The Return Of The Genius Ranker Of All Times [EN]: Chapter 54

Part 54.

They say people lose their words when faced with something too absurd.

Then, what happens when four people meet, and all four experience a situation so absurd it leaves them speechless?

Do Hyun was about to find out.

“…….”

“……Huh.”

“What the…….”

They just gaped at each other, occasionally letting out hollow laughs.

It wasn’t until they repeated this for over a minute that they began to try to ‘understand’ the situation.

“So…… we came to meet the honorary member of Pick Gallery, but it turns out he’s Kaiser? And the owner of the Armory came to see Kaiser and ended up joining us.”

“Right. And you were heading to the village, so were you following the Association President?”

“I had business near the village, but…… Rark said the member had company, so I stopped by.”

In short……

The chairman and honorary member of the Pick Gallery met, only to discover they were all incredibly famous figures.

And these famous figures met without knowing each other’s identities…… that’s the gist of it.

‘Jackpot.’

‘What a mysterious connection, my lord.’

‘Lizariza.’

A series of coincidences so unlikely, it would be hard to orchestrate on purpose.

It was such an incredible coincidence that Gamillion’s words, ‘There is no such thing as coincidence,’ flashed through his mind.

Do Hyun and even Charlie were quietly marveling at the situation when it happened.

“……Oh! Charlie!? Wow, seeing Charlie here.”

-Hmm?

The Association President, Rark, who had somewhat grasped the situation, pointed at Charlie in astonishment.

Charlie tilted his head.

-Do you know me?

“How could I not? You’re the one who gave me Foot Eater [a derogatory term for someone who has to wash feet as a punishment or chore]. Do you know how many times I had to wash feet that day because of your harsh words?”

-……? News to me.

“Wow, look at you playing dumb. I’ve eaten hundreds of types of feet because of you…….”

-I tend not to remember those without talent, but…… I feel like I would remember something like that. You must be mistaken.

“Look at him, mocking me. I’m telling you, I was played by that tongue! Do you think I would have done that for no reason?”

-Hmm. Even if that’s true, it doesn’t seem normal to be washing feet.

“Wow, my blood pressure.”

Charlie remained nonchalant, acting like he had never heard of it, while Rark clutched the back of his neck as if his blood pressure was rising.

Only then did Do Hyun understand the situation.

‘Ah, right. Charlie awakened Foot Eater because he was told to wash feet, and he actually did it, right?’

In other words, Charlie was like an unforgettable enemy to Rark.

But that was only for Rark.

This Charlie was from a different timeline, so Charlie’s claim of never having heard of it was also true.

There was no perpetrator, only a victim.

And in this kind of situation, the victim was bound to be treated like a weirdo.

“……I’m sorry. I’ll apologize on his behalf.”

“Keuheuhe, ah, this is hilarious.”

Varion, embarrassed by Rark’s behavior, avoided eye contact and apologized.

Ast couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

Perhaps thanks to that.

The awkward atmosphere, which had been close to a cold silence, broke, and a pleasant mood formed.

After a few minutes of commotion.

“Ahem.”

Rark, who had somewhat recovered from the PTSD [Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, a mental health condition triggered by a terrifying event] of seeing Charlie, belatedly looked at Do Hyun and cleared his throat.

Then, he continued, sounding surprised.

“Wow, I’m surprised. I didn’t know our honorary member was the famous Kaiser…….”

“I was also surprised. I heard you recently entered the Adventure Book rankings and wanted to meet you in person, but I never expected to meet you like this. Moreover, you’re an honorary member of the gallery that Rark runs…….”

“Come to think of it, it’s not that strange. Kaiser is famous for being extremely unlucky. People with bad luck tend to look for good spots. Someone with your luck wouldn’t understand.”

Do Hyun nodded vigorously at Rark’s words, spoken in an unnecessarily serious tone.

‘Of course, of course.’

It wasn’t like Do Hyun enjoyed doing card pulls only in good spots.

It was a desperate struggle to survive, and the plight of the unlucky that the lucky ones didn’t know.

Rark, who suddenly met his eyes, nodded with a look full of camaraderie, as if he understood everything, and Do Hyun nodded back with a touched expression.

The moment he saw the subtle madness in his eyes when talking about good spots, he instinctively knew.

‘Those eyes…… In Demlock terms, they belong to someone who has broken at least 5,000 bricks [a metaphor for enduring extreme hardship or misfortune].’

How immense the misfortune he had experienced.

He probably became even more desperate to find good spots after obtaining the terrible trait of Foot Eater.

And that wasn’t just speculation.

“……But even if you find a good spot and draw a skill, it’s always just a normal or rare skill, right? It’s amazing how you consistently find good spots and pray every time, even though that’s the case. Who are you praying to anyway?”

“All the gods of luck in the world, wouldn’t you say?”

“For example?”

“I don’t know, you old man. If you just pray to everyone, one of them will listen.”

“Hmm. How about believing in yourself?”

“……Would you say that if you broke eight items in a row while trying to enhance your equipment to +10? I’d rather trust a stray dog than trust myself.”

An enormous sense of kinship was felt in the quiet chatter between the two.

Jihad marveled at Do Hyun’s side, nodding in agreement as if he understood everything.

‘Wow, it’s the first time I’ve seen someone exactly like Master.’

‘How pathetic. I’ve broken up to 12 items trying to get to +10. The feeling I had when Gugu told me to have a drink because I broke 12 items, so it was like getting to +12…… Hmph.’

‘……Isn’t that something to be proud of?’

‘Lizariza……?’

Ignoring Ast, who was letting out hollow laughs, and Eliza, who was tilting her head, he was empathizing with them when.

Rark’s expression, who had been glancing at Do Hyun, also became strange.

‘Hooh? It’s the first time someone has empathized with me like this…… Is all the rumors about Kaiser true? Maybe he has even worse luck than me.’

Usually, people would look at him like he was crazy, but no one had ever shown such sincere empathy.

So much so that they felt camaraderie from the simple act of making eye contact and nodding.

Feeling a sense of kinship for the first time, the two thought.

‘I knew I would get along well with the Association President.’

‘Interesting. I wonder how that man would evaluate the hidden good spot I found this time?’

And as they felt a sense of kinship.

Ast and Varion were also feeling a strange sense of kinship.

“Hoo…… Hmm?”

“Sigh…… Um?”

The two, who had simultaneously sighed and shook their heads, suddenly made eye contact.

Why could they see the other’s past, having experienced the madness of searching for good spots and crying and laughing over a single draw?

‘That guy must have gone through some hardship.’

‘Hmm, the owner of the Armory must not have had an easy time either.’

Thus, everyone was feeling a sense of kinship for their own reasons.

That must be why.

“Oh, right, this isn’t the time for this. Seeing as you have company, it seems like you have a destination. Where are you headed?”

“We’re going to Acrana.”

“Acrana, the home of the Nymphs? That’s perfect. The good spot I found is in that direction. How about we travel together?”

The suggestion to travel together came naturally.

“I’m fine with it.”

“Hmm, unfortunately, I have business…….”

“This old man will come along too. Owner of the Armory, what about you?”

“I don’t mind since I was going to go with you anyway.”

“Then let’s go.”

There were slight differences in opinion, but in the end, everyone ended up together.

‘……Hmm. I was curious about Kaiser’s exploration skills. It would be good to watch him from the side.’

‘Wow, if that person is so confident about the hidden good spot, it must be amazing, right? Is a legendary-grade item really going to appear? Hehe, waiting always pays off.’

‘Hehe, finally someone who will recognize the true value of my good spot has appeared.’

Do Hyun was filled with anticipation at the thought of finding a good spot.

Varion was curious about Kaiser’s skills.

Rark was proud to have finally found someone who would recognize his abilities.

Everyone had their own reasons for feeling anticipation and excitement, and Ast also had a somewhat relieved expression.

‘Finally, someone who will understand my hardships has appeared.’

Varion also seemed to be in the same situation as him.

He felt much more at ease knowing that he could complain and badmouth others without having to suffer alone among the crazy people.

“Alright. Let’s go then.”

“Sounds good.”

It was the moment when an unexpected four-person party was formed.

* * *

And about an hour after they set off.

Ast could realize.

This party was doomed.

He first felt it about 30 minutes after leaving the Elf Village.

“Varion and those kinds of people don’t understand. How much sincerity you have to put into drawing [referring to the act of drawing cards or items in a game]. Some people can draw legendary or hero-grade items without even trying, while others might invest a billion and still doubt whether they’ll ever draw a legendary-grade item. Honestly, doesn’t it make you wonder if the odds are really the same?”

“I agree.”

“So I thought, maybe the odds are different depending on the location? Good spots might be pseudoscience, but people gather where things are drawn well, and that uses up the probability…… Of course, it’s not just that, as sometimes hidden good spots also produce good results…… Maybe there’s a hidden piece element…….”

Rark was chattering beside him, and Do Hyun was concentrating on Rark’s words with a more serious expression than ever before.

‘What are those guys talking about since earlier? Individual probability? Hidden piece? Is there even a need for those words in drawing?’

Just hearing the vast theory, as if he had majored in Drawing Theory, was already making him dizzy.

Imagine listening to something that makes you feel faint after just 5 minutes for 30 minutes.

He could feel like he was going out for lunch [a Korean expression meaning feeling faint or overwhelmed].

What was even harder to watch was the strangely shaped jerky that Rark occasionally took out, emitting a musty smell.

Chew chew-

Judging from the silhouette, it was probably dried insect legs…….

He was chewing so naturally that he even wondered if it was dried squid.

From dizzying drawing talk to consuming insect legs.

He was already wondering if this was right, but the existence of Varion felt like a ray of light.

“Hmph…… I can never get used to that sight.”

“……Right? It’s not just me who thinks it’s weird, right?”

Fortunately, Varion was expressing the same opinion as Ast.

He could feel a very deep sense of kinship just from that.

How had it been until now?

Gugu was always causing trouble, the Sword Saint was always going into hiding for training, and it was impossible to communicate with him because he was always in character…….

‘Kaiser seems normal, but he goes crazy once in a while.’

For example, drawing, guilds, or major incidents…….

In some ways, Kaiser was more of a problem.

Unlike Gugu, who was always setting off bombs like it was everyday life, and the Sword Saint, who was just frustrating, Kaiser’s explosions were always major incidents.

What did his colleagues say when he complained about his rising blood pressure?

-Well, it could happen. It’ll be fun, right?

-Hmm. I can see the results of my training. I’ll participate too.

-……Damn it.

They praised Kaiser, saying it was a good thing.

A series of days where he was the only one chasing after the talented ones.

‘……Now that I think about it, it’s unfair?’

Remembering the past when there were not one, but three troublemakers, Ast suddenly felt resentful, but this time it would be different.

‘……It will be different, right?’

……He believed it would be.

But Ast didn’t know.

That his beliefs had never been rewarded.