The Return Of The Genius Ranker Of All Times [EN]: Chapter 231

231.

[Why is a hero chosen by thought necessary?]

Hoping for even a sliver of hope, Do-hyun cautiously asked, to which the Lion King’s spirit replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

[Well, isn’t it obvious? We need a hero to create a Philosopher’s Stone.]

“A Philosopher’s Stone?”

[The Forgotten Tomb is a place where the countless tragedies my friend experienced are recreated. Forming a Philosopher’s Stone in the center slows down the rate at which these tragedies are replayed.]

The effects didn’t stop there.

[After a certain amount of time, it will reveal the location of the sleeping king. That way, we can rescue him before the reproduction rate reaches 100 percent.]

“…And if you find him after it reaches 100 percent?”

[…Then it will be too late. He will already be consumed by his memories and become the final version of him that I remember. Even though he’s already dead, he won’t be able to exert even half the power he had in his prime… but that alone would be threatening enough.]

“Then, what if… just hypothetically, what if there’s no Philosopher’s Stone?”

At that moment, the Lion King’s spirit’s eyes changed.

[…There’s no hero?]

When Do-hyun didn’t answer, the Lion King’s spirit nodded.

Then, he stroked his chin as if something was strange.

[Hmm, even so, I don’t know why you’re worried. Now that the tomb has opened, a hero chosen by thought will soon emerge.]

“Well, there’s always the ‘what if’.”

[Unless the thought sealed in the stele is shattered, that’s unlikely to happen, so you don’t have to worry too much.]

“……”

Do-hyun, unable to answer, closed his mouth.

He couldn’t exactly say that he had completely destroyed that stele. He tried to think of something else to say, but nothing came to mind.

Fortunately, the Lion King’s spirit didn’t seem to suspect anything and readily satisfied his curiosity.

[If, by any chance, that were to happen, though it’s unlikely… we’d have to fight the fully realized king. Finding his location while defeating those tragedies in the shortened time would be nearly impossible.]

In other words, the difficulty would increase several times over.

The World Quest itself is a quest that all users can participate in as long as they are on the main continent.

Considering that it accommodates a large number of people, it is inherently difficult, which made it an unwelcome prospect.

Therefore, the first thing that came to mind was the help of NPCs [Non-Player Characters], but…

[Ah, I didn’t mention this. The Forgotten Tomb is a tomb not permitted to the residents who have forgotten the king who saved their country. Only apostles can go to the Forgotten Tomb. So, you must save him before he is completely consumed. Keep that in mind.]

‘……’

Do-hyun nodded at the ghost-like timing of the line being drawn.

He didn’t have high expectations for that in the first place.

He had already experienced one of the two World Quests where he couldn’t get help from NPCs, so he thought it was possible this time as well.

And in fact, he didn’t necessarily need help.

‘Objectively speaking, the probability of not being able to clear the World Quest itself is low.’

The level of the current users is by no means low.

There are 1 billion players, and the game has already been out for almost two years.

There were many who could be called hardcore players.

In particular, if the top 10 guilds joined forces with determination, it would be worth a try.

In fact, in the previous World Quest, three of the top 10 guilds joined forces to defeat a legendary named World Boss.

‘Then what about me? What can I get?’

No matter how strong Do-hyun is, he is only level 79.

He can now confidently say that he is strong enough to easily defeat Verze without using the Tears of God.

But even so, he is only stronger than the masters of the 100th-ranked guilds.

Compared to the masters of the top 10 guilds, he is woefully inadequate.

Could he really win against the Forgotten King, who has regained nearly half of his power from his prime?

‘…I’m already struggling with a rotten body, so what.’

At this rate, he would have obtained the World Quest, but the person involved would not gain much from it.

He didn’t want to see that happen.

He would be so jealous that he would think about it over and over again.

‘If I had known it would turn out like this, I should have at least tried to talk to that spirit.’

He was just proceeding with the main quest.

Who would have known that the Hero Guild’s route, which had diverged, would be a necessary task for the World Quest?

‘Thinking about it, it’s absurd. Does that mean the successor of Kasiyar shouldn’t clear the World Quest?’

Do-hyun complained, feeling unfairly wronged, but in fact, it was his fault for forcibly opening it three years early.

He was the one who chose to do it at level 73 instead of at the maximum level.

Do-hyun covered his face with both hands.

‘It’s like cooking porridge and giving it to the dog [a Korean idiom for wasting effort].’

He thought about it for a long time, but no matter how much he thought, he couldn’t come up with an answer.

-Lizariza…

Do-hyun smiled as he watched Eliza pat his finger and decided to give up.

He honestly admitted that he was not yet good enough to play an active role even in the World Quest.

‘Still, the person who opened the World Quest gets bonus points in the strategy ranking. They also get the right to enter first.’

It was a shame, but he decided to be satisfied with that.

That’s what he thought.

[Ah, come to think of it, there was this method. It’s actually such an absurd method that I only thought of it belatedly…]

It was until the Lion King’s spirit spoke up, as if suddenly remembering something.

[When the reproduction rate of the Forgotten Tomb reaches a certain stage, something appears in a specific location.]

“…What is it?”

[The king’s conviction that overcame the tragedy at the time. It is a crystallized form of that.]

The Lion King was about to finish speaking, saying that obtaining it would allow him to grasp the location of the Forgotten King, but he hurriedly added a word.

[There will be a guardian protecting the Stone of Conviction. It will be very difficult to deal with, not only because of its powerful force, but also because of its distinct personality.]

“…Guardian.”

[I heard that the guardian holds a treasure containing the essence of the master he served. The sword once called the Demon Sword was also a treasure held by the guardian.]

Do-hyun’s ears perked up.

A treasure, that was welcome news.

‘A Demon Sword? It looks valuable just by the name, right?’

In any game, if the word Demon Sword is attached, the performance is guaranteed.

Well, the treasure he will get this time may not be a Demon Sword, but it was a tempting word.

Above all, only the users who received the Lion King’s treasures were gaining tremendous fame, and the fact that it was a treasure of the Forgotten King, who was stronger than the Lion King, made it even more trustworthy.

‘The Tale Sword of the White Lion is proof of that.’

The Lion King’s spirit smiled at Do-hyun’s grin.

[I can see what you’re thinking. It’s unfortunate for you, but it’s an impossible dream.]

He wondered if it was because there was no hero chosen by thought this time either, but fortunately, that was not the case.

However, in some ways, it was a more difficult reason than that.

[Even I, who was a longtime friend, can hardly guess what the Stone of Conviction is. Moreover, finding it in a tomb that recreates numerous tragedies… it might be easier to find a needle in the desert.]

“……”

[I don’t think even explorers praised as legends will be able to find it. Above all, touching the Stone will cause a powerful guardian to appear. That guardian can only be dealt with alone. In many ways, it’s right to see it as impossible.]

The Lion King’s spirit smiled and added a word.

[Well… you never know. If you have the ability to find whatever is hidden and the powerful force to be recognized by the guardian, it might be possible.]

But the Lion King’s spirit soon shook his head.

[I was talking nonsense. There’s no way such a person exists. Let’s cut the useless talk here…]

Then, as he reached out his hand, a crack appeared in the air.

It was similar to the portal that was there when going from the village to the field, but it felt more crude and rough.

[The tower accepts the will of the Lion King’s spirit.]

[A portal to the World Quest dungeon, ‘Forgotten Tomb,’ has opened.]

[Please enter within the time limit.]

[Once entry is confirmed, entrances will be opened in each city on the main continent, including the Empire.]

[Linked quest, ‘Save the Forgotten King,’ has occurred.]

[Save the Forgotten King]

-Grade: World Quest

-Description: Soothe and save the soul of the Forgotten King who is sleeping in the Forgotten Tomb.

Any method is acceptable, and it will be cleared when the Forgotten King is considered saved, and differential rewards will be given in proportion to the strategy level at the end of the World Quest.

-Quest Success: Differential special rewards are given from 1st to 100th place, and S to D grade rewards are given according to the strategy level below 100th place.

-Quest Failure: The tragedy of the Forgotten Tomb may be reproduced on the main continent.

‘Oh, I didn’t know I could enter right away from here.’

As he let out a small exclamation, the Lion King’s spirit said boldly.

[You can enter whenever you are ready. Please note that it lasts for 1 hour.]

Smile.

A smile also appeared on Do-hyun’s face.

First entry was good, but that wasn’t what was filling his head right now.

‘The Stone of Conviction and the guardian…’

The guardian’s treasure he had heard about earlier.

If he obtained it, he would surely receive a huge reward, as well as make a great contribution to the strategy level.

It was an element that would make Do-hyun, who was trying to be satisfied with participating, greedy.

Of course, he threatened that it would be more difficult than finding a needle in the desert, but… honestly, it didn’t really resonate with Do-hyun.

[Eyes of Truth]

‘I believe in you, Eyes of Truth.’

Because the cheat-like trait that had never disappointed him would cheat again this time.

He wanted to enter right away, but there was something he had to do before that.

‘It said 1 hour, right?’

Not 1 hour, 10 minutes is enough.

As he turned around, Do-hyun smiled as he looked at the treasures visible beyond the door.

‘Now, shall we pick a reward?’

It was time to choose the rewards he had been saving.

* * *

Hyden Castle, in front of the stele.

This place was now bustling with many people.

Easily over thousands of people.

No, if you count the number of people who couldn’t come in and were lined up behind, it was over tens of thousands.

It was unusual for so many people to gather and line up at the Knight’s Castle, where flies were usually the only visitors, but no one questioned it today.

“Wow, it’s really black. Amazing.”

“Why is this real? Crazy.”

“No, how can someone who has only been playing for a few months do that? What on earth is he doing?”

“You know if you look at his past actions. He’s not human.”

“So, does anyone know how long it’s been black? A little over an hour?”

That’s because the first-ever second hidden stage was in progress.

The stele emitted a unique black light that even the great 10 guilds and the Sword Emperor had never seen in the Lion King’s test.

The fact that this was the work of Kaiser made it impossible not to be interested.

“Ah, get out of the way.”

“You’re really pushing me. Should I just push everyone away?”

“…Your head would fly off first if you did that? Look at the vice-captain’s eyes flashing.”

“Ahem. I, the kind one, will endure it.”

The reason why a minimum of order was maintained even in this crowd was thanks to the vice-captain of the Hyden Knights, who was watching with hawk eyes.

It was no exaggeration to say it was thanks to Abir.

‘A score that surpasses the captain of the Knights…’

Whether black was a good meaning or not, the fact that he had passed three early admissions in 30 minutes had already proven his skills.

He couldn’t believe that fact.

The Sword Emperor was such a monster, but was the apostle he saw earlier so great?

‘To have looked down on a knight with such great qualities… I want to die of shame.’

Abir’s face turned red.

He thought he had developed a good eye as a knight, but it seemed like he was just full of hot air.

If he could, he wanted to grab his own collar from a little while ago and stop himself.

But being ashamed was one thing, and he was honestly curious.

‘The test of that unknown black light is something no one has ever experienced.’

What will he experience and what will he gain?