The Return of the Genius Ranker of All Times - Chapter 33

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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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Episode 33

Chapter 33.

“Excuse me. Have you found a party by any chance?”

A low voice came from somewhere.

The words were polite, but strangely felt like they were being spat out bluntly.

That’s why Dohyun initially thought the words weren’t directed at him.

So he was ignoring it…

“…Excuse me?”

“…”

“You there, the one wearing the warrior set?”

“?”

After repeated attempts and now a specific indication, Dohyun turned his head.

Then he saw a man with a slightly frowning expression. He seemed displeased, thinking his words had been continuously ignored.

But as soon as their eyes met, the man quickly composed his expression and got straight to the point.

“Yes. If you haven’t found a party yet, would you like to come with us?”

“…With me?”

“Yes. It seems like you’re having trouble finding a party… If it’s okay with you, why don’t you join us.”

“You know I’m a swordsman, right?”

“Of course. We’re actually high level, but we’re doing this because of a quest. Our items are good too, so that doesn’t matter.”

“…”

“Seeing that you’ve gotten a warrior set, you seem serious about Godose, and honestly that kind of person is better anyway.”

The man showed a kind smile as he said this.

His earlier blunt appearance was nowhere to be seen. At first glance, he looked like an angel who understood sincerity and readily extended a helping hand.

Glancing behind him, the man’s companions who caught his eye smiled brightly and waved their hands.

There was one mage and one tank.

‘This man is… a swordsman?’

Perhaps seeing Dohyun’s gaze fixed on the sword sheath.

The man scratched his head awkwardly.

“Haha… Actually, I’m also a swordsman. I couldn’t just pass by the sorrow of a fellow swordsman.”

“Ah.”

“Honestly, there’s no class as attractive as swordsman, right? Even that Demroc is technically a swordsman, so who are they to look down on swordsmen…”

As he rambled on about how swordsmen would be the best in the later stages, his appearance conveyed a sense of sorrow.

He also felt like a young man full of dreams and hope.

Even though there were two swordsmen, they had a mage and tank, and as the man said, their equipment seemed to be decked out in at least rare grade or higher, looking quite impressive.

For Dohyun, this was a situation where he should prostrate himself and beg to join the party.

But what was this inexplicable cheapness he felt?

‘Something smells fishy…’

He couldn’t explain what it was, but their kind expressions, speech patterns, behavior, and the atmosphere they gave off all rubbed him the wrong way.

And Dohyun knew this feeling of irritation very well.

It was a sensation he had felt countless times in Demroc.

“Swordsman?”

Perhaps wondering about Dohyun’s lack of response.

The moment he briefly made eye contact with the man, Dohyun realized.

‘Ah, so that’s what it was.’

That this guy was wearing a mask right now.

It was because he felt a quite familiar emotion in the eyes he just met.

It was hostility.

But that hostility was somewhat faint and ambiguous, so even Dohyun had been uncertain.

‘What kind of day is today? Suddenly these kinds of events are happening one after another.’

Wasn’t it too different from yesterday, which felt peaceful and warm like spring?

It seemed like he had just been diligently developing his character…

Events were bursting out one after another as soon as he graduated from Newbie City, making Dohyun sigh inwardly with the reasonable suspicion that some coordinates had been marked on him.

‘If this is fate, then it’s fate.’

Since they were expressing their ulterior motives with their whole body, it would be wise not to go along with them, but…

‘I can’t let this slide.’

Dohyun wasn’t the type of person with a heart big enough to ignore and pass by someone who showed hostility toward him.

Regardless of whether he would pay them back or not, he felt too uncomfortable to just let it go.

How many times had he left such things alone, only for that snowball to grow like a snowball and explode all at once later?

“Ah, I’m sorry. I was so caught off guard… If you’d have me, I’d be grateful.”

“Haha, not at all. Then I’ll send you an invite.”

So Dohyun also put on a mask.

Pretending to know nothing, pretending to be innocent, he smiled and shook hands.

Ding-.

[‘Bastard Sword’ has requested to join the party.]

[Do you accept?]

When he pressed confirm, conversation stopped momentarily as a semi-transparent hologram window appeared in the lower left.

And Dohyun saw.

[‘Bastard Sword’s party has been formed.]

[Party Leader]

-Bastard Sword 【LV24.】

[Party Members]

-Ojisung Gisamnida 【LV24.】

-Strongest 10th Class Great Mage Gujapchae 【LV24.】

-Kaiser 【LV20.】

The moment he saw the party list, Bastard Sword flinched.

And it was the same for the two behind him.

All of them, even if briefly, had the hostility in their eyes deepen a bit more.

‘They know me.’

It was strange.

He hadn’t done any particular activities yet, and Dohyun was seeing them for the first time.

In such a situation, he didn’t know how they knew Dohyun.

But he would find out soon. Because they would reveal it soon enough.

“Then we’ll enter. Is that okay?”

“Yes. I’m ready.”

“Then let’s go in~!”

With Bastard Sword’s spirited shout, they moved to the entrance, and soon a message appeared.

[You have accepted dungeon entry.]

[You will enter the dungeon ‘Goblin Chieftain’s Lair’ shortly.]

[Goblin Chieftain’s Lair]

-Grade: Rare

-Type: Normal Dungeon

-Description: The dwelling place of a brave warrior and legend of the Green Goblins who was cursed and left his tribe.

[Entry Limit: 4 people]

[Entry Level Limit: LV24 or below]

[Entering the dungeon.]

‘Let’s see how this plays out.’

He waited comfortably for the dungeon transition, and soon his vision flickered as he entered the dungeon.

* * *

[You have entered the Goblin Chieftain’s Lair.]

“Hmm.”

Dohyun checked the message and looked around, letting out a small gasp of admiration.

The dungeon’s structure was very different from the outside.

From the outside, it was just a cave sitting alone in the forest, but the interior definitely felt like a dwelling.

Like a cave that had been decorated as a residence?

Torches placed on the walls were neatly arranged in rows, and stairs and ornaments were quite visible too.

‘I’d believe it if you told me an indigenous tribe lived here.’

It was developed well enough to truly deserve being called a chieftain’s lair.

Next, Dohyun checked on his party members.

He thought they might reveal their true colors now that they had entered the dungeon.

“Oh, this has quite an atmosphere, doesn’t it?”

“A chieftain’s living quarters are definitely different.”

For us, it’d be like the president~ This level is what you’d expect.”

“Well, that’s true. Keke.”

However, contrary to his expectations, they were chatting about trivial things with innocent faces.

As if they were too busy sightseeing the dungeon to even pay attention to Dohyun.

It was such a natural appearance that someone without much experience would think ‘Was I mistaken?’

Even Dohyun had that thought for a moment.

‘I’ll know if I keep watching.’

Whether his intuition was right or wrong would become clear as they cleared the dungeon.

Whatever the case, they didn’t seem like they would cause trouble just yet.

It was while they were slowly walking forward, looking around like this.

Kirik? Kirik!

“Huh?”

The moment they turned a corner in the corridor, they encountered two goblins.

At a distance of less than 20 meters, no less.

The goblins seemed flustered by the unexpected encounter, letting out their characteristic shrieks, and Bastard Sword drew his sword upon seeing this.

“Looks like scouts.”

“No need to form positions for this. I’ll handle it.”

With those words, Bastard Sword lunged forward.

His sword sliced through a goblin’s waist as he charged forward as smoothly as gliding on ice.

It was a charging slash.

Since it was a skill that all swordsmen basically acquired, he too possessed the charging slash.

Swoosh-!

‘Hmm?’

However, his charging slash was somewhat peculiar.

After the charging slash, he slid a bit more and slashed with his sword once more as he passed by.

‘Is that also a trait?’

Whether it was a unique ability or a trait, considering it was a phenomenon that didn’t exist in Demroc, it seemed certain to be one of the two.

Kiek!

The goblin that had suddenly taken a hit seemed enraged, snorting and even leaping as it charged, but there was no way it could reach Bastard Sword.

Clang-!

It was because Ojisung Gisamnida had appeared and thrust his shield forward.

The goblin’s expression was dumbfounded, as if surprised that its desperate attack had been futilely blocked.

“Oh, nice. But you didn’t need to help.”

“If I don’t do at least this much, I get restless. Just kill that one.”

“I will… huh?”

Whoosh! Kek!

Before Bastard Sword could even finish speaking, a fireball flew over and struck the remaining goblin.

The goblin seemed to be in considerable pain, suggesting the firepower was substantial.

Seeing the goblin rolling on the ground while engulfed in flames, both men simultaneously turned around.

There stood Strongest 10th Class Great Mage Gujapchae, waving his staff. That Bastard grinned when their eyes met.

“If you don’t kill it quickly, I’ll finish it off?”

Red flames were gathering at the tip of his staff.

“That won’t do.”

Though he frowned at this, Bastard Sword moved quickly, seemingly unwilling to yield.

The goblin tried to attack him as he charged, but Bastard Sword skillfully dodged, deflected its weapon, and then thrust his sword into its neck.

[You have defeated a Red Goblin Scout.]

[Through contribution distribution, ‘Bastard Sword’ has obtained Red Goblin Scout’s claws.]

…

[The scout’s death is reported to the chieftain.]

“Whew.”

“Easy, so easy.”

Having disposed of the two scouts in an instant, they shrugged their shoulders as if this level was nothing.

Then, belatedly noticing Dohyun, they gave awkward smiles.

Seeing those innocent smiles, Dohyun thought.

‘Not bad.’

Their claim about having good equipment was apparently true – their power was considerable and their control wasn’t bad either.

Their teamwork was quite good too.

Among them, the mage’s power was particularly impressive – seeing that made it clear why fire-attribute mages were counted among the top for firepower.

[Goblins rush over upon detecting the scout’s death.]

“Ah, more are coming.”

“No problem.”

As the notification indicated, goblins appeared quickly.

Kiek! Kek!

This time there were three, and they seemed to hold the same position as the previous scouts, wielding daggers.

The moment they spotted the party, they immediately charged.

Then, once again, Bastard Sword and his companions shot forward like lightning.

Clang!

The Paladin raised his shield to block,

Thunk- Whoosh!

Bastard Sword slashed as he passed, and That Bastard poured magic spells as if he’d been waiting.

Though the enemy soldiers numbered four, one more than them, they were no match at all.

It was such a one-sided fight that Dohyun didn’t even need to step in.

Swoosh-.

It was the moment Bastard Sword finished off the last one.

[The terrified chieftain sends soldiers.]

[Prepare for battle.]

“Wow, they’re not giving us time to rest.”

“This time it’s soldiers, not scouts.”

Like some kind of relay battle, goblins immediately came rushing over.

This was the concept of the Goblin Chieftain’s Lair.

Due to one of the chieftain’s traits being cowardice, the chieftain would never come out first.

It would continuously send soldiers to fight in its place, and players had to fight through such goblin attacks to reach the boss room.

And the goblins would get progressively stronger.

Tap tap tap tap-.

It was the same now.

The goblins that appeared, their multiple footsteps echoing through the cave, were definitely different from the previous scouts.

Unlike the scouts who carried daggers, their weapons were long spears, and their builds were more robust.

Even while watching the soldiers thrust their spears forward like enraged bulls, the party members didn’t readily step forward.

Instead, they took a step back.

“Would you like to try taking them down this time, Kaiser?”

“If it gets dangerous, we’ll step in right away.”

“We took care of all of them earlier, so you might be feeling left out. Feel free to step up. We can work on our coordination too.”

Dohyun inwardly chuckled at their words, spoken as if they were doing him a favor.

They barely managed to take down five scouts with three people, and now they want him to face three soldiers alone?

Their true intentions were obvious.

‘They’re basically saying “let’s see what you’ve got.”‘

If they were curious about Dohyun’s level of skill, there was no reason he couldn’t show them.

Leaving behind the others who didn’t move a single step as if telling him to hurry up and go, Dohyun slowly approached the goblin soldiers.

‘I’ll play along for a bit.’

A cold smile formed on Dohyun’s lips.

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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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