The Return Of The Genius Ranker Of All Times [EN]: Chapter 41

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Part 2, Episode 41.

How long had Do-hyun’s relentless assault been going on?

Just as the lively *Jajinmori* [a fast, exciting Korean drum rhythm] rhythm echoing through the cave began to fade.

[Ivak’s life force is confirmed to be less than 1%.]

[You have subdued ‘Ivak,’ the intruder of the contaminated spirit land.]

[Recorded in the Book of Adventures.]

“Huh? Already?”

Do-hyun, upon seeing the message, stopped his fist mid-air.

Jihad shook his head at Do-hyun’s regretful expression.

-……Seriously, Master, already? I’m getting PTSD just watching.

“Are you picking up weird phrases again? Do you study user… I mean, apostle language separately?”

-Ahem! I’m a goblin sensitive to trends, you know.

-Lizariza?

Do-hyun chuckled, watching Jihad confidently puff out his chest with his long nose raised.

Eliza and Charlie don’t seem to use the words users chatter about… It’s just this guy who quotes users so well.

‘He’s a strange one, alright.’

There’s a reason why his Guardian trait is ‘Opportunist,’ an unprecedented Guardian.

“Ugh… Ughhh… Uhh…”

The sound of groaning came at that moment.

It was Ivak, who had been beaten bloody all day long.

The initial appearance of screaming and struggling was nowhere to be seen, just groaning.

-Ugh, it reminds me of the old days, I can’t watch.

-Lizariza……

-Hmm……

In a way, he couldn’t help but feel sorry for the boss.

Since the quest was just to subdue him and confirm his identity, he had to be beaten to a pulp with fists instead of being killed instantly.

Perhaps that’s why.

-Ugh… N-No… Stop… Kuuh…

The arrogant and haughty Ivak was mumbling incessantly, curled up like a grub.

There was no sign of resistance.

It could be said that the quest conditions were perfectly met.

‘Then, where…’

Do-hyun approached him, crouched down, and grinned.

There was only one thing to do now.

‘Let’s see what he is.’

To find out what race those intruders are.

As expected, will they be elves or nymphs, or one of the alien races hiding in Ellanis?

Swish.

-Ooh… Are we finally going to find out?

-Lizariza!

-Hmm!

Could it be that they are just as excited?

They couldn’t take their sparkling eyes off as Do-hyun reached out.

Soon, the moment he removed the hood of the robe covering Ivak’s face.

[You have confirmed the face of the intruder, Ivak.]

[You have achieved the clearing conditions for the sudden quest ‘Intruder’.]

[The quest has been cleared. Leave this place safely and inform Periel.]

The moment the identity of the veiled guy was revealed, a cheerful notification rang,

“……?”

-Huh?

-Li, Liza?

-……What?

Do-hyun and the Guardians widened their eyes as if they had made a promise.

They couldn’t help it.

Ivak’s identity was completely different from what they had imagined.

Elf? Nymph?

It wasn’t something ordinary.

Clatter-

A unique eerie sound of bones colliding.

A face and neck made entirely of bones.

I don’t know what race it was originally, but at first glance, it looks like a human bone.

The sight of such a skeleton holding a magic book is like…

“……Lich?”

The widely known form of a Lich itself.

‘An intruder is a Lich?’

When I punched him, I thought the feeling of hitting him was as hard as a bone.

I just thought he was skinny, but he was a Lich?

This was such an unimaginable identity that I could only laugh in vain.

‘Then what about the intruders I saw before? Are they skeletons too?’

No, I can be sure.

At least they are not skeletons like Liches.

The impact was different, and above all, they didn’t have the ‘Arrows of Astra,’ which only those who received the World Tree’s revelation could handle.

Then there were two possibilities.

[Ivak]

Either this guy, whose information cannot be read, was the same race as the other intruders, but became a Lich for some reason…

‘Not just one race, or…’

The intruders are a group of several types.

Should I call this fortunate or unfortunate?

Do-hyun was able to get a chance to solve his curiosity.

“It’s unfair……”

“?”

“If I had just a little more… If I had just a little more, I could have received the revelation… If it weren’t for you! If it weren’t for yoouuu…!!”

The voice that had been mumbling something gradually became faster, and at some point, it turned into a scream.

And at that moment.

“Keuh… Hehehe… Well, since I’m going to die anyway, let’s all die together.”

Ivak, who was laughing eerily like a crazy person, threw off the robe that was covering his body.

Then, something emitting a black light between the exposed ribs.

It was the root of contamination.

However, it was darker and thicker than what I had seen before, and it seemed to be pumping like a heart.

-Ew, disgusting.

-Lizariza……!

-Hmm, not a very pleasant sight.

The Guardians frowned at it.

Do-hyun was also uncomfortable, but he had no time to express it now.

“Hehehe… Although I will die, I will not die alone. ‘That guy’ is someone that even Orga cannot control… A guy who should never be awakened. You go with me! Hehehe… Hahaha!”

The moment his chilling cry ended.

[The intruder of the contaminated spirit land, ‘Ivak,’ breaks the taboo.]

[Ivak is trying to awaken the ‘Hero of Misfortune’ by sacrificing himself.]

[The hidden phase begins.]

-M, Master!

-The situation is unusual, Lord. We must execute him quickly…

-Lizariza!

Warning sounds like disaster texts rang out incessantly, and then his body, with only bones left, was swallowed by the root of contamination that had taken root like a heart.

Do-hyun, startled by the Guardians’ cries, hurriedly stretched out his Heavenly Change, but he was one step late.

The sacrificial ritual ended faster than Do-hyun thought.

[The ‘Hero of Misfortune’ who had been sleeping here is awakened with Ivak as a sacrifice.]

[Caution! He is an opponent with great status.]

[The ‘Hero of Misfortune’ awakens in an incomplete state due to temporarily breaking the taboo.]

[The ‘Hero of Misfortune’ regains power each time a certain amount of time passes, and regains full power when the time limit expires.]

[Time Limit – 00:20:00]

‘Crazy……’

Do-hyun’s relaxed expression hardened in an instant.

-M, Master…

-Lizariza… za…

-……It’s an incredibly powerful energy, Lord.

This time, it was felt not only by the guys who were sensitive to energy, but also by Do-hyun.

It was felt through the skin.

The heavy air settling in the room and the sharp murderous intent that made the skin tingle.

Each time the faint footsteps grew louder, the momentum also grew stronger.

If I had to pick the most tense moment since entering the New Continent, I would say it was now without hesitation.

It was a similar feeling to when I first saw the Forgotten King’s corpse in the Lion King’s test.

‘What kind of guy is coming out…’

Do-hyun swallowed hard.

In an atmosphere where the peaceful energy was broken and turned brutal in an instant.

Thump.

The footsteps gradually got closer.

Soon, when the silhouette of the guy became visible, Do-hyun narrowed his eyes.

It was to confirm the identity of the guy.

As the silhouette became clearer and clearer, and he could recognize his face.

“……!”

Do-hyun widened his eyes.

It wasn’t because he looked strange like Ivak, who was like a Lich.

The cold, dead skin and the rotting flesh in places were definitely like that of an undead, but the features revealed on his face clearly remained.

Pointed ears and the noble handsome appearance despite being a corpse.

‘That’s…’

It was definitely an elf.

However, there was a fatal difference compared to the elves I saw in the elf village.

‘……Dark skin.’

Jet-black skin.

And silver eyes comparable to it.

There was only one race with such characteristics.

‘……Dark Elf?’

It didn’t take long to realize that that thought was correct.

[You have encountered the Eternal Knight of the Dark Elf with great status, ‘???’.]

[This is the first time you have encountered this type of boss.]

[When defeated, the title ‘First Slayer’ effect is activated.]

[His true name is not revealed because he is awakened in an incomplete state.]

[Each time a certain amount of time passes, his true name is revealed little by little, and he will exert some of his power from his lifetime.]

The message proved that the guess was correct.

Not just a Dark Elf, but a Dark Elf with great status?

It was a title that didn’t look ordinary at first glance.

Not only that.

‘Eternal Knight… This again.’

Conditionally, but the fact that he exerts some of his power from his lifetime means that he is at least a mid-level Eternal Knight.

Do-hyun frowned, somehow reminded of the Lion King’s test.

It was because he remembered how ridiculously difficult it was at the time.

The biggest problem was that it was obvious that it would be more difficult now than then.

At that time, it was at least in the name of a test, but this was an outright mission to defeat him.

‘Isn’t this difficulty too high?’

I don’t know how great that Dark Elf was in his lifetime, but judging from the warning messages, he must have been an unusual person.

In this situation, there was realistically no reason for Do-hyun to catch him [fight him].

‘I heard that if you die during the competition, you will be automatically eliminated.’

There was no reason to take risks when he had already accumulated an overwhelming score.

Above all, Periel’s quest was already completed.

Catching that guy was just a plus alpha, and there was no need to overdo it.

In the first place, according to Ivak’s words, the root of contamination should have completely swallowed the spirit land in a few years.

In other words, this is content that would not have been opened originally.

In other words, this is a hidden piece…

‘……Then, of course, the difficulty will be crazy.’

In many ways, it was right to neatly fold here [give up] and run away, but Do-hyun did not back down.

Rather, he waited for him, holding the Heavenly Change and facing him.

It wasn’t bravado.

There was just a reason why he couldn’t back down.

[The Eye of Truth is activated.]

A red dot was shining on the Eternal Knight’s body.

Moreover, not just one, but two.

More important than anything else was not that there were two hidden rewards.

[You have encountered a person related to the main quest.]

[Defeat him and hear his true name.]

[You may obtain information related to the main quest.]

‘Ha.’

The problem was that that guy was related to the main quest, which had been silent all along.

‘How can I stand this [resist the temptation].’

High risk, high return is an immutable law.

If you defeat a guy who looks terribly difficult, you will be able to obtain sweet rewards related to the main quest.

Above all, it didn’t seem hopeless.

‘You just have to catch him within the time limit, right?’

He is still in an incomplete state.

All I have to do is defeat him before he regains all his power from his lifetime.

Defeat him quickly now that he is the weakest.

In that sense, Do-hyun grinned, looking at the wind that subtly enveloped the Heavenly Change.

[Periel’s Gift – Gale can be activated.]

‘Let’s see how it performs.’