The Return of the Genius Ranker’s Myth Warehouse - Chapter 58

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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 58
Chapter 58
The day the Second Crown Server opened.
[ Open the doors right now! ]
[ Second Corporation, open the doors to the Second Crown Server! ]
[I’m feeling dizzy. Please open the server quickly.]
[ Ugh, withdrawal symptoms! ]
The Second community was ablaze with activity.
Everyone was waiting for the Second Crown Server to open.
Since everyone waiting for the server to open was posting there, the community had more people writing than ever before.
The refresh rate was so fast that reading posts one by one was impossible—at best, people could only skim the titles.
Without advances in technology, the server would have crashed from overload long ago.
[ Second Crown Server opening in 5 seconds! ]
[ 4! ]
[ 3! ]
[ It’s open! ]
[ What’s with the time-lag attack! ]
With three seconds remaining until the Second Crown opening time.
The server went live.
Immediately, the flood of posts in the community slowed to a trickle.
Everyone who had been writing posts had logged into their capsules.
I, too, who had been browsing the community, stood up from my seat and entered the capsule.
[ The second world. ]
[ Welcome to ‘Second’. ]
[ The grand battle to determine the throne of Second, the Second Crown, now begins. ]
A system message I’d never seen before.
Along with it, the scenery that unfolded before me was not the metropolis of Labelt where I had last been.
“Did they create an entirely new server just for the Second Crown? That’s impressive, really.”
The metropolis of Labelt.
No, a region completely separate from the continent where the regular Second game progressed.
No, it was an entirely new server beyond just a region.
It seemed that while the Second Crown tournament was underway, time on the main continent would be frozen, with only the Second Crown proceeding.
They actually halted time and access on the main server while the tournament ran.
I couldn’t believe they’d be so bold.
Well, regardless.
“Wow, it’s really open!”
“Man, this is no joke!”
“Yeah, this is it! This is Second!”
“Where should participants go?”
“Let’s just follow the crowd for now!”
People seem to enjoy it.
Since this was my first time participating in the Second Crown, I simply followed the flow of the crowd’s movement.
After walking a bit further.
“All kinds of recovery potions for sale!”
“Torches, compasses, ropes, and more! All sorts of exploration tools available! League participants, you know exploration tools are essential in the competition, right? Prepare here!”
“Ether cotton candy! Golem cookies! Slime jelly! Fairy honey bread! We have a variety of food! These are seasonal menu items you can only eat at the Second Crown!”
Open stalls were visible everywhere.
Blacksmiths selling equipment in preparation for the Second Crown or repairing gear.
Alchemists selling various potions to aid in the competition.
Chefs selling provisions for the competition or snacks for spectators.
Beyond that, users with various production-class professions were rapidly setting up stalls and seeking customers.
I was surprised to realize there were so many production-class users in Second.
“Wow, stalls are already set up?”
“Well, production-class professions don’t get an opportunity like this very often.”
“My friend apparently filled their entire inventory and subspace pouch with ingredients in preparation for this moment.”
“Someone I know even hired part-time workers to gather materials.”
“Well, production-class users can’t participate in the tournament anyway, so they have to make money this way.”
“Actually, isn’t that way more profitable? If they do good business here, the money they make is incredible.”
“That’s true.”
Right now, the server had only just opened, and there was still some time before the league officially began.
Most importantly, I was simply following the crowd and didn’t know where we were headed.
So I decided to enjoy Second and browse the stalls.
First of all.
“Luke, what would you like to eat?”
– The crumbs left from what you eat would be sufficient for me, Master. How could I possibly….
“Are you sure? I’m more interested in those stalls selling equipment and potions than food. If you don’t say anything, we’ll skip it?”
– …If that’s the case, would it be permissible for me to try those golem cookies? The texture seems like it would be quite pleasant.
“Sure.”
– Ah, if possible, those minotaur meatballs over there as well….
“Sure, tell me everything you want to eat. You’ve done well for me until now, so today, eat as much as you’d like.”
Not long ago.
Luke had devoured the god of the black worm and transferred the nutrients he hadn’t fully absorbed to me.
Thanks to that, my overall stats had increased.
Something I hadn’t experienced back in First.
Based on my assessment, this seemed to have happened as my intimacy with Luke grew, so I decided to express my gratitude from that time while also deepening our bond by buying him whatever food he desired.
Of course.
– Ooh! Those boiled griffin eggs look delicious too. They would taste even better paired with attribute-specific mana sodas!
“Over there, boiled griffin eggs and mana sodas by attribute….”
– Master, how about that! Volcano popcorn, you say? The human capacity for creativity with food is truly remarkable!
Luke requested far more food than I had anticipated, which caught me a bit off guard.
Crunch, crunch crunch!
Munch, munch!
“How is it? Tasty?”
– It is absolutely delicious. I hesitate to say this lest it seem disrespectful, but in terms of flavor alone, it surpasses even the lizard you last fed me!
“Really that good?”
– Of course, while that lizard was brimming with superior nutrients, these dishes are virtually devoid of them. Yet in pure taste, they are undoubtedly the finest!
“Eat as much as you like. Soon I’ll need to borrow your strength again.”
– Just say the word anytime! Even without such delicacies, I shall always move at your behest!
“Right, right. Is there anything else you need?”
– Then perhaps that Ogre Hand Pie over there…
Luke rarely claimed to be full, even after consuming considerably massive monsters.
Because of this, it took quite some time before Luke reached satisfaction.
Honestly, I seemed to have purchased every variety of dish sold at the street stalls.
It cost me a considerable sum, though.
‘Intimacy with Luke matters more than money.’
This incident made me realize it clearly.
There was no downside to raising my intimacy with Luke.
Though the only ability revealed so far was transferring excess nutrients to me, higher intimacy might unlock new abilities.
Even without that, recently Luke has been invaluable—reading my thoughts without my explicit commands and retrieving items for me.
After sufficiently satisfying Luke.
‘Should I check out the other stalls?’
I examined stalls that didn’t sell food, exploring other merchants.
The first place I checked was naturally the equipment vendors.
I looked around hoping to find new items added to Second that I might not know about.
[ Sharp Steel Sword ]
[ Veteran’s Leather Helm ]
[ Hawk-Eye Longbow ]
….
“Underwhelming.”
I found nothing that captured my interest.
After all, street stall merchandise at best reached Rare grade equipment.
I, who wielded Mythic-tier weapons depending on the situation, could hardly be satisfied with such fare.
The next place I visited was a potion vendor.
[ Lesser Strength Potion ]
[ Lesser Poison ]
[ Troll Stench Bomb ]
….
“Hmm.”
Nothing here caught my eye either.
These were either items already in my warehouse or potions I could easily craft through alchemy.
Honestly, I’m confident I could craft a potion better than this even if I made it myself.
‘Still, finding items I actually want at street stalls is difficult.’
Well, it doesn’t matter.
I didn’t need any special items before entering Second Crown anyway.
I’d already purchased materials for alchemy and crafting from Labelt beforehand, so there was no reason to overpay for anything here.
Dismissing the stalls, I moved to follow the crowd again.
“Come on, come on! Hidden talents of Second! Pop the balloons and win prizes! Just hit the balloons and watch the rewards come pouring down!”
A street vendor’s voice reached my ears.
Turning my head, I saw blunt darts arranged on a table, and behind it, a stall decorated with colorful balloons.
[ Balloon Pop ]
It was a game stall of sorts.
Just like how festivals and night markets typically have games where you knock over dolls or toss coins.
It seemed a user here was running a similar business.
“Balloon pop, huh….”
I checked the remaining time.
Thanks to the server opening early, there was still plenty of time before the league started.
Looking at the items other stalls were selling, there didn’t seem to be anything worth buying.
“That could be fun.”
Thinking I’d spend the remaining time playing games, I headed toward the balloon pop stall first.
* * *
Balloon Pop Merchant.
In the past, he had actually operated balloon pop games while traveling through festivals and night markets.
Believing he couldn’t possibly win in the league with his skills, Balloon Pop Merchant decided to make money instead of participating.
And there was nothing better for making money than this.
After all, this game was practically his former job.
Those unfamiliar with it might ask whether Archers or Thieves would find it too easy if they came to play balloon pop.
“Don’t worry, even Sages can play! On the Second Crown Server, stats and skills don’t apply, so everyone’s on equal footing!”
They didn’t work on the Second Crown Server.
To prevent chaos and confusion, users were blocked from using their abilities outside the arena on this server.
In fact, this was precisely why Balloon Pop Merchant had opened his game stall in Second Crown.
‘Whether you were a ranker in Second, an Archer, or a Thief—here you’re just an ordinary person.’
So wouldn’t users avoid the game if they couldn’t rely on stats or skills?
Not a chance.
“How much is the entry fee?”
“Hey, you think you can do this? Look at that distance. It’s several times farther than balloon pop in real life.”
“Come on, I’m a level 400 Thief. My throwing skill level alone is—this is a piece of cake.”
“But stats and skills don’t apply on the Crown Server, right?”
“Still, I’ve been throwing things for years. Don’t worry and get ready to be amazed! Here, give me a dart.”
“Yes, yes, customer!”
Some participated for fun, while others came to prove their skill.
The Balloon Pop Merchant’s game drew enough participants to form a queue.
A level 400 Rogue?
High throwing skill?
So what? What’s that supposed to mean?
The darts thrown by people who boasted confidently about stats and skills that didn’t even apply in this place
whistled through the air.
“Too bad! Next!”
“Wait, just a moment! One more try!”
“Of course, sir!”
Another whistle.
“Isn’t this distance too far? How am I supposed to hit that!”
“Yes, next customer~”
The dart sailed uselessly through empty air.
Everyone was accustomed to their game characters, so they brimmed with confidence.
But on the Second Crown Server, where stats and skills didn’t apply—making it no different from reality—the success rate for popping balloons at a difficulty harder than real life was extremely low.
So even though I’d only just opened this stall, gold was rolling in like crazy.
Then.
“What do I need to do to win the first-place prize?”
“You need to pop all the balloons in front!”
“But it seems like I don’t have enough darts for that.”
“Don’t worry! Every time you pop a balloon, you get one dart refilled!”
A new customer arrived.
Asking about the first-place prize before even attempting the game—how amusing.
I couldn’t help but smirk, imagining the man’s expression when he wasted his gold and faced inevitable disappointment.
But then.
Pop!
“Oh, sir! Impressive! You’re quite lucky!”
The dart the customer threw burst a balloon instantly.
I offered appropriate praise and handed him an additional dart.
But then.
Pop!
“Oh! You’re quite skilled!”
Pop!
“Wow!”
Pop!
“Uh…”
Pop!
“Huh?”
As time passed, the number of balloons decreased rapidly.
The man didn’t make a single mistake, popping one balloon with each dart he threw.
No, he even demonstrated the skill of throwing a single dart and bursting two balloons simultaneously.
Did that make any sense?
Surely none of Second’s stats or skills would apply here?
How could he possibly be this skilled at popping balloons—a task several times more difficult than reality—in such a manner?
Bewildered and stunned, I turned toward the Balloon Pop Merchant.
“I popped them. Don’t you have more darts?”
The man.
Mir extended his hand.

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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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