The Return Of The Genius Ranker Of All Times [EN]: Chapter 61

61.

For over 30 minutes, they waited in front of the warp gate, but Kaiser didn’t appear.

Still, they waited.

Because he might not arrive immediately and could need some time.

None of them were willing to give up impatiently after waiting a short while for a big fish like Kaiser.

However, after an hour, then two, then three, they finally had to accept the truth.

“……Is he just messing with us right now?”

“Seriously, does it seem like he’s deliberately showing up late?”

That Kaiser was deliberately stalling.

A common tactic of scouts to deliberately exhaust potential recruits before an interview to gain the upper hand.

Or waiting for the opportune moment to get what they want, which was one of the things scouts hated most.

And it was something they experienced often.

Arrogant people always used this method to try to start from a favorable position.

“Ugh! Fine, we’ll just camp out. If we keep waiting in shifts, what can he do? Is he going to avoid graduating forever?”

“Let’s see who wins. Immediately get the guys with open schedules… no, clear their schedules and gather at least five people. Rotate in 8-hour shifts.”

“Guild Master, it seems like he’s stalling. Yes. Yes, I understand.”

Therefore, none of the scouts were willing to give up at this point.

Rather, they seemed to be burning with fighting spirit, spurred on by their competitive nature.

‘If I land this deal, I’ll get promoted right away.’

‘I can avoid my wife’s nagging for at least three months.’

‘Our Hye-yeon sang a song about Jeju Island [a popular vacation destination in South Korea], I’m going to get this deal and go on a trip, I swear.’

‘Please…… I have loan payments due.’

Even as their fierce battle of patience unfolded, each driven by their own circumstances, the top 10 guilds did not budge.

Only the large guilds, which had been cautiously observing, began to join in little by little.

And the Hero Guild, one of the few guilds that could challenge the top 10.

In its office.

-……It seems like he’s stalling. Yes.

Player Verze, who consistently ranked within the top 5 in the guild master popularity rankings.

A man who had become a hero with power and influence that even most large guilds couldn’t match, though it was masked by his handsome appearance.

He was receiving this news through a contact he had planted in advance.

“For now, just keep watching closely. If any variables arise, let me know immediately.”

-Yes. I understand.

His expression was indifferent as he casually ended the call on the communication orb. [A magical device for communication.]

He seemed completely detached, but those who knew him would know that wasn’t the case.

Tuk. Tuk. Tuk.

Tapping the desk with his index finger was a habit he had when he was deep in thought.

After taking some time to consider the situation, the first thing he did was summon someone.

“You called for me! Guild Master.”

“Yes.”

Verze’s smile, as he grinned, was as warm as a scene from a spring-breeze-filled pictorial, but the expressions of the two men facing him were stiff.

They knew.

That their master was more dangerous when he smiled.

“Bastard Sword, Oji-neun Seonggisapnida [likely humorous or ironic names]…… Your names are always so unique.”

“……Yes.”

Tuk, tuk…….

The sound of tapping on the desk filled the silent office.

It was just a light sound, but it felt like it was resonating directly in their brains. They were also very concerned about the paper the guild master was looking at.

‘Did I make a mistake?’

‘Could it be…… that thing? No, there’s no way that thing could be discovered.’

‘If that were the case, he wouldn’t have called just the two of us.’

Gulp.

Their mouths were parched.

At that moment, Bastard Sword swallowed hard, and Verze opened his mouth.

“Is the Raven Gun assassination going well?”

“……Of course.”

Bastard Sword and Oji-neun Seonggisapnida answered immediately, startled for a moment.

Verze, who had been staring at them, nodded. And as his lips slowly parted, the two men focused all their attention, sweating nervously.

“You can go back now.”

“……Yes?”

Was it too unexpected?

The two were momentarily stunned, unable to grasp the situation, to the point where they unintentionally looked at the guild master with eyes begging for an explanation.

Verze smiled again instead of answering.

Bastard Sword, who belatedly came to his senses, bowed his head.

“Ah, yes. I’ll go back now, Guild Master.”

“Then…….”

“Come this way.”

The secretary guided the two men, who had slipped away appropriately, and he was left alone in the office again.

Soon, when the secretary returned, Verze greeted him with a kind voice.

“Good work. I asked you to do a lot today, didn’t I?”

“No, it’s my job.”

“Then can you do one more thing and leave work?”

“What…….”

The secretary’s expression, as he asked that, was cautious, unlike his large physique.

Verze answered lightly, as if it was nothing.

“Have the people I just guided out withdraw. And include them as a set in this Raven assassination case.”

“……Yes?”

“Should I say it again?”

“Ah, no. I’ll pass it on like that.”

“Then good work.”

Verze’s expression became indifferent again as he sent the secretary away with his usual smile.

“There are always fools who think they won’t get caught.”

Those who think that the vision they see in their world is everything, and therefore blindly believe in that vision.

He threw the report on the desk and turned his chair to look out the window.

Then he saw a clear sky.

He really liked looking at the scenery outside the window from here because he could see the clouds well.

“The outside and here are the same.”

Verze’s lips curved into a smile again as he muttered indifferently.

However, that smile was somehow different from his usual smile.

Not a warm feeling like a spring breeze blowing, but a cold smile that felt somewhat bitter.

Behind him, the paper that had been thrown away was filled with an evaluation of one person.

[……Presumed to be Izer.]

[Occupation: Swordsman type]

[Not confirmed. However, presumed to be a Weapon Master.]

[Other information: None]

[Additional notes]

[It is presumed that Kaiser was the one who had trouble with the Assassin Boy and his party, and also that guild member Bastard Sword…… Assassin Boy…… is involved with…… Damage to guild image is predicted…… (omitted below).]

‘Kaiser, huh…… Not a name I wanted to hear.’

Verze thought as he looked at the clouds in the sky outside the window.

How will this man, who never moves as expected, move?

He couldn’t know for sure, but he could dare to guess.

That whatever it was, it would cause a huge ripple and that something might happen that would involve him because of it.

‘It’s probably just paranoia.’

Of course, it was an excessive judgment.

He was the leader of the Hero Guild, which was aiming for the top 10 guilds.

On the other hand, Kaiser was just a fallen glory of the past.

The fact that he was ranked 1st in Raven proved that his skills were still alive, but there was no reason to be wary.

‘It won’t be easy in Brion.’

His glory would end in Raven.

If he couldn’t get rid of his chronic disease like he did in Demlock, then that was a foregone conclusion since his next stage was Brion.

‘You won’t be able to help it there.’

Not only because of the nature of the stage called Brion, but he could be sure.

Because the ranker who was firmly holding the 1st place in that place was himself.

No matter how much Kaiser was, he couldn’t surpass him in Brion. That fallen old hero would soon be forgotten by people.

Therefore, he erased Kaiser from his mind.

There were so many things to do now, and he had no time to pay attention to him, who was still a low level.

[Indiscriminate PK [Player Killing]…… A hero is needed.]

[Endless distrust and trust that has fallen to the bottom…… Is the Hero Guild the only place to solve this?]

[Countless hands of salvation reaching out to the Hero Guild…….]

[Hero Guild, claiming to be heroes!]

There was a lot of trash in the world, and as much as that, it was full of people who wanted him.

Verze, he was a solid castle that he had built over many years.

* * *

Meanwhile, Do-hyun, who suddenly received the world’s attention…….

-Liza…….

-Ugh…… dizzy.

While Eliza and Jihad were holding onto their dizzy minds and trying to figure out the situation, he was calmly looking around alone.

It wasn’t because the user was immune to the nausea of space transition.

[You are in a state of ‘motion sickness’ for 5 seconds.]

[The Hero trait is activated.]

[You are immune to mental contamination due to the Hero trait.]

Motion sickness, which could be said to be the only flaw of space transition.

The Hero trait blocked it, which could be said to be mental contamination.

It was an unexpected advantage.

As long as he had the Hero trait, it meant that Do-hyun could use space transition more efficiently than anyone else.

But that’s not what’s important now.

‘Where is this?’

The cold marble floor that he felt on the palm of his hand was cracked, and it wasn’t just the floor.

From the walls to the ceiling, the overall atmosphere was worn and dilapidated.

This place, which felt ancient, was a temple.

‘It doesn’t seem like the Grand Temple.’

But in no way did it resemble the Grand Temple, which was the heart of Brion itself.

It was said that the Grand Temple overwhelmed you with its sacredness just by looking at it.

The grandeur that inspired awe made it impossible to mistake it for anything else.

And this place was honestly just a ruined building, or, to put it nicely, a dilapidated temple.

The atmosphere and decorations were somewhat like a temple, so you could tell it was a temple, but if it wasn’t for that, you wouldn’t even know it was a temple.

‘……Is this really Brion?’

It was said that there were other temples in Brion, but there was no way there would be such a collapsing temple.

It was a very reasonable suspicion, but fortunately, it seemed like it was Brion.

[You have entered the second city of the mainland, ‘The City of Promise, Brion.’]

[The City of Promise, Brion, is a sacred city also known as the Temple of God. Meet your god with the help of priests.]

[You can receive job quests in Brion.]

[Tip. If you want to lower your Karma stat, receive the grace of a high priest!]

A friendly message for those who set foot in Brion for the first time greeted Do-hyun.

He was genuinely worried because that crazy god could send him anywhere, so it was a relief.

It was when he was inwardly sighing in relief.

“I wondered what the commotion was…… So it was today.”

A heavy bass voice echoed.

He clearly spoke in a low and quiet voice, but the voice was heard clearly as if it was echoing throughout the space.

It was difficult to pinpoint the direction of the sound, but Do-hyun was able to find him quickly.

“It’s earlier than the prophesied day, but this is also fate.”

He was coming closer on his own without having to look for him.

Unlike his heavy voice, he was a short man.

Only a little over 160cm [approximately 5’3″] in height, a small build, and countless wrinkles on his skin.

He was just a small old man wearing ragged robes, but the aura that the old man exuded was by no means small.

‘Master, be careful. The energy I feel from that guy is unusual.’

‘Lizariza…….’

‘……Yeah. It seems so.’

Without even needing to hear the words of Jihad and Eliza, who were sensitive to mana, that atmosphere reached Do-hyun.

The air, with a slight sense of tension, stimulated his skin heavily.

‘Is he an enemy?’

No. He doesn’t particularly feel hostile.

Circumstantially, he seemed like an NPC [Non-Player Character], but the name tag that said ‘???’ above his head made Do-hyun wary.

This was the first time he had seen this while playing God of War.

However, that wariness could only subside the moment the old man approached.

Swoosh.

He bowed his head politely, expressing his respect.

“This energy…… It’s certain. I’ve been waiting. Successor to his will…….”

“Ah.”

“My name is Gamillion Adran. As a member of the Adran family, which has served the royal family since the beginning, I have been waiting for this moment.”

The old man’s eyes, which had raised his head, were calmly sunken.

But in that calmness, there were unhideable emotions such as joy, emotion, and welcome, and in response, Do-hyun’s eyes slowly widened.

He could see it in those eyes.

[You have encountered the hidden NPC ‘Gamillion Adran.’]

[It will be recorded in the Book of Adventures.]

[The job quest ‘One Step Closer to the Truth’ begins. Hear about the erased history of mankind from him.]

[One Step Closer to the Truth]

-Grade: ???, Job Quest

-Description: Kasiar, the last human and the last adventurer.

Those who inherit his will must know the true truth. Hear the truth from the hidden NPC ‘Gamillion Adran.’

-Upon successful quest completion: Linked to the derivative quest ‘Gamillion’s Test,’ Main Stream occurs

-Upon quest failure: Job quest deleted and job deprived.