The Return Of The Genius Ranker Of All Times [EN]: Chapter 263

263. Bloodshed.

The only assassination guild among the top 10 guilds, shrouded in secrecy.

All its guild members were assassins, and much about them was hidden, but the information about the guild master was the most closely guarded secret.

To the point where not even a single person knew her face.

She always wore an assassin’s uniform and a mask that covered the lower half of her face, thoroughly concealing her identity.

All that was known was that she was a woman and that she wore a hairpin in her blue hair.

[You have been killed by player ‘Sina’.]

Only her name greeted you before you died.

A genius of assassination.

A being born to be an assassin.

The epitome and essence of an assassin.

Thanks to this, her name was always accompanied by flamboyant descriptions.

Praised as ‘the most assassin-like assassin’ for her meticulous work, she was exceptionally competent.

Perhaps she was too competent.

Everything was perfect for her, but she had one peculiar habit.

“…How boring. Isn’t there any stronger prey?”

The intense catharsis that came when she succeeded in assassinating a formidable enemy.

She maintained a poker face, with no emotional highs, even earning the nickname ‘Ice Witch,’ but at that moment, she could feel a strong dopamine rush.

That was why she was always searching for strong prey.

But strong people are limited.

Before she knew it, the prey on her list was running out, which was why she had been feeling restless lately.

‘Should I target the top 10 guild members? …No, let’s be patient. I can’t break the unspoken rules.’

Objectively, the top 10 guild members were all stronger than her.

But assassination is a different field from direct combat.

The thought of the pleasure she would feel when she assassinated them was already thrilling, but if she did, she would become everyone’s target.

She couldn’t sacrifice her future for the sake of immediate gratification.

“Parrying Machine? The Second Coming of Demroque?”

It was only natural that Kaiser caught her eye when she was feeling frustrated.

A name she had heard a month or two ago. But back then, he wasn’t such a prominent topic.

‘At best, he seemed to be dismissed as a ghost from the past… He succeeded in a Calamity Raid [a high-level, extremely difficult raid] that the top 10 guilds couldn’t conquer?’

Is such rapid growth possible?

He was with the Empress, the Sword Saint, and the Owner of the Arsenal, but even considering that, it was absurd.

But there was even video evidence, so it was an undeniable fact.

In particular, the scene of him parrying the Light Orbit pattern was unbelievable even when seen directly.

‘…He’s strong.’

Kaiser, he was strong.

A tremendous powerhouse comparable to the top 10 guilds.

He hadn’t fully matured yet, but that didn’t matter to her now.

‘How will he react? Can he escape my assassination?’

Parrying Machine, the Second Coming of a God.

She wondered if that man, who was so highly praised, could escape her grasp.

She was intensely curious to see how he would handle it.

‘Let’s catch him.’

It is said that curiosity is the greatest motivator.

In the end, she set out to find Kaiser, and she put in a considerable amount of effort to locate him.

She even expressed her intention to participate in the conference, which she had never participated in before.

Rustle-

“It’s far away. I think I’ve been walking for over 30 minutes.”

-But we’ll be there soon, Master?

-Lizariza!

And now.

She was able to reap the rewards of her efforts.

‘A white furry spider, a robe-wearing dwarf, and Charlie… That’s Kaiser.’

In less than a day, she found Kaiser and his Guardians passing through the depths of the southern forest.

Looking down at them from the tree, she organized the information.

‘The dwarf’s specialty is quantity [referring to summoning many creatures]. The legion commander is tricky. Charlie is in charge of aggro [drawing enemy attention], the spider creates variables… They’re outside the Guardian’s area, but in the end, they’re all just support roles. The main one is Kaiser himself.’

The basics of assassination are preliminary investigations.

From basic information such as the opponent’s class, to trivial information such as what they are good at and what characteristics and habits they have.

Only after investigating everything and then moving on to the task could one be called an excellent assassin.

‘I couldn’t investigate perfectly because there wasn’t enough information… But I’ve grasped that man’s fatal habit.’

Not only that.

She had grasped the Guardians’ combat methods and habits. She had already decided how to respond.

But this was only a hypothesis in preparation for when a ‘battle’ broke out.

She was confident that the probability of a battle breaking out was less than 1%.

‘Parrying? Go ahead and do it as much as you want.’

That was the reason why the prey she targeted died without even knowing how they died, why she triumphed over opponents stronger than herself, and why she confidently joined the top 10 guilds.

[Activating the legendary skill, ‘Ghostly Killing Annihilation’.]

[Activates stealth that even legendary-grade detection cannot detect. Movement speed increases in stealth mode, and damage increases by 500% when attacking, breaking stealth.]

[Activating the unique ability ‘Maintenance’.]

[Applies the effect to Ghostly Killing Annihilation to ignore dispel and maintain stealth for three attacks.]

‘If you can [parry].’

It was thanks to the broken synergy of the legendary skill and the divine ability of the Myth God.

The only holder of the two abilities among 1 billion players.

Her assassination was a guaranteed kill.

‘So, where should I aim first? The head? The heart? No, should I cut off his legs first and then slowly…?’

Although half of her face was covered, her face, which had been as cold as ice, gradually became flushed with excitement.

Suddenly.

Kaiser suddenly stopped walking.

Seeing him standing still with a cold face, Sina swallowed hard.

But before she could get nervous, Kaiser soon took a step.

‘That’s right. There’s no way I’d get caught… What?’

The moment she felt relieved, Kaiser’s figure disappeared.

Sina was startled by what happened in the blink of an eye and stopped as she tried to get up.

She felt the sensation of a cold blade touching her neck.

“Are you a voyeur? You seemed to be enjoying watching me.”

She didn’t have to look back to know.

[A mark has been created.]

The message that appeared above her head told her that the man was Kaiser.

‘How?’

A question flashed through her mind like lightning, but her body reacted faster.

Instead of turning around, she leaned forward.

Using gravity, she quickly landed on the ground, put her hand inside her uniform, and threw something without turning her head.

Thud- Swish!

-Huh? What’s going on all of a sudden!?

-Li, Liza!?

-You! This… Is it an enemy!

It was a snare [a trap].

The long snare bound Jihad’s neck and Eliza’s body in an instant.

Whether it had a special option attached to it, Charlie swung his sword at it, but it didn’t even leave a scratch.

-Is it on the left?

Although he couldn’t see because of the stealth, Charlie was the former commander of Arlen Castle’s Knights.

He tried to draw his sword by predicting the trajectory through the direction the snare was thrown, but something heavy pushed the sword back in.

-This is… A foot?

Sina, who easily stepped on it as if she knew it in advance, soon attached a sealing tag.

[Attaches a ‘sealing tag’ to the target’s sword.]

[Cannot use the sword for 40 seconds.]

-!?

With this, Charlie was incapacitated for 40 seconds.

[Using the Heroic Skill, ‘Induce Concussion’.]

[The enemy hit by the next attack will suffer a severe concussion, be stunned, and have their stats temporarily reduced.]

[The concussion effect is amplified in proportion to the damage.]

[Receives a 500% increased strike due to the effect of Ghostly Killing Annihilation.]

Thwack!

Sina kicked the dumbfounded Charlie away and raised her head.

All of this happened in less than 3 seconds.

Dohyun, who had been watching the whole process from above, let out a hollow laugh.

“This is… Almost like a ninja.”

Even in an unexpected situation, there was no unnecessary movement.

Moreover, the fact that she tied up Jihad and Eliza first meant that she knew Charlie would draw his sword only after entering the battle.

This means she came here with a purpose…

‘What is it? Have I made any enemies lately… Oh, I have. Yes, I do.’

After the World Quest, it was almost the same as turning most of the top 10 guilds and high rankers into enemies.

At that level, she must be at least a high ranker.

-Ugh, frustrating! Where are you attacking from? Don’t hide cowardly and come out!

-Lizariza! Liza!

-Ugh… I’m sorry, my lord. I have no excuse.

Charlie leaned against the tree, holding his dizzy head.

Jihad and Eliza, who were tied up in the snare a little further away, were yelling, but Sina didn’t care and only looked up at the tree where Dohyun was.

“What are you looking at?”

Only her blue hair and eyes were visible, but you could feel the murderous intent just by looking at her eyes.

As he calmly met her murderous eyes, her brow furrowed and narrowed sharply.

“…How did you do it?”

“Do what?”

“My stealth blocks even legendary-grade detection abilities. I haven’t heard that you have a detection ability that surpasses that?”

So that’s what it was.

No wonder she was standing there so openly, as if she was hiding, but it seemed like it was all confidence based on something.

‘What kind of broken skill is that? No, more than that, it doesn’t break stealth even after attacking?’

She probably used her traits and unique abilities.

It was an ability that would have caused a big problem if he didn’t have the Eye of Truth [a powerful detection ability].

‘As expected, the Eye of God… I trust you.’

Perhaps she took it for granted that he was once again praising his ever-benevolent trait.

She lowered her stance and took out a throwing knife that looked like a shuriken [a traditional Japanese concealed weapon].

“If you’re not going to tell me, give up. It’s an unexpected talent, but it’s not like I didn’t prepare for this situation.”

“You’re talking as if you’re someone who tried to ambush me sneakily and failed. Villains who talk like you usually run away crying.”

“…I can’t help it. I’ll cut off that mouth first.”

Sina threw the throwing knife straight at his mouth, not just bluffing.

It was surprisingly accurate, but Dohyun didn’t care.

Because he was going to use Backstab anyway.

[Using Backstab.]

[The mark disappears.]

Dohyun, who had moved behind her, took a step and swung his sword, and he felt a sense of stability like a mountain.

It was the first stance of the Reversal Stage, Beginning.

But what was this?

Swish- Crack!

As if she had expected it, she twisted her body to avoid it, and swung the throwing knife she had grabbed in reverse, as if doing a backspin.

The throwing knife aimed at his neck rushed in fiercely with added rotational force.

‘Crazy?’

Dohyun, who was startled, instinctively tried to parry, but the throwing knife, which seemed as if it would pierce his neck at any moment, stopped abruptly.

Whoosh-

In the end, only Dohyun slashed at the innocent air.

In the slow-motion-like vision, Dohyun could see.

Her throwing knife was testing him, like a snake sticking out its tongue in front of its prey.

‘Huh?’

After the sword was swung and a gap was revealed, she finally showed her fangs.

At that, Dohyun cleanly dropped his sword and rolled to the left to escape.

Even that was expected, and the throwing knife followed, twisting abnormally in the middle of being swung, but when he reached out his hand, the incoming Thousand Transformations [likely a weapon or skill] blocked between Dohyun and the throwing knife.

Clang!

“I knew it, but it’s a tricky weapon.”

Looking down at the throwing knife in her hand as if she was disappointed, she asked with a smile.

“How is it? Do you still think I’m going to run away crying?”

“Were you holding it in? People who feel guilty usually do that. Have you ever done that before?”

“…Get a grip. Your great attack doesn’t work on me. Your Guardians can’t help you now either.”

“Well, aren’t you getting too cocky just because you took the upper hand once?”

“Once?”

She slowly approached, holding the throwing knife in reverse.

Smiling with a look of absurdity.

“Do you know that everyone has habits?”

“…”

“You must know. You’re good at psychological warfare and distance control. You’ve been using it well so far. But I guess you didn’t know that you also have habits?”

“I have habits?”

To Dohyun’s question, she answered as if there was no point in saying it.

“When you take that unique step, you always start with your right foot. When you take the rear, you make the most efficient stab. Besides that, when you breathe out, what the attack route is depending on your posture.”

“…”

“All of that is in my head. That’s my winning strategy and one of the reasons why I’m here.”

Then, she tapped her head with her index finger, and soon her eyes became like she knew everything.

“I expected a lot because you’re called the God of Demroque and all that… But that’s all you are. You would have been brutally destroyed by the top 10 guilds even if I didn’t step in. Ah, is it rather fortunate? It’s not a pity that I tasted it first.”

“Habits…”

She smiled, folding her eyes [smiling so much that her eyes narrow].

Dohyun, who was holding Thousand Transformations and thinking hard, also smiled back.

“If you have habits, you can change them.”

“…What?”

“Thanks to you, I learned something good. I’ll finish it quickly because I’m grateful.”

At that, Sina couldn’t help but look at him as if he was crazy, beyond being dumbfounded.

Habits are like scars engraved on the body by repeating movements for a long time. It’s not something you can change in an instant just by making up your mind.

But why?

‘…That man. He’s serious?’

She could feel a sincerity close to conviction in Dohyun’s eyes.