The Return Of The Genius Ranker Of All Times [EN]: Chapter 267

267.

Ding-

[The ‘Imperial Quest’ is now available in the Arnis Empire.]

[Emperor ‘Bahalun de Arnis’ commissions all users in the empire to conquer the ‘Forbidden Labyrinth’.]

…….

[The user who initiated the Imperial Quest is ‘Kaiser’.]

“Wow, that’s fast action.”

-Lizariza.

Do-hyun chuckled at the notification that greeted him as he left the Imperial Palace.

As he stroked Eliza’s head with his index finger in agreement, the conversation he had with the Emperor came to mind.

-……What? You said there’s an Abyss?

-Yes, Your Majesty. There were more than ten statues modeled after the Abyss, and I felt traces of the Abyss. More than anything, what I saw at the end… it seemed like a raid party would be needed.

-……I see. There was a demon of the Abyss in the Forgotten Tomb, so it’s not strange that there are traces of the Abyss in a labyrinth that emits the same energy.

The Emperor, who had been frowning unpleasantly, stroked his chin with his trembling hand and answered without hesitation.

-I cannot tolerate impious things lingering in my empire. I will take your words into consideration and commission the Apostles to raid it.

-……Thank you.

-However, there is one thing I would like you to do separately. Would you like to hear it?

-Of course.

That was the end of the recollection.

As expected of the Emperor, who was famous for his relentless nature, he immediately opened the Imperial Quest as soon as he said that.

However, it wasn’t a quest that all Apostles could participate in.

[Conquer the Forbidden Labyrinth]

-Rank: Imperial Quest

-Description: The Forbidden Labyrinth suddenly appeared in the empire one day.

Something ominous seems to be happening there.

The Emperor, unable to leave anything that could pose a threat to the empire unattended, has commissioned qualified Apostles to conquer the labyrinth.

Conquer the labyrinth according to the Emperor’s will.

-Conquer the Forbidden Labyrinth (0 / 1)

-Reward for clearing: 30,000 gold, a lot of experience, differential rewards based on raid ranking.

-Risk of failure: Deletion of the Imperial Quest and decrease in the Emperor’s favorability.

[Participation requirements: Those recognized by the Emperor for participation, those who have passed the Imperial Knight Order’s qualification test.]

[Time remaining until the Imperial Quest participation deadline: 3 days]

‘Being recognized by the Emperor for participation will only be me.’

The latter case was obviously for users who had reached at least the maximum level.

Perhaps only the top-ranked users among them would be allowed to enter.

The Emperor’s intention was to form a raid party with definite powerhouses, as allowing just anyone to enter would only cause confusion.

‘That’s right, though.’

Even with those restrictions, a considerable number would participate.

In any case, this resolved his concerns.

If the top-ranked users raided it together, there would be no need for Do-hyun to separately recruit a raid party.

‘It’s more convenient to move separately to get that, though.’

Not only that.

Do-hyun had one more quest that others didn’t have.

[The Prince’s Illness]

-Rank: Sudden Quest

-Description: The Second Prince, Eden de Arnis, is suffering from an unknown incurable disease.

The empire’s most renowned physicians have visited, but they couldn’t even properly identify the cause, and there was no way to cure the disease even after searching the continent.

The only thing they found was that gold only slightly suppressed the worsening of the disease.

Thus, the Emperor believes that there might be a clue in the Forbidden Labyrinth, the only place he hasn’t investigated.

Let’s find something that could be a clue.

-Clue to the Second Prince’s Illness (0 / 1)

-Reward for clearing: Special event occurrence, 10,000 gold, a lot of experience, linked quest occurrence.

-Risk of failure: Deletion of the special event and decrease in the Emperor’s favorability.

At the last moment, as Do-hyun was about to leave the audience chamber, the Emperor entrusted him with the quest and earnestly requested.

-Don’t tell anyone else, and I hope you investigate this alone. That includes Apostles and my own people.

Do-hyun’s expression became subtle as he recalled those words and stared at the quest.

‘Hmm, does this mean the Emperor isn’t related to the Abyss?’

The reason why the Imperial Palace’s corridors were all gleaming with gold seemed to be to prevent the Second Prince’s condition from worsening, not for luxury.

And when he talked about the Abyss, he reacted with displeasure rather than guilt.

‘Circumstantially, it seems like the Second Prince is suspicious… Hmm, I wish I could meet the First Prince too.’

It was a shame that he hadn’t shown his face at all, as if he was always wandering around somewhere.

It was then, as he was lost in thought.

Buzzing-

The city seemed unusually crowded compared to usual, and among them, users were excitedly whispering with excited faces.

“Wow, what’s up with the Imperial Quest?”

“This is crazy. Are we really going to do an Imperial Quest after the World Quest?”

“Hey, but the entry requirements seem a bit strict. If you want to pass the Imperial Knight Order, doesn’t that mean only the rankers can participate?”

“Ah… that’s right.”

Do-hyun made an awkward expression at the sound of his name being mentioned frequently.

He had become quite famous since the World Quest, and now it seemed like wherever he went, people were only talking about him.

-Ahem!

-Lizariza!

“……Why are you guys so proud?”

-Isn’t the master’s fame our fame too? Keruk!

-Liza!

It was when Do-hyun was shaking his head at the two guys who were puffing out their chests and clearing their throats.

“But isn’t it really amazing? Beating Sina and everything, how many big accidents has he caused in the last few days?”

“Hey, hey, be careful. You might get assassinated if you bring it up for no reason.”

“What can a guy who’s below Kaiser do? I didn’t make up anything, did I?”

Do-hyun’s mouth closed at the story that had slipped in between the Imperial Quest talk.

‘……Capture Sina?’

That was just a while ago, how did they know?

It was then that a message came through his friend list.

[Astro: Hey, you! What are you up to again!?]

[Astro: The Imperial Quest is absurd, but you captured Sina? How did you even… no, that’s not important right now.]

[Astro: Everything is full of things I don’t understand, but let’s move on for now. Be careful during the Imperial Quest. The atmosphere is not good.]

[Astro: Because you captured Sina, the hostility of the top 10 guilds has intensified. I don’t know what will happen inside the labyrinth.]

[Astro: You should be careful. I’m participating too, so let me know if you need anything.]

“Ugh…….”

A torrent of messages poured out.

He was still the same as when he was called a nagging bomb by Kkukku during Dem Locke. But thanks to him, he knew how the situation was going, so it was a good thing.

Do-hyun, who replied that he understood, looked at the community.

‘As expected, someone spread the rumors.’

As expected, it was all about the story of the fight with Sina.

Looking at the photos that were uploaded as evidence, it was clear that they had covered it up well within the bounds of the law, as if they had done it once or twice.

‘Was there a hidden user? There was no one there when we first fought… It could be a user who was passing by and hid.’

It seemed that he had been too reliant on the Eye of Truth and hadn’t paid enough attention.

Although it was a cheat-like trait, what the Eye of Truth could see through was only what was hidden systemically.

It couldn’t even see someone hiding behind the terrain.

‘I’ll have to be careful from now on.’

Do-hyun clicked his tongue and closed the quest window.

Although he had increased the hostility of those guys, the situation wasn’t necessarily bad.

‘It was going to be known anyway that I captured Sina.’

A stage where not only the top 10 guilds but also many rankers participate.

To those guys, he was important, but they would definitely aim to be the main characters of the stage.

Rather, since they were wary of him, they would try harder to prove their superiority.

‘Main characters? You guys do it.’

Do-hyun raised the corners of his lips with a smirk.

‘The more you do that, the easier it will be for me.’

It was all good as long as he took what he wanted while those guys bought him time.

Do-hyun smiled and turned his steps.

There was only one thing to do now.

‘I think they said the solo-able dungeon is over there.’

To grow as much as possible during the 3 days left until the raid.

The moment of rapid level-up had arrived.

* * *

So, time passed, and 3 days later.

It was the time when the night had passed and the sun was shining high in the sky.

“Wow… look at the top 10 guilds gathered.”

“How many people is that?”

“You can’t see it because it’s hidden by the top 10 guilds, but all the users you see there are well-known users.”

There was an unusually large number of people concentrated deep in the southern forest.

The number was easily over ten thousand.

“It’s natural that they picked at least 3,000 people within the top 10,000.”

“How can there be 3,000 dungeon raid members? It’s really awe-inspiring.”

“Can’t we enter secretly?”

“If you do that, you’ll be marked by the Emperor and have to quit the game. The supervisors standing at the entrance have the list.”

“Ah, I see. Then I’ll give up cleanly.”

It was the result of those participating in the Forbidden Labyrinth raid and the spectators gathering.

Among them were those who couldn’t participate in the World Quest, so the southern forest was enjoying unprecedented popularity today, with users buzzing with excitement.

“Four of the top 10 guilds… At this point, it seems like being in the New Continent is a loss.”

“There are so many incidents happening these days.”

“Those guys must be feeling a bit jealous.”

Damian closed his mouth as he watched Leon chuckle.

Those words didn’t sound so bad.

Is it a loss to be in the New Continent? Is it more advantageous to be in the Empire?

‘To think that the balance of the top 10 guilds is being shaken by just one person.’

Since when have the top 10 guilds been swayed by others?

The top 10 guilds reign at the pinnacle of God’s Era Online.

They should be influencing other users to follow them, not being influenced and struggling.

‘This is a mission. We must take this opportunity to clearly inform the foolish users that we are superior.’

So that no more nonsense comes out.

So that they can realize once again that the top 10 guilds are the strongest.

Of course, that process may not be so peaceful.

[The recruitment period for the Forbidden Labyrinth raid has ended.]

[The Imperial Quest ‘Conquer the Forbidden Labyrinth’ begins.]

[Would you like to enter the Forbidden Labyrinth?]

“Let’s go in.”

“Good.”

Damian stretched out his foot without hesitation at the message that popped up at the moment he wore a bitter smile.

With Damian and Leon at the forefront, Shao snorted and went in,

“……Let’s stick to them as much as possible. If you sense them doing anything strange, report it immediately.”

“Yes, Master.”

Astro, who had been glaring at them as if to monitor them, gave a short command and followed them in.

As the four top 10 guilds entered, thousands of rankers who had been waiting entered like sausages.

“Wow! The raid is starting!”

“They’ll turn on the live broadcast, right? I really hope they do!”

“This isn’t the time for this. Hurry up and log out!”

“But where’s Kaiser? Why can’t I see Kaiser?”

“Huh? That’s right. Was he among the crowd? I don’t think I saw him.”

“Well, he’s Kaiser, so he’ll do it on his own. He’s the one who opened the Imperial Quest.”

It was the moment when the Forbidden Labyrinth raid officially began.

And at that time.

As they said, Kaiser was preparing to enter.

However, that place was not the forest but a blacksmith’s workshop.

“You’ve come. Take it quickly.”

“It’s completed at just the right time.”

“I pushed myself a bit because you said you received a request from the Emperor.”

Artram, who was handing over a large box, was smiling like a child with his wrinkled face.

As if he couldn’t be more proud.

At the urging gaze as if telling him to open it quickly, Do-hyun’s eyes widened as he opened the box.

At that reaction, he asked with even more excitement.

“How is it?”

“……I’m honestly surprised by this.”

“Hehe, of course, you would be. Even I was surprised. I can definitely answer with certainty.”

Artram, whose childish smile was gone at Do-hyun’s honest admiration, added in a confident tone as he let out a laugh like an old man.

“It’s my masterpiece.”

Do-hyun didn’t deny it.

[Master Craftsman Artram has created a masterpiece beyond a great work.]

[Artram has resolved a long-standing regret.]

[It is recorded in the Book of Adventures.]

[The effect of the title ‘Favorability Max From the Start?’ amplifies the increase in favorability.]

[Artram’s favorability greatly increases.]

‘It’s better than I expected. So much so that I’m dying to use it quickly.’

Because the phrase floating above his head was proving that those words were true.

He was so looking forward to the moment he would enter the labyrinth.

Meanwhile, while Do-hyun was itching to enter the labyrinth as soon as possible.

Tap.

Deep in the southern forest.

A woman appeared in front of the deserted labyrinth entrance after all the users had left.

“Hmm…….”

A tall height for a woman of 170cm [approximately 5’7″].

Long black hair as black as ink and black eyes.

The woman, wearing black clothes that seemed to be a mix of a dobok [traditional Korean martial arts uniform] and a dress, exuded a noble atmosphere as if she reigned above people.

“I went to the meeting and it was over, and this time there’s not even a fly buzzing around.”

It seemed like she was late again.

She only got lost three times this time, but they couldn’t wait for that short time.

“They don’t even know the aesthetics of waiting.”

The woman, who clicked her tongue, straightened her back nobly and stepped into the entrance.

Then the woman’s figure disappeared.

It was the moment when the leader of the top 10 guild Chunma Shin-gyo (天魔神敎) [Heavenly Demon Divine Church], Chunma (天魔) [Heavenly Demon], participated in the labyrinth without anyone knowing.