Chapter 48
Chapter 48
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: Super Rookie Tournament (2)
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After turning five users to ash in an instant, Hyun-soo used his recovery skill and once again held the Orichalcum bodkin arrow in his hand.
*Chk-!*
[The rankings have been updated.]
[1st Place: Hyun-soo - 7 kills.]
[2nd Place: Carson - 4 kills.]
[3rd Place: ……]
Hyun-soo let out a small smile, having confirmed the arrow's power.
‘This is insane.’
There was a reason it had been able to pierce through five people. He estimated that most of them had been below 40% HP.
He had aimed for the moment their HP was critically low from fighting amongst themselves.
And Hyun-soo could see it.
As the five users turned to ash, the gazes of all the other users turned to him.
“……”
They were staring at Hyun-soo with fire in their eyes.
With a calm expression, Hyun-soo took a few steps back and put the Orichalcum bodkin arrow into his inventory.
If he fired it before the recovery skill's cooldown was up, his enemies could steal it.
“Get that bastard first!”
“He’s a top contender!”
“Take out the top contender first!”
“Looks like he can’t use that arrow again, huh?”
“That guy’s an archer! We can take him down in a flash!”
Hyun-soo looked at a user rushing toward him.
He appeared to be an assassin-class player.
He was flying through the air with incredible speed, a dagger poised to strike down.
“I got him—!”
Hyun-soo quickly drew a normal bodkin arrow.
*Click-*
*Fwoooosh-*
The rogue user was launched about four meters into the air before scattering into a pile of ash.
Then, seeing the other users rushing him, Hyun-soo started running in the opposite direction.
*Click-*
*Craaack-*
“Keoheok!”
Another user flew back three meters and tumbled across the ground.
*Click-*
*Craaack-!*
[You have forced two users to log out.]
[1st Place: Hyun-soo - 9 kills.]
With every arrow he fired, users went flying.
Soon, a swordsman user entered Hyun-soo's range.
‘Got him…!’
The swordsman was sure of his victory. Once the distance closed to within three meters, archers were generally unable to exert their full power.
In that instant, Hyun-soo quickly swapped weapons. He sliced the man’s neck with Gwangmyeong as he passed.
*Slice-!*
“Huh…? What just happened?”
The user, turning to ash, couldn’t hide his bewilderment.
“Why did I die in one hit…?”
[You have forced one user to log out.]
[1st Place: Hyun-soo - 10 kills.]
[You are in the overwhelming lead.]
[You have acquired an additional 2% contribution as a reward.]
Hyun-soo was doing his best to control his breathing.
‘Not yet.’
He had to save his skills. His plan hadn't even started.
“Ugh… a monster…”
“What is that? I’ve never heard of a rookie like him.”
“I-I’m not fighting him…”
“Me neither.”
The users began to back away, intimidated by Hyun-soo’s astonishing damage.
Just then.
[The first stage will now end.]
[Those who failed to log out three users will be eliminated.]
*Fwaaa-!*
Of the many users present, all but about 150 vanished.
Hyun-soo tensed.
His plan to gain 50% contribution, conceived before he made the Orichalcum bodkin arrow, was based on his own analysis.
For a single, ordinary user to accumulate 50% contribution—it was a feat that was practically impossible.
But in Hyun-soo's mind, there was one way to make it possible.
[You have acquired 10% contribution.]
[You are currently ranked first in the Super Rookie Tournament.]
Just being first wasn’t enough.
He had to be first in a way that the king would see him. In a way that would make Barad want to meet him.
He had to become a champion so coveted that the true warrior in him would desire Hyun-soo for himself.
And then.
*Thud, thud-thud, thooom, thud-thud-*
The planned moment was approaching.
Hyun-soo swallowed nervously. A massive horde of golems was charging toward them.
[The second stage will now begin.]
[In the second stage, defend against the golems’ attack for one minute.]
[Success will grant you entry to the final stage, the main tournament.]
[Golem Lv.61]
The second stage.
This was the stage where Hyun-soo’s plan could be realized.
In the second stage, golems and a boss monster, the Blood Golem, would appear.
However, the Blood Golem wouldn't actually enter the battlefield.
The tournament would only reveal that the Blood Golem was the core of this stage, and users who couldn't withstand the golem assault would fail to advance to the finals.
And the number of golems.
There were enough of them to match the roughly 150 remaining users.
Hyun-soo once again took out the Orichalcum bodkin arrow.
Among the charging golems, the largest one caught his eye.
It was enormous, standing nearly five meters tall.
*Thud, thud-thud-!*
As the massive golem drew closer, Hyun-soo felt that something was off.
‘What is this…?’
The tournament always unfolded in a similar fashion.
There might be slight variations, but the overall structure rarely changed.
From what Hyun-soo had seen, a Level 87 Blood Golem was supposed to appear.
But…
[Appearance of a Boss Monster!]
[The one who hunts the Stone Golem will be rewarded.]
[Stone Golem Lv.109]
This was different from what Hyun-soo knew. He sensed that something was wrong. And he wasn't the only one.
The other users were also noticing that something was amiss.
“Where’s the Blood Golem? Why is a Stone Golem here?”
“What’s a Stone Golem? Never seen one before.”
“Level 109?”
“How are we supposed to kill a level 109! This is a level 50 tournament!”
There was another strange thing.
“Kuaaaaargh!”
The boss monster that appeared in the second stage wasn't supposed to join the fight.
It was just supposed to watch its golem minions kill the participants for one minute before leaving.
But this thing was charging through the other golems, looking ready to tear the users to shreds.
*Thud, thud, thud, thud-!*
“Why isn’t it stopping!?”
“Pureum Corp, you bastards! Is this a bug?!”
The Stone Golem charged on without stopping.
At that moment, one user stepped forward boldly, ready to fight the golem horde.
It seemed he hadn't yet noticed that something had gone wrong with the tournament.
“Bring it on, you golem bastards!”
Soon, he saw the Stone Golem right in front of him and wore a puzzled expression.
“Huh? Why is the boss mo—”
*CRUNCH-!*
“!!!?”
“!!?”
The Stone Golem smashed the user with its fist, and his body exploded, turning into gray ash.
“Run…!”
“Son of a bitch, we’re screwed…!”
“Aaaaargh, this tournament is a bust!”
The users fell into chaos.
Hundreds of golems, plus a Stone Golem. It was an impossible fight.
Furthermore, if the boss monster was acting like this, it probably wouldn't leave even after time was up.
“U-Uwaaaah!”
*Splat-*
*Splat-!*
*CRUNCH-!*
A chill ran down Hyun-soo's spine at the gruesome sounds the Stone Golem was making.
‘If this happens, my plan…’
But he quickly shook his head.
‘No, I’ll stick to the plan.’
This was the only way to get 50% contribution, Hyun-soo believed.
And so, he began to move according to that plan.
***
Tournament Chairman Bekel was hurrying to seek an audience with the Sword King, Barad.
‘Damn it all…’
He had just received a report from the team in charge of summoning the golems.
They had mistakenly sent out the Stone Golem, which was scheduled for the next tournament, instead of the Blood Golem.
The Stone Golem.
It was about 20 levels higher than the original Blood Golem.
It had been created because the next Super Rookie Tournament was meant for outsiders starting at level 70.
The Stone Golem was an uncontrollable golem.
Of course, this lack of control was intentional.
A golem of that caliber was deemed appropriate for level 70 outsiders.
But the ones in the arena now were level 50.
‘In the worst-case scenario, the outsiders will be annihilated in the second stage… I have to stop it.’
A shiver ran down his spine.
“I must see His Majesty!”
“…So there is a problem with the tournament.”
“Yes!”
The knights watching the match seemed to have sensed something was wrong and quickly led Bekel forward.
Bekel was granted an audience with His Majesty Barad.
He prostrated himself and hastily gave his report.
He explained the situation from beginning to end. As he listened, King Barad’s expression was impassive.
His interest had been piqued by a user who seemed to be an archer, but it had faded just as quickly.
And now, a mistake by the tournament organizers. Punishment could come later.
First, he gave an order.
“Such an incident should not occur in a tournament held by the kingdom.”
At that, Bekel cautiously raised his head. It seemed the king’s approval had been given.
“I will have it stopped immediately!”
With permission granted, he had to move quickly.
But then Barad spoke.
“…Wait.”
Bekel, who had been about to back away while still on his knees, froze. He lifted his head and looked at Barad’s face.
The king was looking at the screen and let out a soft, “Oh…”
On the screen.
All the outsiders were fleeing. The chaotic scene looked like a crowd escaping a fire.
Opposite them were the golem horde and the Stone Golem.
But amidst the fleeing outsiders.
A single man was running in the opposite direction, closing in on the Stone Golem.
‘Who is that man?’
Bekel recognized him. The outsider named Hyun-soo. He remembered what the man had said to him not long ago.
‘Fortunately, I’ve thought of a way I might be able to see him now.’
He had spoken in a bewildering way, as if he had a method to meet the king.
He stood facing the Stone Golem from a distance of 12 meters and drew his bowstring.
“Don’t tell me, that method is…?”
Barad’s interest was piqued by Bekel’s shocked exclamation.
“Do you know him?”
“Yes, that man is…”
As he continued, Barad grew more intrigued.
“He’s looking for a way to meet me? Chairman.”
“Yes!”
“It seems you’ve figured out what that method is. What is it?”
Barad smiled. He was quite curious about this method. Bekel replied.
“…To take down the boss monster, the golem, by himself. That is my assumption.”
“…How audacious.”
Barad sat back down in his chair and watched the screen.
“Let the tournament proceed. And make it so the outsiders can use one more of their mysterious powers without a cooldown, so they aren't all slaughtered.”
“Pardon?”
Bekel couldn’t hide his confusion at the king’s decision not to stop the match.
The king’s eyes were fixed on the user on the screen.
“There is still one true warrior remaining, so it cannot end.”
***
“Khuooooargh!”
The Stone Golem, its ferocious eyes glinting, was charging.
All alone.
Standing to face it by himself, Hyun-soo felt cold sweat trickle down his back.
‘There’s been a hitch in the plan, but…’
It couldn’t be helped.
Unless he hunted the boss monster alone, he couldn't achieve 50% contribution.
And because of this situation, his mind began to race.
*Creeeeak-*
He aimed his drawn bow at the charging beast. Then he realized.
‘It’s no use… A normal arrow can’t stop it, and Piercing Arrow is still on cooldown.’
Even the Orichalcum bodkin arrow couldn’t stop that thing.
His mind spun rapidly, searching for another way.
[Commencing God's Emergency Production.]
*Rumble-*
Ore melted rapidly in mid-air. The molten metal cooled and was refined.
Immediately, the red-hot material began to take shape.
This emergency production was much faster than the first one.
It all happened in just three seconds.
And what was completed was none other than a gauntlet.
Hyun-soo slowly raised his right arm.
*Clank-*
The gauntlet fitted itself onto Hyun-soo’s right arm.
[Effect Application Rate: 85%.]
[God's Emergency Production will only last for 30 seconds.]
This gauntlet’s effect was focused solely on one thing.
[Strength increases by 121.]
*Creeeeak-*
When strength increases, the power to draw a bowstring increases.
The arrow that flies from it then has increased destructive and piercing power.
“Grrr…”
Hyun-soo clenched his teeth. The veins on his right arm bulged as his muscles strained.
*Twaaang-*
[Due to the increase in Strength, Piercing Power increases by 32%, Physical Attack by 15%, and Skill Damage by 22%.]
*Thwip-*
Hyun-soo released the bowstring.
*Ting!*
A smile formed on Hyun-soo’s lips at the notification that sounded at that moment.
[Piercing Arrow]
The passive version of Piercing Arrow had activated with dramatic probability.
The passive version was completely different from the active version.
‘The passive skill is twice as powerful as the active one!’
[An arrow is fired that increases Piercing Power by 150% and Physical Attack by 140%.]
[Inflicts stun for 4 seconds.]
*Whoooosh-*
The arrow, tearing through the air, shot forward like a cannonball. Just then, a user shouted.
“Is he an idiot!? Golems are made of solid rock, and he thinks he can take it down with an arrow!?”
Every user there thought the same thing. An arrow could do nothing to a golem made of stone.
But…
*KABOOOOOM-!*
“Kueeeek!!!!!!”
The furiously charging Stone Golem was struck by the arrow and sent flying back about seven meters.