The Return of the Genius Ranker of All Times

Chapter 96

Do-hyeon, who had been momentarily stunned by the unexpected situation, let out a hollow laugh.

“Ha.”

He had been burning with a desire for revenge against the gods and exuding a lonely aura, but was he actually engaging with the outside world?

He didn’t look like the type to be social, yet here he was, interacting like an insider…?

It was absurd, but when he thought about it, it wasn’t entirely strange.

After all, he would need to know what’s going on in the world, and NPCs were residents of this place, so there could be urgent matters requiring attention.

Some NPCs even took leave for as long as two days, so at least he wasn’t in such a dire situation.

‘I’ll just go to Gildetti first.’

It seemed like it would be better to handle this side of things first.

Waiting for an entire hour would have been a waste of time.

After walking for another 15 minutes, Do-hyeon and his party arrived at the Lair Grand Temple, where the guards recognized them and rushed over.

“You’ve arrived. Please, come right in.”

Upon hearing that, Do-hyeon glanced around, and the guard quickly added:

“There’s an order to prioritize your entry, Do-hyeon-nim. Don’t worry about the line.”

“I understand.”

It was a special treatment given only to those who cleared the quest.

Since they were telling him not to stand in line, there was no reason to resist, so Do-hyeon accepted without hesitation.

Although he felt a few stares from behind, he did his best to ignore them.

‘It’s understandable.’

Just from the line alone, it was dizzying.

Today was the weekend, so the temple was more crowded than usual.

From their perspective, how infuriating must it be to see Do-hyeon enter like he had a free pass to an amusement park?

However, when he glanced at them, their reactions were not quite what he had expected.

“You’re going to meet with the High Priest, right?”

“That’s the quest Kaiser is running, huh… I’m curious, what kind of quest could it be?”

“Maybe he’ll post a video? I hope he does.”

Most of them had an eager, expectant look, rather than a jealous one.

Though there were a few negative looks, they were outnumbered by the others.

‘Is this the influence of NewTube?’

He was openly advertising that he was completing a special quest, and rather than showing greed, they were waiting to see the outcome.

The reactions were so different from what he had experienced before, it made him feel a little more at ease.

As he walked into the temple, receiving the gaze of many, the priest greeted him.

“Please, follow me.”

“Yes.”

-Ahem.

This was definitely different treatment than last time. Zihad gave a slight shrug with a ‘ahem’ as he walked beside him.

Do-hyeon subtly nudged him in the side to remind him, but Zihad’s slightly tense, smug expression couldn’t be ignored.

After walking for a few minutes, they reached the inner sanctum.

“Please, go in. Everyone is waiting inside.”

After walking for quite a while through the enormous temple, they arrived at a door, where the priest bowed and stepped back.

‘This room is different from last time.’

The size of the door alone gave a sense of grandeur.

Whereas last time it felt like the High Priest’s office, this room felt more like an auditorium than a meeting room.

As they entered, the vast space inside welcomed them.

It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that the room was the size of a school playground.

Seats were arranged in all directions, like a baseball stadium, and in the center was a round table with a giant statue of a god.

‘Wow…’

Do-hyeon couldn’t help but be awed by the overwhelming presence when he saw the room.

Just then, Gildetti, who appeared somewhat tired, greeted him.

“You’ve come at the right time. You’ve finished your investigation, right? The meeting is still ongoing, but… this works out. Please, come in.”

“…Did I come?”

“Hm. You finished the investigation already? That was fast.”

Standing next to Gildetti was the handsome squad leader and vice-captain he had seen before.

Up until now, the members were the same, but today was not the end.

“Oh… so that’s the famous person you mentioned.”

“He’s the outsider, right? Can we really trust him?”

“Even so, he’s one of the Apostles of the Gods. We should show respect.”

“Hmph. Aren’t the Apostles just for show? They’ve got a lot of shortcomings…”

“Don’t be too harsh. There’s not much we know about the Abyss, either. If an outsider knows about it and has even taken on the responsibility of an investigation, it’s understandable to have doubts.”

Behind them, numerous priests sat in the seats arranged around the room.

It wasn’t just a few—they must have been well over a hundred.

These priests surrounded them, looking down at Do-hyeon as if he were some rare animal, which didn’t sit well with him.

-‘…Master, I feel uncomfortable.’

-‘Liza…’

Even Zihad, who loved attention, seemed uncomfortable.

Do-hyeon, with Liza hidden in his pocket, walked slowly following Gildetti’s lead, scanning the surroundings with his peripheral vision.

-‘There are so many. And none of them seem like ordinary priests.’

Among them, the ones sitting in the front row stood out even more.

Their attire, so different from the priests Do-hyeon had seen in the corridors, made them look unmistakably distinguished.

There was a certain regal aura to their presence.

Their gazes didn’t leave Do-hyeon even as he took his seat at the central round table.

One particular gaze felt unusually intense.

‘What’s going on?’

Among all the people here, it was only that one gaze that bothered him.

When he furrowed his brows and turned to look, he was met with an unexpected sight.

“Hmm?”

Do-hyeon’s brows furrowed before suddenly rising up and widening in shock.

He couldn’t help it.

‘…Gamillion?’

‘Greetings, successor.’

Sitting alone in tattered old robes was none other than ‘Gamillion Adran.’

When their eyes met, Gamillion raised the corners of his mouth slightly, nodding his head just enough to be sure it wasn’t a mistake.

‘No way, why is he here?’

He had said he had urgent business and would return in an hour, so why was he here?

Was this a coincidence?

He didn’t seem to be chasing after Do-hyeon, but…

Despite the confusion, Do-hyeon followed the guidance and sat down.

On the other side, Gildetti spoke carefully.

“These are the Elders and the High Priests. They are the highest-ranking among the clergy.”

“…So, is that person also a High Priest?”

“That person? Ah, you mean him.”

Gildetti, who had glanced over, smiled gently and shook his head.

“That’s High Priest Herthi. In addition to our own clergy, we’ve invited High Priests from neighboring sects and Elders. They all accepted our invitation graciously.”

“…High Priest Herthi?”

“Yes. I hope you can understand that, due to our doctrine, the sects cannot be named.”

“No, it’s fine.”

Because that person is the leader of our sect who wants to smash the gods.

Though Do-hyeon couldn’t say that out loud, he pressed his hand to his dizzy forehead.

Meanwhile, Gamillion, who had been sneaking glances at him, was quietly smiling.

As he raised his lips again, he whispered something to Do-hyeon.

‘I’ll see you after the meeting.’

‘……Let’s do that.’

Although he didn’t know what exactly was going on, if someone was operating under a false name, it likely meant that they were intentionally engaging in some sort of interaction.

The curiosity could wait until after the meeting was over.

‘It worked out better this way.’

He wouldn’t have to go back and forth; he could complete two quests at one place.

Deciding to think positively, Do-hyeon focused on the current situation.

‘The ten in front are the Elders, right… There are more than ten people from Lyr.’

That meant they must have at least thirty high-ranking priests.

Considering that most places only had around six to ten high-ranking priests, this was an enormous number.

And that was without factoring in the Lyr Holy Knight Order, their maximum fighting force…

It was hard to believe this was the military power of just one temple.

‘No wonder they say the Lyr Temple’s influence reaches the Empire.’

Normally, NPCs grew stronger the higher up the cities were.

As user levels increased, it was only natural that stronger NPCs, who could control those levels, resided in those cities.

However, there were NPCs that broke that mold…

In Raven, it was the alchemist Kalde, and in Brion, it was the Lyr Temple.

Because of their nature as servants of the gods, they only resided in Brion, the most developed holy city, but their influence was seen as something that should reach the Empire.

‘Seeing it this way, it really hits home.’

He had felt it vaguely when he saw Deputy Commander Taxinel and that unlucky knight before, but it felt even more real today.

Just the aura emanating from Taxinel, fully armed, was unlike before.

He couldn’t even guess if he could defeat him now.

Even compared to Zerdic, who shared the same red name tag, Taxinel’s strength was on a completely different level.

At this point, Do-hyeon was curious just how strong the commander, Lord Lebed, would be.

“Since this is such an important matter, I’ve summoned all those who need to know. It would have been good if Lord Lebed could have come, but… he is currently leading the Holy Knight Order on a mission.”

“…That’s a shame.”

He was sincere.

He had missed the chance to see Lebed, who was always ranked high on the NPC combat strength rankings.

“He always carries such heavy burdens. So, we plan to handle this matter ourselves.”

“I see.”

If Lebed had come, it would have disrupted the balance too much, so it made sense that they would leave him out.

That was what Do-hyeon heard.

It was common in RPGs for strong NPCs to be kept out of certain matters for the sake of maintaining balance.

Anyway, that was enough of the introduction.

“How did the investigation go?”

As Gildetti moved to the main topic, the noise that had filled the room ceased.

It was a silent prompt. A silent urging to answer quickly.

Everyone waited for Do-hyeon to speak for only a few seconds.

Do-hyeon slowly shook his head.

“There was nothing. Not even from the Death Orc Warrior.”

“What do you mean…!”

“How can it be that there’s nothing!”

Immediately, the murmur grew louder, as if they had been waiting for this response.

“Are you sure you investigated thoroughly? Outsider!”

“The traces of the Abyss cannot be hidden or fabricated. You’re saying there’s nothing when clear traces were left!?”

“If it’s the High Priest of Lyr, I can immediately assemble a team and search, if you’re alright with it!”

Some among them doubted Do-hyeon’s abilities.

There were various reactions, but the one thing that was clear was that everyone’s response was intense.

The noise was so loud it almost hurt his ears.

It was clear just how seriously they took the existence of the Abyss.

At this rate, it would be impossible to have a proper conversation.

Swish.

At that moment, Gildetti raised his hand.

Immediately, everyone who had been making noise shut their mouths, as if it were a lie. Elders and even High Priests from other sects fell silent without exception.

‘Is this the position of the High Priest of Lyr?’

Gildetti, who looked like a kind grandfather, showed just how absolute his position was here.

As expected, a High Priest was a High Priest.

Gildetti, who had lightly mediated the disturbance, now wore an unusually serious expression.

“…Are you sure about this?”

His eyes were sharp and left no room for falsehoods.

It was a weighty gaze that could easily intimidate any ordinary person into staying silent. Do-hyeon fully accepted that pressure and answered clearly.

“Yes. I’m certain.”

“…I see.”

With that, Gildetti closed his eyes.

He let out a sigh, and the previous intensity was nowhere to be seen.

But what replaced it was a deeper, more profound emotion.

An emotion that only Do-hyeon, who was facing him right in front, could feel.

It was coldness.

‘Suddenly?’

Just as the atmosphere shifted so dramatically, Do-hyeon was startled.

At that moment, Gildetti, who had been lowering his head, raised his hand again.

Ding-.

Along with a cheerful notification, the quest window appeared.

And Do-hyeon was taken aback.

[You have completed the quest ‘In Search of the Abyss’ traces.]

[As a reward, you receive Gildetti’s Favorability, an Intermediate Skill Draw Ticket, and a large amount of experience.]

[Your level has increased.]

[You have met the hidden condition ‘Time Limit’. The linked quest has been changed to a forced linked quest.]

[The forced linked quest ‘A Rat in a Trap’ will now proceed.]

[Warning! You may lose your life while progressing through the forced linked quest.]

[If you die, the quest will fail.]

‘The hidden condition has been met?’

The unexpected notification startled him.

It seemed that clearing this meeting before it ended was part of the hidden piece’s conditions.

Gamilion would return in an hour, so if he had logged in a bit later, he wouldn’t have gotten it.

Thinking about it that way, a chill ran down his spine.

Indeed, the early bird catches the worm, as the saying goes.

He had earned the hidden piece because he had managed to get up early and log in.

‘… Forced linked quest? Warning?’

This hidden piece was also of a strange type that even Do-hyeon couldn’t quite understand.

‘What is all this? There wasn’t anything like this in DemRock…’

Could it be a new system introduced in God of Savior?

He didn’t know what was going on, but one thing was clear: something unusual was about to happen.

Just as he was sharpening his senses to deal with this unprecedented situation.

Click.

As expected, an anomaly occurred.