The Return of the Genius Ranker’s Myth Warehouse - Chapter 342

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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 342
Chapter 342
Central Front of the East.
Here, where the war between the Empire and Cronion raged most fiercely.
“Mechanical weapons!”
“Damn it, how many are there!”
Boom!
“Gahhh!”
“Mana cannons!”
“What is this range…!”
“What are the mages doing!”
“We’re in a state of mana depletion! We need time to rest!”
“Damn it!”
The battle here was fiercer than any other front.
It hadn’t been like this originally.
However, recently Cronion’s military strength had risen abnormally and dramatically.
Purple light flowed from the bodies of the mechanical weapons.
And the soldiers of the Iron Armor Corps began to emit eerie purple glows from their eyes, their combat power becoming far greater.
With the addition of an overwhelming mechanical weapon spewing black flames sweeping across the battlefield.
The Empire’s existing forces could not possibly hold them back.
“Reinforcements! When are the reinforcements coming!”
“The monsters in the Northern Region have become even more ferocious. We’re told additional support is difficult because we’re occupied holding back the increased monster numbers.”
“Then what am I supposed to do! Are you telling me to abandon this critical front as it is!”
Therefore, the commander of the Central Front had been requesting support from headquarters for some time now.
The number of regular troops was insufficient.
No, it wasn’t just regular troops.
Mages were needed.
Powerful magical weapons were needed.
Failing that, the Empire’s powerful Knight Orders were needed.
Several of the Knight Orders were already active in the war, but they alone were insufficient to turn the tide of battle.
The situation on the Central Front was that dire.
Then, good news reached the commander’s ears.
“We’ve succeeded in capturing the Lower Front Line!”
“Is that true?”
“Yes! And they’re currently moving up to the Central Front right now!”
“You’re saying they’ll strike Cronion from the flank! If so, there’s definitely a chance! No, if we’ve completely captured the Lower Front Line, we could even hit them from behind!”
The Imperial Army had completely captured the Lower Front Line.
And with strength to spare, they were sending reinforcements up to the Central Front.
What better news could there be?
“Did a Knight Order sortie? Otherwise, it wouldn’t make sense that they could completely clear the Lower Front Line!”
Who on earth could it be?
Who was occupying the Lower Front Line completely and even sending reinforcements?
Could it be that the rumored assassination knights of the Ash Dust Knight Order were finally beginning to show their prowess?
Just as I was anticipating this possibility.
“It appears to be an adventurer support force led by Mir Marquis. Or rather, Mir Commander.”
“…What?”
A name I had never expected to hear.
Mir Marquis?
Wasn’t that the person said to be a noble of adventurer origin?
That wasn’t all.
The support force was also composed entirely of adventurers, or so I was told.
Of course, completely occupying the Lower Front Line was a remarkable feat, and their arrival to support the Central Front was certainly appreciated.
“Adventurers, you say…”
I simply could not bring myself to trust adventurers.
Despite recent improvements in how adventurers were viewed, weren’t they still fundamentally different from soldiers?
Unlike those who served the Empire with loyalty and fought in this war, adventurers were selfish creatures who cared only for their own gain, devoid of any sense of loyalty.
It was impossible not to harbor doubts about trusting such people.
However.
“There’s no helping it—we’re in a situation where we’d gladly accept aid from anyone, even a cat’s paw.”
This was not the time to be choosy about our allies.
Even if the support force consisted of adventurers, their numbers reached tens of thousands.
While pushing back Cronion entirely might prove difficult, holding our ground and preventing further retreat while withstanding Cronion’s assault seemed achievable with such numbers.
Not long after that.
“The reinforcements have arrived!”
“Excellent! Now we press forward in earnest! Execute the anvil and hammer strategy! We may not achieve complete annihilation, but we must at least force them to withdraw from this battlefield!”
The support force had arrived.
Though adventurers were not entirely trustworthy, if we failed to respond now, our lines would continue to collapse.
So I decided to respond appropriately.
The commander personally took to the battlefield and mobilized the Imperial Army.
But then, something strange began to unfold.
“The enemy is retreating!”
“What?”
The Cronion soldiers who had been engaging the Imperial Army with such fervor.
Suddenly hesitated and began to withdraw, as if responding to some order.
What in the world was happening?
Bewildered, the commander raised his telescope to observe the rear where the reinforcements had arrived, and could only stare in shock.
“That… what in blazes…!”
Cronion was being pushed back.
Those formidable mechanical weapons.
Those sturdy Iron Armor soldiers.
They were falling helplessly under the assault of the adventurer reinforcements.
Up to this point, it was understandable.
It was possible to be caught off guard when facing the Imperial Army while being ambushed from behind by reinforcements composed of adventurers.
However, the real problem that shocked the commander was.
“The mechanical weapons…!”
Cronion’s core weapons.
Packs of Mecha Wolves ravaging the battlefield, Mecha Scorpions piercing the battlefield with powerful magical cannons, Mecha Rhinos trampling the battlefield with violent charges.
They were attacking Cronion, not the Imperial Army.
* * *
The moment we arrived at the Central Front.
We immediately encountered an enormous force of Cronion troops.
“Good heavens.”
“How many are there?”
“So that’s why the Central Front is said to be so difficult.”
“I thought our numbers were sufficient on the Lower Front Line. But here, it’s hopeless.”
Just the visible forces alone seemed to number in the hundreds of thousands.
And what of the mechanical weapons?
The dozens of mechanical weapons we saw on the Lower Front Line were trivial by comparison.
The Central Front had hundreds, thousands of mechanical weapons in operation.
And their variety was extraordinary.
Mecha Wolves and Mecha Scorpions were everywhere, and Mecha Rhinos, of which there was only one on the Lower Front Line, appeared quite frequently here.
Beyond those, there were easily more than ten types of mechanical weapons we had never seen before.
There were numerous mechanical weapons that appeared even more powerful than the Mecha Rhino, the strongest mechanical weapon we had encountered so far.
Upon seeing this, I couldn’t help but feel my confidence waver.
“We’ve made contact with the Imperial Army ahead!”
“They’ve agreed to attack immediately when we do!”
“There’s no need to worry! We can do this!”
“Hahahaha! Haven’t we achieved overwhelming consecutive victories until now? What’s there to worry about! Let’s go!”
The legion commanders led the users brilliantly.
Normally, users overwhelmed by the numerical disadvantage might hesitate.
But as Victor had said, hadn’t we experienced nothing but overwhelming victories without a single defeat?
Because of that, our users’ morale had soared to the heavens.
With the legion commanders instilling confidence, they rushed onto the battlefield without hesitation even facing hundreds of thousands of enemies.
Watching those users.
“Sigh.”
I too prepared for deployment.
Originally, as a commander, I intended to participate in the battlefield primarily through long-range attacks to observe the situation.
Using the Crimson Sniper for shots to assassinate key officers or exploit the weaknesses of important mechanical weapons.
Using area magic to electrocute Iron Armor Corps soldiers, and so forth.
I planned to lead the war while observing from a distance, checking how our user forces moved and how the enemy moved.
But my thoughts have changed now.
The reason was simple.
[ Dark Link ]
An item I had created while researching and developing mechanical weapons.
It was all thanks to Dark Link.
With this, I could seize ownership of Cronion’s core weapon—the mechanical weapons themselves.
Mechanical weapons were difficult to overcome even when you knew their weaknesses, but with this, I could do more than just defeat them; I could bring them over to our side.
So it seemed far more advantageous for me to participate directly in the war rather than stay back at a distance.
That being the case.
“Kang Ju-hyuk, I’m counting on you.”
“Really? This time the scale seems way too big…?”
“Honestly, there won’t be much for you to do. The legion commanders will handle most of it, so just make the critical decisions in my stead. I’ll send you instructions from time to time.”
“Alright, why not! Let’s give it a shot! Thanks to my friend, I even get to command in a war! I’m grateful!”
“I’m counting on you.”
After delegating the commander’s position to Kang Ju-hyuk.
Whoosh!
I dashed straight toward enemy lines.
I wasn’t moving haphazardly.
I was advancing toward the area of the battlefield with the most mechanical weapons.
With hundreds of thousands engaged in battle, the battlefield itself was vast beyond measure.
[ Gale’s Stride ]
( Non-tradeable )
Form : Shield
Grade : Shoes
I had changed into these shoes to move quickly across the battlefield.
I equipped my armor without issue.
Just because speed was important didn’t mean I should arm myself with only light equipment—if a stray bullet caught a vital spot, even I would be in danger.
Arriving at the battlefield so swiftly.
Clank.
The mechanical weapons began appearing in earnest.
Even Cronion couldn’t produce mechanical weapons infinitely, so the number of important ones had to be limited.
The battlefield where I arrived had a relatively high concentration of mechanical weapons.
As such, what immediately caught my eye were packs of Mecha Wolves charging forward.
I lightly evaded the first Mecha Wolf that rushed at me, then drove my fist into its flank.
While gripping Dark Link in my hand.
In that instant.
Whirrrrr!
The mana I poured into Dark Link transformed into a domination formula, traveled through my fist, and entered the Mecha Wolf.
Then, following the circuit pathways, the domination formula reached the chip.
“Grrrrr….”
I seized control of the Mecha Wolf.
In that brief moment of extending my fist to strike its flank, I succeeded in hacking the Mecha Wolf.
The other Mecha Wolves that rushed at me next—
Clang clang clang!
I deflected them all and wrested their control from them.
As a result.
Not long after.
“Growwwl.”
A pack of Mecha Wolves, their violet optical lenses replaced by blazing black ones after losing ownership to me, was complete.
“Attack.”
“Roaaarrr!”
The Mecha Wolves I had hacked turned their bodies and began assaulting Cronion.
In truth, my hacking carried one side effect.
The mechanical weapons that had moved with rigid precision according to their programming began to behave like living beasts rather than machines once I hacked them.
It seemed to stem from the difference between Cronion’s programming and the magical formulas I employed.
It posed no significant problem.
Even if they behaved like beasts, they still wielded their mechanical armaments with full effectiveness.
Next came.
Click.
The Mecha Scorpion.
It was best to target the area closest to the chip, so I burrowed into the Mecha Scorpion’s body and inserted the Dark Link into the junction between its tail and torso, infusing it with mana.
However, it took longer to hack than the Mecha Wolf.
I barely evaded as the Mecha Scorpion glowed and thrust its tail toward me.
“Hissssss.”
“Excellent.”
I succeeded in subjugating the Mecha Scorpion as well.
As I rapidly conquered the Mecha Scorpions in the same manner.
Boom boom boom boom boom!
A Mecha Rhino charged at me.
I lightly dodged its thick horn and wedged my fingers between the thick metal plates, clinging to the Mecha Rhino’s body as it charged.
I immediately activated the Dark Link.
The Mecha Rhino thrashed about trying to shake me off, but it was futile.
It took longer than the Mecha Scorpion.
“Roooaaarrr!”
But I ultimately succeeded in hacking the Mecha Rhino as well.
Thus, as time passed, more and more mechanical weapons began to obey me.
The number of mechanical weapons under my command had already exceeded several dozen.
And shortly after.
Click!
Mechanical weapons I had never seen before began appearing in earnest.
Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat!
A mechanical serpent composed of countless segmented sections.
With firearms mounted on each segment, dozens of guns firing with every movement of its body, the mecha snake unleashed attacks in all directions.
Clang-clang-clang!
A ultra-high-speed mechanical weapon adorned with blades sharper than swords across its entire body, slicing through everything it touched as it raced forward at tremendous velocity.
Whiiiiiing!
If the mecha wolf packs were operating on the ground.
Then mecha hornets flew in swarms, launching sharp venomous stingers and dominating the skies.
The sheer variety of mechanical weapons attacking me made the Central Front feel all too real.
But.
“This is exhilarating.”
To me, it only stirred excitement.
Which formula could I use to hack these machines?
How long would the hacking process take?
More importantly, if I seized ownership of these weapons, how much advantage would they grant me in this war?
With such thoughts.
Slash!
[ Dark Link ]
Whirrrrrr!
I began hacking these new mechanical weapons as well.

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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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