The Return of the Genius Ranker of All Times

Chapter 73

The man who blocked the unexpected shock with his shield tumbled backward, landing on his rear.

Not stopping there, he even pushed back the users in the row behind him.

“Hey, what the heck are you doing?!”

“I couldn’t help it… What kind of shield damage is this? I thought I was blocking a boss attack!”

The formation wavered like a set of dominoes collapsing.

Though they were veterans and quickly reorganized their ranks, the brief gap was enough.

Swoosh-.

Kang Do-hyeon, grabbing his returning shield, spun in a 360-degree motion and threw the shield once more.

The large shield flew through the air like a boomerang, giving no time for the opponents to lift their shields, forcing them to scatter to the sides.

A path opened.

Clatter-.

Do-hyeon didn’t bother picking up his shield and simply dashed forward.

“Stop him! Ugh!”

“Argh!?”

“What brute force is this…!”

A few people tried to block him belatedly, throwing themselves in his way, but they couldn’t withstand Do-hyeon’s charge and were either flung aside or knocked over.

After breaking through in an instant, Do-hyeon extended his hand once again.

Whoosh-.

“Ah?!”

“Goodness, that scared me!”

The shield came flying back along the path he had carved out, forcing the scattered enemies to open up a path once again, like Moses parting the Red Sea.

By the time they came to their senses, Do-hyeon was already far away.

“…He’s fast.”

“Really fast.”

The scouts, watching the scene with stunned expressions, were at a loss.

‘What just happened? What did we even see?’

‘Wait, wasn’t he a recent Raven graduate? Does this make any sense?’

‘What kind of damage… What traits or deity did he pick, for crying out loud? And that weapon—what is it? An S-rank reward?’

‘Wow, this is nuts.’

They had heard rumors about Kaiser.

They had even prepared strategies and precautions, but those efforts had been utterly crushed.

The overwhelming power was one thing, but the skill and ingenuity with which it was wielded were on a different level.

Having been utterly outclassed, they scratched their heads in frustration.

“…What do we even report about this?”

“Writing a report feels like a headache. Will anyone even believe it?”

“I don’t care, damn it. I’ll just write a statement of regret….”

Their grimacing faces reflected their unease about the foreseeable future.

* * *

[You have entered the City of Promise, Brion.]

[Tip: If your Karma is too high, consider visiting the temple!]

Whew.

Do-hyeon let out a short breath upon entering Brion.

Jihad and Elisa, who had hurriedly caught up with him, wiped the sweat off their foreheads and voiced their complaints.

– That startled me. What were those guys, master?! Why did they suddenly pick a fight?

– Liza-Liza!

The two, clueless about the situation, had every right to be baffled.

From their perspective, they had been resting peacefully only to step into a world suddenly turned hostile.

This time, Do-hyeon didn’t ignore them and kindly explained.

“It’s like this. I’ve unintentionally become famous, so I’ve gained a lot of enemies.”

– Enemies? You mean the Outsiders have marked you?

“Something like that.”

– …So, does that mean this will keep happening? Ugh, I hate the sound of that.

– Liza…

Their understanding was quicker than expected.

Imagining what the future might hold, Jihad and Elisa openly grimaced in distaste. Seeing them, Do-hyeon chuckled and casually remarked.

“I hate it too. I have no intention of dealing with this forever.”

– But you said they’ve marked you. How will you stop it?

“Simple. I’ll make sure they can’t.”

– How?

Jihad tilted his head in confusion, and Do-hyeon smirked.

In DemRock, he had faced countless enemies like this. How many hyenas and wolves had he encountered on his way to the top rank?

Just counting the ones who tried to stab him in the back could fill several trucks.

The solution had always been the same.

“I’ll grow stronger—so strong that they won’t even dare to meet my gaze.”

– Ah.

Humans inherently respond to strength and weakness.

It’s not a bad thing; it’s instinctive.

Since the primitive era, when survival often depended on assessing one’s opponent, such tendencies were essential.

This principle applies to all creatures, not just humans.

– Understood.

Jihad, whose instincts were sharper than most, understood immediately.

As a Guardian whose traits even explicitly stated “strong against the weak,” Jihad’s reaction was expected.

‘This is all because my current position is ambiguous.’

Who would dare challenge someone like Myeolsal or Arther?

Both had the status of being part of the top ten guilds and demonstrated overwhelming personal power.

Meanwhile, what about Do-hyeon?

‘They must find me tempting.’

To them, Do-hyeon was like a golden goblin.

The reward for taking him down would be immense compared to the risk.

Once the top rank? Exceptional control skills?

That was all fine and good, but for now, wasn’t he just a newbie who had barely entered Brion?

And taking down a newbie could potentially skyrocket their status?

‘Oh, jackpot.’

‘Worth a shot, isn’t it?’

It was a natural thought to have.

So, the solution was to become stronger.

If he regained his former position by becoming stronger, they would naturally leave him alone.

‘I have a reason to level up quickly now.’

At the very least, he needed to reach the max level to stand on the same starting line.

The one fortunate thing was that each city had level restrictions.

This meant there wouldn’t be scenarios where opponents dozens of levels higher ganged up on him, throwing balance out the window.

In that sense, Do-hyeon had confidence.

‘Having faced regular users, I can see just how absurd my stats are right now.’

Currently, Do-hyeon was only at level 27, but his stats were higher than the graduation level of 35.

On top of that, he had Thousand Transformations and unique traits, so he wasn’t afraid of anyone coming at him.

“Look over there…”

“No way, is that Kaiser? Wow, it’s my first time seeing Kaiser.”

“Should I ask for an autograph?”

“Shh. Look at how the scouts are glaring. Let’s stay out of trouble and avoid them.”

Thus, when he entered Brion and became the center of attention, Do-hyeon walked confidently.

The more attention he drew, the less he cared.

“Tsk, if only we weren’t inside the city…”

“What can we do? Fighting here means straight to jail.”

“But is it true that he broke through a group from the neighboring area in just 10 seconds?”

“Come on, that has to be an exaggeration. They probably made it up out of embarrassment.”

As long as this was Brion, no one could so much as touch a hair on Do-hyeon.

While God of Savior didn’t intervene in field PKs, its rules changed dramatically in cities.

Although there were some differences between cities, assault usually led to jail time.

And murder?

‘They say you’d pretty much have to delete your character if you don’t have connections.’

That was why, despite being watched by hundreds of scouts and even more curious players, no one approached Do-hyeon.

Step, step.

The users parted like the Red Sea, as if witnessing the miracle of Moses.

And in the middle, Do-hyeon’s party walked confidently, as if on a red carpet.

Everyone’s eyes were on them.

Jihad let out his signature *kirrk-* noise in excitement, quickly covering his mouth.

Still, he couldn’t hide his twitching lips and was grinning widely.

– Ahem. This feels pretty good.

– Liza-Liza!

“Quietly follow me.”

– Tch, you’re always picking on me… By the way, where are we going? Wait, that’s…

As they approached their destination, Jihad’s expression hardened.

Majestic—that was the only word to describe it.

Its overwhelming holiness and sheer size naturally evoked awe.

It was a temple.

As befitting a city also known as the “City of Divinity,” Brion housed numerous temples.

But among all those temples, none could compare to this one.

‘Lair Grand Temple.’

Brion’s landmark and symbol, the Lair Grand Temple.

The largest temple in Brion and home to its strongest priests and holy knights.

Even foreign monarchs couldn’t treat it lightly. This was the Lair Grand Temple.

“What’s this? They’re going to the Grand Temple?”

“Why are they heading there?”

“What do you mean why? Who doesn’t visit the Grand Temple in Brion? Maybe Kaiser’s going for his class quest.”

“Does Kaiser even need a god? He might really be jobless.”

“Yeah, sure. Keep talking nonsense.”

As Do-hyeon headed toward the temple, murmurs filled the air.

“A class quest… What’s Kaiser’s class?”

“I heard he’s a swordsman.”

“He uses all kinds of weapons, though.”

“Haven’t you seen the NewTube videos? He parries, so he’s clearly a swordsman. Using all weapons is probably just a Weapon Master trait or something.”

“What? Kaiser has a NewTube channel? I need to check it out as soon as I log out.”

“Which god do you think he chose?”

“Obviously a Mythical God, right? Considering his actions, that would make sense.”

“Maybe. But he hasn’t shown any unique abilities, so it’s hard to tell.”

Speculations buzzed among the crowd.

As Do-hyeon stood at the entrance of the Grand Temple, a guard approached him.

“What brings you here?”

“I’m here to see the High Priest.”

“Do you have an appointment?”

“No.”

The guard, speaking in a rigid tone, shook his head.

“I’m sorry, but without an appointment, you cannot meet the High Priest. If you have other business, I’ll assist you.”

His tone was so firm that it might have intimidated anyone, even if they did have an appointment.

However, Do-hyeon remained unfazed.

Calmly, he retrieved something from his inventory and discreetly showed it to the guard.

“I found this. I think I need to discuss it with the High Priest.”

“This is…?”

“If the High Priest still refuses to meet me after seeing this, I’ll leave.”

“…Please wait a moment.”

The rigid guard hurriedly went inside.

A few minutes passed as they waited.

By the time it would take to cook instant noodles, the guard returned.

But he wasn’t alone—two priests accompanied him, their expressions urgent.

Upon spotting Do-hyeon, they immediately asked, “Are you the one who brought ‘that’?”

“Yes.”

“Ah… I see. Apologies for making you wait. The High Priest wishes to see you immediately. Please, come this way.”

“Understood.”

Then, one of the priests cautiously asked, glancing at Do-hyeon’s companions.

“And these people?”

“They’re with me.”

“Very well. This way, please…”

The priests and the guard guided Do-hyeon inside, their movements discreet, avoiding attention.

Creak. Slam.

As they disappeared inside, the players who had been holding their breath finally began to talk.

Their faces were filled with confusion, as this was a scene they had never witnessed before.

“What’s going on? Did the priests just come out to greet him?”

“He said he’s meeting the High Priest. Do High Priests even meet regular players?”

“They do meet a few… I guess.”

It was astonishing enough for the priests to come out, but the fact that Do-hyeon was meeting the High Priest so easily was even more shocking.

Unless they were in priest or holy knight-related professions, most players couldn’t meet the High Priest, even by the time they graduated from Brion.

“Who’s met the High Priest in Brion?”

“Notable ones include Myeolsal, most of the top 10 guilds, Berge, and Arther. Jennifer from Phoenix and Baekdusan probably met him too.”

Counting on his fingers, a player folded them back down and added,

“…It’s rare either way. I’d guess maybe ten thousand players have met the High Priest.”

“And if you exclude those in related professions?”

“Probably… less than a thousand officially.”

“Insane…”

In a game with 1 billion players, only about a thousand had met the High Priest.

And Do-hyeon managed to do it shortly after arriving in Brion.

Gulp.

The sound of someone swallowing echoed.

The anticipation in their gazes clearly conveyed their thoughts.

“Nothing he does is ordinary.”

“Does anyone else feel like Kaiser’s about to pull off something huge again?”

“Will he dethrone Berge, just like he did Myeolsal?”

“Dethroning Berge might be a stretch… but since it’s Kaiser, it’s exciting. I’m subscribing and waiting. I hope he uploads a video about this.”

The world awaited Kaiser’s next move, wondering what spectacle he would deliver this time.