The Return of the Genius Ranker’s Myth Warehouse - Chapter 35

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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 35
Chapter 35
Derek. A fifth-year E-rank Hunter.
Despite being an E-rank Hunter, he shouldered every menial task at the camp.
He had failed the promotion exam so many times that people refused to acknowledge him as a proper Hunter.
And then.
‘An E-rank Hunter?’
A Hunter who had joined the Hunter Guild just a day ago and received an early promotion to E-rank appeared with a special commission.
Here he was, unable to pass the promotion exam even after five years.
Yet someone reached E-rank in a single day.
Well, setting that aside.
If this newly arrived E-rank Hunter was real, he could finally unload these tedious chores onto someone else.
So he decided to demonstrate his seniority by establishing a clear hierarchy and dumping the work on the newcomer.
He had gone through the grueling effort of taking down a Skeleton.
Crash—
“This is impossible! What did he do?!”
That Hunter.
The Hunter who had only been with the Hunter Guild for a day.
Had obliterated the Skeleton into pieces.
No, “obliterated” didn’t even begin to describe it.
He had severed every joint of the Skeleton with perfect precision, completely dislocating its entire skeletal structure.
While Derek stood frozen, unable to process the impossible sight before him.
Crack—
The Hunter then drove a dagger between the Skeleton’s lower jaw.
With that, the Skeleton’s eye sockets dimmed and its body crumbled to dust.
“This can’t be…”
Unbelievable.
Impossible.
Despite his lower rank, Derek’s years of experience meant he had witnessed countless Hunters on commissions.
But among all those Hunters, none had ever dismantled a Skeleton with such flawless technique.
Even Hunters renowned for their strength merely crushed the Skeleton’s skull through brute force.
Yet this one had conquered the Skeleton with such perfect precision?
Startled, Derek began rapidly piecing together the truth.
‘Wait… could it be?’
A new Hunter recommended by the Guild Master himself.
Promoted early despite not fitting the level requirements, and given a special commission despite not fitting the rank requirements.
Yes, such a Hunter couldn’t possibly be ordinary.
If he had to guess…
‘Is he hiding information?’
Had he fabricated his experience and come here in secret, concealing his true background?
To begin with, their skill level was at least D-rank.
No, judging by that display of power, they might well be C-rank or higher.
If such a hunter had come here under special orders from the Guild Master himself, what could it mean?
If that were the case, what would their purpose be?
The answer was simple.
‘An inspection!’
Had they come to secretly observe whether the investigation of the Ash Ossuary was proceeding properly?
If that were true, then this hunter’s position must be.
‘An inspector from the Hunter Guild!’
Those who existed in secrecy, dispatched covertly to investigate corruption and illegal activities at various sites, tasked with overseeing the Hunter Guild’s operations.
The inspection unit he’d only heard rumors about was surely standing before him.
Having reached this conclusion, Derek instinctively lowered his posture respectfully.
“Oh my, I failed to recognize you, esteemed hunter!”
There was nothing to gain from offending an inspector.
In fact, if he handled this well.
Perhaps he could finally break through the D-rank promotion barrier that had blocked him until now.
“Esteemed hunter! While you’re at the camp, I, Derek, shall serve you with utmost dedication!”
Derek quickly rubbed his palms together ingratiatingly.
* * *
“Esteemed hunter! While you’re at the camp, I, Derek, shall serve you with utmost dedication!”
Derek’s demeanor had suddenly shifted one hundred eighty degrees.
I’d merely displayed a bit of skill out of frustration at how poorly he was fighting against the skeletons.
‘Why the sudden change?’
I couldn’t quite adjust to his abrupt transformation in attitude.
Just moments ago, he’d been strutting about arrogantly, yet now he was treating me with the deference one might show a superior.
It seemed he’d misunderstood something after witnessing my combat against the skeletons.
‘There’s no need to correct him, really.’
When I thought about it, there was nothing to lose on my end.
Even as the top-ranked hunter in First, the Ash Ossuary was new to me, and I’d likely encounter Guild hunters repeatedly as I progressed upward through future dungeon runs.
Having an eager assistant willing to help smooth my operations would prove useful.
“So, can I enter the dungeon right now?”
“According to protocol, we must first obtain permission from the commander! We can’t simply dive in recklessly—we need to coordinate our exploration so it doesn’t overlap with the investigation!”
“I see….”
“I’ll rush over immediately and bring back the authorization along with the investigation documents! Please wait here just a moment!”
Derek dashed urgently toward the camp.
Expecting it would take some time, I’d planned to pass the hours eating snacks Luke and I had purchased beforehand in Labelt…
“Inspector—no, esteemed hunter! Huff, huff! I’ve obtained permission! Here, I’ve brought the investigation documents, so you may enter immediately!”
Derek came rushing back before I’d even had time to wait.
Judging by his heavy breathing, he’d moved with considerable urgency.
I had no idea what he’d mistaken me for.
Well, since there seemed to be no need to clear up the misunderstanding, I unfolded the investigation report Derek had brought me.
‘The investigation hasn’t progressed much yet.’
The investigation report didn’t seem to contain much of anything.
Only the entrance was sketched out simply, and the only monsters listed were charred skeletons.
“The future investigation will focus on mapping the geography and traps of the Ash Ossuary, identifying the types of monsters that appear, and….”
“In other words, not much has been investigated yet, and we need to investigate everything that remains.”
A dungeon that hasn’t been explored yet.
That meant monsters would be abundant and rewards would be plentiful, didn’t it?
My mood naturally improved at the thought.
“I-I’m sorry! I’ll work much harder!”
For some reason, Derek was sweating nervously and tensing up.
Well, Derek’s reaction didn’t matter to me, so I ignored it.
I immediately headed toward the dungeon entrance.
Since Derek had already obtained permission for me, it was now time to conquer the Ash Ossuary.
It seemed to be quite a sizable dungeon, not a small one, so it looked like it would be worth tackling.
“When you’re done exploring and come back! Or rather, if you just call out my name with vigor, I’ll rush over anytime and report the investigation progress to you instead!”
“Ah… alright.”
Fortunately, it didn’t seem like he’d follow me around annoyingly.
I nodded and entered the ossuary entrance leading underground.
Immediately, a System Message appeared.
[ You have entered the Ash Ossuary. ]
[ For discovering the Ash Ossuary first, experience and item drop rates will increase for one week. ]
[ If you conquer the Ash Ossuary within one week, you will receive a greater reward. ]
“It’s the same in Second.”
It was a System Message I was far too familiar with.
Back in First when the user count was small, I had discovered and conquered most of the dungeons that existed in First myself.
I had thought that entering a dungeon for the first time wouldn’t be easy in Second, which was popular and had a large user base.
But I never expected an opportunity to come this quickly.
‘It seems NPCs aren’t recognized as discoverers.’
Since I needed to raise my level as much as possible before the tournament started, the first dungeon bonus was exactly what I wanted.
When I unfolded the investigation report, the dead end on the left had already been fully explored.
I nodded and moved along the right path, which hadn’t been investigated yet.
Not long after.
Clatter.
Charred skeletons revealed themselves.
The weaknesses of skeletons were traditionally fire, holy power, and blunt force.
I knew that well enough.
‘Skeletons are nothing.’
Hadn’t I already defeated the skeletons near the ossuary entrance with my dagger?
There was no need to draw out my mace.
Actually, with my current stats, it was better to wield a lighter weapon than to draw out the iron mace that was too heavy to swing properly.
[ Blessed Dagger ]
I drew out a dagger subtly imbued with holy properties.
And then.
Dash!
I charged toward the skeletons blocking the passage.
My next course of action was identical to what I’d done at the entrance.
I evaded the skeleton’s attack as it flailed its sharp finger bones wildly.
I lowered my stance as much as possible.
Then I thrust the dagger upward, driving it precisely between the skeleton’s lower jaw bones.
Crack!
The embedded dagger shattered the soft bone layers inside the skull as it rose, scraping the magic circle inscribed on the flat surface between the frontal and parietal bones.
As the holy power imbued in the dagger manifested alongside physical force, it disrupted the magic circle.
Rumble—
The skeleton, which appeared to be at least 20 levels higher than me, crumbled away anticlimactically.
[ Your level has increased. ]
Experience points surged upward.
With such a significant level gap, and receiving various experience point bonuses.
My leveling speed was remarkably satisfying.
[ Luke has consumed the ‘Charred Skeleton’. ]
[ Luke’s stats have increased by 1. ]
Crunch!
Crackle!
Accompanying Luke’s eating sounds.
– It’s been quite a while since I’ve eaten a skeleton.
– This firm texture.
– Compared to the ‘cuisine’ my master graciously provided, it’s unremarkable, but this texture alone carries the raw, untamed flavor that ‘cuisine’ cannot offer.
Luke’s taste assessment continued.
Back in First, he would simply swallow monsters silently, but ever since I fed him proper cooking, he’s been constantly evaluating the taste of monsters like this.
Skeletons are fine, but I’d rather not hear his taste assessment of zombies.
As I was thinking this.
“Grrrraaaa—”
“A charred zombie, I see. This is a fairly standard undead-type dungeon.”
As expected.
A zombie, which could be called the symbol of undead monsters, appeared.
After skeletons came zombies.
It was the textbook progression you could find in any manual.
“Luke.”
– Yes, master.
I could defeat zombies with the Blessed Dagger as well.
However, zombies lacked the clearly defined weak points that skeletons possessed, and the gap in our stats was quite significant.
To shorten combat duration, it seemed better to properly exploit their weaknesses from this point forward.
Zombie weaknesses were the same as skeletons: fire, holy, and blunt force.
Yet since these were ‘charred zombies’, they likely had resistance to fire attributes.
“Bring out something sturdy.”
– Understood, Master.
[ Inquisitor’s Holy Mace ]
( Non-tradeable )
Type: Blunt Weapon
Grade: Rare
Requirement: Level 100+, Strength 200+
Description: A sacred cudgel wielded by the inquisitors of the Lumian Church, who serve the god of light.
I drew forth the shimmering silver holy mace.
Though it appeared crude, there was no finer weapon for confronting the undead.
“Guh… uuuh….”
Had it sensed the holy power radiating from the sacred mace?
Or did it perceive a threat from the mace’s characteristic crushing pressure?
Though the zombie—a monster that feared nothing in death, being already deceased—seemed momentarily flustered and hesitant.
“Well then, shall we begin?”
“Guuuuuh….”
I advanced with confidence.
Crack!
I began wielding the holy mace without restraint.
The moans of zombies echoed throughout the Ash Ossuary.

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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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