The Return of the Genius Ranker’s Myth Warehouse - Chapter 61

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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 61
Chapter 61
Most users found the Beginner League preliminaries challenging.
But not everyone struggled.
Even in the harsh environment of the Jungle, they hunted monsters diligently and steadily accumulated Jungle magic stones.
And the one ranked highest among them was, of course.
[ 1st Place: Mir ]
Mir.
Leaping through the trees with a bow and jungle machete—weapons optimized for precision—Mir pierced the vital points of monsters with deadly accuracy.
And with Luke collecting the magic stones on his behalf.
No one could surpass Mir’s score.
And there was someone who viewed this with considerable displeasure.
“Damn it, what makes this bastard Mir so impossible to catch up to!”
The man currently holding second place in the preliminaries.
It was Bong Chul Double Blood.
He was the Guild Master of a guild called The Blood, and the strategy he employed in these preliminaries—the very strategy that allowed him to secure second place—was simple.
“Boss, here are the Jungle magic stones!”
“We found more here too!”
He had all his guild members participate in the preliminaries.
Then collected all the magic stones they gathered and transferred them to himself.
While killing a user wouldn’t let you steal their Jungle magic stones, trading stones was perfectly allowed.
Using this loophole, he rapidly accumulated stones and secured second place.
But his original goal was first place.
Using such underhanded tactics and still not claiming first would be a loss of face.
Therefore.
“You idiots, why aren’t you moving faster! Gather more stones, now!”
“Yes, boss!”
“With Doo-pal joining us now, we should be able to collect even faster!”
He urged his guild members on, driving them to gather more stones.
As time passed, more guild members scattered throughout the Jungle regrouped with him, and the quantity of stones they brought back increased.
Yet somehow, that user Mir’s name refused to budge from first place.
Then, at that moment.
Bong Chul Double Blood realized something based on the stones they’d collected.
“You fools, stop hunting rabbits! Looking at this, weak monsters aren’t worth the effort! Hunt the big, strong ones!”
“As expected of you, boss!”
“You’re so clever, no wonder you’re so good at extorting people outside the game….”
“Watch your mouth! It’s not extortion, it’s a protection fee—how many times do I have to tell you!”
“My apologies, boss!”
“Anyway, stop hunting weak monsters and find the strong ones! We’ll overwhelm them with numbers.”
“Yes, boss!”
A single mana stone from hunting one thick serpent surpassed the combined yield of ten rabbits.
The larger and stronger the monster, the greater the mana stone it produced.
Therefore, to claim first place, one had to hunt increasingly formidable creatures.
“Brother, we’ve discovered an exceptionally powerful monster over there!”
“Excellent! Let’s all rush in and overwhelm it!”
“Yes, brother!”
Was it mere luck?
Or perhaps the result of numerous Guild members conducting reconnaissance patrols?
Before long, I managed to locate a formidable monster.
“Kuoooooo-!”
The creature casually toppled Jungle trees as it moved—an Owl Bear, unmistakably.
The Blood Guild had begun their hunt.
* * *
“Kuoooooo-!”
Following the footprints with my tracking skill, I soon heard the roar of what I presumed to be their owner.
Once I’d determined the direction, I ceased the tracking skill and dashed forward, preparing for combat.
‘I’m a step too late.’
A group of users were already hunting the monster.
The owner of those footprints was the Owl Bear.
True to its name, it resembled a hybrid of an owl and a bear, though its size was considerable.
At first glance, it was clearly at least a Named-rank monster.
‘But why are they fighting it together?’
The Beginner League preliminaries were individual competitions.
Since one’s chances of advancing through the preliminaries increased with the number of mana stones possessed, forming teams was inherently difficult.
Still, a few people could temporarily cooperate to hunt a powerful monster.
‘But that’s way too many.’
There were easily over ten users hunting the Owl Bear.
Moreover.
“Brother, this creature is too strong!”
“Deok-gu, get back!”
“Ugh!”
The way they called each other “brother” and “junior” seemed decidedly suspicious.
Regardless, I found myself in a dilemma.
‘It’s not a regular hunting ground. Stealing the kill doesn’t seem problematic.’
In the existing Second, monster stealing was considered poor etiquette.
But wasn’t this a competitive situation?
Even if they were combining their efforts to hunt the monster, there was nothing preventing me from claiming it.
This was, after all, a competition.
Still, my situation wasn’t urgent, so I considered abandoning any unnecessary conflict and searching for another monster instead.
“Damn it, don’t back off—keep attacking!”
“Boss, that thing is way too strong! This seems really dangerous—why don’t we just hunt something weaker instead?”
“If we don’t take that beast down, we’ll never steal first place!”
“But…”
Screech!
“Argh!”
“Deok-gu!”
Hearing the screams, it seemed there was no need for me to intervene.
Even if I withdrew, it looked impossible for them to hunt the Owl Bear on their own.
As proof, the first casualty had just fallen.
Shredded by the Owl Bear’s razor-sharp claws and sent flying.
With fewer numbers, fighting the Owl Bear only grew more difficult.
I could see them growing frightened, slowly backing away.
Because of that, I had no hesitation.
“Luke. We’re taking that one.”
– Yes, Master.
I decided to hunt the Owl Bear.
If it were an ordinary Owl Bear, perhaps not—but one of that size would definitely have Named-tier or higher stat bonuses, meaning its health pool would be immense.
To face such a creature, I would need equally powerful equipment.
Whoosh—
Alongside the roaring black flames came a brilliantly radiant golden bow.
The bow was adorned with exquisite patterns resembling laurel leaves, and the bowstring shimmered with a soft, moonlit gleam.
From my First days, the weapon I had favored most among the ultimate-tier bows.
That is—
[ Artemis’s Golden Bow, Chryselakathos ]
( Non-Tradeable )
Type: Bow
Grade: Mythic
Requirements: Level 1,000+, Seal of Artemis, Agility 2,500+
Description: The golden bow wielded by Artemis, goddess of the moon, hunting, and archery—one of the twelve Olympian deities.
Artemis’s bow.
Chryselakathos.
Normally Chryselakathos comes as a set with mythic-grade arrows called Iokeira, but taking down an Owl Bear didn’t seem to require using two mythic weapons.
[ Moonlight Arrow ]
Instead of Iokeira, I nocked a different arrow that complemented Chryselakathos beautifully onto the bowstring.
“Kuoooooo—!!”
“R-run away!”
“You idiots, fight back!”
“Boss, that’s really not possible! Deok-gu’s already dead! Just settle for second place!”
“That’s right, Boss! It’s better to hunt weaker monsters and maintain our rank than to die fighting that thing!”
Now I could see the party genuinely falling apart, users retreating in earnest.
Emboldened further, the Owl Bear pressed forward with even greater ferocity against the users.
With movements that belied its massive frame—agile and precise, characteristic of the Owl Bear—it raked its claws across the backs of fleeing users.
Watching the creature, I drew the bowstring taut with all my strength.
“Hah.”
I held my breath for a moment, steadied my trembling hands, and aimed perfectly at the Owl Bear’s head.
Twang—.
I released the bowstring.
In that instant, the softly gleaming bowstring snapped back with force.
Whoooosh—!
A brilliant flash of azure moonlight streaked toward the Owl Bear.
Just before the light made contact.
The Owl Bear seemed to sense the moonlit arrow.
Thud!
But that was all it could do.
There was no way to react to or evade an arrow traveling at the speed of light itself.
Pierced through its vital point by the mythic-grade bow’s devastating power, the Owl Bear collapsed.
Boom!
“Gasp!”
“What, what is this?”
“Moonlight?”
And then.
– I shall partake gratefully, Master.
Crunch crunch crunch!
[ Luke has consumed the ‘Owl Bear’. ]
[ Luke’s stats have increased by 10. ]
Luke’s feeding time had begun.
The users were startled by the black flames that suddenly appeared and the savage sounds of predation.
Yet among them, there was one.
A user whom the others called “hyung”—he clearly perceived the black flames and noticed Luke’s presence as he finished feeding and turned to leave.
Following the direction of the flames, he came running.
“So it was you!”
He had discovered my location.
“Don’t you know that stealing is bad manners!”
“By anyone’s standard, you had already given up on hunting. And even if you hadn’t, there’s no way your skill level could have brought down that monster.”
“What are you talking about! We could have defeated it with just a bit more time! You stole the kill! So hand over the mana stone! Then I’ll forgive you!”
And then he began spouting nonsense.
Even if I had actually stolen the kill, I wouldn’t be able to use such language in a preliminary round situation.
Especially when they couldn’t have hunted it themselves, and I had defeated the monster on their behalf.
Demanding a mana stone from someone who could arguably be called their savior.
‘Is this the one about saving someone from drowning and then demanding their belongings?’
This is ridiculous.
It seems dealing with users brings about situations like this.
When I saved the NPCs back in First, nothing like this ever happened.
No matter how advanced artificial intelligence becomes, it seems it can never truly match human malice.
“You don’t like it?”
“Brothers!”
“Yes, boss!”
“Surround him!”
“W-wait, boss. Are you sure about this? That’s the person who took down an Owl Bear in one shot.”
“Didn’t you see the bow in his hand lose its light? It’s clearly something that can only be used once after gathering power. He won’t be able to do that again.”
“But he’s practically our lifesaver…”
“Shut up and surround him! Do you want to go out there and get beaten to death?”
“Y-yes, understood!”
The users who heard the command surrounded the tree I was standing on.
Apparently, seeing Crisellacatos deactivate immediately after one use as befitted a mythic-grade weapon gave them this confidence.
They’d reasoned it out in their own way, and it was true that I couldn’t use Crisellacatos for a while.
“You don’t want to be eliminated in the preliminaries, right? Just hand over the magic stones and I’ll let you go!”
“You attacked first?”
“Looks like you still don’t understand the situation. Boys, give him a lesson!”
“Yes, boss!”
The users began rushing toward me.
More precisely, toward the tree I was standing on.
Watching them, I drew an arrow from Luke.
An arrow I hadn’t used against the Owl Bear, thinking it unnecessary.
[ Arrow Rain Shower, Iokeira ]
( Non-tradeable )
Form: Arrow
Grade: Mythic
I fired that arrow high into the sky.
Whoooosh!
A shower of arrows began pouring down from the heavens.

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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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