Chapter 282
Chapter 282
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 282
Chapter Title: SS Grade (2)
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After the raid, compiling the list announced by the World Association yielded the following results.
Total number of rankers: 1,000.
- Non-participants: 343.
- Deserters: 220.
- Fatalities: 142.
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= Number of surviving ranker participants: 295.
In other words, 343 didn't show up from the start, whether due to the dungeon excuse or whatever.
220 fled midway due to the Joo Dong-hoon issue or out of fear, 142 died in combat, and 295 stayed until the end, cheering in victory.
It was a bitter outcome.
More than half of those who had swaggered around basking in the respect and envy of people worldwide turned out to be cowards.
Some shouted, [It was just the Skeleton Emperor's personal history!], trying to defend themselves.
But regardless of the reason, the fact remained that they had turned their backs on humanity in the face of world-ending catastrophe.
If the dragon hadn't been slain, humanity would have walked the path to extinction.
"The World Association designates a total of 563 non-participants and deserters to the blacklist for five years."
Blacklist.
A new concept introduced by the World Association this time.
Aira had devised it. Remember the perks existing rankers received?
- Tax exemptions.
- Free use of high-end class on flights.
- State guest-level treatment in any country, with the finest hotel suites.
- Cards with an annual limit of 1 billion.
- Gourmet restaurants, and so on.
The moment one was added to the blacklist, all that was naturally revoked.
But that wasn't all.
They could no longer set foot in domestic or World Association branches worldwide.
No guild holding blacklisted members would receive dungeon bidding rights.
For hunters swarming with dungeon enthusiasts, it was a massive penalty.
However.
To be honest, Aira didn't have many cards to play.
The 563 hunters were all rankers.
Rankers who lived lavishly enough not to flinch at such penalties.
Dungeons?
They could just raid unidentified ones.
Truly high-level dungeons rarely even went up for bid.
In the end, those were the dungeons only they could resolve.
And beyond that?
Most high-level intel handled by the Association came from rankers' mouths.
Meaning the Association had no choice but to rely on rankers.
So the condition they offered was this.
"However, those providing SS-grade or higher information, or donating a certain amount or more to the disaster management fund... may have penalties reduced at the Association's discretion."
They were in a position where they couldn't impose real penalties anyway.
Ultimately, the Association was inevitably in the weaker spot.
One might expect backlash calling it a limp-wristed punishment compared to the initial frostbitten threats, but the world's reaction was surprisingly lenient.
└ Hey, just let them off with that...
└ Yeah... what blacklist?
└ Well, better than nothing. Everyone else fought bravely, so the deserters get what they deserve?
└ ㅋㅋㅋ Still, damn, I'd be pissed.
└ Canceling perks is fair. Perks come with obligations, so why waste Association funds on those guys? Honestly, pampering them as rankers is already too much.
└ True. But they're kinda pitiful too ㅋㅋ
There was mockery and teasing, sure.
But the majority showed them sympathy.
And the reason was this.
['Earth's' strongest race 'Dragonkin' subjugation participated.]
[Hidden condition achieved.]
It was the message that had appeared for the 295 rankers who stayed, and all the regular hunters there.
[Condition: 'Earth Guardian Dragon' subjugation!]
- Briasis is Earth's strongest lifeform and a terrifying existence threatening humanity.
- Challenge the terror predator and test your courage!
- But challenging alone won't do? Survive and subjugate it!
Hidden.
A concealed condition.
And so, the reward only the remainers could claim?
[Congratulations!]
[Awakened by an unknown power.]
[Grade grows by one step.]
Grade growth itself.
The current official highest grade was S-grade.
Officially and unofficially.
Items or bosses occasionally reached SS-grade or higher, but no one's personal specs had ever hit SS-grade.
That limit had now been shattered by this raid.
The 295 remaining rankers.
And some S-grade mages and hunters' ranks had skyrocketed straight to SS-grade.
The deserters who heard the news went mad with rage.
"What? They all rose to SS-grade? Not just hyper rankers, but everyone who stayed?"
"All of them? No way that's possible!"
"Even the ones who barely participated and collapsed whining got SS-grade?"
"Crazy, what bullshit is this? This makes no sense!"
They had every reason to feel wronged.
It had been revealed that even the hyper rankers were all just S-grade in this incident.
For everyone to surpass those transcendent beings and reach SS-grade?
How systemically absurd was that!
And it didn't end there.
Apparently, SS-grade itself significantly impacted rankings.
[Rankings updated.]
[Refer to the world ranking board.]
The message appeared in every human's vision worldwide.
The world flipped out, and broadcasters dispatched reporters to the world ranking board.
The result.
[Ranking 1: ???]
[Ranking 2: Demon King Jack Smith]
[Ranking 3: Heavenly Demon Ha Sera]
[Ranking 4: Oxford's Sage Sophia Silverstone]
[Ranking 5: Dungeon Maker Delaila]
This line held firm.
Unchanged.
But.
[Ranking 6: Paladin Aria Yuel]
[Ranking 7: Skeleton Emperor Joo Dong-hoon]
[Ranking 8: Raider Ronnie Williams]
[Ranking 9: Mad Bomber Belkises]
[Ranking 10: White Dragon Soul Murad]
From here, it was completely overturned.
First, the former hyper rankers Grace of Yggdrasil and Spirit Emperor were ousted.
Failing to reach SS-grade, they dropped to 15th and 16th.
At the same time, the former 11th and 12th high rankers Mad Bomber and White Dragon Soul joined the hyper rankers.
"Wow..."
"This is how it shakes out?"
The chaos intensified further down.
For instance.
People jumping from 858th to 210th, or 910th to 321st began appearing.
Conversely.
Those plummeting from 192nd to 401st, or 130th to 340th were plentiful.
A complete upheaval.
The ranking shifts were so drastic that jokes flew about criteria boiling down to [Did you stay until the end of the raid or not?].
└ Turns out the 295 survivors are the real nobility.
└ Yeah, no one's climbing to SS-grade for a while now.
└ ㅋㅋㅋ Even rankers will have castes now. Should've risked it myself?
└ No way, with that many ranker deaths, a regular hunter surviving there?
Like a game limited-time event.
A limited medal, say?
Naturally, rankers who missed that medal were seething.
They who'd risked life and limb every day for opportunities, only to miss the greatest one right in front of them.
That was why Aira attached blacklist mitigation conditions.
Failing to get the hidden reward.
That was their greatest penalty and pain.
"The disaster management fund will aid recovery efforts... but mostly go to the bereaved families of the deceased."
Instead, Aira focused on the victims.
She redirected the perks rankers once enjoyed to the families, issuing certifying medals.
She even poured vast sums into creating a memorial park to console the spirits and soothe the grudges of the dead.
Of course, some grumbled.
Debates raged over ranker treatment.
But it was a pointless topic now.
What was done was done, decided by the top brass—what could anyone do?
The heated boards soon moved on.
└ By the way, Destruction Dragon? What's that? Caused this dragon mess?
└ Dragon said it's super dangerous? Emperor tamed it?
└ You believe that dragon brat?
└ Rewards are rewards, feats are feats, but Skeleton Emperor caused issues too, right? Gotta address that?
Pinpointing the incident's cause and meting out rewards and punishments.
That became the hottest bait.
No, it tried to rise but crashed.
"Hmph."
Because Kim Jin-ah wouldn't let it slide.
She quickly gauged community reactions.
Was Joo Dong-hoon at fault? Or not?
Rough split: 80% yes, 20% no.
If the dragon's emergence pinned on Joo Dong-hoon, objectively he was at fault—but no clear proof.
How to know if the dragon lied? Even if not, it could've awakened anytime for any reason, right?
"He steps up to handle humanity's disaster at the front lines, and what? Rewards and punishments? Ha, ridiculous. And if he's guilty, what're they gonna do?"
So Kim Jin-ah didn't bother explaining.
She just warned those opening their mouths.
- Wanna live? Shut it. Wouldn't want a midnight assassination.
- Pissed? Come at us.
- You're mistaken if you think we're saints catching villains.
- We're a ruthless profit-driven group.
- No reason to let critics live.
Through broadcasts or private channels, she silenced them.
And it worked subtly.
Thanks to Separate Realm's prestige.
Separate Realm's rankers all participated in the raid and didn't flee.
The result.
[Separate Realm Ranker List: 19]
1. Ranking 7: Skeleton Emperor Joo Dong-hoon
2. Ranking 14: Berserker Jang Dae-woong
3. Ranking 60: Thunderclap Phloa
4. Ranking 72: Dragon Knight Matt Gerald
5. Ranking 86: Dark Emperor Gi So-yul
6. Ranking 99: Medicine Lord Ji Do-ik
7. Ranking 103: White Magician Do Ha-rang
8. Ranking 153: Earth Witch Emily Strip
9. Ranking 161: Iron Fist Bong Jae-young
10. Ranking 201: Fighting Tiger Adrian Frankel
11. Ranking 221: Spring Apostle Myoi Hana
12. Ranking 231: Twin Blades Lauren
13. Ranking 271: Guide Kapu
14. Ranking 281: Gladiator Christian Guilliam
15. Ranking 282: Absolute Invincibility Maximilian
16. Ranking 291: Shadow Secret Ninomae Noa
17. Ranking 345: The Druid Kwon So-ye
18. Ranking 356: Asura Im Soo-jin
19. Ranking 397: Poet of Prague Agnes
All stormed into the top 400.
In one leap, they'd become a massive ranker cartel.
Stronger than most top hunter nations.
No bold hunter dared point fingers at such a group.
Bitter, but that was reality.
That was why Kim Jin-ah built power.
"No matter how I think, it pisses me off. Why's it guild master's fault the dragon woke? Dragon's fault."
Kim Jin-ah grumbled.
The earthquake damages and casualties were murky, but natural disasters.
They couldn't have known, and it was humanity's inevitable trial anyway.
Frankly, guild master led in handling such calamities.
'If anyone tries to trip him publicly over this.'
What then?
Same boat.
Fight.
* * *
I woke three days after the raid ended.
Cause of blackout: cerebral hypoxia.
Exams showed no health issues.
Eyes a bit swollen.
As the light faded, messages greeted me: SS-grade achieved, world ranking 7th.
And across from those messages stood a man and woman.
'Those people.'
Holy shit.
Demon King and Heavenly Demon.
Here to gripe about me eating the dragon?
Sorry, but first things first.
'Arin.'
"Groan."
As I straightened up with effort, Demon King and Heavenly Demon looked at me.
"You're awake?"
"......"
I gave them a light nod in greeting, then swiftly attempted to summon Arin.