The Return of the Genius Ranker of All Times - Chapter 78

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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 78

Chapter 78.

But what about Kaiser?

Sure, he was called a god in the past, and he reclaimed the #1 spot in Raven.

He was a hot topic with lots of talk, but in the end, he was alone.

A foolish man who rejected all guild advances and chose to walk the thorny path by himself.

No matter how amazing he was, there was still such a thing as level, and if people ganged up on him, what could he really do?

“He’ll get beaten, obviously.”

“But it’s still Kaiser… Won’t he do something?”

“Kaiser’s still human, isn’t he? It would be tough even at graduation level, but right now he’s probably around level 26 at most. What can he do if higher-level guys team up and come at him seriously?”

“…”

Unfortunately, that was reality.

Reality was cold, and standing alone to defeat multiple enemies and emerge victorious was something that only happened in movies.

“I like Kaiser too, but… this time he was too reckless. Guilds aren’t even the immediate problem. They might still have some lingering desire to recruit him, and since they’re in the public eye, they’ll have some minimum standards, but what about regular players?”

“Well… that’s true. There are so many griefers.”

“And it’s not just griefers. With posts like ‘If I kill Kaiser, will I become a star too?’ frequently appearing on the community, he’s got enemies everywhere now… huh?”

That’s when they were excitedly discussing the current situation.

“It’s Kaiser! Kaiser appeared!”

“Where, where!”

At the commotion from the front, they also stopped talking and turned their heads.

Just as they said, someone was coming out through the entrance.

An appearance with the height and build of what might be a boy around 10 years old.

Fashion that covered even the face with a deep black robe.

-Kyruk.

It was the companion who always traveled with Kaiser.

So people cast their gazes beyond the entrance.

They thought that since that guy came out, Kaiser would naturally show himself soon too.

But…

“…?”

“What, why isn’t he appearing?”

“What’s going on? Did that guy just come out alone first?”

The strange thing wasn’t over yet.

Swoosh.

That companion suddenly raised both hands and took an incomprehensible pose.

It looked like worshipping the sun, or like savoring something?

-Kyruk!

Some incomprehensible sounds could be heard little by little, but they were really quiet and quickly drowned out by the huge commotion among the countless crowd.

After enjoying(?) the attention for a while, the companion started walking.

Then boldly headed somewhere.

“What, that’s not toward the field?”

“Follow for now! There must be something. He definitely got a Hidden Quest!”

“What about Kaiser?”

“He’s not coming out, are you going to let this slip by? You stay here, I’ll follow.”

So they split into half staying and half following the companion.

The way he straightened his back, glanced back, then walked like he was doing a model walk was somehow irritating, but they didn’t give up.

And before long, they could see it.

Swoosh-.

“…Huh?”

“What, where did he go?”

“He suddenly disappeared?”

“…Wait. Don’t tell me he logged out?”

The sight of the companion suddenly disappearing in the middle of the village.

Suddenly vanishing like a flash in the city?

This was one of two things.

Either taking a warp or logging out.

Since the warp was quite far away, in this case it was clearly the latter.

“What about Kaiser?”

“…He didn’t come out. There’s no sign of him coming out either?”

“Ah, what. Don’t tell me he just logged out?”

“Damn, what a waste of time…”

The players who realized this fact made disgusted expressions.

They had been waiting for this moment, and what kind of time waste was this?

They never imagined he would log out.

“Well… I guess it’s natural with this much attention focused?”

“I thought Kaiser wouldn’t log out.”

“You never know, if it’s Kaiser he might have just gone to eat. He seems indifferent to worldly matters.”

“It’s absurd but it seems possible somehow.”

So the players who had been watching with anticipation also dusted off their hands and left.

There were still those who couldn’t give up their lingering attachment and somehow held out standing there, but even they had no choice but to give up and leave after about an hour passed.

That was the moment Brion regained its peace.

And Dohyun was…

[You have entered the Foul-Smelling Rock Forest.]

[Tip. Excessive mob hunting calls forth thick fog.]

[‘Weak Stealth’ effect is currently applied.]

‘Wow, I actually broke through like this.’

He had successfully escaped Brion and entered the Foul-Smelling Rock Forest.

And behind such Dohyun, light flashed as someone appeared.

[Leaving the field, Guardians ‘Jihad Black’ and ‘Eliza’ are moved to their Owner’s side.]

-Owner, I’m here.

-Risa!

It was Jihad and Eliza who had been hiding in the robe pocket.

Jihad, who seemed to be in a particularly good mood for some reason, approached and reached his hand up into the air,

Smack!

This time, Dohyun also gave him a high-five.

It was excellent teamwork.

* * *

The plan was simple.

Jihad would draw attention, and Dohyun, who had stealthed, would escape during the gap when the crowd thinned.

If Dohyun safely made it to the field like that, it would be a success.

Then what about Jihad and Eliza?

It didn’t matter.

Since Jihad and Eliza were Guardians, if they were in a different field from Dohyun, they would be automatically summoned.

[Leaving the field, Guardians ‘Jihad Black’ and ‘Eliza’ are moved to their Owner’s side.]

And that plan worked out exactly right.

Thanks to that, Dohyun, who had entered the Foul-Smelling Rock Forest, grinned.

‘If I hadn’t experienced it with Eliza, I never would have thought of this.’

That’s why they say experience is important.

Thanks to that experience, didn’t he prevent what could have been a Pied Piper situation?

-Kyruk. That was so fun, Owner. If you need it again in the future, just tell me anytime.

-Risa risa!

-Eliza had fun too?

-Risa!

Since Jihad and Eliza both looked happy, it was truly a win-win strategy for everyone.

The atmosphere had improved considerably, but they still couldn’t let their guard down.

‘There are still too many people here. Let’s go deeper inside.’

‘Yeah, got it.’

‘Risa!’

The Foul-Smelling Rock Forest was quite vast, but it was also such a popular hunting ground that there were still many people around.

The numbers would only decrease once the fog became thick enough to impair visibility.

They needed to reach at least that far to feel at ease.

The impaired visibility would work in Dohyun’s favor when the time came.

‘Then, let’s go.’

‘Roger!’

‘Risa!’

Dohyun took the lead while maintaining stealth, followed by Jihad.

Not to be outdone, Eliza stuck her head into Jihad’s pocket.

They looked like they were playing train as children, moving in a line, but that’s not how it appeared to other players.

“Hm? Hey, look over there.”

“Ah, what… huh?”

“Isn’t that robe the guy who’s always hanging around with Kaiser?”

“Right? Why is he alone today?”

It simply looked like Jihad was walking around leisurely by himself.

Due to the YouTube videos, Jihad had gained quite a bit of fame, so many people recognized him.

At the same time, they all couldn’t help but wonder.

“Seeing him wandering around without Kaiser, he must not be a Guardian after all. There was a lot of talk about whether he was a Guardian or a party member.”

“Right. But I heard he logged out too, so why is he here? Did he log back in?”

“Huh? Then could Kaiser also be…?”

“…Nope. Looks like he just logged in alone this time?”

The players who looked around with hopeful expectations shook their heads.

There was no man who could be presumed to be Kaiser anywhere in sight.

Well, how long had it been since he logged out anyway? Why would he come here?

If he had come, he would have already been surrounded by people or had crowds of followers before arriving here.

“Wasn’t he a porter? Looks like he hunts too.”

“What kid in Godseeker has porter as their job? He’s probably just playing the porter role. If you’re going to travel together, you’d need to level up, right?”

“He’s hunting here alone? Even Kaiser’s party’s porter has that kind of specs…?”

“…Now that you mention it, that’s true?”

Kaiser’s party from the Demroc days were all monsters without exception.

Rank 1 party leader, ranks 3, 4, and 5 party members.

Starting with the members’ ranking positions, they were extraordinary individuals who each stood at the pinnacle of their respective fields.

If Kaiser was traveling with someone as a companion, they would have to be of considerable level.

“Or maybe he’s heading to meet up with a party he arranged?”

“I’m curious… should we follow him?”

“Come on, cut it out. This is a field. If we follow him around for no reason and he kills us for being annoying, we’d have nothing to say.”

“True… there have been quite a few people who died from carelessly stalking stars.”

Just as stalking was a crime in reality, it was also an act that wasn’t well-regarded in Godseeker.

In fact, it had an even worse reputation than PKing.

While the lowliness of it played a part, people were more reluctant because some were progressing hidden pieces or quests.

It wasn’t Kaiser, so there was no need to take risks with just a porter.

“Or maybe Kaiser is stealthed? He’s actually traveling around with that companion right now.”

Then one player made a deduction.

And when his companions heard that speculation, they paused and let out admiration.

“Oh…? That sounds plausible… like hell. If you’re going to talk nonsense to that extent, you could probably have a conversation with my dog Poppy at home.”

“Pfft, exactly. Everyone knows Kaiser is a Swordsman, so how would a Swordsman use stealth?”

Naturally, it was admiration for the man’s almost delusional flight of imagination.

What stealth could a Swordsman possibly use?

When his companions burst into laughter, the red-faced man rambled as he tried to explain his reasoning.

“You know, since he has the Weapon Master trait, if he uses something with stealth effects…”

“Hey, do you think the AI has no brains? Weapon Master only removes weapon equipping restrictions, but where are there weapons with such options? They’re all attached to other equipment slots with wearing restrictions.”

“Well, they say there are occasionally some at high levels… but at least not in this level range.”

“Stop talking nonsense and let’s just focus on what we’re doing.”

“…Fine.”

Of course, it was reasoning that didn’t hold water at all.

The man who had gotten thoroughly cursed at for no reason kept his mouth shut, and his companions no longer paid attention to Jihad.

Most other players were the same way.

Thanks to this, Jihad could move without major trouble, receiving only glances…

But not everyone was like that.

-Mm, the stares are piercing, Owner.

‘Endure it.’

While some just looked with curiosity, there were others who sent openly hostile gazes.

Those sticky, malicious stares that just didn’t attack immediately were unpleasant even for Jihad, who enjoyed attention.

From greedy looks to gazes wondering whether to make a move.

‘If it’s this bad just seeing Jihad, it would have been chaos if I hadn’t used stealth.’

Dohyun chuckled at the predictable scene.

He would have been too busy dealing with players to even think about quests.

No, that would have been getting off easy.

It would be better if they attacked outright so he could kill them without worry, but nothing was more annoying than having them follow ambiguously or tail him unknowingly.

“Tsk.”

“Let’s go.”

It was happening now too.

He could see quite a few who would follow for a bit, then give up and turn back when they gained nothing.

Perhaps because of their behavior, there were no more followers now.

They would just glance from afar and that was it.

Since Dohyun’s group wasn’t the type to worry about such trivial things, there was no hesitation in their steps.

‘We’re almost there.’

‘Risa!’

But Dohyun didn’t know.

That among those who didn’t look favorably upon them, there was someone sending particularly sinister gazes.

He didn’t send hostility or reveal himself conspicuously.

He was simply hiding behind a rock in the distance, watching Jihad.

Rustle-.

After standing still for a long while, he moved stealthily once Jihad disappeared from view.

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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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