The Return Of The Genius Ranker Of All Times [EN]: Chapter 99

Part 99.

I’d heard it said once.

That the Black Nightmare had made its home in the Tower of Disaster.

I wondered if that was even possible, system-wise…

“Raon? If it’s Raon, that’s the Black Nightmare.”

“…Looks like it.”

“Wow, that eye trait is seriously broken. No one’s ever found his lair before, and now we just stumble upon it like this? Seriously… I thought it was just a rumor that he stayed in the Tower, but it was real.”

There was no room for doubt now.

We hadn’t just found his lair, we’d stepped inside.

And for some reason, there were traces of the Great Sage here too.

‘Are Raon and the Great Sage connected somehow?’

I didn’t know why the Great Sage’s traces would be in the lair of some random user, but it wasn’t that strange.

“The Black Nightmare is the most elusive villain in Elannis. It wouldn’t be weird if he used some kind of trick.”

“I was wondering why he never showed his face while being in the Tower.”

What if he was intentionally holding the Great Sage here?

Then the Elder Elf’s words about the Great Sage being in the Tower wouldn’t be a lie, and it would explain why there hadn’t been any traces of him.

Even if that wasn’t the case, there should be some clue about the Great Sage.

“Sigh, honestly, we should just get out of here. We don’t need to push ourselves right before the Tower raid.”

“I wish we could, but we can’t now that we’ve found traces of the Great Sage.”

“I know, man. If we leave now, that bastard will definitely change his lair or hide the traces, or do something.”

-I think so too, Master.

-Lizariza!

-I don’t really know, but if you say so…

The decision was quick, and Dohyun took a step forward without hesitation.

Then, as if rewarding his will, the warp disappeared.

Ding-! Ding-!

An alarm, almost like a warning, struck my eardrums in succession, and ominous black mist rose.

A desolate forest.

In this empty forest where not a single ray of sunlight could be felt, it rose like a shadow, like a nightmare.

And a faint black silhouette emerged from the mist.

“Seriously, speak of the devil… he’s moving faster than I thought.”

There was no way I couldn’t know what it was.

[Warning! The owner of the lair is revealing himself.]

[If you die here, you will be kicked out of the Tower of Disaster.]

[You cannot leave this place without the permission of the lair’s owner, ‘Raon’.]

The message that appeared before my eyes was telling me his identity.

The Black Nightmare, Raon.

He had appeared before Dohyun and his party.

‘……That’s Raon?’

A bizarre silhouette, as if a black robe was floating in the air by itself.

Raon, flickering like a flame, was closer to a ghost than a human.

A black flame with two red eyes floated around like a ghost, burning the air.

“…Who are you? I didn’t invite anyone today.”

If it weren’t for his low, thick, adult male voice, I might have mistaken him for a monster instead of a user.

-Ugh, the mana feels unpleasant. He feels a bit different from the other apostles, Master. It’s a subtle energy that’s hard to explain.

-Lizariza……

-Hmm, he’s definitely not ordinary. We need to be careful, Master.

…Considering the reactions of the guys frowning, I wondered if he had really transcended the realm of humans.

Astro seemed to be thinking the same thing, as he marveled quietly.

“His visuals are as amazing as the rumors say. I’d believe it if you told me he was a god of death.”

“Is this the first time you’ve seen him in person, old man?”

“Well, yeah. I’m a top 10 guild master, so I don’t usually run into him. He’s also a very elusive guy.”

That’s when Dohyun and his party were giving their impressions of Raon, whom they had met for the first time.

Perhaps he felt ignored.

Raon’s black silhouette flickered even more fiercely, like a flame in a furnace.

“Are you not going to answer? I don’t know how you got in, but it doesn’t matter. Intruders will be dealt with… Hmm?”

Raon, who had been growling roughly like a beast, paused at that moment.

His red eyes, staring intently at Dohyun, became strange.

“…That attire and those unique guardians. And next to him is the owner of the armory.”

Having confirmed that much, the corners of Raon’s black mouth stretched wide.

He had remembered that there were only two users currently climbing beyond the 10th floor of the Tower.

“…Kaiser, is it?”

“? You know me?”

“Your name is mentioned so often by my subordinates. I hear you have a terrible relationship with our lawless zone.”

“……”

Dohyun closed his mouth at the villain’s sinister voice mixed with laughter.

Instead, he quietly gripped Cheonbyeon again.

He could feel it in the villain’s voice and expression.

Like a beast drooling over the prey it had been waiting for, coming to it on its own.

“You’re quick to assess the situation. Unlike that foolish muscle pig next to you.”

“…What, you little punk? Are you going to be okay? No matter how strong you are, it won’t be easy for you to take us all on alone.”

-Tadak, guys.

Kueooh- Kueoh-

Tadak, ttak.

As if responding to those words, Jihad reached out his hand, and the undead legion, including Gotong and Woogeo, appeared.

-Eum!

-Lizariza!

And Charlie and Eliza, who were taking their stances next to him.

Dohyun chuckled as he looked at Astro’s face, which was filled with even more confidence, and chimed in.

“He’s right. This old man is a top 10 guild master, you know. I don’t know how strong you are, but it’ll be tough for you to handle us alone, right?”

“Yeah, you said it well.”

And that’s not all.

-We’re here too, Master!

-Liza!

-Trust in this humble sword, Master.

Tadak, ttak! Wooeo-!

-Gotong and Woogeo say to leave it to them.

Even the guardians and the undead legion were enthusiastically joining in.

We’d fought a god of death with this lineup, so I was confident that we wouldn’t be pushed back by Raon, or whoever he was.

“…Yeah, maybe so.”

Was he acknowledging that much?

Astro tilted his head, making an ‘huh?’ sound at his unexpectedly docile appearance, and Dohyun, feeling puzzled, made a suggestion.

“We didn’t come here to target you. We just stumbled in. But now that we’re here, we found what we wanted here, right?”

“……”

“We only want one thing. The Great Sage, Rasha. We promise to find him, or a clue about him, and leave.”

Dohyun’s eyes were lowered as he said that, but his fingertips were trembling subtly.

Was it because he was nervous?

That wasn’t the reason.

It was closer to curiosity… or a competitive spirit.

I couldn’t help but wonder how strong that villain, said to be the worst and strongest in Elannis, really was, and whether I had grown enough to be on par with him.

‘……Now is not the time for that.’

But Dohyun pushed his personal desires to the back of his mind.

What was important now was finding clues and conquering the 15th floor to get the signature trait.

It was better not to push ourselves unnecessarily, as Astro had said.

“The Great Sage, Rasha……”

Was he seriously considering Dohyun’s suggestion?

Raon, who had been standing still in the air for a while as if lost in thought, slowly opened his mouth.

With a meaningful smile on his lips.

And it didn’t take long to find out what that meaningful smile meant.

“Yeah, there’s definitely a clue about him here.”

“Is that true? Then if you just hand it over……”

The moment Astro’s face, who didn’t want to push himself, brightened noticeably at his words.

“In my hands, that is.”

“…What?”

The villain took something out of his inventory, and soon Dohyun’s pupils widened.

A scorched, blackened piece of white cloth.

[You have discovered a clue about the Great Sage Rasha, ‘The Torn Cloth of the Great Sage Rasha’.]

[Obtain ‘The Torn Cloth of the Great Sage Rasha’.]

The quest had reacted the moment I saw it.

But Dohyun’s eyes, seeing it, sank coldly.

“Your expression isn’t good. Why, isn’t this the clue you wanted?”

“…Why is it burned?”

The name of that clue was The Torn Cloth of the Great Sage Rasha.

There was no word anywhere that meant it was burned.

And the Black Nightmare Raon, what symbolizes him is the black flame, as you can see before your eyes.

Could this be a simple coincidence?

‘No way.’

Perhaps he read Dohyun’s thoughts from his coldly lowered eyes.

Beyond tearing the corners of his mouth, Raon’s red eyes split open, creating a grotesque smile.

“Why do you think?”

“…Yeah, for a moment I thought you were going to give it to us easily.”

Dohyun sighed softly at that smile, which was close to a provocation, and took the stance of the 1st form of the Reverse Heaven Art [a martial arts technique].

“You started this fight. You better come at me properly.”

“……”

“If you don’t want to die.”

As if responding to Dohyun’s roughly growling will, white snowstorms rose around him.

Keureureu……

The white lion landed behind Dohyun.

And as Raon silently looked around at Astro and the guardians who were also taking their stances, Astro sneered.

“Can you handle it alone? I don’t think so.”

“Well… I think I can?”

“Then go ahead and try.”

Astro frowned and leaped forward, swinging a huge iron mace bigger than himself.

Then, a strong pressure roughly tore through the air.

But it wasn’t the same ordinary smash as before.

It blew away the white snow it touched along the way, creating a situation where a fierce snowstorm blowing in the snowy mountains seemed to engulf a small torch.

Kwaaaaaaa-!

But the moment that fierce snowstorm-mixed pressure touched Raon’s body, an amazing thing happened.

The flames flickering on Raon’s body, which had seemed infinitely pathetic like a bonfire in the face of a natural disaster like a snowstorm, flared up fiercely in an instant.

Hwareureuk-!

[The ‘Black Flame that Burns Everything’ burns everything it touches.]

[The pressure caused by the Smash turns to ashes and disappears.]

[The snowstorm of ‘True White Lion’s Song’ melts and disappears.]

The flames, which had grown uncontrollably like a cigarette dropped in oil, swallowed the entire pressure, starting with the snowstorm.

After a short time of less than 2 seconds.

Tadak-

All that remained was black ash scattering in the wind.

“…What?”

“My flames burn everything they touch. It’s nothing to burn a smash that’s just blowing condensed air.”

Raon made his unique sinister voice, as if mocking Astro, who was stunned by the unexpected situation.

And that was the beginning.