The Return of the Genius Ranker of All Times - Chapter 226

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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 226

Episode 226.

“Amazing…!”

The Spirit of the Lion King couldn’t help but be amazed.

When was the last time he felt such astonishment? Even when he was alive, it was rare for him to be this surprised.

It was that absurd of an occurrence.

‘To figure out the trial’s conditions so quickly.’

Dealing damage not with skills, but with pure personal strength.

That was the condition for the Hidden Stage.

A true knight must know how to trust himself in moments of crisis.

It was a trial reflecting the Lion King’s belief that one who seeks answers from elsewhere rather than from within during crucial moments could never become a great knight.

‘Was it coincidence? No, that’s not important.’

But what surprised the Spirit of the Lion King wasn’t just achieving the trial conditions.

‘Not only did he deal damage, but he gained recognition through swordsmanship… I can’t believe it.’

And thus the Signature Swordsmanship was unlocked.

To reach what even the Sword Emperor couldn’t obtain.

Originally, the Sword Emperor didn’t need to take the trial since he wasn’t a ‘Disciple’, but wasn’t he the one who knew the ‘??King’ better than anyone?

No matter who came, he wouldn’t easily give recognition.

This was recognition of that person’s qualities themselves, including his swordsmanship.

‘Originally the trial should have ended here, but…’

If he gained recognition, the story changes.

An additional trial to test qualification for obtaining Signature Swordsmanship is added, and only after completing this trial does it truly end.

And though it’s unlikely, if he successfully proves his qualification…

‘That swordsmanship will be inherited by That Guy.’

It would be the first time in history.

That was the swordsmanship of the Forgotten King, never inherited by anyone.

And inheriting this swordsmanship means…

‘…we would be entrusting our fate to That Guy.’

It meant that the long-awaited ‘qualified knight’ had appeared.

How many long years had they waited to find a qualified knight?

It was impossible to hide his excitement.

Of course, realistically thinking, it was hard to expect more than this.

‘Reaching this point is impressive, but… a mere Disciple couldn’t possibly receive that sword.’

Though only a rotted body remained that couldn’t even exert half of half its true power, it was still the sword of one who had reached the supreme realm.

Even a single exchange – there was no way he could withstand it.

But why was it?

‘Yes, that’s definitely right.’

The Spirit of the Lion King couldn’t stop a strange sense of anticipation.

A feeling that somehow that young man might show something.

It wasn’t a vague expectation.

‘If what I saw was truly real… there’s no one with greater qualities than him.’

Why did he mobilize even the Eternal Knight to conduct this trial in the first place?

It was to confirm whether what he saw through the true Lion King’s eyes was real. It was such a tremendous sight. The moment he activated his ability, a vast unknown space unfolded before his eyes.

And countless possibilities that filled that space.

Those were infinite possibilities that no mere human could possess.

‘Above all, the six massive energies that spread behind them…’

They possessed tremendous power that no mere human could dare handle.

But only up to that point. He couldn’t know anything beyond that.

Even with the true Lion King’s eyes that could see through all possibilities and qualities, he could only see faint fragments like the tip of an iceberg.

It was unbelievable that a mere Disciple could possess such possibilities.

More precisely, they were possibilities that the current Disciples couldn’t have.

‘According to the prophecy, even calculating from now, at least 3 years must pass before a qualified knight appears.’

The promised day, the prophecy that a qualified Disciple would appear.

The prophecy that only that Disciple could achieve the salvation they desired.

It was enough to create the illusion that the prophesied Disciple had appeared.

But that was supposed to happen 3 years from now.

It was strange for it to happen at this point in time.

Therefore,

“…Let’s see what you can show me.”

Prove it. Whether you are truly one who can save us.

The Spirit of the Lion King swallowed the unspoken words and watched with clear eyes.

The body of the Forgotten King gripping his sword with both hands in stance, and Dohyun standing before him.

* * *

[Signature Swordsmanship Quest, ‘Swordsmanship of the Forgotten King’ has occurred.]

[Withstand the sword of the Forgotten King.]

[Swordsmanship of the Forgotten King]

-Grade: Signature Swordsmanship

-Description: The rotted body of the Forgotten King recognizes you. He wishes to pass down the forgotten swordsmanship he used when alive.

However, his swordsmanship is dangerous, the swordsmanship of one with a strong heart. He is not yet certain of you.

Withstand his sword and prove your qualification.

-Quest Success: Signature Swordsmanship, additional points to Trial of the Great Lion King score, linked event occurs

-Quest Failure: Disqualification from obtaining Signature Swordsmanship and Quest cancellation, Trial of the Great Lion King reward drops two levels.

[If refused, the trial will end immediately.]

[Upon refusal, results will be calculated reflecting previous scores and linked events will be cancelled.]

“Huh…?”

The messages that suddenly appeared and the Eternal Knight taking a sword stance before his eyes.

Dohyun let out a hollow laugh as he looked back and forth between them.

He understood what situation this was.

‘So the passing condition was dealing damage with pure skill? And I got good grades so an additional Quest appeared.’

It was truly an insane condition.

Who would think to strike with a sword without using skills against such a Monster?

No, even if they thought of it, it would be hard to execute.

Both that armor and body were so solid that unless you aimed for vital points, you wouldn’t even feel like you were piercing it.

‘What kind of insane difficulty is this?’

He only thought to use what he learned from the Sword Master because he had that training.

Considering it was a guy that was hard to damage even using all sorts of skills, it was utterly absurd.

Though curses naturally came out, Dohyun forced himself to hold back and sighed.

‘Sigh, right. It would have to be that difficult to be called the first Hidden Stage.’

Whatever the case, didn’t he clear it?

He didn’t even just barely clear it.

‘Signature Swordsmanship…’

Something that originally required at least half a year of blood, sweat, and effort to obtain.

If regular skills were mass-produced, this was a unique skill.

In that sense, everything with ‘Signature’ attached had great meaning, but among them, Signature Swordsmanship had even greater significance.

‘Compared to Signature Magic, the power of Signature Swordsmanship is stronger.’

This was because Signature Swordsmanship had a framework to serve as its foundation.

Swordsmanship is usually passed down through schools.

Signature Swordsmanship is creating your own sword technique skill influenced by swordsmanship that has been passed down through generations and gained fame.

Naturally, compared to rootless Signature Magic, its performance and stability had to be superior.

‘Instead, it takes that much longer…’

You have to go to the Knighthood that inherited the swordsmanship to serve as the foundation and receive the teachings directly.

When you think about it that way, even half a year was short.

Because of this, there were some who obtained signature swordsmanship through other routes…

Usually, signature skills derived from swordsmanship with short histories were mostly inferior in performance to regular skills, so the trend was to obediently enter a Knighthood.

But what if it was a king’s swordsmanship?

Moreover, what if it was the swordsmanship of a king presumed to be the Lion King who had reached the supreme realm?

Gulp.

He couldn’t help but swallow his saliva.

‘…I absolutely have to clear this.’

He absolutely had to obtain it.

The level of signature swordsmanship was generally determined by the first founder’s level or reputation.

If it was the swordsmanship of the Great Lion King who had reached the supreme realm, no words were needed.

He would be able to obtain the best skill.

Moreover, it wouldn’t take time and he could get it immediately?

“Ah, how can I resist this?”

-…Owner, how about wiping your drool before speaking?

-Risa…

“Wow, the Lion King’s signature swordsmanship… How exciting would that be? They say signatures are at least Hero-grade, but what if a Legend comes out?”

-Huh? Charlie, did you just flinch? You were pretending otherwise, but you got PTSD too?

-…You seem to have misunderstood. There’s no way I would do such a thing. Master’s joy is immediately this humble sword’s joy.

-No way. I definitely saw it.

Dohyun chuckled as he watched the chattering guys.

But that was only for a moment. Soon Dohyun’s face became serious.

Though he spoke like this, it wouldn’t be easy.

Swoosh-

As if waiting for his choice.

That Guy standing still while looking this way with his sword gripped in both hands showed not even the slightest opening.

Rather, he felt such strong pressure as if facing a massive mountain.

‘If I can’t withstand it, the event gets deleted and rewards drop two levels.’

A risk that could make everything he’d climbed up to here go to waste.

On the other hand, if he refused, only the linked event would be deleted with nothing dropping.

Thinking wisely, it would be right to not be tempted by the honey before his eyes and boldly refuse, but.

‘For whose benefit?’

How sweet would the signature swordsmanship be?

And how sweet would the linked events that followed be?

When he thought about that, Dohyun was the kind of person who couldn’t bear it because his stomach hurt.

Rather than getting scared beforehand and giving up only to miss everything, it was a hundred times better to try desperately and taste bitterness if he failed.

‘High risk, high return.’

One principle that had always adorned Dohyun’s path.

He planned to follow that path this time too.

[Will you accept the Signature Swordsmanship Quest?]

“Yeah.”

Ding-

[Signature Swordsmanship Quest, ‘Forgotten King’s Swordsmanship’ begins.]

[The Forgotten King, ‘Decaying Corpse of the ??King’ will reproduce his lifetime swordsmanship almost perfectly just once.]

[Withstand the Forgotten King’s sword.]

[If successfully withstood, linked events will open.]

When he accepted the quest, That Guy’s atmosphere changed.

As if the waiting was over.

The aura that had been subtly leaking out as if suppressed began to explosively surge upward.

-Ugh…!

-Ri…sa!

-Powerful aura… Tremendous concentration. Please be careful, Master.

The Guardians frowned at the powerful aura that burst out in all directions and devoured the entire space.

It was the same for Dohyun.

When the aura reached him, goosebumps rose and he felt an eerie sensation.

He felt as if his body had been split in half starting from his skull.

Step, step.

Moreover, that wasn’t the end.

The moment That Guy… no, the King slowly approached and closed the distance.

Whoosh-!

The tremendous aura surged up and created a single form.

The form of a massive white lion rose above his head, then swept roughly like a blizzard and covered the space.

[You have witnessed swordsmanship of an immeasurably high realm.]

[A sword strike of unbearable power falls.]

[Warning! You may lose your life.]

Until now, the King was merely gripping his sword.

But the next moment.

Swoosh-

The King’s hand fell. A very slow motion. A sword strike that seemed to simply drop the sword slowly.

It was a downward strike.

Vividly visible to both eyes, but absolutely impossible to avoid.

The moment Dohyun’s eyes widened as he felt like a human facing a fierce blizzard on a snow-covered mountain cliff.

—–!!

The King’s sword fell to above his head, and Dohyun hastily thrust his sword up to meet it.

That was the end.

CRASH-!!

With an explosive roar, the surrounding area was swept away and a message appeared.

[The Forgotten King’s sword strike has ended.]

[The test has ended.]

…

[The Signature Swordsmanship Quest is ending.]

…

It was a message announcing the end of the test.

-Huh, what happened?

-Risa…

-I can’t see anything…!

But because the vast dust blinded their eyes, the Guardians had no choice but to wait anxiously.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity of waiting, when they saw the blurry silhouette that was revealed.

-Wh, what…?

-My goodness…!

-Ri, Risa!?

The three Guardians let out groans filled with shock.

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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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