Legend Stats (2)
Ares features a wide array of stats, starting from the five basic ones.
There are more than twenty in total.
And acquiring these stats is largely determined by one's class.
Yet there exist stats that far surpass these twenty-plus in compatibility and power.
These are known as Legend Stats.
Legend Stats.
They deliver the most exceptional effects among all existing stats.
The ways to obtain them are incredibly diverse.
And naturally, not just anyone can acquire a Legend Stat.
Only those who meet specific qualifications can claim them.
Lee Se-jin, visiting the Special User Management Team, had watched Hyun-soo press on while murmuring Break but Do Not Yield, and he was deeply impressed.
"What are the odds that Hyun-soo will unlock the Will Legend Stat today?"
Tae-seok pondered for a moment before replying to Se-jin's question.
"It'll be tough. As you know, the Will stat requires pushing one's mental fortitude to the absolute limit."
Se-jin agreed.
User Hyun-soo would somehow obtain the Will stat.
The Break but Do Not Yield title itself guaranteed that it would one day grant him that stat.
It was the culmination of all the willpower Hyun-soo had demonstrated so far, germinating into a single stat.
Se-jin had predicted it would happen in about three months.
And as Kim Tae-seok said, the second method involved Hyun-soo pushing his elevated mental state to the brink and seizing it.
But that was no easy feat.
The Will stat was designed precisely for those with such unbreakable spirits.
Still, Se-jin was convinced that Hyun-soo had more than enough qualifications to possess it.
Why else would the Break but Do Not Yield title have taken root in him?
The only regrettable part was this.
If he passes out there, the quest with Ben will fail.
But just as it seemed Hyun-soo might close his eyes, he pushed himself upright.
[Do not retreat.]
He muttered those words, then gripped his wooden sword again.
At that moment.
User Hyun-soo has met the conditions to unlock the Will stat.
Se-jin shivered at the notification that rang in his ears.
The Will stat—truly the perfect fit for Hyun-soo...!
Moreover, a Legend Stat was always the one most suited to its user.
That's why it'll synergize with Hyun-soo more powerfully than with anyone else.
Tae-seok, his face stunned, ventured another thought.
"President, could it be that Hyun-soo just took a step closer to a sentence-type title?"
"Exactly."
Lee Se-jin had another expectation pinned on Hyun-soo.
Though Hyun-soo didn't know it, his special title My Own Title could evolve into a full sentence.
And when multiple phrases combined into one complete sentence, My Own Title would unleash even greater power.
Se-jin had no idea exactly what form that greater power would take.
After all, Ares itself had bestowed My Own Title.
Just moments ago, Hyun-soo had spoken through the monitor.
Do not retreat.
With that, a short sentence was complete.
Break but Do Not Yield, Do Not Retreat.
A phrase embodying ironclad resolve.
What power will it unleash once finished?
And what words would fill the yet-uncompleted sentence next?
Se-jin watched Hyun-soo on the monitor with eager anticipation.
Hyun-soo's blurred vision sharpened.
The burning sensation in his muscles, repeatedly contracting and relaxing, finally eased.
His entire body loosened, like the refreshing relief after a good night's sleep.
The status ailment that had dominated his mind and body vanished without a trace.
The reason Hyun-soo's body had fully recovered.
It was thanks to the first-unlock privilege.
And it wasn't just a reset to his initial state.
He felt 20% less fatigued than usual, vitality surging through him.
The Will stat...
Hyun-soo savored the satisfying name.
No one worldwide had ever been known to possess such a stat.
A stat made solely for me.
Hyun-soo checked the detailed description for what Will entailed.
Can be acquired through actions or repetitions tied to Will. As the Will stat increases, fatigue decreases ever so slightly, and vitality infuses the body.
"Whoa..."
Hyun-soo was amazed.
The first reason he judged this Will stat as excellent was that it could be built through repetitive actions.
Repetitive actions like Dexterity, for example.
The Dexterity stat grew steadily with consistent crafting.
Likewise, Will could be steadily accumulated.
Moreover, the description noted a tiny reduction in fatigue and an infusion of vitality.
For instance, if physical vitality was at 100%.
One point in Will might raise it by 0.1%.
But with ten points stacked?
1% less fatigue and more vitality.
At 100 points, 10%; at 1,000?
Far less exhaustion than now.
Of course, it was a shame it only rose through repetitive actions.
But stats inevitably piled up over time.
The stat I need most.
Hyun-soo saw this Will stat as perfectly suited to him because of his work habits.
Even crafting a single item meant pulling all-nighters.
And during those, fatigue inevitably set in.
Fatigue shattered concentration.
But less fatigue might yield even finer work.
Still marveling, Hyun-soo resumed his Ghost Step training.
One reason he couldn't stop practicing Ghost Step was that he was starting to get the hang of it.
How to plot his movement path, how to shift.
But physical and mental limits had held him back, leaving him frustrated.
Now, less fatigued, Hyun-soo kept refining his path.
Four hours later.
Acquired Will 1.
"...Khuh!"
Hyun-soo marveled again.
Applied through this kind of repetition.
Even blacksmithing will raise Will.
Of course, that single point of Will barely registered.
But grains of sand make a mountain.
Thanks to his once-recovered condition, Hyun-soo familiarized himself much more with Ghost Step.
And he activated it one final time.
His body moved fluidly, unlike three days ago when he started.
Once, twice, four times, five, six... and then.
Thud—
His path tangled, and he tumbled.
Though he fell, Hyun-soo wore a small smile.
Guaranteed six activations.
Out of ten attempts, he nailed six consistently.
From seven onward felt like a cursed wall.
He'd repeated the jump from six to seven a hundred times, yet failed.
Still, satisfying.
His Highness Ben set four as the benchmark. I've exceeded it by two.
Ghost Step training complete.
The training ended.
I can't wait to show His Highness Ben.
Hyun-soo stepped out of the training hall.
Two soldiers guarded the entrance outside.
"Where is His Highness?"
"Preparing the banquet."
Hyun-soo realized with a start.
He vaguely recalled Ben mentioning it.
After the small world tree revived, Ben had shared many stories with Hyun-soo.
Whether it was a change of heart in the gruff old man, he was hosting a banquet.
He said it'd gather families of many nobles, right?
He pictured Pan and Prak's excited faces upon hearing their families were coming.
Maybe I should check out the banquet too.
Hyun-soo headed toward the banquet hall.
The Red Dragon Squad was an assassin group raised by Praam Kingdom, but Ben hadn't trained them.
A prominent noble had.
Their primary mission: assassination.
And while some hoped for peace between Goyad and Praam Kingdoms, others did not.
The Red Dragon Squad was a prime example.
A group created for war.
Peace might spell their end.
Red Dragon Squad leader Kuhn received a report.
"Word is, Goyad Kingdom will soon return more prisoners than agreed—far more."
Returning prisoners.
The biggest step toward peace.
Kuhn no longer saw a need for them here.
Besides, the Red Dragon Squad had suitors everywhere, Praam or not.
Seventy-odd members gathered in the shadows.
All ready to die on Kuhn's command.
He'd brainwashed them over long years.
"We'll leave a gift for the king abandoning us. Reck, take seven assassins and head straight to the banquet hall. The rest, come with me to the borderlands."
Kuhn knew it too.
He and his men couldn't lay a finger on Ben.
But...
"Steal away the king's precious ones."
Who were those precious ones?
Kingdom second-in-command Pan.
And the nobles—and their families.
"Understood."
With Kuhn's order, the assassins vanished.
Reck remained.
Sub-leader, filling in for one-armed Prak.
He led seven assassins toward the banquet hall.
As Hyun-soo walked to the banquet hall, he spotted Pan at the corridor's end with his family.
Oh, he has a lot of kids?
Kingdom second-in-command Pan.
Surrounded by many children and his wife.
Never seen him like that before.
A strategist by class, always expressionless.
Seeing him smile like that was a first.
"The banquet begins shortly!"
At the call, everyone in the corridor surged inside.
Hyun-soo followed into the crowded hall.
Many were already there.
At the far end, about 120 meters away.
Ben sat with an uncharacteristically joyful smile.
Heavenly successor Prak greeted him beside.
Then Hyun-soo's brow furrowed.
A knight passing him had slipped a hand into his bosom.
Hyun-soo sensed something off.
The lead knight.
Exchanging eye signals with others scattered about.
Hyun-soo caught on.
Something was about to happen.
Before it did, he warned the man five paces away.
"Draw it, and you die."
The man turned, meeting his eyes with a dark smirk.
Those eyes screamed death-accepted, mission-assured.
Ding!
Red Dragon Squad's Rebellion
📍 Rank: S
📍 Restriction: Witness to the rebellion
📍 Reward: Negotiation Rights
📍 Penalty on Failure: Intimacy with Ben decreases
📍 Description: The Red Dragon Squad members in the banquet hall aim to assassinate Pan and his family, along with the nobles. Stop them.
Quests sometimes revealed truths unknown to the player.
But learning that truth too late...
"No peace!"
The lead assassin shouted.
Everyone in the hall whipped around.
As if on signal, assassins disguised as ordinary knights moved in unison.
In that instant, everything seemed to slow for Hyun-soo.
His eyes met Ben's, far away.
Ben's face twisted in anguish.
Ben had noticed too.
Even he couldn't intercept the assassins' swift strikes from this distance.
They'd plotted every path meticulously.
Hyun-soo eyed the eight assassins moving in varied patterns from eight directions.
Instinctively, he activated Lord's Command.
They froze in their tracks, each in disarray.
But they shook it off, resuming toward their targets.
In that moment, Ghost Step flashed in Hyun-soo's mind.
Eight in number.
Only Ghost Step, activatable once per second, could stop him—no, them.
The problem: eight of them.
Even 100 tries, and he couldn't breach six activations.
"Kyaaah..."
Screams reached him slowly.
Shocked eyes moved in slow motion.
Ben's face grew more distorted.
This happiness is wonderful. All thanks to you.
Ben's faint smile from their chat flickered by.
Shing—
Nothing was impossible. He had to do it.
Gripping his sword, he steadied his breath.
Like the hundreds of repetitions.
Hundreds in his sight. He focused on just eight.
In a split second, the path formed.
Splat—
"Ghost Step."
One ghost walked the banquet hall.