The Return of the Genius Ranker of All Times - Chapter 233

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

Chapter 233

Episode 233.

[You have entered the World Quest dungeon, ‘Forgotten Tomb’.]

[Please save the Forgotten King from the scene of disaster.]

[Current disaster reproduction rate is 14%.]

“Huh? 14 percent?”

Ast, who had entered the dungeon, couldn’t hide his bewilderment.

Normally it would start at 0 percent or at least 10 percent.

But 14% right upon entry?

‘Was someone already hunting here?’

As the anxious Ast looked around, a horrific scene was revealed.

Groooan- Grooan-

Clatter-

Wraiths spewing terrible cold and knights riding undead horses.

Buildings on fire and blackened floors.

Though it was a dark night, the horrific scenery was revealed each time flames engulfing the buildings blazed up.

It was indeed an unpleasant stage befitting the concept of a tomb reproducing disaster, but Ast’s eyes viewing it were calm.

“Master.”

“Right. It seems we’re the first ones here.”

Ast nodded at the Vice Master who spoke cautiously.

Though it was a horrific scene, this was the original stage. He didn’t particularly feel any traces of hunting or human presence.

Nevertheless, the fact that the reproduction rate was already 14% meant one of two things.

‘Either someone was hunting elsewhere, or the reproduction rate rises faster than expected.’

Maybe it could be both.

‘…Could it be because of you?’

Kaiser came to mind for a moment, but Ast soon shook his head.

‘No, that doesn’t make sense no matter what.’

The person who discovered the World Quest gets priority entry, but that’s only for an hour.

While that influence couldn’t be ignored, it didn’t make sense for such numbers to result from just that guy alone.

That meant the latter was more likely.

‘Unlike existing World Quests, an overwhelming speed… The expressions of those in the New Continent must be worth seeing.’

Ast grinned with satisfaction and immediately gave orders.

“Guys, it looks like we need to move quickly. Everyone prepare for battle.”

If the disaster rate was rising quickly, they needed to monopolize it now while there were no people.

But unfortunately, that plan hit a snag from the start.

“Hmm, so this is the Forgotten Tomb.”

It was because of those who entered almost right next to them, scattering light.

Hundreds of players on white horses and a brown-haired woman leading them.

The woman, who gave off a mysterious atmosphere like a fairy from a martial arts novel, wore Eastern clothing that matched that atmosphere.

An appearance that would make any man’s heart flutter.

“Cheonoechen…”

“Did those guys drop in the same place too? We’ll be competing from the start.”

“It’ll be troublesome if we get tangled up with those guys…”

But the guild members looking at her didn’t have very good expressions. Far from being excited, they clearly showed displeasure.

Because they already knew.

Cheonoechen’s master, Xiao.

Despite that woman’s fairy-like face, how obsessive and leech-like she was.

‘A woman who never gives up once she sets a target. Of all places, we had to drop in the same spot as her.’

Ast rubbed his brow as if troubled.

Getting involved with Cheonoechen had never gone smoothly, so he had secretly hoped they wouldn’t drop in the same place.

Xiao was one of the two women Ast hated most.

To make matters worse, this wasn’t the end.

Flash- Flash-

“Awesome! What is this place?”

“Damn, this is supposed to be a dungeon? I guess World Quests are different.”

“I can’t believe the day I’d do a World Quest has come. This is crazy. Really.”

Players began entering from here and there, scattering light.

“Whoa, hey hey. Look over there. Isn’t that Xiao?”

“Crazy, Ast is here too.”

“Wow, this is my first time seeing Xiao. I knew she was pretty, but seeing her in person, she’s really gorgeous.”

“What is this, Beauty and the Beast? Look at Ast’s build, is he really Korean?”

“So this is a Top 10 Guild… The aura is no joke. I want to go to the Empire quickly too.”

From players who seemed to be high level, to players who seemed to be from other cities, looking around with sparkling eyes in excitement.

The moment Ast hesitated at the sudden appearance of players, a neighing sound came from beside him.

“It’s Pegasus!”

“Woah!”

A white horse standing proudly with two pairs of brilliant wings spread wide.

It was a mythical divine beast, Pegasus.

Players captivated by its sacredness gaped in admiration.

Its build exceeding 5 meters and massive wings couldn’t be more beautiful.

“You seem to have time to be leisurely, Owner of the Armory.”

“…Xiao.”

“Well then, see you later. I’m going to secure territory first.”

Neigh-!

Xiao, who had mounted her trademark Pegasus, smirked and flew straight up into the sky.

At the same time, brilliant effects emanated from the staff Xiao drew out.

“Hup…!”

Taking a breath, her slender arms suddenly exploded with power.

Then something flashed and the staff flew out, piercing through the head of a knight on an undead horse.

Crack!

One kill.

Having disposed of one enemy in the blink of an eye, Xiao leisurely flew off to find another target.

This time, as Pegasus swept its wings once, fierce winds swirled and swept monsters into one place.

Flash-!

Crack-! Crack!

Then she instantly cleared them with the same lightning-fast staff throwing as before.

“Woah!”

“…Is that even possible? I can barely catch one.”

“The wealth gap is really something.”

Leaving behind players who felt both deprivation and wonder, Xiao looked down at Ast.

“Will that sluggishness do?”

“…Ha.”

Seeing her grinning smugly while mounted on Pegasus snapped him to attention.

Bringing out Pegasus from the start was tantamount to a declaration.

Just like his plan, a declaration to secure as much territory as possible before other Top 10 Guild members arrived.

Also, the fact that she didn’t leave but hunted here meant…

‘She wants to have a go at it?’

At that provocation, Ast growled and stretched both hands to his sides.

Then cracks appeared where he extended his hands and a massive mouth emerged.

“Divine beast? You’re not the only one who has that.”

Perhaps he sought a divine beast here, the same person who used to cast Azure Dragon Left White Tiger Right in Demroc.

Why he was called the Owner of the Armory, leaving behind other titles.

He intended to show that thoroughly.

[Divine beast, ‘Weapon-Devouring Phantom Beast’ has opened the armory.]

[Divine beast, ‘Weapon-Devouring Phantom Beast’ is absorbing weapons.]

Creak-

As the massive mouths on both sides opened, weapons from monsters without ownership were instantly sucked in.

It wasn’t just weapons. Things that could become weapon materials.

For instance, iron.

Hiss.

After confirming that all unowned metal objects and weapons were devoured, Ast put his own weapon into the mouth.

[Divine beast, ‘Weapon-Devouring Phantom Beast’ has devoured +15 Ultimate Supreme Emperor Sword.]

[Beginning combination.]

Then the phantom beast paused for a moment, before spitting out a single weapon.

[Divine beast, ‘Weapon-Devouring Phantom Beast’ spits out +15 Ultimate Supreme Emperor Sword that Cuts the Dead.]

Ast, master of the top 10 guild Babylon.

The reason he was called the Owner of the Armory wasn’t simply because he purchased countless weapons based on capital.

The core was something else.

[Activating unique ability ‘Weapon Upgrade’.]

[Weapon enhancement temporarily increases by +1.]

[+16 Ultimate Supreme Emperor Sword that Cuts the Dead is completed.]

Because he was the one and only player who could handle +16 weapons, surpassing the current maximum enhancement level of +15.

Plus a cheat-level divine beast that devoured surrounding weapons to add optimal options against enemies.

“Bring the boss. I’ll smash its head in one shot.”

The overwhelming single-hit damage that resulted from this.

That was the reason Ast could proudly reach his current position despite having insufficient talent.

* * *

Such scenes weren’t only appearing where Ast was.

A place somewhat distant from them.

The floor of this place, which gave off an eerie atmosphere with even fewer flames, was unbearably cold.

It wasn’t a metaphorical expression, but truly cold to the point of being chilling.

“Damn, it’s cold. What’s this all of a sudden?”

“Look, Lepiass is passing by over there. This is all ice magic.”

“Crazy… is this range for real?”

This was all because of one person.

Ice-blue hair, white skin, and glasses.

A handsome man with no expression, giving off a rigid and cold impression.

The top disciple of the Azure Tower Leader and the strongest ice mage with no rivals in the field of ice magic.

Step, step.

Lepiass – every time he walked, the surrounding air grew cold and the path he walked froze over.

No monster could escape from him.

Knights on horses, boasting excellent mobility, would slip constantly, while the dead without means of movement would just freeze with crackling sounds.

“He even laid down an Ice Road.”

“He was using Blizzard earlier.”

“Ugh, just let him take everything. Let’s go somewhere else.”

“You can’t even attack because getting hit by ice isn’t a preemptive strike…”

“But could you win if you attacked?”

Players had no choice but to retreat when Lepiass appeared.

Beyond being unable to oppose such an overwhelming powerhouse, his presence slowed their movements, making hunting inconvenient.

“Isn’t ice mage fucking overpowered? Why don’t people play it?”

“It’s overpowered because it’s Lepiass. Who would take a regular ice mage? They’d take a fire mage with high burst damage instead.”

“Ah, I don’t know, this is really annoying. I heard the Disciple of the Lord of Haidn is flying around over there too, so where should we go?”

While many players complained, there were also many who thought positively.

“Well… it’s not like we could rank anyway. We just came for the experience.

“I’m honestly satisfied. When else would we get to see Lepiass or the top 10 guilds properly fighting?”

“Agreed. The dungeon is fun too.”

“True, the people from other cities looked like they were on a picnic. Hehe.”

Logically, receiving special or S-grade rewards among all these players was absurd.

These were players who valued experience more.

“And who knows? We might find the Forgotten King. The highest score is for finding the Forgotten King anyway. If we find and rescue him, we’d instantly hit first place~”

“Yeah, please tone down the bullshit~”

“Or maybe there’s treasure? Like a hidden piece.”

“That’s at least somewhat possible, but would we be the ones?”

“Why not? What’s stopping us? A hidden piece in a World Quest? Man, how can you resist this? The rewards must be incredible, right?”

Even after being scolded, he was giggling and dreaming big when it happened.

[Disaster reproduction rate reaches 20%.]

[From now on, a great disaster will be reproduced. Boss monsters will appear.]

[Please be careful.]

“What, already 20 percent?”

“Isn’t this World Quest progressing too fast? Why is it so quick?”

“At this rate, it’ll end before the top 10 guilds from the New Continent even arrive.”

“Ah, I wanted to see Demroc hunting.”

“I wanted to see the Empress.”

A player who had been quietly listening suddenly spoke up as if finding something strange.

“Why is there no news about Kaiser?”

“Huh? Kaiser?”

“Now that you mention it…”

Come to think of it, there had been no news about Kaiser at all.

Even checking the community, no one claimed to have seen Kaiser, and there weren’t even secondhand stories.

The very person who opened the World Quest had disappeared without a trace.

But they didn’t think much of it.

“Well, maybe after actually participating, the difficulty was too high for him to be active? He’s still not comparable to the top 10 guilds or direct disciples of Empire powerhouses.”

“True, the monsters are really strong. They keep getting stronger, and if it’s only 20 percent now, what happens at 100 percent?”

“There was almost a 1.5x difference between 10 percent and 20 percent… Once it passes 50 percent, there won’t be many who can handle it…”

Graaaah-!

At that moment, an ear-splitting roar made the players stop talking.

[A boss monster has appeared nearby.]

“…Hey, a boss appeared! Let’s go quickly!”

“Yeah, let’s go together!”

“If you don’t come fast, you won’t see it! Didn’t you see Lepiass rush over immediately?”

Kaiser had already vanished from the minds of those hurrying away.

It was natural that they were more excited about the high rankers coming to fight the boss than Kaiser, whose whereabouts were unknown.

* * *

And at that time.

Kaiser, Dohyun, who had been forgotten by everyone…

[Eye of Truth is activated.]

[Hidden location, ‘Protector’s Cave’ has been discovered.]

“Wow… I didn’t expect to find it this quickly. Look at how fast the reproduction rate is rising, isn’t this going to be a great disaster?”

-Oh, what? Owner, you care about that stuff? I thought you’d say it’s not your problem.

“If it rises too quickly, it might end before I can sweep everything up. That won’t do.”

-Aha.

He was smiling inside the Cave where not a trace of human presence could be felt.

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