The Return Of The Genius Ranker Of All Times [EN]: Chapter 49

Part 49.

The house nestled beneath the sprawling canopy of the village’s oldest giant tree, second only to the legendary World Tree.

The interior was a masterpiece of natural luxury, seamlessly blending with the surrounding environment.

Branches and leaves, gently emitting light, illuminated the interior like a living lamp.

Step, step.

Do-hyun found himself in a place that truly embodied the essence of a fantasy world, inside the Elder Elf’s residence, walking deeper within.

“…….”

“…….”

He was alone with the Elder Elf.

No words passed between the Elder, who led the way, and Do-hyun, who silently followed.

The tree’s immense size translated to an impressively large interior, and they had already been walking for twenty minutes.

Throughout their walk, Do-hyun kept his gaze fixed on the Elder Elf.

He could see it.

[Eye of Truth is activated.]

The brilliant red light emanated from the ring on the Elder Elf’s finger.

It was undeniable proof: half of the fifth fragment of fate’s key.

‘To find it so easily?’

Gamillion had hinted that he would discover something upon meeting the Elder Elf, but he hadn’t anticipated finding it so quickly.

Even though it was just a fragment of the key.

And only half of it, perhaps because he hadn’t seen it in so long.

He felt a strange stirring, a novel sensation.

‘And…….’

That wasn’t the only surprise.

[Elinel’s Bracelet is reacting.]

[Discovered ‘Clue to the Missing Girl’.]

The messages flooded his vision.

He didn’t even need to activate the Eye of Truth to sense this.

To be precise, there was no need.

‘……It’s reacting to the Elder himself.’

Elinel’s bracelet wasn’t reacting to the fragment of fate, but to the Elder Elf himself.

The same sensation he’d experienced when he first encountered Astra.

This solidified the connection between Astra, the Elder Elf, and Elinel.

However, one question lingered in his mind…….

‘I can’t tell if the clue to the missing girl was discovered because I found the fragment of the key or because I met the Elder Elf.’

If it was the former, it meant the missing girl was deeply intertwined with the main quest.

If it was the latter…….

‘Does the Elder know the whereabouts of the girl?’

Regardless, the core issue remained the same.

He wanted to speak with the Elder immediately, but Do-hyun patiently restrained himself.

Mutter, mutter.

“What’s going on? Why are they taking Kaiser alone?”

“Isn’t it because he’s the winner?”

“The winners haven’t been treated like this before.”

“The Elder must have recognized Kashin [a term for a divine being or someone blessed by the gods]. Do you need a reason to receive a god?”

“Those Kashin worshippers automatically spew nonsense as soon as they open their mouths.”

“Isn’t it because his score was the highest ever? He’s the first to break 10,000 points.”

“Wow, the Elder is the first to request a private meeting with Kaiser.”

The other players whispered as he passed.

As their words suggested, there must be a reason why the Elder sought to spend time alone with Do-hyun.

More than anything, when he made eye contact with the Elder, he had clearly seen it.

The bewilderment and surprise in his eyes.

‘He must have something to say. It’s not too late to listen to what he has to say and then judge.’

How long had he walked like that?

He stopped before a curtained doorway in a wooden pillar, befitting an Elf’s respect for nature, and spoke for the first time.

“This is the place. Come inside.”

“……Yes.”

After a period of patience, the moment to talk had finally arrived.

Following the Elder inside, he entered a spacious room with a subtly different atmosphere from the exterior.

The antique feel emanating from the wood itself was impressive.

However, with its lack of special decorations or furniture, it possessed a more rustic ambiance compared to the beautiful outside.

There was only the bare minimum of furniture necessary for living and a table for five people in the room…….

“Sit down.”

“Yes.”

The space in front of the table was where the two would sit.

As soon as he sat down on the chair as the Elder indicated, he spoke.

“……Honestly, I was surprised. I heard that this year’s winner was very different from the others, but I never thought it would be his successor.”

“…….”

Do-hyun’s pupils dilated slightly.

He hadn’t expected such directness from the start.

But the surprise was fleeting.

Do-hyun quickly regained his composure.

Gamillion had instructed him to meet the Elder, and he had somewhat anticipated this reaction, given the Elder’s surprise upon seeing him.

Having held the key for so long, the Elder must possess a way to recognize the successor.

“But you’re too fast than I heard. I heard it would take at least 3 more years…… Maybe that’s why there have been so many unexpected things happening lately.”

“Unexpected things like?”

“The Abyss.”

The Elder’s voice dropped.

“The eye that swallowed the sky. More than a hundred years have already passed since it first appeared. A hundred years is not a short time, even for us Elves. It was enough time to forget the pain of that day and get back on our feet.”

“…….”

“In other words, it also means that the Abyss has not appeared for 100 years.”

Then, the Elder’s eyes sharpened.

“But the Abyss has recently begun to move suddenly. It’s enough to make Elders like me, who still have vivid memories of that day, react sensitively.”

Do-hyun nodded silently.

Now he began to understand.

Why the different races had broken their self-imposed rules and chosen to interact with the Apostles [players in the game].

Why there was a change that even Gamillion was unaware of.

‘The main quest was originally a quest that would open in 3 years…… or 5 years at the latest.’

He had advanced it by at least three years, so changes to the storyline were inevitable.

And the origin of that change was none other than the Abyss.

Considering that the first enemy Do-hyun encountered during the main quest was also an Abyss, the other races must have encountered the Abyss several times recently.

That means…….

‘……Is it my fault?’

It also meant that Do-hyun, who had twisted the storyline, was the culprit behind all of this.

The 거지같이 [a Korean slang term meaning ‘like a beggar’ or ‘extremely’] difficult main quest and the unexpected events that occurred at every turn.

It was a grave he had dug for himself.

Do-hyun’s heart twinged for a moment, but that feeling soon morphed into resentment.

‘No, it’s not my fault. Who else could have defeated the tutorial boss? I’m a victim too.’

He simply defeated it because he could, so what was the sin in that?

If it was that important, they should have made it impossible to defeat in the first place.

Of course, that was just the perpetrator’s(?) point of view.

‘Wow…… the master’s personality is legendary.’

Jihad, who was listening from the side, clapped and admired, as if it wasn’t.

‘Liza?’

Then Eliza came over and tilted her head.

‘Ah, what does that mean? It’s an exclamation that the Apostles use when they see someone who has lost their conscience. Eliza, you try it too.’

‘……Are you now disparaging the great deeds of the lord who saved Arlen? How much blood did so many subordinates shed that day…….’

Jihad’s expression, which had been smiling slyly, began to harden when Charlie intervened.

‘Ah, no, you can’t say that here. When did I ever do that?’

‘Liza…….’

‘……E, even you, Eliza.’

‘Hoo. I didn’t see you that way, but I’m disappointed.’

‘Liza Liza…….’

‘No, that’s not it…….’

Do-hyun, lightly ignoring Jihad, who was at a loss and fidgeting at the sight of Charlie sighing and Eliza following suit, was finishing his self-rationalization.

“One day, an eye that swallowed the sky suddenly appeared. If it weren’t for that, the World Tree wouldn’t have weakened…… In the end, from that day on…… Hmm?”

The Elder’s story, which had been continuing, had already led to the story of the eye that swallowed the sky.

“……You’re not surprised at all.”

Perhaps sensing Do-hyun’s nonchalant demeanor, the Elder Elf’s eyes narrowed.

“Only those who have lived for at least 100 years among the Elves know about it…… Did the Adran family know about this as well?”

Do-hyun, jolted from his thoughts by the unsettling sign, shook his head.

“I saw it directly.”

“Saw it, where? As long as you are human, you don’t seem to be over 30 years old, no matter how much I look at you…….”

“The Tomb of Information.”

“……!”

The Elder’s eyes, which had held doubt, widened considerably.

His expression revealed not only surprise but also a hint of unease.

“……You went to the Tomb of Information? That place shouldn’t be known to humans?”

“I happened to discover it by chance.”

“The Tomb of Information is treated as a legend. It’s not a place that can be discovered by chance…… No, that’s not the important thing right now. What did you see there?”

He was rarely excited, and his words became noticeably faster.

Do-hyun slowly answered the urgent question.

“A war was breaking out. And it appeared…….”

It wasn’t difficult to recount.

He simply had to relay the story he had told Astra.

In fact, he could summarize it more concisely than before, and by the time he finished, the Elder’s face had grown more serious than ever.

“That’s strange. It’s different from the memory I know.”

“……Yes?”

Do-hyun couldn’t help but feel embarrassed this time.

There was already a discrepancy between Astra’s memories and actual history.

He naturally assumed that the Elder Elf, still alive, would remember it perfectly, but that wasn’t the case?

‘There’s something.’

Sensing something amiss, Do-hyun seized the opportunity to bring up Astra’s story.

From meeting Periel while purifying Area A to entering the contaminated land of spirits at her request.

From encountering an intruder and Astra there.

And hearing Astra’s account of that day.

As the story unfolded, the Elder’s face hardened, culminating in a pale and grave expression.

“…….”

Even after the story concluded, the Elder remained silent for a long moment.

His face was serious, as if he were organizing his thoughts.

Do-hyun waited without prompting him.

“……Hoo.”

The Elder finally spoke after what felt like an eternity.

He began with a deep sigh and looked Do-hyun directly in the eye. Then, his gaze drifted down to Do-hyun’s shoulders and lingered on the bracelet on his wrist.

He studied the bracelet with a hint of sadness before speaking in a somber tone.

“……I didn’t sense her energy, so I wondered, but it really was her bracelet.”

“…….”

After a moment, he averted his gaze, closed his eyes as if recalling the past, and then calmly spoke.

“I wanted to share many stories with you. From the story of the Abyss to the story of this ring, which has been handed down from the previous Elder as the duty of the Elder.”

“…….”

“But it seems like this is more important.”

He steadied his trembling hand with his other hand and continued.

“This is the story of that day, which has now been erased…… the story of when Astra and I were still close friends.”

The story that followed was shocking.