The Return Of The Genius Ranker Of All Times [EN]: Chapter 64

64.

There’s a saying in God of War Online:

“You haven’t been to Brion? Then you haven’t truly experienced combat.”

Arden is a tutorial for beginners, Raven is a light warm-up, but Brion is where the real battle begins.

This wasn’t just empty boasting.

“Don’t give me that crap. Have you even seen an Orc in person? Even the weakest ones are 1.5 times bigger than a Goblin Chieftain. And they charge like wild horses.”

“Seriously, how can you even compare Orcs to Goblins!? They’re on a different level!”

Standing over 2 meters tall with bulging muscles that made heavyweights look cute.

If Goblins had sneaky faces, Orcs had menacing looks that were genuinely intimidating.

Imagine those guys wielding double-edged axes.

Most people would piss their pants if they ran into one at night.

The fact that these already scary guys get excited and charge at you is like something out of a horror movie.

“Ugh, ughhh!”

“Hey, you crazy bastard, why aren’t you grabbing aggro [drawing enemy attention]?”

“I, I can’t stop them!”

“Aggro! Grab the aggro!”

“Ugh, these troll bastards, seriously!”

“How did these guys even clear field bosses? Did they get carried [helped by stronger players]?”

“Probably got carried by multiple parties, damn it. I bet his graduation rank is D. I’m sure of it.”

The greatest fear was felt by the tanks [characters designed to absorb damage].

Which was natural, considering their position required them to handle all the aggro at the front lines.

Warriors or whatever, they were still just Goblins.

They were big, but they were still just Goblins, the punching bags of every fantasy world. How could they adapt when they faced Orcs for the first time?

‘To exaggerate a bit, it’s like being thrown in front of a raging bull with your bare hands?’

And it wasn’t just one bull.

It was already hard to adapt, but unlike field bosses, they couldn’t take them down as a group. They had to handle the aggro all by themselves.

As a result, four out of ten tanks hunting Orcs for the first time were stiff and panicking.

So, the other six were doing well?

…They were better than those guys, but not by much.

“Who tries to block a charge with a shield? Did you block charges when you fought Mutant Warriors!? You need to know when to dodge!”

“Ugh, so frustrating. If you’re just going to block everything with your body, why even bother with a shield? Just wear armor and tank!”

“Damn it, who doesn’t know that? How am I supposed to dodge when they’re charging from all directions? If you’re so good, you be the tank. Why are you telling me what to do, you old fart?”

“Old fart? You little punk…”

For those who had adapted to regular patterns, the Orc’s unpredictable charges were a whole new world.

The habits of Goblins and Orcs were too different, and the importance of aggro had become too great.

This wasn’t just a problem for tanks.

Melee dealers [close-combat damage characters] would rush in to help without properly managing aggro and end up dying, and if a ranged dealer [long-range damage characters] couldn’t control their damage and pulled aggro, the formation would collapse.

“This is why you shouldn’t accept newbies [new players].”

“Ugh, I’m filtering out level 24s from now on. You need to be at least level 27 to be useful, tsk.”

“Unless they have aggro-related traits or unique abilities, I’m not interested.”

“I don’t think there’s any hope for him. He’s too scared… He’ll probably delete his character and change classes soon.”

That was why newbies were looked down upon in Brion, and why Do-hyun didn’t get as many party invites compared to other places, even when he was out in the field.

“Excuse me, party…? Never mind.”

“What level are you? Oh, 24? Ah… Sorry, see you next time.”

“But what’s with that gloomy guy? Why is he so short? Can’t tell if he’s a person or a Guardian.”

“Leave him alone. He’ll figure it out.”

From the start, they had no intention of partying with him, and they left on their own.

To them, a newbie melee dealer was nothing but a walking landmine, especially compared to a ranged dealer.

-Kiek! Ignorant humans!

-Lizardriza!

Jihad, who was suddenly labeled as a short, gloomy guy, huffed and puffed in anger, but they were already gone.

Eliza, who was on Jihad’s shoulder, rubbed her face against him to comfort him.

Like a relative patting a nephew on the back after he’s been ignored, saying, ‘Yeah, yeah, you’re right.’

Jihad didn’t seem happy, but Do-hyun was actually pleased.

‘It’s easier for me this way.’

Thanks to that, he was able to enter the depths of the Bitter Rock Forest without being disturbed.

It was all thanks to people not paying any attention to Do-hyun and his group. After going in a certain distance, Do-hyun looked around.

‘It’s called the Bitter Rock Forest for a reason. The smell isn’t great.’

The area was covered in a faint mist, and as the name Rock Forest suggested, the large rocks around them were stained with red blood.

The bitter stench added to the atmosphere, making it feel like several people had died there.

In such a place, users were diligently hunting Orcs.

Ah, of course, not everyone was doing well.

“Hey, hey! It’s a charge, dodge!”

“Okay… Aaaagh!”

“Ugh, you idiot! I told you to dodge!”

“It’s okay, I got the aggro! Kill it quickly!”

It was like a boss raid, filled with tension, as if they were a party of newly graduated Raven players struggling against a group of Orcs.

Swish- Thwack!

Whoosh- Whoosh!

On the other hand, the party hunting on the opposite side was completely different.

“Nice! Clean kill.”

“Let’s keep this up. How many left?”

“About… 30?”

“Damn, you’re faster than me. I have 36.”

Their movements were skilled at a glance.

Their gear was different, and they were hunting smoothly with good teamwork. The gap was so wide that it was hard to believe they were in the same field.

‘I heard the gap is even bigger because of the class quests.’

Compared to Arden and Raven, which were relatively fair, Brion was where class quests began.

As a result, people with similar God ranks had no choice but to stick together.

Except for a few Mythical Gods, the content of class quests for Mythical Gods and Heroic Gods were usually different.

“Tch, why does my class quest have to be about collecting materials?”

“It’s a bit tough, but it’s more efficient than making Mythical Gods grind at temples, right? What’s the fun in that?”

“That’s true.”

In reality, it seemed like they were a party of Heroic Gods.

Unless it was a mandatory dungeon or shared content, those two parties would rarely interact.

It was a typical scene in a city where division and cliques began.

‘Well, traits and items tend to be more important in shared content.’

The fact that even the favored classes and traits changed depending on the boss’s characteristics was what made this game interesting.

But that didn’t mean much to Do-hyun right now.

After finding a suitable spot, Do-hyun lightly stretched his body.

Whoosh- Whoosh-.

At that moment, two large Orcs in the distance made eye contact with Do-hyun.

They already looked menacing, and with their scowling faces, Do-hyun could understand why the newbies who encountered Orcs for the first time ran away.

“Look at the detail. You can even see their muscles twitching.”

Of course, they were just cute to Do-hyun.

In Dem Locke, he used to hunt Orcs even when he was a beginner.

Even though the virtual reality made it feel more realistic, Orcs were nothing compared to the Zombie Dragon that Do-hyun had devoured.

Whoosh-!

Perhaps they were annoyed by Do-hyun’s indifferent gaze, the Orcs charged at him.

Kugugugu-.

The sight of two Orcs charging side by side was truly destructive.

It wasn’t for nothing that users called the Orcs here ‘Advancing Orcs.’

Blocking them was for noobs.

You could block one, but you could never withstand the successive charges.

But…

“It’s worth a try.”

Do-hyun didn’t dodge and stood his ground as if to say, ‘Come at me.’

He wanted to gauge his current stats in various ways.

‘It’s not like I’m going to die, right?’

His health was high, and his defense was beyond level 24, so he should be able to withstand it.

Still, it was his first time trying to block such an obvious charge, so he was a bit nervous.

Kugugugu-.

Whoosh!

He could feel the vibrations through his feet as the Orcs got closer.

And he could hear the whispers that came with it.

“Huh? Hey, what’s that guy doing?”

“Is he trying to withstand the Orc charge? Crazy… He’s not even holding a shield. What’s he doing?”

“What’s that small thing in his hand? …Is that a staff? No, he’s not even a tank. Why is he doing that? Why is that robe behind him not running away!?”

“A staff? Is he a Staff God?”

Do-hyun’s crazy attempt made the users who were hunting nearby stop and stare.

The noise was so loud that it reached Do-hyun and his group.

-Kireuk, Master, are you listening?

-Lizardriza!

For a moment, he wanted to smack those two for grinning like idiots, but he had to hold back.

Receiving the charge from those Orcs was his priority.

‘I wanted to do this in a place with no people… Tch.’

There were so many users in Brion that there were people everywhere.

Well, the Bitter Rock Forest was the most common hunting ground here, so it was natural.

Raven was much more comfortable in that regard.

The deeper you went into the Western Forest, the more difficult it became, and the number of people dwindled to almost none.

He didn’t like the fact that he had attracted attention, but so what?

‘It’s time to use this.’

Do-hyun ignored them and lowered his stance, pushing his shoulder forward.

A stance often seen in games and pride battles among guys back in his school days.

The shoulder check stance.

He was boldly challenging the Orcs to a shoulder check.

“Wow, he’s going to go head-to-head.”

“He’s completely lost it.”

“Wow, I don’t want to watch. It’s going to be too brutal.”

Some users were about to give up watching because of his insane and absurd ambition.

After a few seconds of much controversy(?).

The Advancing Orcs advanced diligently, and the moment the Orcs were close.

Thud!

Do-hyun slammed his body into them.

Clang!

The heavy impact echoed through the forest as the Orc’s shoulder collided with Do-hyun’s shoulder.

The weight was so heavy that it was hard to believe it was a collision between living beings.

Even the users who were about to give up watching were startled and looked up.

“!?”

“Huh?”

Then their eyes widened.

The expectation that he would be thrown away like a piece of paper was correct.

Because he flew away as soon as they collided.

-Chwiik!?

But it wasn’t the man who flew away, it was the Orc.

Have you ever seen an Orc lose a shoulder check to a user and fly away?

“Crazy…”

They had never seen such a sight, at least not in the low-level zone.

Even more shocking was the fact that it was created by a staff wielder, not a tank or a monk.

-Chwirik!

But what was surprising was that it wasn’t over yet.

As if to avenge his comrade, the remaining Orc charged at the stationary Do-hyun.

He couldn’t withstand it twice, even if he did it once.

Even Do-hyun’s stance was awkward, so there was no doubt that he would fly far away the moment they collided.

Bang!

There was a loud noise as they collided,

-Chwi… ik?

The Orc’s pupils shook violently as if it couldn’t believe it.

Do-hyun, reflected in its eyes, was standing there perfectly fine in the same stance. He looked so calm that it made the Orc’s full-force charge seem pointless.

The Orc, whose belief that he would at least fall over was shattered, involuntarily took a step back.

-Chwi, chwiik…

Do-hyun brought down his staff on the Orc.

That was when the shape of the staff changed.

The staff, which instantly lengthened and sharpened, had already become a sword when it cut the Orc’s neck.

Swish-!

Thwack!

When he stabbed the heart of the fallen Orc, it soon stopped breathing.

The Orc that had flown away earlier charged at Do-hyun belatedly, and Do-hyun threw his sword.

Then the sword became a dagger and flew away.

Thwack!

That was the end.

The Orc, who had fallen powerlessly, was the last, and Do-hyun reached out his hand. Soon, the dagger flew into his hand and gripped it.

It was a natural gesture, as if it was in its original place.

The noisy surroundings quickly became quiet, and silence fell.

“…What did I just see?”

That was the first word that broke the silence.

It was also a word that represented the feelings of everyone who was secretly(?) watching.

Not only the hunters but also the spectators were stunned and couldn’t move for a moment.

The protagonist who created that chaos, Do-hyun, slowly raised his head.

His expression was somewhat blank, but his eyes were filled with excitement.

[Thousand Transformations is transformed into ‘Bastard’s Training Sword’.]

[The effect of Karuk’s Red and Blue Leather Top is activated, resisting ‘Knockback’.]

……

[Thousand Transformations is transformed into ‘Assassin’s Dagger’.]

[Bleeding is activated.]

‘Wow. Awesome.’

Kashiyar, the God of War. The only human even the gods feared.

The moment the authority used by the strongest emperor in human history, Thousand Transformations, revealed its fangs once again.