The Return Of The Genius Ranker Of All Times [EN]: Chapter 63

Part 63.

[You have entered Akrana, the home of the Nymphs.]

[Though the Nymphs are few in number, they are renowned as a village of artisans, having produced more master craftsmen than any other race.]

[Tip: Learn skills from the Nymphs. Your proficiency will increase rapidly.]

Akrana, the home of the Nymphs.

As befitting the Nymphs, a race with a blend of human, spirit, and fairy blood, Akrana is famous for its unique village design, which incorporates a mystical ecosystem.

Swishhhhh-

The waterfall cascading down the cliff at the edge of the village is, surprisingly, flowing upwards.

Kyahahaha-

Around it, small, translucent spirits laugh and frolic like children.

The dreamy atmosphere of this forest further enhances the sense of wonder.

However, unlike the Elves who live in harmony with nature, upon entering the village, one feels that it is more advanced than the mainland, owing to the structures crafted by skilled artisans.

And that’s not all.

Many musicians play enchanting melodies on the streets, and countless beautiful murals adorn the walls.

A feeling of nature and art coexisting with the progress of civilization.

-Wow, amazing.

-Rizariza!

-Incredible. Usually, each village has one or two outstanding features, but this place feels exceptional in every aspect.

At Charlie’s words, Lac and Barion smiled and responded.

“That’s right. Nymphs are a race that is born with only one talent in their lifetime. Master artisans who have reached the pinnacle of their respective fields live together, so it’s no wonder they excel.”

“That’s why the average level is very high no matter which shop you go to. There’s a reason they’re one of the three major races.”

“Even the beer is amazing, you know? Just thinking about it makes my mouth water. We’ve come all this way, how about a drink?”

Ast, clearly eager to eat, swallowed hard.

Dohyun chuckled at that, looked around, and nodded.

Indeed, from the seemingly casual gestures of the mural painters to the subtle touches of the street minstrels playing their instruments, and even the tools scattered in the shops.

Everything exudes the aura of an artisan who has dedicated over 20 years to their craft.

‘No wonder they call Akrana the village of artisans.’

Given that these individuals have walked their path and devoted themselves since birth, it would be stranger if they weren’t experts.

Thinking that, he suddenly became curious.

In this place where everyone is an artisan, and being an artisan is the norm, what level has someone who is considered a ‘master artisan’ reached?

‘Nymph artisans are said to be comparable to Dwarves, so… they probably create legendary-grade weapons or something?’

In that sense, they were also a very unfortunate race.

Perhaps it was a trick of the gods, but not many Nymphs were born with talents in combat.

In terms of ratio, it’s about 7 for production and 3 for combat?

The Nymphs already have fewer inhabitants than even the current Elves, and the proportion of combat personnel is even lower…

It could be seen as a structure where a small number of elite combatants are responsible for national power, and many artisans support those elite combatants.

‘In other words, the combat personnel are incredibly skilled… If such a corps was completely wiped out, how strong is the ‘Sky-Swallowing Eye’?’

It’s fortunate that it hasn’t appeared for over a hundred years.

If the main quest was to catch that thing, I would have grabbed the developers by the collar right away.

Dohyun just needs to meet the Nymph Queen and find out the truth of that day.

‘Yes, then it’s over…’

But why?

The man in the robe he saw in the information graveyard keeps coming to mind.

It feels like something ominous, like I’m going to get involved with that monstrous abyss again.

Considering the contents of the main quests that have thrown balance out the window until now, there’s a good chance…

‘No, let’s not have any unnecessary thoughts.’

Dohyun, whose head ached from thinking more, shook his head to clear his thoughts.

There’s no need to worry unnecessarily.

For now, it’s enough to just think about meeting Aridna and finding out the truth.

The problem is that Aridna isn’t showing herself…

‘There’s no way they’ll let me meet her if I ask… Sigh, do I have to run around on foot again?’

It was when Dohyun was seriously contemplating.

-Wow, look at that, Eliza!

-Riza? Rizariza!

-Hmm? Oh…

Jihad’s sudden exclamation and the subsequent admiring voices of the guys.

‘What’s going on?’

Dohyun, snapped out of his thoughts by the sudden commotion, turned his head, and soon his eyes lit up.

What they were looking at was a huge statue.

No, to be precise, it was the statues and the users chattering in front of them.

“What are those statues?”

“They’re so big.”

“The aura is insane… Is it like a cult or something? A statue of a god? Like Brion.”

The huge statues were located in the center and outskirts of the village.

They were noticeable no matter how you looked at them, so it was impossible not to be interested.

Moreover, the statues weren’t just large.

“But they all have names I’ve never seen before? I don’t think they’re gods, so what are they?”

“Commemorating the sacrifices of heroes… Ah, this is like honoring national veterans in modern times.”

“Wow, this is a real country. The treatment of heroes is insane.”

“Why is it so grand? It would be worth being a veteran if they did this.”

Even Dohyun couldn’t help but be surprised here.

It was the first time he had seen a village that treated dead heroes so well, but more than that, it was a statue that particularly caught his eye.

[Lucia Grandel]

A woman with a huge greatsword on her back.

Her long hair fluttering, she had her hand on her hip, looking down, a pose he had seen somewhere before.

‘That woman… is she the woman I saw in the information graveyard?’

She was definitely the woman who was looking down at the village from the cliff.

It was a fleeting scene, but it had a subtle impact even in that short moment, so he remembered it.

That means…

‘Could it be that the other statues are…?’

Hoping against hope, Dohyun looked around at the statues and nodded.

He didn’t recognize all the faces, but some of them were familiar.

The middle-aged man standing at the front of the Nymph army, the woman writhing in pain with her leg cut off, the young man continuing to fight with desperate eyes…

‘They’re the Nymphs I saw in the graveyard. Then, could it be that all these statues are of the Nymphs who died that day?’

Thinking that, it made sense.

That day must have been a painful day for all the heteromorphic races [races that can change their shape] of Elanis.

In modern terms, it was like the day World War broke out, and all countries suffered tremendous damage due to an alien invasion.

It was understandable that they would treat the heroes who sacrificed themselves on such a day in this way.

Was it because he knew the reason?

Dohyun became interested and looked at the statues more slowly.

‘There are so many.’

There were more large and small statues in the village than he had expected, but they were designed to blend in naturally with the other structures and nature, so they didn’t feel out of place at all.

[Kerancia]

[Deceased]

[Raptal]

[Deceased]

[Brision]

[Deceased]

……

And under those statues, their names and survival status were written, and all the statues were marked as ‘Deceased.’

Except for one statue.

[Lucia Grandel]

[Missing]

‘Missing…’

The woman with the huge greatsword he had seen earlier.

Only Lucia Grandel was in a ‘Missing’ state, not ‘Deceased.’

Generally, if someone went missing without a reason, they wouldn’t have erected a statue, so it’s probably presumed that she died in battle, but they couldn’t find the body.

“Are you interested in the statues?”

“Ah, Association President.”

While he was looking around, Lac, who had suddenly joined him, smiled and spoke.

He must have thought that Dohyun was very interested in the statues since he had arrived in Akrana and was suddenly looking for statues.

Dohyun chuckled and shook his head at that.

“They seem to be dead heroes, but this woman is the only one missing, so it’s unique.”

“Ah, you noticed that. Most people just pass by without noticing, but you have a good eye.”

“…Just a little.”

“I don’t know the details, but I happened to find out that that woman was acquainted with the Fist King.”

“With the Fist King?”

Dohyun’s eyes widened at the unexpected news.

The Fist King, Dran Gradit.

One of the Seven Stars of the Empire and almost the only human NPC who has a friendly relationship with the heteromorphic races.

‘I heard he’s living on the next continent… Did he have a connection with the Nymphs too?’

This was information he was hearing for the first time.

“I found out while filling out the Book of Adventures… It seems that the Fist King had a closer relationship with the Nymphs than I thought? There was even talk that he had met the Nymph Queen.”

“…With the Nymph Queen?”

“Well, it’s just hearsay… but I think it’s credible. Don’t you think so, Barion?”

“Hmm, that’s true.”

“See?”

Lac, gaining confidence from Barion’s agreement, continued to speak in a more secretive voice as if whispering.

“I’m not just saying this, but I’ve been poking around here, and it seems plausible. Nymphs with some position all know the Fist King’s name, and their expressions are a bit strange… My gut feeling is that there was an incident that users don’t know about.”

“……”

Dohyun stroked his chin with a serious face at that.

The moment he heard the word ‘incident,’ something immediately came to mind.

‘The Fist King… Could it be that the Fist King is also related to that day?’

Perhaps it was because he kept thinking about that day, but that was the only thing that came to mind when he heard the word ‘incident.’

‘Or not? But it’s been at least a hundred years… Ah, but I heard that the Fist King is over a hundred years old, so it seems plausible…’

The Fist King was a famous figure in many ways.

He had a huge muscular physique that made you wonder if he was even human, but in reality, he was one of the oldest among the Seven Stars.

He had never revealed his age directly, but his estimated age was said to be around 140 years old.

‘Thinking that way, it wouldn’t be strange if he was involved.’

Perhaps he was the person who knew the most about that day?

Thinking that, he wanted to meet the Fist King right away, but unfortunately, he couldn’t.

‘Sigh, it’s a problem that he’s on the next continent.’

Everyone knew that the Fist King was living on the second continent.

The Fist King, who hadn’t been seen in the Empire, was discovered the moment he first entered the second continent, and it became a huge topic.

What was surprising was that he hadn’t left since then, for a year.

‘Now there’s a graduation quest on the new continent, so I can’t go to the next continent right now.’

It was a pity in many ways.

He was about to give up with a sigh when.

‘Huh?’

Dohyun paused at the thought that suddenly flashed through his mind.

‘Wait a minute, the Fist King might have met the Nymph Queen?’

And that’s not all.

He said that Nymphs with positions seemed to know about the Fist King.

In that case…

‘What if I investigate the Fist King’s connection to the Nymphs instead?’

Then he might be able to find out even more?

If he’s lucky, he might get a clue about the Nymph Queen.

‘That’s it!’

Dohyun’s eyes sparkled as his thoughts were organized.