The Return of the Genius Ranker of All Times

Commander Necromancer and Explosive Necromancer.

Commonly known as “Zic” and “Pokro,” though not official terms, people referred to them that way for ease.

The advantage of Zic was its high DPS (damage per second) output, achieved through safely leading a large number of undead, including higher-tier ones, while steadily dealing damage.

On the other hand, Pokro’s strength lay in its ability to deliver explosive burst damage.

And the skill responsible for that burst damage was none other than Corpse Explosion.

Even if a Pokro was getting beaten down repeatedly, if they managed to pull off a single successful Corpse Explosion, all mistakes could be forgiven thanks to this overpowered skill.

It wasn’t for nothing that people referred to Pokro as a “one-trick explosion class.”

“That’s all it is, though.”

But that also meant if they couldn’t land a Corpse Explosion, they were as good as dead.

Whether the character became ridiculously overpowered or utter garbage depended on the success of that single move.

Because of this, Do-hyeon never let his guard down the moment he saw the necromancer use Corpse Explosion.

“If that skill is as strong as I think, it’ll be a one-hit kill.”

No matter how high Do-hyeon’s stats were, there was no way he could survive the Corpse Explosion of a heroic-tier named boss.

It was essentially a one-shot kill pattern, and it was better to treat it that way.

A one-hit kill pattern in Raven, where there were barely any monsters above level 24? This boss urgently needed a difficulty adjustment, but by Do-hyeon’s standards, this was nothing.

“Later on, there are patterns where players have to die for a raid to progress.”

Not just that—there were also patterns where dying was inevitable.

Compared to DemRock, this was tame, but even God of Savior had many bosses like this.

Thus, instead of complaining, Do-hyeon devised a strategy.

If the necromancer was going to use Corpse Explosion anyway, why not make them do it on his terms? He set up the perfect situation where the boss would have no choice but to use their ultimate.

Sure enough, after provoking the boss just a little and pretending to be in danger, the necromancer eagerly unleashed the explosion.

[The Mark disappears.]

The necromancer had no idea that Do-hyeon had timed the mark’s duration and lured them into a trap.

A necromancer who’s used up their Corpse Explosion?

A weakling, no matter how hard they tried.

They had just lost their most valuable asset: a large portion of their undead forces, and now their ultimate move was gone as well.

On top of that, they had given up the distance advantage in close combat?

All that was left was to get beaten, punch after punch.

[A critical strike is dealt.]

“Gwaaah! W-wait a sec… Grrhk!”

…Just like now.

Thwack! Squelch!

[Urgh! Guhhak!]

And all of this was during the long cooldown of 4 minutes.

But for Do-hyeon, 4 minutes was more than enough. He could use Backstab at least four more times in that period.

With most of his undead already spent, Jihad could only take hits like a dog on the day of sacrifice.

Such was the fate of a Pokro who failed to land their Corpse Explosion.

This was why, despite Pokro possessing some of the highest burst damage across all classes, most players chose to follow the Zic path.

“C-corpse explosi… Guhh!”

Whack!

“W-wait a second…”

Thwack! Bam-bam-bam!

“Agh, no! Using bones is cheating!”

Squelch—Thud! Crack!

“I-I’ll get my reveng… Guhh! Just… just go a little easy…”

At first, Jihad had desperately thrown and exploded every remaining corpse, but there was no way Do-hyeon was going to get hit by such blind attacks.

And so, as the necromancer was mercilessly beaten, the once imposing and noble-looking Jihad now appeared more pitiful than anyone else in the world.

…Who would ever think this whining creature was a heroic-tier named boss?

“This is the first time I’ve seen a boss like this.”

Even for Do-hyeon, this kind of boss was a first.

Was this pathetic thing really the last survivor of the so-called great Black clan?

Do-hyeon didn’t know exactly what kind of clan they were, but seeing this sight would leave anyone speechless.

“Something’s off.”

Do-hyeon was beating the necromancer with increasing excitement, partly because he couldn’t stand the sight of him, but inwardly, he was still uneasy.

More precisely, he had doubts.

“Is this really a boss at the heroic-tier?”

Sure, Do-hyeon had crafted a good strategy and executed it well.

The power of the Corpse Explosion was definitely strong enough that it could’ve instantly killed any level 50 player.

Maybe even more than that.

The activation speed had been faster than a typical Corpse Explosion, so if his Backstab had been on cooldown, Do-hyeon might have been dead on the spot.

On top of that, the necromancer had even cast curses, and if he had used Corpse Explosion in conjunction with dark vision, trapping Do-hyeon in a corner, there would have been no way to escape.

“I get all that, but…”

Even with all those factors, the necromancer still felt weak.

Sure, a level 24 player would struggle to beat them alone, but could this really be a heroic-tier named boss that roamed the dungeon?

It seemed easier than most field bosses if you knew the strategy.

Despite these doubts, Do-hyeon didn’t stop swinging his sword.

Thwack! Crack!

Squelch—Thunk!

“Guaaah! Aaargh! Gahhak!”

Punch, knockdown, slash, stab.

[The Mark disappears.]

[A critical strike is dealt.]

When the necromancer tried to run, Do-hyeon would chase after him with Backstab and unload his burst damage.

After repeating this several times…

[The secret dungeon boss, ‘Jihad Black,’ has less than 30% HP remaining.]

[Phase 2 begins.]

[The trait ‘Bloodline Factor’ manifests.]

Do-hyeon paused for the first time upon seeing the message pop up.

And in that instant…

“Kuhh… Kuhahaha…”

The once pathetic necromancer laughed for the first time.

The atmosphere changed.

Ssss—.

A thick black mist, darker than Jihad’s skin, began to rise.

It spread out as if it were seeping from every pore of his body, exuding a dangerous aura visible even to the naked eye.

[I’ve been waiting for this moment…]

His voice, as though it were grinding against rusty iron, cracked and split.

His eyes, once glowing green, now turned pitch-black, making it hard to distinguish them from his shadowy form.

He was now a single mass of darkness, shaped like a goblin.

[I haven’t fully refined it yet… but I have no choice…]

Gone was the pitiful demeanor of moments ago, replaced by the confidence radiating from Jihad’s expression.

And for good reason.

[Jihad Black is awakening the Bloodline Factor within his body.]

[The Bloodline Factor is in an incomplete stage. Full effects cannot be realized.]

[When the Bloodline Factor is fully awakened, Jihad’s rank will rise.]

Rank elevation.

A term often used in fantasy, referring to a fundamental enhancement of one’s being. In this case, it meant Jihad’s rank would increase.

Do-hyeon didn’t know how much it would rise, but it would increase by at least one tier.

“Heroic+…”

At a minimum, he would be at the Heroic+ rank.

The gap between the Heroic rank and the Heroic+ rank wasn’t just a single tier.

Exaggerating a little, the difference was as vast as that between a river and an ocean.

Raids requiring the organization of multiple teams started at the Heroic+ rank, so that said it all.

If that trait manifested, not even Do-hyeon could guarantee victory.

Considering this was a solo dungeon, the moment it awakened, it was essentially a system built to ensure failure.

[While Jihad Black focuses on awakening his Bloodline Factor, his stats increase.]

[HP recovery rate increases.]

[Defense increases.]

[Magic resistance increases.]

Yes, if the trait was allowed to manifest.

“Invest 20 points in Strength.”

[Strength increases by +20.]

[Strength exceeds 100.]

With this, Do-hyeon’s strength stat exceeded 100.

Specifically, his Strength was now 110.

Even without considering the bonus from all other stats, it was a ridiculous figure.

For any normal player following a proper stat distribution, they’d have to be at least level 40 to achieve this.

Considering the other stats and remaining points, the current Do-hyeon had even greater potential.

“I ended up investing too much in Strength, but…”

His Agility was at a respectable 71, so the balance wasn’t bad.

The perfect situation for pummeling a defenseless target.

[What… what is this sudden… absurd change!?]

Perhaps it was the stat increase that caused a shift in Do-hyeon’s aura.

Jihad’s earlier impressive tricks were now working against him.

Had he not known, getting hit might have been bearable, but now that he was aware, there was no escaping the punishment.

Increased defense?

Boosted HP recovery?

[Warrior Set effect applied.]

[Deals 7% additional damage to Goblin-type enemies.]

[With the Fury effect, deals 10% additional damage to bosses.]

[Level 10 Swordsmanship Mastery effect: sword-related damage increases by 10%.]

“No enemy can withstand a damage rush.”

Do-hyeon had no interest in the original strategy anymore.

He was focused on executing the best strategy there was.

Step, step.

[No… don’t come any closer!]

As Do-hyeon drew near, Jihad Black’s expression grew increasingly pale.

[Agh… Ahhh…]

Do-hyeon reached out his hand as he saw Jihad’s once pitch-black skin lighten slightly.

With a graceful slash of his sword, he pierced Jihad’s neck, and a pitiful goblin’s desperate scream echoed throughout the hideout.

***

[You have slain the secret dungeon boss, ‘Jihad Black.’]

[You have cleared the Secret Dungeon: Black Goblin Shaman’s Hideout.]

[The rewards are amplified for being the first to clear the Secret Dungeon.]

[This will be recorded in the Adventure Book.]

[You have achieved a hidden achievement.]

[Swordsmanship Mastery has increased.]

[Swordsmanship Mastery is now LV11.]

[Dagger Mastery has increased.]

[Dagger Mastery is now LV6.]

[Your level has increased.]

As he watched the flood of messages appearing before him, Do-hyeon let out a sigh.

“Wow… that was close.”

Thirty seconds… no, if he had been just ten seconds slower, the Bloodline Factor would have been triggered.

That’s how close it was.

He had even debated whether to invest more into Strength midway, given how significantly Jihad’s defense had increased.

“They designed this dungeon for players under level 24?”

Even a swordsman who only poured points into Strength and Agility would need to be at least level 40.

Considering all the bonus damage effects Do-hyeon had, it might have been impossible to use a damage rush strategy even at level 40.

Even having cleared it, the absurdity was hard to shake, but in any case, Do-hyeon had succeeded.

“Whew…”

And the rewards for that success were immensely sweet.

He had leveled up, his stubbornly stagnant Swordsmanship Mastery had increased, and he had even improved his Dagger Mastery.

“It would’ve been nice if the Devour effect had triggered, too.”

The only disappointment was that, because Jihad was another goblin-type, Do-hyeon couldn’t use his Devour effect.

Since the Black clan had been mentioned, he’d hoped that maybe he could, but the system was as strict as ever.

Well, asking for that too would’ve been too greedy, so it was time to move on…

“Rewards! Let’s see what the rewards are.”

The reward for clearing the very first discovered Secret Dungeon.

And it wasn’t just any Secret Dungeon, but a Heroic-tier one. There was no way the rewards could be bad.

[A guaranteed boss-related item will drop for being the first to clear it.]

[A 30% bonus to drop rates is applied.]

On top of that, there was a guaranteed first-clear reward!

With a 30% bonus to drop rates applied.

“Please be Heroic-tier!”

Normally, he wouldn’t even dream of it, but this time it was worth hoping for!

Not hoping for it would be stranger!

[Will you harvest the essence orb of Jihad Black?]

“Yeah.”

The essence orb.

Like the Warrior and Chieftain bosses, defeating a boss would produce an essence, which was essentially a random reward box.

Without hesitation, Do-hyeon accepted, and the light that had gathered in the orb scattered, sparkling like fireflies.

And the rewards appeared.

[You have obtained Black Goblin Shaman’s Soul Orb, Forgotten Clan’s Mark, Black Goblin Shaman’s Robe, and Jihad Black Card.]

“Wow…”

Unable to contain his excitement, Do-hyeon eagerly checked the rewards.