The Return Of The Genius Ranker Of All Times [EN]: Chapter 82

Part 82.

It’s not like I haven’t used my abilities at all.

I’ve used them a little bit while climbing the floors.

But it was hard to use them properly due to the nature of the ability, and it wasn’t even a taste, so I was a little disappointed.

And now, Dohyun’s intuition was telling him.

[Eye of Truth is activating.]

‘That bastard, look at him staring, telling me to come in.’

Even in this situation, he could test the limits of the abilities granted to him with that bizarre guy staring intently at him.

-This humble sword is always ready, my lord.

-Me too, me too. I’m in perfect condition. My mana is overflowing.

-Lizariza!

The Guardians, like Ast, had mostly just watched, so they were in full condition.

There was no reason to delay.

“Enter, Kashin.”

“We will block anyone who tries to interfere.”

“Kashin is trying to pioneer a new path, so everyone, take it as your mission to stop them.”

“Yes!”

The Kashin Church followers solemnly surrounded Dohyun, cheering him on and standing guard.

They were reliable, even if they were a little strange.

Glancing at them, some of the believers who accidentally met his eyes quickly bowed their heads and prayed.

Wince.

Perhaps because they had personally experienced their madness, the users couldn’t easily step forward.

“They’re blocking us on purpose?”

“They’re crazy bastards, but they look kind of impressive doing that? What would it feel like to receive such blind faith?”

“……But isn’t that sending him off to die?”

……In this case, it seemed closer to ‘there’s no reason to stop him from going to commit suicide,’ but still, wasn’t it mentally reassuring?

Dohyun turned away, grinned, and gripped Chunbyeon.

“Let’s go in.”

“Sigh, fine. Let’s go see the face of the first named boss.”

Passing Ast, who shook his head as if he couldn’t stop him, he reached out to the monument.

The moment he did, a cheerful notification stimulated his ears, and at the same time, his eyes flashed, and the two of them and the Guardians disappeared in a stream of light.

[It has been confirmed that two players have challenged.]

[The number of people has been met.]

[The raid ‘Avison, the Chosen by the God of Death’ will begin.]

It had really begun.

A 2-person raid.

“……He really went in?”

“Tsk, I don’t know.”

“It’s a shame, though. Kaiser and the owner of the armory are S-class powerhouses…….”

“What can we do? They said they’re going to die. It’s a disease. They’ve caught the challenge bug because they keep challenging and succeeding.”

“Shh, shh. Watch your mouth. Can’t you see the Kashin Church glaring?”

The users reacted as if they were not happy, but that was only for a moment.

Soon, Kaiser and Ast disappeared from their minds.

“That’s not important now. We don’t have time, so let’s quickly pick the 30-person raid members.”

“This is the last chance, so we have to pick the elite.”

“I agree, but how are we going to pick them?”

“Well, of course…… we’ll have to fight and win it ourselves, right?”

To them, Kaiser and Ast were nothing more than people who had been eliminated.

All that mattered to them was participating in the 30-person member raid.

That was all.

“Good. Let’s fight properly this time.”

“No changing your mind after dying, okay?”

“Don’t you do that.”

“Then let’s do it until there are 30 people left.”

A fierce atmosphere was formed, and the battle broke out in an instant.

Stab! Stab!

Slash- Cough!

The sword pierced the bone, tore the muscles, and screams rang out.

“Ugh!”

“Die, you bastard! I’m the one who’s challenging!”

“I didn’t like you anyway, you’re in trouble, come here.”

“Keuhak!”

A bloody battle to determine the best members broke out, and the arena became a scene of chaos in an instant.

In the chaotic battlefield where heads were being cut off in the blink of an eye, Kaiser and Ast’s situation was inevitably out of their minds.

Therefore, they were not aware.

Woo-oong-

It had already been 10 minutes since the bloody battle began.

Even though the 70 people who challenged first had been annihilated, the monument was still firmly in place.

* * *

[You have entered Avison’s domain.]

[Recorded in the Book of Adventures.]

The first thing that greeted Dohyun upon entering was a message floating in the air.

And the horrific scene that followed.

The place was filled with what was presumed to be the blood of the previous raid teams.

Just looking at this, he could tell how unilaterally they had been massacred.

And,

‘It feels very different from what I thought.’

Compared to the 10th floor, which was like a vast, empty nest, this place was very different.

Saaa-

A murky fog that spread throughout this place and obscured the view.

Tall, sharp rocks and dead gray land. A dark black river flowing around it, so thick that it could be mistaken for a cliff at first glance.

And even the eerie air that brushed against the skin.

‘……The afterlife?’

An alien sensation of stepping on dead land, where no life could be felt in the scenery of this place.

It was a place that even made him think that this might be what the afterlife would feel like.

-Wh, what is this place? The mana in the air is so creepy, master.

-……Lizariza! Liza!

Jihad and Eliza hid behind Dohyun in fear.

That was understandable.

-Hmm, I feel a sense of rejection for some reason.

“……Hey, be careful. The stage wasn’t easy when I was a aide, but…… this is on another level.”

Even Charlie and Ast were openly expressing their discomfort, so it would have been even more strongly felt by the guys who were sensitive to mana.

-Kereuk, I can’t stand it. Come, come out!

But perhaps the degree of sensitivity was more than he thought.

Jihad, who couldn’t stay still behind Dohyun and was making a fuss, immediately summoned the undead army, including Gotaeng.

Tap tap…… Ttak?

Ugh-ugh-

The legion commanders and dozens of undead appeared so bravely.

But the reactions of the two guys were also unusual.

Ugh? Ugh-ugh!

-Kireuk! What a surprise. Why is he suddenly like that?

-Li, Liza?

The moment he looked around to see where this place was, Uger began to go crazy as if he had been injected with drugs.

The current Uger no longer had the simple, ignorant, but loyal appearance of the past.

He only showed extreme hostility.

-Hey, hey, calm down. Calm down a little…….!

Ugh! Ugh-ugh…….!

Geueoreo!

-Wormma, they’re acting like that too?

Moreover, the frenzy was happening not only in Uger but also in the entire 2nd Legion.

At this rate, they might fight each other and self-destruct.

-Aish, I don’t know. You stay in there for now.

In the end, he could only calm down after reverse-summoning, but what was surprising was that the 1st Legion led by Gotaeng was relatively fine.

Among them, Gotaeng and the Outlaw Undead showed no signs of abnormality at all.

Ttak.

-What, you guys are okay? Oh, Ttadak~ you have a strong mentality?

……Ttadak.

-Lizariza.

-Hmm! As expected of a former king of a race. I admire your mental strength.

Ttak. Ttadak.

It was then that something flashed through Dohyun’s mind as he stared blankly at them.

‘Come to think of it, aren’t the Outlaws from the underworld?’

The scenery and energy of this place reminded him of the underworld.

Unlike the rampaging undead, the Outlaws and Gotaeng were fine.

……Could it be?

With a sudden thought, he immediately asked Gotaeng if he knew this place, but unfortunately, that didn’t seem to be the case.

Ttak. Ttak.

-He says it’s different from where he was.

Ttak. Ttadadak.

-That place is where the dead live a second life under the management of the god of the underworld. The energy of death wasn’t so vague.

“Hmm, is that so?”

-But he says he feels an energy that is unfamiliar but not entirely unfamiliar.

Dohyun stroked his chin as he listened to Jihad’s translation.

Contrary to expectations, it didn’t seem to be the underworld, but the fact that it wasn’t unfamiliar and the ominous atmosphere were unsettling.

It didn’t seem like an ordinary place.

As Dohyun was lost in thought, Ast, who was listening to the conversation, was startled and interjected.

“God of the underworld? Are you talking about the god we choose?”

“Right? Gotaeng is from that side.”

“Heh…… now we’re getting involved with gods. I think I heard it vaguely last time, but what’s going on?”

“I’ll tell you in detail later.”

Now that they were on the same boat, Ast needed to know the details.

But not now.

[……Ca…… me…….]

Suddenly, a chilling voice like scratching a chalkboard struck his eardrums.

A grotesque voice that any living being would instinctively reject.

Just uttering a word made the air heavy and warning lights went off in his head.

Everyone turned their heads, and soon they could see.

[Eye of Truth is activating.]

Something containing condensed souls.

A hideous silhouette visible beyond the hazy fog.

-Oh my god, wh, what is that?

-Lizariza…….

The silhouette was truly shocking.

The size was so vast that it felt like facing a giant right in front of him, and the length was as long as a tower.

It was a being that didn’t feel like anything alive in any aspect of that huge mass, and all he could think of was the word ‘horrific’.

-Ugh, the unpleasantness stings my nose. It’s the most unpleasant energy since the Queen of Bugs.

So much so that it reminded him of the Queen of Bugs, who was considered the worst boss Dohyun had ever met while playing God of High School.

However, the source of the rejection was different from when he faced the Queen of Bugs.

At that time, it was a rejection derived from extreme disgust, but this was a rejection coming from a bizarreness that was beyond recognition.

“……Hey, are the guys related to the main quest all like that?”

“That can’t be. Only nasty guys come out, but they’re not like that.”

“……Is that so? Sigh, why does a guy like that have to come out when I’m experiencing it?”

Dohyun nodded at the sight of the middle-aged man frowning with a face mixed with resentment and vigilance.

It was true that the middle-aged man was unlucky.

‘It’s not like some cosmic horror…….’

Even just looking at the silhouette was like that, so he couldn’t even imagine how terrible it would be to face the real body.

But that didn’t mean he was going to give up.

‘They wouldn’t put in a boss that they can’t catch.’

He had eventually caught even the most bizarre bosses.

It was just damn difficult.

Even if it wasn’t a boss that he could catch, there would be a way to attack it since it appeared as the owner of the 10th floor.

[Activating ‘True White Lion Swordsmanship’.]

Keureureu…….

As he swung Chunbyeon as if burning with motivation, a white lion and a blizzard soared, revealing their hostility.

It was a sight worthy of the forgotten king’s swordsmanship, which had never succumbed to any disaster.

Pajijik-

[Used ‘Thunder Dragon Advent’.]

Furthermore, when he used Thunder Dragon Advent, Ast glared and put strength into the hand holding the iron club.

“Alright, let’s catch it.”

Then the weapon flashed and was dyed golden beyond a deep purple, and a huge maw opened behind Ast and swallowed the weapon.

[Activating unique ability ‘Weapon Upgrade’.]

[Temporarily increases the weapon’s enhancement by +1.]

[The divine beast, ‘The Phantom Beast that Swallows Weapons,’ swallowed an iron club containing the energy of +16 suns.]

[Starting combination.]

[The divine beast, ‘The Phantom Beast that Swallows Weapons,’ spits out ‘The Iron Club Containing the Energy of the Sun’ of the dead land +16.]

-We will also step forward, my lord.

-Lizariza.

In addition, Ast, who used item effects and skills with various buffs, and Charlie, who stood side by side next to him and activated the sword of light.

-Let’s go all out too, Ttadak.

Ttadak. Ttak.

And even Gotaeng’s legion surrounding them.

Perhaps it was because the will of Dohyun’s party, who were going all out from the beginning without testing the waters, was conveyed.

[You have encountered ‘Avison, the Chosen by the God of Death’.]

The guy who had only been showing a blurry silhouette finally broke through the fog and appeared in front of Dohyun’s party.

“What?”

“……Huh?”

At the same time, they couldn’t help but doubt their eyes.

That’s because…….

-……Human?

-What? It was definitely huge just a moment ago?

-Lizariza!?

The form that resembled a cosmic horror just a moment ago was gone, and the guy they actually encountered was the same size and shape as a human.

‘What is it? I didn’t see any signs of changing his appearance…… was it some kind of hallucination?’

No matter how he looked at it, it wasn’t the terrible appearance from before, but the form of a human.

The only unique features were his black-dyed reverse eyes and his lifeless, dry white hair.

The muscles on his face were abnormally stiff, so there was no expression, which was strangely eerie.

Saaa-

But what stood out more than that was the weapon he was holding.

A huge scythe that was taller than the guy’s height.

The deadly aura of darkness emanating from the scythe was exuding an overwhelming presence just by its existence.

But even that ominous scythe couldn’t take Dohyun’s eyes away.

[……Ka…… Yar……?]

“…What?”

He muttered softly in his unique grotesque metallic voice and disappeared from sight in the blink of an eye.

The guy reappeared right in front of Dohyun.

The moment he faced the guy’s reverse eyes at a distance that seemed to touch him, the guy’s eyes and the corners of his mouth tore grotesquely.

Tteojjeok-

It was a smile.

A smile that was alien and chilling, as if a puppet doll was smiling.

[Found…… it…….]

Avison, who smiled by forcibly tearing the stiff facial muscles, made a metallic sound as if he was delighted.

[Vessel…… you…… had it…….]

Sounds that he couldn’t understand.

But there was no need to understand.

Tteop-

[The key…… to the seal……!]

The moment the guy, who stretched out his grotesquely withered hand and grabbed Dohyun’s neck, uttered his last words.

A message popped up.

[The half key of the fifth fragment of fate, ‘Ring of Oath,’ is reacting.]

[Warning! An existence outside the norm ‘#!%#@’ recognizes your existence.]

[This is a target related to the main quest.]

[Conditions have been met.]

[Sudden quest ‘Key of the Seal’ has occurred.]

[Key of the Seal]

-Grade: Sudden Quest

-Description: A certain being has recognized that you have the key.

Protect the ‘Ring of Oath,’ which is the key to unleashing the terrible disaster from Avison and the half key of the fragment of fate.]

-Quest Success: Decisive clue to the remaining half key, clue related to the eye that swallowed the sky, linked quest.

-Quest Failure: Linked quest deleted, advent of the great disaster ‘Eye that Swallowed the Sky,’ continent quest occurs in Ellanis]

‘……Crazy. A continent quest if I fail?’

Messages on a scale that exceeded Dohyun’s thoughts.