Chapter 1178: Blooming (9)
The executive office located on the top floor of the Cartel headquarters.
The Power Ranking risk assessment report and its list, obtained with Virgil’s help.
In the ranking comparing superhumans active on the Eastern Continent, Lennok found both familiar and unfamiliar names.
Among them were acquaintances Lennok hadn’t seen in a long time, as well as several rising stars.
While Lennok traveled the continent seeking answers, they were each living their own lives somewhere.
Just confirming that fact again by looking at the Power Ranking here today held value.
However, even so, Lennok was a little surprised to see the evaluation of himself.
The names Cheonbeon and Adamant Thunder, ranked 5th and 3rd respectively in the Eastern Continent Power Ranking.
Among them, one particularly striking sentence was written in Adamant Thunder’s ranking evaluation.
=The sole mortal stronger than an Ascendant at this moment.
Because Lennok himself didn’t fully grasp the meaning of the sentence, written with such conviction.
[Master, isn’t it fun? Isn’t it fun?]
Davi rolled around excitedly in Lennok’s arms, acting cute.
[I told you it would be fun~]
“……This seems to go far beyond a matter of fun.”
Lennok gave a wry smile and pointed at the ranking chart.
“Don’t tell me this is why this Power Ranking has six million comments?”
[About half of them, probably?]
“…….”
Half of the roughly six million comments were purely reactions about Lennok himself…….
But the moment Lennok saw this sentence, he understood why the Power Ranking had so many comments.
To the extent that even those who usually left no comments whatsoever on Deepweb posts were directly contributing.
The gravitas of the name Ascendant was exceptionally unique in this world.
[Master, what do you think? I really wanted to ask you after we looked at the Power Ranking together.]
Davi’s eyes sparkled as she rubbed her head against Lennok.
[I don’t know if it’s true or not, but I really wanted to hear your thoughts, Master.]
“……Well.”
Only then, at Davi’s question, did Lennok fall into deep thought with a serious expression.
“I don’t know. I’ve hardly ever compared myself in such a way to begin with…….”
Lennok’s method of assessing his chances before a battle was meticulously tailored to his opponent.
He would compare who the opponent was, what their achievements were, their abilities and spellcraft, observe their compatibility, and simultaneously seek a method.
It was not uncommon to predict hundreds of exchanges and engage in a tactical battle, only to discard the entire plan and construct a new one the very next moment.
If you include instances of intentionally making wrong judgments or creating openings in the realm of psychological warfare, discussion effectively becomes impossible.
Ultimately, there were premises or assumptions that could only be confirmed by directly engaging in real combat.
Could the current Lennok be stronger than an Ascendant? Could such a simple comparison lead to a conclusion?
Lennok didn’t think so.
“If I think about facing Maleon, I’m confident I wouldn’t die. But that doesn’t mean I’m stronger than an Ascendant.”
[What do you mean?]
“Because being prepared for death and presupposing death are completely different things.”
Lennok stroked Davi’s head and replied.
“My abilities are unique, so if I presuppose death, I might be able to discuss my chances of victory. But if I ‘win by dying,’ can that truly be called a victory?”
[…….]
The Kaleidoscope that observes the branching points of parallel worlds, and the Ouroboros that dismantles and interprets all laws.
The two focal points defining Lennok were miracles incomparable to any Transcendent’s Mental Image, but,
9-level Ascendants were already immortals who had completed their answers and earned the right to present their conclusions.
They were incarnations of truth-seeking, who had long since walked the path Lennok now traversed, consumed and broken by their answers.
Wasn’t that why Ascendants were treated with absolute reverence and worship in this world?
“Unless various conditions overlap, like in Kundara’s case, believing I could consistently achieve such feats would be arrogance.”
Even against Maleon, who had just become an Ascendant, Lennok could only win after ‘killing’ himself once.
Even that was a kind of trickery, only possible after numerous precautions and safety measures had been prepared in advance.
Could the current Lennok do the same against powerful Ascendants who had lived for hundreds of years?
He was skeptical.
“If I had judged myself stronger than an Ascendant, my course of action would be quite different from now. I’m not sure if this evaluation is accurate.”
[I see…….]
“But I can guess why the author of the Power Ranking came to such a conclusion about me.”
Lennok’s gaze, fixed on the monitor, sharpened.
“This person knows what I did in Kundara. They know Maleon became an Ascendant, and that I defeated him, which is why they reached this conclusion.”
[……Huh?]
Davi, who had been a little downcast, perked up her ears.
[Master, that means-]
“The author of the Power Ranking is a Transcendent-level ability user, capable of directly hearing the secret history of Kundara.”
Lennok raised his gaze with a chilling expression.
“They must be a being with the power or qualification to belatedly perceive what happened in the Ninth Tribulation, which exists beyond the Outer Sea.”
[…….]
“If I play my cards right, I might be able to identify the individual holding so much information.”
The reason Lennok showed interest in this author’s explanation that Adamant Thunder was stronger than an Ascendant.
It was because this person had presented a conclusion that could never be reached without knowing about the events in Kundara.
From that fact, Lennok was able to deduce who the author of the Power Ranking was, and reached a conclusion specific enough to narrow down the possibilities.
“Well, still, the fact that other information, excluding this, is relatively accurate cannot be denied.”
Lennok tilted his head as he scrolled.
“Especially the information about Cheonbeon…… it seems to have reached a very dangerous level, even to my eyes.”
[5th Place. Cheonbeon (Evan Martinez). Level 8 Flame Wizard. Unaffiliated.]
=The strongest flame-based Grand Mage on the Eastern Front. Successor to Ascendant Jindun. Apostle-Slayer.
=Possesses numerous major achievements, including the assassination of the Drug King, the conquest of the Hanghasa Labyrinth, and the subjugation of the 10th Apostle Amrita.
=Engaged in a one-on-one duel with Adamant Thunder in Vulcan and was defeated, but rescued the Lighthouse Keeper. Immediately afterwards, left the Eyes of Blue.
=As the War-Mage currently at the peak of his career, he defeated the Conjunction Spell Master of the Order Alliance at the First Gate.
=Ranked 5th due to Transcendent flame magic, upright character, and bold actions. Potential for future changes exists.
Explanations continued alongside the names, just like in the Power Ranking he had seen so far.
However, unlike previous, somewhat dry evaluations, Cheonbeon’s entry contained several powerful phrases.
This was evidence that the deeds he had accomplished under the Cheonbeon identity were exceptionally large in scale…….
Lennok thought this as he continued reading the lengthy explanation below.
=The ‘Heavenly Flower, Ten Thousand Mile Fragrance’ (天花萬里香) that burned down the First Gate is one of the most perfect Domains in continental history.
=Extensive discussions are currently underway in academia regarding the immortality of the Domain created by combining it with Barrier Spellcraft.
=The Alternative Incantation of flame magic, based on martial arts, is currently famous as an innovative idea being considered for application in various Magic Towers.
=In terms of the versatility and scale of the magic and abilities used, he ranks among the highest even on the Central Front.
=A rare case where his evaluation consistently rises despite extensive analysis of his abilities and Domain.
……
=The most promising candidate for the currently vacant Blaiver Magic Tower Lord. The top scouting target for conquest-oriented organizations deep within the Central Front.
=Presumed to still be favored by the Lighthouse Keeper after leaving the Eyes of Blue. Maintains amicable relations with the Watchers.
=His ranking was erased upon advancing to the Central Front, but the ranking was updated upon receiving information that he was offered the position of Deadrise’s Legion Commander.
=Likely to attend the Legion Parade.
Lennok’s eyes, deeply engrossed in the lengthy explanation, sank.
“They know I was offered the position of Deadrise’s Legion Commander. The very reason Cheonbeon’s name is in the Power Ranking at all must be because of that.”
Publicly, Cheonbeon’s identity ceased activity on the Eastern Continent after his defeat by Adamant Thunder.
Since then, he had virtually only been active on the Central Front, so Cheonbeon’s name should not normally appear in the Eastern Continent Power Ranking.
However, the author of this Power Ranking explicitly listed Cheonbeon’s name in the ranking, citing Lennok’s offer of the Legion Commander position.
Lennok realized how absurd this was the moment he saw the series of explanations and phrases.
“What’s this about being a strong candidate for Blaiver Magic Tower Lord? This seems to be recent news I wasn’t even aware of.”
[Master. Let’s hurry and look at the important stuff now.]
Davi whined, tugging at Lennok’s sleeve with her teeth.
[Hurry, read Adamant Thunder’s evaluation first. I want to see Master’s reaction!]
“……Davi. We’re not playing around right now.”
But Lennok sighed faintly and, as Davi requested, scrolled down.
[3rd Place. Adamant Thunder (Van). Level 8 Lightning Wizard. Vulcan’s Tower Lord.]
=A Grand Mage praised as possessing the greatest talent in Eastern Continent history.
=A Grand Master who started as a low-level freelancer in Vulcan and established a Tower with his own magic system.
=An unprecedented monster in continental history, reaching Level 8 in less than 10 years.
=Cruel disposition. Blood-soaked mind. A madman who only finds meaning in battles between Transcendent-s.
“……Hmm.”
He had an idea of what would be written, but seeing it in words now brought a complicated feeling.
Lennok shifted his gaze to the much longer explanation written below.
=As a War-Mage/Combat Wizard, his evaluation has reached a practically incomparable level.
=Possesses numerous records of directly overwhelming a significant number of the superhumans listed in the aforementioned Power Ranking.
=The high-level wizard with the most combat records among all superhumans on the ranking.
=Presumed to be one of the top few in the entire continent in terms of combat intelligence and experience.
A series of evaluations so long they far exceeded even Cheonbeon’s.
Lennok scanned the evaluation section of the ranking with an expressionless face.
=Uses an extreme combat style that maximizes and unleashes the instantaneous output of lightning magic.
=Possesses exceptional senses and intuition, enough to overwhelm close-quarters combatants of equal physical ability.
=Currently, Adamant Thunder’s name acts as a formidable deterrent in the vicinity of Vulcan. Numerous factions are taking note of this.
=His combat power evaluation has steadily risen since his victory in the duel with Cheonbeon. It peaked after the Kundara incident.
=Due to the aforementioned reasons, it has been observed that the epithets (異名) referring to Adamant Thunder have recently been subtly changing.
……
=Presumed to have suffered a serious injury in the battle with Madrich Onnion, leading to a steady deterioration of his health.
=Relies on medicine, and circumstantial evidence has been secured from multiple sources indicating that he forcibly boosts his condition only during combat.
=Ranked 3rd, taking into account the extent of his injuries and health status. High likelihood of future changes.
=The sole mortal stronger than an Ascendant at this moment.
So the sentence Lennok had seen just before was actually written at the very end of Adamant Thunder’s evaluation?
The author placing it at the very top of the summary was clearly an intentional act.
If such an evaluation was written at the end of the ranking, it was understandable why there was such a strong reaction in the comments.
Lennok, examining the bottom of the post, was speechless.
[Recommended : 8458]02$@
[Not Recommended : 213]9485&!#@#$
“…….”
Numbers burst through the ‘recommended’ and ‘not recommended’ sections, blurring and overflowing.
Among all Deepweb posts, this was practically the first time Lennok had seen one so bugged.
This alone seemed to indicate how many people had viewed and reacted to this post.
A hellscape unfolded in the comments.
└Who made this fucking Power Ranking?
└You’ve gotta be kidding. Adamant Thunder isn’t 1st place in the Eastern Continent Power Ranking?
└The guy who made this ranking clearly knows nothing; if you’re not a Vulcan resident, please stop writing these kinds of posts, seriously?
└It is.
└Adamant Thunder is 3rd LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL
└Come to District 49 and see what the hell happened in the sky. What kind of fucking human are you comparing him to?
Fervent supporters immediately launching into personal attacks upon seeing the ranking.
└It’s surprising that Cheonbeon’s ranking is lower than expected. He killed that Conjunction Spell Master at the First Gate, and he’s only 5th?
└Maybe because he advanced to the Central Front and was then re-incorporated into the Eastern Continent ranking. Still, it’s not very convincing.
└Isn’t it just because the author has trashy eyes?
└Considering that 6th and 4th place are a Spell Master and a Legion Commander, it’s not entirely unconvincing……
└If the Conjunction Spell Master were alive, he’d have gouged out the author’s eyelids. Or rather, he’d have reattached them in reverse?
There were also those who calmly objected to the ranking or left their impressions.
└Fuck, but comparing Adamant Thunder to an Ascendant crosses a line. Do Ascendants look like a joke to you?
└If it’s just about trading blows, Adamant Thunder might be stronger. Among Ascendants, is there anyone who’s killed as many superhumans as Adamant Thunder?
└Comparing strength by kill count is nauseating;; Do you level up if you kill a lot of people or something?
└Who said Adamant Thunder definitely wins? It just says in the ranking that Adamant Thunder is the only mortal comparable to an Ascendant.
As Davi said, the largest proportion of comments were debates comparing Adamant Thunder and Ascendants.
└The important thing is that no one still knows what Adamant Thunder’s Domain is. Everyone who’s seen his Domain has died.
└How to hide an ability: 1. Kill all witnesses. 2. Kill everyone, even if they’re not witnesses.
└3. No? I just killed them because I wanted to.
└Ahaha, I didn’t mean to hide it, but I killed everyone, so it became a secret, lolol.
└We still don’t even know what the ability of a slaughterer who kills hundreds of high-level superhumans is;
└There were theories, but nothing was ever directly revealed. They say he wasn’t even fighting at full strength against Cheonbeon.
└Now that you mention it, it suddenly makes sense that Adamant Thunder and Cheonbeon’s rankings aren’t right next to each other.
└It’s a done deal since he single-handedly wrecked Kundara. Just look at the Long-lived Beings Adamant Thunder unleashed on the continent now.
└So those monsters sweeping through the Central Front couldn’t stop Adamant Thunder alone and were driven out?
Opinions were sharply divided and fiercely debated, splitting into ‘the level difference can’t be overcome’ and ‘if it’s a wizard like Adamant Thunder, who knows?’
Surprisingly, the overall atmosphere in the comments didn’t lean heavily towards one side.
└Olinic…… that’s a name I haven’t heard in a very long time. Is the Fortress of Civil War still alive?
└Maiya Lonsdale is missing? I only ever heard that name for the first time after the Ascension Gate incident.
└Who’s this guy Baitan to be given the grandiose title of ‘Conqueror’?
└You don’t know the crazy bastard who’s laying waste to the Eastern Coast? You’re not from the Eastern Continent, are you?
└Actually, I’m a South Continent resident lol.
└Why don’t you jungle bastards turn off your jungle VPNs?
Not only about Adamant Thunder and Cheonbeon, but also quite a lot of discussion about other high-ranking superhumans.
Even Lennok found the news about newly appeared rising stars and the current status of other powerful individuals interesting enough to read.
└That eccentric old man Betagron finally clashed with the Cult. I thought he’d die quickly, but he became an Apostle-Slayer?
└How many Apostle-Slayers are there on the Eastern Continent now? Three, including Adamant Thunder and Cheonbeon?
└Four. I heard one new one came over from the Northern Continent to the Eastern Continent. Not in the Power Ranking yet, though.
└There are more Eyes of Blue Watchers than I thought. Is it because there are many talents, or are they very active?
└That’s because the Eyes of Blue headquarters are in the Pilenom Autonomous Region. Most of them have probably advanced to the Central Front.
└Even the information about Grisha known in Vulcan is mostly about the Siege of Paradox Green.
Reactions discussing the current status of various factions, including the Eyes of Blue and Apostle-Slayers.
└I heard they were going back and forth with the Cult, but it seems they finally succeeded in recapturing it.
└After the 3rd Apostle swept through, it became a wasteland where no one could live. If the Lighthouse Keeper is there, then who knows.
└They were trying to end the siege before the Legion Parade, but it seems the Cult retreated after all. Were they short on forces from rampaging across the continent?
└They say the damage incurred by a single 7th Apostle on the Southern Front reached astronomical levels. Almost comparable to the time of the Holy War.
└The Apostles who were going crazy and dying off are returning one by one. Is the world really on the verge of collapse?
└So when is the ranking author going to update the 1st and 2nd place rankings again?
“……Wait a minute.”
Lennok, who had been scrolling down while observing the comment section, suddenly looked up as if something occurred to him.
“Why…… is there no explanation for 1st and 2nd place?”
[…….]
“No, actually, nothing was written above 3rd place in the Power Ranking. That means-”
He had been so focused on Adamant Thunder and Cheonbeon’s evaluations that he’d missed it, but the 1st and 2nd place ranking sections simply didn’t exist in the first place.
Whether the ranking author had simply left the spots blank, or if existing rankings had been erased.
Lennok, instinctively realizing something, immediately turned his gaze.
“Davi.”
[Master.]
Davi replied quietly.
[The Power Ranking author temporarily erases overlapping ranks and modifies them when there’s a large-scale rank change.]
“……So?”
He had been thinking.
If there were one of the few Transcendent-s on the Eastern Continent who could be ranked higher than Lennok.
And what it meant that that name wasn’t on the Power Ranking list Lennok was currently viewing.
Even though he had instinctively realized it the moment he understood that fact, the reason he was asking Davi about it now was-
[The author set a 35th update version to upload. I secretly pulled it from the Deepweb’s backup data.]
Flash!
Instead of answering, Davi manipulated the monitor screen, refreshing the Deepweb address.
[I think it’s better if Master sees it himself.]
“…….”
The empty space at the very bottom of the Power Ranking.
Instead of 1st and 2nd place, someone’s information was listed.
[?th Place. Nether King (冥王). ■-level Black Wizard. Pandemonium.]
=■■■■ ■■ ■■■ ■■■■.
=■■ ■■■ ■■■ ■■■ ■■.
=■■■■■ ■■■ ■■ ■■■ ■■■■■ ■■■ ■■■ ■■.
=■■■ ■■ ■■■■ ■■■■ ■■■■ ■■■ ■■■■■.
……
Fzzzt, fz-fzzzt……!!!!
The description written about Myeong was corrupted, overwritten with unknown noise.
Even the rank listed in the Power Ranking fluctuated as if with a will of its own, becoming unrecognizable.
As if a being originally unrankable had been forcibly listed, if only for a moment.
As if the author himself had tried to break the existing rules and explicitly state this information here.
“…….”
Lennok, who had been staring blankly at the monitor, gasped as he saw the final description about Myeong.
A single line of description about Myeong, not yet completely engulfed in noise.
That one phrase pierced Lennok’s core as if deeply embedding itself within his lungs.
=Defeated in battle with Ascendant Jinwa.