The Return of the Genius Ranker of All Times

Chapter 80

Jihad, whose nerves were frayed, clenched his fists and drew upon his mana.

Black energy slithered through his body like a serpent.

The mana that began at his heart circulated through his entire body, passed his shoulders, and surged through his arms to his fingertips.

[Guardian ‘Jihad Black’ summons the undead.]

The only skill Jihad possessed was activated.

[Two Red Goblin Undead of the Forest are summoned.]

[One Blue Goblin Undead of the Forest is summoned.]

Groooar— Grooooar—.

Accompanied by an ominous black aura, three undead goblins clawed their way out of the ground.

The grotesque sight, which appeared without warning, left Do-hyeon and Elisa speechless, interrupting their conversation.

“What’s with the sudden theatrics?”

-Ahem, nothing. I just felt like my mana has improved, so I tried a light summoning.

“…That’s one thing, but what’s with that look in your eyes?”

-Me? What look?

Jihad tilted his head with an innocent expression.

However, his eyes betrayed an unmistakable sense of anticipation.

It was the look of a child who had completed a task given by their parents and eagerly awaited praise.

-I just summoned them to loosen up. Now I feel like summoning three doesn’t even faze my heart. I wish I could summon more, though.

When Do-hyeon didn’t react, Jihad started sneaking glances at him, subtly trying to appeal.

Although Jihad’s intentions were painfully obvious to anyone watching, it seemed his efforts didn’t reach Do-hyeon.

‘What’s gotten into him all of a sudden?’

Whether Jihad summoned three or thirty, it didn’t impress Do-hyeon much.

As Do-hyeon shook his head, puzzled by Jihad’s behavior, his gaze stopped on a message floating in the air.

[Summoning undead using monsters from the previous city reduces mana consumption by 50%.]

‘So it wasn’t just bravado when he said it doesn’t faze him.’

While Jihad might exaggerate, the drastic improvement was undeniable compared to when Raven had been forcefully desummoned in mere seconds.

The increase in mana capacity from leveling up was one factor, but the 50% reduction in mana consumption was the real game-changer.

‘So this system is designed to encourage using undead from the previous city as materials?’

Apparently, hunting monsters with an undead army in tow was the intended method.

It made sense—hunting orcs while leading an orc army was practically free farming.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Do-hyeon hadn’t noticed earlier because necromancers who controlled skeleton soldiers and Jihad’s corpse manipulation differed slightly, but now the direction was clear.

‘Focusing on goblins with a few orcs mixed in seems like the optimal strategy.’

Having reached a conclusion, Do-hyeon spoke casually.

“Jihad, can you turn those into undead too?”

-Oh, of course, Master! It’s as easy as pie.

Perhaps thrilled by the chance to prove his abilities, Jihad’s expression brightened noticeably.

In contrast, Do-hyeon remained indifferent, knowing that Jihad had already maxed out his undead count.

‘But just in case.’

If it worked, maybe one more could be added.

Not that he’d be disappointed if it didn’t.

Do-hyeon’s expectations were only that high.

Sss-.

Groooar…

Yet, the black mana’s intensity seemed unusual.

As Jihad stretched his hand toward the lifeless orc corpses, the ominous black aura writhed and, moments later, the dead orcs’ eyes snapped open.

[Guardian ‘Jihad Black’ transforms the orcs into undead.]

[The transformation is successful.]

[Undead List:]

-Red Goblin Undead of the Forest × 2

-Blue Goblin Undead of the Forest × 1

-Orc Undead × 3

Groooar-.

Ignoring their twisted, creaking bodies, the resurrected orcs stirred.

With unsettling eyes, they turned to Jihad and knelt on one knee.

Then, the two remaining undead followed a beat later.

Thud, clunk.

Groooar— Groooar—.

With their massive size and the black aura they exuded, the orcs had an imposing presence.

Perhaps sensing the pecking order instinctively,

Groooo…

the goblin undead, summoned earlier, hesitated and shuffled back.

Naturally, the orcs moved to the front, while the goblins took position in the rear, forming a proper formation.

Seeing his army take shape, Jihad gleefully raised his arms and let out a sinister laugh.

-Keh-hel-hel. Yes, yes, I am your lord and master.

“…What the heck?”

Meanwhile, Do-hyeon watched the scene with a dumbfounded expression.

He couldn’t help it.

‘It actually worked?’

He hadn’t expected the transformation to succeed.

Let alone one, but three orcs were turned into undead.

For a guardian below level 10 to control six undead was unheard of.

‘…Do sacred beasts have different standards?’

Could the undead count increase with each level?

Or was it possible that different monsters had separate limits?

Whatever the case, the ability was undoubtedly overpowered.

Naturally, a question arose.

“Why did you do that?”

-Keh-hel-hel… Huh? What?

“I mean, with this kind of ability, why did you follow the Fok build? That’s an X-tier build.”

As everyone knew, necromancers had two tech trees.

Commander Necromancer and Explosion Necromancer.

While Commander Necromancers like Zeke dominated the meta due to their safety and reliability, the real reason was simpler.

‘The Explosion build is trash.’

It’s a one-trick pony.

Without its big explosion, it’s nothing more than a dead-weight trash class.

The only advantage of the Explosion build is its exhilarating single strike, requiring only undead fodder to detonate and no need for high-tier undead.

Compared to Zeke, it was a cheaper build, earning it the nickname “the commoner class.”

“If you can handle six summons at level 8, that means you’ll have far more in the late game.”

– …Right?

“No, are you brain-damaged? Is this some bizarre case of ‘That Money Syndrome’? Why didn’t you go for the Zeke tree?”

It made no sense to him.

As the ruler of the forest, Jihad had an abundance of undead materials, and with that ability, he could have dominated even among the elite Zeke classes.

A one-man army in the making!

And yet, he had thrown it all away to take the Explosion build, known as the “commoner’s tech tree.”

Why? For what reason?

– Because explosions are for men.

“Huh?”

Seeing Do-hyeon venting his frustration out of sheer incomprehension, Jihad got excited and answered.

– Hearing the popping sound when using Corpse Explosion is just electrifying.”+

“…What?”

– And each undead has a unique feel when it explodes. The sounds stick in your ears, you know?

“No, hold on. Are you saying that’s the reason?”

– Of course! You just don’t understand because you haven’t used it. Corpse Explosion is fun, but the big explosion? Oh, man… it’s exhilarating, like washing away all your pent-up frustration. It was the joy of my life!

“Oh, my god…”

Unable to listen anymore, Do-hyeon covered his face with both hands.

Who would have thought his guardian was a hopeless romantic?

While Do-hyeon respected romantic notions to some extent, he couldn’t fathom dedicating his life to them at this level.

Some might wonder how “life” even came into play in a mere game, but that perspective only applied to users.

For Jihad, a resident of God of Savior, this world was reality and life itself.

‘This is like someone destined to be a famous ballad singer insisting on becoming a rapper.’

He was certain of it.

If Jihad had gone with the Zeke tree during the secret dungeon, things wouldn’t have been so easy.

Perhaps the mysterious “Bloodline Factor” or whatever would have activated, leading to failure.

Jihad had chosen to discard his natural talent for the sake of romance.

There had never been a fool quite like this…

‘…Wait a minute.’

A sudden ominous thought crossed Do-hyeon’s mind, and he raised his head.

“You’re not seriously thinking of sticking with the Explosion build, are you?”

-“Of course, Explo…”

“Nope. In this life, you’re reborn. Your path is Zeke. You were born to be Zeke.”

-“B-But explosions are art…”

“Stop. That’s enough. Any more, and it’s dangerous.”

Do-hyeon quickly pressed a finger to Jihad’s lips, letting out a sigh of relief.

It was a close call. Jihad had almost uttered something perilous.

“You’ve never tried Zeke before, have you?”

-“Of course not. Explosions are for men!”

“Just try Zeke this once. If you don’t like it, you can switch back. I won’t stop you.”

-“Hmm… Well, in that case, fine… Alright, Master.”

Perhaps the compromise made it easier for Jihad to accept.

Though he looked a little dissatisfied, Jihad didn’t insist further and agreed.

He was also a bit curious about how Zeke would feel and figured it wouldn’t hurt to listen to his master this time.

Groooar— Groooar.

Looking at the loyal undead, awaiting commands, Jihad gestured sharply.

– Bring me an orc.

Groooar!

With the orc undead at the lead, the undead rushed into the mist.

Moments later, a perfectly intact orc was thrown before them.

Thud— Squeee!?

The orc, who had been resting peacefully, now lay flabbergasted, its face filled with bewilderment.

It had been suddenly grabbed and thrown by undead, only to find itself face-to-face with a human and a goblin. It would be impossible not to be shocked.

Groooar! Groooar!

Before the orc could fully process the situation, the undead charged at it again.

Squeee!

Startled, the orc sprang to its feet.

But it made no difference.

Bam!

The orc undead rammed it head-on, their combined force too much for the orc to withstand, sending it tumbling back.

Then the goblin undead followed, pummeling the fallen orc.

…It was nothing short of a beating.

Thud! Bam! Whack—.

Squee, Squeeeek!

The orc curled into a ball like a pill bug as the six undead mercilessly hammered away.

If that wasn’t a beating, what else could it be? At least, Do-hyeon couldn’t think of another word for it.

[You have defeated an orc.]

[Guardian Jihad Black’s level has increased.]

Groooar—!

– Keh-hel-hel!

The undead roared triumphantly after swiftly taking down the orc, and Jihad burst into laughter at the sight.

– This isn’t bad either, Master. I’ve only used undead for chores or explosions, but seeing them like this is surprisingly satisfying.

“…I see.”

Though Do-hyeon felt like a parent witnessing their child’s misguided behavior, he couldn’t deny it wasn’t entirely bad.

At least Jihad seemed to have a more positive outlook on the Zeke path.

After all, it must be exciting to hunt again after only picking up scraps for so long.

-“Now, my children. This time, bring me two!”

The best part was that he didn’t even have to go himself.

The undead handled the hunting, making it incredibly convenient.

Groooar—!

Despite Jihad’s cocky tone, the loyal undead eagerly followed his command, though reality quickly struck them down.

Grooo…?

-“…Huh?”

The undead began to fade, their bodies turning to dust before vanishing entirely.

Then, a message appeared.

[All of Jihad Black’s mana has been consumed.]

[The undead summons have been canceled.]

…….

[The undead summons have been canceled.]

– Ah…

“Hmm.”

No matter how much he had grown, Jihad’s chronic mana deficiency remained.

He would need to stick to undead from the previous city or limit the number of orcs included.

Still, wasn’t this progress compared to before?

Looking at Jihad’s devastated expression, though, it seemed he didn’t think so.

After a moment’s hesitation, Do-hyeon finally spoke.

“Hmm.”

– Please, Master… say nothing. I want to be alone.

“…Alright.”

And he closed his mouth again.