well among themselves even while he was hunting.

Do-hyun chuckled at the sight of them doing skits and turned his gaze.

‘By the way, just catching one Death Knight gave me 2 levels… it’s a level that can’t even be compared to a normal field boss.’

Compared to what? It wouldn’t even reach his toes.

Considering that levels didn’t rise easily from the Empire onwards, this was truly an insane amount of experience.

This wasn’t just about the Death Knight.

[You have cleared Stage 7 perfectly.]

[Due to the extremely fast clear, there will be a slight delay.]

[Please wait.]

The elite skeleton soldiers and skeleton soldiers he had encountered before catching the Death Knight also boasted a considerable amount of experience.

He had almost leveled up every time he cleared a floor.

‘The experience is too high compared to the level.’

He had just been happy, thinking it was honey, but when he calmly thought about it, it really didn’t make sense.

Naturally, two assumptions came to mind.

One was that the experience in the Lion King’s Tower was higher than outside, or that the experience was the same regardless of what level you were at.

For example, whether you level up at level 100 or level 71, you get the same experience, so you get a high amount of experience.

And the other one is…….

‘When the Lion King’s spirit reacts.’

Come to think of it, it seemed like he leveled up soon after the Lion King’s spirit was shocked and reflected in the score.

That’s why Do-hyun was leaning more towards this, but it was just a guess.

It could be one of the two, or both.

‘Well, that’s not what’s important.’

Do-hyun smiled and looked at the status window in front of him.

[Player: Kaiser]

[Level: 79]

[HP: 8,650 / 8,910]

[MP: 4,170 / 5,940]

[Stamina: 1,330 / 1,770]

[Class: The Last Adventurer [Successor of Kashiyar]]

[Titles (15)]

-Max Affinity From the Start?

-The First Slayer

……(View More)

[Stats]

[Strength: 190(+162)] [Agility: 190(+162)]

[Constitution: 5(+176)] [Sense: 65(+150)]

[Magic Power: 95(+151)]

Remaining Points: 23

‘Wow……. It’s shining, it’s shining.’

He had reached level 79.

He had leveled up 6 times in about 30 minutes since entering the tower.

30 minutes. Not even an hour, 30 minutes.

Do-hyun couldn’t help but smile at the unbelievable number, a feat achieved in 30 minutes.

‘I wish I could level up like this forever.’

An impregnable tower that no one has passed for half a year?

The noble and great Lion King’s trial?

Unfortunately, it was nothing more or less than a gold mine hunting ground to help Do-hyun’s rapid growth right now.

He had never had it this good while playing God of Creation Online.

Ding-

[Stage 8 Trial of Limits begins.]

[The boss of Stage 8 Trial of Limits is the Elite Death Knight.]

And just in time, a message appeared, announcing the start of the next stage.

Do-hyun stopped thinking and grabbed Cheonbyeon.

‘After skeleton soldiers, it’s elite skeleton soldiers, and after Death Knights, it’s elite Death Knights.’

Generally, Death Knights are classified as the final boss of the skeleton soldier type of undead.

Considering that the tower tests the qualities of a knight, and that undead related to knights are appearing, he could guess what would appear on the 9th floor.

‘Eternal Knight.’

A true undead knight who transcends the rank of Death Knight and lives for eternity.

In Demlock, if the mage class has liches [undead mages], the knight class has Eternal Knights, which are high-ranking beings.

If a knight-type undead of a higher rank than Death Knight appears, it would almost certainly be that.

‘……Well, it’s not like a complete Eternal Knight will appear.’

If that were the case, there would have been far fewer people who had passed the trial with a perfect score.

Maybe none at all.

The Eternal Knight he had met once through a hidden piece in Demlock was twice as strong as Do-hyun at the time, and was even maintaining his sanity.

There was no way he could be dealt with if he appeared in God of Creation Online, which had only been released for less than two years.

‘Maybe a Death Knight at the beginning of Eternal.’

A being at the beginning stage who hasn’t fully awakened his reason and the power of eternity.

A beast-like being that only possesses a strong body.

If that much came out, the balance would be somewhat right. Of course, it was likely that the real deal would start from the 9th floor, as even that alone boasted tremendous power.

[The stage is being transformed for the Stage 8 Trial of Limits.]

Rumble rumble rumble-

At that moment, the ground shook and the space began to narrow as the notification appeared.

The space narrowed, and the surrounding walls and ground gradually changed shape. The flat land soon became a rugged, rocky area full of rocks.

It was a strange phenomenon, but Do-hyun’s party didn’t react much.

-It seems like it has begun.

-Rizariza!

-Don’t you have to step up this time either, Master?

“Move on your own depending on the situation.”

-Roger!

This was because it was a change that always happened when a stage was passed.

Having experienced it for the seventh time, there was nothing new to be surprised about.

Creak creak creak-

[The Stage 8 boss, the Elite Death Knight, opens its coffin and appears.]

The same was true for the Elite Death Knight, who opened the coffin that stood alone among the rocks, spreading an eerie mist.

Rather, they were just excited about how much experience it would give them.

……That was definitely the case.

Ding- Ding!

[The Lion King’s spirit is shocked after seeing something.]

[The Lion King’s spirit is dazed for a while before falling into disbelief.]

[He sacrifices a part of his spirit to twist the rules of the tower to confirm.]

[The Lion King’s Tower, which was linked to the Lion King’s spirit, accepts this.]

[The Trial of Limits is forcibly terminated.]

[Achieved the feat of forcibly terminating the Great Lion King’s Trial for the first time.]

[Achieved a hidden condition.]

[The Second Trial is deleted, the Third Trial is deleted.]

“……What?”

Suddenly, the notifications rang loudly, and a feast of countless messages unfolded before his eyes.

The trial is deleted? Achieved a hidden condition?

Before he could even understand what all this meant, the system declared.

[Hidden Stage, the Forgotten King, opens.]

[Warning! Overwhelming difference in power. You may lose your life.]

“……Crazy.”

That the hidden stage had opened.