The Return of the Genius Ranker’s Myth Warehouse - Chapter 424
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
Chapter 424
Chapter 424
The Golden Demon, Goldishark.
To describe the appearance of the demon that emerged through the Golden Altar.
‘A shark-man forged from gold.’
This description fit perfectly.
Another notable detail was how the demon’s distinctive wings were folded like fins, which left quite an impression.
This was a type of monster I’d never encountered before.
The creature seemed to be savoring the real-world air it hadn’t felt in ages, its gills fluttering as it spread its fin-like wings wide with evident pleasure.
But before it could even begin its first move.
– I activate 7th Circle Fire Magic ‘Flare’.
I immediately unleashed a torrent of flames toward it.
This was an attack that even the Golden Ogre—the most powerful monster the Altar could summon—couldn’t withstand.
Given that it was called the Golden Demon, I was certain its weakness would be fire attribute, so I unleashed this strike with that conviction.
“Impatient, aren’t you!”
Goldishark cried out and reached his hand toward the approaching flames.
In that instant.
Whoooosh!
The Golden Altar.
No—Gold began surging upward from where the Golden Altar stood.
The rising Gold formed a barrier made of gold, much like a ‘Fire Wall’ spell.
Crackle!
That barrier began blocking my magic.
Gold’s greatest weakness is fire attribute.
There was no way a barrier made of Gold could withstand 7th Circle fire magic.
Indeed, the Gold forming the barrier glowed red-hot and rapidly melted away.
I thought that even if more Gold surged forth, I could pierce through the barrier at this rate.
“Yes, those who face my golden barrier always make that same mistake.”
The Golden Demon.
Goldishark spoke as if reciting something.
“Even if it melts in fire, gold remains gold—that’s the truth.”
He began manipulating far more Gold.
That wasn’t a problem.
If he moved more Gold, I could simply melt that as well.
However, the issue was.
Whoooosh!
What Goldishark was now manipulating wasn’t merely Gold in coin form.
Goldishark was freely controlling even the melted Gold.
‘There are no restrictions?’
The Golden Goblin, Troll, and Ogre all became combat-ineffective the moment their bodies melted.
Because of that, I’d only thought fire was a weakness without question.
But if things are like this, the story changes.
If melted Gold can be manipulated freely, then fire isn’t Goldishark’s weakness.
Or more precisely, fire isn’t the weakness of the Gold that Goldishark manipulates.
Goldishark’s main body was gleaming with a golden sheen, so fire had a high possibility of being a weakness, but still.
“How is it? Flustered? Even so, bear with it a little longer! The real surprise starts now!”
Right after that.
Splurch!
The melted Gold began to take form.
That form was none other than.
‘Sharks.’
They were sharks.
Sharks made of gold.
Those large and numerous sharks bared their gleaming teeth and rushed at me.
Toward those sharks.
[ Phoenix Feather Spear, Flamea ]
A mythic-grade weapon with fire attribute.
I thrust Flamea forward.
Even though that gold’s weakness wasn’t fire.
Whoosh!
Flamea’s flames were still powerful.
The sharks pierced by Flamea lost their form and collapsed from the intense heat.
I could bring down all the approaching sharks that way, but.
“How does it feel having the gold you poured out attack you?”
This was only the beginning.
Not only the melted gold, but all the Gold still continuously pouring out from the Golden Altar transformed into shark forms.
Watching the sharks rush forward with bared teeth, I thought.
‘This is tedious.’
Fighting the sharks was pointless.
I needed to attack the main body.
And one more thing.
‘I don’t have time.’
I need to defeat that creature quickly and raise my level.
My level still hasn’t broken into the top 100.
It’s only natural.
Just as I’m striving to earn the qualification, other rankers by now must be raising their levels hard for the qualification as well.
Rankers within the top 100 are doing so to maintain their ranking.
Those outside the top 100 are doing so to enter the ranking.
As such, if I don’t defeat this creature, I can’t earn the qualification.
Well, thinking about it the other way around.
‘If I can just take down this one.’
The opponent was a boss monster of the Golden Altar that even I didn’t know about.
The experience from the Golden Ogre alone was tremendous, but how much experience would the Golden Demon give me?
I could be certain of it.
If I take down that creature.
I can definitely break into the top 100 rankings.
With that thought.
[ Using Black Flame Transformation. ]
[ Borrowing the power of the Black Flame Dragon, Luknir Desperato Ignockton. ]
[ Entering Black Flame Rampage state. ]
I activated Black Flame Rampage immediately after Black Flame Transformation.
Black flames engulfed my body in an instant.
Thanks to recently recovering more of Luke’s skeletal structure and restoring over half of my frame.
Whoosh!
The Black Flame Transformation was far more intense than before.
Until now, using Black Flame Transformation left only residual embers clinging to my body.
But as time passed and the transformation grew stronger, it now completely engulfed my body in black flames.
And amid that inferno, vital features like horns and fangs stood out with striking presence.
My appearance had become something akin to a dragon-human hybrid.
In that state.
Burst!
I charged toward the Golden Sharks rushing at me.
Of course, I didn’t charge in thoughtlessly.
– Using skill Black Insect Flash.
– Using skill White Fish Swimming.
I activated Black Insect Flash and White Fish Swimming simultaneously.
I didn’t merely use them together.
Recently, while traveling between class-specific Guilds to learn Sword Mastery, I acquired various class skills.
I applied them creatively.
Raging Charge—an advanced charge skill that deals damage based on movement speed and pierces through enemy lines.
Lance Charge—the signature attack skill of spearmen that increases attack power proportional to movement speed.
I combined the characteristics of both skills simultaneously.
My body traced a path of black flames as I carved through the Golden Sharks.
Boom!
The effect was devastating.
As the two skills combined, every Golden Shark in my path was crushed, melted, and sent flying.
But that wasn’t my true objective.
Scattering the sharks was merely a stepping stone.
My real target was.
“Exhilarating! To pierce through all the Golden Sharks and charge forward like that!”
That demon.
Goldishark.
No matter how many times I crush the golden sharks, Goldishark will just raise them again—I have no choice but to bring down Goldishark himself.
Torrent Charge and Lance Charge.
By leveraging the synergy between these two skills, I amplify my movement speed and correspondingly boost my attack power as I surge forward.
Whoooosh!
Goldishark then raised another golden wall to block me.
Crash!
But this time was different.
My charge did not stop.
I pierced through the golden wall while simultaneously melting it, continuing my relentless assault toward him.
“Interesting! Yes, now this is the caliber of opponent worthy of being called Goldishark’s first true rival!”
The golden sharks and golden walls.
Does he truly have no other means besides these two?
Goldishark extended his finned palm to meet me.
Boom!
We collided.
I had assumed his physical combat strength would be weak since he relied so heavily on gold-manipulating attacks.
I was wrong.
Goldishark was blocking my assault with nothing but his inherent power.
Of course.
“Impressive!”
But far from perfect.
The evidence was clear—Goldishark’s body was being steadily pushed backward.
In the end, I swung my spear and sent him flying completely.
“Got it! To lose your weapon so easily—what a foolish creature!”
In the palm of the flying Goldishark rested my spear.
Flamea, the Phoenix Feather Spear, was now in his grasp.
Though he had lost the test of strength, he seemed satisfied, believing that with my weapon in his possession, I would have no further means of attack.
I charged toward him regardless.
[ Balrog’s Lava Sword ]
( Non-Tradeable )
Form: Shield Sword
Grade: Mythic
Restriction: Level 700 or higher, Sword Mastery Lv 70 or higher
Description: The infernal lava sword wielded by Balrog, known as the Flame of Stupidity or the Demon of Strength.
I naturally drew forth a new weapon.
“Where did that suddenly come from…!”
Goldishark cried out in shock, but I had no intention of indulging his surprise.
In an instant, I reached his position.
– I activate the skill ‘Crimson Claw’.
I swung Balrog’s lava blade with all my might.
Screech!
I felt it.
The attack connected perfectly.
As proof, Goldishark’s movements froze completely, and a crimson line appeared along the trajectory of my blade.
Following that red line, his body tilted diagonally and split into two halves, crashing to the ground.
Clang—.
But something about the sound was off.
Even if his body was made of gold, this wasn’t the kind of sound gold would make simply falling to the floor.
Following the sound, I lowered my gaze.
‘When did this happen…’
The ground was completely filled with Gold.
To the point where the floor itself was no longer visible.
The entire space where the Golden Altar and Golden Platform had been located was packed with an enormous amount of Gold.
Yet despite such circumstances, Gold continued to spray forth like a fountain from where the Golden Altar had been.
And there was one more thing.
“Kehehehe.”
Goldishark, split in two on the ground.
As his body sank beneath the accumulated Gold, an eerie laugh echoed out.
The moment I thought I saw a smile on his face as he became completely submerged in the Gold.
“Kahahaha!”
Whoosh!
Something erupted from the Gold-covered ground.
If I hadn’t quickly used White Fish Swimming to retreat, my legs would have been torn apart by those sharp fangs.
The being that appeared was.
“Did you think you cut me? Did you think you killed me? I never tire of that bewildered expression on human faces!”
Naturally, it was Goldishark.
I could have sworn I cut him.
No, I definitely did cut him.
Even like this, he must have taken damage.
This must be phase two.
‘For all his bluster, entering phase two already is actually a positive sign.’
The form of Goldishark who had entered phase two was quite different.
When he first appeared, he looked like a shark-human hybrid.
Now his human form had completely vanished, and he had become a full shark.
Though there was one difference to note—his fins.
His enlarged fins gleamed as sharply as masterwork blades.
But that wasn’t the problem.
“Kahahaha!”
“Krkrkrk.”
“Krkrkrkrk!”
Sharks identical to the creature burst forth from all directions.
No, more than just identical.
They looked perfectly the same.
Not only their size and overall form, but even the number of scales.
‘This is troublesome.’
Was one of them the real Goldishark?
Or were all of them Goldishark?
Or perhaps all of them were fakes?
There was no way to know.
Goldishark was a monster I had never faced in First.
I would need to figure out the strategy step by step from here on.
The problem was that I lacked the time to do so.
I didn’t have time to methodically uncover its strategy here.
Therefore.
“Welcome to the Golden Sea! Krkrkrkrk!”
I began devising a plan to bring it down in one strike, disregarding any strategy.
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————