The Return of the Genius Ranker’s Myth Warehouse - Chapter 3

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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 3
Chapter 3
Whoosh!
The moment I logged in, my vision brightened dramatically.
As my eyes adjusted to the brilliant sunlight, a bustling landscape unfolded before me.
“Intermediate iron daggers for sale!”
“Buying monster materials! We pay better rates than the general store!”
“Anyone interested in hunting Red Slimes? Tanks welcome!”
My field of vision was packed with people.
Indeed, this was a game worthy of being called the most popular in the world.
Witnessing this, I couldn’t help but be astonished.
First, it was the sound.
“Why does it feel so real?”
First’s audio wasn’t unpleasant, but it never transcended the limitations of game sound effects—it lacked true authenticity.
But this was different.
The voices of the crowd reached my ears with a realism as if they were coming from the actual world.
And beyond that.
“Wow….”
The graphics.
First’s signature broken graphics were nowhere to be seen.
Despite the massive crowd, not a single graphical glitch marred the scene—a landscape indistinguishable from true reality stretched before my eyes.
Flowing hair, water jets spurting from fountains, a dog bounding in the distance.
Even the clouds drifting across the sky above.
Everything was identical to reality in every conceivable way.
Was that all?
The aroma of grilled chicken skewers wafting through the air, the texture of the clothes against my skin.
Every sensation I perceived possessed a realism on an entirely different level from First.
“So that’s why everyone kept going on about Second.”
Now I understood.
Second was advanced enough to be called an entirely different game from First.
Literally a “true virtual reality game.”
A game so realistic it could be called another world.
“Let me check my status window first.”
I opened the status window, the most fundamental feature of any game.
Then.
[ Status Window ]
Name: Mir
Level: 1
Class: –
Strength: 20 Agility: 20
Health: 20 Intelligence: 20
Wisdom: 20
A deceptively simple status window materialized before my eyes.
I could manipulate it further from here to check various information like Achievements and Attack Power, but this was the basic status window.
Looking it over, nothing appeared different from First aside from the numerical values.
However, compared to my memory of a Level 1 character, there was one distinct difference.
“The stats are doubled.”
The stats.
According to information I’d researched beforehand about Second, not to mention First, all starting character stats are fixed at 10 across the board.
But what about my stats?
From the very beginning, all my stats were twice as high as anyone else’s.
This too was one of the “Returner’s Blessings” that had appeared when creating my character.
Though not explicitly displayed, there were various other benefits—such as increased skill proficiency gain speed.
Next, what I needed to check was naturally.
“The item window.”
The item window.
Upon speaking the command, a small item window materialized.
Befitting a new character, the item window looked remarkably compact and modest, containing two items.
The first was Gold, Second’s official currency, known as the beginner settlement fund.
The second was.
[ Contract of Black Flame ]
This.
An item from First that I’d brought as an additional benefit.
Normally, the standard approach upon starting the game would be to head to the training grounds first, but as I glanced around, I entered the nearest Alley that came into view.
If I could use the Contract of Black Flame as intended, it would be problematic in front of the fountain crowded with people.
“This place will do.”
There were no people nearby.
Calmly retrieving the contract, I.
Riiiiip!
Tore it without hesitation.
Then, black flames began to bloom from the torn contract.
The black flames, burning through the air itself beyond the contract, swelled and consumed the entire Alley.
In that moment.
– Grrrrrrr….
A familiar sound began to resonate.
And with it.
Flash!
Eerie eyes emerged from the black flames that filled the Alley.
An overwhelming pressure transcending all species washed over me, yet fear did not arise from that gaze.
Rather, it felt like meeting an old friend after a long time.
“It’s been a while, Luke.”
– Indeed, Master. So it was you.
Luke.
He was a kind of familiar bound to me through contract.
If the Golden Dragon of Greed I defeated last in First was First’s official final boss monster,
then Luke was the unofficial final hidden boss monster.
The Black Flame Dragon of Pride, Lucknir Desperado Ignockton.
A formidable monster of which only a single entity existed in First, and I had defeated and contracted with it to fight alongside me.
Well, because his name was far too long, I shortened it to ‘Luke’.
In any case, the reason I brought the contract with Luke as a ‘benefit’ was simple.
‘Luke’s power grows stronger as time passes.’
Luke is a powerful black flame dragon, but unlike other summoned creatures, he doesn’t fight alongside me from the front as a familiar.
Because he lost his original body as a black flame dragon through our battle and contract, what remained for Luke wasn’t overwhelming physical prowess but the unique ability he possessed.
Predation—devouring monsters I defeated to increase his stats.
Black Flame Manifestation—borrowing the accumulated stats built up that way.
In other words, the earlier I summoned him, the greater the massive stat boost he would provide later.
When I looked into the future, summoning Luke seemed to be the most efficient choice.
That’s why I selected the Black Flame contract from that long list.
‘And that’s not all.’
Luke possessed a third ability beyond predation and black flame manifestation.
It was ‘storage’.
Luke possessed a subspace of black flame so vast it couldn’t even be compared to an inventory.
For me, who primarily employed a ‘switching’ strategy of changing equipment to match my opponent’s characteristics, Luke’s ability was a perfect match.
Because of this, even in First, I had stored all the items I collected in the darkness that could be called Luke’s subspace.
This time as well, I intended to play through Second by utilizing Luke’s subspace.
– Is it the ravages of time, Master?
– All the power and caliber you once possessed have vanished.
“That’s how it is.”
From what I heard, Luke seemed to view the gap between First and Second as merely the passage of time.
Well, it didn’t matter.
This wasn’t an important point anyway.
Luke had been properly summoned and recognized me as his master—the recontract was successful.
Now I was about to return to the main game.
– Do you not require equipment, Master?
Luke’s question reached me.
I understood why he would ask.
I was currently wearing only the basic beginner-issued equipment, and to Luke, who had only ever seen me at rank one, I must appear far too weak.
“I’m not ready yet. I’ll gather things gradually from here on.”
So I gave him an appropriate answer.
– But surely equipment overflows within my darkness, does it not?
An unexpected answer came back.
Equipment overflowing?
Could it be.
“…Do you have my items?”
Could you be holding my items?
All the items I gathered in First, every item that exists in First.
Could you be holding them all intact?
No way.
That couldn’t be.
Doubt crept in, but Luke’s next action completely dispelled my suspicion.
– Of course.
Whoooosh—.
Luke’s body.
Black flames spread outward, completely covering the wall before me.
And something began to emerge from that wall.
Swords and spears, axes and more.
Handles of all manner of weapons.
Furthermore, various pieces of armor, accessories, consumables, and the like.
Luke was carrying every single item I had gathered in First.
Of course, among them were.
[ Zeus’s Lightning, Astrape ]
[ Divine Shield, Aegis ]
[ Sword of the Chosen King, Excalibur ]
[ Elixir of Immortality ]
[ Meteor Strike Grimoire ]
….
Even the mythic-grade items I had agonized over during character creation were all present.
How was this possible?
Luke was carrying every single item I had gathered in First as is.
That meant I could freely use all those items I had collected in First here in Second, didn’t it?
“This can’t be….”
Could this be a bug?
I half-expected the operators watching from somewhere to immediately bring down the ban hammer, but nothing seemed amiss.
As I stood there, Luke’s words from moments ago echoed in my mind.
That my power and rank had vanished due to the ravages of time.
In other words.
“Luke, how much time has passed since you last saw me?”
Could the image of First that Luke remembered be the ‘past’ of Second?
That thought occurred to me.
However, unfortunately.
– After my master disappeared, I had been sleeping soundly in deep darkness.
– I apologize, but I cannot recall the time.
“I see.”
There was no way to know the time.
It was unfortunate, but I would need to investigate this matter gradually.
If I considered Second to be a future point in time relative to First, then the knowledge I possessed of First from my memories—
In other words, information about Second’s past would undoubtedly prove invaluable even within Second itself.
‘Now that I think about it, this place does seem somewhat similar.’
I took a moment to observe the landscape beyond the alley.
The City of Beginnings.
It was a sort of ‘tutorial’ zone that all players starting Second were required to pass through.
Naturally, First had possessed a City of Beginnings as well.
Though it was far more dilapidated and ancient in style, upon closer inspection, the building layouts and terrain formations were remarkably similar.
Well, in any case.
That was secondary.
“So, from the very beginning, I can use all of these items freely?”
What mattered was the items Luke had been storing.
From beginner wooden swords to the final weapon, Astrappe.
In First, I hadn’t simply discarded items after use—I had stored at least one of each type in my warehouse.
A collecting instinct, one might say.
Ever since I became aware of the Item Achievement’s existence, I had been gathering every type of item that existed in First.
Thus, I had collected all items in First and achieved the Achievement ‘Master of All Things.’
In other words, Luke was now in a state equivalent to a ‘Mythic-Grade Warehouse’ containing every item that existed in First.
And that warehouse even came with an AI that would retrieve and produce items at my command.
“Shall I take something out?”
The items I had painstakingly gathered in First.
Looking at them, I felt the urge to retrieve and use them immediately.
As I examined the items, pondering which one to try first—
“What’s a greenhorn brat doing in our territory?”
A voice called out from behind me.
Who on earth was interrupting this crucial moment?
Irritation flared as I turned my head, only to find a group of thugs blocking the alley with menacing grins.
Along with them came a System Message.
[ Sudden Quest ‘Thugs of the Alley’ has been generated. ]
Rank: Intermediate
Description: While loitering in the alley, you have encountered thugs of the ‘Goblin Faction,’ who rule the western alley of the City of Beginnings.
Objective: Defeat or drive away the gang of Goblin Faction thugs.
Sudden Quest.
Literally, a quest that suddenly emerges within a specific situation.
Quests were not so different from how they were in First.
“Ah, there’s no need to be so frightened. We’re good-natured fellows, aren’t we? Just leave your belongings behind and walk away—we won’t kill you.”
“Think of it as a bargain. You’re probably carrying pocket change anyway, and compared to your life, it’s a steal, right?”
There were more than just one or two thugs.
Five thugs wielding short blades blocked the entrance.
It was no coincidence that the Quest difficulty was rated “Intermediate” rather than the lowest tier of “Beginner.”
In the City of Beginnings, a Quest involving opponents of this caliber would indeed be considered quite challenging.
Observing them, I felt
“Perfect timing.”
A smile bloomed naturally across my face.
I had been eager to test these weapons immediately.
And now the perfect test subjects had conveniently presented themselves.
With that, I grasped the weapon I had just finished selecting.
[ Zeus’s Lightning, Astrappe ]
( Non-Tradeable )
Form: Spear
Grade: Mythic
Restrictions: Level 1,000 or higher, Zeus’s Seal, All Stats 1,000 or higher
Description: The lightning of Zeus, the chief deity of Olympus and king of the gods.
Astrappe—among all the weapons I had obtained in First, it ranked among the most formidable, a true endgame weapon.
A weapon whose level restrictions, seal restrictions, and stat requirements I did not meet.
Could I even wield such a weapon?
Crack!
The moment I drew Astrappe, an exhilarating surge coursed through me.
Electricity crackled outward from my center, spreading a vast electromagnetic field.
“Let’s see what happens.”
Rumble!!
In the narrow Alley of the City of Beginnings, the thunder of a celestial god erupted forth.

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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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