Great Atlas War (Part 1) (4)
Viewers couldn't believe their eyes.
'What the hell am I watching?'
East Gate.
A single knight in a mask.
If gods existed, would they move like that?
The man unfurled his dual blades, and Agares's legion commander Pang along with over 400 demonized foes crumbled to ash in an instant.
He took in the commentary filtering through his ears and moved on.
West Gate.
Asura Kabel.
In the Hell Path he unleashed, 400 elite mages from the world's top guild flailed helplessly.
The sight of Grand Mage Rund and the finest spellcasters unable to cast a single proper spell before being devoured by hell's legions was awe-inspiring.
North Gate.
Fond, who had mocked a certain man and gotten forcibly logged out after saying "You scared?"
Before the stunned viewers, light burst from the sword the man had thrust straight up.
That light pierced the darkness like the first ray of dawn.
"Dawn."
Captivated by the dawn's glow, viewers fell silent.
Hundreds of sword qi strands spread through the encroaching darkness, sweeping through the 600-strong elite force.
The man had no ultimate evil-slaying move like Myeolak.
No advantages like Asura's Hell Path.
But.
Shiiiik—
Pfshaaa—
Pfufufufu, pfuk—!
Kwajak!
Kwaruruk—
Kuooooung—!
He had one overwhelming superiority.
Insane strength.
The East Gate man was optimized for slaying evil.
The West Gate's Kabel had a bad matchup against the mages.
Viewers worldwide, piecing together theories, finally hurled their questions.
And now, those questions converged into one.
Viewers' hearts burned hot worldwide.
Final North Gate.
Dragon's Fear.
A single cry from the baby bird made of bones stunned 700 monsters and 400 tamers.
The power of Dragon's Fear was tremendous.
It didn't stop at a one-minute stun.
Unless you have resistance acknowledged by the System, those hit by the fear suffer terror and headaches for at least 10 minutes!
Tamers with low status ailment resistance still struggled to move.
And without monsters, tamers were no different from mages out of MP.
They fell to the fearless slashes of the man who appeared—one strike, one kill.
People had looked at Hyun-soo and said:
They criticized, nitpicked, hiding behind the mask of "netizens."
Because we didn't have it, they wished Hyun-soo had nothing either.
They called him a coward.
But there he was, slicing through every foe, cameras reflecting in his eyes.
The wolf they thought a coward.
The weary beast they believed had tucked tail and fled.
He met hundreds of cameras with cold eyes, brushed the blood from his coat—tap, tap—and slung the Twin Dragon Swords diagonally over his shoulder.
His gaze said it all.
'Come on in.'
He knew. And so did they.
The first wave was just small fry.
The true leaders.
Agares's legion commander Pang.
Golden Mage's Grand Mage Rund.
China's apex Fond.
Tamer Queen Relli.
Everyone else was level 400+, but mid-tier—not high rankers.
Pfleruk—
Turning to face him, they truly felt it.
He wasn't some fleeing coward wolf.
A being who had hidden sharp claws, waiting for this day.
An unrelenting, tireless predator.
At last, he strode slowly into his Atlas.
Viewers watched his vanishing back with lingering gazes.
The screen lingered on the spot where he disappeared.
11 minutes and 32 seconds have passed since Atlas began.
First wave: 1,800 annihilated.
Casual casters lost their words at the notifications.
In the sweeping silence.
A sound began to echo.
Thump, thump, thump, thump—
The viewers' heartbeats, audible only in the quiet.
Pounding hearts, sweaty palms.
Most viewers thought the same watching him.
The one thing they craved in this Great Atlas War.
'This is fun.'
The sentiment shared by most viewers now.
All they needed was "fun."
And that fun twisted into admiration, awe, joy, cheers for Hyun-soo.
12 minutes into the Atlas War.
Breaking news waves drew in new viewers worldwide.
"Hey, you hear about that?"
"What?"
"First wave wiped in under 12 minutes at Atlas War."
"What?!?!"
Breaking news dominated feeds worldwide.
Rumors spread like wildfire.
People kept asking.
"So why……!"
"What?"
"Why are these insane powerhouses gathered for Hyun-soo!"
"Maybe he just recruited them temporarily?"
Sharp questions met sharper retorts.
"Dude, recruiting those guys? Impossible!"
"Hyun……!"
"What power does he even have?!"
"Gonna watch the stream!"
Purum Corp was amazed too.
Lee Se-jin had received this report from the "Great Atlas War Hosting Team" right at broadcast start.
"Global viewership at 4.3%."
The team leader's face screamed "We're fucked."
But Se-jin's expression said otherwise.
Really?
Now, just 20 minutes in.
The hosting team leader rushed in, face pale.
"S-Sir, global viewership has hit 15%……."
Se-jin's heart raced like the viewers'.
Truth be told, broadcasters they'd requested cooperation from had been lukewarm.
'We'll air it, but don't expect more.'
Even internet streamers felt the same.
Why? The alliance would win anyway, and bored viewers meant low ratings.
They approved live feeds just to avoid bad blood with Purum Corp.
Now? Things had changed.
"……B-Broadcasters are clamoring for live broadcast rights."
"Ones who said only live feeds are now slotting ads."
"Streamers are going nuts!"
"Viewership rising."
"Sir, viewership climbing more."
"Top global streamers starting broadcasts!"
"Viewership breaks 23%."
"25% surpassed."
"Pace is insane."
"Per Ares supercomputer analysis, pre-war articles numbered 1,161 worldwide. Now, Atlas War-related: 16,314! Numbers exploding exponentially! Especially 'Atlas' and 'Master Craftsman Hyun' search volumes dominating!"
"Most global portals have Hyun and Great Atlas War keywords filling 1-10 spots!"
"……."
Se-jin smiled at the reports.
The ripple effect exceeded his expectations.
Purum Corp stood to gain massively.
But Se-jin knew.
This was an overwhelming boon for Hyun's Forge.
"Hyun's highlights are lighting up the world!"
Se-jin tilted his head at the team leader's flushed face.
"Highlights?"
"……Pardon?"
"The real highlights haven't even started."
Real highlights yet to come, even after four or five wiping the first wave?
Did that mean even more intriguing, thrilling stories awaited?
"……."
The team leader, staring at the monitor, realized.
With the first wave gone, the feed showed an empty screen.
At that moment, he wondered.
'……What's really inside there?'
And he knew.
Global viewers were wondering the same.
***
"What's really inside there……."
One of the world's peaks.
Vietnam's apex Mio muttered.
Outside was chaos.
The peaks prepared to log in at the venue Purum Corp provided.
Reporters clamored to capture their mood.
Normally, Kalli would've stepped out with an arrogant grin and boasted.
Not now.
Click—
He locked the door.
"……Everyone, focus."
What they'd dismissed as child's play now threatened them.
They were each nation's strongest.
Even Fond couldn't join this gathering of China's peak.
These assembled were that elite.
No one could argue the second wave was several times stronger than the first.
They immersed and analyzed in short order.
"Kabel's exhausted, so……."
"No more Dragon's Fear at North Gate……."
"Better to concentrate on breaching one spot than spread out……."
No expert could match this perfection.
The result of the world's finest minds colliding.
'If we lose this……?'
Strategy meeting over, eyes met.
'Everyone here loses over half their fortune…….'
Cold sweat dripped.
Kalli growled fiercely.
"……We're dancing to Hyun-soo's tune. Atlas inside is empty. We prove it."
"Agreed."
"Server integration just 4 months ago."
"It was just those four. Even if more, barely 1,000 troops."
They logged in.
In the brief gap.
Viewership hit 32%, surging with new eyes on them.
Sure enough, North Gate's puppy and baby bird were gone.
The alliance reversed tactics.
All 1,200 charged straight for North Gate.
Greeting the 1,200 focused on North Gate: masked knight, Kabel, Twin Dragon wielder.
"Kabel first!"
This wasn't human.
Asura at 20% HP carved through 80 high rankers amid 1,200.
Asura Kabel has fallen.
This one was even crazier.
Kwaruruk—
Puk, pfufuk, kwajajajajak—
Kwaaaaang—
Like witnessing divinity.
If a God of War existed, would it look like this?
One sword in hand, he slashed everything in reach—slash after slash.
One-on-one, he'd devour even peaks.
No—a tiger king battling white tigers.
After soloing 140, he vanished.
Then, the buff Twin Dragon wielder.
Each strike swept allies.
Shattered formations, sent so-called peaks fleeing.
"So you're the ones who tormented my lord Hyun-soo. I'll chew you to the bone."
"……."
He was the most brutal, resilient, ferocious.
Even more unbelievable: his word "lord."
The knight who'd do anything for his lord soloed 180 before falling heroically.
"……."
All peaks were stunned.
Three down, 400 fallen.
Kalli advanced on the gate.
Peaks thought:
'How much cash did he splash to hire those monsters?!'
Hyun-soo made absurd artifacts.
Hundreds of billions? Enough for short-term hires.
At last, Atlas's gates opened under Kalli's hand.
Kiiiiiik—
'Hyun…… I'll strip away every mask.'
Just prey.
They hunted, he fled.
Prey, forced to offer "20 artifact creation slots."
Kiiiiiik—
Revealed to the world.
Viewers held breath, casters shouted "The gates are opening!"
Kalli exulted.
'You'll show barely 1,000 troops…….'
Kalli couldn't finish.
Kuoooong—
Beyond the wide-open gates.
The true Atlas revealed itself.
Viewers, casters speechless; peaks staggered back.
All cameras fixed on distant Hyun-soo.
"Welcome to my Atlas."
Seeing Atlas's lord Hyun-soo greet with arrogant, majestic smile, Kalli realized.
'We thought we were the hunters…….'
But we were his prey.