Hyun-soo, with an arrow strung on his bow, flashed a small smile.
This was a rare opportunity.
‘Offering 20 gold per kill to a level 13 user…’
Ordinary users would probably get about 2 silver.
Clearly, the knight commander, Karl, didn’t see himself as a match.
As Karl walked away, the cautious centurion Render approached.
“Why accept such a challenge? Don’t recklessly engage, ghouls are tough for your level…”
Render cared for the volunteers.
Wasn’t they here to help this failing territory from the outside?
“Ghouls don’t die easily unless struck with a weapon imbued with holy power. To kill them, you need to inflict ridiculous damage… Better to earnestly plead with the knight commander…”
Then, Hyun-soo released his bowstring.
Swoooosh!
Render had never heard such a piercing sound from an arrow before.
The arrow accurately pierced a ghoul climbing the wall.
Thump!
It even penetrated the ghoul behind it.
“…?”
[You have hunted a ghoul.]
[You have leveled up.]
‘As expected.’
Hyun-soo’s prediction was correct.
He had hunted a level 50 orc warrior before, even one in solid armor.
“Graaaah!”
“Groaaar!”
More ghouls screamed and climbed the walls.
‘A bit numerous…?’
Hyun-soo looked around.
Aside from Render, everyone else was struggling with the undead.
‘Ah, so Render and I handle this?’
Hyun-soo understood the progression of this territory’s battle.
Even with many people, when accepting a quest or mission, only one NPC would fight alongside.
Another ghoul appeared on the wall.
“Kuhaaah!”
Hyun-soo shot the ghoul in the chest, standing on the wall.
Boom!
The ghoul, pierced by the arrow, flew back 2 meters before crashing to the ground.
‘Can such a destructive arrow even exist…?’
Then, a ghoul lunged at the distracted Render.
Lost in thought on the battlefield.
He blamed his foolishness and realized.
‘This foreigner can’t help me…’
It took the foreigner some time to notch and shoot an arrow.
Considering that, a ghoul would likely bite his neck faster than he could shoot.
[Quick Blade]
[Increases attack speed 1.7 times for 1 second.]
Hyun-soo swiftly swapped weapons.
A miracle-like passive skill burst forth.
The ghoul’s head flew off in an instant.
Pshhh!
“Is it… one-shot?”
Render couldn’t kill a ghoul in one shot.
And the answer lay in Hyun-soo’s radiance.
High attack power of radiance.
And Hyun-soo’s stats, unreasonably high for his level.
Moreover, he possessed Beginner Sword Mastery Lv.1.
Just having this mastery significantly boosts attack power.
Hyun-soo quickly dispatched the ghouls on the wall and then heard a notification.
[You have hunted many ghouls higher level than you in a short time.]
[A new, unseen episode will soon begin.]
[A special reward from Knight Commander Karl awaits if you successfully complete the new episode.]
‘Oh…?’
This notification.
It was all too familiar to Hyun-soo.
After hearing it, an orc warrior had appeared.
One thing was certain.
After hearing this notification, he received a special reward from Captain Hans.
Maybe it would be the same here.
The problem was this.
‘A new episode doesn’t necessarily mean something good.’
And sure enough.
[More ghouls begin their assault.]
“Growwww!”
“Graaaaah!”
Even more ghouls started pouring in.
[Descend to the bottom of the wall to defend it.]
“…?”
Hyun-soo’s face contorted.
Just like last time, the direction of the new episode always seemed perilous.
[If you do not complete the new episode, you cannot receive the special reward.]
And so, he was pushed.
Hyun-soo sighed.
‘Ah, I am but a blacksmith…’
He was neither a swordsman nor an archer, just a blacksmith.
Yet, that instilled an inexplicable confidence in him.
It stemmed from confidence in the artifacts he created.
“What are you doing now?”
“You should hurry and follow.”
Render thought this foreigner was insane. He had tied ropes around his body.
Then, he jumped off the wall.
“You’re a blacksmith, aren’t you!”
As Render saw this reckless and absurd foreigner, his vision darkened.
Another volunteer to embrace death?
Rushing to the wall, Render soon saw it.
The moment the rope tightened, the foreigner named Hyun-soo rolled on the ground.
‘What can a blacksmith do in front of dozens of ghouls…’
But soon, Render’s eyes widened in surprise.
The quickly risen foreigner, Hyun-soo.
Hoo…
Swordsmanship energy wafted from his body like a mirage.
‘What, what is this?’
Render was a centurion.
Centurions usually learned common swordsmanship or spearmanship.
The blacksmith foreigner calmly breathed and watched the approaching ghouls.
But his swordsmanship stance…
Render’s pupils shook watching him.
‘Noble… and dignified.’
Render was curious about the identity of that swordsmanship.
***
“Huff…”
Over 20 days.
Hyun-soo, under the guidance of the Beginner zone’s lord, Vans, learned a great deal. It wasn’t just about acquiring skills.
Vans, a lord from a renowned swordsmanship family, helped him grow daily.
“Not like that! Swing it properly!”
“Harder! More! Keep going!”
“A sword isn’t just about strength!”
Vans sometimes showed anger, sometimes confusion, as he watched Hyun-soo.
Day one, two, three.
Through bow making and relentless swordsmanship training, Hyun-soo never slacked off. Towards the end, Vans asked,
“Do you know why I get angry?”
“Is it tough love?”
“You’re an odd one. Typically, people who excel at something fall into two categories: naturally gifted or hardworking.”
Vans looked at Hyun-soo with a wry smile.
“And those who possess both are called this.”
“…?”
“Genius. You’re a genius with both swordsmanship talent and hard work. You’ll improve rapidly. That’s why I get angry.”
Hyun-soo saw an inexplicable bitterness in Vans’ smile.
Then, he looked at the approaching ghouls.
“It’s my first time showing my true skill.”
He had used Wild Dance before.
But this was the first time unleashing the power Vans taught him, adopting the light stance he was shown.
[Unyielding Warrior]
[For 1 minute, physical attack power increases by 13%, cutting power by 7%, and critical hit damage probability by 20%.]
Perfect for the current situation.
The new story demands recklessness, so Hyun-soo doesn’t back down.
A faint mist rose from his body.
“Let’s do this.”
As he learned from Vans.
Hyun-soo stomped the ground, charging at the drooling ghouls.
Ignoring the words of Centurion Render behind him…
[Precision Strike]
[Identifies enemy’s weak points. Successful attacks on these points inflict 45% additional damage. There’s a 15% chance to apply 60% damage.]
Activating the skill against a charging ghoul, five weak points appeared as blue dots.
Striking them precisely.
Whoosh!
[60% damage applied.]
Boom!
His enhanced sword obliterated the ghoul to pieces.
Slash!
Then, he swiftly sliced through the ghouls, reducing their number one by one.
[You have hunted 8 ghouls.]
[You have hunted 9 ghouls.]
[You have leveled up.]
The relentless level-ups continued.
The thrill of growing stronger with each swing, each forward movement.
Rapid leveling up leads to such experiences.
Ding!
[You have acquired the title ‘Rapid Grower’.]
(Rapid Grower)
Multi-title
Grade: B
Special Ability:
·When leveling up quickly in a short time, experience gain increases by 10% for 15 minutes.
[The title ‘Rapid Grower’ is now active.]
Swish!
The filthy teeth and claws of the ghouls threatened Hyun-soo, but to no avail.
He wore the Light Lord’s armor, offering defense far beyond common understanding.
Moreover, the ghouls attacking him suffered from his damage reflection skill.
‘These creatures are persistent.’
If not killed instantly, no matter how much he slashed, they kept attacking.
Unless the head is severed or a critical hit depletes their HP.
And soon, more than a dozen ghouls surrounded Hyun-soo.
[HP falls below 60%.]
[HP falls below 50%.]
[You are afflicted with bleeding status.]
[Movement slows, and HP continues to decrease.]
Surrounded by a dozen ghouls, Hyun-soo looked in a dire situation.
Even as his HP continued to drop, he waited.
Waiting for more ghouls to encircle him.
Then, when fifteen ghouls clung to him like a scene from a zombie movie…
[Wild Dance]
[Indiscriminate attacks on all enemies within a 10m radius.]
[Upon activation, attack speed increases by 70%, physical attack power by 30%.]
His sword furiously carved through the ghouls.
With a 70% increase in attack speed and 30% in physical attack power, Hyun-soo’s sword, imbued with radiance, was unstoppable.
The ghouls that clung to him were mercilessly hacked apart. Their arms and legs dismembered.
No matter how resilient undead life might be, they couldn’t withstand the whirlwind of slashes right before them.
[You have leveled up.]
Joy spread across Hyun-soo’s face.
[Pop-up Quest: Hunt 10 Ghouls Completed.]
In fact, this notification had been received earlier.
[Currently hunted 33 ghouls.]
That’s a total of 660 gold.
Hyun-soo, looking at the significantly reduced number of ghouls, smiled contentedly.
This was satisfying enough.
‘Should I head back and check on the Bell of Ramas?’
Just as he was about to turn around.
[A new story begins.]
“…….”
Hyun-soo’s face hardened.
The start of the new story wasn’t the end here.
Recalling, with the start of a new story previously, instead of one, two orc warriors had appeared.
[A Giant Ghoul Appears.]
“Groaaar!”
In the distance, a massive ghoul trampled over other ghouls, charging towards Hyun-soo.
Standing about 2.6 meters tall, the giant ghoul looked as sturdy and massive as a golem.
Hyun-soo was shocked to see its level.
[Giant Ghoul Lv.79]
Hyun-soo pondered for a moment.
‘Should I run…?’
But a notification compelled him not to retreat.
[Pop-up Quest: Hunt the Giant Ghoul.]
[Pop-up Quest: Hunt the Giant Ghoul]
Grade: A
Restriction: Only for those progressing the new story.
Reward: Equivalent to the value of hunting 50 ghouls.
Penalty for Failure: Never able to participate in the territory battle again.
Description: Having excellently fulfilled Knight Commander Karl’s request, hunt the giant ghoul for an even greater reward.
Hyun-soo reconsidered upon seeing the reward list.
‘Reward equivalent to hunting 50 ghouls…?’
In essence, the reward for hunting the giant ghoul would be 1,000 gold. Too tempting a reward to flee.
Cliche Novel 