The Return of the Genius Ranker’s Myth Warehouse - Chapter 136

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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 136
Chapter 136
Thunk!
‘Perfect.’
It struck true.
Argyrotoxos, the silver bow of Apollo, the sun god.
The golden arrow fired from it—Abaris’s Arrow, which Apollo had supposedly given to the sage Abaris—embedded itself precisely in Five-Tailed Fox’s chest.
‘Not even a nine-tailed fox. Five-Tailed Fox’s attack patterns are simple enough.’
I had even hunted nine-tailed foxes back in First.
Analyzing Five-Tailed Fox’s attack patterns and slipping strikes through the gaps was straightforward.
The fox-fire shield was somewhat bothersome, but arrows fired from Argyrotoxos, a mythic-grade bow, pierced through the fox-fire shield effortlessly.
Of course, this was partly because Five-Tailed Fox hadn’t used her Demon King Transformation and was only casting sorcery from a distance.
If she’d used the transformation to crash barriers down on me, the fight would have been somewhat more troublesome.
“Ah, it hurts! It hurts! It hurts! Aaaaaaahhhhh!”
Five-Tailed Fox’s screams echoed out.
A mythic-grade arrow fired from a mythic-grade bow had struck a critical point.
Yet Five-Tailed Fox didn’t die.
Well, Five-Tailed Fox was likely a monster of at least level 500 or higher, so killing her in a single strike was unrealistic.
“No! No, no. Please….”
Five-Tailed Fox gripped the arrow lodged in her chest, desperately trying to pull it free.
But the arrow wouldn’t budge.
Yet something about her state seemed odd.
She wasn’t worried about dying from the arrow—rather, because the arrow prevented her from exerting her full power.
Because she’d instinctively stumbled backward the moment the arrow struck.
She was now peering fearfully toward the rear, not the front.
And I thought I understood why.
‘The legend of Red Beast Fortress.’
The second evil god after the Black Worm God.
The Red Beast God.
Red Lion.
The moment I recalled that name.
“Grrrrrrrrr….”
To my ears.
No—to the ears of everyone in Red Beast Fortress, a desolate roar echoed.
A roar so menacing that one instinctively froze and was consumed by dread.
And at that same moment.
“Please….”
Behind Five-Tailed Fox, who trembled pitifully, a crimson shadow appeared.
Crunch!
It swallowed Five-Tailed Fox whole.
The identity of the being that had swallowed Five-Tailed Fox.
“What in the world is that….”
“This is, this is insane….”
“Is that, Red Lion?”
“That legend was real…?”
“How are we supposed to defeat something like that….”
Red Lion.
In other words, a crimson beast.
Fur as red as if it had emerged from a sea of blood.
The crimson mane flickered like flames, and the colossal body—as massive as the barrier itself—rippled with corded muscle.
Most notably, between Red Lion’s razor-sharp fangs.
*Gulp.*
A boss-class monster of at least level 500 that had been attacking the barrier just moments before.
Five-Tailed Fox was being swallowed whole.
“Yes, I expected as much.”
I had anticipated Red Lion’s appearance.
I had already defeated him once back at First.
Red Lion possessed no camaraderie whatsoever.
Useless beasts were devoured without mercy.
Red Lion believed it was far better to consume useless beasts and recover even a fraction of his strength than to waste effort managing them.
I had already experienced this pattern at First—how Red Lion would devour the herd of beasts to restore his vitality.
“I knew it would come to this.”
I had also anticipated that Five-Tailed Fox served under Red Lion.
Perhaps she held a position similar to Musca, who had introduced himself as an apostle of the Black Worm God when I faced him.
Therefore, I had predicted that if Five-Tailed Fox failed to fulfill her role, she would be devoured by Red Lion.
“I had refrained from using the arrow’s unique skill.”
Even in that critical moment when the arrow pierced Five-Tailed Fox’s chest, I had not activated the arrow’s unique skill.
For this moment.
For this very instant.
– The unique skill of ‘The Rising Sun, Abarris’s Arrow’, ‘The Ascending Sun’, activates.
Abarris’s Arrow, embedded in Five-Tailed Fox’s chest.
Its unique skill triggers.
Just as the description claimed—that Abarris’s Arrow was a golden arrow bestowed upon the sage Abarris by the sun god Apollo—it contained the solar power of Apollo himself.
Five-Tailed Fox, swallowed by Red Lion.
The arrow lodged in her chest became a miniature sun.
The sun expanded within Red Lion’s belly, growing larger and hotter with each passing moment, consuming his insides with its infernal radiance.
“Grrrrrrrrr-!”
Red Lion’s hide was abnormally thick and resilient.
In mythology, Heracles battled the Nemean Lion for thirty days, unable to inflict even a shallow wound due to its impenetrable hide—was it not so?
This was similar.
Ordinary attacks couldn’t wound the Red Lion’s hide.
But its interior was no different from any other monster.
“This is a promising start.”
Because I understood the Red Lion’s predatory patterns, I was able to begin the battle having already dealt significant damage.
Had I encountered the Red Lion separately in the Ruined Plains, I would have expected a prolonged engagement and repeatedly struck and retreated to wear it down.
If the Red Lion had attacked the barriers from the start, I might have had to abandon the Red Beast Fortress.
But thanks to the Red Lion’s arrogance, the battle became far easier than anticipated.
“Mir, Sage! That monster….”
“I need your support.”
“Pardon?”
“I’ll handle the Red Lion myself, so please finish off these beasts as you were doing.”
“Understood!”
Ranged attacks held little meaning against the Red Lion.
I could pierce its eyes—a weak point—with arrows, but a calamity god of the Red Lion’s caliber wouldn’t simply stand still while arrows lodged in its eyes.
Therefore, to defeat it, I had to close the distance regardless of the danger.
“ROOOAAARRR!!”
The Red Lion unleashed a roar.
With that roar, the heat from the miniature sun burning within the Red Lion’s body escaped outward.
Of course, that didn’t completely negate the damage I’d dealt.
‘The hide has softened.’
Several patches of skin heavily affected by the internal heat still retained warmth.
If I targeted those spots, my attacks would connect.
In other words, I had the minimum preparation needed.
There was only one thing to be careful about from here on.
‘I must prevent it from feeding.’
I had to stop the Red Lion from consuming the beasts.
When its stamina ran low, it would devour the beasts without a shred of camaraderie to restore itself.
I had to attack the Red Lion before that happened.
“ROAARRR!”
As I charged toward the Red Lion.
The Red Lion likewise charged toward me.
This was the Red Lion that had devoured the Five-Tailed Fox, who exceeded level 500.
Even by pure stats alone, it would surpass me by several times over.
So, to keep pace with its movements even slightly.
“Luke, let’s go.”
– Yes, Master.
[ Using Black Flame Transformation. ]
[ Borrowing the power of ‘Black Flame Dragon, Luke Desperado Ignoctane’. ]
I activate Black Flame Transformation.
Black flames ignite across my body as Luke’s power flows into me.
Of course, even doing this wouldn’t allow me to close the gap in stats between myself and Red Lion.
But.
‘A diagonal slash from the left.’
I remembered Red Lion’s attack patterns from my experience through First.
Crash!
If that’s the case, the next part is simple.
The moment Red Lion’s left shoulder moves, I dodge the attack in advance.
With this method, even accounting for the stat difference, I could barely evade Red Lion’s attacks.
“Roooar!”
I then evade the right front paw strike that follows.
The same goes for charging and biting attacks.
It even slammed its front paws down on the ground, shaking the earth.
– Using skill ‘Leap’.
By jumping up before the front paw touched the ground, I could evade the attack.
Perfect evasion, but I couldn’t keep dodging like this forever.
I was evading Red Lion’s attacks because I knew its attack patterns and was using Black Flame Form.
The moment Black Flame Form was stripped away, I wouldn’t be able to dodge anymore.
Even knowing the attack patterns, the overwhelming stat difference was unavoidable.
So then.
“Luke.”
Whoosh!
It was time to counterattack.
However, even with decent weapons, it was difficult to deal proper damage to Red Lion.
Even with mythic-grade weapons.
Red Lion’s hide was that thick and resilient.
As such, the weapon I would use wasn’t a powerful one meant to deal direct damage to Red Lion.
“Death Stinger.”
– Yes, Master.
It was a weapon imbued with poison.
[ Death Stinger ]
( Non-tradeable )
Form: Short Sword
Grade: Unique
Restrictions: Level 400 or higher, Sword Mastery Lv 40 or higher, Agility 1,500 or higher
Description: A venomous short sword crafted from the tail of a scorpion known to possess the most potent toxin in the Desert.
True to its nature as a short sword imbued with deadly poison, viscous liquid dripped steadily from its violet blade.
Squelch!
I drove it into Red Lion’s torso.
Even though I thrust it into the part where the hide had softened from the burns, I couldn’t drive the short sword in completely.
Only the very tip of the blade managed to penetrate.
As expected, the defensive prowess of the Red Lion.
But.
‘That’s enough.’
This is sufficient.
After all, what I’m aiming for now isn’t direct damage, but rather poisoning the Red Lion gradually, step by step.
“Roooaaarrr!”
From the Red Lion’s perspective, it was probably no more than an ant’s bite.
But even that displeases him?
The Red Lion, struck by my attack, grows even more enraged and begins his assault on me.
But the more he does.
‘His attack patterns have become simpler.’
Evading his strikes becomes increasingly effortless.
When I already understand his attack patterns perfectly, and he merely repeats the same monotonous assaults in his fury—
There’s nothing better than this.
Each time I evade the Red Lion’s attacks and spot an opening.
[ Hydra’s Fangs ]
( Non-tradeable )
Form: Dagger
Grade: Legendary
I drive the blade into the burned area.
When no opening appears.
– Skill ‘Black Serpent’s Shadow’ is activated.
Using the skill, I pierce deeper into the Red Lion’s body.
[ Tarantula’s Vengeance ]
( Non-tradeable )
Form: Dagger
Grade: Epic
I drive the weapon in.
Some weapons possess potent toxins but lack the attack power to penetrate even the burned areas.
– Skill ‘Black Insect Flash’ is activated.
Even such weapons are forced through by the power of the skill.
In this manner.
[ Basilisk’s Venomous Spike ]
I strike.
[ Crumbling Necrotic Lance ]
I strike.
[ The Assassin’s End ]
And strike again.
On top of that, true to my nature as an All Master.
– 3rd Circle Black Magic ‘Curse Poison’ is activated.
I was even using dark magic poison-attribute spells to poison the Red Lion.
“ROOOAAARRR!”
Of course, this wasn’t as simple as it sounded.
The Red Lion’s roar was an unavoidable area-of-effect skill.
Rather than dealing massive damage, it was a skill that sent opponents flying backward with tremendous force.
“Ugh.”
Even while using Black Inferno, the stat difference between the Red Lion and me was staggering.
The roar alone inflicted considerable damage.
Yet I refused to yield, charging forward to drive my poisoned weapons into the Red Lion’s body.
Boom!
A single moment of carelessness.
If I so much as grazed the Red Lion’s claws sweeping past my face, it would be game over instantly.
Fighting with the conviction that a single hit meant death, I dodged the Red Lion’s attacks while desperately counterattacking.
How many poisoned weapons had I driven into the Red Lion’s body by now?
Soon I began to think there was barely any space left to embed another blade.
“Grrrraahhh!”
Finally, my efforts bore fruit, shining through.
Boom!
One of the Red Lion’s knees, now pitch-black with poison, buckled beneath him.

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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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