The Return of the Genius Ranker of All Times

Chapter 97

Clunk.

At Gildetti’s signal, Taxinel and Zerdic nodded and locked the door.

The hall had only one central door.

In other words, this place had now become a closed room.

“What…?”

“Ugh?”

Before anyone could even be startled by the sudden action, Taxinel drew the sword hanging from his waist.

The chilling sound of metal rang sharply through the air.

The tense priests flinched, but they were all figures of some authority. In fact, some were high-ranking priests from other denominations.

No one would tolerate being treated like this.

An elderly man dressed in blue, who had been silently watching the situation, stepped forward.

He was Berge, a high priest of the renowned temple in Brion.

“…What are you doing, High Priest Gildetti?”

“I ask for your understanding.”

“Understanding? Since when did locking a door and drawing a sword become something that could be called understanding?”

“Do you know Article 71?”

Despite the reasonable counter-question, Gildetti remained calm.

The warm demeanor he had shown earlier was nowhere to be found; his voice was cold, as mechanical as a machine.

“Article 71… I believe it states that when someone commits a taboo, the most influential priest can carry out the execution… Wait. A taboo? Does that mean…”

High Priest Berge, pressed by the situation, murmured in surprise, then quickly responded in a questioning tone.

A taboo so severe that another priest can carry out an execution?

Such a thing did exist. But it was effectively a non-existent rule.

To meet the criteria for such an execution, one would have to be an evil-doer stirring up the entire city.

In the 30 years since the rule had been established, it had only been carried out twice.

And both times, the reason had been the same.

“Someone who made a pact with the Abyss.”

“…Crack.”

Someone muttered the words in a trance-like state, causing Zerdic to bite his teeth together in response.

Blood dripped from his clenched fist and ran down the blade.

Priests, who had taken a step back from Zerdic’s murderous gaze, hastily protested.

“Does that mean one of us has made a pact with the Abyss?”

“W-What are you talking about? What evidence do you have…?”

“Right! Just because there’s no trace in the Salt-Rock Forest, how dare you suspect us!”

“Are you seriously going to believe just one person’s word on this!?”

However, that rebuttal was quickly drowned out.

It was because of the box Gildetti pulled from his robe, or more precisely, the black substance contained within it.

At Gildetti’s gesture, a bright white light flickered on the surface of the black substance.

“Do you know what this is?”

“…That’s definitely…”

“Yes, divine power. And it’s a highly concentrated one. At this level, the person must at least be a high-ranking priest.”

“You already knew and called us here….”

“…Then, could it be that you invited us for this reason?”

With a gulp, one of the priests asked, but Gildetti didn’t bother answering.

He merely uttered what needed to be said, as though it were his duty.

“This is a detection orb, specially crafted by an exceptional alchemist based on my sensing abilities. It detects impure energy. Since preparations are already complete, it should be able to measure all those present here.”

“…”

“I hoped that this moment would never come. The divine power might have accumulated by chance over the years, and I wanted to believe that the truth was different. That’s why I asked for your help… but it seems there’s no other way.”

Gildetti’s voice, which had shown genuine regret earlier, grew cold.

“From now on, one by one, place your hands on the orb and let your energy flow into it.”

When the white light flashed, it meant normal.

If the orb was stained by black energy, it meant a pact with the Abyss.

Gildetti added these words briefly and placed his hand on the orb first.

The white light flashed and then disappeared.

“I’m normal.”

He signaled, and Zerdic stepped forward to take the orb.

Zerdic, his eyes bloodshot from struggling to suppress his murderous aura, looked like he might strike at any moment if even a hint of black appeared.

“High Priest Berge.”

“…Huh?”

“Please measure.”

Berge hesitated for a moment under the pressure, then squeezed his eyes shut and placed his hand on the orb.

Zing-.

The orb flickered, then absorbed the mana from his hand.

It glowed white for a moment before returning to its original state.

“Passed.”

“Phew…”

Zerdic, without looking back, moved to the side, and Berge let out an involuntary sigh.

His body, which had been stiff with tension from the young knight’s killing intent, relaxed.

The other priests were no different.

“Ha.”

“Phew…”

Every time Zerdic called out “Passed,” everyone else wiped their sweat, sighing in relief.

Except for a few elders and high priests, the reactions were the same.

Do-hyeon, who had been watching the scene from a distance, nodded.

Before him, a quest window appeared.

[The Rat in the Trap]

– Rank: Rare+

– Description: The most distinguished high-ranking priests of the Lyr Grand Temple have gathered here.

Gildetti is certain that one of them has made a pact with the Abyss.

If the pact-maker is identified or anyone tries to flee, a bloody battle will begin immediately.

Pass the measurement test without incident.

– Quest Success: Linked quest ‘???’ will be generated.

– Quest Failure: Form hostility with the priests of Brion.

[Currently, a Forced Linked Quest is ongoing. All quests are forcibly linked until completion.]

‘So, that’s why he wanted us to investigate the traces.’

Gildetti probably knew from the start.

That the Abyss’ traces would carry divine power.

Yet, he sent Do-hyeon, just as a means of luring everyone to one place.

Perhaps there was an element of investigation in case something went wrong, but there was nothing more intriguing to high priests than the fact that an outsider knew about the Abyss.

‘Well, as he said, I’m sure he hoped it wasn’t true…’

The key here was that it was kept a secret even from Do-hyeon.

Not even a hint was given, which meant his trust in Do-hyeon wasn’t that high.

It was likely that sending him for the investigation also served as a test.

To see if he truly had the skills of the Raven top graduate…

Do-hyeon passed that test, and now all he had to do was complete the measurement without any problems.

‘This shouldn’t be hard.’

Do-hyeon was the heir of Kashiar, who was at odds with the Abyss.

There was no way traces of the Abyss would appear.

He just had to watch out for any Abyss pact-maker or fleeing individual.

A relatively simple quest, despite the warning message.

‘It seems there’s more than one forced linked quest… After this, things could get dangerous.’

Or maybe unexpected situations could arise during this seemingly easy quest.

Do-hyeon’s eyes sharpened.

‘Anything could show up. I need to stay alert.’

-‘Yes, master.’

-‘Riza!’

Do-hyeon focused his attention, leaving the two guardians behind with determined expressions.

It was so quiet that it almost felt like there was no one around, despite the many people gathered.

“Pass.”

“Huh.”

Only Zerdic’s low, cold voice and the faint sound of a sigh occasionally echoed.

However, if he listened closely, he could hear some people whispering.

“What’s with this sudden trouble…?”

“Since the Abyss is a top-priority taboo, there’s nothing we can do.”

“I have a feeling Elder Vijeta is suspicious.”

“Definitely… He had that look on his face lately, like he’s being chased by something.”

“Isn’t Serdi the High Priest a little suspicious too?”

They were people who had passed through the Death Orb.

It seemed they were now gathering to speculate on who the culprit was, after confirming that they were definitely innocent.

By now, having completed about half of the measurements, such groups had become numerous. Some even had suspicions about Do-hyeon.

“I suspect the foreigner.”

“Honestly, we’ve spent so many years together… but I find those foreigners more suspicious than us.”

“Since ‘that incident,’ we’ve been managing things that way, so how could more contractors appear?”

“Shh, they’ll hear. Lower your voice.”

“Tch, we’ll know soon enough.”

It was a natural occurrence that caused no offense.

Even if it wasn’t him, they would suspect a foreigner they had just met over someone they had known for a long time.

Moreover, unlike those born in this world, he himself was a foreigner.

There was no need to worry about such things.

The truth would prove itself through results.

That’s what he thought.

“Surely, black mana will flow out.”

“We should keep a close watch, in case it tries to escape.”

“Don’t worry about that. Isn’t Sir Taxinel here? Don’t you see that menacing glare?”

“…Ugh, just looking at him is creepy.”

That was until he heard those words.

‘…Wait. Black mana?’

Do-hyeon’s gaze instinctively turned to the side.

Then, he saw it.

Jihad, whose face had turned as white as a sheet, was stiff with tension.

Do-hyeon had never known that Jihad’s skin could turn so pale.

-‘…Master, what should I do?’

It was that critical.

Jihad’s mana was pure black mana.

It was a deep, jet-black mana that couldn’t even be compared to the mana of shadow-element magicians.

Unlike those whose mana contained a specific attribute, Jihad’s mana was inherently black.

If he placed his hand on the detection orb, it would certainly turn black. A red alert went off in Do-hyeon’s mind.

-‘Damn…!’

How should he get past this?

Do-hyeon quickly scanned the surroundings in panic.

Zerdic was observing each high-ranking priest with a fierce glare, ready to draw his sword at any moment.

Taxinel?

The man, standing firmly at the door, was already holding his drawn sword.

It was impossible to break through him, who was the vice commander of the Lyr Holy Knights, and escape.

The moment they clashed, the high-ranking priests would immediately encircle him.

And soon, Zerdic would likely join in as well.

‘…There’s no way out.’

Nothing would work.

The people who had seemed harmless just moments ago now felt like enemies.

Now, he was standing in the heart of the enemy’s stronghold.

‘There’s no answer through force. I can’t escape either.’

Perhaps it was his desperate appearance that caused Jihad to become flustered.

-‘Master…’

Jihad’s pupils were trembling like he was on the verge of panic, looking up at Do-hyeon.

Even so, Jihad, who had been trying to gauge the situation, cautiously asked.

-“Can’t you cancel my summoning?”

‘…No, that would only raise more suspicion. If I reverse-summon you, you’ll take 8 hours to be summoned again, and during that time, the suspicion will only grow.’

There were more than a dozen gazes on them, watching closely.

If Jihad suddenly disappeared, he would surely be suspected. The witch hunts and incitement would follow swiftly.

In the end, he would have no choice but to convince them with words.

But would they believe him?

‘There’s no way.’

Do-hyeon lowered his head unconsciously.

They had no way of knowing about the Black Clan’s unique traits.

Even Do-hyeon himself wasn’t sure whether this was a characteristic of the Black Clan or just something unique to Jihad.

It was a crisis.

He had anticipated sudden situations might arise, but he hadn’t imagined something like this.

If he died now, it wouldn’t just mean a failed quest.

-You will become hostile with all the Brion temples.

The penalty for failing a quest was becoming hostile with Brion.

Once that hostility began, Do-hyeon would never be able to set foot in Brion again.

And that wasn’t all.

Since Brion was the city where he would encounter gods and embark on his class quest, Brion’s influence was far beyond that of an ordinary city.

If he became hostile with Brion, it would lead to uncomfortable situations even in the future, possibly affecting the empire as well.

That outcome could not be allowed.

‘But how?’

Honestly, he didn’t know much about Jihad’s black mana either.

No, before that, was Jihad really unrelated to the Abyss?

‘I don’t know enough about him. What if the Black Clan is connected to the Abyss?’

If that’s why the clan is now extinct…

Damn, that makes too much sense. Suddenly, a thought flashed in Do-hyeon’s mind, and he froze.

‘…Wait, wasn’t Gamillion unresponsive?’

Gamillion despises both gods and the Abyss.

If he had sensed any traces of the Abyss in Jihad, Gamillion would have surely reacted.

The same was true when they encountered Kashiar earlier.

Kashiar didn’t dislike Jihad; in fact, he seemed intrigued by him.

Thinking back on how Kashiar had acted like he knew Jihad’s true identity, it was clear Jihad had no connection to the Abyss.

‘Phew…’

With that thought, his mind finally calmed a little, but it was still the same situation.

In the end, he still had to prove it.

Just as he was lost in thought, struggling with the dilemma…

“Pass… everyone is fine.”

“Then, the remaining people are…”

Zerdic’s footsteps abruptly stopped.

And as the sound of his clothes fluttered reached his ears, Do-hyeon lifted his head and saw countless eyes locked onto him.

Everyone was looking at him.