The Return of the Genius Ranker’s Myth Warehouse - Chapter 41

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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 41
Chapter 41
Finding the entrance to the altar proved far less difficult than I’d anticipated.
During my time in First, I’d suffered considerably searching for this Black Worm God’s Altar.
Back then, I’d committed the field’s geography entirely to memory, and though considerable time had passed, the memories felt as fresh as yesterday to someone who’d been lying in a vegetative state—barely a month ago by my reckoning.
“This place is no joke either.”
The entrance before me was thoroughly obstructed by massive, gnarled tree roots and scattered piles of stone that dwarfed those found elsewhere.
Of course, only I could identify this particular location as the altar’s entrance.
To anyone else, it would appear indistinguishable from the countless other rubble heaps scattered throughout the area.
Crack!
I swung my axe toward the roots blocking the passage.
The forceful swing succeeded in severing several moderately-sized tree roots, but—
“This won’t be enough.”
The Fool Ondal’s Axe proved wholly inadequate for the task.
Multiple thick layers of roots and massive stone piles still barred my path.
Clearly, I needed to deploy something with considerably more destructive potential.
“Luke, retrieve Pangu’s Axe for me.”
– Yes, Master.
Black flames erupted, gradually revealing the massive handle’s form.
Drawing the weapon demanded considerable effort; even Luke appeared to be struggling with it.
The final hidden boss weapon from First.
An axe so formidable that even Luke found it difficult to wield—the weapon of the Black Flame Dragon of Arrogance.
Its size dwarfed my own body, its handle crafted from divine wood.
The blade gleamed with a sharp interplay of gold and crimson, while the axe face seemed to embody the cosmos itself.
Yes.
This axe was none other than—
[ Pangu’s Axe of Creation ]
( Non-Tradeable )
Type: Axe
Grade: Mythic
Requirements: Level 1,000+, X Mastery Lv 100, Strength Stat 4,000+
Description: The primordial axe wielded by Pangu, the first giant and ancient cosmic deity of mythology, when he cleaved through chaos and separated heaven from earth.
Pangu’s Axe.
In terms of pure physical attack power, it stood as First’s most formidable double-bladed axe.
As befitted a Mythic-grade ultimate weapon, Pangu’s Axe could be swung only once.
“Luke.”
– Yes, Master.
[ Activating Black Flame Transformation. ]
[ Borrowing the power of ‘Black Flame Dragon, Luke Desperado Ignoctane’. ]
Thus, I activated Black Flame Transformation to enhance my stats and minimize the penalties imposed by Pangu’s Axe.
– I activate the skill ‘Power Strike’.
Channeling the skill’s full force.
Kwaaaaaang—!!
I swung with all my might toward what lay before me.
A deafening roar erupted.
The tremendous impact sent the entire Ruins Root Forest—created by roots spreading across the altar—trembling as if an earthquake had struck.
A collision worthy of the epithet ‘the axe that splits heaven and earth’.
Truly, it was a weapon that boasted the strongest physical attack power in First.
However, the recoil was equally devastating.
Luke’s strength, which had absorbed the backlash in my stead, was severely diminished, and the black flame extinguished completely regardless of the remaining duration.
– My apologies.
“No. You took the impact for me—that’s what matters. And….”
Moments later.
The stone dust and earth kicked up by Pangu’s strike settled.
What revealed itself before my eyes was neither thick tree roots nor massive piles of stone.
For ages, hidden beneath the forest where no one had ever discovered it.
“Because you held firm to the handle while absorbing the recoil, I was able to completely clear away the obstacles.”
The entrance to the Fallen Altar—once called the Black Worm God’s Altar—came into view.
During the First era, when I brought down the Black Worm God in the deepest sanctum of the altar, the entire structure collapsed.
Yet the entrance alone remained untouched by that devastation, perfectly intact.
Not a single scratch marred it, even from the blow of Pangu’s swing.
“Then, shall we enter?”
Creak—
The stone gate of the Fallen Altar, sealed for so long.
Opened smoothly, as if bearing no trace of the ages that had passed.
[ You have entered the ‘First Fallen Altar’. ]
I stepped into the Fallen Altar.
* * *
The deepest sanctum of the Fallen Altar—once called the Black Worm God’s Altar.
The only place among all the chambers and passages that still maintained its original state, even as the Fallen Altar crumbled around it.
Before the altar meant to receive offerings for the fallen Worm God.
“Black Worm God… with your thousand antennae covering the world, and your ten thousand legs ruling over all creation, great Black Worm God….”
Someone was chanting a prayer.
The last priest of the Black Worm God, and its sole apostle.
His form was grotesque, a twisted amalgamation of fly and human, and his name was Musca.
He stood before the altar of the fallen Worm God, ceaselessly reciting his incantations.
“I have incubated your egg… deep beneath the earth, in the damp darkness… now, the time of hatching draws near….”
Time was running short.
The awakening of the Black Worm God was imminent.
With each prayer he uttered, the egg of the dark god pulsed deep within his chest.
The egg would need to endure tremendous agony as it grew to match the size of his heart, but compared to the eons he’d spent in servitude to the evil god, it was nothing.
And so, as he continued his endless incantations, a visitor approached.
Tsk-tsk-tsk.
A small insect crawled forward.
The creature climbed onto Musca’s shoulder and began rubbing its front legs together, causing his prayers to cease.
“Ahhh….”
With his gaze still fixed upon the altar, a grotesque voice spilled forth.
“Fear not. My black children still serve you. None shall prevent your hatching.”
As Musca continued his murmured prayers, countless black insects converged upon him.
Beetles, mantises, maggots, and more.
Multitudes of creatures bowed their heads before him, before the altar.
“We shall hasten your hatching by consuming the intruders who dared desecrate your sanctuary….”
And then.
Musca’s voice, still watching the altar, turned toward the insects behind him.
“Go now. Crawl forth, my black offspring….”
Tsk-tsk-tsk-tsk.
At Musca’s command, the black insects burrowed through crevices on all sides and began crawling toward the intruders.
* * *
[ For discovering the ‘First Fallen Altar’ first, experience and item drop rates increase for one week. ]
[ If you clear the ‘First Fallen Altar’ within one week, greater rewards await. ]
First discovery bonus.
I’d already reaped the benefits of the first discovery bonus at the Ash Ossuary and reached level 100.
And now I was receiving another first discovery bonus here.
I couldn’t fathom what fortune had befallen me.
‘The levels should match up properly.’
Still, I couldn’t afford blind optimism.
The insects that had emerged from the wreckage earlier were higher level than me, yet manageable enough, so I’d entered believing the monsters inside the altar would be similarly balanced.
But if the level gap between me and the interior monsters proved too severe, even I would struggle to continue hunting.
If that happened, the week-long first discovery bonus would slip through my fingers.
Thud.
As if dismissing my concerns, the stone door sealed shut.
A warning not to entertain thoughts of escape.
‘First, I need to illuminate this place.’
The altar lay shrouded in darkness.
After all, a fallen altar would hardly have torches hanging about.
With thick roots and wood completely smothering the interior, no light could seep through.
“Luke, the Moonlight Ring.”
– Yes, Master.
I retrieved a ring from storage and equipped it.
[ Moonlight Ring ]
( Non-Tradeable )
Form: Ring
Grade: Rare
Restrictions: Level 50 or higher, Wisdom 200 or above
Description: Imbued with subtle moonlight, simply wearing it illuminates your surroundings with lunar radiance even in darkness.
Moonlight Ring.
An item used to illuminate the surrounding area, much like a torch.
What made this Moonlight Ring particularly valuable was its ring form—unlike a torch that required holding in one hand, it was a piece many adventurers wore well into the higher levels.
Whoosh!
The moment I slipped on the ring, soft moonlight bloomed around me.
Since the altar I’d completely destroyed during my time in First no longer existed, I’d worried the passage itself might have collapsed entirely.
And indeed, the altar’s passage was utterly devastated.
The neat stone corridor I remembered had vanished without a trace.
Instead.
“A worm burrow?”
Tunnels carved through the debris stretched ahead.
Not as wide as the stone passage I recalled, but spacious enough for several people to pass through comfortably.
As a former ranker of First, conquering new dungeons was second nature to me, so I began advancing carefully, scrutinizing every detail of my surroundings.
‘This dungeon has a rather troublesome layout.’
Narrow passages.
Since I’d entered alone, I had sufficient space to move freely, but had I come with a party, the cramped quarters would have been problematic.
Moreover, scattered throughout the tunnel were holes far too small for humans to pass through.
It meant insectoid monsters could emerge from anywhere at any moment.
And as expected, it wasn’t long before.
Skitter-skitter-skitter.
The monsters began revealing themselves.
Black ladybugs blocking the path ahead.
Black beetles approaching from behind.
Black flies crawling from the holes in the tunnel, unfurling their wings.
All of them regarded me as an intruder in their nest, radiating hostility and menace.
‘They look stronger than what I saw outside.’
The insects I’d encountered outside appeared higher level than me, but these were something else entirely.
My experience and keen eye from First made it clear.
These monsters were at least fifty levels higher than me.
No—it wasn’t even a matter of dozens; they appeared a full fifty levels above my current standing.
And such monsters.
Skitter-skitter-skitter-skitter!
Launched their assault.
Though surrounded by monsters on all sides, I’d already devised a strategy based on the tunnel’s configuration to handle this exact situation.
– Activating First Circle Earth magic ‘Earth’.
I used magic to fill the hole in the wall with earth.
It wasn’t a proper spell like Earth Wall that constructed solid barriers—merely magic that generated soil.
But filling the hole alone would slow the monsters surrounding me from pouring through the opening.
I charged forward.
– Activating skill ‘Power Strike’.
Once again, I drove the Worm Wedge with precision through the gaps between the ladybug’s carapace.
Ignoring the monster’s writhing in agony, I manifested magic along my dagger’s blade.
– Activating First Circle fire magic ‘Fire’.
Merely a First Circle spell, yet the inferno erupting from my body possessed devastating power.
Especially against insectoid monsters vulnerable to flame.
Whiiing—.
Against the flies descending from the ceiling, I hurled throwing daggers to shred their wings, crippling their flight.
Crack!
The beetle approaching with its carapace sealed shut, hiding every gap, I brought my hammer down to shatter its insides.
These monsters possessed higher levels and stats than I did.
Yet one by one, they fell to my attacks.
[ Your level has increased. ]
Watching my experience climb rapidly, I could be certain.
One week remained.
Within that time, I would clear the first main scenario Quest.

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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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