Housewarming (4)
Team Leader Lee Hwi was confident. He knew more about the growth-type territory Atlas than anyone else.
The reason was simple: he was the key figure who had planned and built the framework for the growth-type territory Atlas.
The Saint awakens.
Commander Bon receives the title of Examiner and awakens.
Atlas's elite forces awaken.
Team Leader Lee Hwi was startled.
"Commander Bon and the elite forces have awakened...?"
Team Leader Wang and Branch Manager Tao looked at Lee Hwi.
"Commander Bon was the greatest commander of his era, and his army consisted of unparalleled warriors."
The reason Atlas had been a grand territory wasn't just because of one saint.
"Especially Commander Bon—he was a figure close to legend status in his time."
"What do you think the Examiner title means?"
"The seeds have been accumulating at an abnormal rate. Unlike our predictions, much more of Atlas is awakening. We expected only 7% of Atlas to awaken initially. But now, in just a few days, it looks like 20% will come alive."
Atlas held a larger population than the average grand territory. A total of about 70,000 residents, with over 7,000 troops stationed there.
Even awakening just 20% would bring over 10,000 residents to life, along with more than 1,000 soldiers.
"This was both our prediction and the saint's. But User Hyun-soo has broken that framework, so now it's about verifying what this irrational seed accumulation method is—and whether Lord Hyun-soo is worthy of it."
"Verifying, huh..."
Team Leader Lee Hwi added, "The man named Commander Bon has a thuggish personality."
Everyone there understood what that meant.
Examiner.
"He's going to judge Hyun's Forge with brute force."
Branch Manager Tao and Team Leader Wang winced at that.
Tao glanced at Hyun-soo moving frantically on the monitor.
"A crisis for Hyun's Forge."
Bella and the knights had been pulling all-nighters in Zone D for days, subjugating monsters. The members of Hyun's Forge were in the same boat.
They had all been exhausted. And as mentioned before, they were only a small group.
"I hope Examiner Bon judges them thoroughly."
At that moment, a new notification appeared before their eyes.
"He finally opened it—the stats the saint possessed."
But Tao and Team Leader Wang looked like they could concede this much. After all, failing the examination might force Hyun-soo to start gathering seeds from scratch. In the worst case, the method of awakening with Seeds of Life could disappear entirely.
However, true to his role as the story team leader, Lee Hwi saw something else.
"...This is a big problem."
Team Leader Wang and Tao tilted their heads. Was Team Leader Lee a fan of User Hyun-soo?
But what he said next was different.
"The stats were supposed to be earned after meeting a certain threshold over a fixed period. But User Hyun-soo claimed them midway."
Why was that a problem? To Tao and Team Leader Wang, it seemed well-deserved.
Team Leader Lee Hwi pinpointed the core issue.
"Atlas isn't the only place starting a new story right now. The power the saint held—claiming it midway means that if he passes the examination safely, the next power will unlock."
The next power?
The three of them recalled the powers the saint possessed. There were truly many.
And humans always think of the grandest things first.
Branch Manager Tao let out a hollow laugh.
The second Ares was about to launch soon, and people would chase new content and greater powers. To match that, Purum Corp had prepared superior content and even more impressive rewards than before.
Among them was a special passive the saint possessed. It was a transcendent-grade passive that wouldn't fully unlock more than five times even in the second Ares—practically the saint's most powerful attack skill.
Tao shook his head.
"Doesn't that have a level restriction?"
"Correct."
And the second Ares had only just begun.
'Well... with a level cap like that.'
But Team Leader Lee Hwi knew the natural flow of Ares.
'We could nerf it a bit before handing it over, right?'
Soon, Lee Hwi let out a hearty laugh, thinking he was worrying over nothing.
Hyun-soo was bewildered by the incoming notification.
'The saint, commander, and army are awakening?'
It came while he was in the midst of acquiring Seeds of Life.
You have gathered 1,310 seeds in a short time.
He had already received a notification at noon about gathering many seeds. And only 2-3 hours had passed since then.
1,310 seeds in that time? It was incomprehensible to Hyun-soo.
He naturally had no idea this was happening because of the housewarming party.
You acquire the Legendary Stat: Overwhelm.
Hyun-soo's heart, already pounding from the saint's awakening notification, raced again.
'My guess was right.'
He had thought one of the saint's powers was a stat.
And the hint from 2-3 hours ago was coming true.
Now he could check exactly what this Overwhelm entailed.
Stat: Charisma is deleted.
"What...?"
Hyun-soo's face twisted.
Unlocking a new stat should mean an additional slot. But deleting Charisma left him baffled.
Your existing 531 Charisma stat points are converted to the Legendary Stat: Overwhelm.
You possess Overwhelm 531.
Hyun-soo's twisted expression smoothed out instantly.
'Insane...'
It turned to pure joy in a flash.
No extra slot was disappointing, but Charisma was a stat any of Ares' 2.5 billion users could acquire.
'Overwhelm is different.'
Overwhelm seemed like the ultimate upgrade to Charisma.
Starting with over 500 points right away, without grinding from zero!
'Huge gain.'
Hyun-soo found the reason for the deletion in the detailed description.
As the Overwhelm stat rises, it radiates infinite respect and charisma toward allies, granting absolute command power when issuing orders. Conversely, it can subdue enemies or crush their morale simply with its aura—exerting over twice the power of regular Charisma.
Depending on the situation, it can overwhelm foes even more dramatically. Acquisition method and difficulty are the same as for Charisma.
The ultimate upgrade to Charisma. And the part about dramatically overwhelming enemies in certain situations stood out.
'Does it synergize when I show overwhelming dominance over enemies?'
What pleased him most was that it was acquired the same way as Charisma.
In other words...
'Willpower is hard to gain, but Overwhelm matches Charisma's difficulty, so I can stack it high.'
He pushed the thought aside quickly.
Commander Bon and his army's examination begins.
Territory residents will not be attacked.
For NPCs, death will not occur; they faint and awaken later.
Seeds accumulate based on examination evaluation.
Seeds may be deducted based on examination evaluation.
Previously accumulated seeds and examination-earned seeds combine to awaken the dormant.
High examination evaluation may trigger special events.
Hyun-soo realized this was a double-edged sword.
'Pass the examination and gain an absurd amount of seeds, awakening far more than expected.'
'Fail to satisfy it, and lose what we have, awakening far fewer.'
As a result, everyone from Hyun's Forge, scattered everywhere, gathered.
Their forces numbered just over 200.
Hyun-soo urgently asked Karn, who approached.
"...Are the commander and his army strong?"
"They were the strongest vanguard. A cut above the continent's current elites."
"What about the saint?"
"The saint is naturally powerful as well. However, I don't know his intentions upon awakening."
Hyun-soo and the Hyun's Forge members tensed at those words.
Bella felt the same, and Hyun-soo handed her a sword.
It was the buff-type Twin Dragon Sword.
"Bella, cut down anything in your path."
"Yes, my lord."
Bella's heart raced. A battle against past powerhouses.
Yet, strangely, she wasn't afraid.
Because of the buff-type Twin Dragon Sword?
No—Bella glanced to the side.
Hyun-soo gripped the attack-type Twin Dragon Sword, and the Hyun's Forge members burned with fierce fighting spirit.
Bella had forgotten. Though only about 200, they too were an elite few.
Hyun-soo's new stat, Overwhelm, exerted its power.
"Let's show all enemies the might of Atlas's new lord!"
Ally morale rises dramatically.
Obedient allies will fight without fear.
Overwhelm's power manifested immediately. That single command boosted morale, triggering the Valiance buff effect.
But...
"...?"
Time passed, yet they didn't arrive.
Then, a faint rustling sound.
Everyone, nerves on edge, focused intently.
"Mang?"
"Kyuu kyuu."
Bokdeongi, carrying Kyukyu, trotted past them excitedly, floating lightly.
The tension melted away.
Hyun-soo looked puzzled.
"Why aren't they coming...?"
He was deeply confused.
Commander Bon, awakening after 800 years, led his 1,000 elite troops toward Atlas.
Bon knew why they had awakened.
'His Majesty the Saint King wasn't on good terms with the tyrant.'
The tyrant had always eyed Atlas covetously, a threat that could persist into future generations.
His task was to check if Atlas's conquerors were the tyrant's minions.
And the second...
"It's been a while since a real fight."
A blood-boiling battle after 800 years.
Commander Bon Lv.475
'Your Highness, sorry, but is that my concern?'
Even back then, Bon was hard to control despite his immense power.
Only the Saint King could rein him in.
And he hated serving new masters.
"Examination my ass—I'll turn 'em to paste."
One master was enough for him.
Bon, with his thuggish nature, planned to beat the new lord of Atlas and boot him out.
He marched with his elite army.
Then, he encountered a group.
"Housewarming?"
"Funeral?"
Mysterious figures blocked the path.
They wore filthy clothes caked in dirt.
An odd mix: a massive, rugged man like a mercenary; a skinny old geezer; and a woman so stunningly beautiful she could be called a peerless beauty.
And two pitiful(? ) little ones nodding furiously at "housewarming?" and "funeral?"
Bon grasped the situation.
"Take me to your lord."
The rugged man spoke.
"Not housewarming guests, then."
"I'm here to examine if Atlas's lord is qualified."
The old man asked, "How do you examine?"
"Meet your lord, break one of his legs, and start from there?"
The old man looked intrigued, then halted.
Bon panicked.
"...?"
'What the hell?'
He couldn't comprehend it.
His 1,000 elite troops collapsed under the killing intent from just three people.
At that moment, the saint awakening near Atlas was bewildered.
A massive being blocked his path.
"Mang mang!"
"Kyuu kyuu."
And the saint felt an inexplicable sensation.
'What is this?'
His hand stretched toward Bokdeongi's belly.