Weapons at the Peak (3)
Hyun-soo woke up early in the morning, his face etched with puzzlement.
Subscriber count updated.
Hyun's Forge subscribers: 1,730,013.
Current Korean forge subscriber ranking: 7th place.
His phone, linked to the auction house, was flooded with notifications.
"What's going on?"
The subscriber count had jumped by 300,000 overnight. Unfortunately, the ranking hadn't budged.
Wearing a puzzled expression, Hyun-soo soon learned the reason from Hye-jin's KakaoTalk message.
Who knew it would have this kind of effect...
It was because Hyun's Forge had been written next to the Time Attack Dungeon rankings.
The Americans?
Hyun-soo checked the interview footage himself.
It really is a double-edged sword...
Hyun-soo's face soured with bitterness.
In the short term, it was definitely a boon for Hyun's Forge.
Truth be told, narrowing the Time Attack ranking gap wouldn't draw in hundreds of thousands of subscribers on its own.
Will's statement had sparked curiosity about just how far Hyun's Forge could close that gap.
I have to pull this off.
Hyun-soo logged into Ares.
The three who were already online greeted him with grim faces.
"You're here?"
"Yeah, but why the long faces?"
"...It's the pressure."
Tae-hoon gave a wry smile after Hye-ji spoke.
"Failing this... it feels like everything's riding on it."
"It's #6 on Naver real-time search—'Fierce Labyrinth Time Attack.' A ton of people are watching, and Will's interview just made it blow up even more."
The three of them looked crushed under the weight of it all.
Hyun-soo racked his brain for a way to lift their spirits, then asked playfully,
"Oh, did I mention this?"
He rummaged in Coat's inner pocket—pulling out three sheets of paper and a pen from his inventory.
"I'm a fan. Could you sign these?"
"Pfft."
"What the heck?"
"Shouldn't you have asked when we first met?"
"I missed my chance... Anyway, I'm a fan of all three of you."
Sure, there'd be cynics mocking them online, but national heroes were stars adored by the masses.
Hyun-soo was no different.
The mood lightened considerably.
"We have two chances left now. And we have to clear it today."
Once the day ended, the Fierce Labyrinth Time Attack would shut down completely.
"Let's go."
The four entered the Fierce Labyrinth.
Their condition today was perfect.
Luck was on their side, plain and simple.
Hyun-soo's Reversal produced three artifacts, and their critical hits landed more reliably than usual.
Ranking updated.
5th place: South Korea - 16:19.
They'd broken into the top 5.
Hearts pounding, they seized the momentum and pushed desperately onward.
Their tenth run—the final chance.
Luck still shining, the four outperformed their ninth attempt.
They pressed on, silently chanting please and we've got this in their minds.
The tenth and final run.
4th place: South Korea - 15:49.
Top 4.
The four stood silently in the dungeon for a moment.
In the end, they hadn't proven any real threat to America's Will.
Hye-ji, Han-ul, and Tae-hoon stood with choked emotion swelling in their chests.
Unlike them, Hyun-soo had leveled up and was verifying something.
Then.
Hidden Piece: Those Closest to the True Fierce Labyrinth - Completed.
They exchanged puzzled looks.
Hidden Piece.
A special reward tucked away in countless places.
The four recalled American user Will's interview.
To the reporter's question about how he'd shaved off five minutes, Will had replied,
'That's for users from other countries to figure out.'
Of course, every nation that had cracked the top 4 had likely unlocked this Hidden Piece.
But they—and America—might have wanted to keep their findings secret.
Soon, the truth emerged.
The True Fierce Labyrinth opens.
Rumble rumble rumble—
The dungeon began to shake violently.
Fierce Labyrinth
📍 Rank:S
📍 Restriction: Those who entered the 15-minute range
📍 Reward: Much shorter clear time
📍 Penalty on Failure: None
💬 Description: You can now challenge the True Fierce Labyrinth. It is far stronger than before. In exchange, you gain the privilege of a shortened time.
The Labyrinth grows fiercer.
You may challenge the Fierce Labyrinth one final time.
They gained a fresh final chance.
Teleported to the dungeon entrance, they stood in the safe zone and beheld the transformed Fierce Labyrinth.
A dungeon that breaks old rules with a new format.
Boss monster changed.
Fierce Labyrinth King Lv.383
Next, the three beheld it:
A transparent barrier.
Teeming inside with hundreds of monsters.
Lykan Lv.344
"Grraaaahhh!"
Bipedal monsters standing behind the wall—wolfmen with jet-black fur—let out roars of fury.
Lurking behind them was an unidentified boss monster.
1 minute until Fierce Labyrinth begins.
"The clear time for the True Fierce Labyrinth has to be way shorter..."
The original labyrinth stretched nearly 3km.
But here, every monster was packed into a 500m radius.
Lightning-fast resolution was the only option.
Grraaaahhh!
Grahhh!
Grrrrr!
Yet the three felt fear creeping in.
"How are we supposed to clear this..."
They finally grasped the gap between America and themselves.
A towering wall.
This was utterly beyond their current level.
In the end, Hye-ji collapsed to her knees.
The True Fierce Labyrinth overwhelmed them to the point of shattering their will.
Hye-ji clutched her face as she sat there; Tae-hoon leaned against the wall with a heavy sigh; Han-ul spat curses.
"This... is too much..."
Hye-ji murmured.
The world didn't know.
At 19,
They'd become national representatives and shot to stardom.
At first, it was joy.
But as time wore on, it morphed into crushing pressure.
And since starting the game, they hadn't had a single easy day.
Community users said:
Once labeled the "Cursed Trio," opinions flipped.
Sure, supporters outnumbered the haters.
But to silence the critics, they had to claim #1.
Grraaaahhh!
Gazing at the Lykans howling at them, Hye-ji finally burst into tears.
Tae-hoon watched her bitterly, then approached Hyun-soo.
"Hit level 300, right? Congrats."
He held no real expectations.
In this hopeless situation,
Could level 300 change anything?
Still, Tae-hoon handed over the promised ore: top-grade Oliharukon.
"We made top 5 at least."
Hyun-soo accepted it.
"Hope we meet again. Oh, and you're really not gonna spill the secret to your success?"
They'd asked while partying together.
What was the trick behind blacksmith Hyun crafting legends?
Rumble rumble—
[58 seconds]
Hyun-soo, gazing at them, flashed a small smile.
"...I envied you."
Stepping forward, he looked at the three.
[54 seconds]
"You, stepping off the plane to cheers."
All eyes turned to Hyun-soo.
"I meant it when I said I was a fan. And I hoped once..."
[50 seconds]
"...that I'd be recognized like you someday. Of course, I had no idea about your struggles."
Now beside Hye-ji, Hyun-soo peered through the transparent wall at the Lykans.
[48 seconds]
[45 seconds]
[44 seconds]
A black ore surged up above him.
Sizzle—
Tae-hoon, Han-ul, and Hye-ji stared at him in confusion.
Top-grade Oliharukon.
"Sorry to say this in a moment like this."
Hyun-soo gave a wry smile.
"I've given my all in my own field too."
[40 seconds]
They watched the smelted ore refine rapidly.
Tae-hoon's face filled with shock as he looked at him.
Those words—"given my all in my field."
"N-No way... that's your secret?!"
They'd assumed he had some special skill or hidden class.
Hyun-soo gave a wry smile.
"That's right. I'm a real blacksmith."
***
Having revealed his true nature, Hyun-soo left the stunned trio behind.
Top-grade Oliharukon.
Too precious for Emergency Forge?
No.
Hyun-soo had just hit level 300.
Congratulations.
You have reached level 300.
A barrage of notifications followed.
All stats +15.
Job quest...
...
New skill of the Blacksmith of God unlocked.
God's Special Emergency Fabrication acquired.
Active Skill
Rank: Divine
Level: None
Penalty: None
Effect:
· Artifacts created via Emergency Fabrication can now be permanently retained.
· Usable once every 3 months.
The refined ore before Hyun-soo began forging rapidly.
Sizzle—
[28 seconds]
Clang—
The glowing red blade finally revealed its hue.
A sword mimicking Oliharukon's color—blade pitch-black throughout.
Clunk—
Hanja characters were branded onto the hilt as it connected.
This sword stemmed from no tale.
It was born purely from Hyun-soo's resolve to craft the ultimate blade for himself alone, with the finest materials.
His skill transcending norms, matched by the effort rivaling Han-ul, Hye-ji, and Tae-hoon, birthed it.
The slightly curved blade's branded hanja glowed.
Supreme Sword.
The pinnacle, forged from the greatest blacksmith and greatest ore.
The moment Hyun-soo gripped it, a chime rang out.
The second masterpiece is forged...
Masterpieces can be forged only once every 3 months.
Masterpiece.
The pinnacle of one's life work.
Having seen many blacksmiths' masterpieces, Hyun-soo knew the notification itself enhanced the artifact.
But he didn't flinch.
He'd already confirmed it on the Ares blacksmith community.
Instead, he wore an arrogant, confident smirk.
This game rewards effort with fitting returns.
So Hyun-soo grinned with unshakeable confidence.
This is my greatest masterpiece—a sword Ares won't see again.
The system responded to his conviction.
The most perfect sword only you can forge.
No one can deny your story.
System ignores restrictions.
The notification had intended to say "the second masterpiece is forged."
It changed.
Your unique masterpiece is forged.
Legend Above Legend.
"Get up."
[7 seconds]
Hyun-soo lowered his newly forged Supreme Sword.
Black aura rippled from his blade.
[6 seconds]
Checking the blade's details, a confident smile crossed Hyun-soo's face.
It matched the arrogant look he'd flashed at the system's limits—like Think you can stop this?
[5 seconds]
Before they knew it, the three geniuses stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the blacksmith genius.
[2 seconds]
The blacksmith genius—who'd never seen true light—gripped his sword with both hands, coolly declaring,
"Time to steal #1."
Barrier released.
Final challenge.
The tale of the four geniuses was just beginning.