The Return Of The Genius Ranker Of All Times [EN]: Chapter 57

57.

He flinched.

“Wh, what is it? I feel something cold…….”

“Liza?”

Eliza tilted her head, noticing Jihad flinching as if he felt an unpleasant gaze.

Her eyes were full of concern.

Jihad shook his head, denying it, then suddenly stared at Eliza.

A tiny body, maybe 5cm.

A captivating appearance with fluffy, pure white fur and plump buttocks that made one wonder if it was really an insect.

Because of that, at first glance, it looked like a small ball of fur rolling around.

Unlike other spiders, her only two eyes were the same green as his.

“It’s the same…….”

Exactly the same as when they met before.

Jihad’s eyes welled up at the sight of the memories of living in the cabin in the past.

Since he couldn’t just be immersed in tears when they had met after so long, he tried not to show it and changed the subject.

“I thought you’d be so big after 150 years, but you weren’t? You can even parasitize?”

“Liza! Liza Liza!”

“I knew my eyes weren’t wrong. You really are a special spider!”

“Liza!”

Eliza proudly puffed out her chest as if to say, ‘Did you just find out?’

……I don’t know if I should call that a chest, but anyway, that was exactly the posture.

Even more amazing was that the corpse of the Spider Queen, which had Eliza’s color, turned black as Eliza left.

“Is that a characteristic of parasitism?”

“Liza…….”

“Ah. Is it because you’re not skilled enough yet? Amazing. Don’t you have anything else to hide?”

“Li…… za!”

“Hehe, I see. So, is this all you’ve grown?”

Eliza shook her head.

Then, she put her front paws on her waist and raised her chin, just like a child showing off.

“Really? Then what’s your lifespan? I’ve never heard of a spider living this long…….”

“Liza Liza.”

“What? Are you saying I’m not an adult either? How did this guy know that?”

“Liza!”

Watching the two of them catching up after a long time, Dohyun didn’t bother to interfere.

Even if Dohyun was oblivious, he knew that interfering between them now was not a good idea.

There was no room to intervene anyway.

So, Dohyun focused on something else.

‘Parasitism on the Sky Web…… the characteristics are different?’

What was originally a Steel Web was now a Sky Web, and other characteristics such as potent venom or spider sense had disappeared.

It seemed that this was Eliza’s unique characteristic.

‘Is it related to parasitism?’

It seemed highly likely that she could use the characteristics of the monster she parasitized.

He didn’t know how far the range of parasitism was, but since it worked even on field bosses, the performance was certain.

But he shouldn’t just think that way.

‘Her stats might have been downgraded like Jihad’s.’

Moreover, since she had become Jihad’s subordinate, he didn’t know how much of a downgrade there would be.

He was already thinking about how to utilize Eliza when.

A short voice was heard in his ear.

“Liza!”

“Huh?”

He saw Eliza, who had already climbed onto his shoulder.

He didn’t even notice when she climbed up…… Do you have to be this high-class to parasitize?

“Liza Liza!”

“?”

It seemed like she wanted to say something, but he couldn’t understand.

Eventually, Dohyun looked at Jihad.

Jihad, who understood Dohyun’s eyes asking for translation, replied with a pleased face.

“She’s thanking you, Master.”

“Ah.”

“I’m more grateful…… Anyway, she wants you to follow her to repay you?”

“Repay?”

“Liza!”

Eliza nodded her little head as if that was right.

Her sparkling eyes were full of anticipation, and it seemed like the one who was trying to repay him was more excited.

Dohyun, unable to ignore that expectation, said he understood, and Eliza jumped onto Jihad’s head.

“Liza!”

“She says to go this way, Master.”

Dohyun followed Jihad, who had suddenly become a guide.

Had he walked through the long passage for about 10 minutes?

After repeating the process of the passage narrowing and widening several times, Dohyun was able to reach his destination.

It was a large room.

“Wow…….”

The overall space was round, but it was larger and more gloomy than a spider’s web.

The air was cool, and the whole thing was black and sticky, giving the feeling of being in a refrigerator.

He had never heard of such a place in Raven [a popular virtual reality game].

It was not Jihad or Eliza who told him the identity of this place, but a system window.

[You have discovered a hidden location.]

[You have discovered the Spider Queen’s Egg Hatchery.]

‘Egg Hatchery?’

As the words said, round eggs were stacked like towers everywhere.

And small spiders filled the surroundings.

They were much larger than ordinary spiders, but smaller than the giant spiders in the forest.

Name tags were floating above those guys.

[Spider Queen’s Hatchling]

‘Wait, Spider Queen’s Hatchlings?’

The moment he checked the information with a hopeful thought, Dohyun’s eyes widened.

[Spider Queen’s Hatchling]

-Title: Field Boss

-Type: Spider

-Characteristic: Not yet manifested.

-Description: The Spider Queen Eliza, ruler of the western forest.

The Spider Queen’s hatchlings who became Eliza’s hosts.

They are still young and most of their abilities have not been unlocked, but when they become adults, they will appear in the forest as proper field bosses.

‘They’re field bosses?’

Those little things had the title of field boss.

Every single one of them!

‘Huh? Wait a minute.’

At this moment, Dohyun’s mind flashed.

The content of the first trial of the Raven graduation quest is to defeat the field boss.

The field boss mentioned here did not only mean ‘Spider Queen Eliza’. The text stated that the score was determined in proportion to the number of field bosses caught.

It was just that defeating the official field boss, Spider Queen Eliza, was unconditionally recognized as a clear.

‘In fact, it’s a trial made to catch Eliza…….’

Users didn’t focus much on this text.

In the first place, there was no need to do so.

Because the only field boss in Raven was Spider Queen Eliza.

The key was just how well you caught Eliza.

……Yes, that’s the accepted theory.

“……Then what happens if I catch these guys too?”

If you think about it, they are also Spider Queens.

But clearly different entities.

Would catching them be recognized as other field bosses?

The way to find out was obvious.

‘Let’s catch them.’

Dohyun swallowed and picked up his training sword.

It was the moment when a massacre broke out in the egg hatchery.

* * *

[You have defeated the Spider Queen’s Hatchling.]

[You have defeated the Spider Queen’s Hatchling.]

…….

[You have defeated the Spider Queen’s Hatchling.]

Ignoring the feast of messages, Dohyun looked around.

The swarming spiders had disappeared without a trace.

Only those that had not yet been born and were still in the form of eggs were everywhere, making them look like decorations.

The reason why he didn’t bother to catch those was simple.

[Spider Queen’s Egg]

-Description: It is the egg of the Spider Queen. It has not yet hatched.

[Attacking the Spider Queen’s Egg is not allowed.]

‘Too bad. I can’t do this.’

Because God’s Oaths [the game developers] had blocked it with a system that prevented direct attacks.

Dohyun, who had tried to put it in his inventory with regret, gave up neatly because it didn’t fit.

Then what is that used for…….

The guess about that question came out faster than expected.

‘Could it be that the field boss is regenerated through these eggs?’

It was just a brain fart, but it somehow had credibility.

If not, there would be no reason to block it so thoroughly.

If this was true, it was a truly interesting setting, but Dohyun was not the type to give great meaning to things that were not helpful.

And now was not the time to sell his attention to such things.

Ding-.

Would catching the Spider Queen’s Hatchlings affect the graduation quest?

He could now know the answer.

[You have completed the first trial, Field Boss Hunt.]

[Checking the defeated field bosses.]

[Confirmed as Hidden Field Boss Hunt × 1, Field Boss Hunt × 34.]

[The defeat of Raven’s official field boss ‘Spider Queen Eliza’ has been confirmed.]

[You have passed the first trial.]

[Measuring rank.]

…….

‘It works.’

Surprisingly, it also included catching Karuk in the score.

It seemed that it was counting the field bosses caught while in Raven.

Thanks to this, Dohyun was able to count as having caught 35 field bosses when others could barely catch one.

It was not just a field boss, but it was clearly classified as a separate hidden field boss item, so it would definitely be of great help to the score.

[Unbelievable achievement.]

[Measurement time is slightly delayed.]

Could it be that the artificial intelligence that manages God’s Oaths’ system did not expect this case?

The rank was not measured immediately, and there was a delay.

‘Well…… I’m also in an absurd situation.’

I can say with certainty that there has never been such a case in the history of God’s Oaths.

He was waiting with a slightly trembling heart. After about 10 seconds, the long-awaited notification window rang.

[The score was measured considering solo clear, Hidden Field Boss defeat × 1, Field Boss defeat × 27, shortest time clear renewal, Hidden Piece confirmation…… etc.]

[S rank has been renewed with 1,471 points.]

[The maximum rank of the first trial is S rank, and a higher rank cannot be assigned. Receive enhanced rewards.]

[The first S rank in the first trial has been renewed.]

[Recorded 1st place in the ranking.]

[There has been a change in the ranking of the first trial.]

[Acquire the title ‘First S Rank’.]

[Acquire the title ‘Top Graduate’.]

[The effect of the Time Attack Throne is activated. All stats increase by +5.]

[S rank reward is given.]

…….

[Recorded in the Book of Adventures.]

‘Wow.’

So many notification windows that he felt dizzy.

Dohyun opened his mouth blankly at the rewards that were on a different level from when he graduated from Arde [previous academy].

‘How many rewards are these?’

He expected it wouldn’t be ordinary, but he didn’t know it would be this much?

When Dohyun was stiffened by the feast of so many messages that he couldn’t even check, it was.

“Liza!”

“Ah.”

Dohyun, who came to his senses at the bright voice, turned his head.

Eliza was on his shoulder, wiggling her butt.

It was like a cat raising its butt while making a purring sound.

“Thank you, Eliza. It was a reward beyond my imagination.”

There could be no greater reward than having him catch 28 field bosses.

Dohyun was sincerely grateful.

But Eliza, who received that heart, tilted her head as if she didn’t know what he was talking about.

“Liza?”

“Master, Eliza says she hasn’t given you a reward yet?”

“? What does that mean?”

“Liza Liza!”

Eliza jumped off his shoulder and climbed back onto Jihad’s head.

Then the guy points in one direction.

“Liza!”

“She says what she was trying to repay is over there.”

“……Huh?”

And Dohyun’s eyes widened as he looked at that place.

There was a small box placed there.

A worn-out box that felt like it had been around for at least hundreds of years.

But Dohyun’s gaze was not directed at it.

‘That’s…….’

A small, long jewel placed next to the box.

It was a mysterious jewel that shone with all the colors, but Dohyun could only see it in one color.

[The Eye of Truth is activated.]

“What is this?”

Dohyun, who had already approached and picked up the jewel that had become a bright red dot, lost focus.

Because the message was overlapping on the jewel.

[The Adventurer’s Vessel has been confirmed.]

[You have met the conditions.]

[Acquired the first piece of fate.]

[Recorded in the Book of Adventures.]

[A new route is opened by fulfilling hidden conditions.]

[Job quest ‘Succession of Fate’ is created.]

“……Huh?”

It seems like he picked up something unusual.