The Return of the Genius Ranker of All Times

The glimmer in his eyes faded quickly.

“Golden color, my foot…”

Gold?

It wasn’t even close.

Not even a similar hue showed up, as if to mock him for expecting such a thing.

Six brown cards, four silver.

In other words, six common-grade and four rare-grade items.

‘What? Isn’t this supposed to be random? Does this even make sense?’

It was utterly ridiculous.

It wasn’t like he was drawing from a mid-tier skill selection, but somehow, only those two grades appeared.

If this was a skill, it certainly had a knack for hitting only those grades.

‘Four rare cards… Statistically, that’s not bad.’

With a 40 percent chance of drawing rare-grade skills, it wasn’t terrible at all.

Even with Do-hyeon’s usual bad luck, this kind of balance meant he had a relatively high chance of drawing a rare skill.

‘…Or maybe not?’

After all the hardships he had been through…

Do-hyeon sighed, brushing off his hands.

‘Pulling a hero-grade on the first try must have been pure luck.’

And not just any hero-grade, it was the Backstab skill.

Perhaps he had used up all his luck at that moment.

It was a bit disappointing, but Do-hyeon quickly pulled himself together.

‘Some days are just like this.’

His recent luck had been extraordinarily good, but honestly, a rare grade wasn’t bad at all.

No, it was actually good.

‘Rare skills and titles tend to be the most versatile.’

In God of Savior, the most reliable and versatile skills were often rare-grade ones.

For example, skills like Invisibility or Paralysis Poison from AssassinBoy were rare-grade, but they were essential to an assassin’s kit.

While a single rare skill might not seem overpowered, it was great for combining with other skills, and when used together, they truly shined.

That’s the essence of rare-grade skills.

‘You really need at least one rare skill.’

And rare skills were exactly what Do-hyeon favored the most.

Thinking along these lines, he started to appreciate pulling rare skills.

…Well, not really, but convincing himself of this was better for his mental health.

Do-hyeon scratched his chin, clearing his mind.

“It’s actually a tough choice.”

If he had just one card, he would have picked without hesitation. But with four silver cards, it made him hesitate.

What if he picked something useless right now? Wouldn’t he regret not choosing another one and feel the sting of wasted potential?

‘Since I have the Eye of Truth, can’t it at least show me what skills are hidden? Why does it have to be so stingy…?’

After briefly imagining the impossible, Do-hyeon reached out his hand.

No matter how much he hesitated, it would only waste time.

‘Screw it. Whatever comes, comes.’

He picked the silver card furthest to the right.

A soft silver glow spread out, illuminating the surroundings.

As he read the message that appeared, his expression turned odd.

[You have obtained the skill ‘……’]

“Huh?”

…This wasn’t bad.

***

Deep in the western forest, in front of a cave.

Unlike the usual monster-hunting spots, countless players were gathered in clusters.

“Looking for a wizard! Fire attribute wizards preferred!”

“Ice or lightning wizards are fine too! Any wizards, please join us!”

“Only accepting players level 20 or above! Please apply!”

“Buying junk items~ I’ll give the best price~.”

“Anyone need weapon repairs?”

“Selling special stew~ It gives a health buff, so make sure to grab some before you go!”

From merchants and blacksmiths to cooks, and players looking to form parties—everyone was gathered here.

This place that had drawn so many players was, of course, a dungeon.

The Goblin Chieftain’s Lair.

As one of the two most famous dungeons in the western forest, it was packed with people.

Compared to the parties he had seen at the city gate, this was on another level.

‘This really is a masterpiece of a game.’

Even in the second city, the scale of activity was massive… It meant there were a lot of new players joining in.

If it was like this now, he couldn’t imagine how many people would show up for raids.

The size of the crowd made Do-hyeon’s heart race, reminding him of the early days of DemRock.

‘DemRock used to be like this too…’

Back then, everything was fresh and the cities were bustling with life.

It only took 8 months for it to crash, turning those memories into just another part of the past.

Do-hyeon chuckled as he glanced around, recalling those days.

While there were many craftsmen around, the overwhelming majority were players seeking parties.

“Tanks and wizards ready. Looking for healers, two spots left. We check Adventure Book records~. No Warrior records, no entry.”

“I’m a healer! Let me join!”

“I’m a sub-tank, but I can play some DPS too! I’ll do my best, so please let me in!”

“I’m a rogue, but…”

“Why would a rogue join? Have some sense! Don’t you know when to step back!?”

“…Oh…”

The scene in front of a dungeon was always like this.

However, the party formation here had a slight difference from other places.

‘Wizards are really popular here.’

Normally, healers were treated like royalty and became the first pick. But here, wizards were in high demand.

Wizards were already a popular class, but not to this extent…

It was all due to the Goblin Chieftain’s unique mechanics.

‘If that trait triggers, you can’t clear it without a wizard.’

This was the fun part of the game.

Depending on the boss’s traits, the roles of “noble” and “commoner” could shift in real time. There was no permanent aristocrat or lowly role.

A class that was underappreciated elsewhere could become the center of attention and treated like VIPs in certain dungeons.

Unfortunately, this didn’t apply to Do-hyeon right now.

In this dungeon, melee DPS classes were the least wanted.

‘Among those, rogues, assassins, and swordsmen have the worst reputations.’

Rogues were already considered an awkward class for combat, and assassins were more suited for PVP, so this wasn’t surprising.

But why were swordsmen considered the worst?

‘They don’t really excel in anything.’

If the team needed damage, they’d pick a strong and reliable ranged DPS.

If they needed tanks, they’d go for a tank, or even a sub-tank if necessary.

For buffs or support, they’d choose a healer.

But what about swordsmen?

‘Hmm.’

No standout strengths came to mind.

They had no glaring weaknesses either, but were just mediocre in all aspects.

They were more of a late-blooming, all-rounder class that became powerful as the game progressed.

However, that meant they were just average in the early stages.

Moreover, few classes were as dependent on the player’s skill as the swordsman.

This naturally led to a lot of low-level swordsmen with poor mechanics, which contributed to their bad reputation.

Though it wasn’t enough to make them outright hated, it was a problem in Raven.

‘I have to admit, swordsmen are pretty useless here.’

Damage?

It was better to rely on ranged DPS, and a wizard could handle everything anyway.

It’d be more beneficial to add another sub-tank to ensure safe damage-dealing than relying on a swordsman.

And in the Ant’s Nest?

‘That place is even worse, with only tanks and ranged DPS.’

It was even more hostile to melee DPS than the Goblin Chieftain’s Lair.

In that dungeon, melee DPS had no other role except being meat shields. And why would anyone choose a swordsman with a flimsy sword for that?

At this point in the game, swordsmen were neither useful as DPS nor as sub-tanks.

That’s why Do-hyeon had chosen this dungeon.

‘Sigh.’

The swordsman class had a slightly better reputation here than in the Ant’s Nest, and he had the Warrior Set, so he had some chance of making an impression.

And with the skill he’d just obtained…

He’d have to introduce himself as either a swordsman or an assassin, but equipping a dagger would mean losing the Warrior Set, so finding a party could take longer than expected.

‘It’d be perfect if an unidentified dungeon just popped up.’

In God of Savior, dungeons weren’t all pre-discovered.

While there were a few official dungeons in every city, most dungeons were found by players.

Though these player-discovered dungeons were often worse than official ones, some turned out to be gold mines.

‘The Ant’s Nest is one of those.’

Who knew?

Maybe there were still undiscovered dungeons out there.

That’s why Do-hyeon had thoroughly scoured the forest before coming here.

He had hoped his Eye of Truth would activate and lead him to an unidentified dungeon.

Maybe there was even a solo-friendly dungeon hidden somewhere.

‘Wouldn’t it make sense for the Eye of Truth to have that kind of ability?’

It could see hidden things.

When he read the description, the first thing that came to mind was an explorer’s search skill.

Skills for finding undiscovered dungeons or hidden relics.

Those were also about discovering hidden things, so shouldn’t the Eye of Truth be able to do something similar?

But instead of revealing some unidentified dungeon, he found absolutely nothing.

‘Maybe it doesn’t have that kind of ability. Or maybe there just aren’t any unidentified dungeons left…’

It had been a year and six months since the game’s release, so it was possible that all of Raven’s dungeons had already been uncovered.

This was something he’d have to look into later…

Do-hyeon’s gaze shifted toward his inventory.

Inside was a seemingly worthless junk item.

[Useless Junk]

[Grade: Common]

[Description: Could be a good toy for children. Might be used as a machine part?]

‘…’

Even the system recognized it as useless, and merchants wouldn’t even buy it.

This was the definition of junk.

To Do-hyeon’s surprise, this item had come from Camilla’s Small Gift.

He had hoped the Eye of Truth might activate, but since it was a random item draw, nothing of the sort happened.

Still, plenty of people had found useful items from this gift…

‘Well, I wasn’t expecting much.’

Do-hyeon had gone through too many hardships to be discouraged by something like this.

After all, he had once failed ten consecutive item enhancements. This was nothing in comparison.

“Tanks and wizards ready. We’re looking for two more members!”

“Me! Me!”

A deep male voice caught Do-hyeon’s attention.

It was a man holding a heavy shield.

Next to him stood a rather skinny-looking man, clearly a wizard, holding a staff and wearing a robe.

As expected of a party with both a tank and a wizard, people flocked to them in no time.

“Hey, I’d like to join your party…”

“Ah, sorry. We’re already full.”

“…Understood.”

Do-hyeon hurried over, but the party had already filled up by the time he arrived.

He tried applying to several other parties afterward, but each time, he was rejected for the same reason.

“A swordsman? Hmm… Not sure about that…”

“Oh, you’re using the Warrior Set? Hmm… That does change things, but we still don’t have a wizard, so sorry.”

“You know how it is here with swordsmen… Wow, it’s really a shame though. If a wizard had equipped the Warrior Set…”

“Is that really the Warrior Set? It looks so mismatched, like someone colored it with crayons. Was it always this ugly?”

The Warrior Set wasn’t limited to just greatswords.

It could include anything from daggers and bows to staves and even crossbows.

That was why the Warrior Set was considered a graduation item for all classes in the Arde region.

Do-hyeon had been lucky to get a greatsword, so he had thought it was a good thing…

‘And yet here we are.’

This was all because, unlike DemRock, God of Savior had much stricter party requirements.

Still, it wasn’t entirely the party’s fault. Do-hyeon had been specifically applying to veteran parties.

It wasn’t intentional.

He just happened to pick well-rounded groups, and those were mostly experienced parties.

Naturally, experienced parties tended to avoid swordsmen.

He had thought his Warrior Set might help him get in, but it was harder than he’d expected.

Maybe it was time to lower his standards.

‘Yeah, the important thing is getting inside the dungeon.’

It didn’t matter if the team composition was a mess or if the members were newbies; getting in was the first step.

Or maybe it would be better to just form his own party.

While he was thinking this…