Weapons at the Peak (6)
Tae-hoon, Hye-ji, Han-ul.
Each of them had suffered two critical wounds from the Ferocious Labyrinth King, their HP plummeting below 30%.
Even as the endless horde of Lycans closed in, they worried about the others.
We were confident we could hold out for at least a minute.
But Hyun-soo had gone off alone to face the level 380s Ferocious Labyrinth King.
It was far too dangerous.
And yet...
Thud!
Krunch!
Splat!
Thump thump!
Crack!
Fwip!
-24,546 HP
-24,313 HP
-16,356 HP
-24,313 HP
-25,518 HP
The three stared at him in stunned silence.
In just 1.4 seconds, he had created twelve afterimages as he moved.
He, who had nearly been swallowed by the enraged Ferocious Labyrinth King's maw, moved again.
Only about eight seconds had passed.
They were in dire straits themselves, but they couldn't tear their eyes away, utterly captivated.
What the hell did we just witness?
What kind of person is Hyun-soo?
Insane.
When they finally snapped out of it, they realized the truth.
They themselves were on the brink of death, cornered by the remaining 150 or so Lycans.
Tae-hoon, at the forefront, was being torn apart by the Lycans; Han-ul struggled in a test of strength; Hye-ji sat in a prone shooting stance, firing arrows without pause.
Ferocious Labyrinth King has been hunted.
The buff effect from the Ferocious Labyrinth King has been dispelled.
A story too unbelievable to accept even after seeing it.
At that moment, a Lycan lunged for Tae-hoon's throat.
Grrrrowl!
Then.
Shiiiing!
A sword dropped from the sky, cleaving the Lycan in half.
Flutter!
His coat billowing, he blocked our path, staring down the oncoming Lycan horde.
Kiiiiing!
A clear, resonant sword cry echoed in everyone's ears.
The moment they heard that beautiful melody, Tae-hoon, Hye-ji, and Han-ul all thought the same thing.
I'm not afraid.
The primal terror that had engulfed them moments ago receded.
With blood-matted hair and coat flapping, Hyun-soo drew his blade.
Sword Cry
Slashes all recognized enemies indiscriminately for 190% additional damage.
Cuts within a 20m radius regardless of direct contact and ignores all defenses.
401% sword attack power enhancement, plus Sword Cry's base 190% additional attack power.
On top of that, ignoring all defenses.
The horde charged like a packed zombie swarm.
Over the roughly seventy Lycans, staggering numbers floated up.
-30,146 HP
-31,313 HP
-21,356 HP
-34,313 HP
-25,518 HP
Seventy Lycans turned to ash.
And now they understood why they felt no fear.
"Let's go."
His charisma.
The power he held over people.
The unbreakable will to press on without giving up, even in the direst moments.
And the artifact abilities only he could create...
All of it instilled infinite courage—the certainty that with him, they could overcome anything.
Hyun-soo moved first.
Krunch!
Those who had fallen rose and followed in his wake.
Elapsed time: 8 minutes 11 seconds.
Elapsed time: 8 minutes 12 seconds.
Just like him, we wanted to prove our own strength.
We're not some cursed trio.
We dragged ourselves out of bed at 4 a.m. every morning for that gold medal.
We'll be the best here too...!
At that moment, the true value they hadn't realized—and that Lee Se-jin had known—revealed itself.
Hidden Piece: The Most Radiant Power complete.
You have demonstrated the greatest power ever at similar levels with normal classes.
The System judges the source of this power to be the purest—skill and experience.
You may change jobs to the hidden class Iron-Blood Knight.
You may change jobs to the hidden class Iron-Blood Archer.
You may change jobs to the hidden class Iron-Blood Fighter.
All three accepted, and crimson auras rose from their bodies.
Han-ul.
Sword basic attack power +20%, slashing power +40%, critical hit chance +20%.
The Iron-Blood Knight is special.
Achieve Supreme Sword Mastery Lv.9 to unlock Grand Sword Mastery.
Hye-ji.
Bow basic attack power +20%, piercing power +40%, accuracy +20%.
Achieve Supreme Bow Mastery Lv.9 to unlock Grand Bow Mastery.
Tae-hoon.
Kick basic attack power +20%, destructive power +40%, vital critical attack power +20%.
Achieve Supreme Kick Mastery Lv.9 to unlock Grand Kick Mastery.
A hidden class they earned together: Iron-Blood.
This class is tailor-made for us.
No flashy or grandiose skill unlocks.
For us, who already possess overwhelming skill, boosts to basic attack power are beyond imagination.
Soon, the three began to demonstrate its true worth.
Boooom!
Tae-hoon had needed at least eleven strikes to take down one Lycan before.
Now, just eight sufficed.
Shweee!
Hye-ji's performance was dazzling too.
The synergy of Baby Arrows, her skill, and heightened piercing power defied common sense.
Shing, stab, shunk shunk, shunk!
Han-ul wove through the Lycans at blinding speed.
Wherever his sword passed, Lycans dropped like flies.
The three were certain.
No one at their level could beat them now.
We might even stand a chance against high-rankers.
Their wavering gazes instinctively fixed on one man's back.
Before they knew it, he had reduced the last Lycan to ashes.
And gazing at the elapsed time before their eyes, the three could scarcely believe it.
H-how is this number even possible...?
The sudden awakening of the three.
This was the result—and Hyun-soo was the primary catalyst from the start.
If Hyun-soo hadn't soloed the Labyrinth King, none of this would have happened.
They all stared at Hyun-soo's back as he caught his ragged breath after felling the final Lycan.
Then, the three exchanged glances.
They nodded, having reached a single resolution.
As Hye-ji stepped forward for that incredibly cool man.
Thud.
Hyun-soo suddenly collapsed.
"H-Hyun-soo?"
"Are you okay?"
Hyun-soo, who had just exuded unmatched charisma.
Flat on the ground, he gave an embarrassed grin.
"I'm kinda like the tragic male lead archetype, you see."
"???"
"I collapse at the drop of a hat."
The three couldn't help but burst out laughing.
***
You have hunted the Ferocious Labyrinth King.
Acquire 516,862 EXP.
Acquire 161,803 gold.
After hunting the Labyrinth King, Hyun-soo leveled up five times.
Using the lingering power of his Raging Sword from the short ten-second hunt, he unleashed Sword Cry to rescue Han-ul, Tae-hoon, and Hye-ji.
Then he immediately turned to the Lycans.
That's when the astonishing notifications came.
A special event occurs for party member Han-ul.
A special event occurs for party member Hye-ji.
A special event occurs for party member Tae-hoon.
Pausing briefly, Hyun-soo turned to them.
He learned they had acquired new classes and awakened.
Hyun-soo was genuinely thrilled.
Now he understood their struggles.
At the same time, a desire stirred within him.
I want to adventure with them.
But first, he focused on the task at hand.
As he felled the last Lycan, Hyun-soo's face twisted.
His vision spun.
Ah, not again...!
Collapsed like a flounder, Hyun-soo had no strength left to move.
When he explained it was a habit of his, they burst into laughter.
How should I recruit them...?
Hyun-soo pondered how to invite them to the guild.
Bringing in these newly empowered members would make Gwangmyeong incredibly strong.
Then he saw Hye-ji looking down at his prone form.
Brown bobbed hair, brown eyes.
Porcelain skin, 160cm tall.
She was effortlessly pretty, and with a poke of laughter, she teased playfully.
"I'm a fan."
Hyun-soo gave a wry smile.
He had jokingly said that to cheer them up before.
And asked for an autograph.
"Ah, then an autogr—"
As Hyun-soo mimed reaching into his inventory.
"Please accept me into your guild."
Hyun-soo froze.
Tae-hoon naturally helped him up.
Rising, Hyun-soo saw the three smiling coolly.
They wanted him as much as he wanted them.
"Anytime."
⊳ Hye-ji has joined Gwangmyeong guild.
⊳ Tae-hoon has joined Gwangmyeong guild.
⊳ Han-ul has joined Gwangmyeong guild.
The moment the genius blacksmith gained three more geniuses.
Rumble rumble rumble!
The dungeon shook.
You have cleared the True Ferocious Labyrinth.
Clear time recorded.
The four hearts raced.
The miraculous number already before their eyes.
We were truly amazing.
This is us, world—eat it!
They grinned broadly.
Elapsed time: 10 minutes 1 second.
And the added special reward.
Sudden Quest: Ferocious Labyrinth King and Lycans complete
The reward was straightforward.
Record shortened by 20%.
Total elapsed time changed from 10 minutes 1 second to 8 minutes.
Rankings updated.
1st: South Korea 8 minutes
2nd: USA 11 minutes 11 seconds
3rd: ...
4th: ...
"Wooooah!"
"We did it!"
"Insane!"
The three now knew the world wouldn't call them the cursed trio anymore.
Ferocious Labyrinth Time Attack Dungeon ends.
You recorded 1st place.
With that, each received a prize of 100 million won.
Then.
You broke the 10-minute record.
A miraculous achievement.
The Ferocious Labyrinth acknowledges you for setting an unbreakable record.
Labyrinth's Blessing descends.
All stats +2%.
EXP and artifact drop rate x2 for one month.
The four marveled.
Truly tremendous rewards.
Especially for them, now over level 300, percentage boosts were massive.
Hyun-soo alone gained over 50 stats from it.
And Hyun-soo knew.
My rewards aren't over yet.
***
Breaking news, breaking news, breaking news!
Endless headlines flooded news outlets worldwide.
At that moment.
Nel stared at her computer screen.
Naver portal's real-time search rankings.
1. Hyun's Forge
2. Ferocious Labyrinth
3. ...
Hyun's Forge topped the charts on Naver and every portal site.
Click.
Nel entered the auction house, clicked Hyun's Forge, and let out a hollow laugh.
Too many subscriber increases causing temporary error.
Please try again later.
The impact is even greater than when he crafted Legend above Legend...
Even Nel couldn't gauge the full extent.
At least a day would pass before the results stabilized.
The last check showed Hyun's Forge at 7th in subscribers with 1.73 million.
Wonder how high it'll climb.
Nel smiled.
Whether it'll break the top 3 wall.
And...
How far Hyun-soo will rise.
They would know soon enough.