The Return of the Genius Ranker’s Myth Warehouse - Chapter 186
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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 186
Chapter 186
After restoring the Breakwater.
The territory’s residents found a measure of stability.
No, in truth, they found far more than mere stability.
Beyond simply restoring the Breakwater, they cheered as though my presence alone banished all their worries.
Though I wondered if it was truly right for them to trust and follow me so completely, even after I merely drove away the monsters and repaired the Breakwater.
Well, good is good, I suppose.
“Guild Master, then I’ll head out to properly manage the territory’s buildings!”
The moment Lee Chul-geun confirmed the Breakwater’s restoration, he rushed off to repair the structures.
I couldn’t fathom why his expression was so radiant when heading off to work.
Though I’d heard he had transitioned into an architect with considerable skill, but lacked land to construct buildings.
After spending all this time handling menial tasks beneath NPCs, it was only natural he’d be delighted to finally showcase his true abilities.
“Kang Ju-hyuk, take the other guild members and clear out the remaining monsters in the surrounding area. There should still be stragglers.”
“Roger that! Leave it to me!”
Kang Ju-hyuk and the other guild members took on the cleanup work.
“As for Ena…”
“I’ll handle the territorial administration, yes? The first user-born territorial administrator in Second—what an experience thanks to you, Guild Master!”
I entrusted Ena with the administrative work of the territory, now left blank after the Imperial Army’s withdrawal.
This was a task no one else, myself included, could properly manage, so Ena proved invaluable.
After assigning tasks to everyone in this manner.
I began preparing for my own work in earnest.
‘They’ll definitely return.’
The monsters that attacked Kalbera Territory alongside the fishmen.
I hadn’t defeated them.
I had merely driven them away by instilling fear through the Dragon Horn.
For ordinary monsters, the lingering fear would take quite some time before they’d dare attack Kalbera Territory again.
‘But the White Water Deity won’t sit idle.’
These creatures hadn’t attacked the territory through natural phenomena.
They were sent deliberately, according to the White Water Deity’s will.
There was no way the White Water Deity would simply leave them cowering in hiding.
Of course, the White Water Deity, being an Evil God, wouldn’t move directly…
‘But Evil Gods have Apostles.’
The Black Worm God’s Apostle, Musca.
The Red Beast God’s Apostle, Five-Tailed Fox.
The Green Stone Demon… being inanimate, didn’t seem to have a proper Apostle.
Or perhaps one of the golems I defeated was its Apostle, or the location itself was treated as one.
In any case, the White Water Deity’s Apostle could emerge and dispel the monsters’ fear, leading them back once more.
Therefore.
‘I must prepare.’
I had to prepare for the possibility that monsters could attack again at any moment.
Otherwise, the Kalbera Territory I had just arrived at would be invaded.
And fortunately, I had plenty of items prepared to counter the enemies.
“Luke, get me a diving suit.”
– Yes, master.
The monsters were surging up from beneath the sea.
As such, I needed to set traps underwater as well.
[ Blue Mermaid’s Veil ]
[ Blue Mermaid’s Waistband ]
[ Blue Mermaid’s Scale Breastplate ]
….
I changed into armor that allowed underwater movement.
Fundamentally, it was defensive gear that removed movement restrictions in water and made me stronger underwater, but what mattered was the set effect.
[ You have equipped the complete ‘Blue Mermaid’ set (6/6). ]
[ The ‘Blue Mermaid’ set effect activates. ]
[ Blue Mermaid: You can now breathe underwater. Your movement speed in water increases. ]
Underwater breathing and increased movement speed.
The moment I finished changing clothes.
Splash!
I dove into the sea in front of the breakwater.
Just in case, I even brought a weapon with me to prepare for any emergency.
‘It’s empty.’
Fortunately, the monsters had all fled.
Not a single fish in sight besides the monsters, so there seemed to be no need to worry.
With the monsters gone, I moved quickly and began my work.
‘A defensive battle.’
Defensive battle, siege defense, defense.
I had experienced all of these back in First.
As such, I knew exactly what work needed to be done first to block the enemies.
‘The first thing I need to do is set up a restraint base.’
After confirming the terrain in front of the breakwater.
I found an appropriate location that wouldn’t affect the breakwater and began my work.
First.
Thunk.
I drove a mana stone into the seabed.
I had already applied magic enchantments beforehand, but that wasn’t enough, so I drew a magic circle around the mana stone.
Maintaining a magic circle was difficult using conventional methods underwater.
[ Luminous Coral Powder ]
But my warehouse contained underwater-exclusive magic circle materials.
Drawing the magic circle with coral powder ensured it stayed intact and properly formed even underwater.
They also embedded mana stones into rocks and coral to draw magical circles, or floated carefully refined mana stones upon the water’s surface.
In various forms, preparations to meet the monsters were underway.
* * *
The Southern Continental Sea adjacent to Kalbera Territory.
Somewhere in the vast expanse commonly called the Whale Sea by the natives.
In the deep sea where sunlight barely penetrated.
“Glurk.”
Before the presence of a colossal Evil God.
A single creature bowed its head.
A humanoid being that appeared as though it wore an inverted squid upon its head.
With its head bowed before the Evil God, which stood as firmly as a massive edifice, it waved its squid-like whiskers.
Behind it.
“Gruuuuu….”
“Shhhhh, hisssss….”
An enormous swarm of monsters surged forward.
They were the very monsters that had recently attacked Kalbera Territory.
As the monsters gathered, the Apostle serving the Evil God asked without even turning his head.
“What is the meaning of this?”
The ones who answered were the fishmen leading the monsters.
Among them, it was the White Fishman who appeared to be the commanding individual.
“A dragon, sir. A dragon has appeared. The dragon roared at us. We nearly all fell to slaughter by the dragon.”
Though it appeared to be a commanding individual among the fishmen.
No proper intelligence emanated from the creature.
It spoke, yet rather than delivering a proper situation report, it merely vented the emotions it had experienced.
Its eyes were the same.
Though gripped by terror, they appeared abnormal regardless.
Toward such a fishman, the Apostle furrowed his brow and turned his head to speak.
“What nonsense are you spouting? All dragons on the continent have vanished. Even the sea dragons of this ocean have disappeared—what dragon could possibly have appeared?”
“It truly was a dragon. It was a dragon. It was so terrifying. We had no choice but to flee.”
“Fool. There’s no reasoning with you.”
Irritated, the Apostle extended his arm toward the fishman instead of continuing the conversation.
From the Apostle’s arm, concealed beneath long sleeves, tentacles burst forth and coiled around the fishman.
Then.
“It matters not. I can simply read its memories.”
“Ahhhhh….”
Squelch.
A bundle of tentacles pierced through the fishman’s head.
The fishman convulsed and died.
The Apostle, paying no mind to this, focused on his senses before soon nodding and withdrawing his tentacles.
And naturally.
Thud.
The White Fishman lost his life.
The other fishmen watching from behind trembled not with sorrow, but with far greater terror.
“So it fell for the trick.”
The Apostle discerned the dragon’s true nature through the fishman’s memories.
Naturally, it was no real dragon.
Somehow, someone had recreated a dragon’s roar and invoked Dragon Fear.
That was why the fishmen and monsters had succumbed to panic and fled.
“Tsk tsk, foolish creatures.”
The Apostle clicked his tongue in irritation.
Recently, the humans calling themselves the Baltika Imperial Army had been steadily pushed back as his domain expanded without resistance.
Yet this bizarre stratagem had brought that momentum to a halt.
I considered intervening directly, but I was not here merely to idle away.
To awaken the Evil God, I must remain in this place and offer proper prayers of greater devotion.
Therefore.
“It appears to be a trick similar to mental magic. I shall ensure it never works again.”
Squelch!
“Kieeeek!”
“Aaaagh!”
“Shrieeee—”
The Apostle spread both arms wide, unleashing hundreds of tentacles.
Those writhing appendages pierced through the heads of every fishman and monster.
In that instant, the fishmen and monsters lost all reason.
Yes.
The Apostle had completely erased the very emotion of ‘fear’ from the fishmen and monsters.
In this state, even if a true dragon appeared and roared, they would not cower or retreat.
Though in the process of excising fear, most of their rationality was carved away as well.
But that was of no concern to the Apostle.
“Kraaaaaaagh!”
“Shrek, shrieeek!”
“Kuuu! Kuuuu!”
The fishmen and monsters, now devoid of fear and reason, began to rampage.
Left unchecked, they would turn on each other.
And so.
“Go now. This time, conquer the surface world. Drag all those wretched land-dwellers into the depths of the sea!”
“Kroooooo!”
The Apostle sent all the fishmen and monsters toward the surface.
Though they lacked reason, directing their movements was simple enough.
Once all the fishmen and monsters had departed,
the Apostle, who had been continuing his prayers before the Evil God, summoned a fish-shaped familiar, seemingly troubled by something.
I inserted a tentacle into the servant beast’s mind and withdrew it.
“Go. Scout the situation.”
I sent the servant beast to follow behind the fishmen and monsters.
An inexplicable sense of unease had washed over me.
Yet rationally, I had little cause for concern.
After all, these fishmen and monsters had been mercilessly trampling human villages and cities until now.
But then.
“We’re drawing close to the coastline now.”
While observing the fishmen and monsters through the servant beast’s senses.
A shocking scene entered my vision.
The moment the fishmen and monsters arrived near the coastline, a blue light erupted from the ground.
Whoooooosh!
Suddenly, massive whirlpools materialized.
Though both fishmen and monsters were creatures of the sea, they could not ignore the whirlpools.
Just as humans cannot ignore a tornado simply because they live on land.
It was the same principle.
A considerable number of fishmen and monsters were sucked into the whirlpools.
“What is this? These don’t seem to be naturally occurring whirlpools…”
Ten whirlpools had formed in total.
Each one was of tremendous size, and together they not only engulfed the fishmen and monsters but completely blocked their retreat.
However, the fishmen and monsters had lost all fear under my control.
They pressed forward toward the land without concern for their companions being swept away beside them.
Boom!
Debris on the water’s surface and rocks beneath the waves exploded.
Crackle!
Suddenly, an enormous discharge of electricity erupted, electrocuting the monsters.
The countless fishmen and monsters began falling rapidly.
And yet.
“Wasn’t the Breakwater supposed to have been destroyed?”
The passage leading inland.
There stood the Breakwater, perfectly intact.
According to the fishman’s memories, the Breakwater had been completely destroyed.
In that bewildering situation.
“What in the world is happening?!”
I leaped to my feet in panic, forgetting even to pray.
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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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