Chapter 290. Rapid-Fire Ranker (2)

“You are…!?”

Aidan’s pupils shook as if hit by an earthquake.

He had heard of the name, but he never imagined he would meet the very person in his own raid, where he was in charge.

“Kang Jinhyuk at your service. You’re with the Titan Guild raid party, right?”

Jinhyuk introduced himself briefly.

“That… Yes, that’s correct. I’m the raid leader, Aidan.”

“Wow, wo-wow…! Oh, my goodness. I’m Mei Ling. I’m the main damage dealer in the raid party.”

Mei Ling too was taken aback, stumbling over her words.

She looked as if she couldn’t keep still after meeting a famous celebrity, a sight quite memorable.

“Kang Jinhyuk…”

“That’s the Korean ranker, right? Look, Jack. That player is Kang Jinhyuk.”

“I know. The media is all over him; it’d be weird not to know.”

“Even masters of giant guilds take a step back from him, and it’s true. This is the first time I’ve seen Aidan so nervous?”

The murmurs within the raid party grew louder.

“What brings you here? I’m sure we left a sign at the entrance of the ruins indicating that our guild is currently engaging it.”

“I saw that flag, too. However, there are unusual circumstances inside the ruins, necessitating my intervention.”

“Unusual circumstances?”

“Didn’t you notice, Mr. Aidan? The demonic creatures inside the ruins are notably difficult to deal with.”

“That… I thought something was off, but…”

Caught.

The corner of Jinhyuk’s lips curled upwards.

“It seems someone has interfered. It doesn’t make sense otherwise.”

“You’re saying the Mine might’ve pulled some tricks?”

Aidan quickly pointed to the likely culprits.

Who else would have reason to meddle but them?

“That’s correct.”

– No, it was a high-level administrator who put it up for a test.

“Whoever it is, they must be quite malicious and selfish. They’ve increased the difficulty of the boss floor engagement critical for humanity’s future for their own gain.”

– I’m the cause, actually.

Since he couldn’t tell the truth, he decided to shift the blame onto the conveniently destroyed Mines hiding somewhere in the Tower.

“So the Mines are involved in the ruins, causing the anomalies you mentioned.”

“Yes. One wrong move could lead to annihilation.”

In truth, he was the one who had to catch a boss alone, an already heavy lift.

All eyes turned to Aidan.

A decision that could lead to the worst outcome: a total wipeout.

After a moment of contemplation, Aidan made his decision.

“I see. The difficulty within the ruins has indeed abnormally increased from what we knew. Since you, Player Kang Jinhyuk, have warned of the danger, I can’t recklessly persist.”

Hoo.

Look at that.

He’s giving up easier than expected?

“A wise choice…”

“But.”

Aidan added a word.

“We may not be able to handle the boss, but please let us hunt at least one named monster.”

Aidan was seeking a pretext.

If Titan Guild could be seen contributing by taking down a named monster in the ruins that even top ranker Jinhyuk deemed dangerous…

It wouldn’t be considered a failed raid.

Instead, it would be a valuable achievement made in a notably difficult situation.

That was the best deal Aidan, taking everything into account, could offer.

‘I may move around freely, but I’ve intruded into someone else’s business uninvited.’

Nowadays, ownership over ruins and dungeons is recognized worldwide.

The various guilds had staked claims on numerous dungeons in the Floors, buying and selling these rights.

“Understood. That should be fine.”

Jinhyuk nodded.

If it were anything but the boss, it would be fine.

He also wanted to maintain a friendly relationship with at least one of the major guilds.

＊＊＊

With Jinhyuk’s involvement, the raid party’s arrangement was readjusted.

“We’ll clear the way to where the named one is. Please conserve your magic, Player Kang Jinhyuk, and use it when it matters.”

“What? No, that’s not necessary…”

“No, it is. We have to earn our keep.”

Aidan was stubborn in his words.

It was impressive that he wasn’t looking for a free ride and took responsibility.

Meanwhile.

“Ha. What’s with all the groveling, Aidan? We could deal with this ourselves.”

A man with a red tattoo murmured disdainfully, his face showing clear discomfort.

The aura he emitted was by no means beneath Aidan or Mei Ling.

Another S-rank.

Moreover, a man with an exceptionally unusual type of mana.

“Watch your mouth. I’ve decided on this as the raid leader.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m just saying I don’t get why you’re being so submissive when it’s just another S-rank among ourselves.”

The tattooed man snickered until the end.

“Sorry about him. This guy just reached S-rank, still hasn’t shed his arrogance. I’ll give him a stern warning later.”

“No need to worry. It’s understandable to be brimming with confidence now that he’s ascended to the S-rank.”

“Thank you for understanding.”

Soon, the raid party began descending along the cave.

Mei Ling rushed over, having been watching for an opportunity to strike up a conversation.

“Although I’m far from Kang Jinhyuk Player’s level, don’t worry too much. Our team is one of the main raid parties of Titan Guild used for ruins raids.”

“So when you say ‘one of,’ does that mean more raid parties are coming?”

“Yes. If our vanguard managed to set up a base at the halfway point, three more raid parties—the main force and the rearguard—would have joined us… Although we’ll have to retreat after catching a named this time.”

Aidan, Mei Ling, and the red-tattooed man at the back—there were already three S-ranks, making the vanguard more than sufficient, perhaps even excessively so.

Three more raid parties on top of this…

The vast number of rankers held by the major guilds struck him anew.

Right then.

As Mei Ling chattered away, her expression shifted 180 degrees.

“Everybody get ready! They’re coming!”

Mei Ling preemptively summoned her magic, extending her staff forward as if her body reacted on its own.

Rumble, rumble!

“Hiss!”

“Screech!”

Sharp cries echoed down the dark corridor.

Powerful mana tingled on the skin.

[Mei Ling casts Lv17 ‘Chain Lightning’!]

Mei Ling invoked her electric spell.

At the same time.

Ssshh!

Hiss!

From the walls of the passage, red-shelled bugs scuttled towards them.

Seventeen in number, none to be taken lightly.

Fzzt-fzzt-fzzz!

Static crackled, and sparks flew.

Boom!

The lightning struck one bug and jumped to the next, a tremendously powerful electric spell with the potential to char their insides black…

“Hiss!”

“Screech!”

The bugs only slowed momentarily, then continued their relentless advance.

“How can this…!?”

Mei Ling muttered in disbelief.

But within Jinhyuk’s sight, bestowed by ‘Eyes of Gluttony,’ the truth was visible:

The charred flesh was regenerating at an exceptional pace.

“Prepare the next cast! We’ll hold them off in the meantime!”

It was the tankers’ turn.

[Aidan activates his unique ability ‘Vanguard’s Pledge’!]

[Physical and Magical Defense increase by 100% for 3 minutes!]

[Monster aggro focuses on the tanking line!]

Aidan slammed his battle-axe against the ground.

Boom!

The bugs, which initially targeted Mei Ling and the other damage dealers, abruptly turned and dashed towards Aidan and the tanks.

Sharp claws clashed with colossal shields and heavy maces.

“Keep the aggro in check!”

“Heal! Keep the cycle, don’t stop, hurry!”

An intense battle ensued.

A moment of distraction could mean death.

Measured tandem movements and dazzling area-of-effect (AoE) damage unfolded.

Particularly, the way Mei Ling tied up over ten bugs for Aidan to crush with his battle-ax was a sight that inherently elicited admiration.

But then…

‘This will take all day at this rate.’

To Jinhyuk, everything seemed too slow.

It wasn’t that the Titan Guild’s rankers lacked S-rank prowess.

But in terms of efficiency…

Their method was painfully inadequate.

Against foes with regenerative abilities, precision strikes were needed, not AoE damage.

And it seemed they were too used to fighting strong opponents—

Even an S-rank appeared underwhelming.

‘If I put my mind to it…’

Jinhyuk moved.

“We are more than sufficient on our…”

Aidan hurriedly interjected.

They had already gained the upper hand.

A little more pressure, and they would break through.

“It’s okay. We don’t have the luxury of time.”

Unbeknownst to the rest of the raid party, larger and more powerful swarms of bugs were en route along the passageway.

And at their end was the named monster, disguised as a butterfly.

Jinhyuk retrieved the Kruegers from beyond the fluctuating veil of space.

Two pistols, shining with a silvery glow, slid smoothly into his hands.

“A gun? Kang Jinhyuk Player’s weapon is a gun?”

Mei Ling’s eyes widened in shock.

Everyone assumed he would wield a sword, but out came an entirely different weapon—and of all things, firearms, which were ranked among the worst in the Tower of Trials.

“Haha! That explains it, using such a thing while claiming to be the strongest ranker. The strongest, my foot!”

The tattooed man scoffed.

And that scoff.

“Uh? Uh-oh?”

Turned into astonishment at the unfolding scene.

Ratatatatata!

Bullets rained down.

Generating ammunition through internal attribute transformation.

Infusing ‘Blessing of the Stars’ and ‘Daylight’ to fortify the bullets.

Streaks of pure white light embroidered the air.

One bug per second.

Even as they had previously recovered from relentless firepower in an instant, the bugs were now obliterated without a chance to utter a peep.

“Guns… can be used for close combat?”

There was no other word for it than perfect.

Destructive power and precision.

Coupled with speed that eluded the naked eye as Jinhyuk weaved between the bugs, utilizing the blades attached to his guns for close combat.

It took less than 30 seconds for the bugs to be wiped out.

Considering that the entire raid party had struggled for over 5 minutes, it was an inconceivable result.

“Oh my goodness…”

“S-ranks have levels, it seems.”

“It’s more than just a difference in level. He’s a monster.”

“Just one person joining, and hunting becomes this easy.”

“This is a real jackpot, isn’t it?”

Morale among the raid party soared.

Of course, not everyone felt the same.

“Damn it. It’s only normal for a close-combat class to do at least that much. What’s all the fuss about? Hey. Go collect the mana crystals. The pack mules will have trouble getting here, so hurry up!”

The tattooed man vented his frustration on an unfortunate target.

“Um? Yes. Yes! Okay.”

A female player of the lowest rank flustered, beginning to search through the corpses.

As someone once said, out of every twenty people gathered, there’s always one oddball.

“Stop that. We don’t have time to collect mana crystals one by one.”

“Huh?”

The woman, straining to extract mana crystals from the corpses, paused at Jinhyuk’s intervention.

“In a short while, more bugs will swarm us. This time, they’ll be more numerous and more powerful.”

“How could that be…”

“Don’t panic and just keep collecting. Even if the bugs come, I’ll handle them alone as one of the noble classes.”

“Alone? You, by yourself?”

“Yes. Mark my words. Johannson, the spirit summoner, only two in the Titan Guild. That’s my name.”

“Ho.”

That overflowing confidence wasn’t without reason.

Having advanced to one of the rarest hidden classes in the world, his pride was understandably sky-high.

“Behold! This is my spirit.”

Johannson infused his mana.

And then.

A small salamander-like spirit materialized.

“Squeak!”

Little flames danced on its forked tongue.

“A fire spirit.”

“Ha ha ha. At least your eyes aren’t as tiny as buttonholes.”

A fire spirit, huh?

A smirk.

…Cute.

“Salamander.”

Jinhyuk murmured softly to the air.