The Return Of The Genius Ranker Of All Times [EN]: Chapter 40

40.

Jihad Black.

He was the ruler of the West Forest. Or rather, he used to be.

All the monsters in the forest couldn’t withstand his imposing presence, and the city’s residents feared his existence.

The worst, most terrifying forest that dared not even be approached.

That was the West Forest under Jihad Black’s rule.

Until a monstrous man appeared.

‘To think I have to hide in a place like this…’

Jihad couldn’t accept that fact.

He, the owner of a glorious throne, was now hiding in this old, decaying basement.

But what could he do?

That monster was alive, and if they were to meet again, he wouldn’t even be safe in this basement.

Perhaps it was thanks to his goblin nature.

He quickly succumbed to reality and adapted, soon finding a sense of stability.

Time passed, and he gradually grew accustomed to life here.

‘Hmm…’

Jihad felt bored.

Perhaps he was hiding too well, or perhaps it was because he hadn’t encountered any new life forms.

In the beginning, he would occasionally go outside, but even that became unnecessary after he created excellent subordinates.

Why take on unnecessary risks and potentially cause trouble?

Living such a safe life, he began to forget what he had been trying to do.

He felt like he was forgetting something important…

‘Oh well.’

Jihad brushed it off.

100 years?

No, he had adapted completely to this life, having spent at least 150 years here.

A man who could take anything in stride!

But even that had its limits, and recently, Jihad had been feeling strange.

‘It’s stifling. It’s so stifling!’

Living here provided stability, but at the same time, he couldn’t shake off the boredom that rose from deep within his heart.

Occasionally creating new undead as a hobby was quite fun, but it wasn’t enough to quench this terrible thirst.

‘Should I go out for a bit?’

It’s been a long time, so it should be fine, right?

No. Still, just in case, let’s not take any unnecessary risks.

But it’s so boring…

The boredom made his body lazy, and conversely, his mind became complicated.

He was pondering what to do for years when it happened.

[Someone is entering the hideout.]

“Someone is entering?”

Jihad doubted his ears at the voice he heard while sitting blankly as usual.

This was a hideout he had painstakingly concealed to hide from that monster.

In fact, no one had found it for hundreds of years. The fact that someone was entering such a place made him very nervous at first.

‘Could it be him…?’

Even as he thought it was impossible, he couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

That’s why he waited while chanting spells, and the moment he saw the human man appear in the hideout.

‘Ah.’

The anxiety vanished as if washed away.

It was someone he had never seen before.

As a sense of relief washed over him, curiosity began to bloom. At the same time, he felt a strange excitement.

‘A toy has arrived!’

A being that would bring fresh fun to this boring life had appeared!

Moreover, this toy was somewhat unique.

[I don’t sense the aura of an explorer… but the mixture of various auras makes it a truly peculiar being.]

The strength he felt wasn’t that great, but the aura he felt for the first time… the feeling of various auras harmoniously mixed together gave him a fresh shock.

‘Perfect for playing around with as a test subject.’

He could make it a corpse and play with it, or cast all sorts of spells and test its durability.

And if he got tired of it, he could just turn it into an undead.

Whatever the case, it would help him escape this boring daily life for a few years.

‘I need to subdue it without damaging it too much.’

That’s why he was planning to capture the toy using monsters, so it wouldn’t get hurt too much.

He didn’t think any variables would occur in this process.

This was the nest where he had lived for hundreds of years, and there was nothing he didn’t know about this place.

Yes, that’s what he thought.

Until the toy disappeared from his sight.

[A mark is being created.]

Swish-.

[… ?]

Until he felt a chill down his spine along with an unknown message.

Jihad, belatedly realizing the situation, moved quickly.

Whoosh- Bang!

[Corpse Manipulation is activated.]

[The speed is greatly increased due to the effect of the ‘Nimble Hands’ trait.]

[Corpse Explosion is activated.]

[The speed is greatly increased due to the effect of the ‘Nimble Hands’ trait.]

He sent the monsters right next to him flying towards the toy… no, the impudent human, and detonated them at the same time.

It happened in the blink of an eye.

It was a speed that would be impossible to react to with the eyes if you didn’t know it in advance, but the human wasn’t hit.

He had retreated far away before they knew it.

[… A rat-like bastard.]

He said it as if he was calm, but Jihad was inwardly panicking.

[A vital point has been struck. The ‘Bleeding’ status effect is activated.]

‘When did he stab me?’

In that short gap, he not only created distance and evaded, but also stabbed a vital point without anyone noticing.

It was a swiftness that was hard to believe from a swordsman.

The 모습 [Korean for “appearance” or “figure”] he showed after that was even more so.

Tap. Swish-.

Bang!

The human’s steps, kicking off the ground and entering with a light step, were peculiar.

He was clearly coming in fast, but when he threw the corpse, he was behind the expected range.

If he seemed to move slowly and you threw it late, he would come in quickly again.

‘Why isn’t it hitting!’

A strange phenomenon where what you perceived was the opposite of reality.

‘Has there ever been a human with such abilities?’

Jihad had lived for hundreds of years, but he had never heard of such a human.

He thought that perhaps it wasn’t just a mixture of various auras, but a mixture of several races.

Bang! Bang!

[Ugh… !]

Seeing Jihad excitedly swinging the corpse around, Do Hyun smirked.

A typical explosion necromancer with a freely manipulating control ability like handling telekinesis and an explosive power comparable to a fire mage.

It was definitely a tricky ability from a close-range perspective, but it was meaningless if it didn’t hit.

Stab-.

[A vital point has been struck. The ‘Bleeding’ status effect is activated.]

[The attack was successful. The target is now ‘Bleeding.’]

Close the distance and stab, and when the corpse flies in, create distance.

And then move as if to close the distance again, but when it finally closes, stab the sword in, and when the bleeding is on cooldown, stab in the Assassin’s Dagger.

And if he was lucky, the Assassin’s Dagger’s bleeding would activate, and the damage would stack.

Even more surprising was that even when he exploded the undead sent to surround him, he managed to maintain control of the space with his elusive movements.

Jihad was furious at the extremely hit-and-run play performed with overwhelming multi-tasking ability.

[Such impudence… !]

Generally, the reason why ranged dealers particularly hate assassins is because of this unique playstyle.

Assassins never fight fair and square.

They hit and run, inflicting all sorts of status ailments and subtly scratching at people’s tempers.

Of course, Do Hyun didn’t have enough skill sets to play like that yet…

[What the hell is that movement! Why can’t I hit him at all?]

Do Hyun’s unique movement and evasion made it possible.

Not only that.

[The ‘Hero’ trait prevents mental contamination.]

[The effects of the curse sphere are nullified.]

No matter how much he cast Dark Vision, that bizarre ability blocked it all.

Seeing the bewildered Jihad, Do Hyun smiled slyly.

‘It’s working after all.’

If you ask users who fought Kaiser what was the most difficult thing, many reasons would come out, but seven out of ten would give the same answer.

-Movement.

Unlike in the PC game era, where you could just click with the mouse, virtual reality’s movement involves a lot of mind games and is highly difficult.

However, thanks to the help of excellent agility and sensory stats, and the characteristics of virtual reality that allow you to perform movements beyond the limits of the human body, there was nothing you couldn’t do if you adapted.

And the people who had been doing this like breathing were the veterans.

As such, it would be harder to find a ranker [high-ranking player] with bad movement.

So why did it become Kaiser’s trademark?

It’s simple.

-Damn it, you’re really pissing me off. You’re the only bastard who moves so infuriatingly. You X-like bastard…

-Why are you angry?

-How can I not be angry? My feelings right now represent the feelings of ten million Demrothe users.

-…I agree with that guy this time.

Kaiser’s movement was different from the norm.

The basis of movement lies in mind games.

Rankers can see and react with their dynamic visual acuity, but there are limits to that, so they make predictions to some extent.

Kaiser, Do Hyun, focused on that.

-He clearly seems to stop, but suddenly comes in, and if he seems to come in, he suddenly comes in half a beat late, it’s driving me crazy. How the hell does he do it? Is that physically possible?

-It’s weird to ask about physical things in VR [Virtual Reality], but… I’m honestly curious. How does he do it?

Sometimes he would stop only his upper body or only his lower body, and sometimes he would pretend to stop and then explosively enter, or he would take a stance as if to quickly enter and release his strength to move half a beat late.

Movements that are impossible in reality where physical laws and the limits of the human body apply.

But in Demrothe and God of Creation, which are relatively free from such limitations, there was nothing you couldn’t do if you tried.

-…So, you have to be able to move your body separately? And do mind games and multi-tasking at the same time? I can’t do it. I give up.

-Who would do such crazy things?

-More than that, can you even call that movement? It seems to have already surpassed that realm.

It was just that it was unbelievably difficult.

Most humans have difficulty with the simple act of moving their left hand up and down while moving their right hand left and right.

What if you add a stopping pattern in between?

Even with just two hands, it would be like that, so what about freely stopping and moving all the limbs?

It was literally something only Do Hyun could do.

‘Gugu said he couldn’t do it either.’

Even Gugu Dakgugu, one of the strongest physiques Do Hyun had seen, gave up, so that says it all.

That’s why Kaiser is called an unprecedented genius.

He had several times more options than others in mind games and could gain an advantage.

He thought it might be useful to that boss who could do mind games unlike the previous monsters who only had instincts, and that expectation was beautifully fulfilled.

‘I can see it.’

What he’s trying to do, where he’s aiming to attack.

What structure the surrounding undead are trying to surround him with.

Do Hyun could see everything.

At that time, even if he twisted his movements by half a beat, Jihad would never be able to reach him. Like a mirage.

Bang! Bang!

Kuh-uh… Kuh…

[Ugh… Such a fly-like bastard!]

And usually, the method the opponent chooses in this situation is always the same.

Thud.

[Heh heh… Foolish bastard. To think he’s happy without knowing he’s being herded like a fly.]

One big hit no matter what.

To land a finishing move that can turn the tide.

Seeing Do Hyun, who was against the wall and could no longer retreat, Jihad let out a vile laugh.

His face was covered in a robe, but he was sure that the goblin’s unique vileness would have been revealed.

[The secret dungeon boss ‘Jihad Black’ uses the Great Corpse Art Corpse Grand Explosion.]

[The casting speed is increased due to the effect of the ‘Nimble Hands’ trait.]

Corpse Grand Explosion, also known as Grand Explosion.

It was a flashy skill called the flower of the explosion necromancer, which explodes all the undead at once.

The damage stacks at this time, so if the situation is right, it is also a skill that can deal stronger burst damage than anyone else in a wide range.

——!!

The cave shook violently as the undead exploded simultaneously.

Jihad clicked his tongue, hearing the ringing in his ears as the power swallowed the entire wall.

Dozens of undead were included in this explosion alone. Among them were many undead that he had put his heart and soul into.

Even a troll wouldn’t be able to survive that.

[I was going to handle you gently as a test subject… You hastened your death.]

Therefore, Jihad did not doubt Do Hyun’s death.

It was natural because it was the most powerful attack he could use.

It was a pity that the toy was gone and that many materials were gone, but that was it. He felt relieved that he had re-educated the fly-like bastard.

[The mark disappears.]

“… ?“

Until he felt a presence behind him along with a strange message.

Instinctively turning around, he could see.

Do Hyun’s 모습, holding out his sword and slightly raising the corners of his lips.

“You took the Grand Explosion? If you took it, you have to get hit.”

[… Ah.]

It was checkmate.