The Return of the Genius Ranker’s Myth Warehouse - Chapter 123

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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 123
Chapter 123
Late into the night.
A suspicious presence stirred in the Forest through which the Simmons Trading Company’s carriages had passed.
“What is the current situation?”
“Their guard hasn’t loosened in the slightest. Indeed, they are the Steel Claw Mercenary Band.”
“It seems waiting longer won’t cause them to lower their vigilance.”
The problem was that the number of presences was far from insignificant.
Fifty people lay concealed within the darkness.
The very fact that so many could hide perfectly within the Forest spoke volumes about the sophistication of their concealment techniques.
“This will be a difficult task.”
They were one of the three great Merchant Caravans of the Empire.
They had come here after receiving a commission from the Carben Merchant Guild.
The Carben Merchant Guild had discovered suspicious carriages gathering in Hill Village and identified them as belonging to the Simmons Trading Company.
They had even deduced that the Simmons Trading Company was planning something in utmost secrecy.
Though they didn’t yet know what it was, the Carben Merchant Guild had no desire to see the Simmons Trading Company grow any further.
Thus they had hired these operatives to obstruct the transaction.
“Have you confirmed how the battle progressed?”
“We were able to observe the battle site. Traces of combat remained, but… we found no monster corpses whatsoever.”
The identity of those who had accepted the commission was Death Mask.
If the Red Skull Guild was the most notorious among users, Death Mask was one of the organizations that had been infamous throughout the Empire from the beginning.
True to their name, they all wore dark masks upon their faces.
The problem was that their arrival had been delayed.
The Carben Merchant Guild had submitted the commission in haste, so it had taken considerable time to catch up.
“It will be difficult to accurately gauge the military strength of the Steel Claw Mercenary Band.”
“Yes. It’s impossible to determine what monsters appeared, how many, or how fierce the assault was. It does seem like a considerable number of monsters emerged, but…”
Thus they had failed to properly assess the Simmons Trading Company’s military capabilities.
For some reason, no monster corpses were visible, making verification impossible.
“What if we postpone the assault? The Steel Claw Mercenary Band’s military strength hasn’t been properly confirmed.”
One of the subordinates put forth a suggestion.
It was a reasonable proposal.
Death Mask was renowned for attacking only when they understood the enemy’s strength and could guarantee victory.
So postponing the attack in such uncertain circumstances would be the wisest course, but…
“The Carben Merchant Guild still hasn’t discovered their destination. If they reach it tomorrow, the mission fails.”
“However…”
“I understand the danger, but we must gather funds before the Empire’s pressure intensifies further. To do that, we cannot afford to lose this commission.”
“Damn it, all because of those Red Skull bastards!”
There was no choice in the matter.
Recently, an adventurer who had been granted the title of sub-marquis had been attacked, and because of this, not only the Red Skull Guild but the entire criminal underworld of the Empire was being threatened by imperial forces.
A war on crime, one might call it.
In truth, the Red Skull Guild’s attack was merely a pretext, and this incident had unfolded under the guise of that excuse.
Even so, I couldn’t help but resent Red Skull for providing that ‘pretext’.
“Resentment won’t help. To maintain Death Mask’s existence, I must succeed in this commission no matter what.”
“…Understood.”
There was no choice.
Before tonight ended, I had to completely destroy Simmons Trading Company and resolve the commission.
Since Carben Merchant Guild had promised a substantial fee, once I received it, I could hide in the shadows until the Empire’s pressure subsided.
“Death Mask, prepare for the attack.”
“Yes.”
Following the man’s orders, dozens of hidden operatives began moving in perfect unison.
Truly, worthy of being called one of the Empire’s three major dark organizations—Death Mask.
Despite dozens moving simultaneously, they made almost no sound.
Not even the grass leaves they brushed past trembled.
Timing their movements to exploit the moments when clouds obscured the moonlight, Death Mask’s members gradually drew closer to the Simmons Trading Company’s wagons.
“What of their vigilance?”
“It’s weakened. They appear to be having a relaxed gathering, roasting meat and eating. Their guard seems to have dropped because of it.”
“…Is that so?”
“At least, that’s what the current situation suggests.”
“That’s strange. A mercenary band like Steel Claw shouldn’t be that careless.”
“Steel Claw is ultimately just a bunch of dim-witted mercenaries, isn’t it? They probably want to participate in the gathering so badly that they’ve reduced their guard just to enjoy the meat.”
The man gripped the mask on his face, troubled.
Something felt wrong.
Steel Claw Mercenary Band was supposed to be a skilled outfit that had recently made a name for itself.
Such a band reducing their guard rotation because of a gathering?
The situation didn’t sit right with me.
And the more it didn’t sit right, the more my unease grew.
But.
“The remaining guards are probably the youngest members of the mercenary band anyway. Now is our chance to move in.”
My subordinate urged me forward.
In truth, on the surface, this appeared to be a perfect opportunity.
Moreover, if not now, opportunities would be scarce.
So even I, who would have retreated upon sensing ill omens before, had to.
“…We advance.”
I suppressed my foreboding and pushed forward.
Death Mask’s operatives crossed Steel Claw Mercenary Band’s lax perimeter using superior concealment techniques.
Just a bit further and we’d reach the wagons.
Just as I thought we’d soon be able to execute the commission.
A voice reached our ears—one that shouldn’t have been heard.
“So Mirain was telling the truth.”
And the moment Death Mask’s startled operatives lifted their heads.
“Open fire!”
Whoosh—!
Their field of vision.
Dozens of arrows filled the sky beneath the pale moonlight obscured by thin clouds.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
A sudden ambush.
Arrows streaking through the dark night sky were difficult to evade, lost as they were in the darkness itself.
Moreover, hadn’t the members of Death Mask arrived with minimal gear and reduced presence to execute this very ambush?
Inevitably, most of Death Mask’s members took direct hits from the arrows.
“Ugh!”
“Argh!”
They had no choice but to cry out.
A sudden ambush.
The situation made no sense whatsoever, and it was far too alarming, but.
“Everyone, scatter and take cover! And complete the mission!”
The man who appeared to be Death Mask’s leader snapped to attention and issued orders swiftly.
Though ambushed, Death Mask was formidable.
A few arrows wouldn’t claim their lives.
Given the circumstances, the best course was to complete the contract regardless of casualties and escape.
Above the head of the man thinking thus.
Burst!
A brilliant flash as blinding as the sun erupted forth.
“Damn!”
The forms of Death Mask’s members, hidden within the darkness, were laid bare.
* * *
The moment I sensed the faint presence emanating from the forest.
I immediately reported this discovery to Jackal.
“Human presence?”
“Yes.”
“That’s strange. The forest is included in our patrol perimeter, but no such report has come in.”
Jackal found my words difficult to believe.
Well, understandably so.
The Steel Claw Mercenary Band was conducting such thorough surveillance and reconnaissance of this area that even I had to admit they were impressive.
Yet even they had detected nothing.
It would be hard to believe me, someone who’d been eating meat with them at a gathering just moments ago, suddenly making such a claim.
But.
“Still, you wouldn’t mention something without reason.”
Jackal chose to trust me.
Fortunately, my credibility with him appeared to be higher than I’d anticipated.
Thanks to that, I was spared the need to spend time convincing him.
“Let’s increase our scout forces into the forest.”
Jackal was about to attempt reconnaissance when
“No, sir. I can investigate right now.”
“Right now? How?”
I stopped him.
If the mercenaries who had already scouted the forest couldn’t find them, it meant the figures hiding in the forest possessed quite advanced concealment skills.
Increasing our scouts in this state would either yield nothing, or the mercenaries we sent might get caught in an ambush.
So.
“Luke.”
– Yes, Master.
Here, I would rely on the power of an item.
[ Owl Spectacles ]
( Non-tradeable )
Type : Spectacles
Grade : Rare
An accessory that allows one to identify enemy positions even in darkness—the Owl Spectacles.
The moment I put on the spectacles, the forest landscape became crystal clear even in the darkness where moonlight itself was obscured.
And then.
– Activating the skill ‘Hawk’s Eye’.
With the field-of-vision expansion skill activated as well.
‘I can see them.’
It didn’t take long to identify the presence lurking in the forest.
In truth, even with this method, if the enemy’s concealment skill was too high, detection would be difficult, but fortunately it didn’t seem to be that extreme.
“Dozens of them. Not exact, but it appears to be roughly fifty.”
“That many?”
“They’re all wearing black assassin’s garb, so their identities cannot be confirmed. However, it’s clear they’re targeting us.”
With this, it became certain that dozens of unknown enemies were planning to ambush us.
Jackal’s expression hardened, and he immediately tried to stand up.
“I’ll go right now and eliminate every last one of those thieves!”
“Rushing in like that would put us at a disadvantage. If we fight in the forest, those with high concealment skills will have the upper hand.”
“Even so!”
“And if the Steel Claw Mercenary Band leaves, who will guard the carriages? Even if it’s me, I cannot protect ten carriages and dozens of merchants alone.”
“Hmm. Still, now that we know the enemy exists, shouldn’t we take action?”
Part of me wanted to go find them myself and deal with them outright.
But the enemies seemed far more cautious than I had anticipated.
If I went alone and got surrounded by fifty people, I could be counterattacked and put in danger. Even if I won, they would definitely escape before I could take them all down.
The same would apply even if Jackal came with me.
And if I took the entire mercenary band, the carriages would be left vulnerable.
So then.
“What if we set a trap?”
“A trap?”
“An ambush, to be precise.”
I would let the enemy enter this place first.
With that thought, I began preparing the trap together with Jackal.
We made the gathering more boisterous to catch the enemy off guard, and reduced our guard forces.
Then, without being detected, I positioned the mercenaries in ambush around the small mounds surrounding the wagon.
All weapons were switched to bows and arrows.
So we waited a little.
“This is real?”
“Hey, who went scouting the forest earlier? Do your job properly!”
“No, there was definitely no one there before….”
“There must be fifty of them, and you say there’s no one!”
“Shh. Everyone, get ready.”
“Yes….”
I could see the enemy approaching cautiously.
The moment they entered the range of our arrows.
“Open fire!”
Whoosh—!
The mercenaries rose from their positions in unison and began firing arrows.
Thud thud thud!
The ambush was remarkably successful.
The arrows, mingling with the darkness, struck the enemy’s bodies perfectly.
However, the enemy attempted to use concealment magic to hide themselves again.
Instead of aiming at the enemy, I fired a new arrow above their heads.
[ Flash Arrow ]
( Non-tradeable )
Type: Arrow
Grade: Rare
A Flash Arrow.
Though merely a Rare-grade arrow, what I needed now wasn’t raw attack power anyway.
The item effect of the Flash Arrow was.
Burst—!
To emit light.
That was all.
A simple ability, but it maintained the light for quite a long time, making it invaluable in this situation.
With their vision restored, the mercenaries.
Whoosh—!
Drew their bowstrings faster and aimed at the enemy.
Though the enemy tried desperately to dodge the arrows and conceal themselves.
Crack!
“That won’t do!”
We hadn’t prepared only an ambush attack.
I had positioned mercenaries around the perimeter to form an encircling formation.
As the mercenaries waiting outside revealed themselves with torches, I could see the enemies panic and stumble backward, no longer able to use stealth.
“Rather than finishing them quickly, it would be best to engage in battle with the mindset of prioritizing safety and not letting any of them escape.”
“Wahaha! I thought you were just strong, but you’re quite the strategist too! Excellent—let’s crush them all!”
The full-scale battle with the mysterious assailants had begun.

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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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