The Return of the Genius Ranker’s Myth Warehouse - Chapter 405
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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 405
Chapter 405
“This is truly an honor! To meet Mir! I’ve been following everything—from Second Crown all the way through to your Evil God conquest videos!”
“I see.”
“Yes! Especially when you faced the Mechanical God—that was absolutely breathtaking! When everyone else was fleeing and you stayed behind to split its head open, I got chills just watching it!”
Adventurer, Maniac.
He was quite the talkative user.
Honestly, it was getting annoying.
Still, though.
“See that Dungeon over there? I found that one!”
“It appears to be a high-rank Dungeon.”
“Yes, the monsters around it made it nearly impossible to approach! But I had a feeling it was definitely there, so I pushed through somehow!”
He seemed genuinely skilled.
Maniac wasn’t merely a guide—he was the one who had discovered this location, presumed to contain a high-grade Magic Stone.
“How much longer?”
“Normally it takes quite a while, but this horse is incredibly fast! At this pace, we’ll arrive in just another hour!”
The distance to our destination was considerable.
What I was riding now was a horse faster than Greengolet.
[ Horse Whistle – Skeaming ]
( Non-tradeable )
Form: Mount
Grade: Legendary
Restriction: Level 600 or higher
Description: A descendant of the divine horse Sleipnir, known as a magnificent steed that gallops as swiftly as a bird. The horse of the Blacksmith Burlant.
A legendary-grade horse with a 600-level restriction.
Even riding Skeaming, I still had to travel for this long.
Whether fortunately or unfortunately, listening to Maniac’s endless chatter made the time pass quickly.
During the journey, obstacles and monsters occasionally appeared to block the path.
“Neeeigh!”
Skeaming leaped over towering mountains and jagged cliff faces on its own, galloping in a straight line.
“Roooar!”
“Mir, there’s a horde of monsters! If we fight them all, it’ll waste time. Maybe we should take a detour around them….”
– Using 7-Circle Lightning Magic ‘Thunder Storm’.
Crackle!
“Wha—?”
I dealt with all the monsters blocking our path.
Thanks to that, we arrived at our destination faster than expected.
However.
“This is it!”
“… Are you certain this is the place?”
“Yes! Absolutely!”
Upon arrival, I could see nothing.
There was a tall mountain, but it appeared completely normal.
Typically, a location housing a special-grade Magic Stone would generate tremendous mana disturbances—something immediately noticeable to the naked eye.
Yet this place was eerily silent.
Even through my dark vision, it was the same.
I sensed no discernible difference.
Regardless, Maniac guided me forward, moving toward some destination.
“Here it is!”
“It’s just ground, though.”
“Wait, if I do this to it!”
Maniac withdrew a pickaxe from a bag resembling a mountaineering pack.
Clang!
He brought it down against the ground without hesitation.
I was curious what would happen.
“….”
“Huh… that’s not it?”
Bewilderingly.
Absolutely nothing occurred.
Maniac swung the pickaxe repeatedly in confusion, but the result remained unchanged.
Only a clear ringing sound echoed.
Not even a single scratch appeared on the ground where the pickaxe struck.
Yet that detail made me even more suspicious.
‘Even if his job is Explorer, he shouldn’t be this weak.’
For a pickaxe swing to leave not a single mark on the ground?
And despite his verbosity, Maniac’s true strength was genuine.
He wasn’t the type to waste effort striking empty air.
Most importantly.
‘Mana scattered.’
I could see it through my dark vision.
When Maniac swung the pickaxe, faint mana bounced up from the ground.
The mana that scattered like sparks from a flame convinced me that something was definitely hidden in this place.
“Allow me to try.”
“Ugh, it definitely worked before.”
I decided to strike the ground in Maniac’s stead.
Of course, I had no intention of using an ordinary pickaxe.
[ Dwarf King’s Pickaxe ]
( Non-Tradeable )
Form: Pickaxe
Grade: Mythic
I pulled out the Mythic-grade pickaxe I’d used before in the Volcano Heart Ore Dungeon.
[ I activate Black Flame Transformation. ]
[ I borrow the power of the Black Flame Dragon, Luknir Desperato Ignockton. ]
[ I enter Black Flame Rampage state. ]
For just one second, I briefly channeled both the Black Flame Rampage and a Mythic-grade attack skill.
Crash!!
“Hnngh!”
I brought the pickaxe down hard against the floor.
And then, I felt it.
The sensation of something hard beneath the surface shattering and cracking apart.
What was revealed was.
“Crystal?”
A translucent, gleaming crystal.
A transparent and pristine crystal that resembled a mana stone.
A passage constructed entirely from this crystal came into view.
“Here! This is it! The Crystal Passage I discovered!”
“Should we enter through here?”
“Yes! Though it’s narrower now. It used to be much wider.”
For now, I followed her guidance and descended through the opening in the floor into the Crystal Passage.
Then, casting a light spell to illuminate my surroundings.
“Wow, when I was wandering around alone with just a torch, it felt so eerie. But being here with you, Mir, makes me feel so safe! And with the light magic, it’s absolutely beautiful!”
The full expanse of the crystal cavern revealed itself.
Just as Maniac had said, the crystal cavern was breathtaking.
The light emanating from my spell bounced off the crystals, creating a diffuse radiance like precious gems.
But what truly astonished me was.
‘I didn’t detect this space at all?’
All of these crystals were saturated with mana.
Yet I had discovered nothing through my Black Eyes.
I’m not certain of the mechanism, but it seems the entire mountain I’d observed earlier had been crystallized, and the andesite covering it concealed its existence.
To the point where even my Black Eyes couldn’t perceive it.
If that were the case.
“How on earth did you find this place?”
How had Maniac discovered this location?
A place even my Black Eyes couldn’t locate.
To my question, Maniac raised his shoulders proudly and pointed to his nose with a confident expression.
“I have a good nose!”
“…Mana scent detection?”
“Oh! You know about it? Yes, I happened to learn the mana scent detection skill. I’ve also acquired many olfactory-related skills as synergy abilities. It’s my strength as an explorer!”
Mana scent detection.
Literally, the ability to smell the aroma of mana.
This ability was exceedingly rare in First.
And difficult to wield at that.
It merely allowed one to sense the scent of mana, but distinguishing it from other odors or pinpointing its direction proved extraordinarily challenging.
Indeed, Maniac’s skill was genuine.
With that thought in mind.
“I’ll take the lead! I can guide you to the Entrance!”
I followed behind Maniac.
And soon enough, I understood why she had volunteered to guide us.
The Crystal Passage was not a single path.
It consisted of countless intersecting corridors.
Each time a fork appeared, Maniac would sniff toward the passage and locate the Dungeon’s Entrance.
As a result.
“Here it is!”
We arrived at the Dungeon without ever losing our way once.
Shortly after, I understood why she and the vanguard couldn’t enter the Dungeon.
“This is….”
“Quite something, isn’t it? The people who came with us before were incredibly strong, but even with their full effort, it wouldn’t budge.”
“Was it always like this?”
“Ah, well. Now that you mention it, it seems to have grown thicker? The Entrance area too—the crystals appear larger and thicker than before!”
The location presumed to be the Entrance leading into the Mountain from outside.
It was blocked by an enormous crystal.
Or rather, it was difficult to call it merely blocked.
It only appeared that way when attempting to enter, but in reality, the entire surrounding area was enclosed by thick crystal.
“Were there no other entrances?”
“I tried entering through other passages just in case, but they were all sealed. This was the only location that resembled an Entrance.”
Only one Entrance.
The problem was that this Entrance was blocked by a massive crystal.
Others must have been unable to enter the Entrance, let alone verify whether a premium-grade Mana Stone truly existed within.
As I gazed at the Entrance for a moment with that thought.
‘It’s there.’
I could be certain.
That a premium-grade Mana Stone existed within.
Combining the mana flow visible through my dark vision and the circumstances of the premium-grade Mana Stone location I had witnessed in First, it was unmistakable.
Therefore, I decided to shatter this crystal.
‘The crystal’s weakness attribute is… fire.’
I, who had conquered every Dungeon in First.
Could immediately discern a crystal’s weakness attribute.
I could have drawn out a Mythic-grade weapon and attacked at once, but a different thought occurred to me.
‘Fire, then….’
What I needed now was a powerful fire-attribute weapon.
In the past, I would have immediately drawn out a Mythic-grade weapon and swung it without hesitation, but now a different approach came to mind.
And that was.
‘The Demon King, Barcar.’
The King of the Demon Realm, the Demon King Barcar.
I knew well the power of Barcar, the black tiger cloaked in thick, viscous flames, having clashed with him directly.
And among Barcar’s attacks were fire-attribute assaults far more powerful than I had anticipated.
For that reason.
– I activate the skill ‘Demon Summoning’.
Instead of drawing out a fire-attribute weapon, I used the Demon Summoning skill.
Since my intention wasn’t to summon a minion, I altered the skill’s application to create a dimensional gate leading to the Demon Realm.
Then, through the provisional contract I had forged with Barcar, I called him forth.
– Has a week already passed? Come on, hurry and enter! Let’s clash our claws together!
“… No.”
– Hm? Then why did you call me?
“I wanted to borrow some of your power.”
– Power?
“I want to shatter that crystal.”
Barcar’s voice came through as if he’d been waiting for this.
I had worried he might refuse, but.
– Kuhahahaha! Interesting! Very well, it’s been a while since I’ve displayed my power in the Physical World!
Fortunately, he honored the contract splendidly.
In that moment, Barcar’s distinctive thick flames flowed out from the dimensional gate connected to the Demon Realm.
Whoooosh.
My mana drained away at an incredible rate.
Naturally, all the drained mana was absorbed into the dimensional gate.
As befitted an All Master, I possessed high Wisdom and correspondingly vast reserves of mana.
I held mana reserves as deep as any high-tier Sage’s.
Yet even my mana was being depleted at a frenzied pace.
The mana drained so rapidly that I considered drawing out the red crystal, but fortunately the consumption stopped before I was completely drained.
– Kuhahahaha! A crystal of that caliber—this should suffice!
It seemed that using more mana might enable even stronger attacks.
But for merely shattering the crystal, this appeared sufficient.
Thinking so, I resolved that when I requested a more proper attack later, I would need to use the red crystal alongside it.
In any case, Barcar, having drained all my mana in that manner.
– Krrrraaaaaaang!
Unleashed a tremendous roar and prepared his attack.
Though it wasn’t visible beyond the dimensional gate, being bound by contract with Barcar, I could perceive it.
The fact that Barcar was drawing back his shoulder, raising great flames just beyond the dimensional gate.
Then, the moment Barcar put his strength into it and swung his claws.
Shhwaaack!
Through the dimensional rift, a blood-red claw mark erupted forth.
Just as the Swordmaster unleashed his sword energy, Barakar swung his claw mark infused with his own flames, and it tore through the air without hesitation.
Boom!!
It collided with the crystal blocking the Entrance.
According to Maniac’s account, the massive, thick crystal that a previous user who came with them couldn’t even scratch.
No, a crystal that had become even harder than before.
Sizzle—.
“The, the crystal! It’s melting!”
It rapidly melted away under Barakar’s claw marks.
The three-pronged claw marks weren’t satisfied with slowly melting the crystal; they grew increasingly violent, pushing against it with mounting force.
Crack!
The massive crystal shattered in a single blow.
Tremendous power.
Witnessing this, I found myself anticipating what kind of strength I could unleash through provisional contracts with the other kings.
“Wooooow! It really is you, Mir! You destroyed that crystal in one strike! Mir! Mir! Mir! Mir!”
Maniac suddenly began praising me.
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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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