Chapter 49
Chapter 49
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 49
Chapter Title: The Super Rookie Tournament (3)
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A brief silence filled the arena.
“Kuaaaargh!”
Struck squarely by the arrow, the Stone Golem flew a good seven meters before tumbling to the ground.
Although the arrow failed to pierce the Stone Golem, it spun violently in the creature’s chest, delivering a massive shock.
“Kueeegh…!”
The Stone Golem’s continuing scream left the players speechless.
Amidst the still-pouring horde of golems.
A single player stood alone at the front.
Every player’s eyes were fixed on his back.
“So that’s a Super Rookie…”
One player murmured.
Super Rookie. A term for a player whose level was low, but whose potential was higher than anyone else’s.
One who was superior to others of the same level, who could accomplish what their peers could not.
With his back to the players and the golems, Hyun-soo shouted.
“There’s been an unexpected turn in the tournament. With this many enemies, the organizers must be expecting a total wipeout!”
No one could deny it.
“What do you think will happen if we take down the Stone Golem and finish this tournament safely?!”
A player, who had been staring at his back as if mesmerized, spoke up.
“The Goyad Kingdom will reward everyone…”
“Take down the Stone Golem!? Is that even possible!?”
“I’ll do my best. I need you all to hold back the other golems.”
Everyone silently disagreed. It was impossible for a level 50 player to take down a Stone Golem single-handedly.
“…He might be able to.”
But the destructive power of the arrow he had just shown proved his words.
Hyun-soo took one step, then another, closing the distance to the Stone Golem.
[Stunned for 4 seconds.]
The Stone Golem was immobilized, impaled by the piercing arrow.
One of the players charged toward a golem.
“What the hell, let’s do it!”
“Uwoooooh!”
“You bastards from the Goyad Kingdom! Fork over the rewards!”
*Ting!*
[Over 30 players are listening to your words and acting upon them.]
[You have acquired the title ‘Commander of the Battlefield’.]
(Commander of the Battlefield)
Multi-Title
Grade: B
Special Abilities:
·Charisma +1%.
·Many will be more inclined to listen to your words.
Hyun-soo’s eyes grew calm.
*I will hunt the Blood Golem alone.*
When the Orichalcum Fletching was crafted, Hyun-soo had thought this hypothesis could become a reality.
But that assumption had now turned into an uncertainty.
Even so, there was nowhere to run.
[Piercing Arrow is now available for reuse.]
Retrieve.
*Chwaaaak-*
Once again, he gathered all his strength and drew the bowstring taut.
Having moved several steps closer to the Stone Golem, Hyun-soo activated Piercing Arrow once more.
*Krrrrrrrrrumble-*
*THWACK-!*
“Kuaaaargh!”
Hyun-soo had aimed for its right leg. The creature’s right leg was gruesomely shattered.
[Stone Golem’s HP has fallen below 69%.]
*THWACK-!*
*THWAAAACK-!*
He fired two more fletchings, chipping away more of its HP.
[HP has fallen below 62%.]
“Kahaak!”
And then, the Stone Golem’s stun wore off.
Hyun-soo slung the bow over his back.
Gripping Gwangmyeong tightly with both hands, Hyun-soo charged forward.
He had minimized his skill usage, saving them for this very moment. He was worried their cooldowns might not reset in time.
A haze shimmered around Hyun-soo’s charging body.
[The Unwavering One]
[For 1 minute, Physical Attack Power increases by 13%, Cutting Power by 7%, and Critical Hit Damage Chance by 20%.]
He ran a small estate in the beginner’s zone, but the power guiding him now was one taught by a lord whose swordsmanship was truly exceptional.
“What, wasn’t he an archer?”
“I thought he was going to kill it with arrows!?”
The players who had been keeping the other golems off him were quite taken aback.
At that moment, the Stone Golem’s stun ended.
“Kwoooar!”
Unable to balance with one leg gone, the golem staggered and reached for Hyun-soo.
He twisted on the balls of his feet to dodge, simultaneously striking its chin in an upward slash.
*CLANG-!*
The swordsman players’ eyes widened. For a jack-of-all-trades, his sword skills were far too brilliant.
No wasted movements?
No, to be precise, he was overwhelmingly better than them.
Hyun-soo hadn’t simply learned this from a skill book.
He had spent days and nights practicing and learning the movements from the inheritor of this swordsmanship.
“Grrrr!”
The enraged golem, its chin struck, fixed its glaring eyes on Hyun-soo. Meeting its gaze, Hyun-soo thrust Gwangmyeong forward without hesitation.
[Vital Strike]
[Identifies the enemy’s vital points. A successful vital strike inflicts 45% additional damage.]
[15% chance to apply 60% damage.]
*CRUNCH-!*
He stabbed hard into the creature’s chest.
But the sword’s tip failed to pierce the stone body.
[Gwangmyeong’s durability has greatly decreased.]
Hyun-soo’s face contorted.
‘What…?’
He pulled the sword back and looked at its tip. The point had been blunted.
The Stone Golem reflexively struck Hyun-soo.
*THWACK-*
He was sent flying backward, activating Retrieve at the same time.
*Click-*
He quickly loaded an arrow into the quiver and flicked it with all his might.
*CRACK-!*
“Kuaaaargh!”
The Stone Golem’s head snapped to the side from the impact.
Feeling an unbearable rage, the creature roared.
Its massive fist slammed into the ground.
*KRA-KOOM-*
The shockwave spread across the arena.
Boss monsters are tricky because, compared to others of the same level, they have higher HP, defense, and attack power.
Even at the same level, monsters designated as bosses are superior, but what makes them even more difficult are their traits.
Boss monsters often possess unique traits.
These traits sometimes defy common sense and throw players into confusion.
One such trait had just manifested.
[Golem’s Rage]
The vibration traveling through the ground engulfed Hyun-soo.
[You are stunned for 2 seconds.]
[Weapon Breaker will be imbued in the Stone Golem for 30 seconds.]
Two seconds were stolen from him. The one-legged creature crawled toward Hyun-soo. The massive being was upon him in an instant.
It snatched Hyun-soo with one hand.
And struck him with the other.
*KRAAANG-*
[HP has fallen below 80%.]
The immense impact left him reeling.
Another blow followed.
*KRAAANG-*
[HP has fallen below 60%.]
[You have sustained significant shock in a short period.]
[You have been afflicted with the status effect: Dizziness.]
[Your vision blurs, making it difficult to regain your senses.]
[The stun has been lifted.]
The Stone Golem threw Hyun-soo to the ground. After a clumsy tumble, Hyun-soo barely managed to collect himself.
He tried to swing Gwangmyeong, which he held in both hands.
*GRAB-*
The Stone Golem’s hand snatched the sword.
The Stone Golem’s strength was overwhelmingly greater than Hyun-soo’s.
*Srrr-*
The gauntlets he had been wearing also scattered and vanished.
*Crack-*
A sickening sound echoed from the creature’s grip.
As his vision slowly cleared, Hyun-soo could see Gwangmyeong breaking within the golem’s fist.
*TANG-!*
[Weapon Breaker]
The Stone Golem’s second trait.
Weapon Breaker crushed Gwangmyeong in its palm.
*CRUNCH-*
The moment Hyun-soo’s grip loosened, the creature kicked him hard.
*THWUMP-*
It scattered the remnants of the blade, hundreds of fragments, onto the ground.
*CLATTER-!*
[Damaged artifacts will be restored after the match ends.]
“…Damn it, this was impossible from the start.”
“Shit! And I tried so hard for nothing!”
Hearing the voices of the players behind him, Hyun-soo stared at the sword fragments scattered on the ground.
“Dude, run!”
“How are you supposed to fight a boss without a weapon?!”
The Stone Golem seemed to mock Hyun-soo, laughing with a “Kukekekeke.”
A single drop of sweat trickled down Hyun-soo’s forehead and wet the ground.
*Drip-*
“…The sword is broken.”
The Orichalcum Fletching was his ultimate move. Even so, it couldn’t kill an enemy instantly.
In close combat, a bow was a liability, and he couldn’t defeat the creature with the bow alone.
His plan was falling apart.
“Dude, I told you to run!”
“Are you just shocked that your sword broke?”
But Hyun-soo let out a faint smile. A few dozen seconds before his sword shattered, he had heard a special notification.
“…If I don’t have one, I can just make one.”
His eyes still burned with fighting spirit.
***
Chairman Bekel entered the arena in stealth mode. No one could see or touch him.
His Majesty had wished for the tournament to continue.
Not far from the Stone Golem, he saw the dazed outlander named Hyun-soo.
‘It was impossible from the start.’
The outlander named Hyun-soo murmured.
“…The sword is broken.”
That was the most fearsome thing about the Stone Golem.
The Stone Golem’s trait was to break or damage the players’ weapons.
It was only natural for that man to wear such a look of despair.
He was a man who had lost his weapon.
A bow?
Facing a golem in close combat with a bow was a fatal weakness.
‘Why did His Majesty allow the tournament to proceed…?’
Of course, someone like him couldn't possibly fathom His Majesty's intentions.
There was only one thing he could do.
His Majesty had ordered him to reset the cooldown of one of the mysterious powers the outlanders believed in.
Even before the man’s sword broke, this notification had been sent to all the outlanders.
[You may use one skill without a cooldown.]
The man before him had received it as well.
But Bekel shook his head.
‘It’s no use.’
Bekel imagined himself in that situation.
If his own weapon were shattered into hundreds of pieces, he felt his will to fight would vanish.
And yet, the man named Hyun-soo was smiling faintly.
And his eyes were still fixed on the golem with a sharp gaze.
‘Why is he smiling?’
Had he lost his mind?
He muttered.
“…If I don’t have one, I can just make one.”
Bekel frowned. What did he mean?
‘Ah…!’
He realized.
A moment ago, the man had used some unknown power to create and equip gauntlets.
At that moment, the hundreds of blade fragments scattered before the outlander floated up into the air.
Looking at the fragments that had lost their edge, the man gave a small smile.
“Looks like I’ve got some materials now, huh? I’ve already made a weapon that can cut stone.”
‘Materials?’
Bekel didn’t understand.
What did he mean, he had materials?
Ah!
Potions and artifact crafting materials were forbidden in the tournament.
Only equipped artifacts could be brought in.
The man quickly typed something into the air.
The hundreds of blade fragments floating above his head began to melt.
Melting rapidly in mid-air, they quickly took shape, and soon, dozens of thin, holographic branches shot up.
The branches quickly intertwined, hardening into a long, stiff shaft.
An unknown blade, now complete. Its tip was curved, and it was much shorter than a sword. It combined with the shaft.
*Click-*
Bekel recognized the weapon he had created.
‘A glaive?’
The advantage of a glaive lay in its long reach.
‘What difference will making a glaive make?’
The Stone Golem, which had been mocking the man, had already closed the distance and drawn its arm far back.
‘He’s going to die.’
Bekel was certain.
A faint light flickered on the Stone Golem’s fist for an instant.
That single blow would obliterate the man.
But the man was a step faster.
*SWIIISH-*
He swung the glaive with one hand.
For a moment, the scene before Bekel’s eyes unfolded in slow motion.
An unfamiliar sound.
That sound shattered Bekel’s perception of reality.
*Swiiish?*
It was an incomprehensible sound.
A grating, clanging sound would have been normal.
The sound of a blade striking stone—that was common sense.
At that moment, before the man who stood with his arms spread and a smile on his face.
*THUD-*
The golem’s arm fell to the ground.
“Kuaaaargh!”
‘He cut through stone…!?’
The man’s eyes locked onto the golem, which was clutching its severed arm in agony.
Finally, the world that had been unfolding in slow motion returned to normal speed.
Soon, the man powerfully thrust the glaive into the chest of the tormented Stone Golem.
***
One cooldown reset.
Hyun-soo, who had crafted an artifact using it, coldly stared at the Stone Golem, which was writhing in pain from its severed arm.
By creating an artifact through God’s Emergency Production, he reminded himself once again of who he was.
‘I am not a swordsman, nor an archer.’
Hyun-soo was a blacksmith.
Therefore, he displayed the tactical sense of a blacksmith in battle.
A useful weapon against an enemy with much longer arms and legs than him.
A weapon that defied the common sense of a blade striking stone.
“Kwoooaaar!”
Hyun-soo’s glaive accurately pierced the chest of the agonized creature.
*SHUNK-!*
The name of this crafted weapon was the Damascus Glaive.
“How can a spear pierce through stone?”
“Did you hear that? It made a *shunk* sound…!”
Amidst the players’ astonishment, Hyun-soo, with the Damascus Glaive embedded in the creature’s chest, gripped the shaft tightly with both hands and muttered.
“Wild Dance.”