Chapter 79

In Last Savior, there was a ranking system.

A system that ranked users who disclosed their nicknames and basic information.

On the 1st of every month, the rankings were updated, and the top thousand users were called 'Rankers.'

It was a prestigious title granted to only 1,000 out of the over 500 million users of Last Savior.

- Ah, I played full-time for a whole month, 10 hours a day without a break, and only managed to climb to 20th place. What kind of monsters are these real Rankers?

- I'm around 100,000th place, but this range is real hell. I leveled up like crazy for a month and only managed to climb 5,000 places.

└ 100,000th place? Wow, you're insane. Why is such a precious person in this shabby place...?

└ If you're 100,000th and can climb 5,000 places with full-time play, you should improve your hunting methods. Try an 80-20 split between leveling and questing.

└ What? Are you giving advice to someone who's 100,000th? What's your rank?

└ I'm 10 millionth. But I have a Ranker friend, so I know the theory.

└ Last Savior is insane.

└ Why is such a precious person in this shabby place...?

└ Maybe they're a friend. We are all friends. Contradict me and you're a discriminator.

Many people dreamed of becoming Rankers and hunted monsters every day.

This wasn't just a story of Last Savior; it was the same for most games with a ranking system.

It was a natural flow to invest money, time, and effort to maintain one's rank.

The thrill of being superior to others!

The feeling of achieving something that others couldn't, no matter how hard they tried, was indescribable.

And as with any game with a ranking system, Last Savior also offered strong rewards based on rank.

On the 1st of every month, Rankers could choose one of two rewards.

First, 50,000 gold.

This was equivalent to about 60 million won and could be received in a lump sum.

However, almost no Ranker chose this reward. For a Last Savior Ranker, earning 50,000 gold a month was too easy.

Therefore, most Rankers chose the second reward.

A random box!

True to its reputation as a game with unpredictable luck, Last Savior offered a random box as a ranking reward!

- Didn't Zodiac, who is currently 7th in the rankings, draw a legendary staff from that box?

└ Yeah, he jumped from 800th to 20th the next month, which is famous.

- I once saw a Ranker stream opening the box and got a Hero+ sword.

- I've heard that Uniques also appear occasionally, so the probability is definitely better than a regular random box.

└ Not always. I saw my friend open one and got a brick.

└ My friend is at it again...

└└ Another shabby person...

The overwhelming reputation and the allure of the random box.

These were the reasons people risked their lives to become Rankers.

* * *

In the central area of Luana, there were almost no other facilities except for the lord's castle.

However, a surprisingly large number of users resided there.

They loitered around, trying to get a glimpse inside the lord's castle.

The massive castle in the center of the large city of Luana.

Despite 500 million users visiting Luana, only a handful had crossed the threshold of the lord's castle.

None of the users who had entered the lord's castle revealed what was inside, or if they did, it was only a select few.

Thus, the rumors surrounding the lord's castle grew more elaborate with each passing day.

'The lord's castle is filled with hidden quests that grant public contribution points.'

'If you complete a quest given directly by the lord, you get at least a Unique item.'

'If you raise your favor with the lord and receive a position, you can change to a hidden class.'

Rumors as baseless as urban legends.

But one thing was certain.

The few users who had entered the lord's castle all became Rankers!

Not just bottom-tier Rankers in the top 1,000, but top-tier Rankers in the top 100.

This was also the reason some users wandered around the lord's castle like ghosts.

'Damn! I thought I would succeed this time!'

Level 40 user Polcheon sighed in disappointment.

How many days has it been now?

He had stayed in Luana so long that it felt more familiar than his university campus.

Looking back, it was a mistake to hear the rumor that top Rankers had passed through Luana's lord's castle.

'I'll give it a try!' That thought led to this.

Now, he couldn't give up because of the time he had invested.

'But I'm almost there.'

Polcheon had tried every means to raise the favor of the castle gatekeeper.

He bombarded the gatekeeper with gifts and even read three books on rhetoric to impress him.

He had shown more dedication to a mere NPC gatekeeper than to his girlfriend!

But his efforts paid off.

The gatekeeper's attitude had become much friendlier.

He would now greet Polcheon with a smile as soon as he saw him.

So, he asked if he could take a quick look inside the castle, but the gatekeeper hesitated for a long time before saying it was impossible.

'Don't give up. Just a little more.'

Sometimes, the faster you want something, the more you have to take a step back.

Polcheon was about to ask the gatekeeper how he was doing and leave for a hunt nearby when he noticed something.

A user in a robe was walking towards the gatekeeper.

A man he had never seen in the area before.

'Another newbie who heard the lord's castle rumor, I guess.'

Polcheon chuckled. Yeah, he had been in that position once.

But reality can be harsh.

The thought of an innocent lamb about to face cruel reality made him feel both sorry and amused.

As the robed man approached the gatekeeper, a loud warning echoed.

"Stop. This is not a place to enter freely!"

"You must be joking. You can't just meet the lord because you want to!"

The robed man seemed slightly taken aback by the gatekeeper's firm stance.

Yes! That's exactly it!

Hearing the gatekeeper's stern voice made Polcheon feel that his efforts were paying off.

The fact that the strict gatekeeper was friendly to him gave him a great sense of superiority.

But.

"Excuse me!"

The moment the robed man took out something, the situation changed.

The gatekeeper, who had been firm, turned pale and hurriedly led the man into the castle.

"......What?"

Polcheon was stunned by the unexpected scene.

After a moment, a middle-aged man walked out of the castle. Polcheon recognized him as the captain of the castle's guard.

"Thank you for your understanding. Please come in."

The captain confirmed something and led the man into the castle.

"......"

Polcheon couldn't believe it. This couldn't be real.

Was it really that easy to enter the lord's castle?

What about all his efforts?

Polcheon approached the gate in a daze.

Meanwhile, the gatekeeper returned to his post.

"Phew. I didn't expect someone to have that item. I almost made a mistake."

"I... I..."

"Hmm? Isn't that Polcheon? Didn't you say you were going hunting?"

"Let me in too!"

"I already said no. Even for you, it's not possible."

"But I've put in so much effort! Why him and not me?"

"Tsk! I thought you were a good person, but I guess not! Don't speak to me privately again!"

"No! This can't be happening!"

Polcheon's anguished cry echoed in front of the lord's castle.

* * *

"Hmm. I didn't expect the devil's hand to reach Luana."

The middle-aged man sitting in front of Carpe let out a short sigh.

Count Chris.

The man was none other than the lord of the coastal city of Luana.

"First, let me express my gratitude. Stranger, if it weren't for you, Luana might have been overwhelmed by a great plague."

[Count Chris's favor has slightly increased.]

Carpe inwardly rejoiced at the favor increase but maintained a poker face.

"No, I just did what needed to be done."

"I've heard that strangers can be rude, but you don't seem to be. You're Carpe, right? I'm glad the first stranger I met is you."

"First? I heard others have visited the lord's castle before me."

"Hmm. Now that you mention it, I did receive a report. But it wasn't a significant matter, so I didn't meet them personally. I had the butler handle it."

In other words, Carpe was the first user to meet the lord of Luana directly.

"The devil is a great threat that requires the unity of all humanity. It's only right that I, the count, personally welcome a hero who saved Luana from such a great crisis."

Count Chris smiled and expressed his gratitude again.

"William, bring a fitting reward for the hero who defeated the devil."

"Yes, my lord."

At the lord's command, the elderly gentleman standing beside him bowed and disappeared.

A moment later, he returned with a heavy bag and a scroll.

"Please accept this small