The Return of the Genius Ranker of All Times - Chapter 129

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 129

Episode 129.

Clatter- Clatter-

It looked like they were riding chariots from the sky, descending on moonlight.

But their appearance was somehow different from before.

Should I say they became clearer, or should I say they looked more chilling?

All the Outlaws had grown by about 20% in size, and blue auras swirled ominously around their bodies.

‘Why do those guys get bigger every time I see them?’

They seemed to grow a little each day, perhaps getting larger as they absorbed the energy of the full moon.

So Dohyun settled down completely and observed them.

The reason he could observe with such peace of mind was simple.

If he simply didn’t interfere, not only would they not attack him, but they couldn’t even perceive his existence.

Through observing them like this, he learned that they were searching for something.

[Find… must… to that person… must… give…]

[…traces… must… that man… here…]

On nights when the full moon rose, the creatures that appeared would repeat the cycle of muttering incomprehensible sounds while thoroughly searching the forest before disappearing.

Though it was quiet muttering that couldn’t be heard without listening carefully, it was certain.

‘Looking at that, there seems to be something…’

Godseeker had been released for a year and six months now.

For a year and six months, they appeared every night the full moon rose, searching for something?

It was suspicious behavior that couldn’t simply be dismissed as an event.

-Aren’t the Sargis Outlaws acting strange?

-They keep saying they need to find something, talking about traces – seems like a hidden piece.

There was no way players would ignore and overlook this.

Among them, the determination of Koreans, who could be called the gaming nation, was thorough.

True to their nature of being unable to resist hidden pieces, they began searching by examining everything piece by piece.

But the results were disappointing.

-Damn it. Nothing’s coming out.

-Even the Top 10 Guilds got involved but found nothing. What the hell are they looking for?

-Wow, crazy… Even Barion couldn’t find it?

Not only Koreans, but even the Top 10 Guilds, and even Adventure King Barion himself couldn’t discover the hidden piece.

No, to be precise, they did find some unusual traces.

-…A ballpoint pen? Paper?

-Why is this stuff scattered around the forest?

-Breaking news: Babylon Guild decoded the paper and went there, but there was nothing. Seriously legendary;;

However, those were just meaningless junk.

Surely creatures called Outlaws wouldn’t be desperately searching for mere ballpoint pens or paper.

Barion said he felt there was something to it, but in the end, he couldn’t find anything either.

Eventually, players reached a conclusion.

-It’s probably just a concept like Raven Eliza.

-Or maybe it’s setup for future content.

A kind of concept, or buildup for future events.

It had to be one of the two.

Therefore, current Godseeker players simply dismissed the Outlaws as an interesting spectacle.

Dohyun knew this too, but he couldn’t stop observing them.

‘Could what they’re searching for be the Fragment of Destiny?’

He thought that perhaps what they wanted might be the same as his objective.

He was the only one in Godseeker currently progressing the main Quest.

Thinking about it that way, all the mysteries were solved – the Outlaws’ strange behavior and why no hidden pieces were found.

So he invested three days, partly for hunting as well…

‘Damn it.’

He couldn’t obtain any particular information from them.

Well, perhaps it was natural.

The Fragment of Destiny was probably inside the castle.

And the creatures seemed to be searching for some unknown traces along with a certain man.

The Top 10 Guilds and Explorers who thought this man was the ‘keyword’ tried investigating, but they couldn’t find anything.

‘Finding a way to meet the Lord should be the priority after all.’

Whatever the case, he ultimately needed to find a way to enter the castle.

But how?

Dohyun hadn’t spent three days just hunting.

He observed the Outlaws, sought ways to enter the castle, and searched for anything hidden in the forest.

He spent three days postponing even card farming, but there was no way to meet the Lord.

-Owner, I’m back!

-Mm! Excellent.

-Ahem!

While dealing with the Lycanthropes that Jihad had brought, Dohyun pondered deeply.

‘Trying to win over NPCs would be meaningless… Could the Outlaws be a hint?’

If winning over NPCs would work, it would be strange that no one had seen the Lord until now.

No, aside from NPCs, they would have tried every possible method.

Thinking about what such players uniquely couldn’t tackle, only the Outlaws remained.

Bang! Clang!

—–!

With the explosive effects of the fuse attached to Heavenly Transformation and the pitiful screams of Lycanthropes as his music, Dohyun continued his thoughts.

No matter how he thought about it, there was one plausible answer.

‘Could the man the Outlaws are searching for be the Lord?’

If so, wouldn’t it make sense that the Lord completely refused to show himself outside the castle?

The Outlaws’ presence was tremendous after all.

No matter how much stronger city NPCs were than players, seeing even Ahdeo get slaughtered, it wouldn’t be strange for them to be afraid.

‘So… Hmm, let me organize this.’

For some reason, the Lord was marked by the Outlaws, and the Outlaws were searching for the Lord.

Considering the Outlaws’ characteristic of trying to kill anything that interfered with them, the reason for being marked was probably that the Lord accidentally interfered and fled?

For that reason, the Lord hid away, afraid of the Outlaws.

‘Perfect.’

Though he thought of it himself, it was a perfect deduction.

If the Outlaws were searching for the Lord, wouldn’t it make sense that players ultimately couldn’t find the man the Outlaws were looking for?

With situations fitting together like puzzle pieces, Dohyun threw Heavenly Transformation.

Thud- Bang!

[You have defeated a Lycanthrope.]

-Clean trajectory… Your mastery of all weapons is always impressive to see.

-Risa risa!

As Dohyun turned around after dealing with the last Lycanthrope, Jihad asked excitedly.

-Owner, should I bring more?

“No, it’s fine.”

-Huh? Why? Didn’t you say you’d annihilate all the experience point sacrifices and fill up with nutrients?

“…I didn’t say it quite like that.”

Though the mood was momentarily broken, Dohyun quickly became serious again.

His eyes were directed toward the Outlaws who had grown even darker. The creatures busy searching the forest without even knowing of his existence.

‘Should I just try it once?’

He had grown strong enough, and there happened to be no people around.

If his guess was correct, after catching an Outlaw, if he said he wanted to meet the Lord, the chances of being granted an audience would be high.

The problem is that those guys will gang up on me…

‘Surely they can’t be stronger than that Destroyer.’

That robed guy looked a bit dangerous, but if I quickly grab one and escape, it should be fine.

Even if it gets dangerous, I have Karuk’s essence ring option to get through one crisis.

Then I can escape with stealth and flee to the city – what could they do then?

‘Alright, let’s give it a try.’

I can’t graduate if I can’t see the Lord anyway. I can’t give up on the main quest.

Dohyun steeled his resolve and transformed Cheonbyeon’s form.

[Cheonbyeon (Thousand Changes) transforms into ‘Brilliant Blue Sword of Taxenel’.]

[Swordsmanship Proficiency LV16 is applied.]

[First S Rank effect: deals 18% additional damage on first successful hit.]

[Striking effect: Physical attack power increased by +40.]

[Using Darkness Shroud on Cheonbyeon (Thousand Changes).]

‘First strike wins!’

The maximum power Dohyun could currently unleash!

Just as Dohyun decided to put everything into the first strike and stealthily approached behind the Outlaw to swing his sword.

-That stupid fool…!! Gasp!

“Huh?”

A shocked roar suddenly came from behind him.

Startled, Dohyun stopped swinging and turned around to see Charlie and Jihad staring blankly at him.

“…Charlie?”

-It wasn’t me, my lord.

“Of course not, right? Then…”

-Why, why are you looking at me? It wasn’t me either! This is unfair!

“Then who was it? It can’t be Eliza.”

At Dohyun’s bewildered words, Eliza, who was in Jihad’s robe pocket, nodded while saying “Risa risa!”

It was Eliza’s perfect alibi, since she could only say “Risa.”

“Right, Eliza. I trust you.”

-Risa!

-No, I’m really telling you it wasn’t me!

“Then what, is there a ghost or something?”

A ghost in a virtual reality game? What kind of ghost story wouldn’t even a six-year-old believe?

Just as Dohyun was letting out a hollow laugh.

-Huh?

A questioning male voice came from somewhere.

Obviously it wasn’t Jihad who was facing him. It was too heavy to be Charlie, and there was no way it could be Eliza.

“…”

-…

Dohyun and Jihad, feeling slightly creeped out, shrank back.

Was it just his imagination that the moonlight that had felt beautiful suddenly seemed eerie? Those trees and thickets also suddenly felt unsettling.

It became chilling, like walking next to a grave at midnight.

-D-don’t joke around, Owner.

-…The joke has gone too far, my lord.

-R-risa…

Even Charlie cleared his throat and said that, but of course it wasn’t Dohyun’s doing.

When the now terrified Jihad and Eliza’s eyes became teary and they hugged each other tightly, the voice was heard again.

-What, you guys can hear my voice?

-Hiieek!

-Risa risa! Risa!!!

-Who are you!

Unlike Charlie who immediately drew his sword and blocked Dohyun’s front, Jihad was startled and hopping around, unable to collect himself.

…What kind of disgraceful behavior is this from someone who supposedly deals with corpses and curses?

“…Come out.”

But since that wasn’t what mattered right now, Dohyun also gripped Cheonbyeon and aimed at where the sound came from.

Then a man smoothly emerged from the thicket.

-Wow, I finally meet someone who can see me. Nice to meet you.

“…Huh?”

…Wait, should I even call that a man?

The form of the man, whose entire body was stained red, was translucent.

Instinctively looking down, he could see it.

The figure floating in the air without legs that a person should have.

-O-Owner, where are you looking so suddenly? It’s scary.

-R-risa…!

Seeing Jihad and Eliza making a fuss, Dohyun asked as if it was strange.

“…You guys can’t see that?”

-Kieek! Owner really sees a ghost! Aaah!

-…My lord, even these humble sword’s eyes cannot see anything.

Then the two creatures started hopping around as if they were about to lose their minds completely.

Even Charlie flinched and shook his head.

A red man without legs that only he could see but was invisible to them?

“Holy…”

…It really was the appearance of a ghost.

* * *

To conclude, Dohyun had indeed seen a ghost.

[Eye of Truth activates.]

-No, does it make sense that you can see those damn Outlaws so well but no one can see me? How frustrating it was, geez! It feels like 10 years of built-up indigestion is being washed away. So you see, I was so frustrated that I once struggled to draw a map, you know? Are you listening?

“…I see.”

‘Owner, that man seems to talk too much.’

‘Risa risa…’

However, it wasn’t some mysterious ghostly entity that would appear in ghost stories.

Rather, it was the opposite.

That man was literally a system device that the game company had deliberately hidden.

[You have encountered Hidden NPC ‘Jin Ruddell’.]

[Recorded in Adventure Log.]

It was the moment of discovering the first hidden piece in Sargis.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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