The Return Of The Genius Ranker Of All Times [EN]: Chapter 233

233.

[You have entered the World Quest Dungeon, ‘The Forgotten Tomb’.]

[Save the forgotten king amidst the scene of the disaster.]

[Current disaster recreation rate is 14%.]

“Huh? 14 percent?”

Ast couldn’t hide his bewilderment upon entering the dungeon.

Normally, it starts at 0 percent, or at least 10 percent is the norm.

But to start at 14% right from the entrance?

‘Was someone already here?’

As Ast anxiously looked around, a gruesome scene unfolded.

Gheee- Gheee-

Tadak- Tadak-

Wights [undead creatures] exuding a terrible chill and knights riding undead horses.

Buildings engulfed in flames and floors blackened with soot.

Though it was a dark night, the horrifying scenery was revealed each time the flames wrapped around the buildings flared up.

Indeed, it was an unpleasant stage befitting the concept of a tomb recreating a disaster, but Ast’s gaze remained calm as he observed it.

“Master.”

“Yeah. It seems we’re the first ones here.”

Ast nodded, looking at the Vice Master who spoke cautiously.

It was a gruesome scene, but this was the kind of stage it was. There were no traces of hunting or people.

Nevertheless, the fact that the recreation rate was 14% meant one of two things.

‘Either someone hunted on the other side, or the recreation rate rises faster than I thought.’

Perhaps it could be both.

‘……Could it be because of you?’

Ast briefly thought of Kaiser but quickly shook his head.

‘Nah, no way, that doesn’t make sense.’

Although the person who discovered the World Quest is given priority entry, it’s only for an hour at best.

It couldn’t be said that there was no influence, but it didn’t make sense that one guy could cause such a number.

That meant the latter possibility was more likely.

‘Unlike the existing World Quests, it’s overwhelmingly fast… the expressions of those in the New World will be worth seeing?’

Ast grinned as if he felt relieved and immediately gave orders.

“Guys, it looks like we need to move quickly. Everyone, prepare for battle.”

If the disaster rate rose quickly, they had to monopolize it quickly while there were no people.

But unfortunately, the plan ran into trouble from the start.

“Hmm, so this is the Forgotten Tomb.”

It was because of those who entered, scattering a flurry of light almost right next to them.

Hundreds of players on white horses, and a brown-haired woman at their head.

The woman, who accentuated a strange atmosphere like a fairy from a martial arts novel, was dressed in oriental clothes that matched the atmosphere.

A face that made men’s hearts flutter.

“Cheonoecheon…….”

“Those guys fell into the same place. We’ll be competing from the start.”

“It’s going to be a pain if we get involved with those guys…….”

However, the expressions of the guild members looking at her were not very good. Far from being excited, they looked visibly displeased.

Because they already knew.

Cheonoecheon’s master, Xiao.

How obsessive and leech-like that woman was, unlike her fairy-like face.

‘Once she sets a goal, she never gives up. Of all people, I have to fall in the same place as that woman.’

Ast massaged his forehead as if he had a headache.

Getting involved with Cheonoecheon never went smoothly, so he secretly hoped that they wouldn’t fall into the same place.

So much so that Xiao was one of the two women Ast hated the most.

To make matters worse, this wasn’t the end.

Paat- Pat-

“Jackpot! What is this place?”

“Wow, is this a dungeon? Is it different because it’s a World Quest?”

“The day I do a World Quest has come, this is crazy. Really.”

Users began to enter, scattering a flurry of light here and there.

“Oh, hey, hey. Look over there. Isn’t that Xiao?”

“Crazy, Ast is there too.”

“Wow, this is my first time seeing Xiao. I knew she was pretty, but she’s really gorgeous in person.”

“Is this like Beauty and the Beast? Look at Ast’s build, is he even Korean?”

“So this is one of the top 10 guilds…… the force is no joke. I want to go to the Empire soon too.”

From users who seemed to be high-level to users who seemed to be from other cities, looking around with sparkling eyes, excited.

The moment Ast paused at the sudden appearance of users, he heard a neighing sound from the side.

“It’s a Pegasus!”

“Wow!”

A white horse standing proudly with two pairs of brilliant wings spread wide.

A mythical beast of the Divine race, Pegasus.

Users captivated by the sacredness opened their mouths in admiration.

The size of over 5 meters and the huge wings were so beautiful.

“Looks like you have time to relax, Owner of the Armory.”

“……Xiao.”

“Well, see you later, I’m going to take the lead.”

Heeheeing-!

Xiao, riding on her trademark Pegasus, smiled and flew into the sky.

At the same time, a brilliant effect was emitted from the staff Xiao took out.

“Huu……!”

Her thin arms, after taking a breath, exerted explosive power in an instant.

Then, just as something flashed, the staff flew and pierced the head of a knight riding an undead horse.

Kwaddeuk!

One kill.

Xiao, who dealt with one in the blink of an eye, flew away to find another target.

This time, Pegasus stirred its wings once, and a strong wind swept the monsters into one place.

Beonjjeok-!

Kwaddeuk-! Kwadeuk!

Then, she quickly cleaned them up with the same lightning-like staff throw as before.

“Wow!”

“……Is that even possible? I can barely catch one.”

“The gap between rich and poor is real.”

Leaving behind the users who felt a sense of deprivation and awe at the same time, Xiao looked down at Ast.

“Are you going to be so slow?”

“……Ha.”

Seeing her smiling brightly while riding on Pegasus made him come to his senses.

Taking out Pegasus from the start was nothing more than a declaration.

Just like his plan, a declaration to take as much as possible before the other top 10 guild guys come.

Also, the fact that she was hunting here without leaving meant…….

‘She’s saying let’s have a go?’

At the provocation, Ast growled and stretched out both hands to the side.

Then, cracks appeared where he stretched out his hands, and a huge mouth popped out.

“A Divine Beast? You’re not the only one who has one.”

Having used the Azure Dragon, White Tiger in Demlock, would he not have obtained a Divine Beast here?

Why he was called the Owner of the Armory, leaving behind other epithets.

He was going to show it properly.

[The Divine Beast, ‘Weapon-Swallowing Phantom Beast’ has opened the armory.]

[The Divine Beast, ‘Weapon-Swallowing Phantom Beast’ is sucking in weapons.]

Jjeoeok-

As the huge mouths on both sides opened, the weapons of the monsters without ownership were sucked in instantly.

It wasn’t just weapons. Things that become the material of weapons.

For example, iron.

Sssik.

Ast, having confirmed that he had swallowed all the ironware and weapons without ownership, put his weapon into the maw.

[The Divine Beast, ‘Weapon-Swallowing Phantom Beast’ has swallowed the +15 Supreme Emperor Sword.]

[Starting combination.]

Then, the Phantom Beast paused for a moment, and soon spat out a weapon.

[The Divine Beast, ‘Weapon-Swallowing Phantom Beast’ spits out the +15 Wight-Slaying Supreme Emperor Sword.]

Ast, the master of the top 10 guild, Babel.

The reason why he is called the Owner of the Armory was not simply because he purchased numerous weapons based on capital.

The key was separate.

[Activating unique ability ‘Weapon Upgrade’.]

[Temporarily increases the weapon’s enhancement by +1.]

[The +16 Wight-Slaying Supreme Emperor Sword is completed.]

He was the one and only user who could handle a +16 weapon, surpassing the highest existing enhancement stage of +15.

In addition, a cheat-level Divine Beast that swallows surrounding weapons and adds the optimal options to hit the enemy.

“Bring the boss. I’ll smash its head in one go.”

The overwhelming one-shot deal resulting from that.

That was the reason why Ast was able to confidently rise to his current position despite having insufficient talent.

* * *

Such scenes were not only appearing where Ast was.

In a place somewhat far from them.

The floor here, where even the flames were scarce and an eerie energy was felt, was extremely cold.

Not just a figurative expression, it was so cold that it was almost numbing.

“Damn, it’s cold. What’s going on all of a sudden?”

“Lepias is passing by over there. It’s all due to the ice currents.”

“Crazy…… is that range real?”

It was all because of one person.

Ice-blue hair, white skin, and glasses.

A handsome man who gives off a rigid and cold image with no expression.

The chief disciple of the Blue Magic Tower and the strongest ice mage with no match in the field of ice manipulation.

Jeobeok, Jeobeok.

Each time Lepias walked, the surrounding air cooled down, and the path he walked on froze.

There were no monsters that could escape from him.

The knights riding horses boasting excellent mobility slipped easily, and the wights without means of transportation simply froze with a cracking sound.

“He even laid down an Ice Road.”

“He was using Blizzard a little while ago.”

“Ugh, let him just eat it all. Let’s go somewhere else.”

“Even if we put ice on it, it’s not a preemptive strike, so we can’t attack…….”

“Can you win if you attack?”

For the users, there was no choice but to retreat when Lepias appeared.

Apart from being an overwhelming powerhouse that they couldn’t resist, their movements slowed down when he appeared, making hunting inconvenient.

“Isn’t Ice Mage too OP [overpowered]? Why don’t you do it?”

“It’s OP because it’s Lepias, who would take an Ice Mage? They’d take an illegal fire mage with strong burst damage.”

“Ugh, I don’t know, this is really dirty. I heard that the chief disciple of the Hayden Lord is flying next to him, where should I go?”

There were many users who complained, but there were also many users who thought positively.

“Well…… it’s impossible for us to be in the rankings anyway. We just came for the experience.

“I’m honestly satisfied. When else can we see Lepias or the top 10 guilds fighting properly?”

“I agree. The dungeon is fun too.”

“Well, the kids from other cities seem to be on a picnic. Keuheuk.”

Logically, it was impossible to receive special rewards or S-class rewards among these many users.

They were users who valued experience more.

“And who knows? Maybe we’ll find the Forgotten King. After all, the highest capture score is finding the Forgotten King. If we find him and save him, we’ll immediately take first place~”

“Yeah, please refrain from nonsense~”

“Or maybe there’s treasure? Like a hidden piece.”

“That’s a bit more promising, but would we be able to do it?”

“Why, what can’t we do? A hidden piece in a World Quest? Kiya, how can I stand this? The reward must be no joke, right?”

It was when they were laughing and dreaming big even after being ridiculed.

[The disaster recreation rate reaches 20%.]

[From now on, a great disaster will be recreated. Boss monsters will appear.]

[Be careful.]

“What, it’s already 20 percent?”

“Isn’t the progress speed too fast for this World Quest? Why is it so fast?”

“At this rate, it’ll be over before the top 10 guilds in the New World even arrive.”

“Ah, I wanted to see the Annihilation hunting.”

“I wanted to see the Empress.”

Then, one user who had been listening silently opened his mouth as if something was strange.

“Why haven’t we heard anything from Kaiser?”

“Huh? Kaiser?”

“Come to think of it…….”

Come to think of it, there was no news about Kaiser at all.

Even if they looked at the community, there was no one who had seen Kaiser, and there were no rumors even from hearsay.

It was as if the person who opened the World Quest had disappeared without a trace.

But they didn’t give it much meaning.

“Well, maybe he participated and found it too difficult to be active? He’s not yet comparable to the direct disciples of the top 10 guilds or the Empire’s powerhouses.”

“Well, the monsters are too strong. They’re getting stronger and stronger, but if it’s only 20 percent now, what will it be like at 100 percent?”

“The difference between 10 percent and 20 percent is almost 1.5 times…… even if it exceeds 50 percent, there won’t be many people to catch it…….”

Keueoeoeo-!

The users stopped talking at the ear-splitting scream that came at that moment.

[A boss monster has appeared nearby.]

“……Hey, the boss appeared! Let’s go quickly!”

“Uh, let’s go together!”

“If you don’t come quickly, you won’t be able to see it! Didn’t you see Lepias running right away?”

Kaiser had already disappeared from the minds of those who rushed out.

It was only natural since the high rankers who were coming to catch the boss were more anticipated than Kaiser, who they didn’t know where he was or what he was doing.

* * *

And at that time.

Kaiser, Do-hyun, who was almost forgotten by everyone…….

[The Eye of Truth is activated.]

[Discovered the hidden location, ‘Guardian’s Cave’.]

“Wow…… I didn’t expect to find it this quickly. Look at the speed at which the recreation rate is rising, isn’t this going to be a major disaster?”

-Oh, what. Does the owner care about that too? I thought you’d say it’s none of my business.

“If it goes up too quickly, it might end before I sweep it all up. That won’t do.”

-Aha.

He was smiling in a cave where no trace of people could be felt.