The Return of the Genius Ranker of All Times - Chapter 48

Chapter 48

As soon as he lowered his fist, a message popped up like a ghost.

– Why, Master?

The message didn’t match at all with Jihad’s innocent gaze as he looked up at him.

‘Did I see it wrong?’

For a moment, Do-hyeon doubted his own eyes. Jihad looked so natural, as if his loyalty had risen, peaceful enough to believe it.

Rubbing his eyes, thinking he might have been mistaken, the message was still there.

Just in case, Do-hyeon raised his fist again,

Flinch.

[Your loyalty has increased by +1.]

Jihad’s body trembled slightly for a moment, and his loyalty increased once again.

Swoosh.

[Your loyalty has decreased by -1.]

And when he lowered his fist, loyalty dropped like a ghost again.

In this absurd situation, something involuntarily escaped Do-hyeon’s throat and came out in a loud voice.

“This… crazy brat…”

– M-Master. I’ll go and pick up the items!

Sensing the eerie atmosphere, Jihad hurriedly ran off to gather the items, ending the situation.

Even though his hurried retreat was absurd, the cheerful notification sound announcing the increase in loyalty was even more baffling.

Unable to suppress his disbelief, Do-hyeon let out a hollow laugh.

‘Is this the Opportunist trait?’

It was a trait that lived up to the word “legend” in every way for a Guardian.

Only after being beaten hundreds of times did Jihad give up on betraying him…

Either way, since his loyalty had increased by one, and he was obedient, Do-hyeon decided to let it slide with a sigh.

‘Well, at least he listens.’

Like most RPGs, God of Savior was a game where players had to pick up items manually.

Special rewards or contribution-based rewards were automatically distributed, but in general, players had to pick up items themselves.

In parties, items were distributed in turns based on contribution…

‘I’ve been thinking about whether there was a pet function, but this is better.’

Although it was likely for the sake of realism, it was honestly a bit of a hassle.

In that context, acquiring a decent pet was a welcome development. Not just an average one, but a truly excellent pet.

Whoosh—whoosh—.

[The trait Quick Hands has activated.]

[You have acquired the Fang of the Giant Spider.]

[You have acquired the Hide of the Red Goblin of the Forest.]

……

“…?”

True to its name, Quick Hands, Jihad swiftly gathered junk items at an incredible speed.

Maybe it was because of his small size, but seeing him nimbly sweeping up everything made Do-hyeon understand why some fantasy settings cast goblins as thieves.

‘He might be more useful than I thought.’

It was the moment Do-hyeon acquired an excellent auto-pet.

* * *

The efficiency of the auto-pet exceeded expectations.

Slice—

[You have slain the Blue Goblin of the Forest.]

“Jihad.”

– Yes!

Whoosh—whoosh—.

[The trait Quick Hands has activated.]

[You have acquired the Hide of the Blue Goblin of the Forest.]

Once a monster was slain, all Do-hyeon had to do was call Jihad, and he would collect the loot, allowing Do-hyeon to focus on hunting without worrying about junk items.

Picking up items once or twice is manageable, but doing it repeatedly would end up consuming quite a bit of time.

However, leaving the items behind would mean throwing away potential money… a painful loss.

[You have slain the Red Goblin of the Forest.]

[You have slain the Giant Centipede.]

Whoosh—whoosh—.

[You have acquired the Fragment of the Giant Centipede.]

[You have acquired the Claw of the Red Goblin of the Forest.]

But now?

Without a care, all Do-hyeon had to do was advance and burst monsters left and right, while Jihad would swiftly gather everything in tow.

Considering Do-hyeon’s impressive hunting speed, it was insane how fast Jihad collected items.

“Hey, be honest. Aren’t you more of a thief than a shaman?”

– How could you compare me to such a lowly thief! Isn’t that too harsh, Master?

“I mean, it’s just not logical. Why are your hands so fast?”

– Ahem… Well, I am a bit quick. There’s probably no one among the shamans faster than me at spellcasting.

Pleased by the compliment, Jihad puffed out his chest and let out a proud sound.

Normally, it would have been an unpleasant sight, but this time, Do-hyeon had to acknowledge it.

He had just discovered Jihad’s unexpected talent.

‘Was Quick Hands an even more incredible trait than I thought?’

It wasn’t just about casting magic faster, it seemed to enhance everything related to the hands.

At this level, there would surely be a high demand for it.

Thanks to this, hunting continued smoothly, but Do-hyeon’s level still hadn’t risen.

‘How come my level hasn’t gone up at all? It’s progressing slower than I thought.’

Now, there were no more hunting quests that provided a lot of experience.

Grinding in the village would be tedious, and continuing to hunt this way could take hours.

With two levels left until graduation, it was an unexpected obstacle.

No wonder people joked that starting from level 20, the experience bar doubled in size.

“Sigh… It would be great if I could fight a boss. But the elite mobs haven’t respawned yet…”

It’s not time to face a field boss yet…

Dungeon raids were annoying and time-consuming, and during moments like these, nothing was better than elite monsters.

Just as dungeons sometimes had elite monsters appear, field hunting grounds also had elite monsters appear besides bosses.

While defeating one wouldn’t level him up completely, it was better than taking down several groups of regular mobs. Thinking of it as bonus experience was enough.

The only problem was that elite monsters only appeared at certain times and in specific areas.

‘In the western forest, it’s usually at 12:00, 18:00, and 21:00.’

Three times a day.

With so many players but only three spawn times, it was like trying to catch a star from the sky to get a chance at hunting them.

Even though the rewards weren’t that special, the experience was substantial enough that they were considered valuable. That’s why so many players were eager to hunt them.

‘With two levels to go… do I have to check out a dungeon after all?’

In Raven, every person he met was a villain…

Since Do-hyeon had to hide the fact that he was the All Master, he preferred not to form parties, but at this rate, it seemed like it might take all day.

Just as the balance was tilting towards accepting reality…

– Hm? Elite mobs? Are you talking about those elite monsters, Master?

Jihad’s sudden voice pulled Do-hyeon out of his thoughts.

He had heard Jihad had been hiding for hundreds of years.

Still, as a former boss, it made sense that he knew about elite monsters. It was surprising, but not enough to be shocking.

“Yeah, though they’re harder to find than stars these days.”

Do-hyeon was about to casually answer and move on.

That is, until Jihad’s next words.

– I know where they are.

“…What?”

Do-hyeon’s gaze instinctively shifted to Jihad.

Jihad, meeting his gaze, tilted his head as if he truly couldn’t understand the confusion.

– You mean the warriors of the tribe, right? Why can’t you find them? They never leave, except for the ones exiled.

“…Exiled? Never leave?”

– Yeah. Unless they’re exiled, they never leave the tribe’s territory.

“Wait.”

If what he said was true…

No, more importantly, how could he know such a thing?

In response to Do-hyeon’s unspoken question, Jihad shrugged coolly.

– Of course I know, Master. I used to rule this forest. There’s nothing in this forest I don’t know. Unless they moved their entire territory, they should still be there.

“Oh my god.”

– Hm?

“You… You’re more capable than I thought.”

– Heh! Finally, you’re recognizing it, Master. Should I take you to them right now?

Do-hyeon nodded enthusiastically.

For the first time, Jihad truly seemed impressive to him.

* * *

The Forest Goblin Warrior.

Any player who lived in Raven knew about this elite monster.

It belonged to the same warrior class as the ‘Mutant Goblin Warrior’ from Arde that Do-hyeon had struggled with, making it a monster everyone hoped to encounter.

It wasn’t just the experience points; it was mostly because of the rewards.

‘They drop a downgraded version of the Warrior Set.’

Compared to the Mutant Goblin Warrior Set, its options and grade were lacking, but its higher level requirement made it a pretty decent piece of equipment.

The effect wasn’t limited to goblins, and considering the next city, it was practically a pre-graduation item.

On top of that, because they were so rare, their drop rates were surprisingly high.

It wasn’t without reason that the place became packed with players every time these monsters respawned.

However, the Forest Goblin Warriors had one peculiar characteristic.

[Red Goblin Warrior of the Forest]

– Title: Elite Monster

– Type: Goblin

– Trait: Warrior

– Description: A great goblin warrior from the Red Tribe.

Only the greatest warriors of the tribe can bear the title of Warrior. Known for their exceptional greatsword skills and ferocity.

[Blue Goblin Warrior of the Forest]

– Title: Elite

Monster

– Type: Goblin

– Trait: Warrior

– Description: A great goblin warrior from the Blue Tribe.

Only the greatest warriors of the tribe can bear the title of Warrior. Known for their exceptional longsword skills and high stamina.

Red Tribe or Blue Tribe Warrior.

It was randomly determined.

There was no set rule. One of the two warriors appeared at random.

Occasionally, both would appear at the same time.

“Complete gamble.”

That’s why players referred to this as a gamble.

Given the nature of this place, where parties were usually formed, the advantages and disadvantages would change depending on whether a Red or Blue Goblin Warrior appeared, hence the name.

The Blue Goblin Warrior had fast HP recovery and high stamina, requiring significant damage output, while the Red Goblin Warrior needed a reliable tank to manage aggro.

Thus, parties hunting these warriors would usually consist of the most standard, textbook members.

‘As long as you have a tank, DPS, and healer, it doesn’t matter which shows up.’

While it might not allow for the fastest clear time, this setup ensured there were no losses.

That way, even if both warriors appeared, they could be taken down easily.

‘Some people even use this gamble to predict their luck for the day?’

If the warrior they guessed showed up, they’d say their day was off to a good start. And if both warriors appeared, they’d declare it a lucky day.

Given the abundance of crazy players in the community, odd stories like that occasionally circulated, but it was a behavior practiced by only a few users.

Do-hyeon had tried something similar before, but he wasn’t one of those people.

– What do you think, Master? Aren’t those the ones?

“Yeah, that’s right.”

Ignoring Jihad, who was brimming with pride, Do-hyeon gulped.

‘This is insane.’

He had answered coolly to maintain his dignity, but inwardly, he was truly astonished.

And it was no wonder.

Kirrk! Kirrk!

Kurrk! Kerrk!

‘How many are there?’

Instead of finding just one as he had expected, there was a whole group of warriors gathered.

From a distance alone, there were five of them.

Do-hyeon was certain there would be even more gathered deeper in.

[Habitat of the Warriors]

[You have discovered the hidden field, ‘Habitat of the Warriors,’ for the first time.]

[You will receive a bonus for the first discovery.]

[Successfully defeating the first encounter will guarantee the drop of a boss-related equipment item.]

[Experience is increased by +20%.]

[Drop rates are increased by +20%.]

It was a hidden field, blatantly named “Habitat of the Warriors.”