The Return of the Genius Ranker of All Times

Chapter 5

“…! Damn it, these mercenaries never listen!”

Charlie’s face turned pale.

At a time when working together wasn’t even enough, he was acting on his own! If he died first, it would be a disaster like no other.

What’s more, the man hadn’t even drawn his sword. It looked as though he was walking right into his own death.

Keek! Kieek!

The monsters also seemed amused by Do-hyeon’s reckless behavior, laughing as they swung their blunt weapons.

One of the clubs was swung right before his eyes.

In just a moment, that massive club would crush Do-hyeon’s skull, splattering blood everywhere.

“Damn it…!”

Just as Charlie tried to rush after him in a panic.

“…?”

He saw it.

Shwoosh—

Whoosh!

Keerik?

Do-hyeon’s movement paused for a moment.

Then, as if by magic, the club brushed past his head.

The margin was so close that just 1cm more would have smashed his skull.

Swinging a weapon naturally destabilizes one’s stance.

And that creates an inevitable opening.

Crack! Shk!

With a swift kick, the gnoll lost its balance and staggered.

After grabbing its neck and snapping it, Do-hyeon stabbed the neck of the gnoll beside it, instantly taking down both of them.

[Critical Hit!]

[Critical Hit!]

By hitting their vital points, he triggered critical damage, doubling the impact.

It also helped that the monsters had low health, typical of a tutorial.

Keerik? Keerireek!

The situation reversed in an instant.

The archers, who had been enjoying their prey, were suddenly stunned as they became the hunted.

They hurriedly got into position.

But they had only one monster left as their shield.

Whoosh—.

The remaining gnoll attempted a surprise attack from the side, but Do-hyeon dodged it with a simple backward step and followed it up with a knee strike.

Crunch— Thud.

It was a perfectly timed strike that knocked the weapon from the gnoll’s grasp.

This technique, known as Weapon Drop, had been one of the skills that terrified Do-hyeon’s opponents back in his DemRock days.

Since the system was similar, he had tried it, and fortunately, it worked.

[You used the skill ‘Strike.’]

Do-hyeon kicked the gnoll in the torso and finished it off with his skill.

‘One hit from Strike is enough.’

Even without a critical hit, the skill did significant damage, making one strike fatal.

Keerik… Keerik…

Now, only two archers remained.

With no bodyguards to protect them, the two remaining gnolls with bows posed no threat. Before they could even draw their bows, they were sliced in half by Do-hyeon’s sword.

With the battle over in an instant, Do-hyeon casually shook the blood off his sword.

He had worried that his body might have stiffened since it had been a while since he last played a game, but fortunately, his movements were as fluid as ever.

‘…Actually, my body feels even lighter.’

Maybe it was because he could feel all his senses in this VR game, unlike before.

His movements felt smoother than ever.

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Just as Do-hyeon was satisfied with this realization, a voice interrupted.

“My goodness…”

Charlie, who had been watching in a daze, slowly approached.

Staring in disbelief at the fallen gnolls and Do-hyeon, he let out a gasp of admiration.

“I can’t believe it… You took down five monsters by yourself.”

At those words, a message appeared.

[Knight Commander ‘Charlie’ is impressed by your unexpected combat prowess.]

[Knight Commander ‘Charlie’s favorability has increased.]

‘Favorability?’

It was a system that had existed in DemRock as well.

Although it varied by NPC, if you raised their favorability, you could earn rewards, which had prompted many players to work on favorability quests.

However, once people realized that even those rewards were random, most players gave up.

Still, it wasn’t a particularly surprising system.

However—

‘Is it really this easy to raise favorability?’

It was strange that his favorability increased after just one fight.

In DemRock, raising favorability had been one of the hardest things to do.

But that wasn’t anything to dwell on.

‘Each NPC has different criteria and difficulty levels.’

In that regard, Charlie, who valued combat, was a favorable match for Do-hyeon.

He might not have been great at conversations, but when it came to combat, he had confidence.

Maybe it was because his favorability had increased?

“This is the first time I’ve seen such swordsmanship and fighting style. Which mercenary group are you from? Do all the mercenaries there fight like this?”

“….”

“No… that can’t be. It must be that you’re exceptional. Remarkable, especially for someone so young.”

Charlie, who had previously only said what was necessary for the story, had become rather talkative.

Even though Do-hyeon wasn’t answering, Charlie kept talking to himself until the sound of approaching monsters snapped him back to reality.

“We must move.”

“Yes.”

* * *

Slice— Thud!

After that, Do-hyeon engaged in several more battles.

The fights were quick and decisive.

Whenever monsters appeared, Do-hyeon charged in first and dealt with them, while Charlie arrived too late and marveled at his skill.

“Incredible! Such skill! You’re even faster than before!”

Charlie would make a comment each time.

[Knight Commander ‘Charlie’s favorability has increased.]

And as if it were part of a set, his favorability would rise again.

Thud! Crunch!

“That technique of breaking their necks—it’s so smooth and natural! I’m amazed every time I see it!”

[Knight Commander ‘Charlie’s favorability has increased.]

Slice—.

“You… you seem like you were born to wield a sword.”

[Knight Commander ‘Charlie’s favorability has increased.]

At first, it had just been admiration, but now it seemed like he wasn’t even thinking about fighting, too busy showering Do-hyeon with praise.

His comments were so perfectly timed that it almost felt like Charlie was observing and contemplating while watching the battle.

‘…Is his role just to react?’

Do-hyeon could have sworn he’d heard that Charlie had a stern and strict personality…

But it didn’t stop there.

Charlie’s stream of reactions intensified when they encountered nearly double the number of monsters.

Keerik, Kiek!

Keeririek—!

Close to ten monsters.

The increased number of enemies also meant they had a greater variety of weapons.

Unlike the previous monsters, who only wielded clubs and bows, this group had spears, clubs, bows, and daggers.

“Damn it…! This time I’ll join the fight. No matter how skilled you are, this is too much for you!”

Even Charlie, who had been a spectator until now, announced that he was going to fight.

‘Wait, wasn’t it normal for you to fight?’

Do-hyeon had never told him not to fight, yet he had somehow ended up leading everything.

It was odd, but it didn’t change anything.

Tap!

“Wait, you?”

Whether it was five or ten, they were still just tutorial mobs that could be taken down with a few critical hits.

Charging in without hesitation, even Charlie was surprised, quickly drawing his sword and following behind.

However, it looked like it was already too late to rescue Do-hyeon, who had charged into the swarm of monsters.

Keerik! Keeririek!

Fwoosh! Thwack!

As Charlie deflected the arrows fired by the archers, the monsters immediately surrounded Do-hyeon.

The first one to rush in was a monster wielding a dagger.

Since they were all crowded together, it was difficult to hit anything with a spear or bow.

The dagger was the ideal weapon for close quarters.

And that was precisely why Do-hyeon had deliberately charged in so close.

Thud, Keerik?

Just as the dagger was about to be swung, Do-hyeon’s arm caught the monster’s wrist. Then, like a snake, he twisted his body and moved deeper into the crowd.

Crack! Guk!

Thud.

He twisted the monster’s arm, breaking it, and the dagger dropped to the ground.

Do-hyeon snatched it from midair and immediately stabbed the monster’s throat.

[Critical Hit!]

Keerik!! Keeek!

Seeing their comrade die so swiftly, another gnoll swung its club in a rage.

From his crouched position, Do-hyeon caught sight of the gnoll’s jaw.

He struck upward with his palm, causing a chilling sound as the gnoll’s head snapped backward.

Do-hyeon then pulled the dagger from the first gnoll’s neck and stabbed the second one in the throat, killing it instantly.

Just like that, another gnoll met the same swift death as its comrade.

Keek! Kiek!

With two monsters dead in an instant, the others, panicked, backed away.

Instinctively, they realized that a one-on-one situation would be dangerous. But Do-hyeon had already anticipated this and didn’t hesitate.

Swish— Shk! Crunch!

[Critical Hit!]

He threw the dagger at the gnoll that was retreating, hitting it squarely in the eye, then picked up a club and swung it at another as monstrous as the gnoll was, smashing it with the club.

The gnolls, now short one more comrade, were left bewildered.

The archers, desperate, pulled back their bowstrings, but Do-hyeon’s movements were so swift and elusive that they couldn’t get a clear shot.

Keerik… Keerik…?

Each time they aimed at him, he skillfully disappeared behind the cover of their comrades.

Fueled by sheer frustration, they fired a few arrows, but as expected, all they managed to do was hit their unfortunate allies in the back.

“My God…”

Charlie, no longer just amazed but nearly in shock, watched the scene unfold.

Do-hyeon had casually disarmed the enemies using Weapon Drop, then immediately turned their own weapons against them, as if they were his own.

Even Charlie, who had stood on many battlefields, had never seen such a remarkable display of mastery over so many different weapons.

It wasn’t just that Do-hyeon used multiple weapons with ease.

The way he tactically positioned himself to gain the upper hand in every situation was flawless.

It was like watching water flow naturally—every move smooth and effortless, every action leading to victory.

Even the finest mercenaries or knights couldn’t fight with such grace and efficiency.

Yet here was this unknown mercenary, showing such prowess and bravery.

It felt as though this man was walking a path entirely separate from the norms of combat.

In the future, people would have a word for those who walked this lonely path, defying all logic.

“…Hero.”

Perhaps what Charlie was witnessing was the beginning of a legendary hero’s tale, the kind that only appeared in the annals of history.

The kind he had admired since childhood.

Keerik! Keeeaak!

It was then that one of the gnolls, staring at Do-hyeon as though he were a terrifying demon, tried to flee in terror.

Charlie, snapping out of his reverie, drew his sword.

‘I should finish this.’

He had been mesmerized by the overwhelming display of combat, but he was still a Knight Commander.

One fleeing monster wouldn’t be a challenge.

But unfortunately, he didn’t get the chance to act.

Fwoosh— Thwack!

Kek!

An arrow fired by Do-hyeon pierced through the monster’s skull with pinpoint accuracy.

He fired another arrow to ensure the kill, and only then did he lower his weapon.

‘Always finish the job.’

Back in DemRock, there were countless boss monsters.

The game was notorious for being mercilessly hard, with bosses that had endless patterns and tricks.

Some bosses, even after being defeated, had additional abilities.

Some would parasitize other creatures upon death, others would launch a final attack, and some would even resurrect.

Perhaps because his first experience with gaming had been so brutal, Do-hyeon had developed a habit of always confirming the kill.

The gnolls probably didn’t have any such abilities, but still…

‘It’s better to be sure.’

It had become a matter of personal satisfaction for him.

As he surveyed the area, checking to see if more monsters were approaching, he suddenly heard a sound.

Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap!

‘Hm?’

Do-hyeon turned his head toward the source of the applause.

There he saw Charlie, who had abandoned his sword and was now clapping enthusiastically.

“…?”

Even though Do-hyeon gave him a look that seemed to say, “What are you doing?” Charlie didn’t stop.

In fact, he doubled down.

“I owe you an apology.”

“…?”

Charlie’s expression turned sincere as he apologized out of the blue.

Do-hyeon tilted his head in confusion, but Charlie’s gaze was serious.

In a voice filled with emotion, he spoke as if the words were coming straight from his heart.

“Saying you were born to wield a sword was an insult. You’re no mere swordsman—you’re a god of war! A hero born for the battlefield!”

“…”

“It is my honor to fight alongside a hero such as yourself!”

Charlie placed his hand on Do-hyeon’s shoulder, delivering his heartfelt gratitude.

Do-hyeon opened his mouth as if to respond but then closed it again.

There was plenty he could say, but no words came to mind.

‘An NPC that stops fighting to applaud…’

Was this the kind of hyper-realistic NPC behavior people had been talking about in God of Savior?

Back in DemRock, this sort of thing was unthinkable.

He found himself at a loss for words, but decided to take it in stride. After all, it wasn’t a bad thing.

[Knight Commander ‘Charlie’ is deeply moved by your overwhelming combat prowess.]

[Knight Commander ‘Charlie’s favorability has greatly increased.]

[Knight Commander ‘Charlie’s favorability has reached its maximum.]

[He now trusts you implicitly. Even if you commit an evil act, if you claim it was a false accusation, he will believe you.]

[You have acquired the title ‘Max Favorability from the Start?’]

Do-hyeon checked the title he had just earned.