The Return of the Genius Ranker’s Myth Warehouse - Chapter 326

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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 326
Chapter 326
Lee Hwa-rang, Guild Master of the Hwarang Guild.
The moment Mir appeared, he had brazenly revealed his ambitions for the Commander position, but now he found himself genuinely flustered.
‘What is he thinking?’
He had assumed Mir would not relinquish the Commander position so easily.
After all, it was a position granted directly by the Emperor himself—what did it matter what others said?
Had he been in Mir’s position, he would have held firm to his seat regardless of what anyone claimed.
Yet, he could not simply let this pass.
The Commander position in this war was far too significant a post.
If he could not seize the position itself, he would at least diminish Mir’s standing.
That had been his intention in belittling Mir.
“Would it not be fairer if the strongest person among us assumed the Commander role?”
Mir had willingly surrendered his position.
Yet the condition he proposed was utterly absurd.
He had chosen the Pacheon Guild’s absurdly unconventional method—that the strongest person should become Commander.
Mir had not abandoned the Commander position merely to propose such a condition.
His words implied that he possessed the confidence to defeat all five Guild Masters of the Major Guilds gathered here, did they not?
It was utterly preposterous.
He understood that Mir’s growth was remarkable, that he had defeated the Evil God, and that he enjoyed the Emperor’s trust.
Yet in terms of gaming experience, Mir still fell far short of them.
The same applied to his level.
As Guild Masters of the Major Guilds, every master gathered here was a ranker.
Yet he would choose the method of ‘the strongest’ to face them?
His arrogance pierced the heavens.
What was stranger still was the reaction of the Taegeuk and Royal Guilds.
“Hmm, I shall withdraw. As I said, I acknowledge you, Mir.”
“Truly?”
“I have fought alongside you against the Evil God, so I can trust you. Regardless of gaming experience, you possess the capability to lead us.”
This was an opportunity to claim the Commander position simply by winning a fight.
Yet she was casting aside that opportunity?
This was not the Tae-ryeon he knew.
Though Tae-ryeon was admittedly weak in direct combat as a mage, she had ranked second in the previous Second Crown—a testament to her considerable skill.
Lee Hwa-rang was pleased to have fewer competitors, yet Tae-ryeon’s withdrawal left him deeply uneasy.
“I concur.”
The Royal Guild followed suit.
Public opinion held that the Royal Guild possessed only wealth, lacking true strength.
Yet Lee Hwa-rang knew better.
He was well aware of the Royal Guild Master’s exceptional prowess.
With such exceptional skill wielding top-tier equipment without restraint, his martial power was not to be underestimated.
Even the Royal Guild backing down like this.
What in the world is happening?
“Well then, that leaves us with four.”
“Since we have exactly four, how about we proceed with a tournament format, modest as it may be?”
“Haha, that sounds splendid!”
Though an uncomfortable feeling gnawed at me, the situation held no disadvantage for me whatsoever.
With a tournament format, I could claim the commander’s position with just two victories.
Now that it had come to this, the problem was no longer Mir.
‘Parcheon.’
Jeok-hwa, the Guild Master of Parcheon Guild.
Parcheon Guild itself was an organization that gathered only the most formidable of warriors.
Among the elite warriors of Parcheon Guild, she stood at the absolute pinnacle, having surpassed every single guild member’s strength.
Jeok-hwa.
If we fought on a guild-wide scale, I could easily contend with Parcheon Guild, which operated without tactics or strategy, each member simply unleashing their power.
But in a one-on-one confrontation, I could not be certain of victory.
Perhaps only Yul-ha, the Sword God ranked first, could engage her in a meaningful one-on-one battle?
So first.
“I shall face Mir first.”
“Well, suit yourself. I’ll beat everyone anyway.”
“Haha! I have no objections!”
Lee Hwa-rang had decided to strike Mir down first.
First, I needed to seize the commander’s position from Mir.
Then, if I lost to Jeok-hwa, I could point out her unilateral attitude as a commander lacking qualifications and claim the commander’s seat for myself.
Thinking thus.
“Ahem. Greetings. I am Nallaryeu, serving as Guild Master of Sky Guild. I have temporarily assumed the role of judge.”
The tournament to determine the commander commenced.
The first match between Mir and Lee Hwa-rang, between Parcheon Guild and Legion Guild, took place simultaneously.
“What’s this all of a sudden?”
“A commander’s match?”
“I never thought Mir would relinquish the commander’s position like this.”
“Relinquish? He’s going to win everything and be recognized as commander!”
“I know Mir’s growth rate is steep, but everyone here is a ranker. How could he possibly win?”
“With Mir, you never know what might happen.”
Never know? This isn’t fantasy. In Second, level differences are absolute.”
“Sure, if it were someone else, we might overcome them through skill, but when the opponents are Guild Masters of Major Guilds…”
Naturally, everyone’s attention converged on the arena.
Since the Emperor had personally appointed Mir as commander, everyone assumed he would lead them.
But Hwarang Guild openly revealed their ambition, and Mir accepted it, proposing to determine the commander through combat.
With the possibility of the commander changing so suddenly, it was only natural that people took interest.
“Who do you think will win?”
“Of course, Jeok-hwa from Parcheon. Honestly, who could beat her one-on-one?”
“Lee Hwa-rang accepted the match so confidently—there must be something up his sleeve.”
“I’m betting on Mir no matter what!”
“The level gap is insurmountable, I’m telling you….”
“But why are Taegeuk and Royal Guild absent?”
No, the commander isn’t the issue.
This is a match between the Guild Masters of the Major Guilds.
You can’t witness a spectacle like this anywhere else.
People had already prepared their recording devices, their eyes gleaming with anticipation as they claimed their spots to enjoy this rare exhibition.
‘Good. There’s no turning back now.’
So many eyes were watching.
Which meant that even if Mir lost the match, he couldn’t back down from his word.
Jeok-hwa was somewhat irritating, but things were unfolding smoothly according to my plan.
Satisfied with this, Lee Hwa-rang, smiling, stepped before Mir.
“I wish I could hold back against my junior, but given the importance of this occasion, I have no choice but to do my utmost.”
Lee Hwa-rang adjusted his grip on his weapon.
His weapon was a curved saber.
Though curved sabers varied greatly in length, the one Lee Hwa-rang wielded was exceptionally long.
A weapon that seemed better suited to the name “long blade.”
Lee Hwa-rang’s specialty was wielding this elongated curved saber with perfect control, pressuring opponents with tremendous reach and attack range.
“Begin!”
The moment the judge called the start.
Lee Hwa-rang pushed off the ground and lunged forward before Mir could react.
Divine Speed—a skill that dramatically increased movement velocity at the moment combat began or when drawing a blade anew.
Linked with it was the skill Divine Speed-Flash Draw.
This attack, executed at tremendous velocity while performing the draw technique, would leave an opponent bisected without a chance to respond—unless they knew what was coming.
Lee Hwa-rang was certain.
This attack would either fell Mir in one strike, or at minimum deal a critical blow.
Rumors circulated that Mir wielded bows, magic, and spear arts flawlessly, but surely he couldn’t defend against his Divine Speed Flash Draw.
That’s what he believed.
But then.
Whoosh!
Mir began charging forward.
At a speed that made even Lee Hwa-rang’s eyes widen in shock.
Seeing Mir approach at a velocity nearly matching his own Divine Speed, Lee Hwa-rang desperately activated his Flash Draw skill, but—
Click!
– The linked skill ‘Divine Speed-Flash Draw’ has failed to activate.
In all his time playing Second, even climbing to this position, he had never once seen it.
A System Message he was encountering for the first time materialized before his eyes.
Skill activation failure.
What am I doing?
“How cowardly…!”
Mir rushed forward and grabbed the pommel of Lee Hwa-rang’s curved blade.
He blocked the sword tip.
Because of this, the curved blade couldn’t be fully drawn from its scabbard, and naturally the quick-draw failed.
Had Lee Hwa-rang let his guard down?
No.
Lee Hwa-rang had charged forward intending to finish Mir with this attack.
Yet this happened for two reasons.
First, Mir’s speed far exceeded Lee Hwa-rang’s imagination, causing the timing of the quick-draw skill to be off.
Second, Mir approached as if he already knew Lee Hwa-rang’s attack, and exploited the weakness of the curved blade quick-draw—that it takes longer to draw due to its length.
In truth, the second reason was the core issue, but for Lee Hwa-rang, it was infuriating.
Even if the curved blade’s length meant the quick-draw took time, it was less than 0.1 seconds.
Yet to block the quick-draw by closing the distance with incredible movement speed and throwing off the timing—
Was such a thing even possible?
Even if Mir knew about Lee Hwa-rang’s quick-draw in advance, such a feat would be impossible without practice.
At this rate, I couldn’t even draw my sword, let alone attack, so Lee Hwa-rang tried to create distance.
“What exactly do you mean by cowardly?”
Mir didn’t let Lee Hwa-rang escape.
Gripping the pommel with one hand to block the quick-draw, he stuck close and followed Lee Hwa-rang’s movement.
And in his raised opposite fist—
“A… gauntlet?”
At first glance, it looked far from ordinary.
A gauntlet studded with sharp spikes was fitted on his hand.
“Would you just stand and watch if a boss monster gathered power right before your eyes and prepared a lethal technique?”
Thud!
Mir’s heavy fist drove into Lee Hwa-rang’s face.
* * *
A quick-draw using a curved blade of great length.
It’s a skill combination I favored during my time in First, so I know its countermeasures best.
Close the distance from my side to throw off the quick-draw timing, and block the curved blade’s draw—which is longer than other weapons.
Of course, to use this method against a master like Lee Hwa-rang, I need movement speed befitting ‘quick’.
– Using skill ‘White Fish Swimming’.
Whoosh!
A mythic-rank movement skill—the superior skill to all movement techniques.
White Fish Swimming.
A shark effect materialized for an instant as I burst forward at tremendous speed, seizing the blade tip of the bewildered Lee Hwa-rang.
Then, following Lee Hwa-rang as he tried to create distance—
[ Fist of the Cursed ]
( Non-Tradeable )
Form: Gauntlet
Grade: Epic
I equipped the gauntlet on my opposite hand.
Crack!
I struck Lee Hwa-rang’s face with tremendous force.
This was merely the beginning.
Though Lee Hwa-rang continued attempting to create distance, I maximized my use of White Fish Swimming technique to relentlessly pursue him.
Without releasing my grip on his sword hilt, I continued unleashing punch after punch.
That was all it took.
Now that I had seized his sword hilt, Lee Hwa-rang—who had trained only in blade techniques without any hand-to-hand combat—had no means of counterattack.
“Isn’t this far too cowardly! A fair and honorable duel…!”
“Isn’t it strange that someone becomes completely incapacitated just because they can’t draw a single weapon?”
Lee Hwa-rang cried out in protest, but I paid him no mind.
Unsatisfied with merely my fists, I equipped offensive greaves on my legs as well.
Crack!
“Ugh!”
I kicked his knee.
I drove my knee into his abdomen.
I struck his chest with my fist.
Realizing this wouldn’t do, Lee Hwa-rang finally abandoned his curved sword, whose hilt I held, and created distance between us.
Unfortunately, he appeared to have no new weapon available.
– Skill ‘Black Insect Flash’ is activated.
The match ended as I drove a kick into his defenseless abdomen.
Lee Hwa-rang collapsed, instantly rendered incapacitated.
An awkward silence followed for a moment.
“M-Mir! Lord Mir has achieved victory!”
The moment the user serving as judge announced my victory.
“Ooooooh!”
“Mir! Mir! Mir! Mir!”
“See? I told you Lord Mir would win!”
“Who was the one saying the level difference was absolutely insurmountable?”
“Wow, he actually defeated Lee Hwa-rang!”
“Insane!”
“See? I said the evaluation wasn’t too high—Lord Mir was actually being underrated!”
Cheers from the surrounding users celebrating my victory echoed through the arena.

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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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