Continental War (8)
Hyun's Forge—they were outstanding. Honestly, they performed far better than Hyun-soo had anticipated.
Because they had briefly touched the realm of legend, they had created this very opportunity.
Yet crisis struck once more.
Even in that moment of absolute peril, Hyun-soo moved to stop them.
Sentence-type title.
A title granted only to Hyun-soo in all of Ares.
And the skill Reversal. The power hidden within it allowed him to momentarily recombine artifacts.
It drew in two artifacts and forged them into a single one.
But one must remember: one was the Supreme Sword, Hyun's masterpiece and the finest longsword in existence.
The other was the Twin Dragon Swords, reborn anew into a perfect debuff despite its origins—yet its attack power and the advantages of a greatsword remained flawless at the transcendent level.
The instant the two artifacts converged, a massive heat haze billowed upward.
[The most perfect combination.]
[Recognized as the world's most powerful single sword.]
[All effects are 6% superior.]
And then the declaration of history.
150 Chinese users. Korean users now at 81 somehow.
The power gap was immense.
Exhausted Korean users appeared in spots here and there.
Breaching the gates meant total collapse.
I-hwan, master of the Hwarang Guild, stood beside Hyun-soo.
"Rental time's already hit 7 hours—14 million total. Way too pricey. Hope you cut me a deal next time."
What the hell?
With a small smile, he revealed his legend-grade Twin Dragon Swords.
"The whole world said we Koreans wouldn't last 4 hours, but we're past 10 now. Hyun's Forge played a huge part, no denying it."
I-hwan wasn't the type to hesitate or claim moral high ground if asked if he was a virtuous man.
But in this moment, he acknowledged what was due.
"Tell Hyun thanks for me."
The greeting was well received.
Over 50 Korean users joined from behind.
"Let's go."
[The sentence begins.]
Hyun-soo knew he'd faced many crises, and this was the greatest yet.
From the charging Hyun-soo emanated a newly forged blade.
Seeing him grip the pitch-black greatsword, the Chinese users sneered.
In this moment of crisis, the sentence granting Hyun-soo the power to overcome it etched itself into the sky, letter by letter.
Break but Do Not Yield
[Raise one desired skill by 2 levels.]
The Chinese users went wild.
"Kyahaha!"
"Finally, the breach!"
"Mages, unleash hell!"
"Those tired Korean punks? One barrage wipes 'em!"
The mages began casting in unison.
The benefit of raising a desired skill's level was greater than expected.
Even if not raw power, it could create upheaval.
Like this.
Pull
[Instantly draw in 5 enemies.]
The casting mages panicked.
Their vision spun in an instant.
"H-Hi there?"
Flustered, they saw Hyun-soo glaring at them.
Hyun-soo, who had pulled the black greatsword behind him, swung it with full force.
Shwaaaa—
—Five mage users wiped out!
Hyun-soo spotted knight users closing in.
Their armor caught his eye.
Artifacts closest to legend.
Such gear gleamed on the approaching knights.
In that instant, Hyun-soo realized.
The real powerhouses had been spectating all along.
They'd sent in the weaklings to save the finale, watching from afar like it was a show across the river.
The finest-crafted artifacts concentrated on the survivors proved it.
Level 370-380 users boasting top-tier artifacts—they had every reason to strut.
17 close-combat knights charging.
Another sentence etched into the air.
Do Not Retreat
[Sword slashing power +215%, destructive power +197%.]
One key fact: Hyun-soo's slashing power was already exceptional, boosted by the Calamity Gauntlet.
Plus, though the Twin Dragon Swords and Supreme Sword were fused for just a minute, against these foes, the sole edge was this: the highest attack power greatsword in all of Ares.
One user swept his sword low to high.
'Got him...!'
Crazy Rookie had shone bright. Killing him would skyrocket MVP chances.
He'd snatch a huge chunk of contributions.
But the user recoiled in shock.
Kwaaaaang—
The greatsword smashed his blade down, shattering balance and embedding it in the ground.
[Afflicted with Shock status.]
[Intense shock spreads through your body.]
Zzzt—
The body-wide impact left him reeling, unable to hide his dismay.
But he quickly recovered, leaning back from the swung greatsword with a sneer.
"This is armor closest to legend, you fu—"
Mocking a line from a Korean flick, he froze.
Craaaack—!
The sound of greatsword meeting armor.
[Armor durability drops sharply.]
Crackle-crackle—
The armor shattered outright. His armor, which barely scratched even against same-level foes.
'This top unique-grade armor...?'
The close-combat users hesitated mid-charge toward Hyun-soo.
A powerful telekinetic force yanked them.
In that moment, Hyun-soo's greatsword rapidly pulverized their armor.
"Huh?"
"Guh...?"
"What the...?"
High-rankers' defense and HP far outstripped normals.
As their shattered armor exposed flesh, they panicked.
"Ghost Step."
Shwick-shwick-shwick—!
His afterimages lingered, bewildering the Chinese users.
A heavy something passed through their broken armor spots, bisecting their bodies.
'Insane...'
Soon, Chinese users unleashed skills wildly.
Ku-ku-ku-ku-kwang—
Thick dust clouds rose.
Enough power to one-shot average boss monsters.
No matter how fierce one tiger, it couldn't handle dozens of wolves.
But they overlooked one thing.
Shwick—
Even through the dust, cries of allies being slashed echoed.
'What the hell?'
Blood orbs formed in the air everywhere.
Blood Absorption
[Recover HP equal to damage dealt; 6% proc chance.]
[HP drops below 36%.]
[HP recovers 16%.]
The tiger bursting through the dust bit the skill-spamming wolves.
Kwajajaja—
What they didn't know: even against wolf packs, a tiger could still tear into them.
Another etched itself.
To the End
[HP +20%, defense +25%.]
Fwaaah—
Enveloped in radiant light, he cleaved forward with the greatsword.
'I want MVP.'
Puuk—
A Chinese user with freakish attack power piercing even Calamity Armor.
He slashed past him.
[13 consecutive damages.]
Kwajajajajajak—!
The fusion's result tore the user apart like paper.
"M-Monster..."
"What level 330 is that?"
Current Hyun-soo outclassed any 330. His stats matched 380-390 users from the start.
Plus the fusion of Ares' strongest swords.
But misfortune struck too.
[Poison King's poison spreads.]
The poison from prior Poison King Riu lingered even now.
[Controls your two strongest skills.]
Karma and Flame.
But transcending the two artifacts momentarily elevated Hyun-soo beyond himself.
Shk-shk-shk—
'No more being recorded as the weakling.'
Fragments of memory flashed like a panorama.
Desire and will to one day be king—he slashed through foes.
Chinese users deemed Hyun-soo the top threat and surged like a tide.
The final sentence etched.
I Win
[All attack power +21% temporarily.]
'I will surely...!'
That instant, Hyun-soo's eyes wavered.
Puuk—
Puk—!
Two weapons pierced his body.
"Knew we were here and still rampage like a dog."
"Good for us. Fond-nim, thanks to this guy's show, killing him makes us shine brighter."
[You possess Asnium.]
[HP drops below 10%.]
[HP recovers to 15%.]
HP recovered in a flash; Hyun-soo gnashed his teeth, trying to escape the two.
But Riu, yanking his first stab free, thrust again.
Puuuuk—
[HP drops below 6%.]
[Afflicted with Dizziness status.]
[Afflicted with Confusion status.]
Spear skewering Hyun-soo like meat, Poison King Riu grinned.
"Know Fond-nim and I haven't even pulled our legend artifacts yet? Oh wait, no—I just did stabbing you."
Damage beyond reason.
Fond clucked his tongue like eyeing a bug.
"Save this one for last. Toss him aside for now. Oh right."
Fond whispered.
"Know your place. Even dogs have things they can and can't do."
Skewered like a kebab, Hyun-soo was hurled outside the gates.
[Cannot resist.]
Crashing outside the gates, Hyun-soo gritted his teeth.
'Gotta get up.'
Confusion status blurred his mind.
But his body slackened, knees buckling.
Hyun-soo's consciousness flickered on-off repeatedly.
Thrashing to stay awake, he saw Korean users pushed back by Chinese hordes.
'How far we've come...'
Those who'd trusted and followed him, new goals too.
Yet Confusion triggered another blackout.
Thud—
On his knees, Hyun-soo's eyes blinked open-shut.
Hyun-soo's mind sank into darkness again.
Then.
Kuuuung—
Kwajaaaak—
A flash—Hyun-soo snapped alert, seeing a shadow over him.
On his knees, he slowly looked up; his pupils quaked massively.
The moment he'd waited so long for.
The voice he'd yearned to hear again.
"Hyun-soo."
A familiar man gazed at his ragged breaths, a soft smile forming.
"Get up."
His father, Kang Hyun-tae, stood before him.
Hyun-soo couldn't think of anything else.
He simply hugged his father with all his strength.