The Return Of The Genius Ranker Of All Times [EN]: Chapter 307

307.

The Unidentified Egg.

A hidden piece obtainable only upon the 13th entry into the Cursed Cave.

Considering that the egg couldn’t be found even after revisiting the cave, it could be said to be the only one of its kind in God’s Era Online.

‘A Divine Beast? Or a boss monster?’

Its identity was unknown, but it was clear that something extraordinary was inside.

Naturally, Do-hyun had looked for ways to hatch the egg.

He searched through various communities and blogs, and hunted boss monsters relentlessly.

But the results were disastrous.

‘Isn’t it too much that the fullness doesn’t increase at all?’

Generally, a Divine Beast’s egg grows through monster experience or hatches after being carried around for a certain amount of time.

But the unidentified egg showed no reaction whatsoever.

So, Do-hyun thought.

‘It’s definitely an egg that hatches only under special conditions.’

Occasionally, there are such eggs.

The hatching condition is hidden, and the egg hatches only when that condition is met.

Usually, these are the eggs of rare Divine Beasts, top-tier Divine Beasts, or named raid boss monsters.

‘Either a jackpot or a big disappointment.’

If it was the former, it was a jackpot, and if it was the latter, it was a big disappointment, but either way, it wasn’t bad.

If a named raid boss hatched, he could be the first to raid it, so he could monopolize the raid equipment rewards.

For Do-hyun, anything was good.

As much as he wanted it to hatch quickly, he had put it aside for the time being.

‘Let’s focus on finding the mole for now.’

The hatching conditions are different for each egg, and currently, he had no idea what the conditions might be, so he decided to prioritize finding the mole.

Twitch.

But now.

The egg, which had shown no reaction no matter what he did, reacted for the first time.

[An alien energy is floating in the air due to the death of numerous gatekeepers.]

[The unidentified egg reacts to the alien energy.]

[The unidentified egg consumes the energy.]

[Fullness increases.]

[Current fullness is 5 / 100.]

‘Alien energy? It reacts to energy?’

All Do-hyun had done was kill the gatekeepers.

If so, it was related to this…….

‘……It’s definitely something.’

Whether these guys were from the Abyss or not, it was clear that they weren’t natural beings.

Do-hyun’s eyes narrowed.

He was becoming more and more certain that Garion was the mole.

And so was Charlie.

-……May I increase the speed a bit more, my lord?

“Yes.”

Do-hyun nodded at the cold voice.

After that, there was no conversation.

Charlie and Do-hyun silently focused on mowing down the gatekeepers, and Jihad and Eliza, noticing the unusual situation, followed cautiously.

Groan-

Clatter, Woo-woo!

Kwaaaang!

The only sounds were the undead rampaging and the gatekeepers falling.

Ting-

[The alien energy becomes denser due to the death of numerous gatekeepers.]

[The unidentified egg consumes the energy.]

[Fullness increases.]

[Current fullness is 15 / 100.]

And only the sound of the egg’s fullness increasing.

How long had it been since they had advanced, listening to the screams echoing in the silence?

About 30 minutes had passed. Charlie opened his mouth for the first time.

-……Something is strange.

Charlie’s face was stiff.

-The gatekeepers are gradually becoming more organized. Just like humans.

“…….”

At those words, Do-hyun turned his head and looked at the gatekeepers fighting the undead army.

‘Certainly.’

They were different from the previous gatekeepers who had rushed in recklessly.

Like facing a pack of wild beasts, they maintained their distance, formed a siege, and took turns fighting.

The strange thing wasn’t just that.

Swish- Stone-

Tadat.

The deeper they went, the more sophisticated their movements became, and now, beyond group coordination, even the individual movements were different.

Intelligent movements that one could never think of as monsters.

Disciplined footwork that felt like someone had taught them.

-……Swordsmanship?

It was swordsmanship.

From swordsmanship to spear techniques and dagger techniques, they were using various weapon techniques, and it felt like they were all using the same style of weapon techniques.

What he realized what it was when a gatekeeper in a different outfit than before appeared.

Koo-oong!

[You have encountered the elite hero-grade named boss, ‘Rhond’.]

Middle armor that looked noble despite being rotten.

A huge greatsword covered in darkness, but with a glimpse of splendid decorations.

As befitting the modifier of elite boss, the swordsmanship Rhond unfolded was clearly different from the previous gatekeepers.

Whoo-oong-!

Tadat, Swae-aek!

Restrained movements.

Smoothly connected, flowing footwork.

Then, as if nothing had happened, a heavy blade rushed in, abruptly changing and surging.

Charlie’s wide eyes trembled as he watched them.

Clench-

Blood leaked from between his tightly clenched fists.

-How dare……!

The sound of gnashing teeth echoed fiercely.

But this time, no one could stop Charlie.

Tat, Swae-aek!

The movements Rhond unfolded were surprisingly similar to Charlie’s.

Unlike Charlie, who was as fluid as water, sometimes rough and overbearing, but the root was clearly the same.

Of course, it was.

[Rhond]

-Title: Elite Hero-grade Named Boss

-Type: ??

-Traits: Imperial Defense Art, Arlen Swordsmanship, Knight Commander.

-Description: The leader of the gatekeepers guarding the hidden stage, ‘???’, hidden in Garion’s secret place.

With a lot of experience, he uses swordsmanship at a different level than ordinary gatekeepers.

Rhond.

He was one of the former Knight Commanders of Arlen Castle.

Similar footwork continued as if brothers were fighting, and they swung their swords at the same timing.

Clang! Kang!

Every time the Flowing Water Flying Flower Sword and the huge greatsword collided, a sharp metallic sound echoed like a scream.

Rhond’s eyes, which were driving him hard, were crying.

Sae-aek, Sae-aek.

He was breathing roughly, as if he would kill him immediately with his eyes burning red with hostility, but he was crying.

Drip.

The black something flowing down his cheek was definitely tears.

‘Black tears…….’

The evidence of being corrupted by the Abyss that he had seen during the Destroyer.

He was struggling to maintain his humanity, but he was no longer human.

Just a hybrid corrupted by the Abyss.

“……I’ll do it.”

When Do-hyun stepped forward because it was too cruel to leave it to Charlie, Charlie shook his head firmly.

-……I. Please let me do it, my lord.

A calm voice.

But perhaps it was because his eyes were so desperate.

Charlie’s eyes, which he didn’t know how to explain, just looked sad, and Do-hyun couldn’t refuse.

“……Okay.”

-……Thank you.

In the low atmosphere, Charlie and Rhond’s swords collided.

Kang! Clang!

Was it an illusion that the metallic sound spreading as they exchanged blows felt like the only cry Rhond could make?

The clear metallic sound from Charlie’s sword seemed to be comforting him.

There was nothing Do-hyun could do in this situation.

Kang! Kang!

‘…….’

-Liza…….

All he could do was watch until the end.

*

*

*

Kang! Kang!

About a hundred exchanges had passed.

Pook-!

For the first time, instead of the metallic sound of swords colliding, the sound of flesh piercing echoed.

It was the sound of flesh and bones piercing and stabbing the heart.

Charlie had finally won.

Thud.

Charlie, who had been staring at the kneeling Rhond for a moment, calmly pulled out his sword, and a message popped up.

[You have defeated the elite hero-grade named boss, ‘Rhond’.]

[Recorded in the Book of Adventures.]

[Beyond defeating the boss of the gatekeepers, you have purified the resentment of ‘Rhond’.]

[Condition satisfied.]

[You can reach the deepest part of the hidden stage, ‘???’.]

[The unidentified egg consumes the energy.]

[Fullness increases.]

[Current fullness is 30 / 100.]

-Charlie…….

-Lizariza…….

Jihad and Eliza watched carefully as Charlie approached, trudging.

They didn’t know what to say.

“……Good job.”

When Do-hyun, who had been hesitating for a while, finally opened his heavy mouth, an answer came back immediately.

-……He didn’t use his full strength.

“…….”

-At the last moment, he closed his eyes without blocking, even though he could have blocked.

“…….”

-At the moment his heart was pierced, he looked me in the eyes for the first time.

His mouth was weak, but he was clearly saying this.

-Thank you, sir.

“…….”

-He drew out the last handful of will and chose to die as a warrior.

Charlie’s calm voice was already trembling with anger.

-I can’t forgive it. How dare you do such a subhuman act that defiles the pride of a knight.

And that was none other than the Knight Commander of Arlen Castle.

To the Knight Commander of the same Arlen Castle.

No, it wasn’t just the Knight Commander.

Judging from the circumstances, the gatekeepers who had been using weapon techniques until now must have been soldiers belonging to Arlen Castle or the Empire.

-I need to know. What the hell are you doing? What are you trying to do?

Crunch.

Charlie finished speaking, grinding his teeth as if to break them.

-I’ll find out and tear them to pieces.

Do-hyun, who had been listening silently, nodded.

He didn’t know about anything else, but he could be sure of this one thing.

“Okay. I’ll make sure that happens.”

-……Yes, my lord.

Garion.

He would somehow catch that bastard and cut off his breath.

[You can reach the deepest part of the hidden stage, ‘???’.]

To do that, he had to see the end of this place.

That way, he could find out what that bastard had hidden and what he was doing.

“Let’s go.”

-……Yes, Master.

-Lizariza…….

As Do-hyun walked, muttering in a low voice, the guardians followed.

The road continued.

After that, gatekeepers appeared from time to time, but no boss-level enemies like Rhond appeared.

In the process, they did not have any conversations.

To be exact, they couldn’t.

[You have defeated the gatekeeper.]

[You have defeated the gatekeeper.]

…….

[You have defeated the gatekeeper.]

“…….”

Now they knew that those gatekeepers were originally soldiers of the Empire.

Some of them were knights of Arlen Castle.

Swish- Pook-

Stone-

Charlie was just silently cutting off their breath and moving forward.

He did not express any anger or resentment.

He was just looking at what was at the end of this road.

He was just moving forward.

Thud, Thud.

Step.

After walking for another 20 minutes, which felt like an eternity.

“Ah.”

The endlessly continuing road was cut off for the first time.

An empty space.

The moment they stood side by side in this place where there was nothing but walls.

[You have reached the deepest part of the hidden stage, ‘???’.]

A message popped up, and

Saaaah-

Soon, the wall seemed to collapse and scattered like a mirage.

And Do-hyun couldn’t help but widen his eyes at the sight that was revealed.

-Wh, what is this!

-……What is this.

-Li, Liza!?

The guardians’ reactions were similar to Do-hyun’s.

What greeted them was a hollow so large that the word majestic came to mind.

No, it was a tomb.

The old tomb was lined with various tombs, and ominous traces and objects were scattered everywhere.

But there was something that caught their attention so much that all of that was not noticeable.

“That’s…….”

A sarcophagus that was erected in the center and opened.

A mummy that seemed to have been completely deprived of moisture was hanging on it.

At that, the moment Do-hyun unknowingly approached.

Ting-

“……What?”

A message popped up, and Do-hyun’s face stiffened.

[The distance to the existing owner is within 5M.]

[The old gold insignia reacts to the existing owner.]

[Condition satisfied.]

[The old gold insignia is changed to ‘Bairan’s Gold Insignia’.]

[Recorded in the Book of Adventures.]

The older brother of Emperor Baharun of the Great Empire, and the crown prince who was called the reincarnation of the Lion King.

At the same time, the man who was Garion’s lord.

[Enter the tomb to reveal the name of the hidden stage.]

[You have entered Bairan’s Tomb.]

“……Crazy.”

Bairan de Arnis.

He was sleeping here.