The Return of the Genius Ranker of All Times

As usual, Kang Do-hyeon woke up early and diligently went for his morning jog.

After a quick breakfast, he headed straight to the capsule.

Only then did the day truly begin.

Though he was excited to play God of Savior again, just like yesterday, today his expression was somewhat peculiar.

He seemed a bit dazed, which was understandable given how shocking it had been.

‘Who would’ve thought God of Savior could make that much money…’

Being a historically unprecedentedly popular game, he had known it would be profitable.

But 1 billion won?

A monthly profit of 1 billion meant an annual income of 12 billion won.

Even after taxes and other deductions, it would still leave him with close to 10 billion.

He had heard that some guild masters from the top ten guilds earned even more than Myeolsal.

If that was the case, how much were those people making?

‘Didn’t they say a large portion of the earnings came from YouTube and broadcasting?’

Commercials, broadcasts… God of Savior guilds were practically akin to businesses.

If a top ten guild was considered a business, it would likely be on par with a major corporation.

Considering all the revenue streams, even 1 billion might be a conservative estimate.

‘We really live in an era where you can become rich just by playing games.’

It was another world, a world that had swallowed the real one.

He had always heard grandiose descriptions, but hearing actual figures made him realize the impact.

The world he had dreamed of was here, yet he was spending this golden era in the military…

Everyone had to serve, and protecting the country was important, but he couldn’t help feeling a little envious.

Still, it wasn’t too late.

‘Even though I’m a bit behind, it’s not impossible.’

Climbing a mountain was the same.

A person who never reached the peak would never see the view from the top in their entire life.

He had already been ranked number one once.

There was no reason he couldn’t do it a second time.

And Do-hyeon had six traits and had chosen a unique god, no less.

Among them was even a sole trait.

‘Let’s try it again.’

Ten billion won a month?

No, if he was going to aim high, why not dream of 100 billion?

For now, it was just a dream, but the bigger the goal, the better.

With that in mind, he had done a quick investigation into YouTube, which could be his first step toward that 100 billion.

– “Broadcasting? You just have to record it. The accessibility is easy. If you want higher quality, you’ll need to edit, and that costs money… But that’s only for those who really want to go professional.”

– “By the way, you’re not getting carried away, are you? Just because you can make a lot of money, doesn’t mean anyone can make it big. Don’t get your hopes up too high.”

…He had learned more from Hyun-ah than from his own research.

To be fair, there wasn’t much else to find out.

He didn’t have the money to hire an editor, and even after looking into how to do it himself, it wasn’t something he could learn overnight.

Still, he had a rough idea of the direction he wanted to take.

– “Content? Hmm… I don’t know. There’s a lot of variety. Something you can do without connections? Maybe raid videos? If your skill is good enough, even low-level zones get views.”

Skill showcase videos.

This was the area Do-hyeon had the most confidence in.

In fact, more than confidence, it was his only option.

To create interesting content, connections were essential, and Do-hyeon didn’t have any.

Nor was he confident in his ability to come up with creative content.

‘For now, let’s just start by recording.’

If he recorded his gameplay, he might find a use for it later.

If the opportunity presented itself, he planned to record from time to time.

After all, once his ranking improved, even ordinary hunting videos would gain value.

‘It would’ve been nice to record the dungeon run…’

He regretted not doing so, but then again, it might’ve been better not to.

It would have been difficult to take Jihad along if he had recorded it.

For now, he would think about it slowly.

But more importantly…

[Your loyalty has decreased by 2.]

[Your loyalty has increased by 2.]

[Your loyalty has increased by 1.]

[Your loyalty has increased by 1.]

“…What on earth happened here?”

Upon logging into God of Savior, Do-hyeon couldn’t hide his bewilderment at the flood of messages.

He had merely logged off and back on, but what could explain these swings in loyalty?

It seemed that the loyalty had dropped by 2 as soon as he logged off, but then increased by 4 in the Guardian Room.

The drop made sense given that guy’s personality.

What puzzled Do-hyeon was how quickly it had risen again.

‘Why did it go up so much?’

Come to think of it, he’d heard that the Guardian Room was designed to be a place where guardians could feel at ease.

It was a system to help players struggling with loyalty management.

It seemed Jihad was no exception.

Well, after being in hiding underground for hundreds of years, it would have been a relief to him.

‘But why was he hiding in the first place?’

With his lineage and many other factors, the guy was full of mysteries.

Anyway, it was a relief.

[ Loyalty: 20 / 100 ]

Not only had he reached the goal of 20, but the warnings about betrayal or backstabbing had disappeared.

– “Oh, you’re back, master.”

Jihad Black timidly spoke, gauging Do-hyeon’s reaction.

It seemed he had been summoned from the Guardian Room as soon as Do-hyeon logged in.

His drowsy, disheveled appearance was like someone who had just woken up, scrambling out of bed.

He must have slept well.

Do-hyeon stared at him for a moment before speaking bluntly.

“Your tone is too casual.”

– “My apologies, master.”

“Well, whatever. Just call me however you’re comfortable.”

– “…Is that really okay?”

Do-hyeon gave a half-hearted nod instead of answering.

– “…Then, master.”

“Yeah.”

Jihad Black’s face lit up immediately, happy to be free from formalities.

Then, as if realizing he had gotten too excited, he quickly composed himself, causing Do-hyeon to chuckle.

‘This should be fine.’

As long as he didn’t call him “hey,” “you,” or “human,” it didn’t matter.

Being too lenient wasn’t a good thing either.

And listening to Jihad awkwardly speak in formal speech was unsettling. As long as he didn’t get too arrogant, informal speech was more comfortable.

Besides, now that loyalty had surpassed 20, he could discipline Jihad from getting out of line periodically.

Of course, if loyalty dropped again, his opinion might change.

– “Where are we headed next… master?”

Jihad Black cautiously asked, trying to read the situation.

The answer was obvious.

“To claim my reward.”

It was time to collect the long-awaited reward for the linked quest, Dungeon Conquest—a lower-tier skill draw ticket.

***

[You have cleared the linked quest, ‘Dungeon Conquest.’]

[You have received 10 gold, a certain amount of experience, and a lower-tier skill draw ticket as your reward.]

‘Finally got it.’

Clenching his fist in triumph, Do-hyeon celebrated the long-awaited skill draw ticket.

Sure, it was only a lower-tier one, but at this point, even one new skill was precious.

Even Dash Slash—no, even the basic skill Heavy Strike—was being used to its fullest.

‘No level up, huh.’

If the quest had given just enough experience for a level up, it would have been perfect, but it seemed that was asking too much.

The higher his level got, the more experience it took to level up.

When he was level 20, just clearing one quest was enough for a level up.

“You’ve done well. With this, even the monsters won’t dare underestimate our Raven. Hahaha.”

“Thank you.”

“It’s a rare opportunity to meet such a skilled hunter. How about joining me for a cup of tea?”

“No, I have some pressing matters. I appreciate the offer, though.”

“Ah, my instincts were right! You’ve just finished a task, and you’re already moving on to the next one!”

Ding-.

[The effect of the title ‘Max Favorability from the Start?’ has activated. Favorability rises significantly.]

[Zrinna’s favorability has increased greatly.]

Do-hyeon responded briefly to Zrinna, who, as always, had plenty to say, while preparing to leave.

If he sat down, Zrinna’s chatter could easily drag on for an hour.

‘I can’t let that happen.’

As mentioned earlier, Do-hyeon was a hardcore gamer who couldn’t afford to waste even 10 hours. There was no way he would squander precious time.

Just as he was about to make a swift exit…

“By the way, who’s this beside you? You were alone yesterday… Did you find a new companion?”

“…Yes, something like that.”

Do-hyeon glanced to the side and gave a slight nod.

Seeing this, Zrinna stroked his white beard, intrigued.

“A young one, but an exceptionally talented mage, I see. Haha.”

“Kirrek!”

“Huh? Kirrek?”

“Oh, he has a bit of sinus trouble. I think his nose is blocked. Anyway, I must be off, thank you for everything.”

“Oh? Very well, then.”

Cutting the conversation short, Do-hyeon opened the door and stepped out, letting out a sigh of relief.

Then he cast a glance to the side.

“You wanna die?”

– “Sorry, master. The human seemed to know something, so I couldn’t help myself…”

“Be careful.”

– “…I’m sorry.”

Jihad Black averted his gaze, slouching like a scolded child as Do-hyeon scanned their surroundings.

A goblin walking around town would surely draw attention, yet no one seemed particularly interested.

Some people glanced their way but quickly moved on without much thought.

‘It seems the effect is working well.’

This was all thanks to the robe Jihad Black was wearing.

It was the Black Goblin Shaman’s Robe, a support item Do-hyeon had obtained after defeating him, which came with a facial recognition masking enchantment.

The enchantment itself was useful, but the robe’s design was also helpful.

With his entire body covered, people were more likely to mistake him for a small human than a goblin.

‘It’s funny when you think about it.’

Do-hyeon thought it was amusing that the robe Jihad was wearing was something Do-hyeon had dropped after defeating him.

It wasn’t as if he took it back just to give it to Jihad again.

“Kirrek, kirrek!”

Meanwhile, Jihad, delighted to have his robe back, was making gleeful noises.

Annoyed, Do-hyeon furrowed his brows.

“Quiet down.”

‘Kirrek…’

Jihad Black promptly covered his mouth with both hands, looking deflated.

Though slightly irritated, this wasn’t just Do-hyeon venting.

No matter how effective the recognition-blocking magic was, there was no way to mask the distinctive goblin sounds.

For now, Jihad had to stay in the robe.

‘For the time being, I’ll need to keep him in that outfit.’

It was a bit of a shame, but Do-hyeon couldn’t wear it himself due to the level restrictions, so it didn’t really matter.

And he didn’t have any magic skills yet, anyway…

‘It’s a win-win. I don’t even need to equip Jihad with anything extra.’

Technically, Jihad shouldn’t have been able to wear the robe either, but just before heading to the village, Do-hyeon had him try it on, just in case.

[You have been identified as a member of the Black Tribe.]

[The creator’s power has lifted the equipment restrictions for the original owner.]

Not only could Jihad wear the robe, but he could also use the Cursed Orb.

It made Do-hyeon wonder just what kind of tribe these goblins were, but it wasn’t a bad thing. He was saving money on gear, after all.

– “But where are we going, master?”

“Patience.”

– “Are we going to do that card draw thing soon?”

Jihad Black tilted his head in confusion.

He had been excited about the card draw earlier, so why wasn’t Do-hyeon opening it as soon as they got it, instead of wandering around the village?

“You wouldn’t understand, but players have their reasons.”

– “…?”

Jihad Black remained curious, but wisely chose not to press further, sensing that asking might earn him a smack.

Unbothered, Do-hyeon continued walking, focusing on his next goal.

‘It should be around here…’

According to the post he had read on the community board, the location was somewhere nearby.

After checking the information again and walking a few more minutes, Do-hyeon finally arrived at his destination, grinning.

Bustling, bustling.

It was an alleyway.

Nothing more than an ordinary backstreet without any shops, yet people were packed in.

And every one of them was staring into the air, either celebrating or bemoaning their fate.

“Agh! Didn’t get anything!”

“How do you get a normal skill from a rare draw ticket!? Who said this was a lucky spot!?”

“Yes! Hero-grade!! Hallelujah!! Thank you, Lord Renne!”

“Rare skill! This place is legit… Holy crap.”

Some were crying, some were laughing.

This was one of the famous card draw spots that existed in every major city—this one was known as Irard’s Back Alley.