The Return of the Genius Ranker’s Myth Warehouse - Chapter 297

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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 297
Chapter 297
5th Circle dark magic: Mind Control.
A spell that literally controls the target’s mind.
During combat, it’s used to make monsters attack allies, but it can also be employed to extract information.
Of course.
“I… I won’t…”
It worked well against monsters with insufficient mental fortitude, but against humans.
Especially against an assassin with the mental strength to bite their own tongue and spit out blood—it was far less effective.
I could issue simple commands, but extracting information in this state was impossible.
“I… absolutely. I won’t… say anything…”
No, it wasn’t mere mental strength.
This one had clearly undergone training to resist this type of magic.
Probably not magic itself, but something similar existed among the desert’s shamanic arts.
But that was fine.
Even in First, there were many NPCs on whom Mind Control didn’t work properly, and I had experience extracting information from most of them.
Namely.
[ Crown of Dark Dominion ]
[ Necklace of Chaos ]
[ Ring of Submission ]
[ Scepter of Dominion ]
[ Hypnotist’s Mask ]
Equipment.
All of them possessed effects that amplified mental-type attacks.
The moment I equipped those items, the power of my ‘Mind Control’ surged dramatically.
“Gaaaaaahhhhh—”
The Dark Assassin’s eyes rolled back as her body convulsed violently.
Thud.
Her movements ceased in an instant, and her body went completely limp.
She wasn’t dead.
This was the state that appeared when someone was completely dominated by Mind Control.
I’d start with simple questions.
“Your name.”
“…Al-Sayaf.”
“Your affiliation.”
“An assassin belonging to the Assassins, the greatest assassination group in the Great Desert…”
“Where is the Assassins’ headquarters?”
“It’s hidden in the Great Cactus Cluster to the west of the Alliance…”
“The assassins? Are they all gathered there?”
“Originally scattered throughout the Great Desert, but they’ve all assembled beneath the cluster to accomplish the great work…”
With this, I could confirm that the Dark Assassin had fallen under mind control.
I then proceeded to objectively question her about the Assassin Leader, the organization’s structure, and their strength.
After extracting all the information about the Assassins in this manner.
I finally posed my last question.
“So, who gave the order to assassinate me?”
“That is….”
It seemed I would need to move swiftly through the rest of this night.
* * *
The Great Cactus Cluster, not far from the Golden Sand Tribe Alliance.
Though this place was a fairly famous tourist destination, it was dangerous enough that no one ventured into its depths.
The lamp beneath the lantern casts no light?
The Assassins, the greatest assassination organization in the Great Desert, had established their base deep underground in this very location.
And now.
“It’s been a long time.”
“Has it really been ten years since we all gathered like this?”
“How are things in the north?”
“Work has dried up considerably. Damn that Alliance leader.”
“The Western Region is the same.”
“The Southern Region too.”
“The Center has no commissions whatsoever. That’s where the Alliance leader’s influence runs strongest.”
Every Assassin in the Great Desert had gathered in this place.
The situation of the Assassins, the greatest assassination organization in the Great Desert, was currently dire.
The current Alliance leader was attempting to annihilate all the underworld organizations of the desert, including the Assassins.
I heard that the Empire beyond the desert had been successfully implementing such policies.
Could it be that the Alliance leader was influenced by that?
Regardless, the Assassins had no choice but to be in a difficult position.
“We have no choice but to kill the Alliance leader.”
“Wouldn’t that be too dangerous?”
“Dangerous or not, what else can we do? If things continue like this, the Assassins will be strangled.”
“And our Assassins have all gathered in our rightful place for the first time in ten years. Not even the Alliance leader—the Emperor himself could not escape our grasp.”
“There’s no doubt about that.”
With this, they resolved to kill the Alliance leader.
This was also the reason all the Assassins of the Great Desert had gathered in this place.
However, one thing was still lacking.
The Alliance leader was not someone to be taken lightly.
The Alliance leader’s location and schedule were known only to high-ranking officials, so even the Assassins could not obtain that information.
Thus, they needed one collaborator.
Fortunately, a suitable collaborator had appeared.
“Why haven’t we heard anything yet? Could it be that they failed?”
“Soon enough, they will return carrying the head of that outsider, so do not worry.”
“Didn’t you see how strong the outsider is? Shouldn’t someone of your rank go directly?”
“My successor is leading capable fighters, so there’s nothing to worry about.”
“But that Sage…!”
“Shh.”
“Ahem.”
“As you said, he’s merely a Sage. I’ve sent them equipped with gear that resists and nullifies sorcery and magic, so there’s no way they can fail.”
The White Rock Tribe Chief himself.
A significant figure visiting after a long time.
The Assassins didn’t miss this opportunity.
And for good reason—the White Rock Tribe Chief was merely a representative.
In reality, several other tribe chiefs were backing the White Rock Tribe Chief with their own power.
“So let us continue with the next matter.”
“Ahem.”
“Why pretend you don’t know? Your side brought it up first. To eliminate the Alliance Leader.”
“After all, it’s a favorable request for both parties, is it not? I understand the Assassins have also suffered greatly at the hands of the current Alliance Leader.”
“Would the Alliance Leader pose a threat to the Assassins?”
“I mean no disrespect to the Assassins. I merely thought that since our interests align, we could negotiate the commission fee accordingly.”
“Each tribe will offer one of your treasures. And bring me all the information you have on the Alliance Leader.”
“That is….”
Thus the two parties began serious negotiations.
Even calling it a negotiation, the Assassins held the advantage contractually.
Now that the tribe chiefs had set foot in the Assassin Headquarters, the chiefs’ position would become precarious if the Assassins merely misspoke.
In the worst case, if the Assassins refused the commission here and revealed to the Alliance Leader that the chiefs had come calling?
All the chiefs would surely hang by the Alliance Leader’s hand.
Yet the Assassins weren’t entirely safe either.
Should such a thing occur, the Assassins would face even greater danger, so the Assassin Leader himself intended to accept the commission amicably if possible.
As the negotiation continued.
“Al-Sayaf has returned.”
“Alone?”
“Yes.”
“…So that Sage was a stronger opponent than expected.”
“Did the commission succeed?”
“Can’t you tell from the fact that he returned?”
“Still….”
The Assassin’s Dark Assassin.
The Leader’s longtime successor and soon-to-be second-in-command of the Assassins.
Al-Sayaf had returned.
The Leader never imagined he could have failed.
He simply assumed that after a fierce battle where all his subordinates were lost, the assassination had succeeded.
And so Al-Sayaf entered the chamber.
“Your condition is poor. Was the enemy that formidable, Al-Sayaf?”
“….”
His condition appeared far from good.
The Assassins’ distinctive equipment was drenched in blood and dust, with cuts and puncture wounds visible across its surface.
Most striking of all was his expression.
Vacant.
Not merely expressionless, but as though his very soul had departed.
His face bore such a hollow emptiness that he seemed less a living man than an animated puppet.
The moment the Assassin Leader sensed this wrongness.
Al-Sayaf, whose face had been devoid of all emotion, suddenly performed the Assassins’ distinctive salute and cried out with a rigid expression.
“For the Assassins!”
And then.
“Damn it!”
Boom!!
Al-Sayaf’s body, suddenly swollen and distended, detonated.
* * *
According to what the Dark Assassin had told me, the Assassin Leader appeared quite formidable.
Powerful enough that he might exceed even my current strength.
Moreover, since all the Assassins had gathered, I decided to make my own preparations.
– Using the skill ‘Spell Enchantment’.
The item I produced was a supreme-grade mana stone.
I had considered using a transcendent-grade mana stone, but I resolved to save that for the Evil God.
A supreme-grade mana stone was precisely appropriate for the Assassins.
[ Spell Enchantment succeeded. ]
[ Judgment: Critical Success ]
[ Corpse Explosion Mana Stone ]
I embedded the mana stone I had created into the body of the Dark Assassin, whose mind had been utterly shattered by mind control.
After that.
I manipulated the Dark Assassin through mind control and sent her down toward the main base.
Then, linking with the mana stone embedded in her body.
– Using the 5th Circle dark magic ‘Corpse Explosion’.
A spell that detonates the dead.
The moment I activated Corpse Explosion.
Boom!!
The Assassin Headquarters beneath the Great Cactus Cluster.
A tremendous explosion erupted from that location, and the Desert itself trembled.
In that instant.
I did not hesitate and charged directly toward the Assassin Headquarters.
The Assassin Headquarters, reeking from the explosion’s aftermath.
Upon descending inside, I saw Assassins still dazed and unable to regain their senses from the blast’s impact.
Before they could come to their senses.
[ Little Demon Blade, Lugh ]
( Non-Tradeable )
Type : Dagger
Grade : Legendary
Restrictions : Level 500 or higher, Sword Mastery Lv 50 or higher, Stealth Lv 40 or higher, Agility 2,000 or higher
Description : A vicious demonic short blade known as a demon blade that drinks the blood of young boys.
Scrape!
I began my assault on the Assassins.
No screams echoed through the chamber.
I was targeting their throats to delay my exposure as long as possible, and maximizing my Silence magic to ensure no sound escaped.
Along with that.
[ Silent Assassin’s Hood ]
[ Silent Assassin’s Cloak ]
[ Silent Assassin’s Gloves ]
….
[ You have equipped the complete ‘Silent Assassin’ set (5/5). ]
[ The ‘Silent Assassin’ set effect activates. ]
[ Silent Assassin : Your Stealth skill level increases, and ambush damage rises dramatically. ]
I’d even switched my armor to assassin-class equipment.
Thanks to that.
Thud!
The legendary Assassins of the Great Desert.
Fell one after another without uttering a sound, succumbing to my silent strikes.
Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t have been able to perform so effectively.
The Assassin Headquarters built underground.
That is, within the sealed chamber, the Corpse Explosion I’d unleashed using the highest-grade magic stones had filled the underground with dust and stench.
The Assassins remained disoriented from the blast’s impact, making this possible.
Thanks to that, I was able to swiftly eliminate the Assassins at the headquarters with minimal difficulty.
The problem was the Assassin Leader.
Clang!
“You… what are you doing!”
The Assassin Leader I encountered at the end of the headquarters.
He’d blocked my attack.
He was the first to deflect my ambush in this chaos.
Yet I felt no real sense of danger from him.
And for good reason.
‘He’s a mess.’
The Leader’s condition was severely compromised.
His equipment was charred black and fused to his skin, and all exposed flesh bore severe burns—his original appearance was nearly unrecognizable.
My limbs trembled uncontrollably, and with each breath came the metallic screech of tortured armor.
It was inevitable.
He had taken the full brunt of a 5th Circle dark magic spell—Corpse Explosion—detonated with a supreme-grade mana stone, and at point-blank range no less.
Regardless of his level, he remained fundamentally an assassin.
The pathetically low defense and vitality inherent to assassins proved more than sufficient for that single attack to leave the Assassin Leader on death’s door.
“How dare you employ such cowardly sorcery…!”
“Cowardly? That’s rich coming from assassins.”
“The shadows of the Desert… will never forgive you!”
“Those shadows you speak of? I’ve already cut them all down.”
Thud.
“Cough!”
The terror of the Great Desert.
The Assassin Leader crumpled pathetically to the ground.
His level had been considerable—a torrent of experience flooded into me, pushing my own level higher.
With this, I had eliminated every Assassin sent to murder me.
Only one remained.
“How convenient that you’re here.”
“H-hieeeek!”
The one who had survived even this catastrophic explosion through the legendary power of White Rock Tribe armor—their tribal secret.
The one who had hired me to be assassinated.
The White Rock Tribe Chief stared up at me with eyes wide with terror.

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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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