The Return Of The Genius Ranker Of All Times [EN]: Chapter 4

4.

“What’s the first thing you want to do when you get discharged?”

It’s the question soldiers hear the most right before their discharge.

And the answers are usually one-dimensional.

“I want to sleep all day at home.”

“I want to have soju [Korean distilled rice liquor] with pork belly.”

“I want to lie in bed, eat chicken, and watch NetXflix.”

Those who have had their taken-for-granted freedom suppressed want to feel the preciousness of everyday life and reclaim it.

In that respect, Dohyun was similar.

“Gaming.”

“……What?”

“I want to play games.”

“…….”

His life as a game addict consisted entirely of a computer and a VR device in a moderately sized room.

He desperately wanted to reclaim that life.

At first, his comrades looked at him with dumbfounded expressions, but they soon understood.

“Gaming? You mean God of Savior?”

“Ah, that first virtual reality game? Wow, I can understand that. I really want to play it so bad. Of all times, I got my draft notice shortly after it was released…….”

“What kind of game is that? You should have said you wanted to play God of Savior.”

“Should we all go to a capsule room after discharge? Let’s form a party.”

To people, God of Savior was no longer just a game for shut-ins.

God of Savior was a culture and a world.

It was harder to find someone who didn’t play God of Savior.

Even among older people, not knowing God of Savior was considered being out of touch with the world.

Unfortunately, in a situation where God of Savior was rampant, no one stuck in the military didn’t want to play it.

“……Is God of Savior that amazing?”

“I’ve heard it’s like another world…….”

“Ah, you guys haven’t played God of Savior? Wow, I’ve never seen such uncultured people…… It’s seriously no joke. Bring three diapers each.”

Even the junior soldiers who were listening while smoking showed interest.

Whenever that happened, those who had experienced God of Savior outside would become proud and tell stories as if they were recounting heroic tales.

Those who hadn’t played God of Savior listened with childlike, innocent eyes.

Before long, God of Savior and talk about women occupied more than 90 percent of the conversations in the military.

Every time, Dohyun had to test his patience.

‘It was really a virtual reality game……!’

The sequel to Demroq, which he hadn’t even bothered to look at, saying it was impossible.

Who would have known it would really be a virtual reality game?

He was beyond frustrated that it was released exactly when he went to the military, to the point of shedding tears of blood.

He didn’t usually believe in God, but this time, his faith was soaring.

At this point, it was clear that God was intervening and deliberately messing with him.

As he listened to the news of God of Savior, he endured the eons of time that was 1 year and 6 months, and the moment he was discharged.

Bang!

“……Capsule! Where’s the capsule?”

“What, Oppa [term used by younger women to address older brothers or male friends], you’re here? Your hair has grown a lot.”

“My son looks for the capsule as soon as he gets here. When he was a baby, he only looked for Mom, saying ‘Mom, Mom.’ That’s why they say children aren’t needed when they grow up.”

“Mommy, you have a daughter, you know.”

“Stop calling me that. Anyway, you guys have no middle ground.”

Arriving home, Dohyun looked for the capsule like a drug addict looking for drugs.

His younger sister, Hyuna, and his mother, Chaemi Suk, who were watching TV, nagged him. Dohyun would have been furious usually, but he didn’t care now.

He just wanted to meet the capsule as soon as possible.

“I put the capsule in your room. Two men moved it, and oh my, why is the capsule so heavy? I guess they play games with things like that these days.”

“Mom, don’t you know God of Savior? You’re treated like an outcast these days if you don’t know it.”

“Oh my, I know, they talk about it on TV all the time. But Mom is too scared to do something like that. Aren’t those people scared of catching those monsters?”

“Mom, my son catches them the best. He’s a butcher, really.”

Dohyun listened to their conversation with one ear and went into his room, stopping abruptly.

His eyes were filled with emotion.

“Ah…….”

The radiant figure.

The smoothly drawn oval and the gracefully curved lines were so beautiful.

Dohyun approached and caressed the capsule, a smile spreading across his face.

‘This is the capsule…….’

The emotion felt different from what he had seen on broadcasts.

Was it because he had saved up little by little with his military salary, which could now be called a salary?

Although it was a used, entry-level capsule that he bought for about 400, he felt as proud as if he had bought his first car.

“Son, aren’t you going to eat?”

“I already ate. I’ll eat dinner.”

Dohyun answered Chaemi Suk’s words roughly and threw himself into the capsule.

The cushion that wrapped him softly was quite nice.

It was expensive at first, but now that it was almost two years old, capsules were coming out at cheap prices these days.

The quality was better than back then, and the synchronization rate was even higher.

‘Then, shall we log in?’

Dohyun skillfully began to operate the capsule.

He had already memorized how to use it by watching countless videos.

The same was true for God of Savior.

He hadn’t studied everything, but he had checked the general structure on the way here.

‘There are many similarities with Demroq.’

Many aspects were similar because it was a sequel.

It was natural.

God of Savior had a worldview that was set in the future generation after Demroq.

The worldview, cities, and other elements.

Many aspects had changed, but the system settings themselves were similar because they followed the same stem, so it didn’t seem difficult.

He had only looked at the general things for now, but it wasn’t too late to look at the detailed walkthroughs later.

1 year and 6 months was enough time to get most of the information by clicking around on the homepage a few times.

Not to mention God of Savior, which 1 billion people played.

Click.

After turning on the switches in order and putting on the gear similar to a helmet, his vision soon went dark.

A message appeared.

[Recognizing iris.]

[Checking ID card.]

[ID card verified.]

[Synchronization complete.]

[Would you like to connect to God of Savior?]

“Yeah.”

With that immediate answer, his mind became faint, and the world turned white.

The world that reappeared was a pure white space. A female artificial intelligence’s voice was heard in that space.

[Welcome to the paradise of adventure.]

[Please create a character.]

[Gender cannot be changed, and appearance can be modified in terms of hair, eyes, and other body parts. Other changes that do not significantly affect the human body are also possible.]

Dohyun looked at the full-body mirror in front of him.

The mirror showed Dohyun’s current appearance.

His appearance was barely covered in important areas, revealing his nakedness.

His hair, which he had grown out to some extent but still hadn’t shed the military look, and his body, which had become quite sturdy, stood out.

‘It looks too much like a soldier.’

It was as if he was advertising that he had rushed here as soon as he was discharged.

He was amazed as he changed his appearance with simple touches.

It felt like he was casting a spell, changing it with a flick. Well, that’s just how it felt, and he didn’t change much.

That’s because he had only grown his hair.

Other than that, there was nothing different from his real-life appearance.

‘There’s not much I can really change anyway, so there’s no need to waste time doing something annoying.’

This was definitely different from Demroq.

In Demroq, where the five senses were not felt, he could freely change his appearance and even his gender.

Those who were called customization masters showed extreme utilization even in these harsh conditions, but unfortunately, Dohyun didn’t have such skills. He didn’t want to bother with it.

As he finished customizing, a fairly civilian-like appearance was completed.

He looked at the mirror with satisfaction, and then a voice was heard again.

[Please set a nickname.]

‘Nickname…….’

Anyone who plays God of Savior would have to be careful.

Generally, nicknames in games are not duplicated, but God of Savior allowed duplicates.

As a game played by as many as 1 billion people, it was natural.

But Dohyun shouted without a moment’s hesitation.

“Kaiser.”

The name he had been with since he first started the game until the service ended.

To him, Kaiser was as familiar and meaningful as his real name.

He had no intention of creating another name from the beginning.

[Is the nickname ‘Kaiser’ correct?]

“Yes.”

[Nice to meet you, ‘Kaiser’.]

[Your hashtag is Kaiser#312543.]

[Character created.]

[Moving to the tutorial zone.]

With that message, his vision turned black.

* * *

“Wow…….”

Dohyun honestly exclaimed at the scenery before his eyes.

This was on top of a castle.

It was like a castle that would be seen in a typical medieval fantasy movie.

It wasn’t as beautiful as the scenery of another world that he had seen in the videos, but the sacred fire that illuminated the darkness and the towering walls made him feel like he had entered a battlefield.

The cool energy of the night that brushed against his body, the smell of burning.

The sensation of his feet touching the ground.

Even the subtle sensation felt on his skin as he wiggled his fingers.

The sensations felt all over his body were the same as reality.

He even wondered if he had possessed a fantasy rather than starting a game. It was a different level of liveliness from Demroq.

‘This is a virtual reality game…….’

He was blankly staring at the scenery of another world spread out outside the castle walls.

[This is the site of the past Arlen Castle’s tragic battlefield.]

[Select a weapon.]

The voice he had heard when creating the character woke Dohyun up.

Instinctively turning around, he saw numerous weapons floating in the air.

It felt awkward to see a systematic phenomenon in a place that felt like reality.

[Crude Sword]

-A worn and dull sword.

It seems like it won’t be a problem to cut people.

[Crude Spear]

-A worn and dull spear.

It seems like it won’t be a problem to stab people.

…….

[Crude Bow]

-A worn and tattered bow.

It seems like you can still shoot about fifty times.

From swords to spears, bows, daggers, maces, crossbows, staffs…….

There were many weapons, but Dohyun picked up a weapon without any hesitation.

[You have selected the Crude Sword.]

[You can use the sword’s basic skill ‘Strike’.]

[Tutorial begins.]

The sword. It was the weapon Dohyun used most often in Demroq.

There was no particular reason.

He just chose it because it seemed the easiest to use in all aspects, but when he actually handled it, it suited him well.

“Hey you!”

As if he had been waiting, a soldier ran from afar as soon as he picked up the weapon.

His urgent expression and the blood-stained armor revealed the urgent situation.

He roughly grabbed his wrist, as if frustrated by Dohyun, who was staring blankly.

“What are you doing here, in such an urgent situation! The other mercenaries have already joined the battle, so join them quickly!”

[A party is formed with Knight Commander ‘Charlie’.]

Party members

-Charlie

-Kaiser

With that hastily formed party, Dohyun was dragged into the castle.

It was an event-like tutorial that also appeared in other games.

Following Charlie, unlike outside the castle, a scene of utter chaos unfolded. Soldiers and monsters stabbed by swords and arrows, collapsing in a bloody mess.

The leisurely impressions from just now were gone, and a tense situation was created in an instant.

It became even more severe as they went deeper.

Kyak!

Kaaa!

The number of soldiers who had fallen, and the soldiers who were fiercely fighting with hideous monsters above their fallen comrades, gradually increased.

Mercenaries were also seen collapsing from time to time.

“Already this much…… Damn it.”

Charlie, as if his heart was torn, closed his eyes tightly and turned his head, urging his steps.

He was sincerely saddened by the deaths of his comrades.

Simple data could not reproduce the trembling of his eyes and the subtle trembling of his hands.

“In the end, they joined forces with the monsters…… If the rumors are true, they must have made a contract with that ‘monster’. If we don’t stop him, he will descend.”

That was why he was hurrying without even properly closing the eyes of his comrades.

If the monster descended, everything would be over.

And Dohyun knew who that monster was. He had already seen it several times through videos.

That guy wasn’t a monster made to be caught in the tutorial.

“Hurry. It’s quick to go this way.”

Charlie shouted as he crossed the hallway, just as he was about to go down the stairs.

It was then.

Shuu- Pshushuk-!

Dohyun stopped at the sound of something cutting through the air, and arrows passed right in front of him and stuck into the floor.

It was as if the arrows had avoided Dohyun on their own.

“……!”

Charlie, who was about to knock down the arrow with his sword, stopped as if surprised.

Then, belatedly regaining his senses, he muttered.

“Did you know and avoid it? No…… that can’t be. You’re lucky.”

It didn’t make sense to stop and avoid it like that, rather than knocking down the arrow.

It was reasonable to think that he was lucky.

Kikik-. Kireek-.

The ones who shot the arrows were monsters.

They generally resembled gnolls [humanoid creatures with hyena-like features].

However, the small horns on their heads were the difference from ordinary gnolls.

There were a total of five of them.

“They’ve come this far…… We have to break through them.”

As Charlie took a stance, the monsters made kikik sounds and each picked up their weapons.

Two archers, three with blunt weapons.

It was a difficult combination. It was difficult for Charlie. It was an urgent situation, and he was about to be held back.

“First, I’ll go first……!?”

It was then that Dohyun rushed out.