The Return of the Genius Ranker of All Times

Chapter 19

Solo Player

Commonly referred to as “soloplay,” it literally means playing a game alone.

In God of Savior, it was usually used when someone tried to take down a boss by themselves.

It was the kind of play that every gamer dreams of at least once.

But, in other words, it also meant that it was so unrealistic that it might as well only exist in dreams.

“Solo play? That’s just absurd in God of Savior.”

“If it’s a regular dungeon boss, maybe. But an elite boss or higher? Just shut up and find a party if you don’t want to take a death penalty.”

“You’d have to be at Myeolsal’s level to do solo play.”

Given that the bosses were modeled after those in DemRock, their difficulty wasn’t lenient enough to allow solo play.

Even with a four-person party, there were plenty of bosses that couldn’t be taken down, so what was all this talk about solo play?

In God of Savior, since each city had a set graduation level, it wasn’t even possible to overwhelm the boss with overwhelming specs.

While certain professions or items might have an influence, it wasn’t enough to enable solo play.

You had to understand all the patterns, break them down, and deal maximum damage for it to even be possible.

That’s why Myeolsal was so popular.

The first solo player.

He was the first to officially take down an elite boss on his own, and with his uniquely flashy playstyle, he instantly became a star.

Since then, quite a few people had attempted solo play, but that didn’t diminish the brilliance of his achievement.

After all, most of them had now reached the ranks of high-rankers.

“Wow…”

“This is actually possible.”

BestShield and AimForTheForehead were both dumbfounded, their mouths agape in disbelief.

And it was understandable.

Swish- thunk!

Shik-

ROAR!

The solo play they’d only dreamed of was unfolding right before their eyes in real time.

When he had suddenly charged at the boss, they had felt dizzy for a moment, but now, they were getting dizzy for an entirely different reason.

Yet, their curiosity grew just as much.

“Why isn’t the CC (crowd control) working?”

“We’re being hit with all sorts of status effects, but it’s amazing how he’s not.”

“That doesn’t look like CC is affecting him… Is it a unique class ability?”

Even now, countless debuff messages were popping up above their heads.

They were afflicted by everything from exhaustion, stuns, attack reduction, defense reduction… every possible debuff, but Kaiser, the one tackling the boss, seemed unaffected.

“Does the Heroic God grant such an overpowered immunity?”

“I don’t know about that… but it’s mesmerizing.”

Seeing everyone in the party puzzled made BestShield feel conflicted.

‘…What is this? Isn’t his god supposed to amplify damage?’

He was using Weapon Master’s effects, dealing insane amounts of damage, and also had immunity to these absurd CC effects?

Could someone at level 9 really do all this?

This felt like…

‘It’s as if he has multiple traits.’

It was an absurd thought.

Even a beginner like BestShield knew that no matter how skilled someone was, they could only have one trait.

But it was a situation that defied understanding.

Still, there was something else even more incomprehensible.

“He’s insane…”

“Can you see him dodging everything?”

“Wow… he’s truly a legend.”

That unbelievable movement.

Dodging every attack, disrupting every pattern, and dealing damage safely.

They had watched solo play videos several times, but they could confidently say they had never seen anyone handle a boss this smoothly and comfortably.

-HP: [2,312 / 20,000]

The boss’s HP was already down to the 2,000 range.

No, it was still dropping even as they watched in real time.

2,000. 1,800. 1,500…

ROAR! ROAR!

The Mutant Goblin Warrior was losing its mind.

Its prey was right in front of it, but no matter how much it tried, it couldn’t even land a single blow.

Meanwhile, the prey was carefully stabbing at its vital points, like it was magnetically drawn to them.

The humiliation was unbearable.

Though it was in berserk mode and couldn’t feel pain, the frustration drove it to roar.

-HP: [1,036 / 20,000]

All the while, its life was draining away.

BestShield was completely overwhelmed by the unbelievable sight before him.

‘…What am I watching?’

How could something like this be possible?

Some might say:

What’s so impressive about raiding a boss that’s already down to its last 20%, especially when you didn’t start the solo play from the beginning?

But things changed if the boss was in berserk mode.

‘A berserk boss gets faster in every way.’

There were patterns you simply couldn’t avoid, and a berserk state was one of them.

The terrifying thing about a berserk boss was that its movements were so fast, it was almost impossible to disrupt its patterns or even distinguish between a pattern and a regular attack.

‘He’s not just memorizing it. He’s reacting to it in real-time.’

That made it all the more chilling.

Anyone who’s sparred before would understand this.

Attacks or movements coming directly at you feel several times faster than when you’re watching from a distance.

What BestShield struggled most with during duels was exactly that.

But if a movement was this fast even from a distance?

That would require superhuman reflexes beyond the realm of ordinary humans.

“Kaiser…”

So was it any wonder that the name “Kaiser,” which he had initially dismissed, suddenly resurfaced in his mind?

“Hmm? What did you say?”

AimForTheForehead turned his head, having heard the muttered words.

BestShield, watching him in pure admiration, cautiously opened his mouth.

“…I mean Kaiser.”

“Him? Why?”

“Isn’t it possible that he’s the real Kaiser?”

“…?”

AimForTheForehead and YubinKkyung blinked, as if to ask, “What are you talking about?”

Then their expressions froze.

They had finally caught on to the meaning behind his words.

“To be honest, I can’t believe it myself as I say this…”

BestShield glanced cautiously at Kaiser and continued.

“But if he’s not, then I just can’t make sense of it.”

“…”

“…”

AimForTheForehead and YubinKkyung were both silent.

They had no argument.

It didn’t make sense for a fake Kaiser to be able to pull off movements like that, nor would he be attempting a solo play.

And putting solo play aside, not getting hit even once was something even most high-rankers couldn’t achieve.

In fact, the more they thought about it, the more they wondered why they hadn’t considered this possibility earlier.

“So you’re saying that Kaiser is that Kaiser?”

“I mean… I’d like to say ‘no,’ but I’m really not sure.”

“Wait, does that mean we partied with that Kaiser?”

A silence fell over the group at AimForTheForehead’s words.

If—by any chance—this Kaiser was the real Kaiser.

Then hadn’t they just partied with the legendary Kaiser, the one shrouded in rumors?

The Kaiser’s first party—that was an achievement money couldn’t buy.

[You have defeated the Mutant Goblin Warrior.]

[The dungeon will be cleared.]

[As a reward…]

…

[You have achieved the Time Limit achievement.]

…

“Wow… this is insane.”

At that very moment, as the boss collapsed and the message appeared, their astonishment overlapped with the message.

Although it was unclear what exactly they were marveling at, one thing was certain: they all had the same thought.

* * *

[You have leveled up.]

[Swordsmanship proficiency has increased.]

[Swordsmanship proficiency has reached LV7.]

[You have defeated the Mutant Goblin Warrior.]

[You have cleared the dungeon.]

[Would you like to harvest the essence of the Mutant Goblin Warrior?]

[As a reward for harvesting, you gain Mutant Goblin Warrior’s Blood, Mutant Goblin Warrior’s Hide, and 2 Gold.]

[This will be recorded in the Adventure Book.]

[Your clear time is being measured.]

…

Do-hyeon wiped his sword as he scanned the series of messages.

The clear time was faster than he had expected.

‘It’s definitely about the gear in this game.’

The others would’ve been baffled to hear him say this, but Do-hyeon genuinely thought so.

[Due to the Wrath effect, you dealt an additional 10% damage to the boss.]

[At Swordsmanship proficiency level 7, sword-related damage increases by 7%.]

With the effect of the legendary title “First Slayer,” he dealt an additional 10% damage to the boss.

On top of that, all of his stats were boosted by +10 thanks to his title, and with swordsmanship proficiency now at level 7, his damage output was absurd.

‘It felt like I was slicing tofu.’

If that wasn’t because of good gear, then what was it?

No matter how skilled you were, it was hard to showcase that without good items.

This was the most painful lesson Do-hyeon had learned while playing DemRock.

[You have defeated a new type of boss on first encounter.]

[Due to Devour effect, all your stats increase by +6.]

‘Not right now, though.’

Do-hyeon was satisfied after successfully absorbing the stats through the Devour effect.

Back in DemRock, he had been plagued by terrible luck, but now, his growth was so peaceful and excessive that it felt almost unfair.

To top it off, he had even leveled up this time.

‘I’ll invest 2 points in strength, 3 in agility, and 2 in perception.’

His health still seemed manageable, so he didn’t touch it.

[Player: Kaiser]

[Level: 10]

[HP: 1,570 / 1,700]

[MP: 250 / 350]

[Stamina: 100 / 300]

[Class: Final Adventurer ]

[Titles (2)]

-Maximum Favorability from the Start?

-First Slayer

[Stats]

Remaining points: 0

‘That’s it.’

Seeing his stats neatly distributed gave him a sense of relief.

Who would think this was the status screen of a level 10 player?

With his second devour combining with the Hidden Dragon effect, his stats had become monstrous.

Gulp.

When he made eye contact, his party members seemed to flinch as if they were nervous.

‘Huh?’

Noticing their awkward behavior, Do-hyeon tilted his head.

‘Maybe I did go a bit overboard.’

He hadn’t had time to explain, nor did he think they’d fully understand, so he had simply charged in alone.

Now that he thought about it, it wasn’t the best move.

After all, the party leader wasn’t him, it was BestShield.

‘I’ve gotten too used to my old party.’

The problem stemmed from his time in DemRock, where his only party members had been Kkukkudakkkukku, Sword Emperor, and Purple Taste—a party of hardcore veterans.

When he played with them, this kind of behavior was routine, and often, they would take things even further.

“Um… Kaiser. Could it be that…?”

Just as one of them hesitantly spoke up, Do-hyeon was about to apologize.

Ding-

[Time Limit has been calculated.]

[Time Limit: 29 minutes 58 seconds]

[Current record ranking]

-1st: BestShield’s Party [29 minutes 58 seconds]

-2nd: ???’s Party [35 minutes 11 seconds]

-3rd: Myeolsal’s Party [42 minutes 12 seconds]

-4th: Arther’s Party [44 minutes 07 seconds]

…

-10th: Slayer’s Party [48 minutes 35 seconds]

[You have reclaimed the Time Limit ranking for 1st place.]

[Differentiated rewards will be given based on merit.]

[1st Place: Kaiser]

[2nd Place: BestShield]

[3rd Place: AimForTheForehead]

[4th Place: YubinKkyung]

“I know it’s bold of me to say this, but… huh?”

“I apologize… huh?”

Their expected reward messages stopped them in their tracks.