The Return of the Genius Ranker of All Times - Chapter 134
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
Chapter 134
Episode 134.
Could this be an identity beyond imagination?
Dohyun, who never dreamed there would be a secret dungeon, could only squat down and stare blankly at the entrance.
-Whoa… There was a dungeon here?
-A secret dungeon in a secret space… I don’t know who built it, but they hid it quite thoroughly.
-Risa risa.
The guys nodded as if they felt the same way.
Charlie was right.
It was truly a location that could be called a hidden within a hidden.
‘Wow, chills. They say it’s darkest under the lamp…’
Even if someone came here after decoding Jin Ruddell’s cipher, probably ten out of ten would leave without discovering the secret dungeon.
Normally, you wouldn’t imagine there would be a hidden piece within a hidden piece.
Wasn’t that exactly the case for Dohyun right now?
The meticulousness of setting up even a double mechanism was admirable.
‘Just what kind of amazing place is this that they went to such lengths?’
He knew that finding secret dungeons was like plucking stars from the sky and the entry conditions were strict, but wasn’t this going too far?
…Or not? Come to think of it, Jihad’s conditions were also ridiculous.
-Why are you looking at me again, Owner?
“…It’s nothing.”
-…Somehow it seems like you look at me whenever you have unpleasant thoughts? Is it just my imagination?
Dohyun ignored Jihad, who was pouting, gulped, and checked the dungeon’s information.
[King’s Tomb]
-Grade: ?
-Type: ?
-Characteristics: ?
-Description: A tomb that has existed since very ancient times.
It is presumed to be the resting place of a great king, and traces can be felt of many people having visited here multiple times long ago.
However, it has now become a forgotten king’s tomb.
Since it’s not recorded in history, there’s nothing that can be known about it at present.
[Entry Limit: 1 person]
[If you succeed in conquering the dungeon, the dungeon will disappear. If you fail, you can no longer enter the dungeon.]
‘…Question marks? What’s this, what kind of dungeon is like this?’
Having a grade as a question mark was fine since there were occasionally such things.
But even the type and characteristics were question marks?
He had never heard of such a secret dungeon existing. It was a phenomenon he hadn’t seen even during the Demroc era.
If it weren’t a game managed by artificial intelligence, he would have seriously suspected an error.
‘This must be telling me to go in if I want to know.’
If that was the purpose, they had brilliantly grasped human psychology.
They were stimulating human curiosity perfectly.
‘If you succeed in conquering the dungeon it disappears, and if you fail you can never enter again…’
In other words, no second chances.
Success would be good, but failing after rashly entering would be a disaster.
Going into such a suspicious dungeon as the first pioneer felt quite unsettling, but Dohyun didn’t hesitate.
‘The answer is already decided.’
It’s not like he had a guild.
Who could he trust to delegate the investigation to? As always, he had no choice but to dive in himself.
And Dohyun’s intuition was strongly telling him.
That revealing this place to someone else would be a very wrong choice.
The double mechanism, everything being wrapped in secrecy – wasn’t it all extraordinary?
‘Better to try than regret not trying.’
Having made his decision, Dohyun stepped into the entrance.
He wasn’t sucked somewhere all at once like before.
Thud, thud.
He simply stepped on the stairs and slowly descended.
It was quite different from the commonly known information about secret dungeons.
Usually secret dungeons would overwhelm you frantically as soon as you entered.
-…Owner, the air feels a bit chilly.
-Risa risa…
Jihad, following behind, rubbed his arms.
Relying on candles sporadically placed at regular intervals on one wall to pierce through the darkness, it was indeed chilly.
Being underground, the air was cold too.
-Hmm…
Charlie was also fiddling with his sword, clearly on high alert.
Still, it was fortunate.
He had been worried about the 1-person entry limit, but thankfully the Guardians didn’t seem to count toward the headcount.
Well, it wouldn’t be fair to tamers if they couldn’t do anything.
Thud, thud.
How far down had they gone?
‘It’s deeper than I thought.’
Just when he was starting to feel uncomfortable because they seemed to have descended quite far but still couldn’t see the end.
Clack.
The stairs ended.
Simultaneously, as if sensors had activated, the candles on the walls lit up in sequence with crackling sounds.
The endlessly continuing sound finally stopped after several seconds, and echoed in his ears a beat later.
[You have entered the King’s Tomb.]
Thanks to this, the scenery here was quite brightly visible, though tinted yellow, and the moment Dohyun faced it, he couldn’t help but open his mouth.
“Wow, crazy…”
And it was the same for the Guardians.
-…Whoa?
-Good heavens…
-Ri, Risa…!
Each of them expressed their shock with a word.
What had shocked Dohyun’s party so much was none other than the paintings drawn on the walls.
Countless murals covered the entire walls of this place, which was as large as a school playground.
-Wow… Owner, are those all paintings?
-I’ve never seen anything like this… I’m simply amazed.
Jihad and Charlie, overwhelmed by that tremendous scale, shook their heads.
Dohyun was no different.
‘This is incredible.’
It was his first time seeing something like this too.
As he approached the wall as if enchanted, murals bearing traces of long years welcomed Dohyun.
They were old and worn, with some parts blurred and others completely erased.
There were quite many such parts, but so much remained that he could understand what the murals were trying to express.
-My lord, this… appears to be a history book.
-War? Something like that, right Owner?
-Risa risa.
As the guys said, the murals depicted the history of war.
From the entrance, as they moved forward, it progressed from the distant past to a slightly more recent past.
The gradually advancing murals showed changes in artistic style at certain points, suggesting they had been drawn by many people across generations.
‘…This seems to be that war I heard about from Gamillion. And this, could it be the Abyss?’
On the ceiling, divine beings that descended from the heavens above were depicted.
On both walls, giant warriors and dragons fighting against them, along with small fairies and humans, were painted.
The terrifyingly shaped black monsters drawn from the middle to the floor were definitely those creatures that crossed over through the Eye of the Abyss.
‘…No monsters or traps, just telling us history?’
This kind of dungeon didn’t exist in Demroc at least.
From what Dohyun knew, there was no news of such things existing in Godose either.
Moreover, if that history was connected to the Main Quest….
‘There’s definitely another route into the Main Quest.’
It was certain.
Originally, it was a Main Quest that wouldn’t be unlocked for another 3 years.
It was natural that there would be several other routes leading to the Main Quest, and Dohyun had just discovered one of them.
Perhaps this was about approaching the Main Quest based on these traces of history?
‘Is this from after that time?’
This place was so vast that the dungeon itself could be called a history book.
History from after that day, which even Dohyun didn’t know, was depicted here.
Gulp.
Dohyun’s face became excited as he slowly moved forward.
What came after wasn’t much different from what he expected.
The gods who had remained on the ceiling were now alongside humanity on both walls, while humanity had fallen underground.
The Abyss remained quiet but occasionally appeared from underground, and the different races that had fought the gods scattered and hid themselves.
It was a vast mural that conveyed a sense of very long ages.
Step, step.
Behind the ancient humans who had been cast underground, current humanity formed and rose to the surface, strangers appeared.
A very long history of how the current Main Continent was formed.
-What kind of cruelty is this….
-….
In that process, the gods’ brutality could be glimpsed.
How the ancient humans of the past were treated, and how much they were wearing masks and pretending to be benevolent to current humanity.
All of it was clearly visible.
-I can’t believe that beings more terrible than those monsters were the gods… My lord, were you fighting this kind of battle?
Charlie, who had been trembling with rage, looked at Dohyun with rising respect.
There wasn’t a trace of doubt in it.
‘…I was wondering when I’d explain this and make them understand, but maybe this worked out for the better?’
It was when they had walked along the wall and finally reached the end.
“Hm? This is…?”
One painting caught Dohyun’s attention.
A group of five.
Their overall silhouettes were similar to humans, but their clothing and physiques were varied.
Especially one of them was well over 2 meters tall and had wings, making it impossible to consider them human.
-Good heavens.
These beings were mercilessly slaughtering the ancient humans who were making their last resistance on the ground.
They were overturning the earth, splitting tsunamis, and always leading the charge in threatening humanity.
But they were also being worshipped by some.
‘They don’t seem to be the five Owners either, so what are they?’
It was the appearance of a new faction that Dohyun didn’t know about.
They existed everywhere and were depicted as objects of terror in all the murals.
In the first painted mural, and likewise in murals where new people continued the history after long ages had passed.
Thud.
However, as they moved forward, their frequency gradually decreased.
By the time they reached the end of the murals, they had disappeared.
[You have discovered part of hidden history.]
[It will be recorded in the Adventure Log.]
[You have witnessed a history book that spans long ages.]
[It will be recorded in the Adventure Log.]
[You have acquired the title ‘One Who Discovered Forgotten History’.]
[One Who Discovered Forgotten History]
-Grade: Hero
-Description: A title given to great explorers who discovered forgotten history.
Your fate, having learned part of the true history that others don’t know, will be different from now.
-Effect: Search ability range + 10%, free conversation with other races without language restrictions, all stats + 5
‘…Is this the end?’
That vast dungeon had also reached its end before they knew it.
But there was still nothing.
Moreover, there was nothing that could be called a reward, just empty space visible.
‘At least I got a Hero title.’
Well, the original purpose of this place was a kind of route into the Main Quest.
For Dohyun, who was already progressing through the Main Quest, it had no particular meaning, but for others, this alone would undoubtedly be an enormous reward.
‘No wonder everyone couldn’t find it.’
Probably it would be difficult for anyone to find this place in the future too?
Well, that was also meaningless talk now.
Since he had monopolized even another route to the hidden Main Quest, at least Sargis’s route would disappear.
It was when he was checking the messages that had appeared.
Ding-
“Huh?”
The moment he raised his head at the suddenly cheerful notification sound, he saw it.
[The Gatekeeper of the King’s Tomb confirms the approach of intruders.]
[The dungeon’s gatekeeper appears.]
[Danger! You could lose your life.]
Rumble-
Along with the now-familiar danger message, a giant being emerged through the ground.
It was a snake.
…However, the problem was whether it was appropriate to call that thing a snake.
[Hissss…. Intruders… Kill them….]
A giant being with a body length of roughly 11 meters.
The being whose head nearly touched that high ceiling could never be dismissed as a mere snake.
Of course it was natural.
[The ancient king’s divine beast – Arragini has revealed itself.]
It wasn’t just some snake, but a divine beast.
-Good heavens…. Is that truly a monster?
-Whoa….
-R, Risa!?
Leaving the stunned guys behind, Dohyun, who had been staring blankly at the creature, let out a deep sigh.
“…Why is there never an easy way?”
Dohyun, now resigned, gripped Heavenly Transformation.
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————