The Return of the Genius Ranker of All Times - Chapter 306

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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 306

Episode 306.

[You have entered Hidden Stage ‘???’.]

[The gatekeeper of the Hidden Stage reveals itself.]

[As a first-time benefit, drop rate +50% and experience gain +50% are applied.]

Groooan….

Grrr….

What greeted Dohyun’s party was a secretive space completely different from the corridor-like area they had just passed through, and the soldiers guarding that space.

-What the hell is this….

-Ugh, the smell. At this level, aren’t they corpses?

-Rizariza….

The soldiers were covered in armor, but the slightly exposed skin was half-distorted with black energy writhing around it.

That was probably the source of the smell too.

‘So there are gatekeepers….’

A hidden stage in a dark cave that looked obviously suspicious at first glance.

And dozens of gatekeepers guarding that place.

Did any more explanation need to be given?

‘They’re definitely hiding something.’

Something that shouldn’t be discovered, something that would need to be killed if discovered – there was definitely a reason for that.

More than anything, the condition of the gatekeepers was seriously messed up.

-…This is the first time I’ve seen anything like this, Master.

-Rizariza.

-No matter how much he’s a knight commander and lord, a mere lord who isn’t even an emperor couldn’t create a space like this. Moreover, those gatekeepers have a strange condition. They’re clearly alive, yet they feel similar to undead….

Jihad chimed in agreement with Charlie’s words.

-I think so too, Owner. I’ve dealt with a lot of undead so I know, but those guys don’t have the aura of undead flowing from them.

-Rizariza!

Even Eliza, who was sensitive to mana, nodded in agreement, so it must be certain.

At this point, there was one thing that could be suspected.

‘The Abyss.’

What if those gatekeepers had been corrupted by the Abyss?

Then their appearance would make sense.

After all, during the legion commander raid, he had seen players who were corrupted when the Eye of the Abyss opened and transformed like undead.

Of course, it wasn’t certain yet. It was just speculation after all.

-….

That was also why Charlie was keeping his mouth shut without expressing anger.

But most importantly.

‘It seems like I’ve found it. The trace.’

Whatever it was, Garion’s shady dealings were all the same.

He had obtained the trace, so he could turn back now, but….

-What are you going to do, Owner?

At Jihad’s casual question, Dohyun’s lips curved into a sinister smile.

“What else. We have to break through.”

When guys corrupted by the Abyss appeared from the very beginning, what could be at the end?

Without a doubt, there would be traces beyond what he had seen so far.

Perhaps there might be irrefutable evidence that Garion was a traitor.

After all, the fact that the hidden stage’s name was ‘???’ showed that it was extraordinary from the start.

In this situation, it wouldn’t be manly to retreat without confirming anything.

-Got it, Owner.

-Yes! An excellent choice.

-Riza!

Then, as if responding to that will, the Undead Legion rose up through the ground.

[Guardian Jihad Black summons the Undead Legion.]

Groooan- Grooan-

Clack, click.

Quick-witted Jihad had summoned Suffering and the legion to go full power from the start.

Grrr…?

Groooan!

The gatekeepers were already on guard since Dohyun’s party had entered, but when the Undead Legion appeared as well, their eyes rolled back and they charged.

Half-corpses running while writhing with black energy.

It wasn’t a pretty sight to see, but Dohyun’s party wasn’t the type to back down.

“Well then, let’s go.”

-Roger!

-Yes, Master!

Clack!

Starting with Dohyun and one gatekeeper’s swords clashing at the front.

Clang!

The battle began.

* * *

Clang! Clank!

Slash-

The battle was easy.

[The Flowing Water effect of the Flowing Water Secret Fire Sword activates.]

[You can wield swordsmanship as natural as flowing water, and the water energy becomes denser the more you use swordsmanship.]

-Return to where you originally belong!

Groooooan…!

Every time Charlie swung his sword, two or three gatekeepers were cut down, and he excellently handled the aggro of five or six more.

[Commander of the 1st Legion, ‘Suffering’ uses intermediate black magic ‘Terrible Sensation’.]

[Commander of the 1st Legion, ‘Suffering’ uses Outlaw-type Battle Mage techniques.]

Clack, click!

-Well done, Ttadaki!

Clack!!

The Undead Legion led by Legion Commander Suffering boasted truly explosive firepower.

The gatekeepers were swept away so overwhelmingly that it would be inadequate to describe it as blocking their path.

Suffering seemed to be yelling something at Jihad, but Jihad didn’t care and just cheered “Ttadaki fighting!”

Slash- Slice-

Swoosh-

When Dohyun joined in as well, they truly moved in all directions.

Since each of them handled more than ten gatekeepers, the dozens of gatekeepers were cut down like tofu.

‘I’ve definitely gotten stronger.’

Not just himself, but he could clearly feel that the Guardians had also made great progress in a short time.

Thanks to obtaining the Flowing Water Secret Fire Sword and legendary skills, Charlie had become an all-around knight with no weaknesses, and Jihad was leading a legion of a different caliber from ordinary necromancers.

[Summon Ogre Monster Undead]

Ugeo ugeo groooan

‘The power is different when I change the undead composition.’

Before encountering the 1st Prince.

It was thanks to removing the early undead like goblins and orcs within a week and filling them with the Empire’s monsters.

With this, the undead that had been 16 entities were now at the current maximum of 20 entities.

[Since more than 50% of the legion’s undead are judged to be lower city monsters, mana consumption is reduced.]

‘It’s really sweet that Outlaw is barely lower-tier and has synergy effects with Suffering.’

Thanks to this, he could barely fill the 50% lower city monster requirement and maintain the mana reduction effect, making it a perfect upgrade.

Ueoeoeo- Ueo-!

And among them, there was one undead that particularly stood out.

A creature more than twice the size of the other ogre undead.

[Commander of the 2nd Legion]

[Ugeo]

-Ashen Savage Ogre Chieftain

This was a mid-boss he had hastily acquired for the time being.

Since field boss-level creatures couldn’t be turned into undead except in special cases, this was the next best option.

Though it was disappointing, its performance was certainly reliable.

The difference between having one legion commander and two was enormous.

[Under the influence of the 2nd Legion Commander ‘Ugeo’, the legion’s characteristics and traits change.]

[The 2nd Legion’s durability and charging power greatly increase within the limits of their racial boundaries.]

This was all due to the legion buff.

The 2nd Legion, which inherited Ugeo’s traits directly, was like a runaway tank.

Ueoeoeo-!

Kwaaa-!

Whether the gatekeepers tried to block them or not, they just charged in with their bodies first, and with those massive frames pushing forward recklessly, the defenders were swept aside like folding screens.

Moreover, they weren’t just pushing forward with their bodies alone.

[Hero skill ‘Undead Weapon Creation’ is currently active.]

[2nd Legion Commander ‘Ugeo’ equips exclusive weapon ‘Advaram Club’.]

The sight of that massive frame wielding a club as thick as a tree trunk was the very embodiment of overwhelming power.

Ugeo wasn’t the only one armed with a weapon.

[Ashen Ogre Undead equips ‘Tough Club’.]

[Troll Undead equips ‘Iron Mace’.]

….

[Outlaw Undead equips exclusive weapon ‘Resentment-Filled Longsword’.]

Though not all undead, about half of them were fighting while armed with weapons.

Thanks to this, they were visibly much stronger than before.

Especially weapons labeled as exclusive weapons had exceptional performance, since only mid-boss level creatures or higher could wield exclusive weapons.

‘Exclusive weapons are the weapons that undead used when they were alive. There’s no way ordinary monsters would have such things.’

In essence, they were weapons exclusive to legion commanders.

But there are always exceptions to every rule.

‘Seeing the Outlaw handle that thing, it’s definitely beyond ordinary undead.’

The moment it wielded its exclusive weapon, it was actually superior to even the Empire’s undead.

To think it was still classified as a Lower City monster despite this – there was no cheat key like this.

What was disappointing was that Suffering, who could be considered the main force of Jihad’s legion, wasn’t wielding a weapon.

It wasn’t that Jihad was discriminating against Suffering.

[Mana consumption varies depending on the performance of weapons wielded by undead.]

[Exclusive weapons consume even more mana.]

[Warning. The rank of 1st Legion Commander ‘Suffering’ is extremely high.]

[Abnormalities may occur in weapon manifestation and duration.]

Suffering was the king of the Outlaws.

Having been the king of an entire race, its inherent rank was different from other undead.

Just once.

When he first obtained the skill and went hunting, Suffering with a weapon was truly a mana-devouring monster.

Jihad’s mana, which had become quite abundant, could be seen getting chopped up in real-time.

‘Though its performance was just as absurdly good….’

Unless it was a dire situation, it was wise not to bring it out.

Considering that even the Outlaws only had one wielding a weapon to save mana, Suffering would rarely have occasion to wield a weapon, wouldn’t it?

Just look at it now.

Thwack! Thud!

Smack!

-Well done, well done, Ttadaki!

Even without an exclusive weapon, it was fighting just fine.

With Suffering already doing more than its share as a legion commander, Jihad wasn’t about to waste mana unnecessarily.

‘Now even decent necromancers wouldn’t be able to show their business cards.’

Jihad alone could slaughter field bosses now.

To think that Jihad, who could only pick up miscellaneous items with his quick hands trait, had grown this much.

It was truly moving in a new way.

‘Later, if I get him a legendary equipment piece, that would be perfect.’

Preferably something that would help with mana.

That guy had a structure where strength and mana were inversely proportional – the stronger he became, the more mana he devoured.

Meanwhile, as everyone was proudly proving their growth.

-Risa!

Our Eliza was….

-Oh, our Ugeo is doing well too!

Ueo ueo!

-Rizariza!

Enthusiastically bouncing around next to Jihad, cheering him on.

While everyone had grown, surprisingly Eliza boasted of being completely unchanged.

It was truly strange.

With the same mechanism as Suffering, she should grow along with Jihad’s growth.

Why was her only skill still just thread spinning?

‘Wasn’t Eliza also a special race?’

She was a spider that even Kashiyar acknowledged….

It was puzzling in many ways, but what did it matter?

-Risa?

She was so cute like that.

Eliza had already fulfilled her role just by being adorable.

‘Of course, that’s right.’

As Dohyun watched with satisfaction, Eliza tilted her head curiously.

While he was stroking Eliza with his index finger, all the gatekeepers had been dealt with.

[You have defeated the gatekeepers.]

[Experience gain for Guardians increases due to Proof of Unity.]

[Guardian ‘Charlie’s level has increased.]

“Oh?”

Just then, Dohyun exclaimed in admiration at the level-up message that appeared.

[Charlie LV 49]

[Jihad LV 47]

With this, Charlie was now 2 levels higher than Jihad.

-No, why didn’t mine go up? When am I going to get stronger?

Jihad, who could tolerate a 1-level gap but couldn’t stand a 2-level difference, fumed angrily.

-Don’t you have excellent subordinates? You’re already strong enough, so there’s no need to be impatient.

-But they’re the strong ones. If I were a warrior, I’d at least have the satisfaction of combat….

-Hah! How can you say such things when you have such excellent subordinates? A truly outstanding lord should know their subordinates’ strengths better than anyone. Your legion is by far the best among all the necromancers I’ve seen.

-R-really? Well, that’s true!

-Risa….

Now Charlie was managing to keep Jihad from changing his mind without even being told.

How very reliable.

‘Yes! Just trust me, Master!’

When their eyes met, Charlie sent him a look that seemed to say exactly that.

It was just as he was quietly giving him a thumbs up in response.

Ding-

“Hm?”

A notification sound suddenly rang out.

He hadn’t done anything, so his confusion at the sudden notification was brief.

Soon, Dohyun’s eyes widened as he saw the message window that appeared.

Whoooosh-

[Due to the deaths of countless gatekeepers, an alien energy floats in the air.]

[The unidentified egg reacts to the alien energy.]

[The unidentified egg absorbs the energy.]

[Satiety increases.]

[Current satiety is 5 / 100.]

“Huh?”

The unidentified egg wriggled.

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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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