The Return of the Genius Ranker of All Times - Chapter 4

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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 4

Chapter 4.

“What do you want to do most when you’re discharged?”

This is the question soldiers nearing discharge hear most often.

And the answers to it are usually one-dimensional.

I want to sleep all day at home.

I want to have a drink of soju with pork belly.

I want to lie in bed, eat chicken, and watch Netflix.

Those whose freedom had been suppressed feel the preciousness of daily life and want to reclaim that normalcy.

In that regard, Dohyun was similar.

“Gaming.”

“…What?”

“I said I want to game.”

“…”

His daily life as a gaming addict consisted entirely of a reasonably spacious room corner with a computer and VR equipment.

He desperately wanted to reclaim that routine.

His fellow soldiers initially looked at him with bewildered expressions, but soon they could understand.

“Gaming? You mean Godose?”

“Ah, that first virtual reality game? Damn, that’s totally understandable. I’m dying to play it too. Just had to get drafted right after it was released…”

“What kind of game is that? You should have said you wanted to play Godose.”

“Are you all going to capsule rooms when discharged? Let’s form a party sometime.”

To people, Godose was no longer just a game for shut-ins.

Godose was a culture and a world in itself.

Rather, it was harder to find people who didn’t play Godose.

Even among elderly people, not knowing about Godose meant being treated as out of touch with the world.

Unfortunately, among those stuck in the military while Godose dominated the scene, there wasn’t a single person who didn’t want to play it.

“…Is Godose really that amazing?”

“I heard it’s like another world…”

“Oh, you guys haven’t tried Godose? Damn, look at these culture-deprived people… It’s seriously no joke. Bring three diapers each.”

Even the junior soldiers listening while smoking together showed interest.

At such times, those who had experienced Godose outside would get excited and unfold their stories like heroic tales.

Those who hadn’t played Godose listened with childlike wonder in their eyes.

Before long, talk about Godose and women occupied over 90% of conversations in the military.

Each time, Dohyun had to undergo a patience test.

‘It really was a virtual reality game…!’

The sequel to Demroc that he had dismissed as impossible.

Who would have known it would actually be a virtual reality game?

Why did it have to be released exactly when he went to the military? It was so frustrating he could cry tears of blood.

He usually didn’t believe in God, but this time his faith was truly surging.

At this point, God was definitely intervening to mess with him.

After enduring an eon of 1 year and 6 months listening to news about Godose, the moment he was discharged.

Slam!

“…Capsule! Where’s the capsule?”

“What, brother’s here? Your hair grew a lot.”

“Your brother looks for a capsule first thing after coming home. When he was a baby, he used to call for mommy, mommy and only look for mom. This is why they say children become unnecessary when they grow up.”

“Mommy, you still have your daughter.”

“Stop calling me that. Really, you two have no middle ground.”

Arriving home, Dohyun looked for the capsule first like an addict looking for drugs.

Seeing this, his younger sister Hyuna and mother Chae Misuk, who were watching TV, scolded him. Normally Dohyun would have gotten angry, but now he didn’t care.

He just wanted to receive the capsule as quickly as possible.

“We put the capsule in your room. Two men moved it and oh my, why is a capsule so heavy? I guess people game with things like that these days.”

“Mom, don’t you know Godose? If you don’t know that, you’re treated like an outcast these days.”

“Oh you, they talk about that on TV all the time, so of course I know. But I’m too scared to do such things. Those people aren’t even afraid of catching such monsters.”

“Mom, your son catches them the best. He’s a slaughterer.”

Listening to their conversation with one ear and letting it flow out the other, Dohyun entered his room and stopped dead in his tracks.

His eyes filled with emotion.

“Ahh…”

A brilliant appearance.

The smoothly drawn oval shape and gracefully curved contours couldn’t be more beautiful.

Approaching closer and caressing the capsule, a smile spread across Dohyun’s face.

‘This is a capsule…’

The emotion felt different from just seeing it on broadcasts.

Was it because it was a capsule he had ordered by saving up bit by bit with military pay that had risen enough to be called a salary?

Though it was a used basic model capsule he bought for about 4 million won, he felt as proud as if he had bought his first car.

“Son, aren’t you eating?”

“I already ate. I’ll eat dinner.”

Giving a casual answer to Chae Misuk’s words, Dohyun threw himself into the capsule.

The cushion that softly embraced him was quite nice.

It was expensive at first, but now that almost 2 years had passed, capsules came out at cheap prices these days.

Compared to back then, the quality was better and the synchronization rate had improved too.

‘Well then, shall I try connecting?’

Dohyun skillfully began operating the capsule.

He had already mastered the usage by watching countless videos.

The same went for Godose.

He hadn’t studied everything, but he had roughly checked what kind of structure it was on the way here.

‘It has many similarities to Demroc.’

Being a sequel, many aspects were similar.

It was natural if you think about it.

Godose had a worldview set in the future generation after Demroc.

The worldview, cities, and various other elements.

Many aspects had changed, but since it continued the same lineage, the systematic settings themselves were similar, so it didn’t seem difficult.

For now, he had only looked at the general aspects, but detailed strategy guides could be checked later without being too late.

1 year and 6 months was enough time for most information to be available with just a few clicks on the homepage.

Needless to say for Godose, which 1 billion people play.

Click.

After turning on the switches in order and completing the operations, he put on a helmet-like device similar to gear, and soon his vision went dark.

Then a message appeared.

[Recognizing iris.]

[Checking ID card.]

[ID card confirmed.]

[Synchronization complete.]

[Would you like to connect to God of Savior?]

“Yes.”

With an immediate answer, his mind became hazy and the world turned white.

And the world that appeared again was a pure white space. A female AI voice echoing in that space.

[Welcome to the paradise of adventure.]

[Please create a character.]

[Gender cannot be changed, and appearance can be modified for hair, eyes, and other body restoration. Other changes are possible as long as they don’t significantly affect the human body.]

Dohyun looked at the full-length mirror placed before him.

The mirror sitting alone reflected Dohyun’s current appearance.

A figure barely covered in vital areas, exposed in a revealing manner.

Though he had grown it out somewhat, his hair still couldn’t escape the military look, and his body appeared noticeably more robust than before.

‘I do look too much like a soldier though.’

It’s not like I’m advertising that I came running straight after discharge.

I was amazed at how my appearance changed with each simple touch as I made adjustments.

The way it changed with a swish felt like casting magic. Well, that’s just how it seemed – I hadn’t actually changed much.

That’s because I had only grown out my hair.

Other than that, there was no difference from my real appearance.

‘There’s nothing I can really fix anyway, so there’s no need to waste time on it.’

This was definitely different from Demroc.

In Demroc, where the five senses weren’t felt, you could freely change not only appearance but even gender.

The so-called customization masters showed extreme utilization even under such harsh conditions, but unfortunately Dohyun lacked such skills. He had no intention of bothering with it either.

After finishing the customization, he now looked quite civilian-like.

As he looked at the mirror with satisfaction, the voice came again.

[Please set your nickname.]

‘Nickname…’

Anyone playing Godseeker would have to be careful about this.

Generally, nicknames in games don’t allow duplicates, but Godseeker allowed them.

It was natural considering it was a game played by as many as 1 billion people.

However, Dohyun shouted without a moment’s hesitation.

“Kaiser.”

A name that had been with him from when he first started gaming until the service ended.

For him, Kaiser was as familiar and meaningful as his real name.

He never intended to choose a different name from the start.

[Is the nickname ‘Kaiser’ correct?]

“Yes.”

[Nice to meet you, ‘Kaiser’.]

[Your hashtag is Kaiser#312543.]

[Character has been created.]

[Moving to tutorial zone.]

With that message, his vision turned black.

* * *

“Wow…”

Dohyun honestly expressed his admiration at the scenery spread before his eyes.

This was the castle walls.

The kind of castle you’d see in a typical medieval fantasy movie.

It wasn’t the beautiful other world scenery he’d seen in videos, but the torches illuminating the darkness and the towering castle walls made him feel like he’d entered a battlefield.

The cool night breeze brushing against his body, the smell of burning.

The sensation of his feet gripping the ground as he stood.

Even the subtle sensations felt through his skin when he wiggled his fingers.

The sensations felt throughout his body were the same as reality.

He almost thought he hadn’t started a game but had been transported into a fantasy world. It was truly a different dimension of vividness from Demroc.

‘This is a virtual reality game…’

He was staring blankly at the other world scenery spread beyond the castle walls.

[This is the site of the tragic battlefield of Arren Castle from the past.]

[Please select a weapon.]

The voice he’d heard during character creation woke Dohyun.

When he instinctively turned around, he saw countless weapons floating in the air. The systematic phenomenon appearing in such a realistic place felt rather awkward.

[Crude Sword]

-An old and dulled sword.

It seems adequate for cutting people.

[Crude Spear]

-An old and dulled spear.

It seems adequate for stabbing people.

…

[Crude Bow]

-An old and worn bow.

It looks like it could shoot about fifty more times.

From swords to spears, bows, daggers, maces, crossbows, staffs…

Various weapons were lined up, but Dohyun picked up a weapon without any hesitation.

[You have selected the Crude Sword.]

[You can use the sword’s basic skill ‘Power Strike’.]

[Tutorial begins.]

Sword. It was the weapon Dohyun used most during his Demroc days.

There was no particular reason.

He had chosen it simply because it seemed most versatile in all aspects, and it just happened to suit his aptitude when he tried it.

“You there!”

As soon as he picked up the weapon, a soldier came running from afar as if he’d been waiting.

His urgent expression and blood-stained armor revealed the critical situation.

As if frustrated by Dohyun just standing there watching, he roughly approached and grabbed his wrist.

“What are you doing here when time is of the essence! The other mercenaries have already joined the battle, so hurry and join them!”

[A party is formed with Knight Captain ‘Charlie’.]

Party Members

-Charlie

-Kaiser

With this hastily formed party, Dohyun was dragged into the castle.

It was an event-based tutorial that appeared in other games too.

Following Charlie, unlike outside the castle, pandemonium unfolded. Soldiers and monsters collapsed in pools of blood, pierced by swords and arrows.

The leisurely observation from moments ago disappeared, and a tense situation was instantly created.

It got worse the deeper they went.

Kraaak!

Kaaaaa!

The number of fallen soldiers and soldiers fiercely fighting hideous monsters over their fallen comrades kept increasing.

He could occasionally see what appeared to be mercenaries lying fallen as well.

“Already this many… Damn it.”

Charlie squeezed his eyes shut as if his heart was tearing, then turned his head and quickened his pace.

He was genuinely grieving his comrades’ deaths.

Simple data couldn’t reproduce the trembling around his eyes and the subtle shaking of his hands.

“So they’ve joined forces with the monsters after all… If the rumors are true, they’ve made a contract with that ‘monster’. We must hurry and stop it before it descends.”

That was why he couldn’t even properly close his comrades’ eyes and was hurrying.

If the monster descended, everything would be over.

And Dohyun knew who that monster was. He’d already seen it many times through videos.

It wasn’t a monster created to be defeated in the tutorial.

“Hurry. It’s just ahead if we go through here.”

Just as they descended the stairs, Charlie shouted while crossing the corridor.

That’s when it happened.

Swoosh- Thunk thunk-!

At the sound of something cutting through the air, Dohyun stopped, and arrows passed right in front of him, embedding in the floor.

It was as if the arrows had deliberately avoided Dohyun.

“…!”

Charlie, who was about to deflect the arrow with his sword, stopped in surprise.

Then, belatedly coming to his senses, he muttered.

“Did you dodge knowing it was coming? No… that can’t be right. You’re quite lucky.”

It wasn’t deflecting the arrow, but dodging by stopping like that didn’t make sense.

It was reasonable to think it was just good luck.

Kikikik-.

Kirik-.

It was monsters that had shot the arrows.

Creatures that overall resembled gnomes.

However, the small horns on their heads were what distinguished them from ordinary gnomes.

There were five of those creatures in total.

“They’ve chased us all the way here… We need to break through them.”

As Charlie took his stance, the monsters also made kicking sounds while each grabbing their weapons.

Two archers, three with blunt weapons.

It was a troublesome combination. Charlie was in a difficult position. His feet would be tied up in a situation where time was of the essence.

“First, I’ll go ahead…!?”

That’s when Dohyun charged forward.

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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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