The Return of the Genius Ranker’s Myth Warehouse - Chapter 74

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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 74
Chapter 74
The moment the participants unknowingly entered the Pyramid.
The instant they reached the sector where Kang Ju-hyuk lay concealed.
Whoosh!
Kang Ju-hyuk ambushed them with the stealth of a spider.
Using his claws, he struck with surgical precision at vital points.
The ambush was so flawless that one might mistake him for the Dark Assassin rather than a fighter.
Then another participant approached.
[ Savage Bear Trap ]
Clang!
“Huh?”
They stepped on a trap Kang Ju-hyuk had set in advance.
Thud!
Kang Ju-hyuk’s claws followed, tearing through their vital points as they fell.
What lay scattered around wasn’t just bear traps.
All manner of traps were spread throughout the area.
Kang Ju-hyuk didn’t merely swing his claws—he detonated concussion grenades, scattered hallucinogens, and
wires he’d positioned everywhere blocked the passages.
He pulled enemies toward him with the wires, then naturally severed their vital points with his claws.
Thus he fought, actively utilizing combat consumables and his fighter’s mobility.
And so,
“Kang Ju-hyuk, that’s remarkable!”
“He’s like the master of the Pyramid!”
“If Mir from the Beginner League was the gatekeeper preventing entry into the Pyramid, then Kang Ju-hyuk is like the guardian protecting its interior!”
“Oh, that’s a splendid way to put it!”
The two commentators grew excited.
And rightfully so—Kang Ju-hyuk’s image, subduing participants within the dark Pyramid while wielding various tools, looked quite impressive.
The audience’s reactions were mixed.
“Wow, what kind of fighting style is that? It’s brutal.”
“So you can fight like that.”
“But if he’s going to fight with traps, wouldn’t a Rogue be better? Why is he fighting like that?”
“Look carefully. He’s not just fighting with tools—his hand-to-hand combat is incredible. A Rogue could never do that.”
“Still….”
“And those claws are real. A Rogue ultimately needs to wield daggers, but a fighter can freely manipulate bare hands while wielding claws without that necessity.”
Some called it cowardly, but he wasn’t breaking any rules—what cowardice was there?
Kang Ju-hyuk’s steady climb in kill count looked far too impressive.
But when he faced too many enemies or when a Sage he hadn’t noticed unleashed flames from a distance—unfavorable matchups—
Boom!
Kang Ju-hyuk swiftly escaped using smoke grenades and the like.
This too is my advice.
It’s good to secure a strong position, but don’t become obsessed with it—if you find yourself at a disadvantage, abandon that position immediately.
Increasing your kill count is valuable, but the true essence of a battle royale is survival.
As time passed.
[ 3rd Place: Kang Ju-hyuk ]
Kang Ju-hyuk claimed third place, and the match concluded.
While one might call it a disappointing result, since Kang Ju-hyuk avoided combat until entering the Pyramid, this outcome was actually far better than expected.
When Kang Ju-hyuk emerged.
“Yesssssss!”
“Keep it down, will you.”
“Third place! Third place! This is insane! Wow, I’m so happy right now!”
“Surprising. I thought you’d be disappointed.”
He was far more elated than I’d anticipated.
“Like you said, the circumstances were unavoidable, right? If I’d pushed too hard, I might have been eliminated. And most importantly!”
“Right. The next match—the tournament will favor you.”
“Exactly! So there’s nothing to regret about placing third in the main event! With how I’m feeling now, I think I could actually rank in the top positions across the entire Master League!”
“Don’t get too overconfident.”
“It’s not overconfidence—it’s self-belief! You’re going to help me, after all, right? Hehe.”
In truth, as I helped Kang Ju-hyuk, I wasn’t simply pleased that my friend was succeeding.
His current combat style closely resembled the approach I had pursued in my early days in First.
Watching Kang Ju-hyuk navigate the match with that style, I found my past self reflected in him.
Because of that, I wanted to help him even more.
I wanted to prove that my combat style hadn’t been wrong.
In the meantime.
[ The Challenger League main event begins. ]
The Challenger League had started.
As expected, a battle royale unfolding in the Sinking Great Desert.
However, since all participants were top-ranked players from Second, it was genuinely entertaining to watch.
The brilliance and power of the skills being used were incomparable to either the Beginner League or the Master League.
“As expected of Yul-ha! Remarkable! She’s rapidly accumulating kills!”
Yul-ha was indeed the favorite to win the Challenger League.
However.
‘She’s too straightforward.’
From my perspective, Yul-ha’s strategy wasn’t exceptional at all.
She simply advanced with stubborn determination, relying on her superior skill.
Because of that, the kill count gap between her and second place wasn’t as large as one might expect.
Then, in the latter half of the Challenger League, something no one had anticipated occurred.
“What is that!”
“Four ranked players are positioning themselves on the four sides of the Pyramid!”
“It seems they coordinated their strategy beforehand, doesn’t it?”
“Otherwise, it would be difficult to position themselves so precisely, each occupying one face of the Pyramid!”
The rankers from the Challenger League.
Among them, those capable of long-range attacks had each claimed one of the four faces of the Pyramid.
From there, they began launching attacks against users approaching the Pyramid.
From the east, a massive longbow was set up, delivering long-range sniper fire.
From the west, the Sage had prepared magic in advance and was casting long-range spells.
From the south, a spearman had laid spears all around and was initiating long-range harassment with overwhelming javelin techniques.
From the north, a dark mage was deploying large-scale binding and slowness curses through pre-installed magic circles, preventing escape from the Sinking Great Desert.
“It seems like a strategy inspired by Mir’s approach, doesn’t it?”
“I agree! The strategy that Mir deployed alone! Four rankers are now executing it!”
“It’s quite an effective strategy, isn’t it? Numerous users are unable to easily enter the death zone created by these four rankers!”
I was equally surprised watching this unfold.
I never expected them to replicate that strategy.
Though, if you’re not a special case like me, that method would probably be the most effective way to recreate it.
However, the weakness of that strategy is that once someone breaks through the death zone and launches an attack, it becomes extremely dangerous.
“Ah, right now! Rugaru has broken through the death zone!”
“This makes the strategy precarious! If Rugaru climbs up right now, given the Sage’s nature, it would be too dangerous… wait?”
“Rugaru! Ignoring the four players guarding the Pyramid, he enters directly inside!”
The wise players didn’t do that.
They didn’t like the opponents attacking to prevent their approach, but objectively speaking, not attacking was the better choice.
Rather than risk taking them down, simply leaving them alone would increase the probability of falling within the top 64 as competitors rapidly dwindled.
“Hey, that’s your strategy right there. Shouldn’t you be collecting royalties or something? Heh heh.”
“Royalties? That aside, it won’t work.”
“Why?”
“It looks similar, but it has a completely different weakness than my strategy.”
It’s different from my strategy.
My strategy’s weakness is that when enemies rush simultaneously from all four directions, I can only hit a limited number of targets.
That strategy compensates for that disadvantage instead.
“Yul-ha has also discovered the Pyramid!”
“Yul-ha is running! She’s charging!”
“Spears continue to fly from the Pyramid, but Yul-ha! She deflects them all!”
“Yul-ha reaches the front of the Pyramid in an instant!”
With four people dispersed across four directions, concentrated attacks become impossible, making it harder to face stronger opponents.
Moreover.
“Oh! Yul-ha! She doesn’t enter the Pyramid!”
“Yul-ha, instead of entering the Pyramid like the other players! She charges toward Asura, who was throwing spears from atop the Pyramid!”
“True to form, Yul-ha! She doesn’t ignore attacking enemies!”
“Oh my, but! Yul-ha doesn’t stop! She continues attacking the players on the other sides! She’s completely dismantling the four-person strategy!”
When you encounter a user like Yul-ha who shows little interest in profit, strategy, or tactics, the plan falls apart spectacularly.
Since she’s already broken through the death zone, even if it’s frustrating, leaving those four alone would be more advantageous for passing the main round.
Yul-ha struck down the enemies at the Pyramid without such considerations.
The Death Zone shattered, and the struggling users poured in all at once.
Yul-ha faced them boldly and fought.
[ 1st Place: Yul-ha ]
In the final moment, she dramatically increased her kill count and secured an overwhelming first place.
‘Her skill is impressive, but she’s far too straightforward.’
Cheers erupted, and the two commentators unleashed a barrage of exclamations.
However, from my perspective, her movements were regrettably inefficient.
If she had intended to maximize her kill count, there were far superior strategies available.
If she had sought attention, there were equally better approaches.
Such subtlety did not exist in Yul-ha’s arsenal.
Well, truthfully, I was displeased from the moment she began traversing the Sinking Great Desert in such heavy plate armor.
Thus, the second day of the Second Crown came to an end.
* * *
The next day.
Before the seventh match of the Second Crown began.
“G-Game Master!”
“Please, there’s no need for such formality….”
“How could this happen? Of all places, our shop….”
I was making rounds through the Game Booths, just as I had done when I first arrived at the Second Crown.
Or rather, I was attempting to do so.
But the moment I tried to enter the first shop.
“N-No, not my shop!”
“But isn’t it discrimination against customers?”
“Then I’d sooner close down! That would be better!”
I’m not certain how it happened, but word of me had spread throughout every Game Booth.
Shop owners recognized my appearance and refused me entry, or simply shut their doors entirely.
I could have continued my rounds by altering my appearance with the Veil of Secrets and the Ring of Delusion, but….
‘This makes me look like the villain.’
Watching the shop owners startle as though they’d glimpsed a demon whenever they saw me.
And seeing them tremble as they handed over the first-place prizes—I couldn’t bring myself to resort to such measures.
Besides, I wasn’t employing fraud or exploiting loopholes.
I was claiming the first-place prizes through legitimate skill alone, yet I couldn’t understand why this feeling persisted.
With no choice but to return to the arena and wait until the match began, I made my way back.
“Game Master!”
“Please, don’t address me that way….”
I thought I had managed to slip away cleanly.
Yet someone had followed me again.
Since this had happened on the first day as well, I was about to brush past them.
“The Game Booth over there was looking for you—wouldn’t you consider stopping by?”
“Me?”
“A Game Master? They said that even in their own Game Booth, you wouldn’t be able to show your face. If you don’t come, they’ll assume you ran away!”
“Hmm….”
I received new information from him.
I couldn’t believe there were still people thinking like that.
The fact that they would say such things piqued my interest.
Checking the time, I still had some margin before the match began.
“Let’s go.”
I decided to pay them a visit.
Following the man in that direction.
“This way!”
“Do we need to go further?”
“This person set up quite far from the main area!”
“Going this deep into a corner, customers won’t be able to find it.”
“That’s the point—only those in the know find it! I’m sure the Game Master will appreciate it too.”
“So the Game Master is….”
The moment I tried to deny the title of Game Master.
I sensed someone’s presence from the darkened corner ahead.
– Master.
“I felt it too.”
To be precise, I sensed multiple presences.
From the front.
No—from all directions, front and back, I could feel them closing in.
Due to Second Crown’s nature, my All Master senses were restricted, which is why I noticed them late. But at this distance, I could perceive them even without such abilities.
The moment I stopped walking after sensing this.
“You’re sharper than expected?”
The man who had been guiding me turned his head, flashing a sinister smile.
Along with him, figures burst from all directions, surrounding me.
“Let me remind you once more. Didn’t I tell you to watch your back? Kekeke.”
The one who stepped forward was the man I had defeated in the main tournament.
Defair.
And on the chests of the men surrounding me, including Defair.
‘Red Skull.’
The familiar crimson skull emblem was emblazoned.

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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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