The Return of the Genius Ranker’s Myth Warehouse - Chapter 292
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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 292
Chapter 292
After the festival in the Sandclaw Tribe came to an end.
With our tasks complete, we decided to part ways immediately.
The item distribution was finished, and we’d fully recovered our stamina, so there was no reason to linger in the desert any longer.
Of course, from this point on, it was essentially free time.
“We’re planning to use the Sandclaw Tribe as a base and explore the surrounding areas!”
“The Western Great Desert is so difficult to navigate that there are apparently many undiscovered dungeons and monsters.”
“And since the Sandclaw Tribe members have been so welcoming to us, when else would we get an opportunity like this?”
No one was forced to return.
Some headed back to Labelt or the Kalbera Territory.
Others remained with the Sandclaw Tribe, while some ventured deeper into the Western Region.
We truly had free time to do as we pleased.
As for me.
“Apostle! I’ll guide you all the way to the Golden Sand Tribe Alliance!”
I decided to accept guidance from Rashid, a trainee warrior of the Sandclaw Tribe.
It was a welcome arrangement for me as well.
Though he’d made a poor first impression by suddenly appearing with a monster in tow, Rashid was now the NPC I felt most comfortable interacting with in the Sandclaw Tribe.
“How long until we reach the alliance?”
“If we travel without incident, about three days!”
“How much time remains until the tournament?”
“Since our Sandclaw Tribe is a fixed participant, we don’t need to apply separately—we just need to arrive by a week from now when the tournament begins!”
“That leaves us some time then.”
“But wouldn’t you need to arrive early to recover from fatigue and acclimate to the alliance before the tournament?”
Subtracting travel time from the week until the tournament, I’d have roughly four days remaining.
Yet hearing this, I felt no urgency whatsoever.
And for good reason.
‘I can certainly shorten the travel time considerably.’
The three days Rashid mentioned was strictly for leisurely travel.
If we hurried, we could cut that time down further.
And with my ‘mount’?
I could achieve far greater speed than the camel Rashid was currently riding.
That would leave me with plenty of time.
In that case.
“Rashid, are there any rumors or legends passed down among the Sandclaw Tribe?”
“Rumors or legends? I’m not entirely sure what you’re referring to specifically….”
“Hidden locations or tales of powerful monsters, that sort of thing.”
“Oh, there are plenty of those. Though I’d say most of them are just exaggerated rumors!”
“Could you locate them?”
“Well, yes? Having been born and raised in the desert, I’m confident in my navigation!”
“Good.”
Until I reached the Alliance.
I decided to use my time as efficiently as possible.
The dungeons and monsters of the desert would be perfectly suited for hunting at my current level.
“Guide me.”
“Really? Um, understood! Then please ride with me, Apostle. This is my camel, Nutu, and his legs are incredibly fast!”
“No, leave Nutu with the tribe.”
“Huh? Then how….”
“Luke.”
– Yes, Master.
Riding on Rashid’s camel would be far too inefficient.
So I summoned my own mount.
I wanted to call back the White-hot Fin I’d ridden yesterday, but the White-hot Fin was a Legendary-grade mount with an 800-level restriction.
Its duration had already expired, and it had returned to an inactive state.
Besides, since I planned to traverse the desert for a week, I needed to choose a mount suited to my level regardless of duration limitations.
One that was fast, had excellent endurance, and was strong enough to carry both me and Rashid.
With that in mind, the mount I selected was.
[ Sand Lizard’s Sand Pipe ]
( Non-Tradeable )
Type : Mount
Grade : Epic
Restriction : Level 400 or higher, Riding Skill Lv 40 or higher
Description : A sand pipe capable of summoning a Sand Lizard, also known as the Desert’s Tracker.
That was it.
I blew the sand pipe that had been created along with Black Flame.
“Kiirrrrr.”
“Whoa!”
The Sand Lizard revealed itself.
A lizard covered in sand-colored scales that reflected sunlight.
Long, sharp spines grew from its back like handles, and a saddle was mounted behind them.
“Get on quickly.”
“Um, really? This is a Sand Lizard, and in our desert it’s known to be extremely dangerous….”
“No time.”
“Y-yes!”
“Guide me to the closest place you know of.”
“Well, then shall we go to where a pack of Red Desert Wolves has recently appeared?”
“Good, let’s go.”
“Kiirrrrrrr-!”
“Waaaahhh!”
The moment I gave the direction.
The Sand Lizard surged across the desert at tremendous speed.
While not quite matching the swimming speed of the White-hot Fin, across desert terrain it moved faster than most noble steeds.
The problem, however, was this.
“Ugh, uuugh!”
The Sand Lizard’s movement.
I’d grown accustomed to it from my time in First, having ridden so many different mounts.
But Rashid seemed unable to adapt to the Sand Lizard’s undulating gait, swaying left and right as if swimming through sand.
I felt a bit sorry for Rashid behind me, desperately fighting off nausea.
“Let’s move faster.”
“Kiirrrrr-!”
To make the most of every moment.
I urged the Sand Lizard onward, pushing its speed even higher.
* * *
Rashid, a novice warrior of the Sandclaw Tribe.
At first, he’d suffered from nausea due to the Sand Lizard’s brutal riding sensation, but after drinking the potion the Apostle had given him, he was able to let out a sigh of relief.
He then guided us toward the habitat of the Red Desert Wolves that had recently appeared and begun attacking the tribe.
The Red Desert Wolves.
These were absolutely no ordinary monsters.
They were monsters exceptionally strong and vicious even by desert standards, capable of ravaging the hardy desert tribespeople.
“Grrrrr-.”
“T-there they are! By the heavens, there are so many of them. Apostle, I think it would be best if we retreated for now! I believe we should request assistance from our Sandclaw Tribe warriors!”
But the number of Red Desert Wolves was far greater than anticipated.
I knew the Apostle was strong, but this was too many.
However, the Apostle paid no heed to Rashid’s words.
As if deaf to them, offering no response, the Apostle extended one hand toward the Red Desert Wolves.
– Activating 5th Circle Lightning Magic ‘Lightning Field’.
Crackle crackle!
The area where the Red Desert Wolves gathered transformed into a field of electrical current.
5th Circle Magic, Lightning Field.
While the Red Desert Wolves struck by the electricity couldn’t move their bodies properly,
the Apostle, who had somehow produced a staff wreathed in shimmering flames,
– Activating 5th Circle Fire Magic ‘Fire Field’.
unleashed another spell.
Then flames began erupting over the crackling electrical field.
A field of fire overlapping the field of electricity.
But something seemed odd.
Generally, flame magic tends to emit a red hue, but the field of fire the Apostle had unleashed
‘was blue?’
It glowed with a blue light.
And somehow, that color felt familiar to Rashid.
No wonder—after all, wasn’t the Evil God who tried to annihilate the Sandclaw Tribe just yesterday that very same color?
The color matched perfectly with the fireballs the Evil God had gathered to break through the Sandclaw Tribe’s barrier.
The wolves, their bodies rigid and engulfed in blue flames,
“Kyarung!”
“Kiiing—.”
began falling helplessly one after another.
The pack of red desert wolves, fearsome enough to make even the hardy tribes of the desert tremble, collapsed with such ease.
Of course, not all the wolves fell.
From among them, what appeared to be the alpha wolf lunged toward the Apostle, engulfed in blue flames.
But.
– Using skill ‘Crimson Wilderness Blood Claw’.
It was futile.
The Apostle had already drawn a scimitar befitting the desert and cleaved the alpha wolf in a single stroke.
“Truly, you are the Apostle!”
Rashid cursed himself for doubting the Apostle’s power and attempting to flee.
“What’s next?”
“This way! I’ve heard that a powerful sand serpent that roams the sand dunes has been lurking around Sun Hill!”
From that point on, he abandoned all suspicion of the Apostle entirely.
Recalling every rumor and legend he had heard since birth, he guided the way in order of proximity.
Of course, not all the information was perfect.
No matter how well Rashid remembered, what he had heard were ultimately nothing more than rumors and legends.
When they arrived at Sun Hill, he was flustered to find no sign of any sand serpent.
– Using 5-Circle wind magic ‘Wind Cannon’.
The moment the Apostle cast magic toward something,
the sand where the magic struck exploded outward,
“Siiiiit—!!”
and a colossal sand serpent emerged.
“Gasp!”
Rashid was startled, but he did not flee.
Trusting the Apostle, he gripped the spines of the Sand Lizard tightly from behind.
However, the oppressive aura emanating from the sand serpent’s ferocious appearance and overwhelming power was more than Rashid could bear.
Because of it, he forgot his position as a trainee warrior and unconsciously closed his eyes.
Not long after,
Boom!
he heard something collapse.
Realizing that the sand serpent’s oppressive aura was no longer felt, Rashid opened his eyes.
“Apostle—!”
He could see that the colossal sand serpent had fallen, its body half-buried in the sand.
In that moment,
Rashid came to understand.
So the Apostle is moving for the peace of the Desert!
The Apostle of the Desert who defeated the Evil God.
To help the Desert’s tribespeople, he was striking down the evil entities of the Desert.
With so little time remaining before the Alliance’s tournament, the Apostle was dedicating even that precious time to protect the peace of the Desert’s tribes.
So Rashid as well.
“I will recall every memory I possess!”
He began doing his utmost to assist the Apostle of the Desert.
No, to assist me.
* * *
Rashid proved far more helpful than I anticipated.
Perhaps it was because he was born in the Desert, raised in the Desert, and took great interest in all manner of stories about it?
He possessed far more information than expected about the powerful monsters, hidden dungeons, and treasures I sought.
Of course, not all of that information was perfect.
In truth, much of it was incomplete.
It was unreasonable to expect a trainee warrior like Rashid to possess flawless information in the first place.
But with Rashid’s guidance, once I arrived at a promising location, I could resolve the rest through my own strength.
[ Using Black Flame Transformation. ]
[ Borrowing the power of the Black Flame Dragon, Lucknir Desperate Ignoxtan. ]
Whoosh!
I borrowed Luke’s draconic eyes through the Black Flame Transformation.
In fact, this alone allowed me to locate powerful monsters, hidden dungeons, treasures, and more.
Monsters, dungeons, and treasures emit tremendous magical energy proportional to their strength or rarity.
The draconic eyes were optimized to perceive that magical energy.
With just that, I could locate most monsters, dungeons, and treasures.
And even when the draconic eyes failed to detect something,
[ Shimmering Dowsing Rod ]
[ Golden Compass ]
[ Wave Tracker ]
[ Clairvoyant Telescope ]
….
I possessed an abundance of items specialized in detection and sensing.
Using those items as well, I could uncover most of the hidden elements in the surrounding area.
Since merely guiding me to appropriate locations would reveal all the information he mentioned, Rashid grew excited and explained his knowledge in even greater detail.
And as a result,
[ You have entered the Great Desert Ant Cavern. ]
[ For discovering the Great Desert Ant Cavern first, experience and item drop rates increase for one week. ]
[ If you clear the Great Desert Ant Cavern within one week, greater rewards will be granted. ]
“Excellent.”
I was able to smoothly search for the hidden pieces concealed within the Desert.
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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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