The Return of the Genius Ranker’s Myth Warehouse - Chapter 79

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 79
Chapter 79
The Large Forge of the Second Crown Server.
This was where every production-class player in Second gathered.
“Wow, is that the person? The top-ranked chef?”
“Yeah, that’s right. Apparently they’re super famous as a chef in real life too.”
“Then why aren’t they running a restaurant and playing Second instead?”
“Don’t you know that cooking in Second is becoming the more famous path these days? The taste implementation is perfect too.”
“True, that ‘Monster Chef’ show they filmed in Second last time was actually really entertaining.”
“Right?”
The Beginner League of Second Crown had ended.
Now only the Master League and Challenger League tournaments remained.
As players gradually exhausted their remaining materials, they began wandering around the forge to catch glimpses of the famous production-class players.
The Large Forge had an open structure where both beginners and rankers worked in view of everyone, making it convenient for spectating.
“Wow, all the famous people are gathered over here.”
“Is that the person? Korea’s greatest alchemist.”
“Yeah. I heard the potions they make can’t be bought even with money.”
“Well, good potions are called a second life, so they’re worth that much.”
“Did they just pull off a critical success?”
“Jackpot. Even skilled players can’t easily pull off critical successes, I heard. So the rank 1 player really is different?”
So it was natural that people flocked here.
The forge was even called a place of opportunity.
Just the number of players who had become famous here and raised their reputation was considerable.
Once reputation was built up like this, the products they crafted could be sold at premium prices, much higher than normal.
‘Hehe, that’s right. Come on, come. Come more!’
The player maximizing this situation was this man.
Iron Hammer.
His strategy was simple.
[ Crafting successful. ]
[ Judgment: Critical Success ]
Display a critical success judgment.
His calculation was that if he kept displaying those difficult-to-achieve critical successes, players would naturally flock to him.
The brilliant light that burst forth when a critical success appeared was more than enough to draw attention.
“Wow, another critical success? I think I saw that person pull off a critical success earlier too?”
“Who is that? Iron Hammer? Doesn’t seem like a ranker though.”
“Still, if they’re pulling off critical successes this often, they must be a skilled blacksmith?”
“But what are they making?”
“Can’t see because of the tools.”
Just as expected.
People who saw the brilliant light unique to critical success judgments began gathering around.
Iron Hammer swung his hammer with even greater fervor.
All the while, he cleverly concealed the work he was crafting using the tools arranged around his workbench.
And for good reason—the item he was currently making was.
[ Low-Grade Iron Dagger ]
A basic dagger usable at level 10.
It was the “Low-Grade Iron Dagger”—the easiest difficulty among them, the very first crafting item a blacksmith learns upon changing classes.
Crafting an easy item doesn’t guarantee a critical success every time, but the difficulty is certainly lower.
Though Iron Hammer was cutting corners, he wasn’t without skill, so critical successes were actually occurring multiple times.
‘Heh, let me gather just a bit more attention, then I’ll craft something else. That way, I can captivate them even without critical successes.’
Not that he intended to keep making daggers forever.
Just a little longer.
Just a little more to draw their eyes, and then he’d reveal his true skill.
Some might call it cowardly, but wasn’t this a promotional strategy too?
With Second Crown drawing to a close, he had to gain recognition by any means necessary.
But then.
“Wow, that’s no joke over there?”
“Critical successes keep happening.”
“How is that even possible?”
“Critical successes are popping off one after another without a single miss?”
“Who is that?”
Strange.
People kept leaving.
I tried crafting daggers even more earnestly to keep them, but my impatience only prevented critical successes from occurring.
“Damn it, what? Who’s stealing all my customers?”
I was furious.
Just a bit longer and I could have gathered everyone and shown them my true ability.
Who on earth was taking away the people who had come to me?
Since my strategy had failed, Iron Hammer scowled and rose from his seat.
Then I followed the crowd to the place everyone was talking about.
But then.
Whoosh!
“What’s that?”
A brilliant flash erupted from that location.
There’s no doubt.
It’s the critical success effect.
But the problem is.
Whoosh!
Critical successes are occurring regularly, consecutively.
Which means every single item being crafted is receiving a critical success judgment.
“That’s impossible!”
Does that even make sense?
Iron Hammer moved to the location where light was bursting forth, denying the reality before him.
Since countless players already surrounded that area, Iron Hammer squeezed through the crowd.
Finally arriving at the spot.
Brilliant!
Another dazzling flash erupted once more.
A blacksmith wielding a hammer at the center of the crowd.
No—a blacksmith and alchemist both.
Mir, flawlessly displaying critical success after critical success.
“Is that… really happening?”
Iron Hammer could perceive the overwhelming gap in skill.
And he understood with perfect clarity just how foolish and meaningless the strategy he’d prepared truly was.
* * *
Objectively speaking.
Did Kang Ju-hyuk have any chance of winning the championship?
Kang Ju-hyuk, who’d failed to advance past the preliminaries just last year.
This time, thanks to my guidance, he’d liquidated his entire fortune to acquire new equipment and develop a fresh combat style, which allowed him to reach the tournament—but.
‘He still lacks experience.’
My guidance is both medicine and poison for Kang Ju-hyuk.
While my advice got him to the tournament, he hasn’t achieved 100% adaptation to his suddenly transformed combat style.
He’s adapted better than expected, but even a genius cannot perfectly adapt in such a short timeframe.
‘By contrast, most players who’ve reached the tournament have accumulated optimal experience through optimal paths.’
Kang Ju-hyuk’s state is a kind of shortcut.
In martial arts terms, it’s like suddenly elevating one’s realm through heterodox or demonic techniques.
His opponents, meanwhile, are akin to the foremost disciples of orthodox martial sects.
He might crush mediocre opponents through shortcuts, but against the truly formidable, even combat consumables won’t prove effective.
However.
‘The overall level wasn’t as high as I’d anticipated.’
To observe Kang Ju-hyuk, I watched the Master League matches myself.
As a result, I was quite disappointed.
The prospects lauded within the Master League appeared weaker than expected.
Or rather, their understanding of the game itself was lacking?
‘Particularly their comprehension of items fell far short of what I’d imagined.’
If that’s the case, there’s genuine possibility.
With Kang Ju-hyuk as he is now, if he performs well, he could reach the semifinals one way or another.
And if I add a trump card technique to the mix?
He might actually be able to win the Master League championship.
With that thought, I began crafting a ‘finishing move’ for Kang Ju-hyuk to use.
Glub glub—.
First of all.
I place the various materials that Kang Ju-hyuk had purchased into the alchemy kit.
Pollen from black mist flowers, sap from rotted wood, spores from corpses, and more.
It wasn’t for nothing that Kang Ju-hyuk had spent his entire fortune—there were many rare and expensive materials.
‘It’s been a while since I’ve crafted something like this.’
Among everything I’ve created in Second so far, this is the highest difficulty item.
Even the vitality potions I usually craft are considered high-difficulty in alchemy.
So naturally, something of even greater difficulty would be challenging.
“Luke, could you bring out the elemental balance scale?”
– Yes, Master.
The key to such high-difficulty alchemy is ultimately the precise measurement of materials.
Using the scale, I match the volume and ratios exactly, then add materials at the precise temperature and perfect timing.
It’s not merely boiling—I extract vapors, cool mixtures, blend reagents, and more.
An endless succession of delicate operations continues.
“What are you making?”
“I’ve never seen anything like that before.”
“I don’t know what it is, but the precision is insane. I’ve never seen anyone work like that.”
“That’s probably why we’ve been getting critical successes left and right.”
I ignore the growing noise around me and sink entirely into my own world.
Kang Ju-hyuk, recognizing how crucial this moment is, stops speaking to me.
And then, moments later.
The instant I pour the dark liquid I’ve created through alchemy into a long flask and seal the lid.
[ Crafting successful. ]
[ Judgment: Critical Success ]
[ Breath of Death ]
I’ve completed the item I desired.
Breath of Death.
Speaking of this item.
[ Breath of Death ]
Form: Potion
Grade: Epic
Restriction: Level 400 or higher
Description: The Breath of Death—upon exposure to air, it disperses a lethal death mist.
It’s an Epic-grade offensive potion, no less.
Originally it would have been a Unique item, but thanks to the critical success judgment, I was able to enhance its abilities, including its grade.
“Is… is this it?”
“That’s right.”
This is the secret weapon that will be Kang Ju-hyuk’s trump card.
I could only make one due to material scarcity, but it will be more than sufficient as a secret weapon.
Since this will likely be used in the finals, Kang Ju-hyuk will need to advance on his own until the semifinals.
Well, even without such a trump card item, I can craft more useful items for him, so there shouldn’t be any problems.
“Then if I use this….”
“You’ll probably die too.”
“Huh?”
“That’s why I need to make one more item.”
Once I finished the alchemy, I immediately picked up the hammer.
The death mist generated by using Death’s Breath couldn’t be identified by Mir because of her ability.
Kang Ju-hyuk didn’t even have a related profession.
There was no way a combat consumable like this would discriminate against its user.
Just take fire bottles as an example—couldn’t the fire spread to the owner who threw the bottle?
“Luke, bring out the ‘Primordial Flame Hammer.'”
– Yes, Master.
Since the item I was about to create was no ordinary piece, I retrieved a high-grade blacksmith’s hammer.
Then.
Clang!
I swung the hammer with all my strength.
An item crafted by maximizing the materials I’d previously commissioned from Kang Ju-hyuk.
The identity of that item was none other than.
[ Crafting succeeded. ]
[ Judgment: Critical Success ]
[ Mask of Death’s Denial ]
Form: Mask
Grade: Epic
Restriction: Level 400 or higher
Description: As a single-use consumable, it nullifies all status abnormality effects transmitted through the respiratory system for 10 minutes.
A mask that protected against poison and other status abnormalities.
Since the death mist would persist for 10 minutes, if I put on this mask the moment I unleashed Death’s Breath, I could move freely for the entire duration.
“Wow….”
Kang Ju-hyuk, who received the items I’d made, couldn’t close his mouth.
Well, I’d just casually crafted an Epic-grade item on the spot.
It was only natural for him to be amazed.
With this, I really felt like I could win in the Master League.
Kang Ju-hyuk, thinking that very thought, suddenly asked cautiously.
“But… is it okay to use something like this?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, it doesn’t feel right. It feels like I’m just pushing through with items rather than my own skill. It feels a bit cowardly.”
I’d been wondering when he’d bring that up.
Before accepting my guidance, he’d been a pure martial artist who fought only with his fists, so it was natural for him to feel resistance about fighting with items like these.
And I’d already prepared an answer for someone like him.
“Do you think other people aren’t doing the same?”
“Well….”
“Promising prospects from Large Guilds. Youngest sons of conglomerates who spend money on the game as a hobby. They’ve all brought equipment far superior to yours, specifically for this tournament.”
“…Hmm.”
“They don’t show it, but before stepping into the arena, they drink enhancement potions as standard doping practice. They’ve accumulated top-tier training and experience you never had access to.”
Item advantage?
In the Master League tournament, there were many users wearing equipment that couldn’t be purchased even if I sold everything Kang Ju-hyuk currently had equipped.
And that was just what they wore—what about everything else?
Even accounting for all the training and experience they’d received, could anyone truly call it cowardly for Kang Ju-hyuk to use these combat consumables?
At least, I didn’t think so.
“If you don’t want to use them, you don’t have to. The choice is yours anyway.”
Kang Ju-hyuk’s expression hardened as he heard my words.
“Thank you. Friend.”
He had made his resolve.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————