Chapter 290: The Rapid-Fire Ranker (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 290: The Rapid-Fire Ranker (2)
"Y-you are...?!"
Aidan's pupils shook with shock.
He had heard the name so many times his ears were practically calloused, but he never expected to meet the man himself.
Especially not during a raid where he was the raid leader.
"I'm Kang Jinhyuk. You must be the Titan Guild's raid team, correct?"
Jinhyuk introduced himself briefly.
"T-that's correct. I'm Aidan, the raid leader."
"Wow. Wow...! Oh my goodness. I-I'm Mei Ling. I'm the main damage dealer of the raid team."
Mei Ling also stammered in surprise.
Her restless, starstruck behavior made it look like she had just run into a famous celebrity.
"If it's Kang Jinhyuk..."
"Isn't he that ranker from Korea? Look, Jack. That player is Kang Jinhyuk."
"I know. He's all over the media right now, it'd be weirder if I didn't know him."
"They say even the masters of giant guilds show him respect, and it seems the rumors were true. I've never seen Aidan look so intimidated before."
The murmurs among the raid members grew louder.
"What brings you here? I believe our guild left a sign at the entrance of the ruins indicating that we are currently clearing it."
"I saw the flag. However, something unusual is happening inside these ruins, so I had to intervene."
"Something unusual?"
"Haven't you noticed it too, Aidan? The monsters in these ruins are exceptionally difficult to deal with."
"Y-yes. I did think something was off..."
He took the bait.
The corners of Jinhyuk's mouth curled upward.
"I suspect someone has interfered. Otherwise, this doesn't make sense."
"Are you saying those Demonic Humans are up to something?"
Aidan immediately pinned the blame.
After all, they were the only ones who would have a reason to do such a thing.
"Exactly."
Actually, a High Manager raised the difficulty for a test.
"Whoever it is, they must be incredibly wicked and selfish. To raise the difficulty of a floor boss raid—where the future of humanity is at stake—just for their own gain."
And I'm the culprit.
Since he couldn't tell them the truth, he might as well pin it on the Demonic Humans, who were currently beaten to a pulp and hiding somewhere in the Tower.
"To think the Demonic Humans are involved in these ruins. No wonder you said things were unusual."
"Yes. If we're not careful, the entire team could be wiped out."
To be precise, while a wipeout was indeed possible, his main motivation was that he wanted to take down the boss all by himself.
Everyone's eyes turned to Aidan.
It was a decision that could lead to the worst-case scenario: a total wipeout.
After a brief moment of hesitation, Aidan made his decision.
"Understood. The difficulty inside the ruins has indeed risen abnormally compared to what we knew. Since Player Kang Jinhyuk is also warning us of the danger, I cannot afford to let pride get the better of me."
Oh?
Look at this guy.
He's giving up much easier than I expected.
"A wise choice..."
"However,"
Aidan added.
"Even if we leave the boss to you, please allow us to hunt at least one named monster."
Aidan was looking for a justification.
If the Titan Guild could contribute to defeating a named monster in a ruin that even Jinhyuk, a top-tier ranker, deemed dangerous...
...then this wouldn't be a failed raid.
Rather, it would be a meaningful achievement accomplished under the worst possible circumstances.
Having calculated all of this, Aidan had proposed the best deal he could make.
I might be wandering around as I please, but technically, I am intruding on someone else's turf.
Nowadays, the ownership of ruins and dungeons was recognized worldwide.
Guilds claimed the numerous dungeons on each floor first, and those rights were bought and sold.
"Alright. I don't mind that much."
Jinhyuk nodded.
As long as it wasn't the boss, it was fine.
Besides, he wanted to establish a friendly relationship with at least one of the major guilds.
* * *
With Jinhyuk joining, the raid team's formation was reorganized.
"We will pave the way to where the named monster is. Player Kang Jinhyuk, please conserve your mana and use it when it matters most."
"Huh? No, you don't have to go that far..."
"No, we must pull our own weight."
Aidan said firmly.
Jinhyuk quite liked that Aidan wasn't trying to get a free ride.
His sense of responsibility was commendable too.
On the other hand...
"Ha. Come on, Aidan. Why are you bowing and scraping so much? We're more than enough on our own."
A man with red tattoos on his face sneered, making his discomfort extremely obvious.
The energy radiating from him was by no means inferior to Aidan's or Mei Ling's.
Another S-rank.
Moreover, he possessed a very unfamiliar type of mana.
"Watch your mouth. As the raid leader, this is my decision."
"Yeah, yeah. I just don't get why another S-rank is taking such a submissive stance, that's all."
The man continued to smirk and mock.
"I'm sorry. He recently became an S-rank, so he's still a bit full of himself. I'll make sure to give him a stern warning later."
"It's fine. I suppose it's natural to be brimming with confidence after reaching S-rank."
"Thank you for your understanding."
Soon, the raid team began to descend further into the cave.
Mei Ling, who had been looking for an opportunity to talk to him, scurried over.
"We might be far below your level, Player Kang Jinhyuk, but don't worry too much. We are actually one of the Titan Guild's main raid teams deployed for ruin raids."
"One of the raid teams? Does that mean there are other teams coming behind you?"
"Yes. If our vanguard reached the halfway point and established a base camp, three more raid teams—the main force and the rearguard—were scheduled to be deployed... Though now we're just going to kill the named monster and pull out."
Aidan, Mei Ling, and the obnoxious man with the red tattoos on his face.
With three S-ranks, the vanguard possessed more than enough power—it was practically overkill.
And three more raid teams were supposed to be deployed on top of that...
Once again, Jinhyuk realized just how many rankers large guilds had at their disposal.
Right then.
Mei Ling's chatty expression flipped 180 degrees.
"Everyone, get ready! They're coming!"
As if her body reacted on instinct, Mei Ling thrust her staff forward and began gathering mana.
Rumble, rumble!
"Kieee!"
"Keeek!"
Sharp screeches echoed down the dark passage.
A powerful surge of mana brushed against their skin.
[Mei Ling activates Lv. 17 'Chain Lightning'!]
Mei Ling cast her lightning magic.
At the same time...
Skitter, skitter!
Crackle!
Insects with red carapaces crawled along the walls of the passage.
There were seventeen of them.
But none of them were to be underestimated.
Crackle!
As she formed hand seals, yellow sparks erupted.
Boom!
The lightning pierced through one insect and chained to the next.
It was a powerful lightning spell capable of charring their insides black, but...
"Kieee!"
"Keeek!"
It had only slowed them down momentarily.
The insects were still perfectly fine.
"How...?!"
Mei Ling muttered in disbelief.
But through Jinhyuk's 'Gluttony's Eye', it was plain as day.
He could see their charred flesh rapidly regenerating.
"Prepare your next spell immediately! We'll hold them off in the meantime!"
Then it was the tanks' turn.
[Aidan activates his unique ability, 'Vanguard's Promise'!]
[Physical Defense and Magic Defense increase by 100% for 3 minutes!]
[Monster aggro is focused on the tank line!]
Aidan slammed his raised battle-axe into the ground.
Crash!
The insects that were targeting Mei Ling and the damage dealers immediately changed direction, rushing toward Aidan and the tanks.
Sharp claws, massive shields, and heavy maces clashed head-on.
"Keep the aggro locked down!"
"Heals! Keep the rotation going without a break. Hurry!"
A fierce battle ensued.
A close combat where a single moment of carelessness could lead to death.
Precise, coordinated movements and spectacular area-of-effect attacks unfolded.
In particular, the sight of Mei Ling binding over ten insects while Aidan smashed them with his battle-axe was truly admirable.
However...
At this rate, it'll take all day.
To Jinhyuk, all of this seemed painfully slow.
It wasn't that the Titan Guild's rankers lacked the skills of an S-rank.
It was just...
...in terms of efficiency, their method was terrible.
To deal with insects capable of rapid regeneration, precise, targeted strikes were required, not wide-area attacks.
Perhaps it was because they were facing enemies that were too strong?
Even for S-ranks, their level seemed far too low.
If I wanted to...
Jinhyuk moved.
"W-we can handle this on our own..."
Aidan spoke up hastily.
They already had the upper hand.
With just a little more push, they could break through.
"It's fine. We don't have much time to waste."
Although no one in the raid team had noticed yet, an even larger swarm of insects was heading down the passage.
And at the end of that swarm was the named monster—the butterfly.
Jinhyuk pulled Kruger out from beyond the shimmering space.
He smoothly drew the two silver-hued pistols.
"Guns? Your weapon is guns, Player Kang Jinhyuk?"
Mei Ling's eyes went wide.
She had naturally assumed he would use a sword, but an entirely unexpected weapon had appeared.
And firearms, of all things, which were considered the worst weapons in the Tower of Trials?
"Haha! Of course, using a toy like that and calling himself the strongest ranker. Strongest, my foot!"
The man with the red tattoos scoffed.
And that mockery...
"Huh? Wh-what?!"
...turned into utter shock at the sight that followed.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
A hail of bullets rained down.
He created bullets by altering the attributes within his body.
He infused them with 'Blessing of the Stars' and 'Daylight' to reinforce them.
Streaks of pure white light painted the air.
One insect per second.
The insects, which had regenerated instantly no matter how much damage they took before, were obliterated without even a squeak.
"Can guns... actually be used in close combat like that?"
There was no other word for it but perfect.
Destructive power and precision.
On top of that, he moved between the insects at a speed too fast for the eye to follow, engaging in close-quarters combat using the blades attached to his guns.
It took less than thirty seconds for the insects to be completely wiped out.
Considering the entire raid team had struggled for over five minutes, it was an unbelievable feat.
"Oh my god..."
"So there really are tiers even among S-ranks."
"It's not just a difference in level. He's a complete monster."
"To think hunting could become this easy just because one person joined."
"This is... seriously insane."
The raid team's morale soared.
Of course, not everyone was pleased.
"Damn it. He's a close-combat class, so of course he should be able to do at least that much. What's everyone making a fuss about? Hey! Go gather the magic stones. The porters won't be able to make it all the way here, so hurry up!"
The tattooed man began taking his anger out on someone else.
"Huh? Yes, yes! Understood."
The lowest-ranked female player flusteredly began rummaging through the corpses.
Indeed, the saying that there's always one weirdo in any group of twenty was absolutely true.
"Stop. We don't have time to collect magic stones one by one."
"Pardon?"
At Jinhyuk's intervention, the woman who was struggling to extract a magic stone from a corpse froze.
"In a moment, another swarm of insects will rush in. They'll be greater in number and much stronger than these."
"No way..."
"Stop making a fuss and just gather them. Even if more insects come, I, a noble class, will block them all by myself."
"Block them by yourself? You?"
"Yeah. Listen carefully. I am Johansson, one of only two elementalists in the Titan Guild. That is my name."
"Oh?"
His confidence was understandable.
Having advanced to a hidden class that was rare even on a global scale, it was only natural for his nose to be high in the air.
"Behold! This is my elemental beast."
Johansson channeled his mana.
Then...
...an elemental beast in the shape of a small fire lizard appeared.
"Kyaoo!"
Small flames flickered from its tongue.
"A fire elemental."
"Hahaha. I guess your eyes aren't just for decoration after all."
A fire elemental, huh?
Pfft.
...How cute.
"Salamander."
Jinhyuk muttered toward the empty air.