The Return of the Genius Ranker’s Myth Warehouse - Chapter 53

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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 53
Chapter 53
[ The duel between player ‘Mir’ and ‘Kang Ju-hyuk’ has ended. ]
[ Victor: ‘Mir’ ]
The moment my battle with Kang Ju-hyuk concluded.
“This is ridiculous!”
Just as I’d anticipated, his frustration erupted.
“No, how is this even possible?! How many weapons are you using?! How are you wielding a bow, a spear, and claws all at once?!”
“Why does it matter?”
“Why does it matter?! What’s your class that you can use all of those?! Normally, people only use weapons that match their class!”
“That’s not how it works. I’ve been doing this since First.”
“You’re the weird one! Argh, how could I lose without landing a single hit?!”
He had a point.
In truth, I’d merely exploited the Brawler’s weaknesses relentlessly—it wasn’t that his skill was lacking.
Before Second, he’d played Brawlers in various games.
And I knew he’d trained in multiple combat sports, including boxing, in the real world.
The fact that he couldn’t land a single attack on me was clearly due to the Brawler class’s inherent weaknesses.
Though I would have won regardless.
“I told you—the Brawler’s weakness.”
“That’s impossible! A Brawler ranked in the last Second Crown! Brawlers are the strongest!”
“That was because it was early in the game.”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“Early on, equipment levels were low, so Brawlers—being less dependent on gear—had a relative advantage.”
“Huh…? That actually makes sense…”
“In my assessment, you absolutely cannot win the Second Crown this time.”
It was a harsh judgment.
But watching him bristle, I could tell he still hadn’t accepted my words.
“Again! If we go again, I’ll definitely break through!”
“Suit yourself.”
[ Player ‘Mir’s level is adjusted to 200. ]
[ Player ‘Kang Ju-hyuk’s level is adjusted to 200. ]
[ The duel between player ‘Mir’ and ‘Kang Ju-hyuk’ begins. ]
And so, our second duel commenced.
* * *
“Haaah!”
Kang Ju-hyuk.
No—Kang Ju-hyuk charged at me once more.
Recalling everything he’d learned from the first round.
Determined not to repeat the same mistakes, focused entirely on driving his fist into my face this time.
His body moved with a concentration he’d rarely mustered before.
‘That monster.’
At first, I thought I could easily defeat Mir.
Even if Mir had been a ranker in First, even if he’d leveled up quickly in Second, even if he’d passed the graduation exam with an SSS rating.
I had more experience from playing the game longer, and even with my level adjusted, I possessed far more skills and higher skill levels.
But.
Whoosh.
“Damn it! Arrows, please!”
It was nothing like that.
In the second duel, I’d started by recalling countermeasures from the experience I’d gained in the first match.
Yet I still couldn’t get close to Mir.
The more I tried, the more Mir’s words about a fighter’s weaknesses echoed in my mind.
‘Is this really the limit of a fighter?’
With a fighter’s short reach, I couldn’t touch Mir.
Even when I did connect, a fighter’s damage—relying on rapid successive strikes rather than single powerful blows—couldn’t penetrate plate armor to inflict meaningful harm.
Still.
– Kang Ju-hyuk activates the skill ‘Blaze Kick’.
The moment I unleashed my most powerful skill.
Crack!
“Ugh!”
Just before my kick landed.
I was struck by the spear Mir had swung.
A powerful attack meant a large opening, and Mir had exploited that gap with precision.
As every strategy I’d devised became useless, I couldn’t help but feel bewildered.
I continued attacking after that.
“Argh!”
“Ugh!”
“Aaaaah!”
The result was the same.
The duel ended without me landing a single punch on Mir.
“How is this possible! Even with levels adjusted, I should have far more skills and higher skill levels!”
No matter how much our levels were equalized to the same tier.
To be overwhelmingly defeated by a beginner who’d only been in Second for just over a week.
As I vented my frustration at this unbelievable situation.
“…Wait.”
Kang Ju-hyuk realized something.
“…Did you use any skills?”
“Huh?”
“You didn’t use a single skill in both duels just now?”
“Right.”
“…Why?”
“No particular reason to use them?”
That was correct.
I hadn’t used a single skill during my entire fight with him.
Kang Ju-hyuk, realizing this, flinched for a moment before glaring at me.
“Ha… Yeah, I lost. I lost.”
He acknowledged his complete defeat.
It wasn’t just the defeat he acknowledged.
He acknowledged my strength, the gap between us, and the weaknesses of the Brawler class I’d revealed to him.
Finally, he even acknowledged the truth behind the words: “You can never win the Second Crown this time.”
But acknowledging that didn’t mean he was giving up on winning the Second Crown.
Because he’d acknowledged both his own weakness and my strength.
“So, what do I need to do to win?”
For the championship.
He began seeking advice from his best friend—me.
* * *
“So, what do I need to do to win?”
Kang Ju-hyuk.
He grasped his situation faster than I’d expected.
If he’d stubbornly refused to acknowledge his loss, I would have simply ignored him and moved on.
But with that earnest look in his eyes, I couldn’t refuse to help.
“First, tell me everything—your class, skills, and stats.”
“Everything?”
“I need to see it all before I can give you any advice.”
“This kind of information is never supposed to be revealed anywhere… sigh, but since it’s you, I’ll make an exception.”
“You don’t want to drop out of the Second Crown?”
“Please help me, hyung!”
Kang Ju-hyuk immediately shared his character information with me.
His class was Brawler.
Even though Brawler had countless branching classes available.
And with his level at 400, he could have advanced to a higher class through the advancement system.
Yet he maintained the pure Brawler class.
‘The stats are decent enough.’
Stats concentrated in Strength and Agility.
The skills that followed were the same—an utterly straightforward Brawler through and through.
An honest Brawler, so transparent I wouldn’t have needed to check his information at all.
Looking at that information, I couldn’t help but sigh.
“This is pretty rough, honestly.”
“What do you mean! This is what a Brawler is! It’s the dream!”
“Yeah, I suppose it’s impressive in its own way.”
Well, up to this point, it’s still acceptable.
What’s the problem with a fighter growing as a fighter?
The real issue was his equipment.
“What kind of rags are you wearing?”
“Rags?! Do you know how hard I worked to get these pieces of gear?!”
It was a mess.
While it might look somewhat impressive on the surface, the efficiency was abysmal.
Even high-tier items had options that didn’t suit a fighter particularly well.
There were no options to compensate for a fighter’s weak attack power or defense.
The real problem was his weapon.
“I see you have no weapon restrictions—you only need to fight with your fists. So why aren’t you using knuckles or claws?”
“I have a weapon.”
“Don’t tell me you’re talking about those bandages.”
“…Yeah, but these are still a legitimate weapon, you know?”
“Look at that pathetic attack power. This isn’t a fashion show—you’re entering a league, so why are you wrapping yourself up like you’re injured?”
Fighters aren’t restricted from equipping weapons.
Just off the top of my head, there were knuckles, claws, tonfa, gauntlets, gloves, and more.
So many different options.
Yet the weapon he was using was nothing but bandages—barely worthy of being called a weapon at all.
Romance doesn’t put food on the table.
I simply couldn’t understand his choices.
“We need to change your entire loadout.”
This wouldn’t work as is.
There was more than one thing that needed fixing.
“Do you have money?”
“I have money. Being a fighter isn’t an expensive class, and I’ve never liquidated my assets, so I’m not short on funds.”
“Good, then let’s head to the Auction House. This is hopeless as it stands.”
“Wait, wait!”
There wasn’t much time left before Second Crown.
Getting new gear fitted before then would be tight on time.
Thinking that, I was about to leave the Duel Arena when he urgently grabbed my arm.
What was it?
“I’m not saying I don’t trust you, you know? I understand your skill, and I know what I’m lacking. So I can change my equipment like you say, but…”
“But?”
“Shouldn’t I know how to change it? It’s my gear we’re changing—I need to understand it!”
That was the gist of it.
Well, he had a point.
I wasn’t trying to push him around without reason either.
“…If I explain in detail, I was worried you’d say no.”
“What exactly are you trying to do?”
“Can you really do what I tell you to do? Can you follow along without complaint?”
At my words, he pondered for a moment before nodding in agreement.
“I can do it. As long as I can win the league. Well, winning might be too much. I’d be satisfied just placing in the top ten.”
“Good.”
With that kind of resolve, there shouldn’t be any problems.
Still, if I blurted out the results right away, he might push back, so I explained my thoughts to him step by step.
“From what I can see, your greatest advantage in your current state is that your hands are free.”
“Free hands?”
“You don’t use weapons, so your hands are available. That means before you throw a punch at an enemy, you can hold or use anything in your hands, right?”
“Well, that’s true, but what else would a martial artist use besides their fists?”
“There’s plenty you could use. In First. No, in Second, there are so many combat consumables available.”
Combat consumables that aren’t typically used in general.
That made sense—combat consumables didn’t have overwhelmingly superior power, and using them was essentially throwing away gold with each use.
So not many people bothered using combat consumables.
“Other classes have to hold weapons, so they’d have to abandon them temporarily to use those items. But you don’t have that limitation at all.”
“Well, that’s because I’m a martial artist…”
“And another thing—you can even hold a weapon. Even with a weapon in hand, as long as you strike with your fist, ‘Fist Mastery’ applies perfectly, right? This ‘Burst Smash’ skill works the same way.”
For example, even if you’re holding a sword and strike an enemy with your fist while gripping the hilt?
That’s still recognized as an attack using your fist.
Of course, attacks other than your fist wouldn’t receive the martial artist class bonus.
But even so, leaving your free fists unused would be a foolish choice.
“So what are you trying to say?”
He tilted his head and asked.
And then I revealed the direction I’d decided for him.
“Street fighter.”
“…Street fighter?”
“That’s the path you need to take to achieve victory in the league.”

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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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