The Return of the Genius Ranker of All Times

Chapter 33

“Excuse me. Are you looking for a party?”

A low voice was heard from somewhere.

The words were polite, yet the tone felt strangely blunt.

At first, Do-hyeon didn’t realize that the person was speaking to him.

So, he ignored it…

“…Excuse me?”

“…”

“The person wearing the Warrior set over there?”

“?”

The repeated and specific mention made Do-hyeon turn his head.

A man, slightly frowning, came into view.

It seemed like he was annoyed, thinking Do-hyeon had been ignoring him.

But as soon as their eyes met, the man quickly composed himself and got straight to the point.

“Yes. If you haven’t found a party yet, would you like to join us?”

“…Are you talking to me?”

“Yes. It seems like you’re having trouble finding a party… If you’re okay with it, why not join us?”

“You do know I’m a swordsman, right?”

“Of course. Actually, we’re a bit higher level, but we’re doing this because of a quest. Our gear is pretty good, so it doesn’t matter.”

“…”

“Judging by the fact that you’ve got the Warrior set, you seem serious about God of Savior. In that case, we’d prefer someone like you.”

The man showed a kind smile.

The blunt demeanor from earlier was nowhere to be seen.

At a glance, he seemed like a helpful angel, ready to offer a hand to someone in need.

When Do-hyeon glanced behind him, the man’s party members met his gaze, waving with bright smiles.

There was a mage and a tank.

‘Is this guy… a swordsman too?’

Perhaps noticing Do-hyeon’s eyes on his sword sheath, the man scratched his head awkwardly.

“Haha… Actually, I’m a swordsman too. I just couldn’t ignore the struggles of a fellow swordsman.”

“Oh.”

“To be honest, there’s no class more appealing than a swordsman, is there? Even Myeolsal is a swordsman when you think about it, so I don’t know why people look down on swordsmen…”

He went on, lamenting how swordsmen would eventually reign supreme in the later stages of the game.

It made him seem like a young man full of dreams and hope.

Even though there were two swordsmen, the fact that they had a mage and a tank, along with their equipment—which looked to be at least rare grade—made them appear well-geared.

It was a situation where Do-hyeon should’ve eagerly accepted their offer to join the party.

But something felt off.

‘Something smells fishy…’

He couldn’t quite explain it, but every single thing about their demeanor—their kind expressions, their tone, their actions, and the atmosphere they exuded—was bothering him.

And Do-hyeon was quite familiar with this feeling.

After all, he had sensed it countless times in DemRock.

“Swordsman?”

The man seemed to be wondering why Do-hyeon hadn’t responded yet.

As their eyes met, Do-hyeon realized.

‘Ah, so that’s what it is.’

This guy was wearing a mask.

The moment their eyes locked, Do-hyeon felt a very familiar emotion.

It was hostility.

The hostility was faint and unclear, which had made Do-hyeon uncertain at first.

‘What is today? Events like this keep popping up one after another.’

How could today be so different from the peaceful, almost spring-like day it had been yesterday?

All he had done was diligently grind and level up…

Now, right after graduating from the beginner city, events were raining down on him.

He couldn’t help but wonder if there was a target on his back.

‘If this is fate, then I guess it’s fate.’

While it would have been wise to avoid engaging with people who clearly had ulterior motives…

‘I can’t just let this slide.’

Do-hyeon wasn’t the type of person to overlook someone showing hostility toward him.

It wasn’t a matter of whether or not he would get back at them—it just left a bad taste in his mouth, and he couldn’t simply ignore it.

How many times had he left things like this unchecked, only for them to snowball into something much bigger later on?

“Oh, I’m sorry. I was caught off guard for a moment… I’d be grateful if you let me join.”

“Haha, no worries. I’ll send you an invite.”

So, Do-hyeon put on his own mask.

Pretending to know nothing, he smiled innocently and shook the man’s hand.

Ding-.

[‘BastardSword’ has sent you a party invite.]

[Do you accept?]

When he pressed accept, a translucent hologram window appeared on the bottom left of his view, temporarily pausing their conversation.

And then Do-hyeon saw it.

[‘BastardSword’ has formed a party.]

[Party Leader]

– BastardSword

[Party Members]

– OhJeezImAholyKnight

– Greatest10ClassMageEver

– Kaiser

The moment he saw the party list, Do-hyeon caught a glimpse of BastardSword flinching.

The other two were no different.

For a brief moment, their gazes darkened with even deeper hostility.

‘They know who I am.’

This was odd.

He hadn’t done anything notable yet, and it was his first time seeing these people.

Do-hyeon didn’t know how they knew him, but soon enough, he would make them spill.

“Shall we head in now? Are you ready?”

“Yes, I’m ready.”

“Then, let’s go~!”

With BastardSword’s energetic shout, they moved toward the entrance, and a message appeared.

[You have accepted the dungeon entry.]

[Entering the dungeon ‘Goblin Chieftain’s Lair’ shortly.]

—

[Dungeon: Goblin Chieftain’s Lair]

– Grade: Rare

– Type: Standard Dungeon

– Description: A lair where a once legendary warrior of the Green Goblins, cursed and exiled, now resides.

[Entry Limit: 4 players]

[Level Limit: Below LV 24]

‘Let’s see how this plays out.’

While waiting for the dungeon to load, Do-hyeon relaxed, and soon his vision flickered as they entered the dungeon.

* * *

[You have entered the Goblin Chieftain’s Lair.]

“Hm.”

After confirming the message, Do-hyeon glanced around and let out a small sigh of admiration.

The dungeon’s structure was quite different from the outside.

From the exterior, it had looked like nothing more than a cave nestled in the forest, but inside, it truly felt like a living space.

It gave the impression of a cave that had been turned into a dwelling.

Torches lined the walls in neat rows, and there were even stairs and decorative items scattered around.

‘I could believe it if someone said a tribe lives here.’

It was well-developed enough to be called the Chieftain’s Lair.

Do-hyeon then turned his attention to the party members.

Since they had entered the dungeon, it was possible they might reveal their true nature now.

“Oh, there’s definitely something about this place, huh?”

“If it’s a chieftain, they should live in a place like this.”

“He’s basically their president, right? This level of setup makes sense.”

“Well, yeah, that’s true. Haha.”

Contrary to his expectations, they were just chatting idly with innocent expressions.

It was as if they weren’t paying any attention to Do-hyeon, busy sightseeing in the dungeon.

If someone were inexperienced, they might have thought they were just harmless, perhaps even wondering if they’d misjudged them.

Do-hyeon himself almost thought that, for a brief moment.

‘I guess we’ll find out soon enough.’

Whether his instincts were right or wrong would become clear as they progressed through the dungeon.

At the very least, it seemed they wouldn’t make a move just yet.

While looking around and taking his time walking, something happened.

Kirik? Kirik!

“Huh?”

The moment he turned the corner, two goblins appeared.

They were less than 20 meters away.

Surprised by the sudden encounter, the goblins let out their characteristic shrieks as BastardSword drew his sword.

“They must be scouts.”

“We don’t even need to position ourselves for this. I’ll take care of them.”

With that, BastardSword dashed forward.

Gliding smoothly as if skating on ice, his sword sliced through the waist of a goblin as he passed by.

It was a Dash Slash.

Since it was a basic skill that all swordsmen have, BastardSword also had it.

Swish-!

‘Hm?’

But there was something peculiar about his Dash Slash.

After the initial dash, he slid a bit further and delivered another slash.

‘Is that a trait?’

Do-hyeon didn’t know whether it was a unique ability or a trait, but judging by the fact that this didn’t exist in DemRock, it had to be one of the two.

Kiek!

The goblin, having been struck, angrily let out a screech and leaped toward BastardSword, but it didn’t come close to reaching him.

Clang-!

A shield was raised to block the attack—OhJeezImAholyKnight had appeared.

The goblin’s face contorted in shock, its full-force attack thwarted.

“Ooh, nice one. Though I didn’t really need the help.”

“If I don’t at least do this, I get restless. You can take out that one.”

“Sure… huh?”

Boom! Kieek!

Before BastardSword even finished speaking, a fireball slammed into the remaining goblin.

The goblin writhed in agony, engulfed in flames

.

BastardSword and OhJeezImAholyKnight turned to look at the source.

Standing there, holding a staff, was Greatest10ClassMageEver, grinning as their eyes met.

“If you don’t finish it soon, I’ll take care of it.”

A red flame glowed on the mage’s staff.

“That’s not happening.”

Though he frowned at the mage, BastardSword didn’t want to lose, so he quickly moved.

The goblin, still trying to retaliate, was no match as BastardSword deftly avoided its attack and drove his sword into its neck.

[You have defeated a Red Goblin Scout.]

[Through contribution distribution, ‘BastardSword’ has acquired the Red Goblin Scout’s claws.]

…

[The Goblin Chieftain has been alerted to the scout’s death.]

“Whew.”

“Easy, too easy.”

Having swiftly dispatched the two scouts, they shrugged as if it was no big deal.

Then, noticing Do-hyeon, they flashed awkward smiles.

Seeing their innocent expressions, Do-hyeon thought,

‘Not bad.’

Their gear seemed genuinely good, and their combat strength was decent.

Their teamwork was also solid.

Among them, the mage’s firepower was especially impressive. No wonder fire mages were considered some of the strongest in terms of damage output.

[The goblins are gathering, alerted to the scouts’ death.]

“Ah, here come more.”

“No problem.”

As the notification said, more goblins appeared.

Kiek! Kek!

This time, there were three of them, each armed with daggers like the previous scouts.

As soon as they spotted the group, they charged.

Once again, BastardSword and his party members moved like lightning.

Clang!

The knight raised his shield to block,

Slice- Boom!

BastardSword slashed through them, and the mage unleashed another spell in perfect coordination.

Even though the number of enemies had increased to four, it made no difference—they were completely outmatched.

Do-hyeon didn’t even need to step in; it was a one-sided battle.

Swish-.

Just as BastardSword finished off the last goblin,

[The Chieftain, now afraid, sends his soldiers.]

[Prepare for battle.]

“Wow, they’re not giving us any breaks.”

“This time it’s not scouts, it’s soldiers.”

As if in a relay of battles, the goblins kept coming.

That was the concept of the Goblin Chieftain’s Lair.

One of the Chieftain’s traits was cowardice, meaning he never came out himself.

Instead, he constantly sent soldiers in his place, and players had to fend off these waves of goblins until they reached the boss room.

The goblins would only grow stronger as time went on.

Tat-tat-tat-tat-.

Even now, the sound of multiple footsteps echoed through the cave as the next wave of goblins appeared.

Unlike the previous scouts with daggers, these goblins wielded long spears and had sturdier physiques.

As the spear-wielding soldiers charged in like enraged bulls, the party members didn’t rush forward.

Instead, they took a step back.

“How about you take this one, Kaiser?”

“If it gets dangerous, we’ll jump in right away.”

“You must’ve felt left out when we handled everything earlier, so go ahead. It’ll be a good chance to sync up our teamwork.”

Their words sounded like they were doing him a favor, but Do-hyeon smirked inwardly.

They had taken down five scouts together, and now they wanted him to solo three soldiers?

Their intentions were clear.

‘They want to see what I can do.’

If they were curious about his abilities, he had no reason not to show them.

While they stayed back, not moving an inch, Do-hyeon slowly approached the goblin soldiers.

‘I’ll play along for now.’

A sly grin crept across his face.