Hyun-soo, having turned five players to ashes in an instant, reclaims the Orichalcum Arrow using his retrieval skill.
Click-!
[Rankings have been updated.]
[1st place: Hyun-soo with 7 eliminations.]
[2nd place: Carson with 4 eliminations.]
[3rd place: …]
Hyun-soo smiles faintly, impressed by the arrow’s power.
“Unbelievable.”
He surmises that most of the five he pierced must have had less than 40% HP.
They were entangled in battle, with their HP severely depleted – a perfect moment to strike.
Then, Hyun-soo sees it.
As the five players turn to ashes, all eyes are on him.
“……”
They glare at him, fury in their eyes.
Hyun-soo steps back calmly, storing the Orichalcum Arrow in his inventory.
It’s too soon to reuse it – it might get stolen by the enemies.
“Get him first!”
“He’s the favorite to win!”
“Take down the favorite!”
“Can’t he use that arrow anymore?”
“He’s an archer, easy to take down!”
Hyun-soo watches a player rushing towards him, likely an assassin class.
The player, with incredible speed, leaps and plunges a dagger down.
“I got him……!”
Hyun-soo quickly pulls out a regular arrow.
Click-
Boom-
The rogue player is sent 4 meters into the air, turning into ashes.
Hyun-soo then starts running in the opposite direction.
Click-
Boom-
“Argh!”
Another player is sent flying 3 meters, rolling on the ground.
Click-
Boom-!
[You have forced two players to log out.]
[1st place: Hyun-soo with 9 eliminations.]
Each hit from his arrow sends players flying.
A swordsman player gets within Hyun-soo’s range.
‘Got him……!’
The swordsman is confident. Archers usually lose their edge within 3 meters.
But in a swift move, Hyun-soo swaps weapons. He slashes the swordsman’s throat with the blade of Light.
Swoosh-
“What…? How?”
The player turns to ashes, bewildered.
“Why did I lose in one hit……?”
[You have forced another player to log out.]
[1st place: Hyun-soo with 10 eliminations.]
[You are the overwhelming leader.]
[You have earned an additional 2% contribution.]
Hyun-soo controls his breathing.
‘Not yet.’
He must conserve his skills. His plan is just beginning.
“Ugh… a monster…”
“What is that? Never heard of such a rookie.”
“I’m not going in…”
“Me neither.”
The players start to retreat, intimidated by Hyun-soo’s formidable damage.
Then…
[The first stage is ending.]
[Those who failed to log out three players will be eliminated.]
Woosh-
Most of the 150 or so players disappear, leaving only a few.
Hyun-soo tenses up.
His plan to earn a 50% contribution before crafting the Orichalcum Arrow was carefully crafted – a near-impossible feat for a solo player.
But Hyun-soo had a way to make it possible.
[You have earned 10% contribution.]
[You are currently in 1st place in the Super Rookie Tournament.]
Just being first isn’t enough.
He must catch the king’s eye, make Barad want to meet him.
To be the kind of winner that a true warrior would desire to possess.
And then.
Thud, thud-thud-thud, thud-thud-
The moment he had planned for approaches.
Hyun-soo swallows dryly. Giant golems are charging towards him.
[The second stage begins.]
[Survive the golem attacks for one minute to advance to the final stage.]
[Golem Lv.61]
The second stage.
This is where Hyun-soo’s plan can come to fruition.
Blood Golems and boss monsters appear in this stage.
But the Blood Golem doesn’t actually join the battle.
The tournament only hints that the Blood Golem is key, and those who can’t withstand the golem attacks fail to qualify for the finals.
The number of golems.
They are as numerous as the 150 players.
Hyun-soo draws the Orichalcum Arrow again.
Among the charging golems, one stands out – towering at 5 meters.
Thud, thud-thud-thud-!
As the massive golem nears, Hyun-soo senses something odd.
‘What’s going on…?’
Tournaments usually follow a similar pattern, with little deviation.
Based on what Hyun-soo knows, a level 87 Blood Golem should appear.
But…
[Boss monster appears!]
[Hunt the Stone Golem for a reward.]
[Stone Golem Lv.109]
This is different from what Hyun-soo knows. He senses something is off, and he’s not the only one.
The other players also noticed something strange.
“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 defeat a level 109? This is supposed to be a level 50 tournament…!”
There was one more oddity.
“Roar!”
In the second stage, the boss monster doesn’t usually join the fight.
It just watches its golem minions attack the players for a minute before leaving.
But this time, the creature was tearing through its own golems, charging at the players.
Thud, thud, thud, thud-!
“Why isn’t it stopping!?”
“Blue Inc., you sons of a…! Is this a bug?”
The Stone Golem kept charging relentlessly.
Then, one player bravely stepped forward to fight the swarm of golems.
He seemed unaware of the abnormality in the tournament.
“Come on! You golem creeps!”
But soon, he looked puzzled as the Stone Golem approached him.
“Wait? Why is the boss mob…”
Crash-!
“!!!?”
“!!?”
The player exploded into ashes as the Stone Golem’s fist struck him.
“Run…!”
“This is messed up…!”
“Ah, this tournament is ruined!”
The players plunged into chaos.
Hundreds of golems, plus the Stone Golem. An impossible fight.
Moreover, with the Stone Golem in this state, it wouldn’t leave as time passed.
“Ah, aah!”
Boom-
Boom-
Crash-!
Hyun-soo shuddered at the chilling sounds made by the Stone Golem.
‘This changes my plan…’
But he soon shook his head.
‘No, I’ll stick to the plan.’
He believed this was the only way to achieve a 50% contribution.
And so, Hyun-soo started to move according to his plan.
***
Tournament Chairman Beckel hurriedly went to see King Barad.
‘Damn it…’
He had just received a report from the team preparing the golem summoning.
They mistakenly released the Stone Golem, meant for the next tournament, instead of the Blood Golem.
The Stone Golem.
It was about 20 levels higher than the usual Blood Golem.
It was created for the next Super Rookie event, which would start accepting level 70 players from other realms.
The Stone Golem was uncontrollable.
This lack of control was intentional – level 70 outsiders should be able to handle such golems.
But the current players were level 50.
‘The worst-case scenario… all outsiders might be wiped out in the second stage… We must stop this.’
He felt a chill down his spine.
“I must see His Majesty!”
“…There’s a problem with the tournament, indeed.”
“Yes!”
The knights, who were watching the game, also sensed something amiss and quickly escorted Beckel.
Beckel presented himself before King Barad.
He quickly reported the situation, explaining everything.
King Barad’s expression was indifferent.
He had been intrigued by a player, presumed to be an archer, but his interest quickly waned.
A mistake by the tournament organizers. Punishment could wait.
He gave an order.
“Such events should not occur in a tournament hosted by the kingdom.”
Beckel slightly raised his head, realizing the king’s approval.
“I’ll stop it right away!”
With the king’s approval, he had to act fast.
But then Barad said, “…Wait.”
Beckel, who was about to step back, stopped. He looked up at Barad.
The king uttered a sound of surprise while watching the screen.
On the screen.
All outsiders were fleeing. Their entangled forms resembled people running from a fire.
In the opposite direction of their escape were the swarm of golems and the Stone Golem.
But among the fleeing outsiders.
Only one man was running towards the Stone Golem, going in the opposite direction.
‘Who is that?’
Beckel recognized him. The outsider Hyun-soo. He remembered what Hyun-soo had told him a while ago.
‘Fortunately, I’ve thought of a way to see you now.’
He had audaciously suggested he knew a way to meet the king.
Facing the Stone Golem at a distance of 12 meters, Hyun-soo pulled back his bowstring.
“Could it be that his method is…?”
Startled by Beckel’s exclamation, King Barad looked intrigued.
“Do you know him?”
“Yes, that man is…”
Barad became interested in what followed.
“He seeks a way to meet me?”
“Yes!”
“A method to meet me. What is it?”
Barad smiled, curious about the method. Beckel explained.
“…He plans to defeat the boss monster, the Golem, by himself. That’s what we believe.”
“…Quite audacious.”
Barad sat back and focused on the screen.
“Continue the tournament. Also, allow the outsiders to use their mystical powers without any cooldown period so they won’t be massacred.”
“Excuse me?”
Beckel couldn’t hide his surprise at the king’s decision not to halt the game.
The king watched the player on the screen.
“We can’t end this while there is still one true warrior (武人) remaining.”
***
“Roar!”
The ferocious Stone Golem charged with flashing eyes.
Alone and resolute, Hyun-soo stood facing it, sweat trickling down his back.
‘There’s a hiccup in the plan, but…’
No choice.
He couldn’t achieve a 50% contribution if he wasn’t hunting the boss monster alone. In this situation, his mind raced for alternatives.
Zing-
He aimed his bow at the charging beast, then realized.
‘No good… Regular arrows won’t stop it, and the Piercing Arrow isn’t ready for reuse yet.’
Even the Orichalcum Arrow wouldn’t be enough.
His mind quickly spun, searching for another way.
[Initiating divine emergency crafting.]
Whirr-
Minerals melted swiftly in midair, cooled, and were refined.
Red-hot, the material rapidly took shape.
This emergency crafting was much faster than the first.
Just 3 seconds.
And the finished product was a gauntlet.
Hyun-soo slowly raised his right arm.
Clank-
The gauntlet fitted itself onto his arm.
[Effectiveness 85%.]
[Divine emergency crafting lasts for 30 seconds.]
The gauntlet’s effect was singularly focused.
[Strength increased by 121.]
Zing-
Increased strength meant more force in drawing the bow, enhancing the arrow’s destructive and penetrating power.
“Grrr…”
Hyun-soo gritted his teeth. His arm’s veins bulged, muscles straining.
Twang-
[Penetration increased by 32%, physical attack by 15%, skill damage by 22% due to strength increase.]
Whoosh-
Hyun-soo released the bowstring.
Ding!
A smile formed on Hyun-soo’s lips at the notification.
[Piercing Arrow]
The passive version of Piercing Arrow activated at a dramatic chance.
The passive version was completely different from the active.
‘The passive skill is twice as powerful as the active skill!’
[Arrow increases penetration by 150%, physical attack by 140%.]
[4-second stun.]
Rumble-
The arrow, like a cannonball, roared through the air. Then a player shouted.
“Is he crazy? The Golem is made of stone; how can an arrow stop it!?”
Everyone there thought the same. An arrow couldn’t affect a stone golem.
But…
Boom!
“Arghhh!!!!!!”
The Stone Golem, fiercely charging, was hit by the arrow and sent flying 7 meters.
Cliche Novel 
Thanks for the chapter!!!
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