Party of the Supremes (9)

Hyun-soo was certain.

'This will be an unprecedented reward.'

The higher the difficulty, the greater the rewards users could claim.

'I need to grow—and I have the capacity to grow more than anyone else right now.'

High-rankers were around levels 420 to 440.

Hyun-soo, barely in the 370s, had far more room to grow than them—or even than Bahala or Kabel.

And then there was that alert from when Gremory had demonized.

'Grout gave me over 3.3 million experience.'

Anticipation building, the alerts rang out.

Hyun-soo could barely collect his thoughts.

'Ten million...?'

Even at 66% of the total, it was staggering.

His throat bobbed with a hard swallow.

His new level appeared.

Hyun-soo couldn't hold back his awe. A level 370 user had just jumped 27 levels in one go.

Even he was stunned.

'How much stronger did I get from this fight?'

Inner core cultivation, inner core refinement, plus hunting experience.

Even Hyun-soo couldn't gauge it fully.

And the rewards didn't end there.

A transcendent being promised drop items and gold.

These would be divided by contribution.

'Holy shit, 13 billion won? One mob dropped 20 billion?'

An absurd amount, defying common sense.

But it left a bitter taste in Hyun-soo's mouth.

He had a unique Gathering skill no other blacksmith possessed.

It let blacksmiths sustain themselves and sometimes snag materials others couldn't.

But success rates were low, so he hadn't gotten Gremory's transcendent-grade horns or wings.

'Gremory's horns were such a waste.'

Gremory's form split into pre- and post-demonization.

Her already large horns had grown several times bigger after.

To a real blacksmith like Hyun-soo, their use was obvious at a glance.

'Perfect material for composite bows.'

Composite bows used water buffalo horns as main material.

And the saying went:

'A demon's power stems from its horns.'

He'd hoped to test that potential.

But no such luck.

'Couldn't get it anyway... Huh?'

A rising alert made him realize he'd overlooked two things.

First: Legend monsters dropped legend artifacts.

That's why users obsessed over "legend monsters"—and transcendent ones dropped transcendent gear.

Second: Gathering could yield what others couldn't—or hint at potential drops indirectly.

"...!?"

The demon material he'd thought lost—Bahala had it.

In a party, trust and fair division mattered most.

Though split by contribution, members had to coordinate properly.

Meaning Hyun-soo got the first transcendent drop, Gremory's Ring—but ownership wasn't set yet.

He checked it before sharing.

'...?'

Hyun-soo had to be flustered.

Gremory Summon? Absurd.

He checked sequentially.

A solid power.

'If it let me borrow all 22, it'd be broken—but smart balance.'

One power, changeable every three months.

'List shows up too?'

Legion commanders' names and traits scrolled.

"???"

Hyun-soo was baffled.

Suddenly, another alert reminded him of the danger.

Gremory Summon alone made it transcendent.

But utterly useless.

She hated Hyun-soo most now.

She'd attack on sight.

'Anyone with demon affinity?'

For true transcendent power, Gremory had to obey him.

'Maybe someday she'll serve me...'

'...Bullshit.'

Reality hit.

Demons saw humans as bugs.

To command true Gremory, he'd have to kill Baal first.

'All shine, no substance. Pretty much.'

First transcendent drop, but legend-level power at best.

That legend power: one of 22 demons' abilities.

Bahala, Kabel, and others approached after checking rewards.

"Can you share Gremory's horn?"

"Of course."

Hyun-soo clung to last hope: please let the horn be amazing!

"Gah!?"

Hyun-soo was shocked.

He could confidently say:

'Better than any material I've ever gotten.'

Including transcendent ores or Saga Stones.

Piercing started at 330%.

Of course, listed % were max potentials—50% application was excellent.

Still, 165% piercing.

Obvious from description: optimized for ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠bows.

And Hyun-soo had innate talent for composite bows, like Jumong's Composite Bow.

'If I use this...'

With his next material, a real World Tree branch.

'The bow could surpass ten Jumong's bows.'

If successful.

Burning desire surged: he had to have Gremory's horn.

'I'll buy it.'

Party loot had to be shared.

His top contribution, but he'd pay extra to claim it.

Holding it for info share:

"Why not take it back?"

"Huh?"

Hyun-soo, ready to buy, tilted his head.

"It's yours."

"...What?"

He was stunned. The horn alone was worth over 10 billion won.

Yet Bahala and Kabel accepted it casually.

"Without you, we couldn't have hunted Gremory. Plus, I got something more valuable."

Bahala bowed sincerely.

"All thanks to you. You sped my path to Sword God."

Bahala's words stirred Hyun-soo's heart.

The world's proudest user—yet no one could blame him. He earned it.

Such sincerity from him.

But Hyun-soo knew it wasn't just Bahala's call.

Kabel crossed arms, nodding as if obvious.

"Take the horn. And Gremory's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Ring."

"You guys really..."

Hyun-soo was moved.

Not just their generosity.

Friendship with the world's greatest thrilled him.

But he couldn't just take.

"At least money..."

As he offered partial payment, Bahala dropped truth bombs.

"One reason we're giving: you're broke."

Hyun-soo panicked.

'No, I've got money!'

Sure, territory costs ate much.

But he owned a 100-billion-won building in Hapjeong.

Only 50 billion saved, balance unpaid—but still.

About to shout he had cash, words failed.

Bahala: world #1.

Kabel: top info broker.

Articles flashed:

- World Rank 1 Bahala: Personal wealth estimated over 300 billion won.

- Top Broker Kabel: Avg. commission 700 million won. His wealth exceeds ranks 2-20 combined.

Bahala said:

"Don't want to see a friend slouch from poverty."

"Ah..."

"Same here. Cheer up—you'll be rich someday."

"Aah..."

Grateful, but eyes stung.

Their sincerity shone—packaged to ease his burden.

Hyun-soo mentioned the ring.

"It's transcendent, but not worth it. Wanna check?"

He needed to vent: it's meh.

But Kabel and Bahala's hearts raced, eyes sharpening.

'...Giving this away? I was crazy.'

'Wanna ask back.'

They saw what Hyun-soo missed.

No scolding—they were apex rulers.

Knew it'd burden him, so silent.

They knew:

'This ring isn't just a summon tool.'

Simultaneous thought:

'It's for triggering the world's strongest debuff.'

Hearts pounded.

If Hyun-soo faced tens of thousands of enemies:

They didn't know then.

Hyun-soo would exploit it brilliantly.

One certainty:

'Hyun-soo got Ares' most valuable reward.'