The Return of the Genius Ranker’s Myth Warehouse - Chapter 134

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 134
Chapter 134
“ROOOAAARRR!”
A crimson bear the size of a house.
“KRAAAAGH!”
Red wolves charging in packs, exuding an impossibly sharp killing intent.
“SQUEEEEEAL!”
Red boars rushing forward as if they would demolish the Red Beast Fortress’s barrier this very instant.
The crimson beasts flooded across the Ruined Plains.
The sight of them all surging toward the Red Beast Fortress was like a crimson wave crashing down upon us.
“How many of them are there, exactly?”
“Mir’s prediction… it was accurate.”
“Is that important right now? Get ready! The moment those beasts enter firing range, we attack! Everyone, stay sharp!”
“Yes, sir!”
The barriers and equipment had all been repaired, supplies were plentiful, and we had enchanted arrows and various potions as well.
More than anything, was it thanks to the ultra-efficient meat stew I had prepared?
Even as the beasts crashed toward us like a tidal wave, the soldiers quickly regained their composure.
However, since the distance was still great, they were merely preparing for now.
“Luke, take out the longbow for me.”
– Yes, Master.
I had no intention of waiting.
Those creatures were already within my range.
[ Odysseus’s Longbow ]
( Non-Tradeable )
Form: Bow
Grade: Epic
Restrictions: Level 200 or higher, Bow Mastery Lv 20 or higher, Strength 500 or higher, Agility 500 or higher
Description: A bow inherited by the hero Odysseus from Heracles. Its bowstring was so taut that no one save Odysseus himself could even draw it.
An epic-grade longbow—Odysseus’s Longbow.
When people speak of longbows, they typically mean bows of 1.5 to 1.8 meters, but Odysseus’s Longbow exceeded 2 meters.
I grasped the longbow, taller than myself, and drew back the bowstring.
TWAAANG!
I felt the taut tension of the bowstring.
Unlike other bows that required only high agility, Odysseus’s Longbow demanded high strength as well—a tension befitting such a weapon.
Feeling this, I cast magic upon the arrow nocked at my fingers.
– Using 3rd Circle Fire Magic ‘Fire Burst’.
Arcane Blade was not a technique limited to swords alone.
Though its power would diminish somewhat, it could certainly be applied to arrows as well.
The moment my magic perfectly infused the arrow.
WHOOOOSH!
I released the bowstring.
The arrow flew forth with it.
Imbued with Fire Burst magic, it traced a fiery arc through the air, much like the enchanted arrow I’d used yesterday.
The difference was that the flame’s trajectory burned far more intensely than with my previous enchantment.
The arrow soared beyond the range of the ballistae and magical cannons installed at the Red Beast Fortress.
The projectile, undiminished in power, struck the body of the beast charging at the very forefront.
Thunk!
The arrow was formidable.
It pierced the hide of the house-sized boar and buried itself more than halfway through.
But I doubted it would fell the boar in a single strike—or so I thought.
Boom!
An explosion erupted from within the boar’s body.
Its entrails burst, and the beast collapsed to the ground, eyes rolling back from the searing impact.
The soldiers who witnessed this
“Waaaahhh!”
“How did you do that?”
“Surely you wielded magic through your bow again?”
“Indeed, that explosion and this impossible range—it’s beyond the realm of ordinary archery, isn’t it?”
erupted in cheers.
Thanks to my first attack landing perfectly, the morale of the Red Beast Fortress surged visibly.
But I did not stop there.
– I activate the 3rd Circle lightning magic “Chain Lightning”.
Crackle!
The electricity coursing through the arrow chains across nearby beasts, electrocuting them as they fall.
– I activate the 3rd Circle ice magic “Ice Spear”.
The arrow becomes shrouded in frigid power, transforming into the shape of an ice lance that pierces through the monster.
The ice spear, embedded in the ground alongside the monster, emanates bitter cold, turning the beast into a frozen statue.
With magic-infused arrows, I fell monsters from extreme distances with single shots.
“Is that all there is?”
“They drop with one arrow!”
“What does their numbers matter? They’re just beasts after all!”
The soldiers’ morale climbed ever higher.
When their fervor reached its peak.
“They’ve entered our range!”
“Fire!”
With the resounding command to attack.
Whoosh!
Boom!
Thud!
The soldiers drew their bows, fired the ballistae, activated the magical cannons’ spell formations, and set the trebuchets in motion.
Arrows, artillery shells, and bullets tore through the sky.
Since I had already enchanted every single one of them beforehand, they flew in trajectories as varied as their forms.
Thud!
Boom!
Crash!
“Roooar!”
“Screech!”
“Whimper—”
The red beasts that had just entered firing range began falling mercilessly.
* * *
Deep within the Ruined Plains.
Since the Red Beast Fortress was established and reconnaissance began.
No—even the indigenous inhabitants who had lived here before that had never ventured into this deepest sanctum.
“Grrrrr….”
A desolate voice echoed forth.
A voice that sent shivers down one’s spine merely by hearing it.
A voice like the infrasonic roar of a tiger—one that instilled terror and seized muscles rigid just by listening.
“The attack has begun! That bothersome barrier will no longer obstruct the Red Lion’s vision!”
Upon hearing that voice, Red Fox’s body trembled, yet she continued speaking as though nothing were amiss.
When no response came, Red Fox wrung her hands all the more desperately.
But.
“Grrrrr….”
At the ensuing voice, Red Fox could not help but start in alarm.
“N-no, surely not! It cannot be! A mere human barrier could never withstand the collective charge of the boars!”
“Grrrrr….”
“Y-you truly mean it? No, that cannot be…!”
Red Fox turned her head, trembling violently.
The vast Plains.
Though her vision was unobstructed, the distance to the Red Beast Fortress was so great that normal sight could not perceive it.
“Gasp…!”
Yet Red Fox could discern the battle unfolding before the barrier.
And there, something entirely unexpected was transpiring.
The beasts charging toward the barrier were falling helplessly without even reaching it.
“T-this cannot be…!”
Red Fox was bewildered.
This was completely outside the plan.
She had never imagined this assault would be repelled so thoroughly.
What could possibly be the reason?
As Red Fox urgently observed the battle, she could not help but be startled once more.
“Huh?!”
First, the attacks raining down from the human barrier are far from ordinary.
Just yesterday, they were wielding decrepit weapons, and even then seemed to lack sufficient arrows and ammunition.
Now they’re launching far more powerful weapons—flaming arrows and explosive rounds—with devastating effect.
“And why does the barrier look so impossibly sturdy now!”
The barrier itself was the same.
I had thought our relentless assault would have weakened it enough to shatter completely today.
Yet the barrier before me appeared thicker and more resilient than ever before.
At this rate.
“Grrrrrrr….”
“Something is wrong! It is not my failure! Something is… amiss….”
Failure was inevitable.
With nothing but crude charging tactics, the beasts could never breach those attacks and that barrier.
Something had clearly changed.
But.
“Grrrrrrr….”
“Kwaaaaagh….”
Red Lion would accept no excuses.
As Red Lion’s voice grew louder, Red Fox, sensing mortal danger through primal instinct, knew.
“I will bring it down! I will go myself, remove the barrier blocking Red Lion’s sight! I stake my life on it!”
“Grrrrrrr….”
“Trust me! To usher in the age of the Red Beasts, I will personally breach this first obstacle!”
She decided to step forward herself.
In truth, she preferred manipulating the beasts from behind rather than standing openly at the forefront.
But there was no other choice.
If she remained here making excuses, Red Lion would devour her without hesitation.
With that thought, Red Fox.
“Right now! I will settle this immediately! I will take action! Please wait just a moment, Red Lion!”
Swishing multiple tails, she bolted from her position and charged toward the barrier.
* * *
The total assault of the red beasts.
Contrary to everyone’s expectation of a grueling battle, the fighting was proceeding far more easily than anticipated.
“Fire!”
Whoooosh—!!
With each ballista shot, each magical cannon blast, each catapult volley.
“Roooaaagh!”
The beasts fell helplessly.
Beasts that had previously charged through ballista arrows without flinching now collapsed under the magical enchantments imbued within them.
The perfectly restored magical cannons could target enemies with absolute precision.
The massive projectiles hurled from catapults, empowered by magic, transformed into fireballs and ice chunks that swept through the beast ranks.
“Were these creatures always this weak?”
“That can’t be right. If anything, they look even stronger than before.”
“Then why is this so easy?”
The beasts hadn’t grown weaker.
Their numbers hadn’t decreased either.
In fact, far more powerful beasts were charging at us in far greater numbers than in any recent battle.
Yet I couldn’t shake the feeling that this was anything but difficult.
And for good reason—not a single beast charging at us managed to properly ram its head into the barrier or swing its claws against it.
Every beast that charged collapsed before even reaching the barrier.
Part of that was due to the overwhelming power of our defensive weapons.
“So this is what combat at Red Beast Fortress looks like! It’s exhilarating!”
The newly arrived Steel Claw Mercenary Band was proving invaluable as well.
All the mercenaries possessed archery skills, so they quickly acclimated to the battle, and Jackal’s crescent-shaped blade aura in particular boasted tremendous range and power.
And then there was.
Thwip!
I myself hadn’t stopped drawing my bow.
The outcome was inevitable.
Though I’d reinforced the barrier, there was always the possibility of unforeseen complications, so I was carefully targeting any beasts that approached it.
Among them, there was one beast that looked far stronger than I’d anticipated—what appeared to be an alpha specimen—that managed to push through my attacks and charge forward.
[ Madness Mountain’s Thorn Arrow ]
( Non-tradeable )
Form: Arrow
Grade: Heroic
In such moments, I’d draw not a basic arrow but one of my new ones to attack.
For instance, this ‘Madness Mountain’s Thorn Arrow’—a Heroic-grade arrow—the moment it struck an enemy.
Thwip!
“Roooaaarrgh!”
Countless thorns erupted from around the arrow, tearing through the monster’s insides.
Could it be?
– Activating 3rd Circle Earth Magic ‘Rock Buster’.
Naturally, I’d imbued this arrow as well with magic through my Arcane Blade.
The thorns bursting from the arrow transformed into razor-sharp rock fragments, detonating outward.
Alpha or not, no creature could withstand an attack of this magnitude from within.
‘This might be easier than I thought.’
Not that this defensive battle was inherently easy.
Rather, the preparations I’d made for this battle were proving their worth.
In particular, the role of magical imbuing had been crucial.
Truth be told, magical imbuing required an enormous quantity of mana stones even if one possessed considerable skill—a strategy that would have been nearly impossible to execute anywhere but Red Beast Fortress.
Only a fortress of Red Beast Fortress’s caliber would have accumulated such vast quantities of mana stones; in general, few places in the world possessed such stockpiles.
“Excellent! Let’s maintain this momentum!”
“The beasts’ numbers are steadily decreasing!”
“Keep firing! Shoot!”
The soldiers shared my sentiment.
At this rate, we could repel all the beasts without significant difficulty.
And yet, such confidence was precisely when danger struck hardest.
“What… what is that!”
“Flames? No, a fox?”
A pillar of fire erupted from the horizon of the Ruined Plains.
That inferno, shaped like a fox.
“It’s coming!”
“Take cover!”
It swelled to an enormous size and charged toward us.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————