The Return of the Genius Ranker’s Myth Warehouse - Chapter 368

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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 368
Chapter 368
Yul-ha and Team One.
Though they had failed in their first attempt to conquer it.
I had summoned Mir, judging it impossible to clear the Dungeon before the discovery benefits expired at this rate.
Yet they had not completely abandoned the Dungeon conquest itself.
They continued pressing forward, gradually uncovering the Dungeon’s conquest strategy.
Moreover, with such formidable monsters appearing, they could accumulate considerable experience even hunting at the Entrance.
But.
“This difficulty level for barely the early stages of the Dungeon…!”
This Dungeon was utterly different from all previous ones.
The monsters directly before them were already difficult to contend with.
The floor was scattered with lava pools both large and small, making movement treacherous, and lava cascaded down the walls, preventing them from even leaning against them for support.
And worse still.
Drip.
“Ugh! My apologies! The lava interrupted my spell casting!”
“How is this possible! I was waiting for the perfect timing…Argh!”
Random droplets of lava falling from the ceiling.
That was incredibly frustrating.
Ignoring it caused considerable pain, and it kept interrupting their spell and skill casting.
Yet this time, it was particularly severe.
Was their luck simply terrible?
Lava drops falling at the final moment of spell casting repeatedly cancelled their magic.
Critical attacks that should have landed were blocked, while the monsters’ attacks landed critical hits instead.
Because of this, Team One found themselves in an unexpected crisis.
“I believe we should retreat for now!”
This situation was dangerous.
With good fortune, they might defeat the monsters as things stood, but one cannot rely on luck in combat.
These were not even boss monsters—ordinary monsters were not worth such a perilous gamble.
In such circumstances, retreat was the wisest choice.
Falling back to regroup was the better option.
Yul-ha understood this as well.
“… Understood. I will carefully withdraw while defending against the monsters’ attacks.”
Yul-ha nodded and issued the retreat order.
However, deciding to retreat was not the same as executing it immediately.
The monsters, believing the humans were fleeing, attacked with even greater ferocity and enthusiasm.
To make matters worse.
Splash.
Sizzzzzzle!
“Aaaahhh!”
“Nobo!”
One of the team members had their foot trapped in a lava pool.
However, it wasn’t a situation where I could simply blame them.
Blocking monster attacks while retreating backward and avoiding the lava pools behind them—pools outside their line of sight—was no simple task.
And without missing that opening.
“Churrrip—.”
A lava newt.
The Lava Salamander slithered forward and shattered Team One’s formation.
It danced while wielding lava across its entire body, and the ones behind it inhaled the lava from the pools, then spewed the consumed lava in ranged attacks.
The formation completely collapsed, and the situation had become dire.
At this rate, total annihilation was inevitable.
It would be better to abandon Nobo and flee, but abandoning a team member was not an easy choice.
As Yul-ha bit her lip and was about to make a decision.
Taaht!
Someone’s afterimage streaked past her side.
– Using skill ‘White Fish Swimming’.
Like a shark setting out on a hunt, it passed by with blinding speed.
No, that person was—
– Using skill ‘Black Insect Flash’.
Thunk!
“Churrruk—.”
The Lava Salamander’s body was pierced through.
Having struck the vital point with precision, the writhing newt’s body went limp as if it were a lie.
The startled newts spewed lava toward the man.
– Using 4-Circle water magic ‘Aqua Wall’.
A barrier of water rose from the ground, blocking the attacks.
Then, concealing his body within the water barrier and steam, the man dashed forward rapidly.
Fwububuk!
He began slaughtering the newts.
With each sword strike, the newts’ bodies went limp.
Piercing through the lava-flowing skin of the Lava Salamanders, each strike perfectly struck the vital points.
It was an attack that drew admiration from all who witnessed it.
Then.
“Watch out—!”
A newt hiding beneath the lava pool suddenly spewed lava in a surprise attack.
The distance was too close and the timing too difficult to block.
Splurt!
Lava clung to the man’s body.
The viscous lava flowing down seemed as though it would melt the man’s entire body.
But.
“Huh…?”
The man’s body did not melt away.
The scorching lava flowed uselessly beneath the black coat he wore.
In that instant.
The man spun around and charged toward the newt that had spewed the lava.
“Chirp-chirp-.”
The newt hastily dove beneath the lava to escape, but.
Splash!
The man plunged without hesitation into the lava below.
“Gasp!”
Yul-ha and the members of Team 1 could only stare in shock.
Diving beneath the lava like that.
Wasn’t that essentially suicide?
But moments later.
Glub-glub-.
Rising with bubbling foam came.
“Chirr-chirr-.”
A newt with its belly turned upward.
Near the heart of that soft underbelly was etched a sharp blade wound.
And there was no one who did not recognize the identity of the man who emerged above the lava.
“Mir!”
The Guild Master of the Heukryeom Guild.
Mir had arrived.
* * *
Lava Newt, Lava Salamander.
A familiar monster.
It was one of the representative monsters that lived in such lava territories.
As such, defeating it was simple.
Thrust!
The Lava Salamander’s heart.
From the front, I needed to pierce diagonally at the junction of the left neck and shoulder.
From below, between the third and fourth left ribs.
From above, striking the fifth vital point would do it.
After felling the newts in such fashion, and finally subduing even the newt that had burrowed beneath the lava using the effect of Surging Magma, I was able to end the battle.
[ Your level has increased. ]
With the cheerful level-up message, the combat concluded.
Immediately, my teammates’ voices rang out.
“Mir!”
“You’ve arrived! Guild Master!”
“Thank you!”
“If you hadn’t come, Guild Master, we would have been in real danger.”
Everyone looked at me as though I were their savior.
Well, Team One’s situation had been genuinely perilous.
If I hadn’t intervened, one or two of them might have actually died.
“I arrived a bit late.”
“Late? I never imagined you’d find us so quickly, Mir!”
“How on earth did you get here so fast?”
“The Eastern Region has such treacherous terrain that even mounts struggle to traverse it.”
True, the terrain was brutal.
Though Greengolet, being a Legendary-grade mount, handled it without much difficulty.
After exchanging these pleasantries,
I moved straight to the main point.
“We’ll begin the Dungeon conquest immediately.”
What mattered now was this place.
Conquering the Volcanic Heart Ore Vein.
However, the moment I spoke those words,
“Y-yes, of course….”
“If you’re the Guild Master….”
“Then we should step back….”
Team One hung their heads dejectedly.
It was easy to infer their thoughts.
Even back when I was in Caldera Territory, I’d always preferred conquering dungeons alone rather than with my guild members.
Just moments ago, hadn’t I defeated the entire pack of Lava Salamanders by myself?
So they assumed I’d solo this dungeon too and were preparing to withdraw.
But.
“Team One and myself—eight people total—will begin the conquest of the Volcanic Heart Ore Vein.”
“Pardon?”
“Is that really true?”
“We can truly go with you?”
I had no intention of conquering this dungeon alone.
Sympathy for them?
No.
My reason for bringing them along was purely
‘This dungeon has a higher difficulty than I initially thought.’
It was because of the dungeon’s difficulty.
Most dungeons I can conquer solo, and honestly, even this one could probably be cleared if I wielded my Mythic-grade weapon freely.
But to preserve my Mythic-grade weapon and eliminate any unforeseen variables,
conquering this dungeon with them was the more advantageous approach.
They were, without question, the strongest party in the Heukryeom Guild.
No—they were among the most formidable in all of Second.
“This Dungeon is a formidable one—even I find its difficulty level challenging to assess. We’ll need Team One’s full strength.”
“…!”
“We’ll do our best!”
“Leave it to us!”
“Thank you for this opportunity!”
Team One’s resounding affirmation echoed through the chamber.
Yul-ha gripped her blade tighter, bowing her head respectfully toward me.
Observing this, I designated my position first.
“I’ll take the rear position.”
“Pardon?”
“Shouldn’t the Guild Master stand at the vanguard?”
In my assessment, the rear was my optimal position here.
My guild members voiced their confusion at this declaration.
It was understandable—I had just pierced a Lava Salamander clean through with a single strike, so my taking the rear seemed peculiar.
Yet I had no intention of changing my position.
The reason was simple.
“What this party needs right now is a supporter.”
“A supporter?”
“If I stand at the front and fight, it becomes no different than me clearing the Dungeon alone. Instead, I’ll create the optimal combat environment from the rear.”
“Create a combat environment? What do you mean by that….”
It was about drawing out my teammates’ full potential.
To efficiently clear the Dungeon while maximizing the party’s collective strength, I needed to position myself behind them.
My team members still seemed uncertain of my meaning.
“Explanations will take too long—I’ll demonstrate it in actual combat.”
We decided to enter the Dungeon immediately.
Seeing something once was always clearer than hearing ten explanations.
Normally, in such a perilous Dungeon, suggesting they enter combat without proper briefing would make them anxious and resistant.
“We trust you.”
“I do as well!”
“Of course we’ll follow the Guild Master’s lead!”
“Give us any instructions you need—we’ll follow anything!”
Fortunately, my guild members obeyed without hesitation.
I had worried they might not listen, having been away from the Guild for extended periods.
But it was clear they recognized me as their Guild Master.
Nodding, I changed my equipment first.
The “Surging Magma” set I currently wore performed optimally in lava-region combat.
But that was only true when fighting alone.
To fulfill the role of a “supporter” within the party framework, I needed different equipment.
Specifically.
[ Cloak of the Azure Sea ]
[ Azure Sea Pendant ]
….
So this was the Azure Sea set.
The Azure Sea set was a Legendary-grade defensive armor designed for water-attribute mages.
Its set effect was straightforward.
[ You have equipped the complete ‘Azure Sea’ set (6/6). ]
[ The ‘Azure Sea’ set effect activates. ]
[ Azure Sea : The scale, power, and range of water-attribute magic increase significantly. ]
It enhanced the power of water-attribute magic.
And there was one more thing.
[ Azure Dragon’s Orb ]
( Non-tradeable )
Type : Orb
Grade : Legendary
Requirement : Level 500 or higher, Orb Mastery Lv 50 or higher, Intelligence 2,000 or higher
Description : The orb possessed by the Azure Dragon, who ascended to the heavens after comprehending the power of the vast sea. Within it dwells the boundless strength of the great ocean that the Azure Dragon cultivated during its ascension.
It was the water-attribute version of the ‘Lightning Dragon’s Orb’ I had used before.
I drew out the Azure Dragon’s Orb.
This orb too was a mage’s weapon that maximized the power of water-attribute magic.
However, the moment I equipped the Raging Magma set, I felt the distinctive scorching heat unique to the lava region.
Because of that, to dispel this oppressive warmth, I—
— used the 5-Circle water magic ‘Aqua Veil’.
I deployed the advanced magic I had learned at the Blue Moon Grand Library.
A thin veil of water materialized in the air, enveloping me and all my teammates.
Then—
“Ahhh!”
“Incredible!”
“Such magic exists?”
“The heat is completely gone!”
The oppressive, sweltering heat that had tormented me and my teammates vanished as if it had never been.

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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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