The Return of the Genius Ranker’s Myth Warehouse - Chapter 122
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 122
Chapter 122
After swiftly dispatching the goblins with Radiant Golden Demon Technique, I rushed toward the trolls without delay.
The sheer number of trolls exceeded my expectations, making it imperative that I provide immediate reinforcement.
And indeed, my instincts proved correct.
“UUUAAARRRGHHH!”
A troll burst through the mercenaries’ defensive line and charged straight toward the carriage.
‘Trolls.’
Their strengths and weaknesses are unmistakably clear.
Their strength lies in physical prowess that surpasses even orcs, and most critically, their extraordinary vitality and regenerative capacity.
Their weakness, however.
‘Fire.’
That’s it.
Trolls not only fear fire—when their wounds are seared by flames, they lose the ability to regenerate the severed surface entirely.
With this knowledge in mind, I unleashed my magic.
– Activating 3rd Circle Fire Magic: Fire Burst.
Not 2nd Circle magic, not Fireball.
Upon reaching level 200, I had learned this new 3rd Circle spell tome.
Fire Burst—one of those spells.
Through Arcane Blade, that magic infused itself into my sword.
Shing!
The troll’s neck severed cleanly in one stroke.
Ordinarily, a troll of this caliber could regenerate even a cleanly severed neck without difficulty.
But 3rd Circle fire magic, Fire Burst, doesn’t merely ignite flames.
BOOM!
It could trigger a small explosion.
The detonation erupting from the severed surface prevented even a troll from regenerating its neck, and the creature collapsed where it stood.
Thanks to that spectacular explosion,
“Mirain!”
“By the gods, he slew that troll in a single strike?”
“As expected of Mirain!”
“Mirain’s arrived! Push forward!”
All eyes turned toward me as the mercenaries recognized my arrival.
Jackal, who had just felled another troll by wielding his massive crescent blade, shared in the moment.
“Already finished? You’re impressively fast!”
“Are trolls manageable for you, sir?”
“The difficulty lies in protecting the Merchant Caravan, but felling trolls of this caliber is merely a matter of time!”
From that point onward, Jackal and I engaged in one-sided slaughter.
Trolls.
Formidable monsters indeed, but with a greatsword imbued with Fire Burst magic, severing their heads and triggering the explosion leaves them no means of regeneration.
Though I had wielded the greatsword, my strength still fell short at times, preventing me from severing necks cleanly in a single stroke.
[Thorn of Resentment and Hatred]
(Non-Tradeable)
Type: Spear
Grade: Heroic
Restriction: Level 200 or higher, Spear Mastery Lv 25 or higher
Description: A spear imbued with the resentment and hatred of a hero who fell in the final battle, betrayed by their own allies.
I began wielding a spear instead of the greatsword.
This made engaging trolls far easier.
I cast the third-circle fire spell, Fire Burst, upon the spearhead.
Layering the Fire Burst magic across the blade.
“Uuuaarrgh!”
Thunk!
The moment the spear pierced the troll’s heart cleanly.
Boom!
A fiery explosion erupted from the troll’s heart.
Once the heart—the very source of the troll’s vitality and regenerative power—burst and charred black, it could no longer regenerate.
“Impressive! But I won’t lose either! Wahahahaha!”
Jackal and I began swiftly felling the trolls.
I was confident we could eliminate every last troll without complications.
Then something new caught my eye.
‘That is…’
It resembled a troll in appearance.
But compared to ordinary trolls, it was far larger… and most notably, its entire body was hardened into a dark gray, stone-like texture.
This was no ordinary troll.
A superior variant—a stone troll.
The name wasn’t literally connected to stone; it was simply called that because its skin was as hard as rock.
“I thought it odd that trolls were so few in number compared to goblins. So this creature was maintaining the balance between the two factions.”
“Indeed.”
I hadn’t anticipated encountering a stone troll here.
But my task remained the same.
“I’ll handle it.”
“Can you manage?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Then I’ll clear a path for you.”
Whoosh!
Jackal charged forward first.
Though we had felled a considerable number, many trolls still remained.
Jackal rushed toward them.
“Wahahahaha!”
Wielding the crescent blade, I began unleashing the crescent-shaped sword aura I had first displayed during our duel, scattering it indiscriminately.
“Uuuuaaaahhh….”
Deep wounds appeared across the trolls’ bodies.
But that alone couldn’t bring down the trolls.
No matter how grievously I wounded them, the trolls simply regenerated their injuries with ease.
Still, most of the trolls shifted their attention toward Jackal.
Thanks to Jackal launching his sword aura low, trolls with severed ankles and legs began collapsing to the ground.
Then.
“Luke.”
– Yes, Master.
“Let’s go.”
[ Using Black Flame Transformation. ]
[ Borrowing the power of the Black Flame Dragon, Luke Nir Desperado Ignoction. ]
I burst into motion.
– Using skill ‘Dash’.
Since the Black Snake Shadow skill had emerged, I rarely used Dash anymore, but now I activated it alongside my enhanced speed.
“Uuuuaaaahhh! A human!”
The trolls tried to grab me, but thanks to Jackal properly drawing their aggression, they posed no serious threat.
I swept past more than ten trolls in an instant.
The stone troll, just now revealing itself, roared the moment it saw me and extended its hand.
Stone dust like dead skin flaked away, and a palm as threatening as its hardened hide filled my vision.
Well, I’d already anticipated this attack pattern.
– Using skill ‘Black Snake Shadow’.
Moving with serpentine fluidity, I slipped through the stone troll’s grasp.
Immediately after.
“Luke, the Flame-Pointed Spear.”
– Yes, Master.
I drew forth the weapon to finish the stone troll.
The spearhead was composed of transparent crystals, with flames burning endlessly across its surface.
The shaft was forged from black metal, its surface adorned with flame patterns that extended all the way to the tip.
As for this weapon.
[ Flame-Pointed Spear ]
( Non-tradeable )
Type : Spear
Rank : Legendary
Requirement : Level 800 or higher, Spear Mastery Lv 90 or higher, Intelligence 500 or higher
Description : A flame-spewing spear that was originally the weapon of the Fire God Huaguang, later wielded as the treasure of Nata.
A legendary-rank weapon with a staggering level 800 requirement.
The stone troll extended its other hand toward me, but it didn’t seem particularly urgent.
Such was the nature of monsters with high defense.
Trusting in my defense, I don’t consider ordinary attacks to be much of a threat.
Observing such a rock troll.
– I activate the 3rd Circle fire magic ‘Fire Burst’.
Enchanting the spearhead of Flame-Piercing Spear with magic.
– I activate the skill ‘Black Insect Flash’.
I thrust powerfully toward the rock troll’s left chest.
A rock troll of this caliber has a monster level far exceeding mine, and its defense is solid enough that my current strength cannot pierce it.
Normally, even scratching such rocky skin would be difficult.
Thunk!
A legendary-grade weapon with an 800-level restriction.
A mythic-grade skill, Black Insect Flash.
Black Flame Transformation.
With these three elements combined, even the rock troll’s skin could not withstand it and began to split.
However, even so, I could not pierce its heart in a single thrust.
The spearhead of the Flame-Piercing Spear caught on the rock troll’s ribs, which were as hard as its skin—no, harder than its skin—and would not penetrate further.
“Uuuaaaargh! What—what is this, you human!”
In that moment.
The rock troll screams and brings both hands down to seize me.
But.
“Push it deeper! Mirain!”
The mercenary captain.
Jackal’s crescent-shaped blade energy deflects the rock troll’s both hands.
Seizing this opportunity, I use the shaft of the Flame-Piercing Spear as a fulcrum and rotate my body in a full circle.
Fighting high-defense enemies where the spear doesn’t embed properly is something I’ve experienced countless times in First.
The strategy I commonly employ in such situations is.
‘Chisel and hammer.’
The spear lodged in the monster’s body becomes the chisel.
And I myself become the hammer, striking the lower shaft of the Flame-Piercing Spear.
Then the Flame-Piercing Spear erupts with its distinctive flames, shattering the rock troll’s ribs and driving deeper.
Thunk!
“Uuuaaaargh!”
Finally, I pierce through to the rock troll’s heart.
At that instant.
Boom!
The Fire Burst magic manifests, causing a small explosion.
Following that, the Flame-Piercing Spear’s unique skill activates at my will.
– I activate the unique skill of ‘Flame-Piercing Spear’ called ‘Flames of the Fire Emperor’.
Whoooosh!
The flames of the Flame-Piercing Spear burst forth with tremendous force.
The rock troll, startled, thrashes about trying to wrench the Flame-Piercing Spear from its chest, but it is already too late.
Even if it was called a stone troll, its heart couldn’t possibly be as hard as rock.
The flame spear incinerated the stone troll’s heart.
“Uuuuaaahhh….”
I burned away all of the stone troll’s overflowing vitality.
Turning back, I saw that Jackal and the Steel Claw Mercenary Band had already finished off all the remaining goblins and trolls.
In other words, the battle was over.
And with that.
“Uaaaaaahhh!”
“We won!”
“Mirain! Mirain! Mirain!”
“You lot! I took down nearly all those trolls myself!”
“Captain, step aside for a moment!”
The mercenaries’ cheers erupted.
* * *
That evening.
“To Mirain, a toast!”
“Cheers!”
“You lot, I actually took down nearly all those trolls!”
“So who defeated the stone troll, Captain?”
“I could’ve taken that one down too, but I let Mirain have it!”
“So who defeated it?”
“Argh!”
We had settled into a safe zone and were enjoying proper rest.
No matter how urgent the Merchant Caravan was, rest was still necessary.
Night was a particularly dangerous time for monster ambushes, so it was better to maintain vigilant watch while resting.
“And what was that earlier?”
“The black flames whooshed and devoured everything, so I was startled.”
“Now that I think about it, you were taking down monsters like that up front, but I never saw a single corpse. That was the reason?”
After the battle ended.
Naturally, Luke devoured the monsters I had defeated.
With so many monsters, my stats had risen quite considerably.
Since both the mercenaries and merchants had witnessed that scene, they could now understand why no monster corpses had been visible until now.
As I was preparing the meal.
“Um… mercenaries?”
Someone unexpected appeared.
Robert, the chief merchant leading the Merchant Caravan.
He approached hesitantly.
The mercenaries, who had been chattering excitedly, instantly fell silent.
It was only natural, given the attitude Robert had shown so far.
However, Robert had not come to find fault with the mercenaries anymore.
“You’ve all worked hard. Since this is my first long-distance Merchant Caravan trade, I failed to properly appreciate the value of your services. This is nothing much, but I offer it as an apology.”
Behind Robert, several merchants hauled over large cuts of meat.
Ordinarily, the meals provided to mercenaries were of rather poor quality.
But among the meat being brought now were premium cuts that had been prepared for delivery to White Fortress.
“I’d love to offer you alcohol as well, but….”
“Ah, what alcohol during an escort mission? This is more than enough!”
“In all my years, I’ve never been issued proper meat like this during an escort mission.”
“Now that’s thoughtful!”
“Don’t say that—let’s all eat together!”
“Are you certain that’s alright?”
“You merchants must have been startled by that monster too, so you need to recover your strength. The watch is being kept properly, so don’t worry!”
And so, merchants and mercenaries gathered in one place for their meal.
The watch rotation times were shortened so that mercenaries who had missed the meat could still participate in the meal, albeit late.
“This is all thanks to you, Mirain.”
Even receiving praise from Jackal, the warm atmosphere continued.
– Master.
“Yes. I felt it too.”
My gaze was not on the meat being roasted appetizingly, but on the forest undergrowth that had finally receded behind us.
I sensed something so faint it could hardly be called a presence.
An ordinary person would never have detected it, and even if they had, they would have dismissed it and moved on—something so subtle.
But I, having experienced everything during my time in First, could recognize it.
“A human.”
Not a monster, but a human.
Waiting in the forest for an opportunity, targeting us.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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