The Return of the Genius Ranker’s Myth Warehouse - Chapter 127
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
Chapter 127
Chapter 127
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
Ten carriages descended the hillside at breakneck speed, led by the armored rhinoceros I rode.
Normally, if carriages reached such velocities, the horses would be unable to sustain the pace.
“Neigh!”
But all the horses had consumed the Potion of Tempest Gallop.
As we barely managed the descent at maximum acceleration, the hill’s slope ended and the Red Lion Plains stretched before us.
Ten carriages maintained that velocity, thundering forward.
The beasts locked in endless combat sensed the arrival of the carriages.
“Squeal…?”
“Growl—”
Instinctively, they retreated, clearing a path for the carriages to advance.
Hunting instinct meant nothing—the carriages barreling toward them felt like pure calamity itself.
This was thanks to the Beast-Repelling Lanterns mounted on all ten carriages, fulfilling their purpose perfectly.
“Excellent! We’re breaking through!”
“This is easier than expected!”
“We’ll make it across without trouble!”
The merchants and mercenaries grew confident.
But only for a moment.
As we ventured deeper into the Red Lion Plains, beasts far more formidable than those at the entrance began to appear.
“Roooar!”
Against these creatures, the Beast-Repelling Lanterns proved ineffective.
“They’re coming!”
The carriages’ overwhelming presence drew every beast’s gaze toward us in an instant.
Then they charged.
But I hadn’t switched from the Forest Elephant to the armored rhinoceros for nothing.
“Kuuruuuung!”
The armored rhinoceros bellowed powerfully, thrusting its horn forward.
And then—
Crash!
Every beast blocking our path was sent flying.
All those enhancement potions had proven their worth.
However, the Simmons Trading Company possessed ten carriages.
Clearing only the front wouldn’t suffice.
Even as we broke through ahead, new beasts emerged from the flanks, attempting to assault the carriages.
“Hold the line!”
“Draw your bowstrings!”
The mercenaries worked to intercept the beasts’ approach as much as possible.
Arrows flew, forcing the beasts to retreat.
I slashed at the beasts pressing close with my blade.
In particular, Jackal, who had mounted the carriage and unleashed sword energy, demonstrated remarkable prowess.
Of course, I wasn’t idle either.
Firing arrows from atop the armored rhinoceros, hurling spears—
I did everything I could to clear the beasts blocking our path.
However, the sheer number of monsters was overwhelming.
Though the armored rhinoceros was formidable, it lacked the strength to dispatch all these creatures.
Then.
– Master, would it be permissible for me to lend assistance?
“How?”
– If I were to use ‘Black Inferno Transformation’ on your mount, would that not suffice?
“Is that possible?”
– It would have been difficult before, but now that I’ve reclaimed my fangs… I believe it might be feasible.
Luke proposed something new.
Using Black Inferno Transformation on my mount?
I had assumed Black Inferno Transformation was something only I could use.
“Alright, I’m counting on you!”
– Yes, Master.
The Red Beast Fortress was longer than I had anticipated.
I had devised several strategies, but with Luke’s assistance, I would have far more flexibility.
As I thought this, the armored rhinoceros’s body began to be engulfed in black flames.
Whoosh!
Simultaneously, Luke’s eyes overlaid the rhinoceros’s gaze.
Sharp fangs born from absorbing the ‘Black Inferno Dragon’s Fang’ emerged.
In that instant.
[ Black Inferno Transformation is activated. ]
[ The power of ‘Black Inferno Dragon, Luke Niir Desperato Ignoctane’ is bestowed upon the ‘Armored Rhinoceros’. ]
Luke’s Black Inferno Transformation succeeded.
“KUUUUUUUUUUUUNG-!!”
The armored rhinoceros began charging with even greater speed and ferocity.
Crash!
The beasts blocking the path were helplessly sent flying.
To the point where I didn’t need to intervene myself.
Thanks to that, instead of attacking the beasts, I could employ the alternative method I had prepared.
– Third Circle Wind Magic ‘Haste’ is activated.
Upon reaching level 200, I learned Third Circle wind magic through a grimoire—Haste.
It was magic that increased the movement speed of its target.
Next.
– Third Circle Fire Magic ‘Strength’ is activated.
Strength, a fire magic that momentarily heightened physical power.
– I cast the 3rd Circle earth magic ‘Stone Skin’.
Stone Skin, which boosts defense.
I cast all three spells on the horses following behind us.
After all, Luke’s black flame had accelerated the rhinoceros so much that the horses might not be able to keep up.
Before long, after casting buffs on all the pursuing horses and catching my breath,
“Mirain, ahead!”
Jackal’s voice rang out.
I turned my head to see a beast of an entirely different scale blocking the path ahead.
A bear.
An enormous crimson bear, far larger than the armored rhinoceros that had grown in size from consuming ‘Giant’s Serum’.
That wasn’t all.
Behind the bear, massive beasts blocked the way forward as well.
‘Should I attack?’
No.
Defeating one or two wouldn’t solve this.
More importantly, if I brought them down right there, the path could become blocked.
So what I needed to do now was,
“Luke, Tiamat’s Roar!”
– Yes, Master.
Not an attack, but,
[ Tiamat’s Roar ]
( Non-Tradeable )
Form : Staff
Grade : Mythic
Restriction : Level 1,000 or higher, Staff Mastery Lv 100, Intelligence 3,000 or higher
Description : A staff imbued with the roar of Tiamat, the goddess of the sea and chaos, and the primordial great dragon.
I would use an item capable of driving back those monsters.
Tiamat’s Roar.
A staff crafted to resemble a dragon akin to Tiamat climbing up the staff, with the top fashioned to look as though Tiamat herself was unleashing a mighty roar.
I activated its unique ability.
– I use the unique skill of ‘Tiamat’s Roar’, ‘Primordial Roar’.
Kuooooooo—!!
From the head of Tiamat atop the staff, a dragon’s roar erupted forth.
Its effect manifested the ‘Dragon Fear’, the unique ability of the dragon species.
And Dragon Fear was particularly potent against bestial monsters like these.
“Kieeeeng…”
“Kruuung.”
“Krawng!”
The monsters that heard the roar began fleeing in panic.
The path ahead lay clear.
“Luke, now!”
– Yes, master.
I seized the opportunity to push our speed even higher.
The carriages followed desperately in my wake.
“I see it!”
Then.
At last, the Red Beast Fortress came into view.
True to its name, a colossal gate carved with the form of a crimson lion commanded my attention.
As our destination materialized before us, the merchants and mercenaries surged forward with renewed vigor and hope.
However.
– Master, time is running out.
The situation was beginning to deteriorate.
A faint shimmer.
Luke’s dark flame transformation was fading.
“Neigh—”
The buff magic I had cast on the horses was dissipating, and the elixir’s duration was expiring.
The Dragon Fear’s effect was also waning, and the beasts were returning to their natural states.
With that in mind, I prepared for my next strategy.
“Deploy the hooks!”
“Yes!”
I called out orders to those behind me.
The riders threw the hooks they had prepared in advance, securing them to the carriage ahead.
They were linking the carriages together.
The moment all ten carriages were fully connected.
I unsummoned the armored rhinoceros I had been riding and drew forth a new whistle.
[ Golden Whistle of Gulpaksi ]
( Non-tradeable )
Type: Mount
Grade: Mythic
Requirement: Level 1,000 or higher, Riding Skill Lv 100
Description: A golden whistle that summons Gulpaksi, said to be the steed of the giant Hrungnir and a legendary horse comparable to Sleipnir, the mount of Odin.
A mythic-grade mount, no less.
A whistle to summon Gulpaksi.
The moment I blew the whistle, what appeared was a horse of such colossal proportions that it bore no comparison to an ordinary steed—truly befitting the description of a giant’s mount.
The moment the carriage’s coupling equipment was secured around the Golden Mane.
“Forward!”
“Neeeeiiiigh!”
Gulpaksi surged forward, pulling all ten carriages toward the Red Beast Fortress.
* * *
“Fire, fire!”
“We’re running out of arrows!”
“Then throw anything you can!”
“Our supplies are critically depleted! At this rate….”
“Damn it! When will reinforcements arrive!”
“Even if reinforcements come, there’s a problem. With the monsters having crossed the mountains and seized the Red Lion Plains, it won’t be easy to approach.”
Red Beast Fortress.
This place had become nothing short of a fierce battlefield.
Monsters flooding the area outside the fortress relentlessly pounded against the barriers, attempting to breach them.
Until now, I had managed to hold them back using our stockpiled supplies.
But resources were rapidly dwindling.
At this rate, we were truly in danger.
I had sent reinforcement requests long ago, but all I received in return were orders to hold on a little longer.
Then, in the midst of this crisis.
“Marquis!”
“What is it!”
“A carriage is rapidly approaching from the Entrance!”
“A carriage? Is it Imperial reinforcements!”
“It doesn’t appear to bear the Imperial insignia, so I don’t believe so….”
“Not Imperial reinforcements? Then who in the world is breaking through the monster horde of the Red Lion Plains!”
“That’s… I’m not certain!”
“Blast it, I’ll go check myself!”
A suspicious report had reached me.
Not Imperial reinforcements—so what carriage was heading this way?
If they weren’t elite Imperial forces… no, even if they were elite Imperial forces, breaking through the monsters of the Red Lion Plains would be far from easy.
As the Lionheart Marquis moved toward the fortress’s Entrance,
“What is that?”
The Marquis could see a massive steed leading ten carriages charging forward.
The monsters of the Red Lion Plains lunged at them, but the colossal steed trampled the creatures while pulling the ten carriages behind it.
Moreover, everyone aboard the carriages was desperately swinging swords and firing arrows, resisting the monsters with fierce determination.
Then.
“That’s….”
The Marquis could see it.
At the head of the carriage.
A man mounted upon the massive steed, holding something aloft.
It was none other than.
“The insignia of a Sub-Marquis, isn’t it?”
The emblem proving one’s status as a Sub-Marquis of the Baltika Empire.
That insignia was held in the man’s hand.
Though I didn’t yet understand how the situation had unfolded, if a man bearing the Sub-Marquis insignia was leading such a convoy,
“Open the gates! Imperial reinforcements have arrived!”
There was no reason to refuse opening the gates.
Whether powerful warriors capable of aiding our defense rode within those carriages or supplies filled them, either outcome served us well.
Even if neither were true, defending the Red Beast Fortress demanded we accept every available hand, no matter how desperate the measure.
“Open the gates!”
“Don’t let the monsters breach the entrance!”
“Support fire—commence!”
The colossal gates of the Red Beast Fortress swung wide.
With our dwindling arrows, we unleashed a barrage upon the monsters, creating a corridor for the carriages to pass through.
And so, moments later—
Boom!
All ten carriages successfully penetrated the Red Beast Fortress.
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————