The Return Of The Genius Ranker Of All Times [EN]: Chapter 249

249.

Is this what they mean by being deep in the mountains?

Looking at the endlessly expanding scale, Do-hyun swallowed hard.

Dealing with the bizarre difficulty of the World Quest was already overwhelming, but now what? The Imperial Family is connected to the Abyss?

‘Oh, my head…….’

A headache started to form.

Taxinel, the vice-commander of the Holy Knights, was involved during Brion, but this was on a different level.

Brion is a Holy Empire that the Empire cannot ignore, but in terms of military power alone, the Empire is overwhelming.

‘No, overwhelming isn’t even enough.’

Compared to Brion, which is known for Lebed alone, the Empire has several powerhouses stronger than Lebed.

The Empire is so strong that even if all the other cities combined, they couldn’t win.

If the Imperial Family, the core of such an Empire, deliberately colludes with the Abyss, there’s no way to stop them.

‘The things attached to this main quest are ridiculously difficult.’

Do-hyun, who was complaining, scratched his head.

He was already tackling a main quest that wouldn’t open until three years later, so it was natural for the difficulty to be bizarre.

[The soul of the Forgotten King is fading.]

[The temple will collapse soon. Please leave the temple immediately.]

-……There’s really no time left. I feel like I’m entrusting you with a great burden, but can you fulfill my request?

“Yes, of course.”

-Thank you so much. You must have many questions, so I’ll explain quickly.

It would be wiser to listen to as much as possible before the king’s soul disappears, rather than complaining.

-The Lunar Order. They are beings that have existed since the distant past. They have instilled fear in people for generations and have even been worshiped as gods by some. They are called the Five Suns. It’s ridiculous.

At this point, he was certain.

‘The five people from the mural.’

The huge mural in the King’s Tomb.

A group of five people who appeared in the paintings passed down through generations.

There was no doubt that they were the Lunar Order.

‘Five suns and a moon…… then the ones Ruidra said would become the true masters of the continent must be the Lunar Order.’

He was worried that the five might be referring to the five ancient kings, but thankfully, that didn’t seem to be the case.

Then what is their identity?

Following the mural in the King’s Tomb, Ruidra, and even the World Quest.

‘Seeing them constantly involved in the main quest’s trajectory, it seems like they play a key role…….’

Then are they on the side of humans, the side of gods, or the side of the Abyss?

‘Or are they a completely different faction? No, they probably wouldn’t be. Since they appeared with the Devourer, even if I’m not sure they’re on the side of the Abyss, there’s a high possibility they’re involved with them.’

Do-hyun, who was speculating based on the words of the Forgotten King, shook off his thoughts.

A hasty judgment is forbidden.

You never know what might happen when you actually find out.

It’s best to listen more and then judge, but unfortunately, that wasn’t possible.

-I don’t know more than that. I only know that they have lived for a very long time with a certain goal, and that goal was carried out in my generation.

The king looked bitter as he said that.

Whether it was the futility of not having the chance or the strength to take revenge on them, or the sorrow for those who had sacrificed themselves, he couldn’t tell.

The king, who closed his eyes as if recalling the past, opened his mouth again.

-But isn’t it strange?

What he uttered wasn’t futility or resentment, but a question.

-The fact that they, who hadn’t moved for a while, started moving in my generation, and coincidentally, the Abyss moved at the same time.

“…….”

-It may have been erased from history, but they were always there whenever the demons of the Abyss appeared. It may be a coincidence, but if it happens more than three times, they say it’s fate.

And every time, countless disasters occurred in the Empire.

-I don’t know what the disasters were like after my death…… but I suspect there is some kind of relationship between them and the Abyss. Do you know of any disasters?

Crack…….

As soon as he finished speaking, the sound of gnashing teeth came from beside him.

The history of the Forgotten King and the Devourer was erased, and many disasters were buried, but one history remained.

A disaster that every user who enjoys God of War Online knows.
The incident that NPCs think of first when they hear the word Abyss.

-Are you saying that the Imperial Family, which is the center of the Empire, is doing such a thing even after experiencing such a past……!

-Charlie……

-Li, Liza…….

The Arlen Disaster.

Charlie was gritting his teeth and clenching his fists, trying to endure.

Do-hyun had many thoughts as he looked at Charlie.

‘Should I tell the truth?’

The tutorial was a stage that vividly recreated the Arlen Disaster that happened in the past.

Charlie remembers it as a victory because he met Do-hyun, but that’s only in his memory.

The history hasn’t changed.

There was no reason to talk about it, and he didn’t want to mention it because he thought it was better not to know…….

-……I’m fine. Didn’t we find light in the great Arlen City by preventing the disaster with our lord?

-Uh……. Tha…… t’s right?

-It’s quite shocking that the Imperial Family, which is the symbol of the Empire, might be colluding with the Abyss…… but I think it’s fortunate that we found out even now.

Hearing those words made him feel uncomfortable.

But if he were to tell the truth, he didn’t know where to start, how to explain it, or how to make him understand.

Do-hyun hesitated for a moment and then turned his gaze away. Sometimes it’s better not to know.

Thump, thump, thump-

Suddenly, the temple shook.

[The Forgotten King’s Temple will collapse soon.]

[5…….]

[4…….]

The temple began to collapse in earnest.

-……It seems like this is the end of the story.

As the conversation naturally ended, the Forgotten King carefully made his last request.

-Hero who awakened me. I’m ashamed, but I’m asking because you’re the only one.

“…….”

-Could you please completely seal this disaster this time and investigate whether there are those who collude with them in the Empire?

[Sudden Quest ‘The Forgotten King’s Request’ has occurred.]

[The Forgotten King’s Request]

-Rank: Sudden Quest

-Description: The King’s soul hopes that you will fulfill the task he couldn’t complete.

His wish is the peace of the Empire.

After sealing the great disaster, investigate whether there are those in the Imperial Family who collude with the Abyss or the Lunar Order.

-You can clear the World Quest by sealing the disaster.

-Quest Success: Linked Quest occurs, Main Quest clue acquired

-Quest Failure: Linked Quest deleted, Main Quest clue deleted

Do-hyun nodded as he looked at the quest window that floated above the collapsing temple.

‘First, I need to deal with this disaster and then think.’

The Imperial Family, the Lunar Order, the Abyss.

It wasn’t too late to think about it after that.

Now was the time to focus on successfully completing the World Quest in front of him. As if reacting to Do-hyun’s will, a message appeared.

[Reward measurement has been completed.]

[The reward has been enhanced, and you can choose two out of three rewards.]

[Flowing Water Secret Fire Sword], [Black Rain Mask], [Arrow of Evil Destruction]

‘This is…….’

Do-hyun, who widened his eyes as if he was interested, raised the corners of his mouth and reached out his hand.

[Reward selection has been completed.]

[The King’s Temple is collapsing.]

[Would you like to leave the temple?]

Soon, the completely collapsed ceiling fell, separating the King and Do-hyun.
The moment he made eye contact with the King who was faintly revealed through the gap.

-Then…… I’ll trust you. Hero of this era.

Do-hyun nodded briefly, and with a faint voice, his vision reversed.

* * *

-Is it really impossible to conquer?

-I don’t know, damn it, we’re screwed. The top 10 guilds are all retreating, who’s going to catch it?

-Thank you for your hard work, everyone, and I’ll see you at the Honest execution ceremony next time.

-lololol I can hear Harrington’s hands trembling from here.

-I shouldn’t log in for a while. If a disaster opens, I might accidentally die while passing by?

-Hey, that’s why it’s so fun.

-Oh? Is that so?

-Is that so lololol

The situation in the Forgotten Tomb was still the worst.
The hope had disappeared with the abandonment of the top 10 guilds and high rankers.

If this continued, the failure of the World Quest was a foregone conclusion.

But no one bravely stepped forward.

They all saw it on the broadcast. How ridiculous it was to catch that disaster.

That’s why they were just chatting and making pointless noises.

Ding-

[The Forgotten King’s Temple is collapsing.]

[Kaiser has cleared the Forgotten King’s Temple.]

[Changes are occurring in the World Quest conquest ranking.]

Suddenly, an alarm rang, and messages floated above all the users,

-??

-?

-Huh?

-??????

A lot of hooks were written in the chat window.

What came after the countless hooks was a cold silence.

-……Cleared?

-Crazy, am I seeing things?

-He caught the king? Kaiser?

-Is this real? Is this real, guys?

After a few seconds, chats started to come up occasionally, but they were all dazed.

That’s because something so absurd had happened.

The users in the Forgotten Tomb were no different.

But only for a moment.

“Ka, Kaiser caught the Forgotten King!!!”

“Waaaaa!!!”

“He did it! He did it!!”

“Who said Kaiser could never catch it!? Top 10 guilds? Screw them!”

“Kaiser, he’s a god! Kaiser, he’s a god! Kaiser, he’s a god!!”

“Kaiser Punch! Kaiser Punch! Kaiser Punch!”

Soon, a loud shout erupted from the users who had grasped the situation.

The tomb was about to collapse from the shouts of tens and hundreds of thousands of users.

Their ears were not only deafened but also numb.

“……He caught that guy?”

“Kaiser……? How the hell?”

“Could it be that Arthur’s words were wrong?”

The most embarrassed in this situation were none other than the masters of the top 10 guilds.

The king, who had killed numerous high-rankers, including Repias, and whom even Arthur had ultimately failed to defeat in the second phase.

An impossible challenge, rumored to appear only years later, an absolute trap card.

‘How on earth did Kaiser manage to catch such a guy!’

‘Isn’t he someone who hasn’t even reached the level cap, let alone transcendence yet?’

‘Could it be because Arthur inflicted significant damage? If it was a one-time pattern… we might have been too scared and missed the opportunity.’

‘I really can’t believe it…’

They had given up on the king, but the fact that he was caught was a disgrace like no other.

The thought of having to salvage their image in the future already made their heads ache.

Still, they weren’t sure whether to be happy or sad that they had cleared the dying world quest.

Smirk.

However, there was one user who was smiling.

‘That bastard, I knew he could do it.’

It was Ast, sitting in a safe place with his chin resting on his hand.

Since he hadn’t participated in the strategy in the first place, he had nothing to be ashamed of.

-Ast lololol

-Ast was the winner.

-Ah, Kaiser will catch it, why waste energy~

-Ast knew everything!

-And Ast was the only one among the top 10 guilds who tried to challenge the king. He believes when he needs to, and does what he needs to do. Isn’t that a real man?

In fact, the reaction in the chat was also good.

The different reaction from other guilds who declared it impossible to catch and controlled it, and the fact that he calmly believed in Kaiser alone.

In many ways, it worked favorably.

‘But when is this guy coming out?’

Ast, who had been told to wait and had many questions, was staring intently at the collapsing gate.

“……Hey, but why isn’t the clear message popping up?”

“That’s strange. It usually doesn’t take this long to pop up……”

“Could it be……”

The murmuring grew louder here and there.

Several minutes had already passed, but the phrase that the world quest had been cleared was not appearing.

Not only that.

Uwoooooooo-!!

The huge disaster, still standing firm, was floating leisurely.

“……Why is that bastard still alive?”

“This is bullsh*t, it wasn’t cleared!”

“Wasn’t catching the Forgotten King the condition for clearing it?”

“Then why is there a temple!?”

“The top 10 guilds were right? The king was a trap card!”

The world quest was not over yet.

Rather, it was just the beginning. The users who realized this hurriedly moved their feet, uttering curses.

They had to hide behind the terrain to avoid being noticed by the disaster, but they had revealed themselves because they thought it was cleared.

——!!

Was it because the frantic scattering and fleeing was stimulating?

The huge disaster screamed deafeningly and began to rampage.

If this continued, a forced second battle would be held.

“Ugh!”

“Damn it, what am I supposed to do if I fall!”

“Behind, behind! Damn it, run away first!”

“Sa, save me!”

A tragedy where even comrades had no choice but to abandon them.

The user who fell closed his eyes tightly at the sight of his departing comrades.

The vibration as if an earthquake had occurred and the dark shadows filling the surroundings as if it were night, were telling him that the disaster was right behind him.

Kwaaaang!!

It was when he thought he was dead at the heavy sound.

After a few seconds, the notification that did not ring, the user slowly opened his eyes.

And saw.

Krrr……

The fierce blizzard swirling around and the white lion descending on it.

It was a beautiful and dreamy sight.

Standing at the center was a man.

A man wearing a darker and more eerie mask, holding a sword with a white blade engraved with a white lion and snowflakes.

“It’s a mess here too.”

-Indeed, Master.

-Rizariza.

-……The stench stings my nose, my lord. How many people have been sacrificed……

The moment he heard the voices of the Guardians and their unique low-pitched voices, the user shouted without realizing it.

“K, Kaiser!”

“It’s Kaiser! Kaiser appeared!”

“Kaiser? Where!?”

Almost simultaneously, the users who were running away stopped and turned around at the shouts that burst out from all directions.

The man, Do-hyun, who stood alone in front of the huge disaster, drawing everyone’s attention just by appearing, grabbed Chunbyeon again.

[The target has been identified as an abyssal demon beast.]

[The flawless hexagon is reacting to the target’s vitals.]

Do-hyun smirked as he saw the vitals shining faintly inside the huge body.

‘The vitals are inside the mouth… no wonder he went inside the mouth and blew himself up.’

Do-hyun clicked his tongue and glanced sideways.

Thanks to some recovery, his health had risen to 20%, and his mana had risen to almost 30%.

On the other hand, the monster was still in good condition.

[Health: 40,051,234 / 60,000,000]

‘……What? 60 million health? Is this a monster?’

No, it was beyond healthy, it was crazy.

The shockingly absurd figure made him laugh in vain.

This was a boss made to not be caught.

He understood why the guardian said he couldn’t kill it and had to seal it.

Uwooooooo!

It was then.

The huge disaster, having finished identifying Do-hyun, took the form of trying to rush again.

And at that moment.

[Using trait upgrade.]

[Weapon enhancement increases by +1.]

Kwaaaang!!

Someone who jumped off the cliff slammed down a huge blunt weapon.

The shock wave erupted with a heavy roar. The disaster stopped and screamed, probably because it had taken quite a bit of damage.

Frowning at it for a moment, a huge man stood next to Do-hyun.

“Are you trying to catch it?”

“Ahjussi [term for an older man, often used informally],”

It was Ast.

He seemed to be in very good condition, probably because he had been conserving his strength as he had said before entering.

Almost in full condition.

But even Ast laughed in vain when he faced the huge disaster up close.

“Huh…… Look at the size. I can’t even fit it all in my eyes. I wondered why you told me not to waste my energy, but why is it that nothing goes easy when I’m involved with you.”

“So, are you scared, Ahjussi?”

“……I was wondering if I should have taken a calming pill.”

Do-hyun chuckled at his jesting and exaggerated appearance, and Ast asked as if spitting it out.

“So, do you have a method?”

“There’s a sealing stone. If you stick it in that guy’s vitals, it’s over.”

“That’s easy to say. Where are the vitals?”

“Inside that guy’s mouth.”

“……What?”

Ast, with a dumbfounded expression, looked at him as if to ask if he had heard correctly.

“……That’s the only way. I won’t force you, you can back out if you can’t do it. Honestly, it’s going to be tough with just the two of us.”

“Two……”

At that, Ast looked up at the sky for a moment and thought deeply, and his eyes flashed.

His eyes widened slightly as if he had found something, and the corners of his mouth curved.

—–!!

[The Great Disaster opens its eyes.]

And almost simultaneously, the disaster that had finished recovering roared, and hundreds of eyes opened.

Each eyeball was about the size of an average person’s head.

Hundreds of head-sized eyes were staring with intense murderous intent.

It was a creepy sight that made goosebumps rise, but Ast calmly continued his words.

“Who said two people?”

“……What?”

Before Do-hyun could even look at Ast, things happened.

[The Disaster’s eyes devour the existence touched by light.]

[Caution! Be careful not to be touched by the light.]

Hundreds of eyes began to hold light.

The moment he hurriedly grabbed Chunbyeon and tried to resist, a woman’s sword that flew from somewhere drew a clean straight line.

The most perfect flash of light.

It was a sword that had reached the realm of art, even though it was just a simple horizontal slash.

Chwaaaak-!

Blood splattered and the Disaster’s eyes closed.

And a woman with hair like black silk fluttering between the Disaster and Do-hyun, taking a stance.

The woman with fair skin wearing a dobok [traditional Korean martial arts uniform] was someone he had never seen before, but why?

‘……This is.’

Just as he was feeling a sense of familiarity.

—-!

This time, something was slammed down violently from above.

The alien sound that seemed to tear the air stimulated his ears, and when he raised his head, he saw a woman scattering red energy.

Chwaak- Chwak!

Red energy flashed and numerous slashes poured down.

The Disaster’s body, covered in wounds from the barrage that seemed to tear apart the space itself, shook greatly.

The woman with white hair fluttering, who landed next to the woman wearing a dobok, turned her head.

The moment he met her fiercely flashing red eyes.

Smirk.

She smiled fiercely.

“This bastard is having fun alone again. You’re so consistent.”

“……What?”

Before he could even understand, the Sword Saint, who had put away his sword, greeted him with a faint smile.

“Long time no see, Kaiser.”

“……?”

Do-hyun, dumbfounded, looked at Ast without realizing it.

He was grinning as if he was having the time of his life.

‘Could it be……’

The thought that came to him instinctively popped out without going through his brain.

“……Gguggu? Sword Emperor?”

“Oh, you recognize me?”

“Oh, your hunches are working for once.”

It was the moment when the Kaiser party gathered after almost 2 years.