[The final story begins.]
It was the notification Hyun-soo heard with the appearance of Grout. However, there was no time for Hyun-soo to check the detailed contents of the quest.
[Blood Demon Grout Lv.501]
Grout, who descended in his true form, was absurdly strong.
[Arte is dying.]
Arte was a sage, not a swordsman or knight. His physical strength was below that of ordinary magicians. Pushing off the ground, Hyun-soo recalled the notification he just heard.
Skill: Connection (因緣). He still didn’t know what power it held.
‘I thought I could escape.’
The speed of the Turtle Ship was bizarrely fast. It was a tough fight. At the end of this battle, Hyun-soo found inspiration through the skill Connection. Arte granted Hyun-soo three temporary skill creations.
‘With these three skills, I can create a similar skill.’
A gift from Arte.
[Starting skill creation.]
Hyun-soo immediately clashed with Grout.
***
[Status ailment Loss activated.]
[Status ailment Fear activated.]
Loss and fear.
Zzt, zzt—
Hyun-soo’s body intermittently trembled, but he soon calmed down.
[You have resisted.]
“Oh?”
Grout was surprised. The killing intent emitted with his appearance was strong enough to choke most humans to death instantly. The reason Hyun-soo could resist the status ailment, was it due to his unyielding will?
Of course, that played a part. But in addition to his unyielding will, he recently obtained a crown forged by God Blacksmith that increased status ailment resistance by 50%. Although Hyun-soo’s level was 320, status ailment resistance was extremely difficult to increase.
“I like your unyielding will.”
Grout was relaxed. The difference in power, rank, level, and experience… All these were the leisure of a superior being.
Hyun-soo pushed off the ground. As he advanced, Counter activated behind him. At the same time, the essence of the rampaging sword imbued him. Just like before, the once-weak Hyun-soo momentarily surpassed himself with the power of the supreme sword.
[Basic attack power of the sword increases by 221% with a 40% probability.]
[Lasts for 15 seconds.]
Although it increased by 221%, this sword could certainly shock Grout even if only for a moment.
“Ghost Step.”
A ghost steps, treading over fear.
Swish—!
Hyun-soo disappeared.
Once.
Boom—!
“…!?”
Twice.
Crash—!
Three times.
Four times.
Five times.
Hyun-soo, who was assaulting Grout from all directions, was surprised. Grout defended and counterattacked every aspect of Ghost Step, which moved by splitting 1.4 seconds.
Slash—!
[HP falls below 86%.]
With a single hit, he lost 14% of his HP. Even though it was a light attack.
Still, Hyun-soo walked.
Swish, swish, swish—!
Sixth, seventh.
Ninth.
Tenth.
Eleventh, twelfth.
Slash—
Hyun-soo managed to land only two successful hits. At the same time, Grout’s long fingers aimed at Hyun-soo’s chest.
Boom—!
A massive explosion of blood caused significant damage to Hyun-soo.
[Blood Explosion Chain]
The blood gushing from Hyun-soo’s body turned into tiny droplets. These droplets scattered around and struck Hyun-soo again.
Boom, boom, boom, boom—!
[HP has fallen below 74%.]
[HP has fallen below 61%.]
[HP has fallen below 54%.]
[HP has fallen below 46%.]
[You have been afflicted with Bleeding.]
“Argh!”
A proper attack had caused immense damage. Hyun-soo’s vision blurred on one side. Grout was an overwhelmingly strong opponent.
Grout found Hyun-soo intriguing. He was an exceptional blacksmith and possessed great strength. Furthermore, his unyielding spirit made Grout, as a demon, want to crush him.
Grout had already demonstrated this once.
“Even if you try a hundred times, you will die. Soon, Arte will die too.”
Arte’s HP was gradually decreasing.
“Why not just give up? We don’t care about Arte.”
Grout enjoyed taunting, especially when facing someone with a strong spirit like Hyun-soo. Demons are cruel, and humans are greedy.
“Ignore him, and come with me.”
Grout was a low-ranking demon, not even in the 72 Demon Hierarchy. However, if Hyun-soo made artifacts for him, things could change. He might even achieve his lifelong wish of becoming one of the 72 Pillars.
“If you want, I’ll give you money. Live in my castle, sometimes fight for me, and create for me.”
Grout’s true reason for descending was revealed. Though he harbored resentment and anger for being attacked, he saw the potential to gain a higher position through Hyun-soo.
“Now, bark for me. Like a dog that guards the house, wags its tail, and makes artifacts for me! I’ll feed you and give you generous treats! Come on, bark. Woof, woof, like a dog!”
Grout believed his offer was irresistible. When humans meet a superior being, they tend to bow in fear. It’s the same as bowing before a king.
Indeed, Hyun-soo’s lips were parting.
“Meow.”
“…?”
Grout’s face twisted grotesquely.
“You dare…!”
Hyun-soo wasn’t just making a joke.
Click—
The world’s switch goes off, and darkness descends.
[A moment of crisis.]
[Unyielding.]
[The effect of the Tiger Sword increases by 7%.]
Like the notification that always came, he was unwavering. The Counter (反) he used as he lunged forward was secretly enhanced, creating an artifact.
Swoosh—
He grasped a sword. With it, twenty-eight stars poured down.
The Tiger Sword. And then…
“Tiger Spirit.”
Roar—!
The roar that had killed the fifth calamity poured onto the recognized enemy as evil.
Hyun-soo knew.
“The reason you demons don’t descend into the mortal world.”
Weakening? No, even if weakened, they were absurdly strong. So why don’t they descend?
“Because you are extremely vulnerable to divine power.”
[Tiger Spirit]
[The immense power of divinity weakens you.]
[You are weakened.]
[Blood Demon Grout Lv.487]
[Blood Demon Grout Lv.475]
[Blood Demon Grout Lv.451]
[Blood Demon Grout Lv.430]
[You are stunned for 3 seconds.]
He knew. Even a weakened Grout was an opponent beyond his reach. Yet, he pushed off the ground.
Dash—!
There were two swords created. He grabbed the falling Tiger Sword as the first one dissipated.
At that moment…
[The special function of Counter activates with a 1% probability.]
[You can wield two swords simultaneously.]
Once again, the notification sounded.
[You have overcome the moment of crisis.]
[The sentence begins.]
The effect of the first title helps him overcome the current situation, granting strong power with each word.
[Even if it breaks]
[Increases skill attack power by 10%.]
[Never back down]
[Increases basic attack power of the sword by 10%.]
[By all means]
[Critical damage is doubled.]
As he ran, immense power surged through his body. The sentence-type title indicated that overcoming this crisis was through maximizing Hyun-soo’s power.
Hyun-soo cannot win against Grout, a demon in the 500-level range. But if Grout is weakened by the Tiger Sword’s essence, he can inflict massive damage.
[Blood Demon Grout Lv.430]
Grout sneered.
“Do you think a mere stun can have any meaning on me?”
But then…
Grout sensed something strange. The stun was not lifting.
[Win]
[Temporarily nullifies the enemy’s status ailment resistance.]
The power activated by his will gave Hyun-soo strength.
Roar—
A massive dragon struck Grout. Grout endured the impact.
Then, Hyun-soo unleashed the essence of his supreme sword.
[Eight Slashes]
One attack became eight slashes, with critical damage doubled by the effect of the first title. One slash became eight.
Swish—
[A critical hit occurred.]
[2x damage applied.]
[You inflicted 17,313 damage.]
[You inflicted 10,135 damage.]
[A critical hit occurred.]
[You inflicted 13,417 damage.]
[You inflicted damage…]
[You inflicted damage…]
He slashed madly. There was no time to stop. For three seconds, he gritted his teeth.
[Eight Slashes]
[Eight Slashes]
Swish, swish, swish—
Blood, blood, blood, boom, boom—
“Raaahhh!”
He did not want Arte to die. And he had a desire. When he encountered Grout, he had received such a notification:
[One of the strongest NPCs.]
[The one who hunts Grout can announce a world message.]
The world still doubted Hyun-soo, attaching all sorts of things to belittle him. He wanted to prove them wrong. To announce to the entire world. And to rise through it. As the owner of the best forge in the country.
Swish—
He focused on the green blood spraying everywhere. After three seconds passed, he finally regained his senses and was about to feel elation.
“…”
[Grout’s HP has fallen below 70%.]
Hyun-soo woke up. Grout, with his dull eyes and snake-like narrow pupils, was staring at him. Despite his full effort, Hyun-soo had only managed to reduce Grout’s HP by 30%.
“That’s not how you swing a sword.”
A sword made of blood formed in Grout’s hand. As he swung it up.
Boom—
[Blood Storm]
Crash—
[You possess Asnum.]
[HP has fallen below 10%.]
[HP recovers to 15%.]
Hyun-soo’s body was torn to shreds.
[Severe injury status ailment activated.]
[It is difficult to stand.]
Hyun-soo staggered, struggling to stand.
“…Shall I tear Arte’s limbs apart to shatter your iron will?”
It was Grout’s form of torture.
“Your eyes are still the same.”
No matter how much he tried to knock him down, Hyun-soo wouldn’t crumble. Grout grabbed Arte by the scruff and lifted him.
At that moment:
“You’ve lost.”
[Temporary skill creation complete.]
A plan that Hyun-soo had prepared was ready to be set in motion.
***
Special User Management Team.
Lee Ji-hee and Tae-seok were talking.
“Isn’t obtaining story completion percentages twice as hard as regular percentages?”
“That’s right, while you can get 2% from a regular quest, you only get 1% from a story completion.”
Achieving story completion percentages is significantly harder. But the rewards are correspondingly maximized.
“It’s not easy.”
“It can’t be…”
Lee Se-jin watched them from behind. On the monitor, Hyun-soo, with his first title activated, was visible.
The two resumed their conversation.
“If he kills Grout, what percentage of story completion will he achieve?”
“I wonder more about what he’ll get.”
“Can he really do it…?”
“….”
Tae-seok didn’t respond. Nor did Se-jin behind him.
‘As expected…’
And when the Asnum in Hyun-soo’s possession showed its power, Se-jin checked his wristwatch. An assistant entered the room.
“President, it’s time to go.”
Lee Se-jin had a business trip to the USA. He turned away as he saw Grout walking toward Arte. He hurriedly got into the car.
The car slid smoothly towards the airport. Se-jin closed his eyes, knowing what Tae-seok and Ji-hee were curious about.
‘Arte has nowhere to go.’
Where could he go, descending to earth for the first time in 300 years? That was the crux of the reward. Se-jin smirked bitterly. Of course, that was if Grout were defeated.
‘What was the temporary skill creation?’
He hadn’t seen the details as he had entered the Special User Management Team midway.
‘It’s impossible for a single unique skill to change the tide. Even the new legendary-grade skill, Connection (因緣), is exceptional but insufficient.’
That was Se-jin’s judgment. Yet, he held one hope.
User Hyun-soo was always full of surprises.
But today was different.
‘Isn’t the enemy just too absurd?’
While thinking this, Se-jin looked out the window and his eyes widened.
“Stop the car.”
Se-jin got out as if possessed. He saw a huge electronic billboard. The announcer was reading breaking news, and the content was scrolling at the bottom.
[Breaking News: Blacksmith Hyun. Second world message announced.]
The world message soon appeared.
[He is the first user to hunt a demon.]
[His name is Blacksmith Hyun.]
Se-jin was astonished.
Ring, ring, ring—
His phone rang. It was Tae-seok.
He immediately asked, “What percentage of the story completion did he achieve?”
The answer he heard left Se-jin stunned.
He felt chills run down his spine. He then asked another important question.
“What skill did he create?”
Cliche Novel 
darn cliffhanger
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