The Return Of The Genius Ranker Of All Times [EN]: Chapter 33

Part 33.

[You have killed player ‘Crazy Talent’.]

[Player ‘Crazy Talent’ has been identified as an ‘evil person’ with extremely high Karma. There is no preemptive strike penalty, and your Karma will not increase.]

[You have killed player ‘Gestalt Collapse’.]

[Player ‘Gestalt Collapse’ has been identified as an ‘evil person’ with extremely high Karma. There is no preemptive strike penalty, and your Karma will not increase.]

…….

[Would you like to loot the items?]

A deluge of messages flooded Dohyun’s screen.

Dohyun, knowing he’d never get through them all, glanced at the message windows tucked away in the corner and set down Thousand Transformations [his weapon].

The sheer number of messages was proof.

“It’s over.”

“Yes. No more are coming. I guess there are no more villains participating in the tournament.”

Evidence that the fierce battle had concluded.

Perhaps relieved, Jihad and Eliza, who had been waving their hands enthusiastically, slumped down and sprawled out like slimes.

-Ugh, my whole body aches. It’s finally over.

-Lizariza?

-What!? You think I didn’t do anything! You have no idea how hard it is to cheer, Eliza. And I had to keep managing my mana, so it was tough.

-Hmm. I think my throat is a little dry too.

-……Isn’t that because you talked too much, Charlie?

The others were happily teasing each other.

Dohyun, used to this sight, casually ignored them and focused on the messages in front of him.

These messages were different from the ones tucked away in the corner.

[Looting items.]

[You have acquired a yellow orb.]

…….

[You have acquired a red beard.]

[You have acquired a hunter’s mark.]

[You have acquired a special fermented beer.]

…….

[You have acquired Remdran’s Blacksmith’s Double Axe.]

…….

These were notifications about the items the villains had dropped.

‘Wow, how many is this? I’d say there are over 50.’

Most were useless junk or low-grade, worthless equipment, but the sheer volume meant there were a few useful pieces.

About five items were of Heroic grade or higher.

Even though this was a pretty good haul for Dohyun, he couldn’t get too excited.

[You have acquired the Fire Rat’s Tough Armor.]

[You have acquired the Murderous General’s Sword.]

…….

[You have acquired Ramusan’s Special Dumping Shoes.]

‘Why do all these parts have to drop?’

It was always upper armor, shoes, or swords.

They were useless to Dohyun, who already had the Reverse Heaven Garment, the White Lion’s Mythical Sword, and the Gravity Shoes he’d obtained recently.

Still, there was something he could equip.

[Bow that Pierced the Cliff]

[Grade: Heroic+]

[Description: A bow said to have pierced a cliff with a single arrow. Due to the touch of a skilled blacksmith, some of its bizarre power is imbued, increasing the wearer’s strength.]

[Level Restriction: 100]

[Equip Restriction: Archer Class]

[Physical Attack Power: 1663 ~ 1707]

[Durability: 100 / 100]

-Strength + 7

-Stamina + 3

[Bizarre Shot: Fires an arrow that pierces through cliffs in a straight trajectory. The range of the cliff that can be pierced is proportional to the wearer’s strength. (Cooldown: 10 minutes)]

[Bracing: Partially offsets the impact of being pushed back. (Cooldown: 3 minutes)]

‘This is… better than I thought?’

Come to think of it, one of the defeated villains, an archer, had hidden behind a rock and created an opening by destroying it with an arrow.

It seemed he had dropped the bow.

Since it was a disposable bow, it was probably a sub-weapon, which was even better for Dohyun.

For Dohyun, who rarely used a bow, such a variable creation was quite useful.

[Thousand Transformations devours ‘Bow that Pierced the Cliff’.]

[This is a lower grade weapon than Thousand Transformations.]

[Attack power and options are amplified to match the grade.]

[+15 Thousand Transformations – (Bow that Pierced the Cliff)]

[Grade: Legendary (Unique)]

[Description: A bow said to have pierced a cliff with a single arrow. Due to the touch of a skilled blacksmith, some of its bizarre power is imbued, increasing the wearer’s strength.]

[Level Restriction: 100]

[Equip Restriction: Archer Class]

[Physical Attack Power: 1843 ~ 1890 + (2,365 ~ 2,583)]

[Durability: 100 / 100]

-Strength + 10

-Stamina + 5

[Bizarre Shot: Fires an arrow that pierces through obstacles in a straight trajectory. The types and range of objects that can be pierced are proportional to the wearer’s strength. (Cooldown: 10 minutes)]

[Bracing: Offsets the impact of being pushed back. (Cooldown: 3 minutes)]

‘Kuh, this is it.’

Dohyun smiled in satisfaction at the enhanced bow’s options.

Besides the increased attack power and stats, the option to pierce only cliffs had evolved to destroy various objects proportional to his strength.

Not only that, the bracing option changed from partial to complete offset.

This was an excellent sub-item.

‘Ah, are there no more villains anywhere? I hope they keep coming out in the future.’

If possible, he’d prefer groups of ten rather than five.

That would increase the probability of getting more weapons like this.

Dohyun, lost in these thoughts, suddenly noticed a piece of equipment.

Actually, three of them.

[Red Ring]

[Grade: Rare]

[Description: A ring characterized by a ruby-like red color. It looks like a small jewel is embedded in it, but surprisingly, no jewels have been cut.]

[Level Restriction: 100]

[Equip Restriction: None]

[Physical Defense: 726]

[Magic Resistance: 613]

-Strength + 4

-Stamina + 2

-Sense + 1

-HP + 800

[Stability: When worn, you feel vitality in your body and gain stability in your mind and body.]

‘By the way, why does this ring keep appearing?’

The ring he got from the chain user he faced in the village.

Three of those rings dropped in this battle alone.

He’d thought they were just filler for the loot table, but now he wondered if he was meant to collect them.

It was unsettling, but fortunately, he knew someone to ask.

“Ah, you mean the Red Ring.”

Dohyun figured Raihas, the self-proclaimed Villain Slayer, might know something.

And he was right.

“I don’t know exactly, but I sometimes get those rings when I catch villains. The combatants of the affiliated group have them… If you look closely, there’s a number written inside the ring, isn’t there?”

“?”

Dohyun immediately checked the inside of the ring and let out a small exclamation.

[6,075]

[5,974]

[5,938]

Faint and dim, but numbers were definitely etched inside.

“In my experience, the more skilled you are, the lower the number. I think it’s probably a kind of ranking table. Of course, this is just my guess.”

“…I see.”

Even though it was just a guess, Dohyun thought it was likely true.

The Lawless Zone is the largest villain organization.

Since it’s a collection of skilled villains, the number must be considerable, so there must be a way to track each other’s ranks.

“The lowest number I got is… 5,901. Seeing that it’s within the 6,000th rank, it seems to be a mid-to-high-level unit in the 3rd district… Among them, if it’s 5,901st, it seems like it would be around the vice-captain.”

“…….”

Dohyun was dumbfounded.

‘5,901… then there are at least 5,900 guys stronger than these guys?’

Even though they were high-level villains worthy of the title of the greatest lineup tournament ever, the highest-ranked was only 5,901st.

The scale of the Lawless Zone seemed beyond imagination.

And this Red Ring is only given to combatants.

If you add the subordinates… it was hard to even guess the number.

But thinking about it, it made sense.

‘Elanis is only the first new continent.’

Considering the Lawless Zone is spread across the next new continent and divided into four affiliations, it was bound to be massive.

Still… then there won’t be anyone threatening here, right?

“Ah, of course, not all the villains here are at this level.”

…No sooner had he thought that than Raihas added, like a ghost.

“The guys Kaiser faced were at most from the 3rd or 4th affiliation. The 2nd affiliation is a different level entirely. And the 1st affiliation is especially different.”

“…….”

“The villain I’m chasing is also one of them.”

Raihas’ voice, as if recalling someone, lowered and turned cold.

He didn’t know the details, but there was clearly a story there.

Without asking, Dohyun waited. After a moment, Raihas’ voice returned to normal, and he met Dohyun’s eyes.

“Since we’ve been together for a while, can I give you a piece of advice?”

At the serious look, Dohyun nodded. Raihas carefully opened his mouth.

“If you ever meet anyone from the 1st affiliation… avoid them. The 1st affiliations of each new continent have transcended the level of that new continent. If you face them, you will surely lose.”

They only stay to manage the Lawless Zone.

In fact, they’re people who advanced to the next new continent and returned, so they could hold a position even there.

Then, what about the vice-captains of each unit in the 1st affiliation?

They’re stronger than most of the large guild masters of the next new continent, and the captains…

“Even I can’t be sure of victory.”

Raihas’ expression finally loosened.

“Of course, it’s not common to run into them.”

“…Is that so?”

“Those in the 1st affiliation live in hidden residences, so they don’t move much. Especially the captain or vice-captain level. Few people know their faces, so you can say there’s almost no chance of running into them.”

Raihas leaned on his Water God’s Spear, his symbol, and continued.

“The reason I participated in this tournament is because I thought that if the Forbidden Zone is opened now, ‘that guy’s’ residence might be there.”

‘I don’t know if I can find it, though.’

Raihas reached out his hand.

“It was fun finding someone who shared my intentions. I’m even more convinced that I can have a good relationship with you.”

Dohyun, who had been staring blankly at the outstretched hand, soon grabbed it.

Could it be that he’d developed some affection for him after fighting back-to-back?

He didn’t feel as uncomfortable as before.

“I have to go find a residence where that guy might be again… Can I leave the victory to Kaiser?”

“Of course.”

Dohyun smiled and replied to the playful tone.

“Then I wish you good luck.”