The Return of the Genius Ranker’s Myth Warehouse - Chapter 214

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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 214
Chapter 214
After finishing the move.
I got up, finished eating, and logged into Second right away.
[ The Second World. ]
[ Welcome to ‘Second’. ]
Though I’d taken a day off, the battle against the White Water Deity had drained me far more than I’d anticipated.
That’s why I’d told the other guild members to get plenty of rest.
“Guild Master, you’re here!”
“Did you get some good rest?”
“I heard you moved!”
The moment I logged in, the guild members were the first thing I saw.
I’d assumed they’d still be resting, thinking they might not have logged in yet—but every single one of them was online.
That alone was surprising, but what shocked me even more was their appearance.
“Have you been hunting?”
I didn’t need to ask to know.
Mud caked on their armor and exhaustion etched across their faces.
They’d definitely been hunting in the Swamp.
And not just one or two—all the combat-class guild members.
At my question, the guild members scratched the back of their heads sheepishly.
“I guess you can’t fool the Guild Master after all.”
They answered honestly.
“The truth is, we’ve all been hunting in the Swamp together since yesterday.”
“Aren’t you exhausted? You could have rested a bit longer.”
“Ha, what would we have to be tired about? You and the Vice Guild Master did practically everything. To be honest… we weren’t much help at all.”
As they said this, the guild members naturally lowered their heads.
Only then could I understand.
Why they’d forgone rest and rushed straight into hunting.
‘They’re feeling guilty.’
After the White Water Deity subjugation ended.
During the move and my conversation with Kang Ju-hyuk, I’d heard the full account of how things had unfolded.
Kang Ju-hyuk had probably just been recounting his exploits without any intention of blaming the guild members, but objectively speaking, the guild members had failed to complete the task I’d assigned them.
However, even so, I had no intention of reproaching them.
‘When you think about it, it was my mistake.’
I’d distributed the guild members appropriately by comparing the White Water Deity’s full strength from when I’d faced it in First against its current strength, which hadn’t fully recovered.
But from what Kang Ju-hyuk told me, the difficulty of each path’s subjugation seemed slightly higher than I’d calculated.
For the guild members, it was bound to be challenging.
Above all else.
‘I’d even prepared for the possibility of the guild members failing.’
I trusted my guild members, but that didn’t mean I was naively hoping they’d handle everything alone.
There was a ‘Plan B’ prepared in case the guild members failed to conquer the White Water Deity.
Of course, using Plan B would have required expending an enormous amount of mythic-grade items, so the losses would have been catastrophic.
In any case, I was about to ease their guilt by explaining the situation truthfully.
‘Wait.’
I paused and reconsidered.
I felt sorry for making them feel guilty, but this could become an opportunity for their growth.
Even now, weren’t they hunting with me earlier precisely because of that guilt?
Though I felt somewhat apologetic, I decided to use this situation as an opportunity for them.
“I’ll help you.”
“Pardon?”
“Are you saying this directly, Guild Master?”
“You must be terribly busy….”
“No, I’ve finished all the important matters and have some free time now.”
Fulfilling their desire to grow stronger—that was what mattered.
That’s what I needed to do right now.
It wasn’t a lie either; having defeated the White Water Deity had indeed freed up my schedule.
More than that.
“The Emperor is said to be coming here.”
“The Emperor himself?”
“Yes, it seems he was quite pleased with the Achievement you’ve established this time. You could expect a substantial reward.”
According to Ena’s words, the Emperor was heading this way.
Since the exact date of his departure remained unclear, I had to wait in Kalbera Territory to receive him.
So at least until then, I could invest time in my guild members.
In such circumstances.
The first thing I proposed for my guild members was.
“We’ll begin with sparring matches.”
“Sp, sparring?”
One-on-one matches with each guild member.
* * *
The guild members were taken aback by Mir’s proposal.
‘Sparring?’
Sparring, all of a sudden.
It was a bewildering situation.
However, the members of the Heukryeom Guild adapted to this situation faster than expected.
And for good reason.
‘Now that I think about it, he’s always been like that since we joined the guild.’
When they first joined the guild.
Even during the interview where careers and character were typically assessed, Mir had tested them by exchanging blows directly rather than through words.
Surely, this time would be no different.
“Understood!”
“If you would grant us this honor, we would be truly delighted!”
And so the sparring match between Mir and the guild members began.
The first to step forward was.
“Gaspacio!”
A man named Gaspacio.
He was the oldest man in the Heukryeom Guild, and more importantly.
“Oh, Gaspacio!”
“We look forward to this!”
He was the highest-leveled member of the Heukryeom Guild.
Even higher than Kang Ju-hyuk.
For that very reason, he stepped forward first to set an example for everyone.
A hastily prepared makeshift training ground in the corner of Kalbera Territory.
Standing across from me on that ground, Gaspacio drew his weapon.
The weapon he wielded was.
*Clank!*
A greatsword.
Its length matched Gaspacio’s own height, and the blade’s thickness was five times that of a standard sword.
Moreover, its weight appeared to exceed a hundred kilograms.
Yet Gaspacio, possessed of overwhelming strength, wielded the massive greatsword with ease as he warmed up.
‘This is a sparring match, but as the senior here, I can’t afford to be knocked down immediately.’
Gaspacio tensed, preparing his attack.
He had no intention of holding back in this match.
He was coming in with the genuine intention to win.
He knew the guild master was skilled, but didn’t level differences exist?
Even if he didn’t know the guild master’s exact level, there had to be at least a hundred-level gap.
He couldn’t afford to fall in a single strike without putting up a fight.
No.
‘I’m stepping forward with the intention to win.’
With such a level difference, perhaps he could actually emerge victorious.
That’s what he thought.
No matter how skilled one was, in Second—ultimately a game—the difference in levels and stats was overwhelming.
The moment he faced off against Mir.
“I’ll begin immediately.”
“Thank you, Guild Master!”
*Whoosh!*
The sparring match commenced.
In that instant, Gaspacio charged toward me, dragging his ponderous greatsword.
Though he was dragging an immensely heavy greatsword and had invested his stats more in strength than agility.
His movement skill, ‘Iron Charge’, increased his movement speed in proportion to his strength stat rather than agility.
Thus, charging forward with remarkable speed.
“Giant Slash!”
Immediately, he swung his greatsword at me.
A swift attack that belied its massive size and weight.
The strike’s enormous range made it difficult to evade, and the greatsword’s inherent destructive power made it equally difficult to defend against—yet.
Whoosh.
I slipped past the attack with remarkable ease.
Gaspacio was taken aback by my fluid movement.
While a greatsword’s attacks were admittedly sluggish, few people or monsters could perfectly evade a sudden charge followed by a cutting strike.
Even those who did manage to dodge would typically show alarm.
I didn’t blink once as I sidestepped the greatsword’s trajectory.
Like a fish gliding smoothly through water.
“You’ve overcome the greatsword’s inherent slowness through skill combinations well enough.”
My form brushed past Gaspacio’s ribs as I spoke.
The weapon in my hand was, in fact.
“But once the enemy’s agility exceeds a certain threshold, the greatsword’s sluggish speed becomes a critical weakness.”
Thunk!
A dagger.
My dagger found the gap between Gaspacio’s armpit.
It pierced precisely through the armor’s opening.
If the dagger had sunk deeper, one of Gaspacio’s arms would have become useless—but.
“Even now, this body was once called an ace!”
Clang!
Gaspacio pressed his arm down, tightening the armor’s gap.
The dagger driving inward became wedged firmly between the plates.
This was Gaspacio’s moment of triumph—his trump card.
Sacrifice flesh to break bone.
My weapon was now trapped in his armor; now came his turn.
With that thought, he swung his greatsword—but.
Whoosh!
“Huh?”
I showed no panic despite my weapon being caught.
Instead, as if it were only natural, I released the dagger from my grip, and black flames ignited as I drew a fresh dagger.
“A clever idea, but if you remain composed, the solution is simple.”
Thunk!
I thrust another dagger forward.
Gaspacio tried to tighten his armor again to trap this blade as well, but I simply released it as if it were disposable and drew yet another.
Before long, dozens of daggers bristled from Gaspacio’s body—and.
Transformed into a porcupine bristling with dagger spines, he.
“Hah… I concede defeat.”
Had no choice but to acknowledge his loss.
* * *
“Using skills to compensate for movement and attack speed, and leveraging armor to lock the enemy’s weapon for counterattacks—it’s certainly excellent, but still insufficient.”
“Then….”
“The strategy of sacrificing flesh and bone should be reserved for more critical moments. Ordinarily, don’t deliberately expose yourself to seize weapons. Instead, focus more on twisting your body to deflect the enemy’s blade using your armor.”
“Ah! I understand. It’s just that this method is so overwhelmingly powerful, I’ve been using it too frequently….”
My first sparring opponent.
Facing Gaspacio was straightforward.
After all, I confronted him using an assassin concept—the natural counter to a greatsword warrior.
I overcame a level gap exceeding one hundred and emerged victorious, but that didn’t mean Gaspacio lacked skill.
‘Compared to the players I encountered in Second Crown, this level of combat sense is genuinely exceptional.’
I overwhelmed him purely because of my overwhelming combat experience and the implementation of a counter-matchup fighting style.
Most assassins would have struggled to even time their dodges against a greatsword, and the moment their weapon caught on armor, they’d panic and get cleaved by the blade.
In any case, after winning the match, I offered Gaspacio various pieces of advice.
His mistakes.
Areas he needed to improve.
Things to watch out for, and so on.
He could have dismissed the counsel of a lower-level player.
“Thank you so much! These are insights I could never have discovered on my own.”
Gaspacio listened to my advice with a smile.
Just as he was expressing his gratitude and preparing to hand over his turn to the next guild member.
“We’re not finished yet.”
I had no intention of letting him go just like that.
“Luke.”
– Yes, Master.
“Set up my greatsword for sparring.”
– Understood.
Whoosh.
A massive greatsword materialized in my grip.
For armor, I equipped the heavy full plate mail I didn’t ordinarily prefer to wear.
That’s right.
I’d demonstrated the difference matchups make. Now came the next phase.
“From here on, we’ll begin our match with identical loadouts.”
Mirroring.
Not through matchup advantage, but through pure skill alone—it was time to fell Gaspacio, who outleveled me by over one hundred levels, in an equal state.

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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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