The Return of the Genius Ranker’s Myth Warehouse - Chapter 440
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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 440
Chapter 440
[ 1st Place: Korea (5 minutes 59 seconds) ]
The preliminary results were, unsurprisingly, first place.
Even I had to admit it was the obvious outcome.
Thanks to the All Master class, I had maxed out all the pathfinding-related skill levels across every discipline to 100.
After mobilizing every mythic-grade and legendary-grade pathfinding tool to chart the route.
I brought down the boss monster in a single strike using the mythic-grade weapon “Theseus’s Straight Sword,” which dealt additional damage to the Minotaur.
No matter how I thought about it, there was no way to clear the Dungeon any faster than that.
But then.
“I’m Park Do-hyun, representative of The Number.”
The situation grew increasingly strange.
It seemed the other teams were suspicious of our Korean Team.
Though I couldn’t blame them for it.
The gap in our records compared to second place China was almost excessively wide.
Fortunately, the representative himself came forward and resolved the situation well.
Though some of my information did get revealed in the process.
‘It was information that would have been exposed anyway.’
The Korean Team’s clear footage wasn’t a secret.
It was already public to the spectators.
Once the preliminaries ended, other nations would analyze this footage and learn about my skills and items.
So it was information that would be revealed regardless.
“I believe you all understand now. Additionally, as promised, we will provide the Korean Team with an advantage.”
In exchange, I could receive an advantage.
It was a trade with no losses.
Well, what the advantage actually was would be the important part.
“Haha, being suspected of cheating because of such excellent results. Isn’t this what you’d call ‘high praise’?”
“Right? I thought we were fast too, but I didn’t expect such a gap with the other teams.”
“Kyahahaha, of course! I even let them have the final blow!”
“Everyone did great work.”
First place in the preliminaries.
Having secured an overwhelming result, we descended from the Tournament Arena.
There wasn’t a special prize for first place, but didn’t it feel good?
Most of all, we had thoroughly humbled those who had dismissed the Korean Team based on last year’s records.
Of course, as a side effect, all the teams would now be wary of our Korean Team.
“Kyahaha, let them be wary if they want?”
“We’re confident!”
“Haha, though it would be troublesome if we ended up with a survival event like last year’s and faced concentrated attacks.”
“Ugh, what are you doing! Spit it out, quick! Words have a way of coming true!”
“But you just said you were confident?”
“But I don’t want to be focused down like that!”
It was fine.
We had confidence, after all.
* * *
After the preliminaries ended.
We had no time to rest even before the main tournament began.
And for good reason.
“Next is the Chinese Team. Having achieved second place last year, they can certainly be called strong championship contenders.”
Just as our footage had been shown during the preliminary rankings announcement.
Dungeon conquest videos from other countries were all released as well, and we needed to analyze them to verify the strength of opposing teams.
Of course, analyzing opponent strength was never an easy task.
Most other countries hired specialized analysts to evaluate their opponents’ capabilities.
Sometimes more than ten analysts would gather to perfectly analyze an opposing team’s full strength.
But we were different.
Million had suggested hiring an analyst, but I stopped him.
And for good reason.
“The man armed in heavy armor appears to be a ‘General.’ Or rather, a ‘Fierce General’—a warrior class specialized in offense.”
“A Fierce General would be a general-class warrior specialized in attacks, correct?”
“Yes. He doesn’t show it now, but we can infer he possesses a Riding skill….”
I understood nearly every element of First, even if not Second.
Classes and skills, items and control proficiency—everything.
I could discern it all from just a brief glance.
Honestly, I was confident I could analyze an opposing team’s strength better than several competent analysts putting their heads together.
“The exact class name is unclear, but this appears to be an assassin specialized in poison and ranged throwing attacks. Though hidden, they likely have throwing knives or poison pre-loaded in their sleeves or within their garments.”
Through my experience in First, I began rapidly analyzing their capabilities.
Of course, I couldn’t get everything right.
There were new classes and skills that had emerged in Second, and each country had their own unique classes and skills that didn’t exist in Korea at all.
But even so.
“This man appears to be a class that employs various formations and auxiliary devices through books. Most of the Chinese Team’s tactics are likely built around his formations. We might be able to exploit this later.”
No problem.
Even with unfamiliar classes and skills, I could quickly infer their nature by comparing them to my experience in First.
Using this method, I had analyzed the strength of various countries up to now.
Even from my perspective, the Chinese Team’s strength was formidable.
It was no accident they’d placed second in the preliminaries.
Among them, there was one user who stood out particularly.
“That is….”
Just before I could analyze his strength.
Not just I, but our entire team could easily infer his identity.
And for good reason—his class was.
“…Heavenly Demon.”
“Yes, I’m a Celestial Demon.”
Because I shared the same class as Jeok-hwa.
Not only were our job names identical, but all the skills we used were the same as well.
Still, though.
“There are differences in how we apply our skills. If Jeok-hwa emphasized agility, this player leans toward heaviness, so to speak. But it’s not a dramatic difference.”
It wasn’t that there was no difference.
Though our job and skills were perfectly identical, my combat style and that man’s were starkly different.
If not for the distinctive bloodlust inherent to the Celestial Demon class, I might have mistaken him for a different profession entirely.
As the Celestial Demon finished his explanation.
“Hey, Mir. I’m willing to follow your lead for most of this tournament, but I’ve got one request.”
Jeok-hwa, the guild master of Parcheon Guild.
She spoke with unmistakable competitive fire burning in her eyes.
“If we end up in a one-on-one confrontation, I’m taking that bastard down myself.”
* * *
“Everyone, thank you for your patience!”
“Wooooooah!”
The main rounds of the Second World Tournament had finally begun.
In truth, the preliminaries and main rounds weren’t drastically different.
Even with the main rounds, numerous countries remained, and if we conducted proper matches at this pace, the tournament would drag on far too long.
So another ‘culling’ phase was necessary.
Right now.
The first match of the main rounds.
“Now! The representative teams from each country that advanced through the preliminaries are entering the arena!”
“Wooooooah!”
“Korea! Korea! Korea! Korea!”
“This time we’re taking the championship!”
“Mir, fighting!”
The moment the players entered, the crowd erupted in cheers.
Among them, the loudest voices were unmistakably Korean.
And for good reason—hadn’t Korea secured first place in the preliminaries with an overwhelmingly dominant margin compared to other nations?
Venting the bitter disappointment of last year’s preliminary elimination, the spectators gave the Korean Team their passionate support.
Once all the representative teams had taken their places on the arena.
“You’ve probably noticed from the preliminaries? This year’s world tournament is nothing short of revolutionary! From the selection rounds through the preliminaries and now this first main round match! Every format has changed!”
The Announcer began his formal commentary.
“Oh, so this match format is changing too!”
“What kind of match will it be?”
“It’s another culling phase anyway. I can think of a few possibilities.”
“Surely it’s not another survival match?”
“We did that format before, so they probably won’t repeat it.”
“The order changed though.”
The spectators in the viewing stands were naturally captivated.
– Wow, everything has really changed.
– The arena is so massive that just reconfiguring it must have been incredibly difficult
– Well, you have to change it like this to make it taste fresh haha.
– Thank goodness. If they’d kept it the same, the teams that won before would’ve had the advantage
– ㅇㅇ There is a lot of potential in Korea
– A shot? Korea’s definitely winning! Let’s go Korea!
Even the spectators watching the match online demonstrated keen interest.
The Announcer, basking in all that attention, continued with evident enthusiasm.
“Now then, prepare yourselves! The first event of the main tournament! It is…!”
A massive hologram unfurled above the players’ heads.
What emerged through that hologram was.
“Squeal!”
An orc.
But not just orcs.
The orc was merely the beginning.
“Screech.”
“Growl!”
“Roooooar!”
“Shriek—.”
“Howl!”
Goblins, werewolves, dark buffalo, giant eagles, and more.
Monsters, monsters, and yet more monsters.
An overwhelming torrent of creatures poured forth like a tidal wave.
The monster wave rendered through the hologram was so realistic that spectators positioned near it actually flinched in surprise.
Gesturing toward it, the Announcer proclaimed the name of this event.
“Monster Hunter!!”
– Ooh
– This is a completely new event.
– Monster Hunter?
I kind of get what you mean lol
Monster Hunter.
With that declaration, the monsters displayed through the hologram vanished, replaced instead by a map.
“The rules are simple! Players will be randomly scattered across various locations on Monster Island in team units!”
Monster Island lol
– Ah, so that’s it
“Monster Island is absolutely teeming with creatures! The players’ task is straightforward! Simply, to slay the monsters!”
This event’s objective was to accumulate points.
Defeating monsters would grant corresponding points, and teams would be ranked by the points they accumulated this way, with those earning the highest scores claiming victory.
At this, several teams were already whispering among themselves, contemplating the strategy of ambushing rival teams to seize their accumulated points.
“However, since the purpose of this competition is not combat between players! Even if you defeat other players or teams, you cannot claim the points that team has accumulated!”
Thanks to the Announcer’s explanation, that entire plan fell apart.
If I couldn’t earn points by defeating the opposing team, there was no reason to waste time attacking them.
I’d be better off spending that time defeating one more monster so I could advance to the next round.
After all, if I carelessly attacked the opposing team just because I disliked them and ended up with insufficient points, I could be eliminated.
However.
“Of course, collisions or conflicts between players while defeating monsters are unavoidable, right?”
Attacking the opposing team wasn’t completely prohibited.
Attacking the opposing team was possible.
So there might be those who had already accumulated enough points to advance, or whose defeat was already certain, who would attack their opponents out of frustration.
Well, such situations were unpredictable anyway.
Just before the Announcer finished his explanation and called for the capsule entry.
“Before that! I’ll inform you of the advantage given to the Korean Team!”
The Announcer pointed toward the Korean Team.
The advantage that Park Do-hyun had mentioned.
Its true nature was.
“The advantage is none other than! Position selection!”
– Position selection?
– Oh, so while other teams are placed randomly, the Korean Team can choose their starting position
– That’s pretty good?
– Is it though? We don’t have information about Monster Island, and since other teams are placed randomly too, position selection seems meaningless
– Now that you mention it, that does seem right
It was position selection.
Truthfully, it felt like a rather weak advantage.
It would be different if we had information.
Without information, position selection held little significance.
Well, there was one method.
– Head for the center!
The center of Monster Island.
Though the map the Announcer showed contained no information about monsters, gamers instinctively understood.
That the most important monster would be located at that center.
Without knowing for certain, wouldn’t there be something like a boss monster on Monster Island?
Since points vary depending on monster level, wouldn’t defeating that boss monster grant an enormous amount of points?
If that were the case.
– Mir is here! The raid specialist!
– Right, it’s Mir who even defeated the Evil God
– If we just head straight to the center and clear the boss monster, wouldn’t that be the end?
– To the center, let’s goooo!
The center was the answer.
If I reached the center and defeated the boss monster before any other team arrived.
By earning an enormous amount of points, we could widen the point gap in a single stroke.
“There’s definitely something in the Center, I’m sure of it.”
“Isn’t this advantage way too big?”
“I hear the Korean Team is particularly confident in raid-type battles. And now with the advantage of choosing their position first, things have gotten troublesome.”
The other teams had noticed this as well and were murmuring among themselves.
To such a degree that they were already devising strategies to rush toward the Center the moment the match began and deliver the finishing blow to whatever boss monster the Korean Team would be hunting.
In such circumstances.
“Now then, Korean Team! Please select your position!”
“We will….”
The position the Korean Team chose was.
“We select that location.”
“Hmm, are you certain that’s the right choice? It’s the outer region.”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
The Coastline of Monster Island.
Though information about Monster Island was scarce, that place….
– Huh?
– Eh?!
– ??
– The outer region? There doesn’t seem to be anything there?
– Why?!
An empty Coastline that appeared to have nothing of value to anyone’s eyes.
A location that seemed to possess no strategic value whatsoever.
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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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