Golden Goblins (2)
“Kekekekeke!”
The 500 undead summoned by Necromancer Wei offset their numerical disadvantage.
Fearless, the undead charged at the knights without hesitation.
Wei couldn’t forget the humiliation of that day.
The day he had summoned and commanded thousands of undead alongside Chinese necromancers, overwhelming the Koreans.
Darkness had blanketed the world, and Hyun-soo, floating in the sky, had annihilated every necromancer with a single Twin Dragon Sword.
He had been one of them.
“King of the Dead.”
“The world’s greatest necromancer.”
“A rival to Immortal.”
Those were the titles once lavished on Necromancer Wei.
But now, the whole world called him something else.
“One of the necromancers massacred by the Twin Dragon Sword?”
“That guy who summons a ton?”
The Continental War had been a feast for top rankers.
The longer you survived and shone, the more you could build your reputation before the eyes of the world.
But Wei, logged out in less than 30 minutes after the war began, had no choice but to plummet.
‘Damn you, Hyun!!!’
Wei planned to turn Hyun-soo’s fallen guild members and territory folk into undead and parade them before his eyes.
To that end, he had devoured even more artifacts and elixirs than during the Continental War, growing stronger.
For one reason alone.
To inflict unforgettable humiliation on Master Craftsman Hyun-soo, broadcast him kneeling to the world, and reclaim his glory.
But unexpected reinforcements had appeared.
Wei didn’t back down. He met them head-on.
“Kill them all.”
His even stronger undead were overwhelming them, after all.
Did he realize?
“Ugh, uwaaaah!”
“Kuhahahak!”
“What the hell, so many undead... kuhk!”
That the harder he pushed, the more he was helping Hyun-soo?
And the others were no different.
⊳ I'll land fatal blows on the knights to make them easy kills. You all finish them off.
Assassin Yongwol.
Heir to the Assassin King.
She pulled her mask up under her eyes, gripping her dagger.
Around her, fifty or so assassins—her subordinates.
She too couldn’t forget that day’s humiliation.
She was the leader of China’s most influential assassin group.
Yet even Yongwol had met her end in just two moves.
And she wasn’t alone.
The top assassins had been halved by Hyun-soo’s combo of linking, gathering, and bisecting strikes.
Yongwol was furious.
She had liquidated half her fortune to upgrade all her artifacts and equip her elites.
Gritting her teeth, she darted between the assassins and knights.
Appear, vanish—the assassins repeated the pattern.
Their blades sharper than usual, laced with emotion.
⊳ Let's slaughter Hyun-soo's bastards and show our power!
She was no different from Wei.
The more fatal strikes she and her subordinates landed on the knights...
The better for Hyun’s Forge, the more golden goblins they created.
Among them, the most prominent were Sword Emperor Fond and Poison King Riu.
Many knights were already 20% weaker than usual.
The legendary monster Hydra’s absurd breath scorched their bodies like hydrochloric acid, smoke rising.
Blood streamed from wounds everywhere, striking fear into the knights.
Poison King Riu’s spear pierced two knights in one thrust.
Puh-wook—
As Riu yanked it free, Sword Emperor Fond’s sword slashed beside him, felling five knights at once.
The knights averaged level 370.
Beyond comprehension.
⊳ Their swordsmanship is on another level from any knights I've faced. It's like facing the Sword Emperor's own order.
Riu’s honest assessment.
They were far too skilled.
Could 4,000 such knights really assemble?
Frankly, Hyun-soo’s hidden strength was terrifying.
‘To unite such forces...’
That’s why Poison King Riu was thrilled.
Slaughter them all, then take Hyun-soo—the glory would be immense.
Poison King
Targets hit by your attacks for 3 minutes suffer fatal poison.
Movement slows by 30%, afflicted with various status ailments.
Poison King Riu wove faster through the knights.
A graze or slash from his spear stacked poison on them.
“Kuhk...”
“Urk...”
Poison King Riu, too, was playing the role of Hyun-soo’s(?) trusty right hand.
Sgahak—!
The standout was Fond.
The moment he drew on 30 charging knights, they were sliced apart in an instant.
“That’s their leader.”
“Take him down first.”
Sword Emperor Fond was just as bewildered by the unexpected situation.
But he felt the blood in his chest boiling.
‘After that day, I reforged my sword.’
Legend above Legend grade.
After that damned Hyun-soo created the world’s first, a few more had entered circulation.
Still exorbitantly expensive, but Fond had bought one at great cost.
‘I’ve studied you thoroughly.’
One reason rankers were strong: superior analysis of foes.
They anticipated skills and countered first.
One trick of the offensive Twin Dragon Sword: shattering artifacts.
But Legend above Legend wouldn’t break easily.
Seogeok—
Fond felled another knight, but his eyes wavered.
Sword Sage Roman.
His aura-clad sword swept users away like autumn leaves.
Like a wolf among sheep.
Fond also saw the knights’ desperation.
“Don’t fall back! Kill them all. Show them what this continent is!”
Sword Sage's Fury
The knights' morale surges.
“Wooooah!”
“As you command!”
“For Sword Sage Roman!”
“For Goyad Kingdom!”
What shocked Fond was their desperation.
‘Fighting like it’s their last battle?’
Yes.
They fought for Hyun-soo as if it truly were their final stand.
‘Dancing the sword dance for Hyun-soo!?’
Fond was appalled.
The one who could inspire such desperation: Sword King’s disciple, Hyun-soo.
Fond couldn’t comprehend.
What drove them to fight so fiercely for Hyun-soo(?).
But Fond and the Chinese players were staking their lives too.
Kwak—
Fond gripped his sword tighter.
His blade felled knights even faster.
What drove Sword Sage Roman and the knights to such desperation?
‘Failure means death for all.’
‘The people who shared our rebellion’s cause will abandon us.’
That’s why Sword Sage Roman and his noble knights fought like it was their last.
They had nowhere to retreat.
From the moment the rebellion began, they had to give their all.
“Uwoooooh!”
Thus, Sword Sage Roman danced his sword dance even more madly.
But astonishingly, the enemy forces from across the continent were the same.
“Urraaaah!”
“Haaap!”
“Die!”
They too fought with every ounce of strength.
Roman didn’t know, but defeat after coming for Hyun-soo would bring even greater backlash.
‘That’s the one.’
Sword Sage Roman’s gaze met Fond’s.
Both were opponents Hyun-soo would struggle against.
Yet.
“You handle a sword decently!”
“I’m the Sword Emperor’s heir!”
The two clashed fiercely.
Chaeng-chaeng-chaeng-!
Each clash brought critical wounds.
“Uwoooooh!”
Fond recalled his defeat to Hyun-soo.
“Urraaaah!”
Sword Sage Roman rejected the false heir and forged a new king’s path.
Kagagagang—!
Sparks flew wildly as their HP plummeted exponentially.
In other words, they were annihilating each other.
One man watched this spectacle.
‘Ah, craving popcorn.’
Blinded by rage and fierce battle, they hadn’t noticed Hyun-soo hiding.
Hyun-soo found it absurd, ridiculous.
Victory in the Continental War?
‘It was obvious, a fair win. Why are these guys seething with inferiority like I cheated?’
Heir designation.
‘His Highness Barad wants an unshakable Goyad. A nation where blacksmiths and knights coexist. He knows it’ll be solid, so he named me heir.’
Yes. Continental War or heir choice—Hyun-soo had done nothing to earn their wrath.
The reason they raged to crush him.
‘Greed.’
Chinese players: for the feat of claiming the first legend.
Sword Sage Roman and knights: to seize the king’s seat and revel in wealth and glory.
No guilt whatsoever.
Instead, watching their rapidly dropping HP bars, Hyun-soo felt greed too.
Justified greed, unlike theirs.
They had targeted him to tarnish his name and rise.
Hyun-soo turned away.
“Kuhk!”
“Cough!”
Roman matched skill for skill; Fond, gear and levels. Neither yielded an inch.
The closer to their peak, the faster their HP dropped.
HP below 30%
The lower it fell, the more their fury peaked.
Curses burst from both mouths simultaneously.
“You lackey of Viscount Hyun-soo!!!”
“I’ll bury you and Hyun-soo together!”
Their eyes widened as they raised their swords. They rolled their eyes.
The brutal fight neared its end; knights bled, many users teetered on logout.
“Weren’t you Viscount Hyun-soo’s friend from across the continent?”
“Bullshit? Aren’t you the Sword King’s lackey sent to guard Hyun-soo?”
They realized something was wrong.
“Everyone, halt!”
“Cease attack!”
The commanders’ orders ended the clash.
A few more words confirmed their shared goal.
Fighting only fueled mutual rage, but they knew.
‘One side must be wiped out.’
‘The victors suffer near-annihilation too.’
User Fond yielded first, showing flexibility.
“Our true target is Hyun-soo. What if we join forces?”
“...A fine idea.”
Sword Sage Roman agreed.
“We must tear Hyun-soo apart to sate our rage.”
Hyun-soo’s actions had ironically united the groups.
“Know of the god-given territory?”
“Of course. No need for concern. Their average force is just 400 troops. As a fellow outsider, I know well.”
“400, plus their original 200 makes 600.”
“Pfft, Hyun-soo’s total forces barely hit 600.”
NPC and users shared intel.
This cemented their confidence.
“6,000 troops. Hyun-soo will crumble pathetically in our hands.”
Then.
Kugrrrrg—
“...?”
They felt the ground shake. A group approached.
Their eyes sharpened.
“What trick this time?”
“Some ability to amplify footsteps?”
No mere 600 could make that sound.
They smirked toward the noise, smiles fading slowly.
Knights in armor of gleaming white ivory, evoking him.
Even horned helms of white ivory.
Over a hundred, easily.
Behind, troops filling the maze bore flags crossed with anvil and sword.
Not a soldier out of step, marching left-right with precision.
Thud, thud, thud, thud—
At the fore, the man who once felt shame calling himself lord or sovereign.
His territory folk and troops had been pitifully few.
But today was different.
“Greetings. I am Hyun-soo, your sovereign.”
Overwhelmed by status ailment.
Body stiffens with suffocating tension.
Immense fear and pressure make movement difficult.
The Overwhelm stat showed perfect timing.
They were utterly overwhelmed by Sovereign Hyun-soo’s appearance.
At his elegant gesture, the 4,000-strong army loaded Baby Arrows in fierce loyalty.
Click—
Shwaaaaak—!
His hand dropped; 4,000 Baby Arrows pierced the 6,000 foes.
Pew-pew-pew-pew-pew-pew-pew-pew—!
In one volley, they were massacred. Beneath them, dozens of sparkling artifacts and gold dropped.
Alerts flooded the 4,000 Atlas troops: soldiers leveling up.
6,000 golden goblins, in the flesh.