Peak Weapons (2)
Nel gazed at the spot where Hyun-soo had departed, a fresh wave of emotion washing over her.
'Coming to Hyun's Forge was the best decision of my life.'
It stemmed from the conversation they'd shared before he left.
"This time, I'll head to the blacksmith Hyun."
"You sure that's okay?"
"Yes. I've judged that revealing my identity upfront is the better move."
The Hyun-soo she'd first met had been a bit naive, and she'd filled in many of his gaps.
But Hyun-soo had seen what she hadn't.
"From the moment I met Lord Riesel, I knew hiding my identity wasn't ideal. We might need to get that first button right with them."
The first button.
Nel understood the weight of those words.
'What if that cursed trio joins Gwangmyeong?'
Nel thought differently from the others.
The public argued that skill and the game were ultimately separate, debating the three.
They also said the trio had rotten luck.
But it wasn't lack of skill—just bad luck. Their talent was real.
Nel was certain of one thing.
'Once they hit high ranker levels, the high rankers won't even leave them bones.'
The higher the level, the harder users grew stronger.
Thus, small gaps became massive power differences.
So, when they reached those heights, they'd stand where others couldn't climb.
The issue was this.
'There's a reason they haven't joined a guild...'
It might just be their own wishful thinking.
***
Hye-ji was stunned.
"...You're not just crafting for us—you're joining the labyrinth?"
"Yes. With less than a week left, crafting artifacts for all three of you isn't feasible. Besides, I'm pretty strong myself."
Pretty strong?
She had no idea what "pretty strong" meant in his terms.
But a thought crossed her mind.
'How strong can a blacksmith even be?'
Moreover.
Ares was a game with balanced mechanics.
If you excelled wildly in one area, you had to sacrifice the other.
Yes, a seed of doubt sprouted.
The three huddled for a strategy huddle.
"Any other applicants?"
"...No one tempting enough. Guess we thought too easy. No powerhouse wants to be at the center of backlash."
And this came up too.
"It's the blacksmith Hyun who's been hiding his strength. He's stepping up boldly because he's got something. We have five tries left—test him once."
It made sense.
"Fine, just once. Exactly once."
The discussion ended.
They showed videos of their past clears of the Savage Labyrinth.
"The Savage Labyrinth is unique. Unlike standard time attacks with fixed conditions, it shifts into three forms. Form 1 is easiest, Form 2 hardest, Form 3 second toughest."
Hyun-soo meticulously noted it to sync with them.
Three hours later.
"Let's go in."
You have entered the Savage Labyrinth.
4 attempts remaining.
The four finally entered the Savage Labyrinth.
"Once we pass here, it starts. Stay sharp."
The moment they entered, the three's faces twisted.
"Of all things...!"
Hyun-soo needed to get familiar with this dungeon.
But of the three patterns, it started with the second hardest.
Pattern 2 hit hard from the outset.
Upon entry, a semi-boss Minotaur slammed the ground, unleashing an Earthquake.
Mooooooo-!
Standing 5 meters tall.
The massive Minotaur wielding a giant axe smashed the ground.
Kuuuung-!
The earth cracked with spreading shockwaves.
Those waves stunned users for about 2 seconds.
Unresistable.
Even jumping into the air—ripples reached up to 6 meters.
Unlike its maze name, the ceiling was 10 meters high.
But piercing it required more than a standard mage's Fly...
"Hyun-soo, just stay calm for now...!"
Hye-ji shouted urgently, then wore a puzzled look.
"...Huh?"
Wolf Leap
Pewwww-
Hyun-soo vanished from sight.
At the same instant, the Minotaur leaped up too.
"...?"
They couldn't grasp the bizarre scene unfolding.
Hyun-soo's left hand had launched the Minotaur skyward.
Moo?
Hyun-soo's sword moved.
Watching, the three sighed inwardly.
'Minotaurs are infamous for high defense...'
Six Consecutive Damage applied.
Seogeoruk-
His sword glowed with light.
Slashes carved across the Minotaur's body.
Sukak
Puk
Pu-pu-puk!
'The... damage...?'
The Minotaur's HP dropped below 61%.
What were they witnessing?
Blood spurted from the Minotaur's wounds.
Even more astonishing unfolded before their eyes.
"Ghost Step."
Ghost Step
Hyun-soo's footsteps vanished.
Left.
Puk!
Above.
Kwajak
Below.
Ujij-
Peok
Kwa-kwa-kwa
Uduuk
Paaat-!
Nine precise afterimages later.
He slashed down at the airborne Minotaur.
Kwaaaaang-!
The Minotaur crashed into the ground, turning to ash in a burst of flames.
Time from entry to kill.
5 seconds have elapsed since entry.
Soon after.
"Hic, hiccup!"
Tae-hoon let out a hiccup.
Hye-ji blurted without thinking.
"Th-thank you!!!"
***
Hyun-soo's stats outpaced same-level foes by 60 levels.
Plus his near-legendary sword White Night, the passive Six Consecutive Damage.
And the synergy with his legendary-grade Ghost Step was immense.
Landing, Hyun-soo checked on the party for safety.
One was hiccuping; Hye-ji suddenly thanked him.
"???"
"S-sorry, slipped out."
Thus, Hyun-soo knew he'd earned their trust.
"Let's move fast."
Hyun-soo had his own reason to push Korea into the top 5.
They advanced quickly.
Hyun-soo observed them.
'Incredible...'
Considering their artifacts and level range, their power was unbelievable.
'These guys are normal classes?'
Called the cursed trio, yet they kept landing criticals.
And at the boss zone.
"Sword Cry."
Sword Cry
Kiiiiing-
The Savage Labyrinth's boss was a level 350 Basilisk.
As the boss appeared, Hyun-soo stunned it with Sword Cry.
'Unbelievable...'
'Just adding one skilled guy makes it this easy.'
'And his DPS defies common sense...!'
The three cleared the Basilisk faster than usual.
They awaited the alert.
Their prior rank: 15th, 25:58.
Rank updated.
9th: South Korea - 19:59
They jumped six spots in an instant.
"Woooah!"
"We did it!"
They rejoiced at closing the gap.
4 attempts left.
If the first was this good, they were confident in climbing higher.
They devised new strategies and executed.
7th run.
8th: South Korea - 18:31
8th run.
6th: South Korea - 17:19
They figured they could escape the blame now.
Setting tomorrow's goal, Hyun-soo logged out and slept.
***
While Hyun-soo slept.
Nel sensed the world buzzing.
'Our country's time attack barely got attention before...'
Sudden rank jumps drew eyes.
And it sparked a chain reaction.
Time attack participants listed anonymously.
Han-ul, Hye-ji, Tae-hoon, Hyun's Forge.
That last bit, "Hyun's Forge," set the world ablaze with speculation articles.
Seeing this, Nel was shocked.
She checked Hyun's skyrocketing subscribers.
'Whoa, the firepower's insane...!'
From 1.3 million, up another 300k.
'If something world-shaking happens now...'
Nel thought settling in the top 4 might be possible—her dream.
The gap between top 5 out and in was huge.
And soon, it happened.
Nel checked the time attack rankings.
Rank updated.
1st: USA - 11:11
USA shaved off 4 minutes instantly.
World-shaking stuff.
Unlike Korea's budding spark, USA was already red-hot.
Nel clicked a rapidly spreading interview video.
It featured US time attack participants—famous names, members of the world-top Black Skull Guild.
Ch-ch-ch-flash-
Amid endless flashes, reporters asked.
"How'd you cut time so drastically?"
To reporters, it was baffling.
Even so, 4 whole minutes?
"That's for other countries' users to figure out."
USA didn't spill easily.
Questions poured.
Especially Will's confidence shone.
"This time attack's 1st is USA's for sure—and it'll stay that way."
Indeed, for 3 years running. Then a reporter.
"Korean users are shaking rankings lately. Thoughts?"
Will smirked incredulously.
"China or Japan, maybe. Korea?"
End of story.
As if unworthy of mention.
And bizarrely, Nel watched Hyun's Forge subscribers rise from it.
"This is a dangerous opportunity..."
If Korea took 1st, subscribers would explode.
But if not?
'Hyun's Forge might be branded Korea-only elite...'
A double-edged chance.
***
Purum Corp CEO Lee Se-jin video-chatted branch heads.
Then US head John snarked subtly.
Lee Se-jin grasped the situation.
Including the recent US celebs dismissing Korea.
"We estimate we can't break 11 minutes currently."
Lee Se-jin smiled faintly.
"Do you know what the true start means?"
"Usually, users unlock new class features or quests at 300, gaining privileges."
John furrowed his brow, puzzled.
Lee Se-jin emphasized.
"User Hyun-soo will hit level 300 inside the Savage Labyrinth soon. Meaning impossible now, possible later."
Branch heads looked shocked.
Ignoring them, Lee Se-jin ended the call.
He was highly anticipating too.
'What power will level 300 user Hyun-soo unlock?'
And what upheaval could he bring to these rankings.
It'd reveal soon enough.