The Return of the Genius Ranker’s Myth Warehouse - Chapter 182
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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 182
Chapter 182
At that very moment, Mir was facing off against Rafletia.
“Block them!”
“Where in the world are they keep coming from?!”
“Stay close to the carriage! We cannot let anything touch the carriage!”
Kang Ju-hyuk and the other Heukryeom Guild members were desperately holding back the monsters within the barrier Mir had created.
The Windwheel Barrier was certainly blocking the intrusion of monsters, including the poisonous mist.
Yet these frogs were swimming up from beneath the swamp, ignoring the barrier and continuing their relentless assault.
“Poison frogs!”
“Damn it, are higher-tier monsters being added to the mix now?”
Even higher-tier monsters, stronger than the frogs they had been facing before, were being added to their ranks.
With their combat personnel stretched so thin, it was becoming increasingly difficult to contend with the ever-growing swarm of monsters.
Yet amidst all this.
There was one who displayed combat prowess unmatched by any other.
“Everyone just keep the carriage safe! I’ll reduce their numbers!”
“Vice-Guild Master Kang Ju-hyuk!”
The vice-guild master of the Heukryeom Guild.
Kang Ju-hyuk himself.
After learning new combat techniques from Mir in the Master League.
Kang Ju-hyuk had been able to transcend his original class of pure martial artist to become a “Street Fighter” by clearing a Hidden Quest.
That class ability was the amplification of consumable item effects and various status ailments.
Whoosh!
The smoke bombs he hurled became denser and spread wider.
Squelch!
The wounds and bleeding inflicted by his claws worsened dramatically.
Boom!
The explosive power of the bombs shoved into the frogs’ mouths intensified.
Utilizing this ability, Kang Ju-hyuk had maximized the combat style Mir had taught him.
During the Master League, he hadn’t fully adapted to this combat style and had felt somewhat uncertain.
Now, he had completely adapted to this style of fighting.
Thanks to the Street Fighter class ability, his skill in utilizing various status ailments and consumables had caught up to Mir’s level during the First.
Or perhaps he was even surpassing it in how effectively he wielded consumables.
Watching his performance.
“Truly, the Master League champion!”
“Remarkable!”
“We can hold out at this rate!”
The guild members drew courage and engaged the monsters with renewed vigor.
Thanks to this, they were somehow managing to hold back the monsters.
But the problem was.
“The barrier seems to be weakening, doesn’t it?”
“Huh? You’re right, it is a bit….”
The barrier Mir had deployed was gradually fading.
Once the barrier disappeared, the toxic fog would rush in immediately.
Since they were currently in the heart of the toxic fog, the barrier’s collapse would mean certain poisoning for everyone.
“…At this rate, won’t the barrier collapse before the Guild Master defeats the boss monster?”
“This seems far too dangerous….”
“Perhaps we should retreat a bit?”
The guild members grew anxious.
“Good grief, even an antidote won’t help with this.”
“We should have hired more mercenaries….”
“It’s all that Tower Guide’s fault! He led us down a dangerous shortcut, calling it a shortcut!”
“Ahem, well. I had no idea the path would become this perilous. And I’m in just as much danger as you all….”
The merchants hiding in the carriage felt the same way.
As the barrier weakened, anxiety only grew stronger.
But.
“No, we wait here.”
“Vice Guild Master!”
“You all just joined us recently and don’t know yet. Trust me. Mir can do this. He’s the type who always keeps his word.”
The vice guild master.
Kang Ju-hyuk shook his head firmly.
An atmosphere of absolute trust in Mir.
The guild members knew Mir was extraordinary, but they couldn’t help feeling anxious inside.
Not a trace of anxiety emanated from Kang Ju-hyuk.
Unable to suggest further retreat in such circumstances, the guild members had no choice but to continue holding back the monsters.
But.
“The barrier….”
Watching it grow progressively fainter, anxiety was inevitable.
Kang Ju-hyuk paid no attention to the barrier and simply blocked the monsters.
The barrier grew thin as paper, seeming ready to let the toxic fog pour in at any moment.
Sssshhhhh-.
The toxic fog outside began to thin gradually.
“What? The toxic fog is!”
“Could it be!”
And with perfect timing, the barrier dissolved.
The barrier had vanished, yet the toxic fog did not seep in.
Instead, only the damp air of the swamp could be felt.
The air that had felt unpleasant when they first entered the swamp now felt refreshingly clean simply because the poison had dissipated.
Not long after.
“Mir!”
“You’ve been keeping things in order?”
“Of course. Did you hunt the boss monster?”
“Already took care of it.”
“Wow, already? That’s impressive. Even at my level, hunting it solo would be difficult, yet you managed it at your level alone.”
“I know the strategy for this monster.”
“But other people can’t hunt it solo even if they know the strategy?”
The Guild Master of the Heukryeom Guild.
Mir had arrived.
“You really hunted the boss monster alone?”
“And in such a short time at that?”
“Wouldn’t the math only work if you charged straight at the boss monster, defeated it in a minute, and came back?”
“Unbelievable….”
“It’s no wonder Mir took on the role of guild master.”
The guild members watching this scene unconsciously felt their trust and respect for Mir growing stronger.
* * *
After defeating the boss monster.
I set the carriage in motion again to escape the swamp.
Because I had cleared out many monsters while trapped in the poison fog, the spawn rate of monsters decreased significantly afterward.
Thanks to that, I was able to call over Kang Ju-hyuk with considerably more leisure.
“Why did you call me?”
“I have a gift for you.”
“A gift?”
I handed an item to Kang Ju-hyuk, who tilted his head in confusion.
Its identity was, naturally.
[ Corpse Flower’s Deadly Poison Gloves ]
Gloves I had obtained after defeating Rafletia.
Kang Ju-hyuk accepted the gloves with a bewildered expression, and the moment he checked the Item Information to see what they were.
“Insane! Epic-grade gloves?”
He was startled, his eyes widening in shock.
“Wait, epic-grade items drop? Even from boss-class monsters, these don’t drop easily! You said you collected all the items from First, so this is completely lucky! You’re a lucky guy!”
“Statistically speaking, I don’t think my luck was that good.”
“No, from now on you’re a lucky guy. I’ve decided it. But seriously, a gift? Epic-grade gloves?”
“Yeah. I’ve already earned plenty of money anyway. Think of it as payment for visiting me when I was sick.”
“Come on, how do you calculate that as payment? Anyway, I’m really grateful! This is amazing! Just with these, my combat power will skyrocket!”
“Do you like them?”
“Of course! I haven’t been able to upgrade my equipment because I’ve been spending on consumables! With just these, I can breeze through to level 500!”
It made sense.
I had traveled throughout First and collected all legendary and mythic-grade items.
But in Second, it seemed high-grade items were so rare that I could say I was the first to obtain a mythic-grade item.
Kang Ju-hyuk immediately put on the gloves and swung them through the air with swooshing sounds, enjoying the feel of wearing them.
“Ehehe, from now on, I’ll call you Poison Rose. Our beautiful rose, let’s stay together forever, yeah?”
…It did seem a bit uncomfortable watching her enjoy wearing it so excessively.
But since it meant she loved my gift that much, I simply ignored it.
“Oh, your mom asked when you could visit home?”
“You found a place already?”
“The first thing I did after leaving the Luxury Hotel was search for listings in your area. And honestly, there aren’t that many properties matching that price range and those conditions.”
“Once we settle into the Territory, I should pay her a visit.”
“So, about that—once you get a house, can’t I live with you?”
“With you?”
“Living alone gets lonely! Let me enjoy a nice house too!”
I was riding Lakshi with Kang Ju-hyuk behind me, exchanging various conversations as we traveled.
Kang Ju-hyuk came up with a new proposal.
To live together.
Certainly, if the house were spacious, living alone might feel lonely.
“No.”
“Why! I’ll even do the housework, okay?”
“If you’re there, it won’t be lonely, but it’ll probably get too noisy.”
“Why nooo!”
Living with just Kang Ju-hyuk was out of the question.
There were various reasons, but the biggest was that I was simply accustomed to being alone.
Kang Ju-hyuk was certainly my closest friend, but I needed time to myself.
“I’ll really do well! Okay? I want to live in a house where I can see the Han River too!”
“If you keep chattering like that, go hunt some monsters instead.”
“Aw, pleease!”
After dropping the complaining Kang Ju-hyuk from Lakshi’s back.
I led the carriage onward along the path.
The Swamp’s scale was far larger than imagined, so we had to travel for quite a long time, even taking breaks in between.
Then.
“Huh, this smell is?”
“Could it be!”
“We’re out!”
“Wow, how long has it been since I’ve seen sunlight like this?”
Finally, the edge of the Swamp came into view.
The moment we escaped the Swamp where not a single ray of light penetrated.
Whoooosh—.
“The sea!”
A blue sea.
Instead of the murky stench from the Swamp, the salty sea breeze felt refreshingly cool.
With my eyes adapted to the darkness of the Swamp, the sea reflecting sunlight was blindingly brilliant.
“Even though I’ve been playing Second for quite a while now, this is my first time actually seeing the Southern Sea.”
“The southern region isn’t convenient for hunting, so it’s not a field we visit often.”
“It’s beautiful, though.”
“There’s something romantic about it.”
Just like my guild members, I too found myself captivated by the breathtaking beauty of the sea.
And for good reason.
‘How long has it been since I’ve seen the ocean?’
It had been quite some time since I last beheld the sea.
In reality, I could count on one hand the number of times I had sought out the ocean.
Ah, come to think of it, I did visit sea fields fairly often back in First, so perhaps it hasn’t been that long after all.
“From here on, I shall guide us once more!”
The moment we emerged from the swamp, the Tower Guide’s confidence surged, and he began leading us in earnest.
I could have navigated using the map myself, but since the guide was the expert, I followed in his footsteps.
True to the description of hugging the coastline, the path wound its way along the shore.
Fortunately, no monsters appeared, and everyone moved leisurely while marveling at the sea.
“There! I see it!”
At last, my territory.
Kalbera Territory began to reveal itself.
In truth, a territory wasn’t necessarily grand in scale.
Generally, a baron’s territory was the size of a small town, and even though I had received a relatively large territory as an Achievement reward, it was merely the size of a larger village.
Still, a large village could house thousands of people, so I couldn’t dismiss it as insignificant.
“Behold! Mir’s first territory is truly—!”
Kang Ju-hyuk burst forward to get a better look at the territory.
However, upon seeing the actual state of the territory, Kang Ju-hyuk’s expression darkened considerably.
Mine did as well.
Upon laying eyes on the territory, anxiety seized me before any joy could take hold.
And with reason.
“…Don’t tell me that place under attack is your territory?”
“…It appears to be.”
Kalbera Territory, which I was encountering for the first time, was currently under a fierce assault from monsters.
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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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