The Return of the Genius Ranker of All Times

Chapter 25

Raven had two entrances.

The eastern gate, called the main entrance, and the western gate, called the back entrance.

Among these, the first place that players entering Raven used as a hunting ground was the grasslands outside the eastern gate.

[Raven Grasslands]

The first hunting ground players encounter on the main continent, and also the most unremarkable one.

As its reputation suggested, even the monsters were ordinary.

Various types of goblins from different tribes, such as Red Goblins and Blue Goblins, appeared here.

The only difference from Arde was that, due to the variety of tribes, the weapons and attack methods used by the goblins were unique.

‘It’s not for nothing that this place is considered the most average hunting ground on the main continent.’

In other words, it was an easy place to get accustomed to.

For players who had just graduated from the beginner city, there was no better place than this.

This was also the reason the Warrior Set was highly valued and known as Arde’s graduation item.

– 3set: When facing goblin types, it grants a “Dominance” effect. Additional damage +7% against goblin types, and all stats +2.

‘There’s nothing better against goblins.’

Not only could it inflict status effects on goblins, but it also added extra damage efficiently.

With a grin, Do-hyeon walked through the middle of the grasslands.

Goblins from different tribes were scattered all around, but none dared to attack him.

[The Warrior Set’s effect causes ‘Dominance’ on enemies.]

[The Red Goblin feels an unknown fear.]

……

[The Blue Goblin’s morale drops.]

It was the effect of “Dominance.”

While it didn’t specifically lower stats or cause stun effects, reducing morale was an important outcome.

‘Once they shrink back, their judgment slows, and that soon shows in their actions.’

Moreover, walking through the heart of the hunting ground, he didn’t have to worry about being ambushed.

This was why morale was emphasized in war.

He felt a bit like a bully beating up goblins that didn’t seem willing to fight back, but these creatures were naturally the aggressors.

For those without the Warrior Set, these goblins would have been the true bullies.

‘Red Goblins have high attack power, and Blue Goblins have high health, right?’

It seemed fitting to test the Blue Goblins.

Having made up his mind, Do-hyeon immediately used a skill.

[Using the skill ‘Charge Slash’.]

Instantly, his body slid forward.

Despite wielding a large sword, his speed was impressive.

Thanks to the necklace and title effects, his speed had increased by 15%.

Whoosh-!

Kirrk!? Kirrk!!

As the distance rapidly closed, the Blue Goblins, who had been cautiously watching him, were startled and tried to back away.

But unfortunately for the one at the front, it didn’t even have time to react.

Slash!

In the blink of an eye, it was already cut down.

And right after that:

Ding-

[The Warrior Set’s effect inflicts additional damage.]

[You have defeated a Blue Goblin.]

“Huh?”

The Blue Goblin disappeared, leaving behind a cheerful notification sound.

It had been killed in a single blow.

“I didn’t expect that.”

Do-hyeon was momentarily taken aback.

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The Blue Goblins had 1.5 times more health than other goblins.

Compared to the Green Goblins in Arde, their health was over twice as high.

Yet, he had killed it in one strike.

With nothing more than a single Charge Slash, which wasn’t even a particularly special skill.

‘Is this the power of the Warrior Set?’

In truth, it wasn’t solely due to the set.

While the 7% additional damage was significant, Do-hyeon’s raw stats had also increased immensely since his time in Arde.

Moreover, he was no longer using a rusty iron sword but a rare+ grade greatsword, which made a big difference.

Considering that greatswords were among the highest in terms of attack power, it was only natural that his damage output was so overwhelming.

[By defeating the enemy, the attack power of the Mutant Goblin Warrior’s Red Greatsword increases.]

The remarkable thing was that his power would continue to grow the more he hunted.

Though the bonus would diminish if he didn’t kill an enemy within 10 minutes, there was no better option for dominating weaker opponents.

Do-hyeon wasn’t the only one reacting to the incredible performance.

Kirr… Kirrk!

Rather than rushing at him, the remaining Blue Goblins began trembling and retreating, even though their comrade had just died.

A behavior unlike the usually aggressive goblins.

Already demoralized by the ‘Dominance’ effect, seeing the one-shot kill seemed to have completely shattered their resolve.

“Wow… What’s up with that guy? Didn’t he just kill one in a single blow?”

“What? No way, you must have seen it wrong. There’s no way a Blue Goblin would die from one hit.”

“No, really… It just died after a single slash.”

Do-hyeon could hear players whispering around him.

Fortunately, not many had seen the whole event clearly, so most didn’t believe it. But, on the other hand, it was a testament to how extraordinary the event was.

Perhaps because of this, the conversation soon shifted topics.

“But, what’s with that guy’s outfit? Why is it so red?”

“Huh? Oh, that’s the Warrior Set! Look, even the goblins are cowering.”

“Warrior Set? What’s that?”

However, the topic still centered around Do-hyeon, which was a bit of a problem.

“It’s a graduation item from Arde… It’s hard to get because there aren’t many on the market, so only rich players usually have it.”

“It’s that rare? How much is it?”

“Hmm… It’ll probably cost at least a thousand dollars. Most players don’t spend that much here since the gear becomes useless once you move to the next city.”

“Ah, so why buy it then?”

“Well, here, its performance is unbeatable. It’s a beast against goblins… That’s why rich players buy it to level up quickly… Tsk.”

The man clicked his tongue in frustration, muttering under his breath.

“Seriously, it’s all about money here, too.”

“Looking at it more will just make me jealous. Let’s go somewhere else.”

As the woman tried to soothe the man and led him away, Do-hyeon scratched his head.

‘Hmm. I didn’t spend a single cent, though.’

Though he had been misunderstood, he didn’t feel particularly bad about it.

Spending money would at least be honest; in his case, he was literally cheating the system.

If he were in their shoes, he’d probably feel resentful too.

‘More importantly… It does feel different from Arde.’

Unlike Arde, where everyone was focused on grouping up and working together, here, everyone felt like strangers.

Some players hunted in parties, while others didn’t. But there seemed to be a clear divide between them.

It made sense, though.

Since experience points were split in parties, solo play was obviously better in theory.

However, about two-thirds of players still preferred party play.

‘They have no choice.’

Without a party, it was tough to hunt.

Which meant those who were soloing had better skills, traits, or items than those in parties.

No wonder the man earlier had been annoyed by seeing Do-hyeon soloing in a Warrior Set.

‘There are always people like that, wherever you go.’

In DemRock, there were always those who grew envious and spread malicious gossip about anyone who did even slightly well.

Do-hyeon was also one of their targets.

As someone praised like a god and sitting on the throne, he had many fans, but, conversely, he also had just as many antis.

Some tried sneak attacks, and there was even a guy who, pretending to be friendly, joined a party and attempted to paralyze him with poisoned food.

For fame, out of sheer dislike, or because they were hired for it…

The reasons varied.

‘Well, I trampled on them all, though.’

Until he met his comrades, it had been a series of chaotic days.

After forming a fixed party with his companions, they must have thought ambushes were too much of a hassle, as the pesky flies no longer swarmed around him.

As he reminisced about the old days, Do-hyeon chuckled and turned his body.

‘That’s not important right now.’

In any case, that was all in the past.

Now, Do-hyeon’s opponent was nothing more than a mere goblin.

“Well then… Shall I warm up a bit?”

As he turned his body, the goblins he made eye contact with flinched in fear.

For some reason, they sensed an ominous vibe from Do-hyeon’s smile.

Although no message appeared, he was certain that their morale had dropped even further.

[You have used the skill ‘Charge Slash’.]

“Kieeek!”

Thus, Do-hyeon’s slaughter began.

* * *

“Wow… Who is that guy?”

“He’s soloing like it’s nothing… How good must his gear be for him to do that?”

“Tch. Let him enjoy it while he can. He won’t be able to pull that off in the late game anyway.”

“Yeah, still… it’s kinda annoying to watch.”

How long had it been since he continued hunting?

Ignoring the admiration(?) of those around him, Do-hyeon wiped out the goblins in the area, and soon, a notification rang.

[Your Swordsmanship Mastery has increased.]

[Your Swordsmanship Mastery has reached LV8.]

[You have leveled up.]

‘Oh, both my swordsmanship and level went up.’

Had he killed about 50 to 60?

It was certain that he had defeated more than ten groups of goblins, so he must have killed even more than that.

And the reward for all that was this.

[Player: Kaiser]

[Level: 15]

[HP: 1,810 / 2,250]

[MP: 340 / 600]

[Stamina: 200 / 350]

[Class: Final Adventurer ]

[Titles (3)]

– Favor Maxed from the Start?

– First Slayer

– Throne of Time Attack

[Stats]

Remaining Points: 21

His level had gone up by three stages.

‘It’s rising faster than I thought.’

It was partly because his level was still low, but mostly due to the fact that, since he was soloing, he wasn’t sharing any of the experience points.

In addition to monopolizing the experience, he was also killing faster than most parties.

There was something else he had realized while hunting.

‘Once I started using skills, my stamina drained quicker.’

Previously, he hadn’t felt much inconvenience, even with lower stamina, but now he had already used 110 stamina.

All from just adding Charge Slash.

At this rate, if he used skills like Backstab or more advanced ones, his stamina would drain in no time.

That was the reason.

‘I’ll keep it for now.’

The reason he hadn’t invested his remaining points.

Currently, the goblins were being killed in one hit, so there was no need to invest points, and he wanted to save them for any unforeseen situations.

He also wanted to see if he should invest in stamina depending on how things went, but more importantly…

‘You never know what skills might pop up.’

Do-hyeon was an All-Master.

Right now, he was lucky to get an assassin skill, where perception and agility were the main stats, but what if he got a hero-grade or legendary skill from a magician or tanker?

‘I’d be crying.’

To prepare for such a situation, it was better to save his stat points.

Closing the status window, Do-hyeon opened his inventory this time.

It was to check the loot he had collected while hunting.

– Blue Goblin Leather (21)

– Red Goblin Leather (23)

– Goblin Teeth (11)

…

There were also various junk items he had collected in Arde.

His inventory was full of items, but to his surprise, they were all just junk.

No matter how low the drop rate for decent items was, normally after hunting this much, he should have obtained at least one good item…

‘…Well, this is just like me.’

It was a familiar occurrence for Do-hyeon, who was notorious for his terrible luck in DemRock.

Because of this, he wasn’t bothered by such trivial matters.

And in any case, Do-hyeon wasn’t targeting equipment items.

[Goblin Extermination]

– Grade: Normal

– Description: Recently, the number of goblins has increased, causing trouble on Raven Plains. Scout ‘Palsson’ requests you to reduce their numbers.

– Kill goblins regardless of tribe (40 / 40)

– Reward upon completion: 70 Silver, a certain amount of experience

– Penalty for failure: None

– Time Limit: 24 hours

[Hunter’s Request]

– Grade: Normal

– Description: Hunter ‘Teber,’ who lives in Raven Alley, has a strange hobby of collecting goblin teeth. Bring him some goblin teeth.

– Goblin Teeth (11 / 10)

– Reward upon completion: 80 Silver, a certain amount of experience, Necklace made from Beast’s Teeth

– Penalty for failure: Teber’s favor may decrease.

– Time Limit: 24 hours

[Gather Goblin Leather]

– Grade: Normal

– Description: Tailor ‘Emily,’ who specializes in crafting goblin leather, has requested your help. Gather leather for her, as she never runs out of customers.

– Red Goblin Leather (21 / 30)

– Blue Goblin Leather (23 / 30)

– Reward upon completion: 1 Gold, a certain amount of experience, Red Goblin Leather Belt or Blue Goblin Leather Pants

– Penalty for failure: Emily’s favor may decrease.

– Time Limit: 24 hours

Although he had already completed the conditions for the ‘Goblin Extermination’ and ‘Hunter’s Request’ quests, he still hadn’t gathered enough leather.

As he was about to head deeper to find more goblins…

‘…Hm?’

Something strange caught Do-hyeon’s eye.

It was something he could only describe as odd.

Glowing red overall, at first glance, it looked like a red dot, but…

‘A person… no, a ghost?’

Although semi-transparent, it clearly had the shape of a human.

And it was slowly, but surely, approaching him.