The Return of the Genius Ranker of All Times

Chapter 75

‘The Abyss…!’

What exactly was the Abyss?

Wasn’t it the decisive force that led humanity to defeat in the war against the gods?

A being so dangerous and feared that it was erased from history.

Now that the original humanity had vanished, only a very small number of people in God of Savior truly understood the existence of the Abyss.

Even among the players, it was no different.

‘Only something like the Ironblooded Dragon might know about it.’

While it’s possible to encounter the Abyss in the tutorial, that only applies to those who pursued the hidden piece.

Ordinary players didn’t even know what the Ironblooded Dragon was.

Even for those who knew its identity, it was much the same.

‘They’d probably just think, “Oh, so there’s something called the Abyss.” That’s what I thought at first too.’

Most people probably wouldn’t know much about the Abyss.

Even Kang Do-hyeon only learned of its existence after becoming the successor of Kashiar.

And yet, here it was, appearing already—just a short while after he learned the truth of the world’s lore.

‘How can the timing be like this?’

It was such impeccable timing that it almost seemed like someone had orchestrated it in advance.

Before that, why did the name appear here of all places?

This was a temple.

Not just any temple, but one located in the second city of the main continent.

While it was a Grand Temple renowned even in the Empire, the mention of the Abyss was unexpected.

What made it more startling was that the quest suddenly changed to this.

‘The quest changed when the “Top Graduate” title triggered a reaction. It seems to be a kind of hidden synergy quest….’

It appeared to be a synergy quest that triggered when a player with the Top Graduate title obtained the quest item, Ominous Energy.

Such quests weren’t unheard of.

They often came with tricky conditions, as if to mock the players by daring them to obtain them.

‘Hah, what a way to stumble upon this.’

He couldn’t decide if he should call this sheer luck or attribute it to the influence of the Eye of Truth.

Whatever the case, it was a boon for Do-hyeon.

Since it was a hidden piece, the rewards were likely amplified as well.

For a moment, he wondered if Gamillion knew that traces of the Abyss existed in Brion, but he chose to focus on the present.

‘They said it was our duty to deal with this trace, right?’

That meant they were among the ‘few’ who knew about the Abyss.

It was somewhat puzzling.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

‘If you think about it, the Abyss was created because the gods invaded. Wouldn’t they know that much?’

Then again, the current humanity blindly believed in and followed the gods.

With the truth of human history erased, the Abyss would simply be portrayed as villains, while the gods took on the image of benevolent fathers.

As a result, the power and influence of the gods only grew stronger.

“The Abyss, which has existed since the beginning of time, was so dangerous that even the omnipotent gods were wary of it. Their ability to corrupt was far from ordinary. Thus, the compassionate god, Lair, entrusted us with the duty of erasing their traces so that the innocent lambs would not be deceived.”

As expected.

Hearing Gildetti’s words about the benevolent god and the primordial existence, Do-hyeon nodded along appropriately.

Now that he knew the truth, the gods’ brazen attitude left him speechless, but the Abyss was still a universal enemy.

It wasn’t an entirely false statement.

“And so… hm.”

Was it too obvious that he wasn’t impressed?

The High Priest’s eyes glimmered strangely as he paused to observe Do-hyeon.

“Normally, one would be astonished… Do you know about the Abyss?”

“…I’ve heard a little.”

“…! An outsider knows of the Abyss?! How far has this spread already…!”

Do-hyeon’s candid response was met with an outburst from behind.

It was the blond knight from earlier.

Was this what it meant to have one’s eyes flipped in rage?

Zerdic’s face turned red with excitement as he panted heavily, making Do-hyeon inwardly click his tongue.

‘What a temper….’

Do-hyeon barely managed to hold back the urge to mutter something profane as he frowned, but before he could do so, someone intervened.

“Zerdic.”

“…I apologize.”

Seeing how quickly he backed down, it didn’t seem like his nature was entirely bad.

Or was it?

If anything, it made him seem more like he had a mental disorder.

Didn’t people with bipolar disorder act like that?

Even if he were just a merchant, Do-hyeon would avoid someone like that.

The fact that Zerdic was marked with a red nameplate only made him more troubling.

“…I will excuse myself.”

“Yes, that would be best.”

“Yes, pardon me.”

Perhaps he could sense Do-hyeon’s sentiments because Zerdic voluntarily offered to leave.

As he brushed past Do-hyeon on his way out, he muttered in a low voice.

“…Sorry for the unsightly display.”

“?”

Do-hyeon instinctively turned to look at Zerdic, his expression curious.

It was unexpected.

He hadn’t thought Zerdic would apologize. Regardless, Zerdic briskly exited the room without waiting for a response.

“Tsk tsk, what a pitiful soul.”

The High Priest clicked his tongue as he watched Zerdic leave, his expression full of regret.

“He’s actually a bright young man. But whenever the Abyss is mentioned, he loses his composure… I hope you can understand.”

“There must be some kind of story behind it.”

The comment slipped out without much thought, but by now, Do-hyeon was genuinely curious.

What could possibly drive someone to react so strongly, as if their berserk button had been pushed, at the mere mention of the Abyss?

“I cannot speak lightly of his circumstances… but he is a young man who lost much to the Abyss at a tender age. His life is driven by a single resolve—to erase the Abyss from this world.”

“…Has the Abyss appeared here before?”

“The Abyss can manifest anytime, anywhere, using the bodies of the corrupted.”

“Ah.”

Hearing this, Do-hyeon recalled something.

The Ironblooded Dragon from the tutorial had also been summoned by a necromancer who had contracted with the Abyss.

However, what Gildetti was explaining seemed slightly different.

“Abyssal beings can only exist within the Abyss by default. Thus, they scatter their traces everywhere and manifest through the bodies of those they corrupt. While this makes them somewhat easier to control… the real problem lies with the contractors.”

With a sigh, Gildetti continued.

“Sometimes, they appear—those who fall and make contracts with the Abyss.”

“Beings who abandon their humanity.”

It was then that Taxinel, who had been silent all this time, added his thoughts.

“By offering parts of their bodies to the Abyss for symbiosis, they gain great power… this phenomenon is often seen among high-ranking priests and sorcerers. Foolish creatures. In the end, they walk a predetermined path toward destruction. Because of such idiotic choices, Zerdic lost his family… tsk.”

Taxinel’s voice grew more agitated until he cut himself off with a click of his tongue.

But even that was enough.

‘So his family was taken by one of these contractors.’

It was a common story.

A knight burning with vengeance after losing their family to an enemy.

Yet, this was no ordinary tale, not when it came to Jihad and Elisa.

‘Ah, so that’s why his attitude was like that… Damn it, now I feel sorry for him. Why do these characters have such backstories?’

– ‘Elisa… Elisa-lisa!’

– ‘…So emotional, isn’t it?’

Seeing someone sniffle and rub their nose like that made it all the more apparent.

A guy who looked so conniving but had a surprisingly tender heart.

As for Elisa… well, given that she had lost her master for 150 years, it was understandable.

Thinking about it that way, Jihad seemed to be in a similar situation.

‘No, wait. That guy forgot about it and moved on.’

While Do-hyeon was briefly lost in thought, Gildetti continued speaking.

“Still, he’s an admirable child. He didn’t collapse under the weight of it and achieved the youngest knighthood in Brion at the age of 14. Now, at 19, he serves as the High Priest’s personal knight. There’s a reason Sir Lebed has chosen him as the next candidate for the Holy Knights’ captaincy. Isn’t that right, Sir Taxinel?”

“…Though he still has much to learn, his potential is undeniable.”

Taxinel, while sounding reluctant, couldn’t completely hide the pride in his voice.

Hearing this, Do-hyeon’s perspective on Zerdic shifted as well.

‘The youngest knight and a future Holy Knights captain… So that’s why his nameplate was red.’

While his current strength was uncertain, it was clear that Zerdic was an NPC brimming with talent.

Brion’s Lair Holy Knights, affiliated with the Grand Temple, were renowned as one of the strongest knightly orders.

This was largely due to the presence of their captain, Sir Lebed.

‘Wasn’t it said he split a tidal wave with a single sword strike? The community went crazy about it, I think.’

Lebed had demonstrated his strength in a single event in front of players, and his power was still discussed even a year later.

His name appeared frequently in NPC strongest character debates, even if he wasn’t one of the Seven Strongest.

He was definitely a powerhouse comparable to them.

To think that Zerdic was a potential successor—it showed his incredible promise.

“I’ve digressed too much.”

Gildetti’s voice brought Do-hyeon out of his thoughts.

The High Priest extended his hand toward Do-hyeon.

“The traces of the Abyss are always the highest priority. We will handle this here, but could you investigate if there are any corrupted monsters nearby?”

“Understood.”

“Monsters that are in advanced stages of corruption will visibly appear as mutants.

However, those in the early stages won’t show outward signs, so please collect their blood for analysis.”

Ding.

[Would you like to accept the linked quest, “In Search of Abyssal Traces”?]

[In Search of Abyssal Traces]

– Grade: Rare+

– Description: Abyssal traces are highly dangerous and provocative.

When low-intelligence monsters consume them, they are quickly corrupted, exhibiting extreme aggression, which in turn endangers citizens.

Gildetti seeks to uncover why these traces have appeared.

Investigate whether there are mutant monsters, and collect Orc blood.

– Condensed Orc Blood (0 / 50)

– Explore the Salt-Rock Forest (0 / 1)

– Quest Rewards: Increased favorability with Gildetti, Intermediate Skill Draw Ticket, and the generation of a linked quest, “???”

– Quest Failure: Linked quest becomes unavailable.

‘Oh… an Intermediate Skill Draw Ticket!’

The quest’s grade had risen to Rare+, and the rewards were significantly upgraded.

The reward had changed from a Low-grade Skill Draw Ticket to an Intermediate one!

A smile crept onto Do-hyeon’s lips.

‘This feels good.’

If he was already getting an Intermediate Skill Draw Ticket, the rewards for the final stages would surely be even greater.

The quest’s content also suited him.

Since he was already working on a main quest requiring him to hunt a thousand monsters, this was a two-birds-with-one-stone situation.

In that sense, collecting blood was less tedious than the materials he had to gather in previous quests.

“All right. I’ll check it out and return soon.”

“Then, I’ll leave it to you.”

After exchanging farewells, Do-hyeon stepped outside, only to hear a cold voice.

“Hey.”

“?”

Turning around, he saw a familiar face.

A handsome man with sleek blond hair, Zerdic, was leaning against the wall.

‘What now?’