Flying Above the Jumper (4)
“You’re saying he lured us in instead? Interesting. But what’s he gonna do all by himself? Shouldn’t you lure someone you can actually handle?”
The assassin Burns couldn’t hide his bewilderment.
They said this Hyun-soo guy was a level 307 blacksmith.
“Even if he’s not really a blacksmith, we’re pretty well-known in Ares.”
As if to prove it, a notification rang out about the mysterious status effect binding them.
Your high resistance will resist in 2 seconds.
It was an incredibly fast resistance—even Hyun-soo was surprised.
The lord’s command that had captured the four of them in just five seconds was already wearing off.
Burns was especially exceptional.
Assassin's Presence
Resists all status effects instantly.
Controls the skill usage time of the caster for 10 seconds.
Burns immediately shook off the effect and moved.
“This works out even better. That sword looks real valuable. Where’d you get a blade like that?”
Burns was an outstanding assassin.
Normal level 300 users couldn’t even react to his attacks.
Especially if their skills were unusable for 10 seconds.
That black energy aura getting sucked into the sword—what was that?
Unfortunately, he couldn’t stop a skill already in motion.
As Burns plunged toward Hyun-soo’s side, he grinned.
The game’s all about control.
And it was that control alone that had gotten him to 8th in the assassin rankings.
Clang!
Burns’s expression twisted into shock.
What the—?
Hyun-soo had casually raised his sword to block. His eyes sharpened.
Burns created three attack points in his field of vision and lunged—left-left, right.
Clang, clang-clang!
Burns’s face filled with bewilderment.
What the hell…?
He felt an inexplicable power.
Burns was a black belt in martial arts even in real life.
But Hyun-soo didn’t seem to have trained in real-world martial arts.
Yet his movements were extraordinary.
My life-or-death moments have come many times over.
Hyun-soo sensed it.
Before flowing like water to block Burns’s attacks, he’d actually been a bit worried.
This was his first time properly clashing with users called the strong ones.
And now he knew.
I’ve grown.
There was still a long way to go, but he had definitely grown.
Born from those countless life-or-death struggles ordinary users couldn’t imagine.
The fifth and fourth Calamities.
The Giant King.
Prak, the Heavenly successor, and the small world tree.
They gathered and piled up to forge the me I am now.
Slash—
Hyun-soo swung his sword upward with full force.
Swoosh—
-54,313 HP
“Gahaaack!”
Sliced diagonally, Burns stared at a notification he’d never seen before.
Da-Damage in the 50k range…!?
Burns had faced tons of strong players here.
Even a domestic rank 40ish swordsman among them.
That swordsman’s damage topped out at 20k.
HP has fallen below 70%.
I’m an assassin, sure, but this is…!
It defied common sense. The silver lining: the other three’s status effects lifted too.
Mountain Guardian Dun.
Mountain Guardian
30% stronger in mountains.
In mountains, even top-30 rankers couldn’t touch him.
His danger stemmed from this Mountain Guardian effect.
Mountain Guardian’s power instantly draws nearby monsters.
It happened in a flash.
All the Snowy Blessing Zone’s monsters were yanked toward Dun.
He couldn’t control them freely, of course.
But he could designate one target for them to attack.
Target designated.
Snowy Yeti Lv.331
Snowy Orc Lv.325
Snowy Ogre Lv.339
Over 60 of them.
All levels far exceeding Hyun-soo’s.
Sure, killing Hyun-soo might backfire on them.
But as a Mountain Guardian, Dun could dodge that.
Rumble, rrrumble—
Hyun-soo’s face twisted in shock too.
“No matter your monster damage, you can’t handle this many!”
Dun was a high ranker.
He thought differently from normals—that’s how he got there.
He’d seen Hyun-soo’s insane damage on Burns.
Didn’t doubt it was temporary.
And even if the sword’s attack power boosted, his level 300 physical defense hadn’t.
And soon.
“Grooo!”
“Raaagh!”
“Kuhahaha!”
“Kyahaha!”
Over 60 monsters swarmed Hyun-soo.
2-to-4-meter brutes pounding him indiscriminately.
Won, Burns, Bon, and Dun unleashed skills from between them.
Ripping Slash
Indiscriminate Slash
Spear Throw Mastery
They watched Hyun-soo’s HP drop below 25% in just 3 seconds.
3 meters.
Bursting through the monsters, they cackled.
“You mad bastard!”
“So full of yourself, and look at you—done in under 10 seconds!”
The four couldn’t help but laugh maniacally.
Yeah, only 10 seconds had passed.
Since he’d arrogantly claimed to lure them.
They closed in further.
1.5 meters.
At that distance, Dun anticipated.
Thinking of his dying face feels good.
Dun especially vowed to make it hurt.
Still seething, he shoved through the monsters and faced him.
“You damn son of a—huh?”
Hidden by the tall monsters, Dun and the others panicked.
Hyun-soo was a bloody mess, dying.
His HP bar screamed it.
But amid the group lynching, Hyun-soo stood firm.
Especially his chilling gaze made Dun shrink.
What the…?
So what? He was on death’s door.
Then, face-to-face, Hyun-soo spoke.
“Thanks.”
Hyun-soo had waited long for a certain notification.
From level 50 to now.
That long-awaited alert rang out now.
***
The last time Barad and Hyun-soo met was when he promoted him from baron to viscount.
After receiving the title, Hyun-soo shared stories with Barad.
One conversation stuck with Bella.
She recalled it.
‘Your Highness taught him Sword King’s Swordsmanship, an amazing art, but it grows strangely slowly. Is that normal?’
Barad had smiled wryly.
‘It’s because you lack qualification.’
Per Hyun-soo, Sword King’s Swordsmanship had never leveled up once.
Kingdom soldiers and knights’ sword arts rose every 30 levels or so.
At latest, every 50.
But Hyun-soo learned it at 50s and hit 250+ without a single level-up. Ironic.
“Your Highness, may I ask something?”
“What is it?”
“Why doesn’t Viscount Hyun-soo’s Sword King’s Swordsmanship grow?”
Barad smiled faintly.
Bella doesn’t usually care about others.
But she fixated on Hyun-soo.
Barad repeated what he told Hyun-soo.
“Because he was lacking. Back then, Hyun-soo was too weak.”
Just a level 50 outsider.
Barely walking.
“Even grown, his body couldn’t handle it.”
Average level-up to 100.
Even at 100, wielding Sword King’s Swordsmanship defied norms.
“Sword arts don’t grow stronger with polish or self-improvement alone. But seeing recent Hyun-soo, I felt it.”
Barad smiled, recalling him.
“…He’s become a splendid warrior.”
Meaning Hyun-soo had grown.
And Sword King’s Swordsmanship’s growth time neared.
“As Hyun-soo said, its growth feels absurdly slow.”
By normal metrics, others would’ve gained 5+ levels.
“The fun part? That one growth will show all his progress so far.”
“…!”
Bella grasped it.
Slower than others, but one level-up surpasses five normal ones.
She realized.
This is the true essence of Sword King’s Swordsmanship…
Sword art growth is finite.
Hit level 9, stagnate—learn new.
Not easy.
But slow, yet one growth covering five levels lasts longer, stronger than normal arts.
Bella wondered suddenly.
Just once.
How much power that one unleashes.
***
For Hyun-soo, it was a long-awaited moment.
Proficiency, grinding torturously, spiked bizarrely upon hitting 300.
Hyun-soo amid the monsters wasn’t dying.
He was filling Sword King’s Swordsmanship’s 99.1% proficiency.
Not forcing it, exactly.
Monsters span over 20m radius.
He needed a way to wipe them at once.
You possess Asnium.
HP has fallen below 10%.
HP recovers to 15%.
So he’d waited with a flesh-offering, bone-taking strategy.
250 levels.
That lofty climb, just 1 level-up for Sword King’s skill—ecstasy.
Beyond satisfaction, awe-inspiring.
Mountain Guardian Dun poked his head through the monsters.
“Thanks.”
“…?”
Dun couldn’t comprehend.
Thanks for what?
“Kill him!”
Kiiiiing—
A clear cry numbing senses.
Sword Cry
Sword Cry’s essence: indiscriminate shredding.
Slashes enemies 50% faster.
Deals 230% additional damage indiscriminately to all recognized enemies.
Slashes within 30m radius even without direct hit; ignores all defenses.
Faster means 50% more damage than usual.
Plus, old Sword Cry had a fatal flaw.
Multiple motions required.
Lower stance, short breath, draw from sheath.
Not anymore.
The four, stabbing or skilling right up close, froze in stun.
Hyun-soo raised his 610%+ enhanced Supreme Sword.
Slash—
Old Sword Cry sounded ‘Quaquaquok’.
It changed.
Grrrrumble, kwarrrrzle—!
Hundreds of blades whipping.
Dun couldn’t grasp it.
…What?
Snowy mountains.
All monsters encircling Hyun-soo shredded, collapsing.
What the hell am I seeing…?
His comrades turning to ash.
Diced monsters too.
Thud—
Just what the fuck is this guy!
Hyun-soo, sword to his throat, smiled coldly.
The clear reason he thanked Dun: now plain.
3x EXP, 3x drop rate applied.
To the 60+ monsters—and the four.
Defying-common-sense alerts hammered him.