The Return of the Genius Ranker of All Times - Chapter 98

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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 98

Chapter 98.

The gazes were far from ordinary.

Eyes filled with hostility and hatred intertwined as they pierced through Dohyun.

In their eyes, Dohyun was already an enemy.

It was a natural reaction.

“…Only Kaiser remains.”

Everyone had finished their measurements, and only Dohyun was left.

“See there. Didn’t I say that outsider was suspicious.”

“But it’s strange. Does that fellow really have that much divine power?”

“The Apostles have many talents that differ from their appearance. You can’t judge by looks alone.”

“Everyone be careful. We don’t know when he might turn.”

Watching them gradually spread out and surround him like a net, Dohyun clenched his fists tightly.

Now he couldn’t even run away.

Glancing forward, his eyes met with Gildeti who was staring intently at him.

Those indifferent eyes made it impossible to tell what he was thinking.

Was Gildeti also suspicious of him?

“…Only you remain.”

Meanwhile, Jerdic approached.

With each step closer, countless emotions flashed through his eyes—anger, suspicion, doubt…

When he finally reached the front, Jerdic’s gaze was simply cold.

“Place your hand.”

Why did the phrase ‘a rat in a trap’ come to mind?

The Quest name was damn well chosen. There couldn’t be a more fitting saying for the current situation.

Dohyun, who had been racking his brain, spoke bluntly.

“Don’t only high-ranking priests need to be tested? You said divine power was detected.”

“I hear outsiders are different from us. Even those who aren’t high-ranking priests can use high-purity divine power quite well.”

“…”

“There’s nothing wrong with proving it, so just place your hand. It’s not difficult, is it?”

“Haah…”

He sighed as if annoyed, but inside he was burning up.

It was an argument with no room for rebuttal.

Being stubborn here would only invite more suspicion.

‘I don’t know.’

Finally, Dohyun extended his hand.

He couldn’t refuse anyway. Having come this far, he had no choice but to leave it to fate.

Ziiing-.

Click. Clack.

As the detection orb absorbed mana, the high-ranking priests tensed and raised their staffs and books.

They were ready to attack immediately the moment they saw black.

Jerdic wasn’t looking at the orb either, keeping his eyes fixed on Dohyun.

As mana flowed into the orb,

Wooong-.

The detection orb, which had been dyed white light before returning to normal, made a deflating sound.

At the same time, a gasp could be heard from somewhere, and the murmuring grew louder.

They had naturally thought Dohyun would be the contractor, but were they flustered by the unexpected result?

Some even rubbed their eyes with both hands in disbelief. But such reactions were brief. Soon their arrows turned toward Jihad.

“…Then could it be him?”

If it wasn’t the priest or even Dohyun, then only Jihad remained.

Soon their eyes became suspicious.

“Covering his face is also suspicious…”

“Please examine him quickly, Count Jerdic.”

As if he had intended to do so without being urged, Jerdic thrust forward the detection orb.

‘…Owner, what should I do?’

Jihad’s eyes, glancing over, clearly said that.

At this rate, he would inevitably be framed.

Black mana appearing in this atmosphere?

Without time to explain, he would undoubtedly become a public enemy and be hunted.

He needed to think. A way to get through this situation.

‘…Damn, as if there could be such a thing.’

The escape routes were blocked, and they were at a disadvantage in terms of force.

Hoping the Eye of Truth might activate, he had earnestly looked around earlier, but saw nothing.

Somehow, since starting Godseeker, things had been going too smoothly.

To suddenly face such a major crisis. Should he say this was fitting for Demroc’s next work, or that his luck was bad…

“…Are you refusing?”

It was then that an eerie voice was heard.

Looking up, he met Jerdic’s eyes that glinted coldly like moonlight. Holding back his suffocating breath, Dohyun quietly poked his side.

‘…Owner?’

‘Just do it. Having come this far, we’ll break through head-on.’

Hostile relationship?

What did it matter? Dohyun wasn’t an Apostle of the Gods anyway.

It was humanity’s successor of Kashiyar who was in a hostile relationship with the gods. Thinking about it, they were fundamentally hostile from the beginning.

‘Just don’t die.’

The notification window showed failure upon death.

As long as he didn’t die, he might somehow be able to clean up the aftermath.

Maybe not, but nothing ventured, nothing gained.

For now, he had to break through with desperate determination.

‘…’

After a brief exchange of glances, Jihad squeezed his eyes shut.

Dohyun’s thoughts had been completely conveyed.

Ready to summon undead at any moment, Jihad circulated mana and extended his hand.

Swish.

At the same time, Dohyun also secretly gripped Cheonbyeon.

Though over a hundred people’s gazes were focused on them, it was eerily quiet.

In the suffocatingly tense atmosphere, just as Jihad’s hand was about to touch the detection orb.

Ziiiing-.

Dohyun, who was about to activate Cheonbyeon, hesitated.

An orb had reacted.

‘…Hm?’

But it was a different orb, not the detection orb.

The tension that had been stretched taut deflated helplessly at the unexpected situation.

A bewildered atmosphere circulated among the spectators.

Gildeti, who had been looking at the communication orb ringing on the central table, spoke.

“…My apologies. Please wait just a moment.”

Then he bowed, asking for understanding before carefully connecting the communication.

His face, which had been listening silently for a while, turned cold.

“Are you certain? …I understand. Disconnect for now.”

A brief conversation.

But when the communication ended, Gildeti’s face was clearly different from before. Having become infinitely serious, he even looked somewhat troubled.

Unable to contain themselves, the elders finally asked.

“What is the matter, Caretaker Gildeti.”

“You look troubled.”

Even at that question, Gildeti couldn’t answer immediately and kept moving his lips before letting out a long sigh.

Anyone could see that something had happened.

The crowd’s attention turned from Jihad to Gildeti, and Dohyun was among them.

‘What kind of situation is this?’

He had been tense about the crisis situation, but suddenly the atmosphere changed.

To make matters worse, this wasn’t the end.

While he was bewildered by the incomprehensible situation, Gildeti waved his hand dismissively.

“It seems there’s no point in continuing the measurement.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“…I find it hard to agree. Could you tell us what’s going on.”

That was a very good development for Dohyun.

‘…Such an opportunity?’

He had been prepared for an all-out war if necessary, but they were stopping on their own – could there be anything better than this?

For Dohyun, there was absolutely no reason to refuse.

However, it was somewhat questionable.

‘Right when it’s Jihad’s turn?’

Should this be called a coincidence?

The timing was too perfect for that…

Ding-.

[You have safely completed the measurement.]

[You have cleared the forced linked Quest ‘Rat in a Trap’.]

At that moment, Dohyun nodded at the message that appeared as if confirming his thoughts.

‘Ah, so that’s how it is.’

Now he understood.

This wasn’t some coincidence, but an event that was bound to happen.

The measurement Quest was a hidden piece that only the top graduate who satisfied hidden conditions could do.

It was originally set up so that users progressing Quests with Priests of high Priest rank or above could also be measured.

Since the measurement was completed, the predetermined event occurred.

‘Right, this is correct.’

Since it was originally a Quest that couldn’t be progressed by more than two people, it was natural if you think about it.

It was just an event scene inserted for story progression that became dynamic thanks to Jihad, who was disguised as a human despite being a god.

Originally, they wouldn’t have insisted on measuring even the Guardian.

‘…Somehow I feel deflated.’

‘Whew… I think I lost 5kg, Owner.’

‘Risa, Risa…’

Jihad, whose tension was released, slumped down.

Eliza was also sighing, seeming to have been quite anxious. This time, Dohyun sympathized with those two’s feelings.

‘This time was really dangerous.’

It was truly the greatest crisis while playing Godseeker.

Until now he had been lucky, and though he thought a dangerous moment would come someday, he never expected to feel crisis in this way.

Still, since he luckily escaped the crisis, now he just needed to step back and watch how things unfolded.

Of course, that didn’t mean he could let his guard down.

Since Dohyun still didn’t know what was about to happen.

“Then what about that fellow? You say we can’t measure in this situation.”

“A detailed explanation seems necessary, Caretaker.”

It seemed the elders felt the same way.

Not everyone spoke up, but their silent gazes all showed they were thinking the same thing.

Under pressure from over a hundred people, Gildeti finally opened his mouth.

“Do you remember the traces of those beings I showed you earlier?”

“Of course. How could we not recognize those terrible traces.”

“…Actually, just in case, even after summoning all of you, I had the forensics team conduct a detailed investigation. I told them to let me know if they discovered anything else. Because not even the slightest error could be allowed.”

After pausing once, he continued speaking.

“And I just received contact.”

“…What did they say?”

Why was it? He had an extremely ominous feeling.

The tense high Priests gulped and waited for the next answer.

Soon, after a few seconds passed, Gildeti’s answer followed.

“As a result of comparison, it exactly matches the last trace that was discovered before.”

“Pardon?”

“What does that mean…”

Suddenly, what previous trace?

The questioning was brief. Soon, those who understood the meaning had their expressions fill with shock.

As if driving in the final nail, Gildeti’s words continued.

“In 30 years, Contract Breakers with the Abyss have appeared in Brion a total of three times. Two of those times, executions were carried out.”

Gildeti’s expression was endlessly grave.

No, it was something beyond grave. Rather than grave, the expression ‘tense’ suited his appearance better.

And the expressions of the others soon became the same.

“…You don’t mean to say?”

“Good heavens.”

“Surely that person…”

From high Priests looking anxious with ‘surely not’ faces to elders with their mouths hanging open, and even Caretakers who bolted upright from their seats.

Their actions were all different, but their expressions were all similar.

Jerdic and Taksinel were no different.

Their cold expressions clearly showed anger to anyone who looked.

‘…What’s making them act like this?’

Only Dohyun in this place couldn’t understand this situation.

-Risa?

-What is this about…?

…To be precise, only Dohyun’s party was like that.

Being bewildered while watching everyone look shocked as if they had exclamation marks floating above their heads was brief.

Fortunately, he could soon understand this situation.

“…Yes. What you’re all thinking is correct.”

Gildeti’s cracked voice revealed the identity of what had been tightly wrapped.

“Gaemin the Destroyer, it seems he has appeared again.”

[You have heard the name of ‘Gaemin the Destroyer’, the Abyss contractor who broke taboos.]

[The forced linked Quest ‘…’ will proceed.]

The culprit behind the warning message that appeared before Dohyun, and the key figure who would decorate the finale of this forced linked Quest.

It was the moment Gaemin the Destroyer appeared.

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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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