The Return of the Genius Ranker of All Times

Chapter 36

“That crazy son of a b****… So, you’d rather we all die together than work together?”

To them, Do-hyeon didn’t appear to be in his right mind.

Well, honestly, he had planned to finish them off the moment the dungeon was cleared.

In any case, after the raid, they would be weakened, and in such a situation, with superior numbers, they had a high chance of winning.

But whatever the case, that was a concern for later.

For now, wasn’t it more natural to choose the option that guaranteed survival?

“Who said we’re all going to die together?”

“…What?”

“Do you even know what your ‘Selfish Defense’ skill blocks?”

“Of course, it blocks physical attacks…”

‘Selfish Defense.’

A skill that ignores all physical attacks until a certain amount of magical damage is received once activated.

A paper-thin defense that was useless against mages, but overpowered when only facing physical damage dealers.

That’s why bringing a mage was always essential in these raids.

It wasn’t about the mage’s firepower, but the fact that they made the dungeon beatable.

“So, here’s the question.”

At this moment, Do-hyeon thought.

“How do you think status effect damage is categorized?”

“You… You can’t be serious…?”

Bastardsword’s face turned pale as if he had realized something.

But soon, he shook his head in denial.

“No way. A swordsman wouldn’t have a status effect ability.”

“Yeah, a swordsman doesn’t.”

That part was true.

Swordsmen didn’t have skills that inflicted status effects.

There were other useful status-inducing skills and equipment, but none that applied direct damage through a status effect.

But Do-hyeon wasn’t a swordsman.

*Srrng-*.

When Do-hyeon pulled something from his pocket and grinned, Bastardsword’s face froze in shock.

A short dagger, about 80 cm long.

“T-That’s an assassin’s dagger! How the hell did you…?”

“Is it because it’s your friend’s? You recognized it right away.”

“That’s impossible! Did it drop? No, more importantly, how can you even use that?”

It was the rare+ grade dagger he had obtained from AssassinBoy.

A dagger with the ‘Bleed’ effect. His friend knew that option well.

Since they had kept it a secret that AssassinBoy had dropped the dagger, he hadn’t even considered the possibility.

And even if he had considered it, he wouldn’t have thought that a swordsman could wield a dagger.

His head was still a mess, but that was all.

“Pfft… Puhahaha!”

As soon as Bastardsword grasped the situation, he burst into laughter.

Kiik! Kiik!

As the elite soldiers found an opening and swung their spears, he didn’t bother defending but instead continued to laugh.

It wasn’t until his HP dropped to 60% from rolling on the ground that he stopped, speaking in a mocking tone.

“Bleed? That’s your brilliant plan? If Bleed could finish this, we wouldn’t even need mages. We’d just hire assassins or thieves.”

“…”

“The tricky thing about Bleed is that it causes anemia if it lasts too long. It’s not something you use for damage. Haha.”

Bastardsword’s grin became more sinister as he chuckled.

“You idiot. Yeah, let’s all die together.”

“…”

“Hey! Don’t bother blocking! Just die already. This bastard’s going down with us anyway.”

“What the hell are you… Ah, screw it!”

The paladin, who had hesitated for a moment at the order to die, threw his shield to the ground.

Yeah, it wasn’t just them who would die.

Thinking that way made it feel less unfair.

Hell, the other guy had better gear, so if he dropped his items, wouldn’t he suffer more?

The thought of causing him a loss was satisfying enough.

‘We can even claim we were the ones who killed him.’

It gave them a good excuse to explain things to AssassinBoy, so this wasn’t a bad outcome.

That’s what they believed.

“15 points in Strength. 5 points in Perception.”

Thud.

[The difference in stats is overwhelming. The effect of the Assassin’s Dagger is activated.]

[The opponent’s Perception is high. Bleed is triggered.]

[You have inflicted the ‘Bleed’ status effect. Due to the overwhelming stat difference, the damage is significantly increased.]

[You struck the heart precisely. The effect of Bleed is amplified.]

[HP has fallen below 50%.]

“Huh…?”

Before he even realized, the dagger had pierced his heart.

As soon as it struck, Bleed activated, and his HP started to drop at a ridiculous speed.

Bastardsword’s face turned ghostly pale at the incomprehensible rate of loss.

“W-What the hell is this…?!”

An overwhelming stat difference?

Like most games, in God of Savior, a significant difference in stats meant skill effects were either amplified or nullified entirely.

‘I’m a higher level than him, so what the hell is this?!’

But this couldn’t be happening.

Even with better gear, he was level 24, while the other guy was level 20.

On top of that, Bastardsword had activated his unique ability, boosting his HP and defense to nearly sub-tank levels.

So how big of a gap could there be to cause this kind of insane damage?

[HP has fallen below 30%.]

“A-Ah… Ah…”

Despite his confusion, his HP continued to drain, quickly falling below 30%.

Do-hyeon, with a beaming face, spoke in awe.

“Wow, it’s hitting harder than I thought.”

DemRock was a game grounded in reality.

And so was God of Savior, which shared its same mechanics.

The damage you dealt depended on how much force you put into a strike. Similarly, if your form was poor, the damage would be lower.

Of course, the game provided some corrections, represented by the concepts of minimum and maximum damage.

‘And the same applies to effects like Bleed.’

It was only natural that you’d bleed more if your heart or an artery was pierced.

Of course, not everything worked exactly like real life.

If it did, the game would have surpassed realism to the point where it wouldn’t even be called a game anymore.

The balance was maintained by tweaking small details, and Bleed was one such detail.

It was also why players had to be extra cautious when facing assassins or thieves.

Those classes had an unusually high number of such effects.

‘Even with paralysis poison, the duration and severity depended on how long it was absorbed into the body.’

Dark vision worked similarly; assassins were full of unpleasant tricks.

The damage was so tempting that he wanted to invest all his remaining points into Strength, but Do-hyeon restrained himself.

He had already invested enough into Agility, and with plenty of speed-boosting options available, that was fine for now. But his other stats were still low, so leaving at least 20 points for later was more reassuring.

In any case, the Bleed damage was boosted to an extreme level, but Bastardsword couldn’t accept it.

“What kind of Bleed is this… Damn it, this is a hack. You cheating bastard. You’re a hacker, aren’t yo—”

Thud.

[You have killed Player ‘Bastardsword.’]

[Player ‘Bastardsword’ was confirmed as a ‘Evil”. This is recognized as self-defense, and your Karma has not increased.]

“Seriously, these guys… Same old story.”

Of course, Do-hyeon didn’t feel obligated to explain.

Quickly, as soon as Bastardsword was taken care of, items dropped, and the paladin’s enraged voice echoed.

“Jae-hwan! Damn it…!”

The paladin was so overwhelmed that he called out his friend’s real name.

He couldn’t accept the reality that his two companions had died in an instant, leaving him alone.

‘How did things end up like this?’

Where had it all gone wrong?

‘Should we have killed him before entering the boss room?’

No, the plan had been perfect.

Using the boss’s aggro was the most efficient strategy. If they had predicted that he would catch on to their plan…

Kiik! Kik!

[Player ‘Bastardsword’ has died, and the Red Goblin Elite Soldier has lost its aggro.]

[The Red Goblin Elite Soldier recognizes ‘Kaiser’ as an enemy.]

Slash! Crunch!

[You have slain the Red Goblin Elite Soldier.]

[You have slain the Red Goblin Elite Soldier.]

“Huh? What? Why are they dying so quickly?”

…That thought stopped dead as soon as he saw the elite soldiers collapse with the sound of their bones cracking.

“…No way.”

Five seconds.

That’s how long it took for him to kill two elite soldiers.

These elite monsters, with more than 70% HP remaining, had been killed in the blink of an eye.

The fury that had consumed the paladin’s face drained away in an instant, replaced by sheer despair.

‘…No, we shouldn’t have started this.’

Restrain him and kill him?

Against someone who could take down two elite soldiers in five seconds?

Even if they had fought three-on-one, the result wouldn’t have been much different.

They shouldn’t have gotten involved with AssassinBoy’s request.

No, they shouldn’t have even crossed paths with him.

They shouldn’t have targeted a newbie and should have focused on guild recruitment, rising to the top slowly and steadily.

“Let’s see how long you can last.”

***

Step, step.

As Do-hyeon approached, the paladin had nothing left to do.

What could he possibly attempt against a monster like that?

Kiik! Kik!

In front of him, the goblin chief swung its fists in fury, while behind him, an even more terrifying monster drew closer.

Since it had come to this…

‘Might as well die to the boss.’

He had long since tossed his shield away.

His HP had already dropped below 30%, so it seemed like the wisest choice.

But.

“I won’t let you.”

Do-hyeon, now standing right in front of him, chuckled.

“Ah…”

He no longer even had the right to choose how he would die.

Grinding his teeth, the paladin shouted in defiance.

“You son of a b****, do you even know which guild I’m from…!”

But those words were never finished.

Thud.

Do-hyeon, who had already closed the distance, calmly thrust his dagger into him.

As the blade pierced his carotid artery, the paladin grasped his neck, gasping for air.

In front of him, system messages began to appear.

[The difference in stats is overwhelming. The effect of the Assassin’s Dagger is activated.]

[You have inflicted the ‘Bleed’ status effect. Due to the overwhelming stat difference, the damage is significantly increased.]

[You struck a vital point precisely. The effect of Bleed is amplified.]

[HP has fallen below 20%.]

‘What the…’

Just like Bastardsword, his HP was dropping at an absurd rate.

Now he understood why Bastardsword had screamed in shock.

The damage was so overpowered that calling it a hack didn’t seem far off.

Even as he panicked, his HP continued to plummet, and it took only a few seconds for him to reach the point of death.

[You have killed Player ‘OmazingPaladin.’]

[Player ‘OmazingPaladin’ was confirmed as a ‘Evil’. This is recognized as self-defense, and your Karma has not increased.]

Clang—
Thud!

The paladin’s shield dropped to the ground as his figure disappeared, and the goblin chief pounded the ground in frustration.

Do-hyeon smiled in satisfaction.

‘The damage hit harder than I thought.’

Well, of course, it did.

[Player: Kaiser]

[Level: 20]

[HP: 2,290 / 2,500]

[MP: 410 / 650]

[Stamina: 260 / 350]

[Class: Final Adventurer ]

[Titles (3)]

– Max Affinity from the Start?

– First Slayer

– Throne of Time Attack

[Stats]

Remaining Points: 36

Thanks to investing a bold 15 points in Strength, he now possessed a total of 88 Strength.

Strength that even a level 24 player couldn’t withstand. With stats like these, it was no wonder Bleed dealt such devastating damage.

However, even accounting for that, the damage had been absurd. And there was a reason for that.

[Bleed]

– Grade: Rare

– Restriction: Thief Class

– Description: A thief who uses various tools to confuse and disorient the enemy.

Those who fought against such thieves could not help but bleed.

– Effect: After using a skill, the next attack that hits will inflict the ‘Bleed’ status effect for 10 seconds.

If there is a significant difference in stats between the user and the target, the effect may be reduced. The duration and damage may also be adjusted.

– Cooldown: 15 seconds

This was the rare skill, *Bleed*, that he had obtained from a random skill draw.

‘I had a feeling, but I didn’t expect it to actually stack.’

Normally, the same status effect wouldn’t stack.

That was the common rule.

If it did, then curse users would be the strongest in the game.

But this rule only applied to skills of the same class.

If a Curse Master’s Weaken skill and an Earth Mage’s Slow skill overlapped and one was negated, wouldn’t one of them feel cheated?

For that reason, God of Savior allowed effects to stack up to a certain number of times if they were from different classes.

And that was the problem.

‘They never expected an assassin’s weapon to trigger a thief’s skill.’

Maybe this was a tactic left in place for Weapon Masters to use.

After all, a thief wielding an assassin’s weapon was still just a thief. The AI probably decided this much was fine.

But what could be done now?

‘It’s all good for me.’

Do-hyeon was the only player who could wield every class’s weapons and skills.

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