The Return Of The Genius Ranker Of All Times [EN]: Chapter 80

80.

Jihad, feeling the pressure, unclenched his fists and gathered his mana.

Dark energy surged through his body.

The mana, originating from his heart, circulated throughout him, flowing through his shoulders, down his arms, and erupting from his fingertips.

[Guardian ‘Jihad Black’ summons Undead.]

Jihad’s signature skill activated.

[2 Forest Red Goblin Undead are summoned.]

[1 Forest Blue Goblin Undead is summoned.]

Groan… Groooan…

Three undead goblins emerged from the ground, radiating an ominous dark aura.

The sudden, bizarre display caused Dohyun and Eliza to pause their conversation and stare.

“What’s with the sudden summoning?”

-Ahem, just because. I felt my mana reserves had increased, so I summoned them casually.

“…Even if that’s the case, what’s with that look in your eyes?”

-Me? What about me?

Jihad tilted his head, feigning innocence.

But his eyes betrayed an unhidden anticipation.

Like a child who has finished their chores and is eager for a parent’s praise.

-I just summoned them to warm up a bit. Now I can summon all three without feeling any strain. I almost wish I had a few more.

When Dohyun didn’t react to his expectant gaze, he glanced at him, subtly pleading.

It was obvious to anyone what Jihad was hoping for, but unfortunately, the message didn’t register with Dohyun.

‘Why is he suddenly acting like this?’

Whether Jihad summoned three or thirty, it didn’t particularly impress Dohyun.

Dohyun shook his head, puzzled by his Guardian’s behavior, and then his gaze froze in the air.

[Summoning undead using monsters from the previous city as materials reduces mana consumption by 50%.]

‘So, him saying he doesn’t feel any strain isn’t just a bluff.’

Knowing Jihad’s tendency for exaggeration, there was likely some embellishment, but it was still a significant improvement compared to when Raven was forcibly unsummoned within seconds.

His level increase and expanded mana pool certainly contributed, but the 50% reduction was clearly the biggest factor.

‘I thought the mana consumption was excessively high, so this is roughly how the system is intended to work?’

It seemed the intended progression was to undeadify and hunt monsters from the previous city.

Well, leading an Orc army and hunting Orcs was practically free experience.

He wasn’t sure how the Necromancer’s handling of skeleton soldiers differed from Jihad’s corpse manipulation, but this roughly established the optimal strategy.

‘The best approach would be to primarily use goblins and supplement with a few Orcs.’

Dohyun, having formulated his plan, blurted out.

“Jihad, can you undeadify those things too?”

-Ah, of course, Master! It’s a piece of cake.

Perhaps thrilled at the opportunity to demonstrate his abilities.

Jihad’s face visibly brightened. Dohyun, on the other hand, remained somewhat indifferent, already assuming that Jihad had reached his undead limit.

‘But just in case.’

If he succeeded, maybe one more could be added?

Of course, since he was just testing the waters, he wouldn’t be disappointed if it failed.

Dohyun’s expectations were deliberately low.

Swish-.

Groooan…

But the surge of black mana was unusually potent.

As Jihad reached out towards the cold corpses of the Orcs, the ominous black energy writhed, and the dead eyes of the Orcs snapped open.

[Guardian ‘Jihad Black’ undeadifies Orcs.]

[Undeadification successful.]

[Undead List]

-Forest Red Goblin Undead × 2

-Forest Blue Goblin Undead × 1

-Orc Undead × 3

Groooan-.

The Orcs, ignoring their creaking bodies, stood up and moved their eerie eyes to look at Jihad before kneeling on one knee.

Then, with a slight delay, the other two undead followed suit.

Thud, thump.

Groooan- Groan-.

Their large size and imposing presence, combined with the dark aura, gave them a formidable appearance.

Perhaps they instinctively recognized the hierarchy.

Grooo…

The goblin undead, which had been summoned earlier, hesitated and stepped back.

Naturally, the Orcs positioned themselves at the forefront, while the goblins stood in the rear, forming a rudimentary formation.

Jihad, thrilled that they had formed a semblance of an army, raised his arms and burst into a sly laugh.

-Kehehe. Yes, yes, I am your lord.

“…Huh?”

And Dohyun, watching the scene unfold, wore a dumbfounded expression.

He couldn’t help it.

‘It worked?’

He never expected that they would actually be undeadified.

Even one would have been surprising, but a whopping three.

It was unheard of for a Guardian who hadn’t even reached level 10 to control six undead.

‘…Is the Divine Beast a bit different?’

Maybe the number increases with each level?

Or perhaps there are separate limits applied to each monster type.

Whatever the reason, it was still an outrageous advantage. At this point, a question naturally arose.

“No, why did you do that?”

-Kehehe… Huh? What?

“No, with this ability, why did you invest in the Corpse Explosion skill tree? You chose a trash skill tree, didn’t you?”

As you know, there are two main paths for Necromancers.

Commander Necromancer and Corpse Explosion Necromancer.

Zeke’s overwhelming popularity is largely due to safety, but there was another reason.

‘Corpse Explosion is trash.’

One big explosion is all it offers.

It’s overpowered with the big explosion, but without it, it’s useless, a complete waste.

The only advantages are the thrilling one-shot potential and the fact that it only needs undead to explode, so it doesn’t require high-level undead.

Corpse Explosion is often called a commoner’s path because it doesn’t require as much investment as Zeke’s path.

“If you can already control six at level 8, that means you can control a lot more in the late game.”

-…Right?

“No, are you crazy? Is this a case of ‘if I had known then what I know now’? Why didn’t you choose the Zeke path?”

That’s why it didn’t make sense.

Since he was the ruler of a forest, he would have had plenty of undead to acquire, and with that ability, he would be overwhelming even among the aristocratic Zeke.

Truly a talent for a one-man army!

He threw all that away and chose the Corpse Explosion tech, which is considered a commoner’s path?

Why? Why?

-Because men love explosions.

“Huh?”

Jihad, emboldened by Dohyun’s genuinely incomprehensible outburst, replied.

-It’s so thrilling to hear the popping sound when you use Corpse Explosion.

“…What?”

“And each undead has a different feel when it explodes, you know? It just sticks in your ears….”

“No, wait a minute. Is that really the reason?”

-Isn’t it obvious? It’s because Master hasn’t experienced Big Explosion. Corpse Explosion is fun, but Big Explosion is really wow… the thrill really washes away all the stress. It was the joy of my life.

“Good heavens….”

Dohyun couldn’t bear to listen anymore and covered his face with both hands.

He never knew his Guardian would be such a romantic.

Dohyun also appreciated romance, but not to the point of dedicating his life to it.

Some might say…