The Return of the Genius Ranker’s Myth Warehouse - Chapter 309
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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 309
Chapter 309
Expensive beds really are worth it.
My sleep duration hadn’t changed much from usual, yet upon waking, my fatigue had vanished completely—incomparably better than before.
My body felt the same way.
As if reborn, all exhaustion had melted away.
This was the moment I understood why people insisted on buying a proper bed.
“There are even better beds out there.”
The bed I’d purchased was expensive, but it wasn’t the finest available.
I’d heard that a certain Swedish bed brand was called “the Rolls-Royce of beds,” with their most luxurious models exceeding a billion won in price.
Originally, I’d wondered who would actually buy something so absurdly expensive and why.
But now that I’d experienced the benefits of a quality bed, I found myself thinking it might not be a bad idea to sell Gold and experience the “Rolls-Royce of beds” myself soon.
“This is nice. I should stock up on more.”
I handled my meal with a protein shake.
Not an ordinary protein shake.
A complete meal replacement shake containing all essential nutrients for a single serving—I could simply drink it down and finish eating without any fuss.
The poke I’d been enjoying recently was decent enough, but ordering it always felt like a waste of time.
This I could just keep in the refrigerator, pull out, and drink—nothing could be more convenient.
The taste was… admittedly quite “healthy,” but what did taste matter?
Efficiency was all that mattered.
I would have liked to do my morning workout, but the Expedition Party was already waiting for me inside the Dungeon.
If I were alone, it might be different, but I couldn’t afford to waste time in this situation.
With that thought, I headed straight for the capsule.
[ The Second World. ]
[ Welcome to Second. ]
I logged in, and my vision brightened.
Before me lay the familiar sand-carved corridor.
And…
“Mir, you’ve arrived!”
“How is your body feeling?”
“We’ve prepared a meal for you!”
“During the night, we devised blessing incantations and recovery spells to cast upon you. We sincerely hope they prove even slightly beneficial to you, Apostle—no, Mir.”
“…?”
The Expedition Party’s warriors surrounded me.
But their reaction seemed somewhat unusual.
Well.
Ever since I dispersed the mirage, their attitude toward me had certainly improved, but…
“Sand, grant us unwavering strength!”
“Wind, drive away all falsehood!”
“Sun, bestow your blessing!”
The Desert’s renowned sorcerers devise new incantations and bestow blessings upon me.
Warriors prepare meals using their tribe’s secret techniques and precious ingredients.
They present me with elixirs granted by the tribe for this expedition.
Their regard for me has transcended mere favoritism.
Though I must admit, their enthusiasm was somewhat overwhelming.
[ You have consumed ‘Tears of the Desert’. ]
[ Heat resistance increases. ]
[ Stamina increases slightly. ]
….
I gratefully accepted the elixir, as it was a variety that didn’t exist in First.
[ You have consumed ‘Luxurious Oasis Desert Broth’. ]
[ Satiety increases significantly. ]
[ All stats increase in Desert terrain. ]
[ Movement speed increases in Desert terrain. ]
….
The food lived up to its reputation as a tribal secret, delivering tremendous buff effects.
[ Blessing of the Desert is applied—maximum health and defense increase. ]
[ Blessing of the Wind is applied—agility, movement speed, and attack speed increase. ]
[ Blessing of the Sun is applied—maximum mana and mana recovery speed increase. ]
The sorcerers’ blessings granted buffs far more potent than I’d anticipated.
Their duration was considerable, which would prove invaluable for the Dungeon expedition.
I couldn’t fathom why everyone was suddenly so enthusiastic, but there’s no harm in good fortune, is there?
With everyone’s morale elevated, the expedition would proceed far more smoothly—a win for me.
After completing our preparations,
“We’re entering.”
“Yes!”
“We’ll follow only Mir!”
I opened the door at the end of the First Floor with the Expedition Party.
As we stepped inside,
“This is the Second Floor!”
“Is this really the interior of the Pyramid?”
“A place that defies physical logic.”
The interior of the Second Floor came into view.
Unlike the First Floor, which was composed entirely of sand, the Second Floor was a blend of sand and stone.
However, the overall structure remained similar.
Like the First Floor, this level was also laid out in a corridor format.
The difference was that the width and breadth of the space were vastly more expansive than the First Floor.
But what truly mattered was,
“What is that?”
“A statue?”
Stone statues blocked the broad path ahead.
Their varieties were diverse.
A statue of a giant, a statue of a loyal hound, statues of unidentifiable monsters, and more.
Countless stone statues barred the way forward.
Then came the theme of the Second Floor.
[ Second Floor – Path of Questions ]
Path of Questions.
When I recalled my experience here, I could easily discern the strategy for conquering the Second Floor.
“It appears to be a trial where we must answer riddles posed by the statues to advance.”
“If we fail to answer the questions….”
“I suspect those statues will attack us.”
“Indeed!”
The statues were colossal in size.
If those massive forms moved and attacked us?
Even facing just one would prove extraordinarily difficult.
Therefore, we must answer every question each statue poses, if possible.
Otherwise, we’d have to confront all the countless statues blocking our path through the Second Floor.
“I’ll proceed for now.”
I was nearly certain, but it remained mere speculation.
However, the moment I stood before the first statue.
– Choose.
– Will you offer a sacrifice to me, or will you answer the riddle I pose?
– If you offer a sacrifice or answer my riddle correctly, I shall open the path at once.
– However, if you answer my riddle incorrectly.
– I will tear you all to shreds.
The statue spoke to us.
So my intuition was correct.
But.
“A sacrifice?”
“This seems similar to the sacrifice required on the First Floor?”
“They’re desperate to reduce our numbers by any means.”
“Still, if such a massive statue comes at us, it would be dangerous….”
“The narrow passage makes it even more perilous.”
The word “sacrifice” was striking.
Wasn’t it similar to the First Floor, where we had to sacrifice one person to trigger traps?
If we offered one person as a sacrifice, the statue would likely remain still, but if we chose to fight, it would become an adversary as formidable as Sphinx.
That must be this Dungeon’s mechanism.
Therefore, naturally.
“I choose the riddle.”
“Mir, are you certain about this?”
“It’s better to fight, even if we lose, than to offer ourselves as sacrifices.”
“As expected of you, Mir!”
“We’ll follow your lead!”
I chose the riddle option.
– I will pose a riddle.
Just how difficult would the question be?
I thought that if I couldn’t answer it, I’d need to prepare for combat immediately.
– What creature walks on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon, and three legs in the evening?
An absurdly simple riddle emerged.
Could this be a different type of riddle than what I knew?
Or perhaps this was a monster that actually existed in Second, not the Sphinx from the mythology I knew?
But no matter how I thought about it, I couldn’t recall such a monster, so I prepared for combat.
“Mankind.”
I shouted the answer I knew.
– That is correct.
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
The stone statue nodded and crumbled to dust.
Surely it couldn’t be this simple.
It was almost laughable.
‘Could it be that only simple riddles like this keep appearing?’
Contrary to such expectations.
“Uooooh!”
“As expected of you, Mir!”
“You answered the riddle without even hesitating!”
“Magnificent!”
Cheers from the warriors echoed from behind.
– What grows in the morning, shrinks at noon, grows again in the afternoon, and disappears at night?
The second statue’s riddle followed.
It seemed difficult, but…
“A shadow.”
– That is correct.
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
“You got this one right away too!”
“Uooooh!”
This was also one of the riddles known to be asked by Sphinx.
During my time in First, I had memorized the Sphinx riddles circulating in reality to conquer Sphinx, so I could answer immediately.
At this point, it was suspicious.
The riddles were far too easy.
I thought that at this rate, I could conquer the Second Floor without any major concerns.
– I will pose a riddle.
Before the third statue.
The warriors of the Expedition Party, myself included, couldn’t help but stiffen.
– Name in order what is contained within Canopus, the four sacred jars of the Pharaoh.
“…!”
The difficulty of the statue’s question had suddenly skyrocketed.
* * *
The first and second questions from the statue.
The members of the Expedition Party felt reassured upon hearing them.
They praised Mir for answering the questions correctly, but….
‘A question I know.’
‘That first question is something no desert dweller could possibly not know.’
‘The second question is less well-known, but most people who should know it do.’
‘Will the riddles of the desert continue to appear in succession like this?’
‘I know all the famous riddles of the desert, so if Mir has trouble, I should quietly let him know.’
‘The Second Floor is easier than expected.’
In fact, both of those questions were ‘riddles of the desert’ widely known among desert dwellers.
At this level of difficulty, there was nothing to worry about.
Was the Second Floor meant to be a breather, given how difficult the First Floor had been?
Just as everyone was feeling reassured.
– Name in order what is contained within Canopus, the four sacred jars of the Pharaoh.
A shocking question echoed forth.
“C-Canopus?”
“Sorcerer, what is Canopus?”
“A jar said to be kept in the treasure chamber at the deepest part of the tomb of the Pharaoh, who once ruled the desert long ago.”
“You know even that! Truly, you are remarkable, Sorcerer! Then surely you would know what is inside it….”
“I don’t.”
“Pardon?”
“The Pharaoh’s tomb has been discovered before, but it was all eroded and difficult to examine inside. Canopus has been found, but due to the ravages of time, what was inside it has never been revealed.”
“How can that be! Surely the other sorcerers….”
“I couldn’t say. I’ve heard that it contains the Pharaoh’s greatest treasure, but….”
“No one has ever uncovered what that treasure is.”
Canopus.
Few sorcerers even knew this word to begin with.
And yet, all the sorcerers present here were renowned Grand Sorcerers of the desert and Elders of their respective tribes.
Still, no one knew what was contained within it.
It was impossible to answer such a question.
“Prepare for combat…!”
Just as the Expedition Party was giving up and preparing for battle.
“Liver, lungs, stomach, intestines.”
After a moment of thought, Mir provided his answer.
– That is correct.
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
The stone statue, acknowledging the correct answer, crumbled to dust.
“What, how is this possible!”
“You mean the four organs of the Pharaoh were contained in the Canopus jars!”
“The Pharaoh’s greatest treasure… Ah, I see!”
“How could you possibly know information that has been lost even from the Desert’s historical records?”
“As expected of the Apostle.”
“Ah, of course!”
“As the Apostle of the Desert’s three deities, you would naturally know!”
Mir had answered correctly.
And the same held true for the increasingly difficult riddles posed by the subsequent stone statues.
– The sun god faces death each day and is reborn after passing through the night. What animal symbolizes this cycle?
“Scarab.”
– Name the three stars that form the belt of Orion, which is connected to the Pyramid.
“Alnitak, Alnilam, Mintaka.”
– What is the golden ratio value used in the construction of the Pyramid?
“1.618…”
The warriors of the Expedition Party.
No, even the Grand Sorcerer did not know.
How were they supposed to answer such questions—riddles that seemed designed not to be solved at all.
– That is correct.
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
Mir answered swiftly, advancing through the passage without obstruction.
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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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