The Return of the Genius Ranker’s Myth Warehouse - Chapter 130

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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 130
Chapter 130
“Tomorrow, the beasts of the plains will launch a full-scale assault.”
The Sub-officers could only let out hollow laughs upon hearing my assessment.
“Look at him. He still knows nothing, yet he speaks such nonsense?”
“It seems he accomplished something significant outside, but adapting to the Red Beast Fortress will prove difficult.”
“And a strategist no less! His reckless tactics could endanger the entire fortress!”
I had appeared suddenly and prophesied a total beast assault.
Their skepticism was only natural.
Moreover, I hadn’t even received a proper explanation about the Red Beast Fortress from them yet.
Yet among them, there was one.
One person who showed interest in my words.
“Mir, Baron-in-waiting. Present your evidence.”
“My lord!”
“There’s no harm in hearing an opinion, is there? If it’s baseless nonsense, I have no intention of placing Mir, Baron-in-waiting, in a strategist’s position either.”
It was the Lionheart Marquis.
After all, it was he who had brought me here, intending to appoint me as a strategist.
Having witnessed my considerable contributions at the barrier, he likely wished to hear the reasoning behind even what seemed like reckless opinions.
I nodded readily and began my explanation.
“According to the reports here, the population of lower-tier creatures in the Ruined Plains has decreased dramatically. Is that correct?”
The Ruined Plains was the name of the plains opposite to the Red Lion Plains, centered around the Red Beast Fortress.
In other words, it was the name of the plains where monsters were currently pouring in.
“According to recent reports, that is accurate.”
Like the Red Lion Plains, the Ruined Plains also lacked a proper food chain.
The food chain merely shifted fluidly through pure survival of the fittest.
However, as long as the strong preyed upon the weak, weaker monsters had to exist.
Those creatures maintained their populations through their respective abilities.
Yet recent reports indicated their numbers had decreased sharply.
“Conversely, the populations of powerful predators have increased dramatically, particularly around dominant alpha specimens.”
“That is…”
“Moreover, contrary to the original survival-of-the-fittest dynamic, the predators are forming packs centered around these alphas and no longer attacking one another, according to reports.”
The predators were not attacking each other.
Instead, they were selectively hunting beasts that offered little tactical advantage in the Ruined Plains.
As a result, the predator population had grown substantially.
Most critically.
“In today’s battle, no creatures classified as ‘prey-tier’ weak beasts were observed, and no instances of them fighting each other were confirmed, according to reports.”
During today’s battle.
I had discovered one suspicious detail.
Unlike the Red Lion Plains, where diverse types of predators attacked, only those known to be powerful were assaulting the barrier here.
All the creatures that offered little combat advantage had been consumed.
“Lastly, according to yesterday’s reconnaissance records, the herds are dividing and occupying all territories within the Ruined Plains.”
“That may be true, but….”
“Their numbers are enough to fill the entire plains, yet territorial conflicts aren’t occurring even in such circumstances.”
That was correct.
The beasts of the Ruined Plains were preparing for an assault.
They were using unnecessary beasts as a food resource, while the strong ones conserved their strength.
Now that their numbers had reached their peak and prey-worthy beasts had nearly vanished.
The beasts’ attack was imminent.
Beyond this, I had synthesized and explained various pieces of evidence visible around the table.
“Do you think those beasts have become people or something?”
“Are you saying the beasts didn’t fight each other for the attack, but instead devoured weaker beasts to build their forces? And formed alliances in the process?”
“It seems your imagination is running rather wild, Baron Mir.”
“Consider this, Marquis. Entrusting an advisory role to someone who doesn’t even know the Red Beast Fortress and Ruined Plains well is far too reckless.”
Even after explaining all this, many remained unconvinced.
Well, it was natural they’d be displeased about suddenly appointing a baron who’d appeared out of nowhere as an advisor.
Of course, not all the sub-officers felt that way.
Among those who heard my opinion, several.
“…I see.”
“That could be possible.”
“I don’t think the beasts possess such intelligence, but if the alpha individual’s intellect is higher than we assume, or if there exists a higher-ranking commander….”
“It’s entirely plausible.”
They nodded in understanding at my words.
And so naturally.
“You’re not actually believing what he’s saying, are you?”
“Given the evidence, isn’t it a reasonably plausible theory?”
“Those beasts planned something like that? If they were that intelligent, the Red Beast Fortress would have fallen long ago!”
“Who knows. There might exist an intelligent entity commanding those beasts.”
“Does that even make sense!”
An argument broke out among the sub-officers.
During the quarrel, the very point I’d been contemplating came up, so I joined in their dispute as well.
“You’re right.”
“What do you mean, right?”
“There exists an entity that rules over the red beasts of the Ruined Plains.”
“What do you….”
“The Red Beast God.”
Yes.
The Red Beast God was the cause of all this.
The beasts’ fur turning red, the sudden intensification of attacks on the Red Beast Fortress, the beginning of invasion plans against it.
All of it was because of the Red Beast God.
The beasts at the Red Beast Fortress, having grown distant from the Red Beast God, must be fighting each other due to receiving orders improperly.
“Could you possibly be referring to that legend?”
“I’m not sure how you’ve come to know of a legend passed down only within the Red Beast Fortress, but it remains merely a legend.”
“How could you possibly believe in such folklore….”
Just as the Sub-officers were about to voice their denial.
Unexpectedly, Lionheart Marquis stepped forward and cut them off.
“It could be true.”
“M-my lord….”
“The Red Beast God. The legend of the Red Beast Fortress is one passed down by the indigenous peoples of the Red Lion Plains when the Lionheart Family first constructed the Red Beast Fortress in this location.”
“Even so….”
Upon hearing the name Red Beast Fortress, I had harbored a suspicion.
As expected, this place did indeed preserve legends of the Red Beast God.
The very name Red Beast Fortress must have been derived from that legend in the first place.
“And this Mir, Baron here, is an adventurer who slew the Orc Lord—one of the ‘legendary monsters’ you speak of—and became the first adventurer to receive a barony for his deeds.”
“The Orc Lord!”
At the Marquis’s words, the Sub-officers gasped in astonishment.
The fact that the Marquis had been unaware of my existence, combined with the Red Beast Fortress’s remote location and focus on combat, meant they were largely ignorant of the rumors spreading throughout the Empire.
“Given that the Orc Lord has appeared outside its normal cycle, isn’t it possible the legend could actually come to pass?”
The Sub-officers fell silent.
While some were convinced by the Marquis’s reasoning, even those who weren’t could hardly contradict him in such circumstances.
Though they were certainly capable officers of the Red Beast Fortress, they lacked the standing to openly refute the Marquis’s steadfast assertion.
In the end.
“Baron Mir. How should we proceed from here?”
With Lionheart Marquis’s approval, I found myself preparing for the Red Beast Fortress’s final battle.
* * *
The beasts were not merely one or two in number.
Even I could not fell all those creatures alone.
Especially since the Red Beast God I remembered was a malevolent deity renowned for pack behavior.
Should I leave those creatures unchecked, the very strategy to conquer the Red Beast God would become impossible.
Thus, to bring down the Red Beast God itself, I needed to protect the Red Beast Fortress while drastically reducing the number of beasts.
Ideally, all of them.
‘To accomplish that….’
My gaze turned toward the fortress’s walls as I exited the War Room.
Walls broken, crumbled, and riddled with holes.
Crudely patched in desperate attempts to prevent complete collapse, barely holding together.
Now, with resources from the Simmons Trading Company, at least proper repairs were being conducted.
‘There are fewer skilled workers than I anticipated.’
The repair work was shoddy at best.
Rather than professionals, merely soldiers with some aptitude were somehow managing to fill the gaps in the walls.
Most troubling of all, the pace was far too slow.
At this rate, there was absolutely no chance the walls would be fully repaired before the beasts attacked tomorrow, as I had predicted.
‘Even I can’t perfectly repair it in a single day.’
I had already learned all production-related skills through skill books.
While I possessed repair skills, fixing that entire barrier within twenty-four hours was simply impossible.
So I abandoned the notion of perfect restoration.
‘I would resort to a workaround.’
Even if imperfect, I had devised a method to supplement the barrier’s durability to near-perfect levels.
“From this moment forward, please fill the gaps in the barrier with repair materials, however crudely.”
“Pardon? Crudely? If we don’t repair it properly, it will deteriorate even faster!”
“Tomorrow, a large-scale battle of an entirely different magnitude will unfold. For now, this is what we must do.”
“But….”
“Follow Mir’s orders. From this moment onward, any who question Mir’s commands, I shall consider it defiance of my own authority and apply military law accordingly.”
“Yes, sir! Understood!”
To those unfamiliar with the situation, it would have been a bewildering order.
But thanks to the Marquis’s intervention, I was able to convince the soldiers swiftly.
As the soldiers crudely wedged repair materials into the barrier’s cracks and fissures.
– Activating 3rd Circle basic magic: Mana Web.
I would then magically secure it in place.
Mana Web, a 3rd Circle basic spell.
True to its name, it expelled a web of pure mana.
Originally designed to spray webbing at enemies to restrict their movement, it could temporarily serve this purpose as well.
“This section is complete!”
“This area is finished!”
Each time the soldiers repaired a section, I would follow and apply Mana Web to secure it.
The method was so convenient that the barrier repairs progressed rapidly.
However, this was merely a temporary measure.
“Will this truly be sufficient?”
“That webbing doesn’t look very sturdy.”
“And it’s magic, no less? As time passes, the mana will dissipate and fade. Look, even now the earliest section is gradually weakening.”
“At this rate, won’t it collapse today, not tomorrow?”
A 3rd Circle spell like Mana Web was insufficient to properly repair the barrier.
If the barrier’s original durability was ten, and its current deteriorated state was around four.
Then the durability filled in by this crude Mana Web repair would amount to merely two.
Regardless, I continued the work, and fortunately the Marquis trusted me.
The moment the temporary repairs were complete.
“Everyone, step back from the barrier.”
I ordered all the soldiers atop the barrier to withdraw.
Then.
“Luke, retrieve the thread spool for me.”
– Yes, Master.
I withdrew a single thread spool.
No, though it resembled a ball of thread, this item’s true identity was an ‘Orb’—one of the weapons known to be wielded by the Sage.
Its true nature was none other than.
[ Arachne’s Thread ]
( Non-Tradeable )
Type : Orb
Grade : Legendary
Restriction : Level 900 or higher, Wisdom 2,500 or higher
Description : Arachne’s thread—she possessed weaving skills so exquisite that she triumphed even in a wager against the gods themselves, yet incurred Athena’s wrath and was cursed to become a spider
A legendary monster renowned even in First, and known as the most powerful among all spider-type monsters.
Arachne’s thread.
The moment I activated the orb’s unique ability.
– Activating the unique skill ‘Spider Queen’s Weaving’ from ‘Arachne’s Thread’.
The barrier of the Red Beast Fortress began to be engulfed in spider silk.

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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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