The Return of the Genius Ranker’s Myth Warehouse - Chapter 347

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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 347
Chapter 347
The battlefield was swiftly brought under control.
The mechanical dragon, the mightiest of mechanical weapons, had ceased its rampage, and the dark flames it had unleashed were now turned upon its own forces.
The Chronion Commander melted away in those dark flames, and the other key officers were assassinated by the Ash Dust Knight Order.
With their command structure shattered and fear spreading like wildfire, most of them surrendered or fled.
Because of this.
“Mir! Mir! Mir! Mir!”
“Long live Commander Mir!”
“To think you brought down that mechanical dragon single-handedly!”
“Did you see those Cronion bastards running? It felt so satisfying!”
“I thought our frontline would collapse and we’d lose the Eastern Region, but to push them back so decisively in one stroke!”
“Isn’t this all thanks to Commander Mir!”
The Imperial Army soldiers were roaring with jubilation.
The terror of Hellfire, the exhaustion from a war whose duration remained unknown, the despair of being pushed back by Cronion—all of it.
Having cast off that despair in a single moment, their cheers were only natural.
Every one of them could be called a hero in this battle.
They were chanting the name of Marquis Mir. Or rather, Commander Mir.
The players were no different.
“He brought down that monster alone?”
“He even defeated Jeok-hwa in a duel against the Five Great Guild leaders, so he really does seem to be the strongest in Second?”
“The Second ranking itself is based on level, and since higher level essentially means greater power, level ranking and combat power weren’t that different. But this….”
“Even if Mir’s level is rising quickly, it’s still lacking compared to the rankers, right? Yet he’s defeating everyone while ignoring level entirely. It’s at a point where level becomes meaningless?”
“Truly.”
“That’s why I respect Mir so much!”
“Is that why you’ve been learning magic recently?”
“Magic alone? I’m going to learn archery and martial arts too! So I can use them advantageously in any situation, just like Mir!”
“You’re going to end up as a jack-of-all-trades. Or wait, are you already one….”
Given how enormous the mechanical dragon’s size was.
During the battle, the players’ eyes were inevitably drawn to the mechanical dragon, and thus they could observe Mir’s combat from a distance.
Even without fully understanding what they witnessed, to see that mechanical dragon—befitting its title as the mightiest mechanical weapon—brought down single-handedly.
It was only natural that the players were amazed and astonished.
“To think I was left out of such an opportunity!”
“Hahahaha! Quite impressive!”
“…More and more remarkable. To bring down that monster alone.”
“You’re stronger than I anticipated.”
“Hmm….”
The Legion Commander.
Or rather, the guild leaders of the Five Great Guilds as well.
Though they had lost in the duel, considering their guild’s scale and standing, they were comparable to Mir.
No, I had harbored the subtle notion that we held the advantage.
In this moment, that conviction twisted entirely.
Not only the Guild Masters, but everyone who participated in the war witnessed and acknowledged it.
The fact that Mir was Korea’s strongest Second user.
If this continued, the Heukryeom Guild would be added to the Five Great Guilds, becoming the sixth.
Or perhaps.
‘It might even surpass the Five Great Guilds.’
It could become Korea’s mightiest Guild, standing above the Five Great Guilds themselves.
If I were to compare it to a martial arts novel, it would be like the One Sovereign and Five Emperors?
The standing of the Five Great Guilds—that colossal alliance of Korea’s five premier Guilds—was being diminished.
‘There’s no choice but to accept this.’
‘It’s frustrating, but… it’s the truth.’
‘Moreover, so many users witnessed it directly. It would be impossible to twist public opinion.’
There was no way around it.
Tens of thousands of users had witnessed it firsthand, and this footage would spread rapidly through the media via NewTube and other platforms.
In such circumstances, opposing Mir’s position would only appear unseemly.
There was nothing to do but acknowledge Mir’s strength.
Just a few months ago, Mir had been nothing more than a promising newcomer.
Yet he had seized the position of Second’s strongest user and even claimed the seat of Second’s greatest Guild Master.
For the Guild Masters, his talent was terrifying to behold.
And this news swiftly reached the Emperor’s ears.
Upon hearing it.
“Hahahaha!”
The Emperor could laugh more freely than ever before.
I had always known that Mir brought forth remarkable accomplishments, but I had not held great expectations for this war.
When I heard that he had conquered the entire Lower Front Line, I was pleased, but I did not believe the war would end there alone.
The monsters from the north had grown more ferocious, and Cronion had deployed a mechanical weapon called Hellfire, pressing the Empire hard.
Yet.
“He alone halted Hellfire and instead unleashed black flames upon Cronion’s Commander?”
“Indeed, Your Majesty. Thanks to that, Cronion’s morale collapsed utterly, and the enemy forces either surrendered or fled.”
“What of the Frontline situation?”
“We continue to press forward. Though Cronion deploys mechanical weapons in defense, victory has already shifted to our side.”
“Hahahaha! Excellent, most excellent!”
Mir had led the Empire to victory.
The Frontline, which had been greatly pushed back by Hellfire, now advanced beyond the Center of the Eastern Region, pointing toward the Mechanical City, Cronion’s Capital.
I had been troubled by the inability to deploy additional forces due to the monsters from the north.
Without adding new troops, the war situation had shifted so dramatically.
It was only natural that the Emperor burst into laughter.
“When this war ends….”
The Emperor contemplated Mir’s peerage.
Currently, Mir’s title is Marquis.
Having ascended to the Marquis position not long after receiving the Baron title, the nobles’ objections had been quite fierce.
Because of this, the Emperor had no intention of promoting Mir for some time.
He planned to maintain Mir’s Marquis title until the situation stabilized.
But his thoughts had changed.
The current Mir was nothing short of a war hero.
Yet how could one fail to grant proper rewards to such a war hero?
To a war hero leading the war to victory single-handedly, one must bestow rewards befitting his achievements.
The Emperor, as compensation for his deeds,
“might need to grant him the title of Count.”
A hereditary noble title that transcends Baron and Marquis, recognizing not the individual but the house itself as a noble family.
He intended to confer the Count title.
Now that Mir had risen to the position of war hero, no noble would dare oppose his promotion.
So it seemed to him.
* * *
A great victory at the Central Front.
The Imperial Army pressed forward relentlessly, driving Cronion back.
The players did likewise.
Alongside the Imperial Army—no, advancing even ahead of the Imperial Army—they attacked Cronion with fervor.
This was the effect of merit points.
Everyone was risking their lives to stand at the vanguard, desperate to earn merit points.
In the meantime,
“Are you certain you need not venture onto the battlefield, Commander?”
“It’s fine. The mechanical weapons—or rather, Hellfire—have been stopped. The momentum is excellent, so there should be no problems without me. If issues arise, I can rush there without significant delay.”
I was not on the battlefield.
The place where I had defeated Hellfire.
I remained at a temporary garrison established in the center of the Eastern Front.
Together with that “Hellfire” I had just mentioned.
The reason I had not gone to the battlefield and instead remained here with Hellfire was simple.
“Are you truly intending to research that monster?”
“It’s merely another mechanical weapon after all. Since I’ve already completed research on the Mecha Wolf, Mecha Scorpion, and Mecha Rhino, Hellfire should be no different.”
It was to research Hellfire.
Cronion’s mechanical weapons were an element that did not exist in First, and they were an exceptionally fascinating element.
I’m not speaking of Hellfire alone.
The number of mechanical weapons I had obtained through this war was quite substantial.
Though most were damaged and broken, intact mechanical weapons and facilities remained in the places where Cronion’s soldiers had fled.
And the Imperial Army, having granted my request, was transferring all those mechanical weapons and facilities here.
‘There are many mechanical weapons, and the varieties are far more diverse. The facilities include not only charging stations but also repair facilities, albeit temporary ones.’
This made research far more convenient.
Just recently, I had succeeded in creating “Dark Link” using only a limited number of mechanical weapons.
With this much, I could conduct far more thorough research.
Given that the war continues even now, I wonder if waiting for results would be too late.
‘A war won’t end this quickly or easily.’
Well.
That’s my assessment.
Right now, we’ve toppled Hellfire and fired Dark Flame at Cronion’s soldiers, instilling fear, so our frontline keeps advancing steadily.
The problem lies at the end.
‘The Mechanical City.’
Cronion’s capital—the Mechanical City.
I haven’t seen it myself, only heard about it through reconnaissance.
I’ve heard that Cronion’s Mechanical City is itself nothing less than a colossal mechanical weapon.
If Cronion decides to retreat into that shell of a city, even I won’t find it easy to breach.
So I need new power.
There are several methods.
‘First, reactivating Hellfire.’
Hellfire.
Since Black Flame didn’t work on me, I was able to bring it down without much difficulty.
But others are different.
Black Flame melted everything indiscriminately—Imperial Army soldiers, Cronion troops, and mechanical weapons alike.
Its sharp fangs could tear through even iron walls with ease.
If I could reactivate such a Hellfire, I might be able to effectively assault the Mechanical City.
‘The damage is extensive, though.’
Well, it won’t be simple.
Thanks to my battle with it, Hellfire’s condition is a mess.
There are countless parts that need immediate repair.
I’ve brought repair facilities and plenty of materials.
But the repairs will take considerable time.
Beyond that, there’s the major problem that Luke’s heart—the core power source—is missing.
‘But I can handle that.’
That heart is in my possession.
I could either persuade Luke to let me install it temporarily in the mechanical unit, or I could pilot it myself and continuously channel Black Flame as the power source.
Of course.
– If it is your command, Master, I must naturally comply, but I confess this shabby, vulgar imitation does not sit well with me as a vessel for my power.
Luke seemed rather displeased about it.
“I’ll modify it as much as possible to match your original form.”
– If you would do so, Master…
“Besides, I need to repair it anyway, so I’ll handle both at once. In exchange, lend me some Black Flame during repairs. Can you fine-tune Dark Flame?”
– Of course, Master.
Persuading Luke was simple.
The second objective that follows.
‘Hellfire’s roar.’
A roar that mimicked Luke’s Dragon Fear.
While it lacked the distinctive oppressive aura inherent to Dragon Fear, that roar reinforced Cronion’s mechanical weapons and detonated the mechanical weapons I had hacked.
If I could manifest that power myself?
Couldn’t I detonate all of Cronion’s mechanical weapons at once?
Or perhaps, instead of detonating them, I could apply it in other ways?
With such thoughts in mind.
“Shall we begin?”
I began earnestly researching Cronion’s mechanical weapons.
Just as it had been during First, the thrill and joy of studying new game elements and forging my own power from them was utterly exhilarating.

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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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