The Return of the Genius Ranker of All Times - Chapter 228

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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 228

Episode 228.

[Heavenly Defiance ]

-Grade: Legendary Signature (Growth)

-Restriction: Kaiser

-Description: A swordsmanship that bloomed from one who defies the will of heaven.

A swordsmanship meant to stand alone by destroying all adversities and disasters that block one’s path, consisting of four techniques.

Changes may occur when all techniques are mastered.

-Effect: Can use the four techniques of Heavenly Defiance. Currently sealed according to the player’s level.

-First Technique, Beginning

-….

“…Legendary! It’s legendary! It’s legendary!!”

Dohyun, who had checked the Skill Information, widened his eyes and suddenly shouted.

As if that wasn’t enough, Dohyun clenched his fists and expressed his joy with his whole body.

-Oh my, here we go again….

-Ri, Risa… Rizariza….

-Hmm. Since there’s no one here, it shouldn’t matter.

-Ah, right. Phew, that’s a relief to hear. Huh? But Charlie, didn’t you say something earlier about the master’s happiness being the humble sword’s happiness?

-…I have no idea what you’re talking about.

At his usual reaction, the Guardians instinctively looked around and sighed in relief, but Dohyun didn’t care.

It was legendary. Not just legendary, but a legendary signature skill!

‘Signature swordsmanship skills are said to perform better than skills of the same grade.’

In effect, it was a skill that ranked higher than Lightning Dragon Descent or Guardian Deity’s Protection.

Even those two skills had been serving him well beyond expectations, so he was already excited about how good this skill would be.

It felt like just yesterday he was praying that getting even one legendary skill would fulfill all his wishes.

‘This is already my third legendary skill….’

He felt like tears were blurring his vision.

He briefly felt regret wondering how great it would have been if Demroc had something like this, but it didn’t matter now.

Because it was thanks to getting it now that he could obtain this new legendary skill.

In that sense, the smile disappeared from Dohyun’s lips as he was fondly gazing at the signature swordsmanship skill that looked particularly beautiful.

“…Wait. What’s that. Legendary Signature… Growth?”

He had been too excited about the word legendary and missed it while getting carried away, but looking again, there was something strange attached.

Growth?

‘If it’s Hero grade, it’s Hero, if it’s Legendary, it’s Legendary….’

As far as Dohyun knew, there were no signature skills like this.

To be precise, it wasn’t that there were no growing signature skills.

Just like Lightning Dragon Descent was a late-game skill that grew stronger in proportion to the user’s level, there were many such skills among signature skills.

‘No, they’re actually common.’

Especially since getting stronger through training was the essence of swordsmanship, such skills were actually common.

But he could say with certainty.

‘There are no skills with the word “Growth” blatantly attached next to the grade.’

That meant this was at least officially the first skill of its kind he’d obtained.

That wasn’t the only strange thing.

‘A swordsmanship consisting of four techniques… This is literally a swordsmanship skill, isn’t it?’

This was quite remarkable.

Generally obtained signature skills were single skills that could be called sword techniques, not swordsmanship.

Of course, not everyone was like that.

That was just generally the case, as there were often cases of obtaining swordsmanship.

‘Including Demroc, people like Sword Master and Slayer obtained swordsmanship.’

Such swordsmanship skills often received better evaluations than other signature skills.

The reason was simple.

Due to the nature of swordsmanship having multiple techniques, one skill could provide effects like having multiple skills.

In Godseeker where skill slots were limited, having various effects from one skill was a tremendous advantage.

‘Of course, each technique isn’t legendary skill level. Except for a few core techniques, most are ambiguous to even call skills.’

But even considering that, a hundred out of a hundred people hoped to obtain swordsmanship.

In the early stages, they were sometimes treated as superficial skills because they showed considerably poor effects compared to those who obtained sword techniques, but in the late game, the gap widened embarrassingly.

Some of them even displayed overwhelming performance when all techniques were mastered, with Demroc being a prime example.

‘They said signature swordsmanship greatly influenced making the current Demroc.’

What he obtained was also legendary signature swordsmanship.

Getting just that would be more than enough, but this was even the first ‘growing legendary swordsmanship.’

“Kugh… This is why I take risks.”

He naturally thought it was fortunate beyond measure that he had attempted such a crazy challenge.

If he had just copied the Forgotten King’s swordsmanship, he might have only obtained part of the swordsmanship in skill form.

He was naturally amazed by the incredible reward.

‘If it’s a growth-type skill, is it like Heavenly Transformation? But it’s already legendary grade. Don’t tell me it grows beyond legendary?’

What would there be beyond legendary?

Except for what one obtains upon achieving transcendence, there was only mythic grade.

Then could it possibly grow to mythic grade?

For a moment such thoughts made his heart swell, but he soon calmed down.

‘No, let’s not get carried away. This game is Demroc’s sequel.’

Though there was the exceptional case of Heavenly Transformation, that was a weapon containing the power of Kashiyar, who was called the strongest of ancient humanity and a war god.

On the other hand, Heavenly Defiance, no matter how absurd the Achievement through which it was obtained, was ultimately just swordsmanship created by an individual player’s power.

The possibility of it really growing to mythic grade wasn’t high.

So what Dohyun focused on was the last sentence of the description.

-Changes may occur when all techniques are mastered.

Among the various signature swordsmanship with different characteristics, this was the first time he’d heard of a skill with such a sentence.

Though he didn’t know exactly, perhaps it was related to that?

‘It seems to mean it grows after mastering all techniques… Whatever it is, I’ll know when the time comes.’

Whether it was wishful thinking or not, he’d find out later.

While he was making such speculations.

[The Spirit of the Lion King is so shocked that it can’t believe it and its jaw drops in amazement.]

A cheerful notification appeared with the message.

‘The reaction is really consistent. What’s with the Spirit of the Lion King?’

To think the Lion King, who was a great knight and king who had reached the supreme realm in the past, was gaping with his jaw dropped.

Thinking about it, it was quite amusing and he was about to laugh it off.

[The Spirit of the Lion King acknowledges your qualities, saying the disciple it has been waiting for has finally appeared.]

[The Spirit of the Lion King cannot contain its excitement and rises.]

[The Spirit of the Lion King manifests.]

“…? What?”

Unexpected messages followed, and soon blinding light burst forth.

Flash-!

-Ugh, I can’t see… Where is that light coming from?

-…Ah, look ahead!

-Ri… sa!?

After frowning at the sudden burst of light, when he turned his head at Charlie’s words, he could tell.

Where such intense light was bursting from.

‘That’s… the King?’

The source of the light was the Decaying Corpse of the Forgotten King.

The corpse that had been standing quietly like a robot with its switch turned off after their fierce exchange of sword strikes was now lifting its head while emitting light.

As the fierce light gradually subsided, a voice could be heard.

-I, Laude Belnuros, acknowledge your qualifications. Having fulfilled my long-cherished wish, I shall end the trial according to my promise with the Tower.

It was a firm and rigid tone close to an oath. At the same time, it was a low voice filled with power.

Dohyun, who somehow forced his eyes open wide to look ahead, saw it. The rotted flesh of the King who was looking at him with a slight smile.

The King, whose eyes met his, was saying this.

-I shall entrust everything to you.

And with those words as the end, the light disappeared in an instant and messages appeared.

[The Spirit of the Lion King fulfills his long-cherished wish.]

[You have concluded the Trial of the Great Lion King.]

[You are the first in history to conclude the Trial of the Great Lion King.]

[You have obtained the title, ‘One Who Concluded the Lion King’s Trial’.]

[By achieving an Unbelievable Achievement, all stats increase by +5 due to the effect of the ‘Unbelievable Achievement’ title.]

[The reward is enhanced for concluding the trial with an Unbelievable Achievement.]

….

[The linked event changes due to the Unbelievable Achievement.]

“…Holy shit.”

It was a dizzying parade of messages.

* * *

Is this what it means to be utterly flabbergasted?

The messages appearing without pause were already dizzying, but each piece of content was extraordinary.

‘Reward enhancement, titles, Achievement completion, and linked event changes… Even the trial being concluded? What the hell is all this?’

There was no chaos like this chaos.

Any one of these would have been shocking content, but among them, what caught his eye most was none other than the word ‘concluded’.

Concluded. Literally meaning something was completely finished.

What this meant was one thing.

[The Trial of the Great Lion King has concluded and you can no longer climb the Tower.]

[The Tower will disappear when the Spirit of the Lion King departs.]

“This is fucking crazy….”

-Holy shit….

-R, Risa….

The system called the Trial of the Great Lion King itself had been completely concluded.

From now on, no one would be able to climb the Lion King’s Tower anymore.

Even Dohyun couldn’t hide his bewilderment.

Since only the Sword Master had cleared up to the Hidden Stage, he thought it would be fortunate just to pass all the trials, but concluded?

‘I had no intention of causing such a major incident.’

He was the only one who had climbed the Lion King’s Tower.

When this news spread, his head already ached thinking about what kind of trouble would break out.

Especially, he was more worried about what Hyuna’s reaction would be.

‘No wait, if you think about it, I didn’t do anything wrong, right? What could I do about another Hidden Stage opening on its own?’

Dohyun was confident. This was force majeure.

No, beyond force majeure, he was actually the victim.

He was just quietly sucking up experience points and enjoying the honey, when suddenly they confiscated the honey jar and threw some Eternal Knight at him.

Moreover, that Eternal Knight even used skills and displayed swordsmanship from when he was alive, so what was this if not telling him to just die?

If there was any fault here, it was breaking a Hidden Stage that seemed designed not to be broken?

Who would blame someone for fighting to survive? Anyone who did would be a person without blood or tears.

‘Yeah, that’s right.’

It was when he was working hard on self-rationalization and running positive circuits like this.

[…Apostle of Prophecy. I have been waiting only for you to come to this place. This Tower was built waiting only for a Knight with the qualifications of the Apostle of Prophecy to come.]

“….”

[However, even after creating it, I had doubts. Seeing the level of the Apostles, I wondered whether an Apostle could truly conclude this trial… Thanks to you, I was able to advance it by a full three years, so I express my gratitude.]

“…Ah, I see.”

Dohyun sighed at the Spirit of the Lion King, who was possessing the rotted flesh and driving the final nail by saying it was because of him.

To summarize those words, it was this.

‘An event that was originally supposed to happen much later appeared three years early because of me….’

In the end, he was the problem.

Also, there seemed to be a high probability it was connected to the main quest.

‘Apostle of Prophecy… Don’t tell me this is also related to the main Quest?’

It was a term he had heard during Luliel’s time too.

Moreover, three years from now overlapped with the time of the promised day that Gamillion had mentioned when he first heard about the main Quest in detail.

Above all….

[Eye of Truth activates.]

‘…I had a suspicion, but is it really a Fragment of Destiny?’

The red light that had been revealing its presence beyond that massive door had been bothering him all along.

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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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