The Return of the Genius Ranker of All Times - Chapter 96

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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 96

Chapter 96.

Dohyun, who had been momentarily dazed by the unexpected situation, let out a hollow laugh.

“Hah.”

He’d been giving off such a lonely aura while burning with vengeance against the gods, but he was actually socializing with the outside world?

He didn’t look like it at all, but he was a social butterfly…

It was absurd, but thinking about it, it wasn’t really strange.

After all, he’d need to know what was happening in the world, and NPCs were legitimate residents of this place who might have urgent business.

In extreme cases, there were certain NPCs who would be away for two days, so this was actually mild.

‘Let’s just go to Gildeti first.’

It seemed like he should clear this side first.

Waiting idly for an hour would be a waste of time.

After walking for another 15 minutes or so to reach the Laire Grand Temple, a guard who recognized Dohyun’s party hurriedly approached.

“You’ve arrived. Please go in quickly.”

When he glanced around at those words, the guard added with an “Ah.”

“There were orders to let Kaiser-nim in with top priority if he came. You don’t need to worry about the line.”

“Understood.”

Was this some kind of special treatment given only to those clearing quests?

Since they told him not to wait in line, there was no need to insist on it, so Dohyun accepted it without being stubborn.

He felt sharp gazes piercing his back, but he tried his best to ignore them.

‘That’s understandable.’

Even just the line he glimpsed was dizzying.

Today being the weekend made the Grand Temple even more crowded.

From their perspective, how annoying must Dohyun look, going in like he had an amusement park fast pass?

However, when he actually glanced sideways at them, their expressions were very different from what he expected.

“He’s going to meet the Caretaker, right?”

“So that’s the thing Kaiser is working on right now… I’m curious, what kind of quest could it be?”

“I wonder if he’ll upload a video? I hope he does.”

Most of them had expectant eyes rather than envy or jealousy.

It wasn’t that there were no negative gazes, but those kinds of reactions were more common.

‘Is this also YouTube’s influence?’

He was openly advertising that he was clearing a special quest, but instead of showing greed, they were anticipating the results.

The reaction was so different from the path he’d taken so far that his tension somehow eased.

As he entered with everyone’s expectations, this time a priest came to greet him.

“Please come this way.”

“Yes.”

-Ahem.

Clearly pleased with the different treatment from last time, Jihad cleared his throat and shrugged his shoulders.

Dohyun poked his side to warn him, but couldn’t do anything about that mysteriously annoying expression that had somehow gained confidence.

After walking for several minutes while receiving such treatment.

“Please go in. Everyone is inside.”

After walking for quite a while through the ridiculously vast Grand Temple to reach the door, the priest bowed and stepped back.

‘It’s a different room from last time.’

Just from the door size, he could feel the grandeur.

If last time felt like the Caretaker’s office, this time it felt more like an auditorium than a room.

As he entered, an interior even more spacious than expected welcomed Dohyun.

It was no lie – it really seemed about the size of a school playground.

Like a baseball stadium, seats filled all sides, and in the center was a circular table and a massive statue of a god.

‘Wow…’

As he was naturally exclaiming at the overwhelming majesty, Gildeti, looking somewhat tired, welcomed Dohyun.

“Perfect timing. You’ve finished the investigation? We’re still in a meeting, but… this actually works out well. Please come inside.”

“…He’s here.”

“Hmm. Already finished the investigation? Faster than expected.”

And beside Gildeti were the handsome Squad Leader Knight and Vice Captain he’d seen before.

Up to here, it was the same members as before, but today this wasn’t the end.

“Oho… so that’s the distinguished person.”

“An outsider as we heard… can we really trust him?”

“Still, they’re Apostles of the Gods, so let’s be courteous.”

“Hmph, aren’t they just apostles in name only? There are so many worthless ones…”

“Don’t be so harsh. We don’t know much about the Abyss either. It’s unavoidable to be suspicious when an outsider not only knows about such things but has even taken on the important task of investigation.”

Behind them, countless priests sat in seats spread throughout all directions.

Even at a glance, it wasn’t a two-digit number.

Having well over a hundred priests surrounding him from all sides, looking down at him like a curious animal, wasn’t a very pleasant feeling.

‘…Owner, I’m a bit uncomfortable.’

‘Risa, Risa…’

It was telling that even Jihad, who liked attention, was showing discomfort.

Dohyun put Eliza, who had peeked her head out, into his pocket and slowly followed Gildeti’s guidance while glancing around.

‘There are so many. None of them seem like ordinary priests.’

Among them, those sitting in the front row were particularly noticeable.

In their various outfits, they felt distinctly different from the priests he’d seen in the corridors.

Somehow the aura and atmosphere they gave off had a noble quality.

The gazes of these elderly men showed no sign of leaving until the moment Dohyun came to sit at the circular table in the center.

One gaze among them was particularly persistent.

‘What?’

So much so that among all those people, only that one direction was bothersome.

The moment he slightly frowned and turned to look.

“Huh?”

Dohyun’s eyebrows relaxed.

No, they didn’t just relax but rose round and high as he became dazed.

He had no choice.

‘…Gamillion?’

‘Greetings, Successor.’

The priest sitting confidently alone in old, worn priestly robes was none other than ‘Gamillion Adran.’

When their eyes met, Gamillion slightly raised the corners of his mouth and bowed his head slightly.

That action confirmed it wasn’t a mistake.

‘Wait, why are you appearing there?’

He said he had urgent business, so why was he showing up here?

Was this a coincidence?

He was supposed to return in an hour, so it didn’t seem like he’d followed Dohyun…

While confused by the unexpected situation, he sat down following the guidance, and Gildeti, sitting across from him, spoke carefully.

“These are the elders and high priests. They are those with the highest faith among the high-ranking priests.”

“…Then is that person also a high priest?”

“That person… ah, you mean him.”

Gildeti, who had glanced sideways, smiled kindly and shook his head.

“That person is Heruti High Priest. Besides our affiliated priests, we invited high priests from nearby orders and elders, and they all gladly responded.”

“…Heruti High Priest.”

“Yes. Due to implicit doctrine, we cannot reveal which order he belongs to. Please understand.”

“No, it doesn’t matter.”

Because that person is our cult leader who wants to destroy the gods.

Unable to voice those words, Dohyun swallowed them and held his dizzy head.

Gamillion, who glanced sideways, was grinning as if something amused him. While doing so, he slightly moved his raised lips and whispered something.

‘I’ll see you after the meeting.’

‘…Let’s do that.’

Whatever it was, if he was going so far as to deceive even his name while operating, he must be seriously committed to this interaction.

The curious matters could be asked about after the meeting ended.

‘This actually worked out well.’

He could clear two Quests in one place without having to go back and forth troublesomely.

Dohyun decided to think positively and focused on the current situation.

‘Those front rows are the elders, I believe… There are over ten just from Laire alone.’

That meant they had at least over 30 high-ranking priests.

Considering that other places usually had around 6-10 high-ranking priests, this was an enormous number. Add to that the Laire Order of Knights at full strength…

It was hard to believe this was just the power of a single temple.

‘No wonder they say the Laire Grand Temple has influence even in the Empire.’

Usually NPCs become stronger as you go to higher cities.

As players’ levels rise, it’s natural for NPCs strong enough to control them to inhabit those areas.

However, there were occasionally NPCs that broke this pattern…

In Raven, it was the alchemist Kalde, and in Brion, it was the Laire Grand Temple.

Due to their nature of serving gods, they simply resided in Brion, the most developed holy city, but public opinion was that their power rightfully belonged in the Empire.

‘Seeing it like this really makes me feel it anew.’

I had vaguely felt it when I saw Vice Captain Taksinel and that annoying knight last time, but seeing them today made it hit home even more.

The aura emanating from Taksinel, who was currently equipped with full armor, was different from before.

I couldn’t even gauge whether I could win against him.

Even compared to Jerdic, who had the same red nameplate, his strength was on a different dimension.

At this point, I was curious how strong Lvebed, the captain, would be.

“Since this is such an important matter, we’ve summoned everyone who needs to know. It would have been good if Sir Lvebed had come too, but… he’s out on a mission leading the Order of Knights.”

“…That’s unfortunate.”

He meant it sincerely.

He had missed the chance to actually see Lvebed, who always ranked high in NPC combat power rankings.

“He’s someone who always carries many burdens. So we intend to handle this matter at our level.”

“I see.”

If Lvebed came, it would break the balance too much, so they’d naturally exclude him.

That’s how it sounded to Dohyun’s ears.

In RPG games like this, it was common to prevent strong NPCs from participating for some reason to maintain balance.

Anyway, that was enough for the introduction.

“How were the investigation results?”

When Gildeti got to the main point, the noisy chatter stopped.

It was a silent urging. A silent urging to hurry up and answer.

For several seconds, everyone waited for Dohyun’s mouth to open.

Dohyun slowly shook his head.

“There was nothing. Not even from that Orc Warrior of Death.”

“What do you mean…!”

“How can there be nothing!”

Then, as if they had been waiting, the murmuring grew louder.

“Are you sure you investigated properly! Outsider!”

“Traces of the Abyss can never be disguised or fabricated. The traces clearly appeared, yet there’s nothing!?”

“Caretaker of the Laire Religion, if you don’t mind, I’ll immediately form a team and search!”

Among them were those who doubted Dohyun’s abilities.

The reactions varied, but one thing was certain: everyone’s reactions were intense.

The murmuring noise was loud enough to hurt his ears.

It showed how significantly the existence of the Abyss affected them.

At this rate, there was no way they could have a proper conversation.

Swoosh.

At that moment, Gildeti raised his hand.

Then those who had been raging fell silent as if by magic. There were no exceptions, from the elders to the caretakers of other religious orders.

‘Is this the position of the Laire Caretaker?’

It showed how absolute a position Gildeti, who looked like just a kind grandfather, held in this place.

Indeed, a caretaker was still a caretaker.

Having lightly mediated the commotion, Gildeti’s eyes were more serious than ever.

“…Are you certain?”

Clear eyes that could never tolerate falsehood.

It was such heavy pressure that an ordinary person would be overwhelmed and unable to speak easily. Dohyun fully received that pressure and answered clearly.

“Yes. I’m certain.”

“…I see.”

Then Gildeti closed his eyes.

The previous pressure was no longer visible from him as he sighed. But an even deeper and more intense emotion could be felt.

An emotion that only Dohyun, facing him directly, could sense.

It was coldness.

‘Suddenly?’

The moment he was startled by the drastically changed atmosphere, Gildeti, who had been bowing his head, raised his hand again.

Ding-.

It was then that the Quest window appeared with a cheerful notification.

And Dohyun was flustered.

[You have cleared Quest ‘Searching for Traces of the Abyss’.]

[You receive Gildeti’s favorability, Intermediate Skill Draw Ticket, and much experience as rewards.]

[You have leveled up.]

[You have met the hidden condition ‘Time Limit’. The linked Quest changes to a forced linked Quest.]

[Forced linked Quest ‘Rat in a Trap’ is proceeding.]

[Warning! You may lose your life during the forced linked Quest.]

[If you die, the Quest will fail.]

‘I met a hidden condition?’

It was because a completely unexpected notification had appeared.

Apparently, clearing it before this conference ended was the condition for the hidden piece.

Since Gamillion was returning in an hour, if he had logged in even a little later, he wouldn’t have obtained it.

Thinking about it gave him chills.

Indeed, the saying that the early bird catches the worm wasn’t for nothing.

Thanks to overcoming his morning drowsiness and logging in, he had obtained a hidden piece.

‘…Forced linked Quest? Warning?’

However, this hidden piece was of a type that even Dohyun found puzzling.

‘What is all this? There was nothing like this in Demroc either…’

Was this a newly introduced system in Godseeker?

He didn’t know what was what, but one thing was certain: something extraordinary was about to happen.

As he was sharpening his mind in this unfamiliar situation.

Click.

As expected, an incident occurred.

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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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