Chapter 116
Chapter 116
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 116
Chapter Title: The Last Knight (3)
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Hyun-soo recalled the whispers he had exchanged with Nel before arriving at the border.
The Heir of Changcheon.
A man Hyun-soo had only ever heard of in rumors.
What was certain was that he was chosen and raised by one of the continent's ten legends.
Of course, Hyun-soo himself had learned swordsmanship from the Sword King, but it was only a fraction of his teachings.
The odds were against him, but he had to defeat the man to break the enemy's morale at the border.
Hyun-soo’s mind grew cold and clear.
The Heir of Changcheon was a master who had wielded a spear his entire life.
‘But I have a power that can match his, don’t I?’
And that power was the artifacts Hyun-soo had crafted.
[Hyun-soo: Guild members, what are you all up to?]
[Nel: Risel went to the hunting grounds, Bakeu is doing a quest in town, and Bellia is praying.]
[Hyun-soo: Could you ask Risel and Bakeu to lend me the Smelting Sword and Aegis using the gift function?]
[Nel: That would definitely help close the gap between you and the Heir of Changcheon!]
It wasn't a method he could use often.
Risel and Bakeu were the artifacts' official owners, and he couldn't borrow them when they were fighting monsters.
But this method was only possible because it was Hyun-soo.
He was borrowing the artifacts, but they were artifacts only he had made.
*KABOOM—*
[You have been hit by Snake Explosion.]
[HP has dropped below 52%.]
A single explosion had cost him a whopping 8% of his HP.
With the Heir of Changcheon stunned, Hyun-soo was now on the verge of being logged out.
Just then.
Two falcons flew in at the same time.
[A gift from Risel has arrived.]
[A gift from Bakeu has arrived.]
[You have equipped the Smelting Sword.]
[You have equipped Aegis.]
Hyun-soo felt a powerful energy welling up inside him.
‘The Praham Kingdom crafted artifacts solely for Frak.’
And they called that his own power. Piercing through the dust cloud, Hyun-soo could see.
[The Snake That Fears Nothing receives a penalty.]
[It is downgraded to Normal grade.]
The Snake That Fears Nothing was a double-edged sword.
If the opponent wasn't vastly superior, it grew stronger, much like a snake's shallow nature.
“Come out! Come out, I say!”
Watching his spear lose its edge, Frak’s face turned pale.
“No snake can display its cunning before a dragon.”
He didn't seem to understand. It was the first time he had ever experienced something like this.
Furthermore, an NPC's level information is a composite of all their attributes.
[Heir of Changcheon, Frak Lv. 301]
His level had dropped by a whole 39.
In contrast, Hyun-soo could now exert even greater power than before by equipping the Smelting Sword and Aegis.
‘Wh-where did he get artifacts like those?’
Frak couldn't comprehend it.
The nation of blacksmiths.
Lord Changcheon had commanded them for this very day.
‘Craft artifacts for my heir.’
Over fifty of the kingdom's finest blacksmiths had worked for half a year to forge this one spear and set of armor for him.
But where had that man acquired such artifacts?
Frak soon spotted the character ‘Hyeon’ (現) engraved on the Smelting Sword and the shield, Aegis.
Dozens of us worked together.
‘He… he made those by himself?’
Frak suddenly glanced behind him.
It felt as if the phantoms of fifty blacksmiths were standing there.
Our numbers are clearly greater…
Frak looked at Hyun-soo again.
The presence emanating from him alone felt grander than that of the fifty blacksmiths combined.
‘A mountain.’
Yes, he was like a colossal mountain.
But Frak calmed himself.
‘I just need to overwhelm him with skill. How good can artifacts be, anyway? I don’t need a spear like this.’
He had taken down four knights by himself even without this spear.
Frak shot forward like a beam of light.
*CLAAAAANG—*
He rapidly exchanged blows, aiming for Hyun-soo's neck.
‘As I thought, his skills aren’t that impres—’
“With the Dragon.”
[The Dragon’s Power imbues you.]
[Attack Speed and Movement Speed increase by 25%.]
[Sword Attack Power increases by 25%.]
[Sword Mastery increases by 3.]
A small dragon ascending from the grip was absorbed into his body.
*TWAAAAANG—!*
The hem of his coat fluttered.
Hyun-soo deflected the spear in a single motion, and his eyes met Frak’s.
*Kieeeeeee—*
An endless dragon's cry echoed from the sword in his hand.
He swung his spear frantically.
But it was different from before.
Just by holding that one sword, his movements had completely changed.
*TWAAAANG—*
His sword strikes blocked every trajectory of the spear.
Left.
He thrust at the shield on his left, planning to use the shockwave to spin and slash at Hyun-soo.
*CLAAAAANG—*
But…
*CR-CR-CR-CRACK—*
The moment the shield and the tip of his spear collided—no, the moment he faced the shield, his fingertips began to freeze.
The sturdy shield controlled his movements, and in that instant, a stoic Hyun-soo brought his sword down.
[Dragon’s Claw]
[A Dragon’s Claw with +600% Attack Power descends with the swing of the sword.]
Two dragon claws struck once.
*KWAAAAACK—*
They slammed into Frak’s chest.
[Heir of Changcheon’s HP has dropped below 68%.]
Then a second, more powerful strike followed.
*KWAAAAACK—*
[You have landed a critical hit.]
[Heir of Changcheon’s HP has dropped below 50%.]
Staggering, Frak realized the damage he and Hyun-soo had sustained was now equal.
In that moment, the Heir of Changcheon knew.
‘His level is low.’
But his physical strength defies common sense.
His skill is lacking.
‘But his artifacts transcend everything.’
And then Hyun-soo heard a strange notification.
[You are overwhelmingly turning the tide.]
‘Why am I hearing this notification?’
Every notification has a reason.
There are no random alerts.
Hyun-soo looked at the Heir of Changcheon.
He wore a panicked expression.
Soon, he did something strange.
Frak turned and gave a small bow in the direction of Changcheon Ben.
When he turned back, the Heir of Changcheon’s expression seemed to have already accepted defeat.
If they continued to trade blows, the Heir was certain he could chip away another 10% of Hyun-soo’s HP.
But he would still lose in the end.
Hyun-soo furrowed his brow.
‘Don’t tell me…’
Named monsters and named NPCs all have a signature power that defines them.
Frak muttered.
“Supreme Spear.”
[Incomplete.]
[Burns life force to amplify everything.]
[All stats increase.]
[All skills increase.]
[Lasts for 40 seconds. Upon expiration, you will die.]
*Twitch, twitch—*
Frak's muscles contracted and relaxed endlessly.
*Sizzzzzzle—*
Steam rose from his reddening body.
Frak glared at Hyun-soo with bloodshot eyes.
[A new story begins.]
[Heir of Changcheon, Frak Lv. 359]
Hyun-soo had heard a notification about a new story before.
*Ting!*
[Sudden Quest: Ben’s Disciple]
Grade: SS
Requirement: The one who triggered the new episode.
Reward: Kingdom Contribution, more of Changcheon’s Heart, experience equivalent to hunting mobs.
Failure Penalty: Decreased affinity with Barad and Changcheon.
Description: Frak is precious to Changcheon. After activating the incomplete Supreme Spear, Frak will die in 40 seconds. His desire to win is that great. Defeat him before the 40 seconds are up and he dies.
The original sudden quest had been S-grade. It had now been upgraded to the higher SS-grade.
Players rarely ever received SS-grade quests in the first place.
It meant the task was that much more difficult and arduous.
‘It certainly looks that way.’
A cold sweat trickled down Hyun-soo’s back.
In terms of level, Hyun-soo was a player in the 250s.
Frak’s level had now risen to 359.
Normally, no one died in this duel.
It was designed to end automatically when a participant's HP reached 1%, thanks to the mages' special power.
But by using that power, Frak would actually die after 40 seconds.
In that instant.
Frak pushed off his toes and moved.
*CLAAAANG—*
Hyun-soo’s pupils wavered as he blocked the spear that came straight for him.
‘He’s completely different from before.’
*Grrrrr—*
Just blocking the spear with his shield was enough to make the ground beneath his feet give way, pushing Hyun-soo back.
*CR-CR-CR-CRACK—*
Aegis froze his hand, but he pressed on as if he no longer cared.
“Keuk!”
[HP has dropped below 35%.]
[HP has dropped below 30%.]
Speed, power, attack, skill.
Frak had the upper hand in all of them.
Hyun-soo countered with the one thing he could use to overwhelm him.
“Wave of Frost.”
A frozen wave surged forth from the shield.
It swallowed the charging Frak, freezing his entire body.
*CR-CR-CRACK—*
[Heir of Changcheon’s HP has dropped below 35%.]
The Wave of Frost originally possessed the power to freeze an enemy solid.
Frozen up to his neck, Frak twisted his lips into a sneer.
“Petty tricks won’t work on me anymore!”
*SHATTER—*
[In the state of Supreme Spear, you resist all status effects.]
The ice shattered as Changcheon's spear stabbed Hyun-soo's chest three times.
*Thrust, thrust, thrust—!*
[HP has dropped below 15%.]
[Status effect: Bleeding has been applied.]
[It is difficult to control your body.]
And Hyun-soo checked the time that had passed.
[15 seconds.]
[12 seconds.]
[10 seconds.]
Frak leaped high into the sky.
“This is the end.”
***
Hyun-soo’s vision blurred.
[9 seconds.]
Hyun-soo also made his calculation.
They could only trade one more blow each.
And if they traded those blows, Hyun-soo would lose.
His HP was significantly lower than Frak's, and he couldn't possibly shave off 35% of Frak's HP in a single hit.
But Hyun-soo didn't know how to back down.
‘I want to win.’
A desire to save Frak?
It wasn't anything like that.
Hyun-soo was a selfish person. What did he care if Frak lived or died?
The cheers from the Goyard faction upon victory, and the reward description stating that Frak was someone Changcheon Ben cherished.
And the maximized heart he would gain as a result.
‘What can I do right now?’
The dragon-imbued sword.
But even if he landed a direct hit on Frak with this power, Hyun-soo would still lose.
“He lost…”
“Sir Frak burned his own life force to defeat him.”
He could hear the voices of others.
[7 seconds.]
Frak plummeted in a straight line, spear-first.
“Break, you damn blacksmith!”
Break.
Hyun-soo mulled over those words.
Then he looked at the Smelting Sword in his hand.
His chest burned with a fiery passion. The sword gave him an idea.
*Fwoosh—*
Wolf Leap.
He leaped up to meet him, glaring at the falling Frak.
“The master of this sword was Haemosu, the founder of a place called Northern Buyeo. He faced many moments where defeat seemed certain. But he never gave up, and he must have muttered these words each time.”
Frak couldn’t understand.
His defeat was obvious. At that moment, Hyun-soo’s approaching hand stopped him.
Sovereign’s Command.
Frak scoffed at it.
A mere three seconds.
The time he could be held.
But then.
*Screeeech—*
As he fell, Frak heard a strange sound.
It was the sound of his armor.
In that instant, he thought of a t-shirt.
A t-shirt is held together by thread.
All armor is the same.
Though the thread can be easily broken, it is sewn tightly to complete the whole.
In that moment.
Hyun-soo’s finger flicked to the side.
And the thread-like materials were pulled out.
*FWOOSH—*
The materials scattered in mid-air. Along with them, Frak saw the center of the plate armor he was wearing collapse.
“…!”
[Defense is greatly weakened.]
[A vital spot is exposed.]
His face went deathly pale.
‘It should have been impossible for him to win.’
But he had found a way to win even at the very last moment.
*Kieeeeeeeeeeek—*
He swung his sword before Frak could.
A giant dragon roared and struck Frak.
*KWWWWARRRR—*
Frak felt he had taken enough damage to die.
[4 seconds.]
[Supreme Spear is canceled.]
Frak suddenly remembered what he had said.
‘But he never gave up, and he must have muttered these words each time.’
Curious about those words, Frak watched him begin to fall first.
With a faint smile, he said.
“Though I may break.”
Yes, it meant he would win no matter what, even if it meant breaking.
As he fell, Hyun-soo’s heart pounded.
“…He’s an enemy, but I acknowledge him.”
“What an incredible knight!!”
Because these voices were coming from the Praham Kingdom's army.
And as he fell, he saw Changcheon Ben rising to his feet and looking at him.
‘Ben is the door to a new world.’
*KABOOOM—*
Notifications slammed into Hyun-soo as he crashed into the ground.
[…]
[…]
[…]
[…]
Amidst the endless notifications.
The very last one sent a thrill through Hyun-soo.
[You have obtained the heart of Changcheon Ben.]