The Return of the Genius Ranker of All Times

Chapter 51

“Is this even possible…?”

Jihad couldn’t believe the scene unfolding before his eyes.

“Graaaah!”

[You have successfully parried!]

[You deflected the attack.]

The sight of Karuk’s enraged attacks being either dodged or deflected with ease was completely unfamiliar.

It was as if he knew every move coming his way in advance, reacting with perfect precision.

He didn’t seem to be moving particularly fast, yet every attack was being blocked.

Slice— Thud!

Every gap that emerged was exploited with precise counterattacks.

“Roarrr!”

[Hidden Field Boss ‘Goblin Warrior Karuk’ uses ‘Relentless Strike.’]

Enraged, Karuk launched a full-force blow at Do-hyeon, who seemed cornered against the wall. However, it turned out to be Do-hyeon’s trap.

Tap, whirr—

The moment the axe aimed for his skull, Do-hyeon quickly rolled away using the wall for propulsion.

[Using Dash Slash.]

As soon as one foot touched the ground, Do-hyeon employed Dash Slash diagonally backward to reposition himself into Karuk’s blind spot.

In an instant, the positions were reversed—from disadvantaged to advantageous.

Thud! Bam bam bam!

He then drove his greatsword into Karuk’s side, following it up with a flurry of punches.

The brutal sound of strikes echoed throughout the lair.

“Ugh, yeah. That’s what happened to me.”

Watching this scene, Jihad frowned as though unable to bear the sight.

Seeing what had happened to him from a third-party perspective made him feel utterly dejected. At the same time, he felt relieved.

“No wonder I lost…”

Looking at it now, it seemed meticulously designed for the opponent to fall.

Using parries and his peculiar movements, Do-hyeon provoked his enemy, intentionally cornering himself against the wall, only to bait their ultimate move and counter it.

It was a strategy where he not only nullified the opponent’s ultimate move but also landed a devastating counterattack in return.

When he’d experienced it, he hadn’t understood why he lost. But now, observing from afar, everything made sense.

The only difference this time was that instead of vanishing abruptly, Do-hyeon performed the maneuver through a visible roll. The principle was identical.

“…Is he even human?”

Despite being his master, Jihad couldn’t help but question it.

Avoiding every attack, deflecting each blow without allowing a single clean hit—how could a human utilize an opponent’s psychology so effectively?

At that moment, Jihad sincerely thought:

“I’m glad I didn’t resist further…”

If he had stubbornly refused to yield, gritting his teeth and pushing back…

Would he not be in Karuk’s current position?

The thought sent chills down his spine.

He resolved to obey orders from now on, to pick up items diligently, and to follow instructions without complaint.

[Loyalty has increased by +2.]

“Huh? Out of nowhere?”

Do-hyeon flinched momentarily at the sudden notification of loyalty increase during the fight, but his movements remained sharp.

Whish— Crunch!

Even while startled, he dodged Karuk’s dual-edged axe and used it against him.

Stepping on the embedded axe, Do-hyeon forced Karuk to bow down and landed a soccer kick.

After creating some distance, Do-hyeon retrieved the Iron Axe of the Honorable Axe God from his inventory and hurled it.

Whizz—

Despite being a Hidden Field Boss, Karuk easily dodged by tilting his head to one side.

But it was a decoy.

Thud!

[‘Assassin’s Dagger’ effect activates. Goblin Warrior Karuk is afflicted with ‘Bleeding.’]

[Bleeding skill activates.]

The true attack came in the form of a thrown Assassin’s Dagger that struck Karuk’s heart while he was off balance.

Luck favored Do-hyeon, as the dagger’s special effect triggered, dealing stacked bleeding damage. Karuk howled in agony as his HP rapidly drained.

[Hidden Field Boss ‘Goblin Warrior Karuk’ HP has fallen to 30%.]

[Trait ‘Warrior Spirit’ activates.]

[Goblin Warrior Karuk enters combat continuation mode.]

Phase 2 had begun.

“Warrior Spirit! Be carefu— Never mind. He’ll handle it.”

Jihad, who had started shouting a warning, stopped mid-sentence and nodded to himself.

The Warrior Spirit trait was indeed dangerous.

Combat continuation, a superior version of the berserker’s frenzy, didn’t impose debuffs on the opponent, but its stat increases were substantial.

Most significantly, it removed the ability to feel pain, eliminating any openings caused by suffering.

[Due to the Berserker trait, Karuk’s physical abilities increase.]

[Physical enhancement trait further boosts his abilities.]

As if that wasn’t enough, Karuk’s strength grew even greater as his HP decreased, bolstered by both the Berserker and physical enhancement traits.

It was an absurdly overpowering combination of traits that made him stronger the closer he came to death. Yet what did it matter?

Whish— Whoosh—

“Graaaah!”

“Figures.”

No matter how much faster and stronger Karuk became, it was pointless if he couldn’t land a hit.

Eliminating openings caused by pain?

The gaps that appeared in his form while attacking had nothing to do with pain in the first place.

Thud!

[Bleeding activates.]

Thus, Karuk was being hunted—slowly but surely—by Do-hyeon.

Karuk finally realized that Do-hyeon wasn’t just an annoying pest but a predator when he was on the brink of death.

[Hidden Field Boss ‘Goblin Warrior Karuk’ HP has fallen below 5%.]

[Goblin Warrior Karuk is afflicted with ‘Bleeding.’]

As his blood drained, his body grew cold and stiff.

Facing the chilling grip of death, Karuk understood.

“Grrk…”

From the start, he had been nothing more than prey.

Just as the creatures he hunted had struggled to survive before him, he now found himself doing the same.

Accepting his immobility, Karuk closed his eyes while standing still.

* * *

[You have defeated the Hidden Field Boss ‘Goblin Warrior Karuk.’]

[For being the first to defeat the boss of the Hidden Field ‘Warriors’ Lair,’ rewards are amplified.]

[The essence orb of Hidden Field Boss ‘Goblin Warrior Karuk’ appears.]

[The achievement is recorded in the Adventure Book.]

[Your swordsmanship proficiency has greatly increased through extreme use of the sword.]

[Swordsmanship proficiency has reached LV12.]

[Damage increase for sword-related attacks is now 11%.]

[You have leveled up.]

[Graduation level has been achieved. The Graduation Quest is now available.]

[The Trial of the Continent…]

[Recording ends.]

“Whoa…”

Overwhelmed by the flood of notifications, Do-hyeon clicked his tongue.
Despite such a reaction, a smile bloomed on his face.

“Level up and swordsmanship proficiency, too!”

It was no wonder he was smiling.

He had achieved his target level and even improved his swordsmanship proficiency, which had been slow to rise.

There was a rumor that learning kendo helped swordsmanship proficiency grow faster, and this moment confirmed it.

By pushing parrying to its limits, he gained a large amount of proficiency experience.

[Guardian Jihad Black has leveled up.]

[Jihad Black]

[Title: Heroic Named Guardian]

[Type: Goblin]

[Level: LV6]

[Loyalty: 23 / 100]

[Traits: Bloodline Factor, Curses, Necromancer, Swift Hands]

[Guardian Traits: Preying on the Weak, Opportunist]

[Description: A survivor of a fallen clan.

Jihad, who inherited a remarkable bloodline, is a goblin who has lived for hundreds of years. However, he now lives as a human’s guardian.]

[Most abilities are sealed due to the current low level.]

[Usable Skill: 1]

– Create Undead

It wasn’t just Do-hyeon’s level that had risen; Jihad’s level had also increased.

His level had been gradually increasing during the hunt, but it skyrocketed upon entering this hidden field, reaching level 6.

One might wonder why it was only level 6, but guardians naturally leveled up slower.

“Guardians’ max level is said to be 70, after all.”

Unlike players, who had a max level of 100, guardians were capped at 70.

This meant they required significantly more experience points.

This was why guardians were often considered trash, but divine beasts at level 70 displayed power equivalent to a level 100 player, earning their reputation as overpowered.

“He didn’t even kill anything himself, yet his level rose this much.”

For some reason, loyalty had also risen to 23.

It was clear Jihad was now entering a stable zone.

Satisfied with Jihad’s progress, Do-hyeon shifted his focus to the Essence Orb.

“They said it always drops equipment, right?”

He had been somewhat disappointed when the rewards from defeating Jihad were returned to him.

But with this melee-based boss, there was hope for decent rewards this time.

Eagerly, he wanted to harvest the Essence Orb immediately, but the timing wasn’t right yet.

[You have completed the chain quest, ‘Trial of the Warrior.’]

[You have completed the sudden quest, ‘Trial of the Warriors.’]

[Examining your test results.]

[You have surpassed the original completion requirements for the ‘Blood Duel’ trial. By achieving exceptional results, your rewards are greatly enhanced.]

[You receive 200 gold, a large amount of experience, 2 Intermediate Skill Draw Tickets, and Karuk’s Leather Armor Set.]

“Amazing…”

The rewards for the sudden quest greeted Do-hyeon with open arms.

And they far surpassed the original expectations!

200 gold? A large amount of experience?

Those were meaningless now that he had already reached level 24.

Only two rewards caught Do-hyeon’s eyes.

“Two Intermediate Skill Draw Tickets!”

Not one but two Intermediate Skill Draw Tickets, a reward so good it felt like he could fly.

The old Do-hyeon might have fretted over whether he would still get a rare skill, but now things were different.

“Aah, I’m the man with the Eye of Truth…”

After all, he had the overpowered cheat, the Eye of Truth.

“…Here we go again. I’m not watching this.”

Jihad shook his head as he watched Do-hyeon, tears brimming in his eyes, thanking the gods for the first time.

His master, who was like a demon in battle, suddenly turned into a buffoon when it came to drawing cards—it was a talent in its own way.

Ignoring Jihad, who dramatically covered his eyes with his hands, Do-hyeon took out the Intermediate Skill Draw Tickets.

[Do you want to use the Intermediate Skill Draw Ticket?]

“Yes.”

As expected, the sound of a card pack being opened filled the air, and ten cards scattered in the air with a “shrrrk.”

The glow from these cards was slightly brighter compared to those from lower-tier tickets.

[The Eye of Truth activates.]

The visible glow was indeed more dazzling.

But only slightly.

Of the ten cards, seven were a dull brown, and three were silver. A terrible 7-to-3 ratio.

“This is an Intermediate Skill Draw Ticket?”

The system’s harsh odds made it clear that while rare skills were included, there was no promise they’d be easily obtained.

DemRock’s draw system was just as cruel as God of Savior’s, if not worse.

“No wonder I failed my pulls over and over.”

There was no point in feeling regret—it was all in the past.

Determined to shake off those bitter memories, Do-hyeon reached out boldly.

When he drew the second silver card, a pleasant silver glow filled his vision.