The Return Of The Genius Ranker Of All Times [EN]: Chapter 83

83.

“Right, Orc. Center, Kaiser. Left, Necromancer.”

Duke couldn’t help but feel a wave of despair at this chaotic combination.

He’d clearly intended to politely back down and run away, but how had things escalated like this?

He’d simply roughed up an Orc, so why was he being judged as having made a preemptive attack and surrounded so neatly like this?

Everything was a question.

It was an incomprehensible situation, but even in the midst of it, Duke made a quick decision.

‘I don’t know what’s going on, but now that it’s come to this, a preemptive strike is the only way to win!’

He didn’t know why, but the fight had already begun.

He couldn’t run away now that he was completely surrounded like this.

In that case, it was best to take advantage of their carelessness and launch a surprise preemptive strike.

Shuaak-!

Duke’s spear sharply tore through the air.

[Unique ability ‘Swiftness’ is activated.]

[Attack speed is greatly increased.]

[Trait ‘Strike’ is activated.]

[The next attack will apply greatly increased damage upon hit.]

[Using skill ‘Wholehearted Thrust’.]

A thrust that could be called Duke’s signature move, containing all his essence!

Attacking first with tremendous speed and damage was Duke’s winning strategy.

It’s a hard attack to avoid even at a distance, let alone at this close range…….

‘I won……!’

Duke’s eyes burned with anticipation.

There’s no way to avoid this.

Even a master from a martial arts novel wouldn’t be able to avoid the fastest thrust unfolded at this distance.

Although there was a crisis, a true master knows how to turn a crisis into an opportunity.

Duke’s heart pounded wildly.

‘I can be a star!’

That confident thrust shot out as if to pierce Kaiser’s heart right away.

And then, just before the tip of the spear touched his chest!

Thud.

Kaiser slightly lifted the black spear he was holding and blocked Duke’s spear with the shaft.

Whirlick-.

“……Huh?”

Then, with a slight movement, Duke’s spear, which was touching the shaft, was sucked in along its moving trajectory.

The condensed power seemed to dissipate, and at some point, the tip of Duke’s spear fell to the ground with a thud.

A vainly ruined all-out strike.

Duke knew what he had just witnessed.

‘Parrying……?’

But he couldn’t believe it even after seeing it with his own two eyes.

Did that mean he saw the thrust at this distance and reacted? It would be difficult to avoid or deflect it, but he let it flow according to the timing?

Was parrying such an easy skill to do?

‘That can’t be……?’

Unlike his bewildered mind, his body moved instinctively.

Perhaps because he had been practicing it all the time, his feet moved as smoothly as water when the thrust was blocked.

As he put his weight on it and shifted his weight in the opposite direction, the spear bounced up momentarily and swung, aiming for Kaiser’s neck.

“Oh?”

And Kaiser’s eyes widened slightly.

At the same time, Duke’s eyes also widened.

‘Crazy, don’t tell me he saw this too…….’

That prediction was spot on.

Kaiser took in the entire movement of Duke’s spear swing at a glance and easily dealt with it.

Swish.

One step.

Whoong-.

Just by stepping forward, the blade of the spear aiming for his neck tore through the air.

But even that wasn’t enough.

The distance narrowed, and the force wasn’t fully applied as it was blocked from the handle.

Thud, Whack!

“!?”

What followed was Do-hyun’s ankle sweep.

Suddenly, he felt a heavy sensation on his ankle, and his body floated into the air.

And the falling black spear…… no, dagger.

Stab! Stab, stab!

In an instant, he was stabbed from his neck to his heart to his aorta, and when he fell to the floor, he could no longer see the scenery of God of Seoul [The game’s setting].

[You have been killed by player ‘Kaiser’.]

[Death penalty is applied.]

[Experience gain and item drop rate are reduced by 50% for 24 hours, and owned items are dropped randomly.]

[You are judged to have made a preemptive attack, increasing the chance of dropping equipment items.]

Only the message that appeared on the blackened screen could be seen.

Pshoo-.

Duke, who opened his eyes in the capsule as the game ended, sat blankly for a long time.

He didn’t understand why he died.

No, before that, he didn’t even know exactly how he died.

He tried a surprise thrust and…… whirlick, and then his body floated and he died.

‘It was…… parrying, right?’

He could only confirm that he was parried.

He didn’t even know why he died after making a surprise attack first.

Isn’t this a level difference that can’t be accepted unless it’s a gap between a beginner user and a ranker [A highly ranked player]?

It was too shocking for Duke, who was confident in his skills.

‘Is there this much of a difference?’

This meant that the distance between Kaiser and himself was at least that much.

Although he was a borderline ranker, Duke thought that his skills were comparable to those above him.

Even when he felt a wall from the high rankers, it wasn’t this far off.

He thought he could reach it if he tried hard enough.

But this…… he can’t see the end.

“Wow…… wow, damn…….”

He couldn’t say anything for a long time and only let out ambiguous exclamations, and then he suddenly recalled a chat he had seen in the community.

‘I heard that there are many people in Brion forming teams to target Kaiser right now, right?’

At that time, he was full of the idea that he had to take the lead as soon as possible.

And now he could see how stupid that idea was.

‘Huh, take the lead, my ass.’

He could be sure.

No matter how good a team appears, no matter how many people rush in, the result will be the same.

That a bloodbath would soon occur in Brion.

* * *

[You have defeated player ‘Duke’.]

[It is recognized as self-defense, and your Karma score does not increase.]

[Would you like to loot the dropped items?]

“Woah…….”

Immediately after the situation ended, Kaiser unknowingly spread out his hands.

“I killed him without even realizing it.”

From the looks of it, he seemed to have attacked thinking he was an Orc, and it seemed that he was judged to have made a preemptive attack, so he tried to have a conversation.

But he suddenly attacked, so his body moved without him even realizing it.

He felt a little sorry because he didn’t intend to kill him, but he shrugged his shoulders.

‘Well, it doesn’t matter.’

Either way, wasn’t that person the one who attacked first?

Do-hyun was just defending himself. And even if that wasn’t the case, he didn’t think he was a good user.

‘He was hiding behind a rock.’

Some people hide from Orcs when they take a break.

But in an atmosphere where attention is focused on Do-hyun like now, he was hiding behind him?

Isn’t it funnier to think of this as a coincidence?

Whatever it was, he attacked as soon as he was caught.

‘His skills weren’t that bad.’

The combo that followed as smoothly as water as soon as he parried the attack felt like a master.

It was a fragrance that could only be seen in old-timers.

He was a little surprised because he only saw it in Brion. That’s why he used a little more force.

His body moved instinctively because of the familiar scent.

‘Well, since it’s a game with 1 billion people, there must be more masters.’

If everyone gathers in the Empire, there will be many masters that he couldn’t see in Dem Locke, right?

Thinking about it made him excited.

-What happened?

“Ah, it’s nothing. I told you there are a lot of guys targeting me.”

-Liza!?

Eliza made angry eyes at Do-hyun’s answer and stomped on Duke’s dead body.

He doesn’t know if it’s because he now recognizes that he’s an enemy or because he’s resentful.

-Me too, heh!

Was it because it looked fun?

Jihad even joined in and started stomping together. Do-hyun shook his head at the sight of the two Guardians and turned his gaze.

[Would you like to loot the dropped items?]

Now it was time to check the rewards he had unintentionally obtained.

‘Oh.’

When he accepted the looting, a faint light leaked out and an item popped out.

It was shoes.

[Secret Leather Shoes Made in a Special Workshop]

[Grade: Rare+]

[Description: Special leather shoes made in a workshop that handles special materials.

Although no special materials were used, they boast excellent performance thanks to the skilled craftsman who made them.]

[Level Limit: 25]

[Usage Restriction: None]

[Physical Defense: 71]

[Magic Resistance: 56]

-Agility + 3

-Sense + 1

[Special Option: No footsteps are heard when walking.]

“Oh? This is good?”

It was a leather shoe with a Rare+ grade.

It was an upgraded version of the shoes Do-hyun was wearing, ‘Shoes Made of Livre Nue Silk’.

The level limit is also level 25, so the defense and magic resistance stats are not bad for shoes.

It’s leather, so it doesn’t make it uncomfortable or slow to move.

‘The option is perfect too. I should change into them right away.’

As he changed the item, his stats increased.

[Unequip ‘Shoes Made of Livre Nue Silk’.]

[Equip ‘Leather Shoes Made in a Special Workshop’.]

[Agility increased by +1.]

The option was similar to the shoes he used to wear, so as a result, his agility increased by 1.

In addition, there was a special option, so it was perfect.

Although it was a trivial option, and it seemed like an option that only assassins would need…….

‘It’ll help when I use weak stealth.’

It was a good option for Do-hyun, who had half-baked stealth.

When Do-hyun, who had finished harvesting, raised his head, he saw Jihad and Eliza, who were catching their breath as if they had finished venting their anger.

Then, Eliza, who made eye contact, shouted loudly.

-Lizariza!

-He says he’s going to keep patrolling because there might be more guys like this.

-Are you okay? Are you not short on mana?

-Liza!

-……He says he’s fine. I’m jealous.

-Liza!?

Eliza waved her hand as if she didn’t mean to brag.

It seemed that mana was only used when parasitizing, and not when maintaining it.

‘It’ll be good to use when patrolling or hiding.’

He had never heard of a Guardian with these characteristics, but experiencing it directly was more useful than he thought.

If Jihad is a Guardian specialized in group battles, Eliza is a Guardian who is faithful to her support role.

That’s why Jihad’s mana consumption was extreme, and Eliza seemed relatively free from mana consumption.

They each had their own strengths and weaknesses.

‘If I could just do something about that guy’s mana, I wouldn’t need a party.’

It was enough to walk the path of a one-man army.

Well, perhaps because of his overpowered stats, he was still doing well enough on his own.

‘But I didn’t know a hyena would show up already.’

It’s just one guy now, but what if it’s a team?

If they ambush him while he’s hunting, it’s not only dangerous, but it’s bound to be annoying. But if he steps out and sweeps them away first, he’s worried about his Karma score.

This wasn’t just any city, it was Brion, so that was even more of a concern.

‘Huh? Wait a minute.’

At that time, something flashed through his mind.

Naturally, Do-hyun’s gaze turned to Eliza.

‘It was self-defense this time.’

The self-defense ruling he got when that user attacked Eliza while she was parasitized.

He didn’t even notice Eliza turning into an Orc until the moment he hit her.

Then…….

Smirk.

A bitter smile appeared on Do-hyun’s lips.

‘Things will be easier?’

Jihad closed his mouth and nodded at his smiling face.

He didn’t know what he was thinking, but one thing was certain.

-I don’t know what it is, but there will be more poor victims.

-Liza?

-There is such a thing.

Whenever his master made that expression, a bloodbath always occurred.

Jihad was praying for those unknown people.