The Return of the Genius Ranker of All Times - Chapter 60
Chapter 60.
Rank 1.
The pinnacle position every ranker dreams of.
Just like the overall rankings, the competition for the ranking in the Graduation Quest was fierce.
From Myeolsal to Arther, Slayer, Heavenly Demon, Berge…
The city’s ranking was a constant battle among renowned rankers whose names alone carried weight.
It was so intense that even those in the top 20 could suddenly lose their scores at any moment.
Although they couldn’t topple the towering castles of the top 10 guilds, there were always extraordinary talents and physical prodigies rising through the ranks.
These players proved their skills by conquering city rankings, with some reclaiming top 10 positions or, rarely, even seizing the number one spot.
“Crazy…”
However, there were a few cities where such logic didn’t apply.
Cities where a throne’s owner displayed supreme majesty, never relinquishing their rank since their initial ascent.
One such throne belonged to Raven.
While rankings elsewhere might fluctuate, the significance of being rank 1 in Raven was unparalleled.
The current most popular player, Myeolsal.
This was the place where he had first attempted and succeeded in solo-killing a boss.
“Myeolsal lost his rank…?”
“That’s impossible!”
Since achieving the milestone of the first solo boss kill, he had never lost his rank as number one.
It was an accomplishment that solidified Myeolsal’s current stature.
But now, that myth had been shattered for the first time.
“Who on earth… huh? Kaiser?”
“Don’t tell me it’s that Kaiser??”
“Wait, but look at the score. 1,471… this is insane! Is this even a real score!?”
And the one to do it was a name that once wrote legends in DemRock.
Whether the name was genuine or not was irrelevant.
Bzzzt.
Bzzzzt.
“Ah, yes! Guild leader.”
“Manager Jin Tae-hyung speaking.”
“Yes, I’m on-site now…”
“Understood, sir. I’ll find out what happened immediately.”
Even after ending one call, the incessant ringing of communications left them no room to breathe.
The situation was several times more chaotic than when Philbo disappeared, forcing them to act swiftly.
This whirlwind brought a fresh breeze into the once-calm God of Savior.
And that wind spread not only to active players but even to those who weren’t currently logged in.
The news had reached the central hub of information: the official God of Savior homepage.
[Myeolsal Falls, A New Monarch Appears!?]
[The Throne of the First Trial, Symbol of Myeolsal, Reclaimed! Who is the New Monarch?]
[A Great Storm Hits Raven—What Changes Lie Ahead?]
[The Identity of the New Ruler—Is It Someone We All Know?]
Although the headlines were sensational, the initial response from netizens was lukewarm.
– RekKaSirryot: “Here we go again, clickbait.”
– DisbeliefMaxLevel: “Falling monarch, new king? Pfft… who even buys this stuff?”
– MyeolsalToeLicker1Billion: “Kaiser? Yeah, right. LOL.”
They had encountered such exaggerated headlines too many times before.
But as always, sensational titles are irresistible.
Whether out of curiosity or to see how ridiculous the story was this time, people clicked.
And the moment they checked it—
– RekKaSirryot: “Whoa, it’s real!?”
– DisbeliefMaxLevel: “Rank 1 actually changed? Wait, Myeolsal got pushed down!?”
– YourPoopColorTube: “What the… is this for real?”
– RealFact: “This is legit.”
The God of Savior gallery erupted into chaos.
Every refresh brought new posts, and every article and news piece racked up views.
“Hurry and publish the article!”
“This is gold. Just write something—anything—and put it out there!”
In a situation where nothing could match the traffic frenzy, journalists eagerly churned out sensational content, and users consumed the news ravenously.
– GOSRanker: “So, who’s number one now?”
– UltimateFallenWarrior: “Damn it, if you’re gonna spread this, at least tell us who the new rank 1 is!”
People naturally focused their curiosity on the culprit behind this upheaval.
Who was the person capable of dethroning Myeolsal and taking the number one spot?
Fortunately, that question was answered quickly.
– Hey, there’s info! This is crazy for real.
– What is it? Who is it!? Tell me!
A follow-up article was posted, and rumors spread from players who had been in the western forest of Raven.
– The new rank 1 is Kaiser!
– And they’re apparently S-Rank!?
– Their score is more than double Myeolsal’s!
The moment this information was revealed—
– ??
– ????
– ???
Countless hooks were thrown into the water.
And for good reason.
– Kaiser? You mean that Kaiser?
– Why is Kaiser suddenly making an appearance?
– Didn’t that guy quit gaming?
Kaiser. Who was he?
Wasn’t he once the overwhelming rank 1 player known as a god?
Since God of Savior was the sequel to DemRock, the name “Kaiser” carried tremendous weight.
– Wait, who’s Kaiser again?
– Sounds vaguely familiar… is he famous?
– What’s the big deal, nerds? Why are you all so noisy?
However, DemRock was a failed game.
While the names of DemRock rankers were well-known in its early days, many current players had no idea who Kaiser was.
It was a natural progression.
In the 1 year and 6 months during which he did not appear, God of Savior had become a game enjoyed by a billion people.
This was on a completely different level from DemRock, which was played by at most tens of millions worldwide.
Not to mention, the decline of DemRock, which had become a dead game struggling to hit even double-digit concurrent users…
– Wow, these days people don’t know Kaiser.
– The end times are upon us.”
– God of Savior users who don’t know Kaiser… this is like bean paste bread without the bean paste.
– Stop over-glorifying him, geez.
– Over-glorifying? You must’ve never played DemRock, huh? Caught you, you troll.
– Even if you didn’t play DemRock, any early God of Savior player would know who he is, tsk tsk.”
– Oh yeah, I vaguely remember people going nuts, asking why Kaiser wasn’t playing back when all the old DemRock rankers were being re-examined.
To players who remembered Kaiser, the lack of recognition felt unacceptable, and the ensuing cognitive dissonance caused chaos in the forums.
Nostalgic fans reminiscing about Kaiser clashed with those dismissing the “idolization” of him.
Normally, the trolls would have won such arguments, but this time was different.
– Forget glorification, just look at the score. Isn’t that enough of an answer?
– No need to argue. The rankings say it all.
– For real, it’s overwhelming. RIP Myeolsal~.
– King, Emperor… they’re just humans before a god.
– I was the guy who bet my left nut that Kaiser would defeat Myeolsal in 10 seconds a year and a half ago. I kept my nut. Thank you.
– Myeolsal will remember this day.
Rank 1, with a score of 1,471 and an S-rank record.
It was an undeniable and clear achievement.
No matter how much one argued, the simple statement “Rank 1 is Kaiser” ended the conversation.
As a result, people stopped discussing how amazing Kaiser was.
Instead, they focused on something else.
– So, is this really the Kaiser we know?
– I mean… I find it hard to believe. No news for so long, then suddenly this?
– But looking at the score, it’s hard to believe it’s anyone but Kaiser.
– Seriously, every time I see the score, I’m baffled. 1,471 points? How does that even happen? Is that a real score?
– For real though; isn’t Raven’s Graduation Quest just hunting the Philbo? That’s supposed to max out at around 700 points.
– 700 points? He doubled that, LOL.
– So it’s possible to get an S-rank in Raven? I thought even A-rank was practically impossible no matter what you did.
– I really want to see Myeolsal’s reaction to this.
– For real LOL, losing rank 1 by double the score? Myeolsal’s fans must be going crazy.
The ridiculousness of the score naturally drew attention.
– Which means… no matter how you think about it, right?
– Wow… I thought I’d never see him again, but to witness this moment in my life.”
– Everyone, take off your clothes and scream!
It was a moment people found hard to believe, an unprecedented event in God of Savior’s history, and it was sending a clear message.
– Kaiser has returned!
– The god has returned!
The undisputed number one of DemRock.
The true owner of the glorious throne.
Kaiser, who had become a forgotten hero of the past, was back.
At that moment, the name “Kaiser” was vividly etched into the minds of God of Savior players.
Bang!
And it wasn’t just the ordinary players.
“Move quickly!!”
“How is it possible that no one knew Kaiser had reached rank 1 in Raven until now? There were dozens of users near the Spider’s Web!”
“Catch him, no matter what! If another guild snatches him up, we’re all doomed.”
“What the hell were you doing in Arde until now? Why are you only stirring up trouble now?”
The news spread like wildfire, even reaching the leaders of guilds.
From mid-sized guilds to the major ones that everyone knew by name… countless guilds jumped into action.
The top 10 guilds, with their cumbersome processes and mutual wariness, were likely hesitating, so the rest had to act swiftly.
‘What kind of insane score is this… is this the true skill of the former top ranker?’
‘So it’s possible to get an S-rank in Raven?’
‘This is seriously crazy…’
Kaiser was a catch worth pursuing.
Not just any catch, but a once-in-a-lifetime prize capable of elevating a guild’s status by at least one tier.
‘But no matter how incredible Kaiser is, he’s starting a year and a half late. Overturning the established order is impossible.’
‘Kaiser probably knows that too.’
‘This is a declaration. A statement that he’s back, daring anyone to satisfy him.’
‘If the top 10 guilds move, it’ll be too late. We need to scout him first. If that fails, at least we need to leave a good impression!’
For them, this was the only chance.
Of course, not everything in life goes as planned.
Kaiser could become the sweetest fruit they could imagine, but if things went wrong, he could become the deadliest poison.
‘If it really doesn’t work… it might be better to destroy him than let someone else have him.’
‘The guild that takes Kaiser will become the next top contender. If we can’t claim that symbolism, it’s better to take it all down.’
At that time, Kaiser’s low level would become a critical factor.
Prepared for anything that might happen, they moved with lightning speed, converging on a single place as if prearranged.
The City of Promise, Brion.
The second city on the main continent, where the stage of Abtartel truly begins.
“We made it! We’re first in line!”
“Damn, look at those rat-like bastards swarming in.”
“Hey, no cutting in line!”
“What? You wanna fight? Do you even know which guild we are, you insolent wretch?”
The area in front of the warp point, which marked the beginning of the city, was crowded with scouts.
The narrow warp point was packed with hundreds of users, drawing scowls from passing players.
“What’s with those people? Why are they all gathered here?”
“Ugh, how annoying… it’s probably some guild nonsense.”
“Haven’t you heard? Kaiser came back. He hit rank 1 in Raven right after returning, and now everyone’s scrambling to recruit him.”
“Kaiser? No way, that Kaiser?”
“Whoa… I saw the rankings, but it was real?”
As word naturally spread among the players, more discussions arose.
“Damn guild people, they’ve never had a shred of decency. Do I have to put up with noise pollution even in a game?”
“Ugh, I guess I’ll just avoid this mess.”
“Let’s watch. I wanna see who manages to recruit him.”
“I need to finish a quest… but I can’t miss this. Let’s go.”
Some grumbled and moved on, but many were curious to see who would emerge victorious in this fierce competition.
How long had it been since the place had become so bustling for so many reasons?
“Kaiser!”
“Huh? Who are you?”
“Ah, sorry… um, are you Kaiser? Could I… uh, sorry!”
Time passed, and instead of thinning out, the crowd only grew larger, becoming an overwhelming sea of people.
Even as they constantly approached strangers to ask, no one had managed to find Kaiser.
At this point, they couldn’t help but question.
“?”
“What’s going on? Why hasn’t he shown up?”