The Return of the Genius Ranker of All Times

Chapter 78

On the other hand, what about Kaiser?

In the past, he was called a god, reclaimed the No. 1 rank in Raven.

Although he was a controversial figure with much to talk about, in the end, he was always alone.

A foolish man who rejected every guild’s offer and chose to walk the thorny path by himself.

No matter how amazing he was, levels existed for a reason.

If enough people ganged up on him, could even he do anything about it?

“Of course not. He’d lose.”

“Still, it’s Kaiser… Wouldn’t he do something?”

“Kaiser is human, isn’t he? Even at the graduation level, it would be tough. He’s probably level 26 at best right now. What can he do if higher-level players gang up on him?”

“…”

Unfortunately, that was the reality.

Reality was cold, and standing proudly after defeating countless enemies alone was something that only happened in movies.

“I like Kaiser too, but… This time, he’s being too reckless. It’s not just about the guilds anymore. Sure, they might still hope to recruit him and maintain appearances, so they’ll have some boundaries. But what about other players?”

“Well… true. There are so many malicious players.”

“It’s not just malicious players. Haven’t you seen posts like, ‘If I take down Kaiser, I’ll be a star too’ on the community boards? He’s surrounded by enemies on all sides…”

At that moment, when they were enthusiastically discussing the matter.

“Kaiser! Kaiser has appeared!”

“Where? Where?”

The commotion ahead made them stop talking and turn their heads.

As they said, someone was emerging from the entrance.

A figure with the height and build of a boy around ten years old.

Wearing a deep black robe that covered their entire face.

–Kirrk.

It was one of Kaiser’s usual companions.

With that, people turned their gazes beyond the entrance.

Since the companion appeared, they assumed Kaiser would soon show himself too.

But…

“…?”

“Why isn’t he showing up?”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

“What’s going on? Did the companion just come out alone?”

The strangeness didn’t end there.

Swiish.

Suddenly, the companion raised both hands, taking on an incomprehensible posture.

It looked like they were basking in sunlight, or savoring something.

–Kirrk!

Some vague noises could be heard, but they were too faint amidst the noisy crowd and quickly drowned out.

After enjoying (?) the attention for a while, the companion began to move confidently somewhere.

“Wait, that’s not a field area.”

“Follow them! There’s got to be something. It must be a hidden quest!”

“What about Kaiser?”

“He’s not showing up. Are you going to just let them go? You stay here; I’ll follow them.”

The crowd split in half—some stayed behind, while others pursued the companion.

With perfect posture, the companion glanced back before walking like a model, which was somehow irritating, but the players didn’t give up.

And soon enough, they saw it.

Swoosh.

“…Huh?”

“Wait, where did they go?”

“They just disappeared.”

“…Hold on. Did they log out?”

The group watched as the companion vanished in the middle of the town.

Disappearing abruptly in a city?

It could only mean one of two things.

Either they warped away or logged out.

Since the warp zone was far away, it was clearly the latter.

“What about Kaiser?”

“…He didn’t show up. No sign of him coming out either.”

“Oh, come on. Did they just log out?”

“Ugh, what a waste of time…”

The players who realized the truth made frustrated faces.

They had waited for this moment, only for it to be a complete waste of time.

Who could have predicted they’d log out?

“Well… considering how much attention was on them, it makes sense.”

“I thought Kaiser wouldn’t log out, though.”

“You never know. Maybe he just went to eat. He’s pretty indifferent to everything.”

“That’s ridiculous, but why does it feel plausible?”

The players who had been waiting in anticipation gave up and left.

Some die-hards lingered, unwilling to let go of their hope, but even they left after an hour.

And so, peace returned to Brion.

Meanwhile, Do-hyeon…

[You have entered the Salt-Rock Forest.]

[Tip: Excessive mob hunting will summon thick fog.]

[‘Minor Invisibility’ effect is active.]

“Wow, I managed to sneak out like this.”

He had successfully escaped Brion and entered the Salt-Rock Forest.

As Do-hyeon walked, a flash of light appeared behind him.

[Leaving the field. Guardians ‘Jihad Black’ and ‘Elisa’ are returning to their master’s side.]

–Master, I’m here.

–Liza!

It was Jihad and Elisa, who had been hiding in his robe’s pocket.

Jihad, who seemed unusually cheerful, extended his hand into the air.

Clap!

This time, Do-hyeon met him with a high-five.

It had been an excellent display of teamwork.

* * *

The plan was simple.

Jihad would draw attention, and Do-hyeon, using stealth, would escape during the commotion.

Once Do-hyeon safely crossed into the field, the plan would be a success.

What about Jihad and Elisa, then?

It didn’t matter.

As guardians, Jihad and Elisa would automatically be summoned to Do-hyeon’s side if they were separated by a field.

[Leaving the field. Guardians ‘Jihad Black’ and ‘Elisa’ are returning to their master’s side.]

And the plan worked perfectly.

Thanks to that, Do-hyeon grinned as he entered the Salt-Rock Forest.

“If I hadn’t experienced something similar with Elisa, I wouldn’t have thought of this.”

This was why experience was important.

Because of that past experience, he had avoided becoming a Pied Piper figure again.

–Kirrk. That was so much fun, master. Let me know anytime you need me.

–Liza Liza!

–Elisa, did you enjoy it too?

–Liza!

Jihad and Elisa seemed to be in good spirits, making this a win-win strategy for everyone.

The atmosphere lightened, but they couldn’t let their guard down yet.

“There’s still too many people here. Let’s move deeper inside.”

“Okay, got it.”

“Liza!”

The Salt-Rock Forest was vast, but it was also a popular hunting ground, so it was still crowded.

It wouldn’t thin out until the fog made visibility uncomfortable.

He needed to go at least that far to feel at ease.

And the impaired visibility could work to Do-hyeon’s advantage if needed.

“Alright, let’s go.”

“Roger!”

“Liza!”

Do-hyeon led the way, maintaining his stealth, with Jihad following behind him.

Not to be left out, Elisa ducked her head into Jihad’s pocket.

It looked like a childhood train game as they moved in a line, but to the eyes of other players, it seemed different.

“Hey, look over there.”

“Huh? Why—oh?”

“Isn’t that the robe guy who’s always with Kaiser?”

“Yeah, it is. Why is he alone today?”

To them, it appeared as though Jihad was strolling leisurely by himself.

Thanks to NewTube videos, Jihad was somewhat famous now, so many recognized him.

At the same time, everyone found it puzzling.

“If he’s wandering around without Kaiser, I guess he’s not a guardian. There was always debate about whether he was a guardian or just a companion.”

“True. But didn’t I hear he logged out? Why is he here? Did he log back in?”

“Wait, does that mean Kaiser might have logged in too?”

“…Doesn’t look like it. Seems like he logged in alone this time.”

Looking around just in case, players shook their heads.

There was no sign of anyone who could be Kaiser.

How much time had passed since the logout? He wouldn’t have made it here this fast anyway.

If he had, he would have been mobbed or followed relentlessly by players before arriving.

“Wasn’t he just a porter? Is he hunting now too?”

“Since when do players in God of Savior have ‘porter’ as a profession? He’s probably just filling that role. Wouldn’t he need to level up to keep tagging along?”

“Hunting here alone? Even Kaiser’s party porters have specs like that…?”

“…Now that you mention it, that does seem likely.”

Back in the DemRock days, Kaiser’s party was full of monsters.

The party leader was ranked No. 1, with members ranked 3rd, 4th, and 5th.

Their rankings alone were extraordinary, and each was a top player in their field.

If Kaiser had chosen someone as a companion, they likely weren’t ordinary.

“Or maybe he’s heading to meet up with a party he’s already joined?”

“Curious… Should we follow him?”

“Don’t even think about it. This is a field area. If you follow him and annoy him, he could just kill you without a second thought.”

“True… Plenty of people have died stalking stars recklessly.”

Just as stalking was a crime in reality, it wasn’t well-regarded in God of Savior either.

In fact, it was often viewed worse than PK.

Not only because it was disrespectful, but also because it disrupted hidden quests or pieces that others might be working on.

It wasn’t worth stalking someone who wasn’t even Kaiser.

“Or maybe Kaiser’s in stealth mode? What if he’s actually with that companion, walking around together?”

A player hypothesized aloud.

Hearing the suggestion, their party paused, some even expressing admiration.

“Oh… That’s plausible—wait, no, that’s ridiculous. That level of nonsense means my dog could talk.”

“Pfft, exactly. Everyone knows Kaiser is a swordsman. How would a swordsman even use stealth?”

The absurdity of the idea had made them laugh.

As they burst into laughter, the man who made the comment blushed and tried to explain himself.

“You know, like with the Weapon Master trait, if you had gear with a stealth effect attached—”

“Do you think the game’s AI would be that dumb? Weapon Master only removes weapon restrictions. Where would you even find stealth effects on gear in this level range? They’re all limited to other equipment slots.”

“Well, at higher levels, you might find some, but… definitely not here.”

“Enough nonsense. Let’s just focus on what we’re doing.”

“…Fine.”

Of course, his reasoning didn’t hold water.

The embarrassed man clamped his mouth shut, and his party lost interest in Jihad entirely.

The same went for most other players.

Thanks to that, Jihad managed to travel without major trouble, though he still attracted stares.

But not everyone was the same.

–Master, these stares feel unpleasant.

“Endure it.”

While some were merely curious, others openly glared with hostility.

Although no one attacked outright, the sticky malice was far from pleasant, even for someone like Jihad, who enjoyed attention.

From greedy eyes to predatory gazes itching for a fight.

“If Jihad draws this much attention, imagine the chaos if I weren’t using stealth.”

Do-hyeon smirked, picturing the obvious scene.

Forget completing a quest; he’d have been too busy fending off players.

And even that would have been a luxury.

If they had followed or stalked him in an annoying way, it would’ve been far worse.

–Tsk.

“Let’s move.”

Even now, some had trailed behind briefly before giving up and leaving once they realized it was fruitless.

As a result, no one was tailing them anymore.

Occasionally, someone would glance their way, but that was the extent of it.

With no one to worry about, Do-hyeon’s party pressed on without hesitation.

“We’re almost there.”

–Liza!

But Do-hyeon was unaware.

Among those observing, there was one person whose gaze was particularly ominous.

This person neither revealed hostility nor made their presence known.

They simply stayed hidden behind a rock, watching Jihad intently.

Rustle.

After standing still for a while, they began to move covertly once Jihad disappeared from sight.