The Return of the Genius Ranker of All Times - Chapter 249

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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 249

Episode 249.

Is this what they mean by one mountain after another?

Dohyun swallowed dryly at the endlessly escalating scale.

The insanely difficult World Quest was already overwhelming, and now what? The Empire’s Imperial Palace is connected to the Abyss?

‘Oh boy…’

He could feel a headache coming on.

Even during the Brion incident, Vice Captain Taksinel of the Order of Knights was involved, but this case was on a completely different level.

Brion was just something the Empire couldn’t ignore as a Holy Empire.

In terms of pure military might, the Empire was overwhelmingly superior.

‘No, saying overwhelming is even an understatement.’

Compared to Brion, which was called a one-man show with Lord Rebbed, the Empire had several powerhouses stronger than Lord Rebbed.

The Empire was something that even all other cities combined couldn’t defeat.

If the Imperial Palace, the core of such an Empire, was seriously colluding with the Abyss, there would be no way to stop it.

‘These damn Main Quest-related things always have such ridiculous difficulty.’

Dohyun, who had been voicing his complaints, soon scratched his head vigorously.

Since he was clearing a Main Quest that was supposed to open three years later, it was natural for the difficulty to be insane.

[The Forgotten King’s soul is becoming faint.]

[The temple will collapse shortly. Please escape from the temple immediately.]

-…Now there really is no time left. It seems I’m placing a great burden on you, but could you listen to my request?

“Yes, of course.”

-I’m truly grateful. You must have many questions, so let me explain quickly.

Rather than complaining now, it would be wise to listen to as much as possible before the King’s soul disappeared.

-The Moon Order. They are beings who have existed since the very distant past. They’ve been entities that instilled fear in people throughout generations, and some even worshipped them as gods. They call them the Five Suns or something. What a joke.

At this point, he was certain.

‘It’s the five people I saw in the mural.’

The massive mural painted in the King’s Tomb.

A group of five people who appeared in the paintings that had been passed down through generations.

Those must be the Moon Order.

‘Five Suns and moons… Then what Luidra mentioned about those who would become the true masters of the continent must be the Moon Order.’

He had worried that the five might refer to the ancient Five Kings, but fortunately, that didn’t seem to be the case.

Then what could their true identity be?

From the mural in the King’s Tomb to Luidra, and now even in the World Quest.

‘Seeing how they keep appearing in the Main Quest storyline, they seem to play a crucial role…’

So were they on humanity’s side, the gods’ side?

Or perhaps the Abyss’s side?

‘Or maybe a completely different faction? No, that probably won’t be the case. Since they appeared together with the Devourer of Existence, even if I can’t be certain they’re on the Abyss’s side, there’s a high possibility they’re connected to those creatures.’

Dohyun, who had been speculating based on the Forgotten King’s words, soon shook off his thoughts.

Hasty judgment was forbidden.

Who knows how things might turn out when actually revealed.

It would be better to hear more before making an accurate judgment, but unfortunately, that wasn’t possible.

-I don’t know anything beyond that. I only know that they’ve lived for a very long time with some goal, and that goal was implemented during my generation.

The King speaking these words clearly showed bitterness.

Whether it was frustration from no longer having the opportunity or power to take revenge on them, or perhaps sympathy for those who were sacrificed, was unclear.

The King, who had closed his eyes as if recalling the past, opened his mouth again.

-But isn’t it strange?

What he uttered wasn’t frustration or resentment, but doubt.

-Those who hadn’t moved for a while began moving precisely during my generation, and coincidentally, the Abyss moved at exactly the same timing.

“…”

-It may have been erased from history, but whenever the Abyss’s demonic beasts appeared, they were always there. It might be coincidence, but isn’t there a saying that if something repeats more than three times, it’s destiny?

And each time, countless disasters befell the Empire.

-I don’t know what the disasters after my death were like, but… I suspect there’s some relationship between them and the Abyss. Do you happen to know of any disasters?

Crack…

As soon as those words ended, the sound of grinding teeth could be heard from beside him.

Although the history of the Forgotten King and the Devourer of Existence was erased and many disasters were buried, there was one history that didn’t disappear.

A disaster that all players who enjoy Godseeker know about.

An incident that existing NPCs think of first when they hear about the Abyss.

-Even after experiencing such a past, the Imperial Palace, which could be called the center of the Empire, is doing such things…!

-Charlie…

-R-Risa…

The Arren Disaster.

Charlie was grinding his teeth and trembling with clenched fists while trying to endure.

Dohyun, watching such Charlie, had many concerns.

‘Should I tell him the truth?’

The tutorial was a stage that vividly recreated the Arren Disaster that occurred in the past.

Charlie remembered it as a victory because he met Dohyun, but that was only in memory.

History hadn’t actually changed.

There was no occasion to mention this, and thinking ignorance was bliss, he hadn’t brought it up…

-…I’m fine. Didn’t we prevent the disaster together with my Master and bring light to the great Arren Castle?

-Uh… That… Charlie?

-Although it’s quite shocking that the Imperial Palace, which could be called the symbol of the Empire, might be colluding with the Abyss… I think it’s fortunate that we found out now.

Hearing such words made him feel genuinely uncomfortable.

But if he were to speak up, he couldn’t figure out where to start, how to explain it, or how to make him understand.

After pondering briefly, Dohyun turned his gaze away. Sometimes ignorance was indeed bliss.

Rumble-

It was then that the temple suddenly shook.

[The Forgotten King’s Temple will collapse soon.]

[5…]

[4…]

The temple had begun collapsing in earnest.

-…It seems our conversation ends here.

As the conversation naturally broke off, the Forgotten King carefully made his final request.

-Hero who awakened me. It’s shameless, but I ask this because you’re the only one.

“…”

-Could you please completely seal that Calamity this time, and furthermore, investigate whether there are those in the Empire who collude with them?

[Emergency Quest ‘The Forgotten King’s Request’ has occurred.]

[The Forgotten King’s Request]

-Grade: Emergency Quest

-Description: The King’s soul wishes for you to accomplish the task he couldn’t complete.

His wish is for the Empire’s peace.

After sealing the great Calamity, let’s investigate whether there are those in the Imperial Palace who collude with the Abyss or the Moon Order.

-You can clear the World Quest by sealing the Calamity.

-Quest Success: Chain Quest occurs, Main Quest clue obtained

-Quest Failure: Chain Quest deleted, Main Quest clue deleted

Looking at the quest window that appeared above the collapsing temple, Dohyun nodded.

‘First, I need to deal with that Calamity before thinking about anything else.’

The Imperial Palace, the Moon Order, the Abyss.

It wouldn’t be too late to think about those afterward.

Now was the time to focus on successfully completing the World Quest before him. As if responding to Dohyun’s determination, a message appeared.

[Reward calculation has been completed.]

[The reward has been enhanced, allowing you to choose two out of three rewards.]

[Flowing Water Secret Fire Sword ], Black Ratio Mask , Arrow of Evil Destruction ]

‘This is…’

Dohyun’s eyes widened with interest as he soon raised the corners of his mouth and reached out his hand.

[Reward selection has been completed.]

[The King’s Temple is collapsing.]

[Would you like to exit the temple?]

Soon, the completely collapsed ceiling fell with a thudding sound, blocking the space between the King and Dohyun.

The moment their eyes met through the gap that was briefly revealed.

-Then… I’ll trust only you. Hero of this era.

Dohyun nodded briefly, and with that faint voice as the end, his vision reversed.

* * *

-Is it really impossible to clear?

-I don’t know, damn it, we’re just screwed. Who’s gonna catch it when all the Top 10 Guilds are withdrawing.

-Everyone worked hard, see you next time at Ernest’s execution.

-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ I can hear Harrington’s hands shaking in real time all the way from here

-I shouldn’t log in for a while. When the Calamity opens, I might die just passing by, right?

-Hey, that’s what makes it fun.

-Oh? Is that so?

-Is that so my ass

The situation at the Forgotten Tomb was still at its worst.

Hope had disappeared with the trusted Top 10 Guilds and High Rankers giving up on the strategy.

At this rate, the failure of the World Quest was a foregone conclusion.

But no one courageously stepped forward.

They had all seen it through broadcasts. How ridiculous it was to talk about catching that Calamity.

So they were just chattering away with worthless talk when it happened.

Ding-

[The Forgotten King’s Temple is collapsing.]

[Kaiser has cleared the Forgotten King’s Temple.]

[Changes are occurring in the World Quest strategy rankings.]

Suddenly a notification rang out and messages appeared above all the players,

-??

-?

-Huh?

-??????

Countless question marks filled the chat window.

What came after the countless question marks was a cold silence.

-…Cleared?

-Crazy, I didn’t see that wrong, right?

-He caught the King? Kaiser did?

-Is this real? This is real, right guys?

After a few seconds, some chat messages came up, but they had a distinctly bewildered tone.

That was because something too unbelievable had happened.

This reaction was no different among the players in the Forgotten Tomb.

But that was only for a moment.

“Ka, Kaiser caught the Forgotten King!!!”

“Waaahhh!!!”

“He did it! He did it!!”

“Who said Kaiser could never catch it!? Top 10 Guilds? Screw them!”

“Kaiser, he is a god! Kaiser, he is a god! Kaiser, he is a god!!”

“Kaiser punch! Kaiser punch! Kaiser punch!”

Soon thunderous cheers erupted from the players who had grasped the situation.

The tomb seemed ready to fly away from the cheers of tens of millions of players.

Their ears were not just muffled but tingling.

“…He caught that thing?”

“Kaiser…? How on earth?”

“Don’t tell me Ahdeo was wrong?”

The most shocked in this situation were none other than the masters of the Top 10 Guilds.

The King who brutally killed countless High Rankers including Lepiass, and even Ahdeo ultimately failed at the 2nd phase.

An absolute trap card that couldn’t be caught, with consecutive evaluations that it was difficulty that would only appear years later.

‘How the hell did Kaiser catch such a thing!’

‘Isn’t he someone who hasn’t even reached max level, let alone transcendence.’

‘Could it be because Ahdeo dealt significant damage? If it was a one-time pattern… we might have gotten scared and thrown away our chance.’

‘I really can’t believe it…’

That’s why they had given up on the King, but now that the King was caught, there was no greater humiliation.

Just thinking about the future where they’d have to salvage their image was already giving them headaches.

Still, since the failing World Quest would now be cleared, their faces showed they couldn’t tell whether to be happy or sad.

Grin.

But there was one player who was uniquely smiling.

‘That bastard, I knew he’d pull it off.’

It was Ast, who was sitting in a chair in a safe place, resting his chin on his hand.

Since he hadn’t even participated in the strategy from the beginning, there was nothing for him to be humiliated about.

-Ast hahahahaha

-Ast was the winner.

-Ah, Kaiser’s gonna catch it anyway, so why waste energy~

-Ast knew everything all along!

-And Ast was the only one among the Top 10 Guilds who tried to challenge the King. A man who trusts when he should trust, and acts when he should act. Isn’t this what a real man is?

The chat reactions were actually positive too.

Unlike other guilds that firmly declared it impossible to catch and controlled the situation, and unlike them, he alone trusted Kaiser and remained calm.

In many ways, it worked in his favor.

‘But when is this guy coming out?’

Ast, who had many questions including why he told him to wait, was staring intently at the collapsing door when it happened.

“…Hey, but why isn’t the clear message appearing?”

“That’s strange. Usually it doesn’t take this long to appear…”

“Don’t tell me…”

Murmuring sounds grew louder from here and there.

Several minutes had already passed, but the message saying the World Quest was cleared hadn’t appeared.

Not only that.

Grooooooooo-!!

The massive Calamity was still floating leisurely, standing firm and strong.

“…Why is that bastard still alive?”

“Damn it, it wasn’t cleared!”

“Catching the Forgotten King wasn’t the clear condition?”

“Then why was the temple there!?”

“The Top 10 Guilds were right? The King was a trap card!”

The World Quest wasn’t over yet.

Rather, it was just beginning. Players who realized this spat out curses and frantically moved their feet.

They had to hide behind terrain to avoid the Calamity’s notice, but they had revealed themselves thinking it was cleared.

——!!

Was their scattering and fleeing in panic a stimulus?

The massive Calamity began rampaging while letting out a deafening roar.

At this rate, a forced second phase would begin.

“Urgh!”

“Damn it, what do we do if we fall!”

“Behind, behind! Shit, just run for now!”

“S-save me!”

A disaster where they had no choice but to abandon even their comrades.

A fallen player squeezed his eyes shut at the sight of his departing companions’ backs.

The earthquake-like tremors and the thick shadows that filled the surroundings like nightfall announced that the Calamity was right behind him.

Kwaang!!

When the heavy sound echoed, he thought he was dead.

When no notification rang out even after several seconds, the player slowly opened his eyes.

And he saw it.

Grrrr…

The fierce blizzard swirling around and the White Lion that had descended upon it.

It was a beautiful yet dreamlike sight.

Standing at the center was a man.

A man wearing a somehow deeper and more sinister mask, holding a sword with a pure white blade engraved with a White Lion and snow flowers.

“This place is a mess too.”

-Indeed, Owner.

-Rizariza.

-…The stench pierces my nose, Master. How many have been sacrificed…

The moment he heard the Guardians standing behind him and that distinctive low voice, the player unconsciously shouted.

“K-Kaiser!”

“It’s Kaiser! Kaiser has appeared!”

“Kaiser? Where!?”

At the cries that burst out from all directions almost simultaneously, the fleeing players stopped and turned around.

Drawing everyone’s attention just by appearing, the man standing alone before the massive Calamity, Dohyun gripped Heavenly Transformation again.

[It has been confirmed that the target is an Abyssal Beast.]

[The Flawless Hexagram responds to the target’s vital point.]

Seeing the vital point glowing small within the massive body, Dohyun chuckled.

‘The vital point is inside its mouth… So it wasn’t for nothing that they went inside its mouth to self-destruct.’

Clicking his tongue, Dohyun glanced sideways.

Thanks to recovering somewhat, his health had risen to 20%, and his mana was up to nearly 30%.

Meanwhile, that thing was still in perfect condition.

[Health: 40,051,234 / 60,000,000]

‘…What? Sixty million health? Is this thing a monster?’

No, it was beyond perfect condition – it was insane.

The numbers were so shocking they made him want to laugh hollowly.

This was truly a boss designed not to be killed.

Now he understood why the Guardian said it could never be killed and had to be sealed.

Uoooooo!

That’s when it happened.

Having finished assessing Dohyun, the massive Calamity took a stance to charge again.

And at that moment.

[Using Trait Upgrade.]

[Weapon enhancement increases by +1.]

Kwaang!!

Someone who jumped down from the cliff struck down with a massive blunt weapon.

A shockwave burst forth with a heavy roar. The damage must have been considerable as the Calamity stopped and let out a shriek.

Before he could even frown at that, a large man stood beside Dohyun.

“Are you trying to kill it?”

“Auntie.”

It was Ast.

As he had said before entering, he seemed to have been conserving his strength, looking in very good condition.

Nearly at full condition.

But even Ast let out a hollow laugh when faced with the massive Calamity up close.

“Hah… Look at that size. I can’t even fit it all in my sight. So that’s why you told me not to waste my strength. Why is it that nothing goes easy when I get involved with you?”

“So are you scared, Auntie?”

“…I’m thinking I should have taken some calming pills before coming.”

As he chuckled at the joking and complaining, Ast asked casually.

“So do you have a method?”

“There’s a sealing stone. If I stick it in that thing’s vital point, it’s over.”

“That sounds easy enough to say. Where’s the vital point?”

“Inside that thing’s mouth.”

“…What?”

Ast’s expression became dumbfounded as he looked at him as if asking whether he heard correctly.

“…That’s the only way. I won’t force you, you can back out if you can’t do it. Honestly, it’ll be tough with just the two of us.”

“Just two…”

At that, Ast looked up at the sky and pondered deeply for a moment, then his eyes gleamed with interest.

His eyes widened slightly as if he had discovered something, and the corners of his mouth curved upward.

—–!!

[The massive Calamity opens its eyes.]

And almost simultaneously, as the recovered Calamity howled, hundreds of eyes opened.

Each eyeball was about the size of a person’s head.

Hundreds of head-sized eyes were glaring with thick killing intent.

It was a spine-chilling sight that raised goosebumps, but Ast calmly continued his words.

“Who says it’s just two?”

“…What?”

Before the startled Dohyun could even look at Ast, things began happening.

[The Calamity’s eyes devour beings touched by light.]

[Warning! Be careful not to be touched by light.]

The hundreds of eyes began gathering light.

Just as he urgently gripped Heavenly Transformation to counter, a woman’s sword flew from somewhere, drawing a clean straight line.

A perfect single flash.

Though it was just a simple horizontal slash, it was swordsmanship that had reached the realm of art.

Swoosh-!

Blood spurted as the Calamity’s eyes closed.

And between the Calamity and Dohyun, a woman with hair like black silk was taking a drawing stance.

The white-skinned woman in training clothes was someone he’d never seen before, but somehow.

‘…This is.’

Just as he felt strangely familiar.

—-!

This time something struck down fiercely from above.

An alien sound like tearing air stimulated his ears, and when he looked up, he saw a woman scattering red energy.

Swoosh- Swish!

Red energy flashed as countless slashes poured down.

The Calamity’s body, covered in wounds from the wild attacks that seemed to tear space itself, shook greatly.

She landed next to the woman in training clothes with flowing white hair, then turned her head sharply.

The moment he met those fiercely gleaming red eyes.

Hiss.

She grinned fiercely.

“This bastard’s off having fun by himself again. You really never change.”

“…What?”

Before he could understand, the Sword Master who had sheathed his sword offered a greeting with a gentle smile.

“It’s been a while, Kaiser.”

“…?”

Dohyun, completely bewildered, unconsciously looked at Ast.

He was grinning as if he was having the time of his life.

‘No way…’

The thought that instinctively came to mind spilled out without passing through his brain.

“…Kukkudakkukku? Sword Master?”

“Oh, you recognize us?”

“Hoh, what a miracle for someone with such shit intuition.”

It was the moment when the Kaiser party had gathered together for the first time in nearly two years.

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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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