Nel felt a new sense of emotion as she looked at the place where Hyun-soo had left.
“Coming to Hyun’s forge was the best decision of my life.”
It was because of the conversation she had with Hyun-soo before he left.
“This time, I will go as Blacksmith Hyun.”
“Are you sure it’s okay?”
“Yes, I think it’s better to reveal my identity.”
The Hyun-soo Nel first met was somewhat naive, and she had helped him in many areas.
But Hyun-soo saw things that Nel had missed.
“When I first met Mr. Lisel, I realized that hiding my identity was not a good thing, and maybe we should start off on the right foot.”
The first button.
Nel understood the meaning of those words.
“What would happen if those three cursed ones come to Bright Future?”
Nel thought differently from others.
The public argues that the three are different in skills and gaming.
They also say that they are incredibly unlucky.
But it wasn’t lack of skill; their skills are real.
Nel was certain of one thing.
“Once they reach the high ranker’s level, the high rankers won’t stand a chance against them.”
As levels increase, it becomes harder for users to become stronger.
Therefore, a small difference can exert a great force.
That’s why, once they reach that level, they will stand where others cannot ascend.
The problem was this.
“There must be a reason they haven’t joined a guild…”
Maybe it was just wishful thinking.
***
Hye-ji was surprised.
“You’re not going to make it, but you want to participate in the labyrinth?”
“Yes, with less than a week left, it’s not easy to make artifacts for the three of you. And despite appearances, I am quite strong.”
Quite strong?
She didn’t know how strong that meant.
But it made her think.
‘How strong can a blacksmith be?’
Also.
The game Ares has a properly balanced system.
It’s a fact that if one excels too much in one area, another must be neglected.
Yes, a seed of distrust sprouted.
The three had a strategy session.
“Any other applicants?”
“…There’s no one tempting enough, maybe we thought it was too easy, being the center of criticism is something strong players dislike.”
Another conversation ensued.
“It’s Blacksmith Hyun who has been hiding himself, maybe there’s a reason he stepped up confidently. We have five more times, let’s experiment just once.”
That idea also had merit.
“Alright, just once. Let’s try it out just once.”
Soon the conversation ended.
They then showed videos of the ferocious labyrinth they had previously tackled.
“The ferocious labyrinth is a bit unique, unlike the usual time attacks that always start under the same conditions, it changes into three different forms. Form 1 is the easiest, Form 2 is the hardest, and Form 3 is the second hardest.”
Hyun-soo meticulously checked it to sync up with the three.
Three hours later.
“Let’s go in now.”
[You have entered the Ferocious Labyrinth.]
[4 attempts remaining.]
The four finally entered the Ferocious Labyrinth.
“This is where it begins. Get ready.”
As soon as they entered, the faces of the three twisted.
“Of all times…!”
Hyun-soo needed to get used to this dungeon.
However, it started with the second most difficult of the three patterns.
The second pattern faces difficulties right from the start.
Upon entering, a miniboss-level Minotaur slams the ground with an earthquake.
Oooooh-!
Height 5 meters.
[Minotaur Lv.331]
The giant Minotaur with an ax slammed the ground.
Kooooong-!
The ground cracks, spreading vibrations.
This vibration stuns users for about 2 seconds.
It is an unavoidable stun.
Because even if you jump into the air, the effect reaches up to 6 meters high.
Unlike its name, the labyrinth has a ceiling height of 10 meters.
However, that height is not easily breached by ordinary magic flights…
“Hyun-soo, calm down first…!”
Hye-ji shouted urgently, then looked puzzled.
“…Huh?”
Wolf Leap
Plop-
Hyun-soo had disappeared from sight.
At the same time, the Minotaur was also launched into the air.
“…?”
They couldn’t understand the bizarre scene unfolding before their eyes.
Hyun-soo’s left hand had flung the Minotaur high into the sky.
Hmm?
Hyun-soo’s sword moves.
Watching him, the three sighed.
‘Minotaurs are famous for their high defense…’
Swooooosh-
[6 consecutive damages will be applied.]
His sword is enveloped in light.
And cuts marked the Minotaur’s body everywhere.
Swoosh
Thud
Thud thud thud!
‘The, the damage…?’
The Minotaur’s HP dropped below 61%.
‘What are we even watching?’
Blood spurted from the Minotaur’s body.
An even more astonishing event unfolded right before their eyes.
“Ghost Step.”
Hyun-soo’s footsteps disappeared.
Left.
Thud!
Above.
Crack!
Below.
Thud-
Thud thud thud
Crunch
Flash-!
After creating exactly nine afterimages.
Hyun-soo struck the Minotaur down with his sword from mid-air.
Kabooooom-
The Minotaur smashed into the ground and turned into ashes.
Time taken to hunt it down.
[5 seconds have passed since entering.]
Soon after.
“Hic, hiccup!”
Tae-hoon hiccuped.
Hye-ji, without realizing, exclaimed.
“Th-thank you!!!”
***
Hyun-soo’s stats were 60 levels higher compared to others of the same level.
Add to that the sword Baekya, which is closest to legendary, and the passive skill ‘6 consecutive damage.’
The synergy with the legendary-grade skill, Ghost Step, was tremendous.
Having landed, Hyun-soo checked the safety of his companions.
One was hiccupping, and Hye-ji suddenly thanked him.
“???”
“Ah, it just came out without me realizing.”
With this, Hyun-soo realized that he had earned their trust.
“Let’s hurry.”
Hyun-soo also had his reasons for wanting to rank Korea within the top 5.
They moved quickly.
Hyun-soo observed them.
‘Incredible…’
Considering their artifacts and levels, they were demonstrating unbelievable strength.
‘These people, regular classes?’
Though called the cursed trio, they kept delivering critical hits.
And at the boss monster hunting spot.
“Sword’s Cry.”
Keeeeeeeng-
The boss monster of the Ferocious Labyrinth was a level 350 Basilisk.
With the boss’s appearance, Hyun-soo used Sword’s Cry to stun it.
‘Unbelievable…’
‘Just one more competent person makes it so much easier.’
‘Even the damage is beyond common sense…’
The three hunted the Basilisk faster than usual.
Eventually, they waited for the notification.
Their previous rank was 15th with a time of 25 minutes and 58 seconds.
[Rank will be updated.]
[9th place, South Korea, 19 minutes 59 seconds.]
They instantly jumped six ranks.
“Woah!”
“We did it!”
They were thrilled to have successfully closed the gap in the rankings.
Four attempts remaining.
If this was the start, they were confident they could narrow the ranks even further.
They continued to implement new strategies and plans.
On their seventh attempt.
[8th place, South Korea, 18 minutes 31 seconds.]
On their eighth attempt.
[6th place, South Korea, 17 minutes 19 seconds.]
They believed they could now avoid being the subject of criticism.
Looking forward to tomorrow, Hyun-soo logged out and fell asleep.
***
During Hyun-soo’s sleep.
Nel felt the world was quite noisy.
‘Until now, this time attack hadn’t been getting much attention in Korea…’
Suddenly, as the ranks rose, they started getting noticed.
And it had a remarkable effect.
The time attack participants’ list could be described anonymously.
[Han-ul, Hye-ji, Tae-hoon, Hyun’s Forge.]
This last entry, Hyun’s Forge, was causing a stir around the world, and speculative articles were being published.
[Hyun’s Forge. Presumed to have crafted artifacts for Han-ul, Hye-ji, Tae-hoon.]
[Hyun, the creator of masterpieces. Providing wings to three Olympic gold medalists.]
[Global interest once again focuses on Blacksmith Hyun.]
Nel was shocked to see this.
Nel was checking Hyun’s rapidly increasing subscribers.
‘Wow, the firepower is insane…!’
People around the world believed that the changes in the time attack dungeon rankings were due to Hyun-soo’s artifacts.
This instilled expectations.
And the subscriber count Nel just checked was as follows.
[Hyun’s Forge subscribers: 1,610,013.]
[Currently ranked 7th among Korean forges.]
From the original 1.3 million, an additional 300,000 had been added.
‘If something happens again that shakes the world…’
Nel thought that maybe, just maybe, they could break into the top 4.
The gap between just outside and inside the top 5 was significantly large.
And soon, such an event occurred.
Nel checked the changes in the time attack dungeon rankings.
[Rank will be updated.]
[1st place, USA, 11 minutes 11 seconds.]
The USA had suddenly reduced the gap by 4 minutes.
It was an astonishing event for the world.
Unlike Korea, where the time attack dungeon was just catching fire, the USA was already heated up.
Nel quickly clicked on a viral interview video.
The interview featured American users who had participated in the time attack.
They were all well-known users from the USA, members of the Black Skull Guild, called the world’s best.
Chatter, chatter, chatter, chatter, chatter-
Amidst endlessly flashing cameras, the reporters asked.
“How were you able to reduce the time so significantly in such a short period?”
The reporters were somewhat baffled.
How could they possibly cut down 4 minutes?
“That’s something users from other countries will have to figure out.”
The USA did not easily explain the reason.
Many other questions followed.
Especially, Will’s confidence was clearly displayed during the interview.
“This time attack dungeon’s first place will definitely go to the USA, and it will be the same in the future.”
Indeed, it had been that way for the last three years. Then, a journalist asked,
“Recently, Korean users have been causing shifts in the rankings. What do you think about this?”
Will, with a dismissive sneer, said,
“China or Japan, maybe, but Korea?”
That was it.
As if there was no need to even mention them.
And Nel, to her astonishment, was watching Hyun’s Forge’s subscribers increase because of this.
“This is a risky opportunity…”
If Korea takes first place, Hyun’s Forge’s subscribers would skyrocket.
But if not?
‘Hyun’s Forge might only be recognized as an outstanding forge in Korea…’
In other words, it was a double-edged opportunity.
***
Lee Se-jin, the CEO of Blue Inc, is currently having a video chat with managers from various countries.
Then, John, the manager from the USA, subtly taunted,
“The Korean users are truly impressive, jumping from 15th to 6th place so quickly. But I wonder if they can beat the USA’s record of 11 minutes… What do you think, CEO Lee?”
Lee Se-jin was well aware of the current situation.
Including the provocation by a famous American user who had dismissed Korea altogether.
“We are currently not expected to overcome the 11-minute barrier.”
[Oh, is that the strength of the USA? Indeed, the 11-minute wall is higher than one might think.]
Soon, Lee Se-jin smiled faintly.
“Do you know about the real start?”
[The real start. It’s a term used universally by all countries to mean when one reaches level 300.]
“That’s because typically, when users reach level 300, they unlock something new in their class or receive quests that grant them special privileges.”
[What are you trying to say?]
John frowned.
He seemed to not understand the point being made.
Lee Se-jin emphasized,
“Soon, user Hyun-soo will achieve level 300 within the Ferocious Labyrinth. That is, what’s impossible now might be different in the future.”
[……!?]
[……!?]
The managers looked shocked.
Lee Se-jin, unconcerned, ended the video chat.
Lee Se-jin was also very much looking forward to it.
‘What power will user Hyun-soo unlock upon reaching level 300?’
And how could he potentially shake up the time attack dungeon rankings?
It would soon be revealed.
Cliche Novel 