The Return of the Genius Ranker of All Times

Chapter 92

[‘Shroud of Darkness’ has been used on ‘Orc Undead.’]

[A cooldown of 40 seconds is applied to the target area.]

[1 mana is consumed per second.]

‘Oh, awesome.’

The Shroud of Darkness was applied seamlessly, contrary to his earlier tension.

He had thought the skill might have been patched when transitioning to God of Savior, as it was a bit of an exploit, but it seemed they had left it untouched.

Considering that God of Savior was managed by artificial intelligence, this wasn’t a coincidence or oversight.

‘The AI must have determined it was reasonable.’

After all, it was a loophole in the setup but not something that would break the game’s balance.

The fact that it had failed to become a part of the meta proved as much.

The AI likely deemed there was no reason to tweak something that was merely a fun element or a trump card at best.

It was a sound and entirely rational decision.

‘If only I weren’t an All-Master.’

If not for the anomaly known as Kang Do-hyeon.

Do-hyeon smirked and looked at the Orc Undead covered in the Shroud of Darkness.

Already an imposing creature, the swirling darkness surrounding it made it even more menacing.

Previously, it had merely exuded black mana, but now it appeared entirely consumed by darkness.

This wasn’t just a figure of speech.

Grrrr.

It truly seemed as though its whole body had been swallowed by the darkness, turning pitch black.

Though its decayed body was grotesque and ominous, the previous sense of insignificance was gone, replaced by an entirely different and foreboding aura.

Grrr…? Grrr—

The Goblin Undead standing idly by found the transformation fascinating and started wandering around the altered comrade.

Apparently, they found its changed appearance incredibly intriguing.

‘Does this work on them too?’

Fortunately, that prediction turned out to be correct.

[‘Shroud of Darkness’ has been used on the ‘Red Goblin Undead of the Forest.’]

[‘Shroud of Darkness’ has been used on the ‘Blue Goblin Undead of the Forest.’]

[A cooldown of 40 seconds is applied to the target area.]

[1 mana is consumed per second.]

Grrr?

The Goblins, startled by the dark energy suddenly enveloping their bodies, raised their arms in surprise but soon accepted it.

Their eyes turned pitch black as they roared.

Grrrrr!

Why did it feel like watching a villain transform?

The combination of the Undead and the darkness attribute couldn’t look more ominous.

Especially since these weren’t mere skeleton soldiers, but something much more threatening.

-“Kirrrk… Kuhhh… Kuhahaha…!”

Jihad let out a sinister chuckle, pleased with the more menacing appearance of his new allies.

It was the happiest Do-hyeon had seen him in a while.

Perhaps because of this, even Elisa, who had been quietly observing, started hopping in excitement.

-“Liza, Liza!”

This time, no interpretation was needed.

Anyone could see it was the reaction of a child demanding attention from a parent playing airplane with another sibling.

“Wait a moment, Elisa. I’ll do it for… huh?”

-“Liza!”

“Sorry, Elisa. I can’t do it for you.”

-“Liza…!”

Elisa froze mid-hop, clearly shocked by the rejection.

Do-hyeon felt sorry for her, but he had no choice.

[You have depleted all your mana.]

[‘Shroud of Darkness’ has been canceled.]

-“Kuhehe… huh? Ah…”

Grrr…? Grrr—

As the dark attribute disappeared, Jihad and the Undead, who had been dancing as though worshipping a demon, froze like broken robots.

The sudden loss of power left them in a state of emptiness.

Do-hyeon felt the same.

‘My mana is already gone?’

Despite his level and the advantages of his All-Master build, which granted him considerable mana freedom, this was the first time he had run out so quickly.

It was surprising but made sense upon reflection.

‘Of course, it does.’

The skill consumed 150 mana per second, and each additional target applied another 150.

Currently, the Shroud of Darkness was active on five targets: himself, Thousand Transformations, and three Undead.

That meant 900 mana was being drained per second.

Running out of mana was inevitable.

‘I should only use this on myself.’

Regrettably, there was no other option.

Even limiting its use to himself meant enduring a 300 mana drain per second.

Factoring in other skills, even that would require mana potions for sustainable use.

At most, he might extend it to one Undead…

‘…Wait. Hold on.’

Suddenly, a forgotten skill came to mind.

Amidst the impact of the Shroud of Darkness, he had completely overlooked Legion Control!

“Hey, you…”

-“I was just thinking the same thing, Master.”

“Use it right away.”

Jihad, for once in sync with Do-hyeon, moved quickly.

[Guardian ‘Jihad Black’ uses Legion Control.]

[Up to seven units can be assigned to one legion.]

[Form a legion.]

Do-hyeon only had six Undead at the moment.

Without hesitation, Jihad summoned the remaining Undead and designated them all to the legion.

[Orc Undead ×3, Red Goblin Undead of the Forest ×2, Blue Goblin Undead of the Forest ×1 have been assigned to Legion 1.]

[All members of the legion are considered as a single entity.]

[Since over 50% of the legion consists of monsters from lower-tier cities, mana consumption is reduced.]

Ooooh…

Jihad was impressed as the six units moved in perfect coordination.

The newly formed legion displayed a disciplined, almost military-like formation.

The shift from chaotic to orderly movement made it more fitting to call them a legion.

What thrilled Do-hyeon even more was not just the enhanced aesthetics.

-“It’s different, Master. It feels sustainable now!”

Jihad’s expression brightened, reflecting how much easier it was to manage mana.

No wonder.

The skill not only treated the legion as a single entity but also reduced mana consumption thanks to the Goblin Undead.

‘Wow… Having more units really changes things.’

The difference was evident when going from controlling three Undead to six.

The visual impact alone was striking, with the clean, orderly formation adding to the effect.

‘It feels like just yesterday I struggled to summon even one unit and scavenged trash gear… This feels nostalgic.’

To be fair, it really was just the other day.

But this wasn’t the time to dwell on sentimentality.

Gulp, gulp—

Do-hyeon quickly downed a mana potion.

It was the one he had earned from completing a quest in Raven.

The recovery rate was insufficient compared to his mana capacity, so he had to gulp down three potions, but it was sufficient with just a bit of time.

[MP has been fully restored.]

“Please, let it work.”

After confirming his mana was full, Do-hyeon used a skill on the undead at the forefront.

[‘Orc Undead’ has been targeted with Shroud of Darkness.]

[A 40-second cooldown has been applied to the targeted area.]

[Mana will be consumed per second.]

Then, an amazing thing happened.

Groooar-.

The moment the leading orc was engulfed in darkness, as before.

Groooar- Groooar-.

Grooooar-!

As if a virus were spreading, the surrounding orcs were swallowed by the darkness.

It was a spectacle.

Six undead creatures engulfed in darkness exuded a menacing aura.

Step, step.

Jihad, seemingly entranced, approached with sparkling eyes.

After muttering for a while, he couldn’t hold back and exclaimed.

-“M-magnificent…!”

-“L-Liza!”

…Honestly, it was hard not to agree.

It really looked like a legion of darkness, stirring something in a man’s heart.

But it wasn’t just the aura.

Groooar-!

Grooar!

The undead moved in perfect unison, charging at the orcs and brutally striking them.

It was different from before when they fought haphazardly, using their own tricks.

Now, they moved systematically, surrounding their enemies and piercing them with their weapons simultaneously, capitalizing on their numerical superiority.

Unlike their previously clumsy appearance, they now exuded an impressive coolness.

Screech, screech!? Screech!

Screeaaach!

Not only did they have the advantage in numbers, but even their damage output had amplified.

With every swing of their double-edged axes, the orcs’ tough hide was sliced apart like radishes.

The difference in combat power was clear. All thanks to Shroud of Darkness.

[The darkness attribute partially ignores the target’s defense.]

[The darkness attribute absorbs sound.]

It was essentially a defense debuff.

The main reason dark-attribute mages were so welcomed in boss battles.

And now, even undead creatures were wielding that power.

Moreover, the absorption of sound added stealth to their arsenal!

Screech!? Screech!

Thud-.

Without a sound, the undead crept in like phantoms, stabbing their targets and silencing them before moving on to their next prey.

[You have slain an Orc.]

[You have slain an Orc.]

……

[You have slain an Orc.]

One by one, the orcs fell.

The undead, as if programmed solely to kill orcs, executed their orders with chilling efficiency.

[Monsters near Brion slain (789 / 1,000)]

“…….”

While standing still, the continuously rising numbers caught Do-hyeon’s eye.

Jihad, who had been idly watching by his side, muttered in a dazed voice.

“Master… I think choosing Zeke was the best decision I’ve ever made.”

“…Seems like it.”

Do-hyeon was certain.

Jihad choosing Zeke would prove to be the best decision in his life as a Guardian.

Screech- Screech-.

Groooar-.

Even at that moment, the orcs continued to die.

[Monsters near Brion slain (792 / 1,000)]

[Monsters near Brion slain (793 / 1,000)]

The monster slaying count steadily increased.

Witnessing the hunting speed, which rivaled automated macros, Do-hyeon couldn’t help but mutter.

“…Delicious.”

“Yes, delicious….”

It was too sweet.

—

[Monsters near Brion slain (1,000 / 1,000)]

[The monster slaying quest near Brion has been completed.]

[Return to ‘Gamillion Adran’ to complete the quest.]

[Guardian ‘Jihad Black’ has completely depleted their mana.]

[The undead have been unsummoned.]

[Shroud of Darkness has been deactivated due to mana depletion.]

[You have leveled up.]

“Ha!”

Around 50 minutes had passed since the hunt began.

Clearing 200 monsters in less than an hour was an impressive feat.

Do-hyeon, already overpowered for the Brion region, had joined forces with Jihad’s undead, resulting in an insane hunting speed.

“The rate at which mana depletes is just as insane, though.”

Nothing comes without its downsides, as they say.

The rapid hunting pace was matched by an equally swift mana consumption rate, occasionally posing a challenge.

Because of this, only one mana potion remained.

And he hadn’t used it just in case of emergencies—had he intended to, it would’ve been gone long ago.

“Now it’s not Jihad’s problem; it’s mine.”

After solving Jihad’s mana issue, it was now Do-hyeon’s turn to deal with his own.

Still, it wasn’t a serious issue.

Whether he drank a mana potion, leveled up, or increased his magical power.

Unlike Jihad, Do-hyeon, as a user, had plenty of solutions.

He decided to take the easiest route.