The Return of the Genius Ranker’s Myth Warehouse - Chapter 179

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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 179
Chapter 179
The speed at which I and the carriages traveled toward Kalbera Territory was remarkably swift.
It felt far faster than the pace of the Simons Trading Company when we had journeyed toward Red Beast Fortress previously.
There were three major reasons for this.
The first was.
[ Pioneer King’s Vanguard Flag ]
An item I had drawn forth.
When I held this flag and took the lead, the movement speed of all units following behind increased.
With effects befitting a legendary-grade item, the impact was visibly substantial—the carriages moved with the swiftness of a sailing ship catching a favorable wind.
The second reason was.
‘The road.’
The path I was traversing.
When heading toward Red Beast Fortress, we had traveled along poorly maintained roads to avoid detection by other merchant caravans.
Now, we moved along well-maintained roads.
So naturally, our speed was exceptional.
The final third reason was.
“Hey, Mir. This is getting boring.”
The absence of monsters.
Being a well-maintained road, no monsters appeared here.
Even now, several hours after our departure, not a single monster had been sighted.
In response to Kang Ju-hyuk’s grumbling from behind, I unfolded a map and answered.
“You won’t be bored much longer, so don’t worry.”
This pleasant stretch wouldn’t last much longer.
The well-paved road would soon come to an end.
Sure enough, not long after, the expansive road cutting through the open plains ended abruptly.
“Why is the terrain changing so drastically all of a sudden?”
We entered a Forest.
Or rather, I had initially thought it was a Forest, but the deeper we ventured, my perception had to shift.
This was no Forest.
This place was….
“Doesn’t the ground feel a bit soggy?”
Yes.
It was a Swampland.
Damp earth, deep and waterlogged.
Not only was mud prevalent, but shallow waters stretched to the sides, with tall trees and vegetation growing densely across them.
As I came to a halt, someone descended from one of the following carriages—the one bearing the golden dragon crest—and approached my side.
“We’ve arrived at the Swampland already. That was fast.”
He was a Tower Guide sent from the Imperial Palace.
A guide dispatched to show me the way to the Territory that had been granted to me as a Baron.
Of course, that wasn’t all—I’d heard that the Carriage he rode in was equipped with various materials the Emperor had prepared for me.
“The Southern Continent is covered with Forests, Jungles, and terrain like this Swampland.”
The Tower Guide suddenly began explaining the geography of the Southern Continent.
But what I was curious about right now wasn’t that.
“Is this the right way to go? It seems difficult for the Carriage to advance.”
“Oh, Baron. You can speak more casually.”
“…Very well. Anyway, what’s your answer?”
The question was whether we could pass through here.
If the Carriage wheels got stuck in the Swampland while forcing our way through, it would slow us down considerably.
To that question, the Tower Guide answered with a smile.
“This Swampland is the closest passage heading south, so a military road has been prepared.”
“A military road?”
“It’s difficult for ordinary people to find, but with this secret map I brought… it’s this way!”
I followed the Tower Guide’s lead.
As we proceeded, we arrived at an area with particularly dense grass and vegetation.
Such places are especially dangerous because visibility is obscured.
“Come this way!”
Following the Tower Guide’s confident demeanor, I pushed through the grass.
“What do you think?”
“It’s real.”
Beneath the grass, I felt a solid foundation.
Despite the dense grass and many trees surrounding the area, a path wide enough for a single Carriage had been carved out along this route.
Thanks to this, we were able to move quickly along the shortcut through the Swampland.
‘Did they lay wooden planks on the ground?’
They’d actually constructed a bridge through the Swampland to use as a shortcut.
The Empire’s determination was truly extraordinary.
And yet, this same Empire had lost ground to the Merfolk and ended up handing over a dangerous Territory to me.
Even though it was called a dangerous Territory, it must have been an important strategic location, so I could only imagine how much it must have pained the Empire.
“Isn’t it impressive? The engineering corps of our Imperial Army is this remarkable!”
“Indeed….”
Crack.
“…Ahem, it seems some repairs are needed since quite some time has passed.”
Of course, the road wasn’t perfect.
Since it was a road and bridge-like structure laid over the Swampland, there were sections where the wood had rotted or been damaged.
I was about to step forward to fix it.
“I’ll repair it! May I use some of the materials from the Carriage?”
Lee Chul-geun, the architect I’d accepted as a Guild member because he seemed necessary for the Kalbera Territory.
He grabbed materials and rushed out, quickly repairing the bridge.
The architect profession truly lived up to its reputation.
Lee Chul-geun then moved forward with me at the vanguard, repairing the bridge as we advanced.
It seemed like we would progress smoothly, but unfortunately, it wasn’t just the ancient bridge that held us back.
“Croak?”
“Monsters!”
Monsters from the Swampland began to emerge.
Frog-shaped monsters.
Though they were frogs, they were massive creatures that reached up to an adult man’s waist, and their numbers kept increasing.
Under normal circumstances, I would have rushed out immediately to hunt the frogs, but this time was different.
“Kang Ju-hyuk, take the Guild members and hold them back.”
The Guild members I had recruited through interviews.
However, a single attack witnessed during the interview wasn’t enough.
I needed to understand the potential of the Black Flame Guild members through actual combat with monsters and determine how I could best support them.
For that reason.
“Okay! Let’s go!”
“Yes! Vice Guild Master!”
“Hahahaha, that sounds great!”
I decided to entrust this battle to Kang Ju-hyuk and the Guild members while I observed them.
* * *
Currently, the Black Flame Guild had a total of ten members.
Guild Master Mir.
Vice Guild Master Kang Ju-hyuk.
Followed by five combat-class Guild members and two production-class Guild members, with the remaining one being an administrator.
Among them, most of the combat-class Guild members harbored a silent thought.
‘Why is Mir the Guild Master?’
There was actually good reason for it.
Couldn’t you see it just by looking at their levels?
Since Mir was the champion of the Beginner League, he had been a user below level 200 until recently.
Since Kang Ju-hyuk was the champion of the Master League, his level was far higher than Mir’s.
‘Shouldn’t Kang Ju-hyuk be the Guild Master rather than Mir?’
It wasn’t necessarily the case, but typically the Guild Master was the stronger user.
So why was Mir serving as the Guild Master?
It was impossible not to wonder.
And there was another thing.
‘How much could his level have increased by now? Doesn’t that mean I’m stronger than Mir?’
Some of the Guild members with particularly high levels harbored such thoughts.
I understood that Mir was skilled, and I knew that the Black Flame Guild had been selected as a Promising Guild and was currently making headlines.
But even so, it wasn’t easy to bow one’s head to someone weaker than oneself.
In the midst of this.
“Okay! Let’s go!”
Kang Ju-hyuk’s order came down.
The monsters had appeared.
A frog-shaped monster.
Monsters that typically appeared in the Southern Continent were notoriously difficult to face, so I hadn’t encountered them frequently.
Moreover.
Squelch.
The terrain unique to the Swampland was equally inconvenient.
But.
“Hnngh!”
Slash!
These were all elite Guild members that Mir had handpicked.
Each in their own way overcame the geographical disadvantage and began engaging the monsters.
Though their classes and levels weren’t uniform, they all possessed a remarkable sense for finding their positions and confronting the monsters.
Witnessing this.
“Wow, this is no joke?”
Kang Ju-hyuk marveled.
He was confident in his own combat ability, but he realized these members possessed a sense of battle comparable to his own.
Having like-minded people at his side made the combat all the more exhilarating.
And so.
‘That Mir fellow really does have a good eye for people, doesn’t he?’
Kang Ju-hyuk recalled Mir’s judgment.
He had thought the number of Guild members was too small, but certainly with these people, they could rapidly develop into the elite of the Heukryeom Guild.
Continuing the battle thus.
‘That’s why he chose me first. Hehe.’
In the moment Kang Ju-hyuk’s thoughts drifted elsewhere.
“Gruuuuuk!”
Splash!
An enormous toad erupted from beneath the Swampland.
At first glance, it was no ordinary monster.
It didn’t appear to be a Boss Monster, but.
“A Named Monster!”
It seemed to be at least Named Monster tier.
Naturally, it was far stronger than the ordinary frogs.
Of course, even against such a monster, they could have handled it adequately, but.
“The, the Carriage!”
“We have to protect the Carriage!”
“But if we engage that toad, the other frogs will attack the Carriage!”
“If we fight the frogs, that toad will smash the Carriage to pieces!”
“What do we do?”
This battle was no ordinary hunt.
It was a defensive battle—they had to fight while protecting the Carriage.
With so few Guild members, it seemed they would struggle to defend the Carriage under these circumstances.
“Sub-Guild Master!”
“Uh, what?”
“What should we do!”
The Guild members called out Kang Ju-hyuk’s name, but.
Even as Kang Ju-hyuk, no answer came to mind.
Above all, despite being called Sub-Guild Master, Kang Ju-hyuk hadn’t yet adapted to the current situation where he needed to give proper instructions to his Guild members as a Sub-Guild Master.
In that moment of Kang Ju-hyuk’s confusion.
Whoosh!
Mir, who had been quietly observing the battle from the Carriage, began to move.
However, that didn’t ease the worry.
“Guild Master, it’s dangerous!”
The frogs they were currently facing were at least level 300 or higher.
Especially that toad—being a named monster, it was clearly far more powerful than that.
Yet a user who had only recently participated in the Beginner League was charging toward such a monster?
This was nothing short of suicide.
However, something seemed off about Mir as he charged forward.
Whoosh!
Crimson flames engulfed Mir’s body.
Then.
Crackle—.
[ Abyssal Swamp Predator Groark’s Waist ]
[ Abyssal Swamp Predator Groark’s Forearm ]
[ Abyssal Swamp Predator Groark’s Leg ]
….
Extraordinary-looking equipment materialized on Mir’s body for an instant before being obscured by Black Flame.
Finally, somehow leaping freely even from the Swampland, he soared above the toad’s head.
[ Giant’s Sword, Nagelring ]
( Non-Tradeable )
Type : Sword
Grade : Mythic
Restriction : Level 600 or higher, Sword Mastery Lv 60 or higher, Strength 2,000 or higher
Description : A sword said to have been forged by the dwarf Alberich for the giant Grim. Originally used as a one-handed sword by Grim, but it is extraordinarily massive for human use.
Gripping a greatsword so colossal it seemed questionable whether it was truly a weapon humans could wield.
Slash!
He cleaved the toad in two with a single strike.
“Unbelievable….”
The Heukryeom Guild members watching this scene could finally resolve the question they had harbored in their hearts.
Mir was undoubtedly the Guild Master of Heukryeom Guild.

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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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