The Return of the Genius Ranker of All Times - Chapter 371

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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 371

Part 2, Episode 37.

Hidden Field.

A field hidden within a field.

Unlike secret dungeons that usually exist one per city, Hidden Fields were something that could barely be found even across the entire Empire.

In fact, even Dohyun had only seen the Habitat of the Warriors in Raven as a Hidden Field.

‘Unlike the Main Continent, they say Hidden Fields appear frequently in the New Continent, but…’

That was only when players accidentally discovered them while clearing quests for different races in places rarely visited by players.

This place, which could be said to be the most frequently visited by players, was an exception.

Being weekly content, players entered this forest every week, yet not only Hidden Fields, but even secret dungeons had never been discovered here.

Well, it was inevitable.

‘It’s structured so you can only enter after encountering Periel, a high-level spirit.’

Following the insane prerequisite of achieving 10,000 purification points, there was even the collection condition of bringing corrupted roots within three days.

It was easy to the point of being free for Dohyun who had the Eye of Truth.

But considering ordinary players as the standard, the difficulty was absurdly brutal.

Conditions that required both exploration and combat abilities evenly?

However, looking at the Hidden Field spread before his eyes, those conditions became understandable.

Swoosh—

Writhe.

A forest filled with murkily corrupted land, just like the field’s name.

Earth stained with something black revealed between the thickets, and lifeless trees with faded light.

And even numerous dangerous-looking monsters.

[Her Wish]

-Grade: Emergency Quest

-Description: Periel, a high-level spirit of nature.

She had been searching for someone to fulfill her long-held desire.

That was to enter the cave where the spirit stone was sealed and rescue the spirit stone that was being corrupted.

However, that place had some kind of barrier preventing spirits from entering.

To enter that place, the power of a race other than spirits was needed.

But finding the key to enter that place wasn’t easy, so she was half-giving up when she obtained you as an irreplaceable lifeline.

Become a ray of hope for her.

-Corrupted Spirit Stone (0 / 1)

-Quest Success: Chain Quest occurs, Periel’s Blessing

-Quest Failure: Chain Quest and rewards deleted

‘In such an environment, breaking through numerous monsters to find and bring back a corrupted spirit stone…’

Considering the conditions, the most suitable race was elves.

They were almost the only nature-friendly race that possessed both excellent gathering skills and hunting abilities.

The problem was that those elves had started interacting with the Apostles and began conducting troublesome purification work through the Apostles.

Naturally, the frequency of elves purifying this place decreased, and finding corrupted roots also became less common.

In such a situation, some human appeared claiming to be suitable…

It was natural for Periel to feel anxious.

[I trust you. You are a more excellent candidate than any elf I have ever seen. I have been waiting for a human like you all along.]

“…Didn’t you say you didn’t know I was human before?”

[…Ahem. It seems I’ve developed prejudices about races from living so long. From now on, I’ll try to abandon my preconceptions about humans.]

Of course, now she was sticking right beside him, sending very trusting looks.

When she was displeased, her attitude change was remarkably swift, but from her perspective, it was quite natural.

Not only had he eliminated all nearby roots and removed future threats, but currently Dohyun was the only suitable person who could bring the spirit stone.

[Honestly, if it were up to my heart, I’d want to ask you to remove all the corrupted roots in the forest, but it’s regrettable that I cannot do so.]

Spirits were a race more certain of repayment than anyone else.

This was due to the spirits’ innate nature of clear beginnings and endings, but for high-level spirits, it could be called semi-compulsory.

High-level spirits would suffer soul damage and lose their power as spirits if they didn’t provide corresponding repayment when they received favors.

‘That’s a bit regrettable for me too.’

For Dohyun as well, it was quite regrettable to miss the opportunity to extract more benefits.

Though Jihad was looking at him with coldly disappointed eyes as if asking ‘were you thinking of freeloading even more here?’, Dohyun no longer cared.

[Remaining Time Limit – 00 : 58 : 21]

Rather, the tournament time was somewhat concerning…

“…It’s really okay to just enter and come out without any problems, right?”

[That’s correct.]

“The field won’t close or anything like that, right?”

[Of course not. If that happened, you wouldn’t be able to bring the spirit stone forever, and that’s something I’d rather avoid.]

“Hmm…”

Just from her words, there didn’t seem to be any major problems.

Once the tournament ended, Apostles would be prohibited from entering again, so it would be awkward to come here before next week.

Revealing all these circumstances to the elves and asking them to enter seemed like it would make things complicated…

‘Right. Let’s clear it now.’

Other conditions aside.

If it was just finding and bringing out a spirit stone, it was a very advantageous condition for Dohyun who had the Eye of Truth.

If worst came to worst, he could just look around for an hour and come out.

Swish.

Having made his decision, Dohyun grinned and stepped forward.

He felt the strange sensation of a semi-transparent barrier passing through his body, followed by Periel’s voice filled with earnestness.

[Human, may you be able to return safely.]

At the same time, a message appeared.

[Entering Hidden Field ‘Corrupted Spirit’s Land’.]

[When you bring out the corrupted spirit stone, the Hidden Field will disappear and rewards based on performance will be given.]

[The forest’s monsters are watching you.]

[The forest’s monsters are watching you.]

…

‘This is the Corrupted Spirit’s Land.’

He had successfully entered the Hidden Field.

And that’s when it happened.

Growl—!

A rough sound came as if it had been waiting for Dohyun to enter.

Instinctively swinging Cheonbyeon, sparks flew with a clang sound followed by a heavy sensation.

A monster about twice the size of a large wolf was drooling while biting down on Cheonbyeon.

“Look at these bastards.”

Moreover, there wasn’t just one monster.

Grrr…! Grr…

Two, three, five…

Whether they had truly been watching, about a dozen surrounded him without giving him time to look around the field.

Seeing them drooling, they seemed to be salivating over the prey that had rolled in after a long time.

But there was something they didn’t know.

-How dare they…! Leave them to us, Master.

-Risa!

-Ttadaki! Deploy!

The fact that their side was definitely not just four.

[Guardian ‘Jihad Black’ summons undead.]

[Using Legion Control, all are judged as one entity.]

[50% or more of the legion’s undead are judged as Lower City monsters. Mana consumption is reduced.]

[1st Legion Commander, ‘Suffering’ has been summoned.]

….

[You have summoned 2nd Legion Commander ‘Ugeo’.]

Grroooar- Uooooar!

Clack, clack!

The Outlaw Band led by Suffering and the hulking legion led by Ugeo.

As over 20 undead burst up from the ground in a rush, the monsters began backing away in apparent confusion.

They had surrounded thinking they had numerical advantage, but now that wasn’t the case, they must have felt threatened.

If they were ordinary beasts, they would retreat at this point, but these weren’t beasts—they were monsters with only destructive instincts remaining.

[Elite Grade]

[Elite Grade]

….

[Elite Grade]

Moreover, these weren’t just any monsters, but ones that were all Elite grade without exception.

They were higher level than even the monsters from Area A.

Step.

When the leader, a particularly large one, took a step forward,

Krrrroooong! Kerrrng!

As if they had never been intimidated, the other monsters also barked loudly and charged.

And having heard the commotion, monsters surrounding them from all directions were increasing in real time.

“They’re giving us quite the initiation ceremony.”

-That’s right, Owner.

Dohyun slashed the monster he was facing head-on, then raised the corner of his mouth as he took his stance.

“We don’t have time, so let’s move quickly.”

-Roger!

-Yes, Master.

-Rizariza!

With those words, they each took their stances, and the battle began.

* * *

[You have defeated an elite monster of the Land of Corrupted Elemental Stones.]

[You have defeated an elite monster of the Land of Corrupted Elemental Stones.]

….

[You have defeated an elite monster of the Land of Corrupted Elemental Stones.]

[You have obtained Monster’s Trace.]

[You have obtained Monster’s Trace.]

….

After finishing the battle, a festival of numerous messages greeted him.

Only then did Dohyun put down Cheonbyeon and take a deep breath.

“Whew, they really kept coming without a break.”

-Tell me about it. I think we killed about 50 of them. At this point, don’t you think we’ve been marked with coordinates or something, Owner?

-Rizariza…!

-Mmm…!

They seemed equally tired, showing exhausted expressions.

In the case of Area A monsters, the number a player can typically handle at once doesn’t exceed ten.

What about the monsters here that are stronger than those in Area A?

And not just ten, but over 50?

‘If I were alone, the fight would have dragged on.’

Even for Dohyun, it would have been quite troublesome.

“Good work, Suffering, Ugeo. You played a big role.”

Uooooar-

Clack!

In that regard, the Undead Legion’s role could be said to be very significant.

The systematic and meticulous combat methods of the Outlaw Band commanded by Suffering, and the reckless charging like a tank army of Ugeo’s legion were very useful in this kind of group battle.

Clack.

Especially among them, Suffering’s role was significant.

While Ugeo, perhaps due to low intelligence, only played simple roles like sweeping and charging.

Suffering simultaneously conducted intelligent combat and command better than most players.

‘Is it because Jihad has grown a lot? Suffering’s specs have also increased significantly.’

Now even using Requiem frequently doesn’t cause major problems.

Considering that he still hasn’t regained his original power, bringing Suffering as a legion commander could be called a stroke of genius.

After all, he was the boss who had pushed Dohyun the hardest.

-…Owner? I’m the one who controls the undead.

Clack? Clack….

-What are you talking about? I’m not just cheering. I control mana with such profound hand movements. Geez, what would you know when all you can do is command.

Clack? Clack.

-Oh? You keep talking back lately? Want to do some duck walking?

…Seeing that imposing guy now reduced to duck walking under Jihad made him feel strangely sorry.

Dohyun, who made eye contact with Suffering, quietly looked away.

‘I’ll definitely fulfill your wish.’

What Suffering wanted was the safety of his kind and revenge against the god who caused their deaths.

Since Dohyun, as Kashiyar’s successor, was essentially an enemy of the gods, to achieve this, he ultimately had no choice but to clear the Main Quest.

As he progressed through the Main Quest, the day would naturally come when he could fulfill Suffering’s wish.

So Dohyun decided to think about that later and focus on the present moment.

[You obtain Monster’s Trace.]

[You obtain Monster’s Trace.]

….

‘Only junk items dropped. There’s no mention of bonus points being awarded either. Does killing monsters not greatly affect grades?’

He was making that judgment while checking the rewards.

[You have obtained Strange Trace.]

“Hm?”

Among the Monster’s Traces, a trace with a different name caught his eye.

The name wasn’t the only difference.

Unlike Monster’s Traces that looked like contaminated debris, this one was corrupted but definitely had a spherical shape.

“…A bead?”

The texture felt similar when touched.

Most strange of all….

[Eye of Truth activates.]

‘Why is this happening here?’

The Eye of Truth, which definitely hadn’t activated until he obtained the bead, activated the moment he acquired it.

The moment he felt puzzled by this.

[The Unidentified Egg reacts to an alien aura.]

[The Unidentified Egg absorbs the aura.]

[Satiety increases.]

[Current satiety is 35.]

“Huh?”

The egg that had shown no movement reacted,

[The ‘Intruder’ of the Corrupted Spirit’s Land realizes that the aura dwelling in the traces they left has disappeared.]

[Emergency Quest ‘Intruder of the Spirit’s Land’ occurs.]

[Find the intruders hidden in this place within the time limit and confirm their identity.]

‘Intruder?’

At the message that appeared immediately after, Dohyun’s face hardened.

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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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