The Return Of The Genius Ranker Of All Times [EN]: Chapter 79

79.

How far had I gone?

[The fog thickens from here.]

[Tip: Watch out for Orcs ‘charging’ out of the fog.]

‘This should be far enough.’

Confirming the system message, Do-hyun stopped walking.

Just as the message said, the surroundings were thick with fog.

Not as extreme as when he hunted excessively before, but enough to make things slightly blurry.

‘Perfect.’

This was the stage for his next massacre.

[‘Faint Stealth’ is deactivated.]

As the translucent Do-hyun became clear, Jihad also stopped.

-Are you going to hunt here?

“Yeah, it seems perfect.”

-There are still some humans around, though?

“I can’t help it. It’s far enough from the city, and the fog helps to obscure things.”

In this reeking rocky forest, finding a place without people was nearly impossible.

Without tricks like creating fog through excessive hunting, there would always be people around.

Still, with this much fog, they should be too focused on hunting to pay attention to anything else.

‘Still, that’s creepy. How did they guess so accurately?’

Do-hyun shuddered, recalling the speculation of a user from earlier.

It was chilling to think about.

It was such an accurate guess that Do-hyun briefly considered, ‘Should I take care of them before I go?’

Thankfully, the others dismissed it as nonsense.

‘Well, it is an absurd ability.’

As they said, Eliza’s bracelet was an unimaginable item, at least in this area.

Skills like stealth, which are signature abilities of certain classes, don’t easily appear as options.

Even if they did, such equipment would almost always have ‘usage restrictions.’

It was safe to say that it didn’t exist in this area.

But on the other hand, it also meant that it could be possible in special cases.

‘That’s why these quick-witted brats are……’

Do-hyun shook his head and drew the Thousand Transformations.

Then, Eliza jumped out of his robe pocket and onto Do-hyun’s shoulder.

-Liza!

“Huh? Are you going to participate this time?”

-Liza Liza!

-She says she’s going to show them what she’s got, Master.

For once, Jihad’s translation was unnecessary.

Eliza, puffing out her chest and bravely glaring with her small eyes, looked like a general heading to the battlefield.

……More accurately, she looked like a kid playing the role of a general in a war game.

Still, he was secretly looking forward to it.

‘Last time, I was so busy testing the Thousand Transformations that I hunted alone.’

He had been too busy testing the Thousand Transformations and other rewards he had obtained to properly assess Eliza’s abilities.

This was a good opportunity to see what Eliza was capable of.

Fwoosh- Fwish-.

Just then, two large silhouettes appeared through the thick fog.

‘Then, before we get into battle……’

Do-hyun quickly manipulated the system window.

Soon, a message appeared.

[Recording has started.]

[Recording will end when you say ‘Stop’ or press the End button.]

It was a recording message.

‘Gotta get some content for NewTube [A fictional video-sharing platform].’

Now, Do-hyun was a proper 800,000-subscriber NewTuber.

He had a duty to create videos for his fans.

Some might say that hunting videos weren’t content, but NewTube gold was often unintentionally mined.

‘If I keep it on, I’ll find something.’

Who knew?

Maybe he’d find a mutated boss, or maybe some stealthy PKers [Player Killers] would sneak in like last time.

Thinking that far, Do-hyun chuckled.

‘That’s unlikely.’

Surely there wouldn’t be such crazy bastards even in Brion.

All Do-hyun had to do now was hope he could clear the quest. He swung the Thousand Transformations in the air, and it instantly changed shape.

[Thousand Transformations has been transformed into ‘Black Raven Spear.’]

[Physical attack power increased by 40 due to Striking.]

‘Good grip.’

Fwish-.

Just then, an Orc charged at him.

Normally, the standard strategy would be to evade, but Do-hyun boldly swung his spear. The spear, swung in a wide arc, sliced through the Orc’s neck.

[First attack is triggered, dealing 18% additional damage.]

[Melee attack damage increased by 6.5% due to set effect.]

…….

[You have defeated an Orc.]

Its neck was cut off while it was still running, and its breath was cut short.

Unable to overcome its momentum, the Orc’s massive body fell several meters away.

‘Kuh……’

Clearing difficult content was fun, but for regular hunting, dealing massive damage was the way to go.

Charge? Why bother dodging?

It was just offering its neck, so he just had to cut it off.

Rather, the acceleration of the charge made it even cleaner.

‘Great feel.’

He couldn’t help but admire the thrilling sensation.

It was then that another Orc, taking advantage of his momentary lapse in attention, charged at him.

And at that moment.

Poing-.

Something white was fired from Do-hyun’s side with a rather cute sound effect.

It was a spider web.

The spider web, shot in a straight line, quickly spread into a small net and accurately hit the Orc’s eyes.

Chwiiek!

Startled by the sudden darkness, the Orc flailed.

It instinctively tried to remove the spider web from its eyes, but…….

Thwack-.

Chwik?

Instead of coming off, its hands stuck to its face.

Eliza’s spider web was stickier than the Orc had expected.

It could probably tear it off with enough force, but that would likely mean pulling its eyeballs out with it.

But if it couldn’t see anything, it would have to fight the enemy blind.

No, if its eyes were pulled out, wouldn’t it end up the same way?

Chwiik! Chwiiiik!

Faced with an unexpected dilemma, the Orc couldn’t decide what to do.

Even its body felt sluggish, as if gravity was acting more strongly on it.

Unable to see and with its body slowed down, even an Orc couldn’t help but feel fear.

Chwiik-!

Sight was important to bipedal creatures.

They relied on their vision so much that they often lost their sense of direction with just a lack of visibility.

The same was true for this Orc.

Thud- Chwiik!

Its center of gravity became increasingly unstable, and it ended up diving headfirst into the ground before it could even reach Do-hyun.

Even then, it instinctively swung its double-edged axe, but Do-hyun wasn’t about to be hit by such a blind attack.

Whoosh-.

He dodged it easily and thrust his spear into the fallen Orc without hesitation.

Stab!

[You have defeated an Orc.]

[Spearmanship proficiency has increased.]

[Spearmanship proficiency has reached LV3.]

He had taken down two Orcs in an instant.

But it wasn’t completely over yet.

Chwiiiik-!

An Orc that had been waiting for an opportunity from a slight distance suddenly launched a surprise charge.

Its eyes were bloodshot, as if enraged by the death of its comrade.

It swung its axe fiercely, as if to split Do-hyun’s skull, but Eliza was one step ahead.

Phew- Chwik!

She quickly shot out a spider web.

But the Orc wasn’t stupid enough to fall for the same trick its comrade had fallen for.

It easily blocked the web with the large side of its double-edged axe and charged forward with an even more menacing aura.

It was at that moment, when it was just within reach.

Thud.

Chwi, Chwiik!?

It felt something catch on its calf, and then its feet tangled, causing the Orc to fall awkwardly.

It was a faint spider web connected to the rocks on either side.

Phew- Pew Pew-.

Eliza, who had jumped off his shoulder, circled around the fallen Orc.

Each time, the spider web, shining elegantly as if imbued with moonlight, wrapped around the Orc’s hands, feet, knees, and eyes.

Before long, the Orc was completely bound.

-Liza!

As if shouting, ‘Finish it!’, Do-hyun approached and stabbed the Thousand Transformations, transformed into the ‘Assassin’s Dagger,’ into the Orc’s neck.

[First attack is triggered, dealing 18% additional damage.]

[Melee attack damage increased by 6.5% due to set effect.]

[Bleeding has been triggered.]

…….

[You have defeated an Orc.]

[You have acquired the quest material ‘Orc’s Concentrated Blood.’]

Not only did he easily defeat the Orc, but he also obtained the concentrated blood!

Confirming that there were no more Orcs nearby, Do-hyun immediately looked for Eliza.

“Eliza! What was that just now? That was amazing!”

Eliza puffed out her chest and shrugged her shoulders as if she had been waiting for those words.

-Liza Liza!

“Eliza! You’re more useful than I thought? Why didn’t you do that when you were fighting me?”

-Liza…… Liza Liza!

-She says she was too disoriented every time she was hit by Master to even think about it. She also couldn’t use her spider web while she was a parasite.

“Ah…… ahem, sorry. I didn’t mean to back then. So that’s what happened. Well, it would be too OP [Overpowered] if there weren’t any penalties.”

-Liza!

-She says it’s okay. It was natural since they were enemies.

Jihad was now translating everything perfectly.

Thanks to this, Do-hyun, who had learned of Eliza’s true value, couldn’t help but be amazed.

‘I thought it would be just a similar spider web to last time…… but it’s even better than I thought.’

The difference between Steel Spider Web and Sky Spider Web wasn’t just in the name.

Even Steel Spider Web was powerful enough, but Sky Spider Web was faster and stickier.

It didn’t do any damage, but its versatility was endless.

‘It’ll be perfect as a support.’

Just blinding enemies during battle, or tripping them up and restricting their movements like now, would make hunting much easier.

Hiding and then putting on a surprise show like now would make them freak out.

Eliza’s small size had become an even more powerful weapon.

“As expected, Eliza. You’re perfect from head to toe.”

-Liza!

“Being cute is enough to do her part, but she’s excellent. You’re a very capable guardian…… no, divine beast, Eliza.”

-Liza!

That was why he was honestly admiring and praising her without holding back.

Each time, Eliza’s eyes sparkled, and she bounced around as if asking for more. And Do-hyun showered her with praise as she wished.

Jihad’s expression became strange as he watched the two of them.

‘……What is this? This strange feeling.’

It was good that Eliza was being praised.

It felt rewarding, like his own pet or child being praised by others.

However…….

‘Still, I’m the senior…… it feels like I’m not doing anything.’

The problem was Jihad’s current position.

He was the former owner of Eliza and the senior guardian of Do-hyun, but all he was doing was picking up items and translating Eliza’s words.

On the other hand, what about Eliza?

She had joined later than him, but she was playing an active role and was even cute.

-Jihad? Ah, that porter?

-Tsk, he calls himself a necromancer, but he can’t even summon a proper goblin.

-He’s just a Do-boong~ [Korean slang for a useless person]. He was born to pick up trash, so don’t worry about him too much.

-Our Eliza is a million times better than that useless guy! Ogu Ogu [Sound of affection], our cute Eliza. Don’t hang out with him, come here.

Do-hyun’s voice echoed in his ears like a hallucination.

It was a hallucination now, but if things continued like this, it wouldn’t be strange if it became reality.

‘T, this won’t do. My position……!’

This wouldn’t do. He had to do something.

He needed to prove his abilities so that even that annoying master would have to acknowledge him.

Jihad clenched his fist, desperately calming his violently shaking pupils.