Guardian Deity.
It meant a god who lived for a nation, a people, an individual, and so on.
“......”
Hyunsoo was encountering the story Ben had planned and thought through for a very long time.
More tears flowed down his cheeks.
From the moment Ben realized he was going to die until now.
Ben had cared for him, thought only of him, and even chosen Hyunsoo as his new destination.
Guardian Deity.
He would become Hyunsoo’s Guardian Deity.
Just as he had said, even when Hyunsoo made the wrong choice someday and everyone pointed fingers at him, only the Guardian Deity would stand on his side.
And sometimes, when Hyunsoo reached a moment too painful to endure.
The Guardian Deity would be beside Hyunsoo and comfort him.
—So Hyun. Do not be sad. Do not cry. Do not collapse.
Hyunsoo wiped away the tears flowing down his face with his arm.
—Of course, I know it will not be easy. I know I cannot know how long it will take. But I will return. So until then, Hyun. Become a true king.
[Sage Arte’s Voice Parchment is ending.]
The wind that had lingered there vanished completely.
Hyunsoo, who had done nothing but grieve, looked toward the place where that wind disappeared.
“Let’s meet again. No matter what, let’s meet again......”
Guardian Deity Ben.
For the sake of the man who would return someday, Hyunsoo smiled brightly.
Then he thought again about Ben’s last words, and about his wish.
He had told Hyunsoo to become a true king.
Hyunsoo knew those words held many meanings.
First, the nation of Hyun was still lacking. It was true that it was still the weakest among kingdoms.
And at that moment, because of Ben’s death, Hyunsoo, the king of a nation, had been shaken.
A king’s sorrow became the people’s sorrow.
Hyunsoo did not even know how long it had been since he stopped eating and drinking and shut himself in here.
Only then did Hyunsoo smile softly.
Old Man Ben......
Maybe Ben had seen even this far ahead.
And Hyunsoo decided to properly face the power Ben had left behind.
Divine Step.
(Divine Step)
Active Skill
Grade: Mythic
Restriction: Hyunsoo
Mana Cost: 7,000
Cooldown: 1 hour
Level: 1 Proficiency: 0%
·The moment it is used, you receive Divine Step’s buff effects.
·All stats increase by 20%, Physical Attack Power increases by 200%, Critical Rate increases by 90%, Cutting Power increases by 300%, and attack success rate increases by 500%.
·Movement speed and attack speed increase by 300%.
·Lasts for 10 seconds.
·It will not be easy to dare neutralize a Myth.
·You will be able to see “lines” with your eyes.
·If you strike the exact point along a line, double damage is applied.
·Proficiency can increase and the skill can level up through repeated use and training.
·Each level gained increases usage time.
·Something special will happen only for one person.
[This is a skill bound to user Hyunsoo.]
[It has been reborn after being made easier for you to use.]
Through Divine Step, Hyunsoo could see something else Ben had put into it.
Ghost Step’s greatest weakness was that it was based on the user’s ability.
To be honest, Ghost Step was a skill that ninety-nine out of a hundred users would avoid.
Of course, the remaining one would be a genius of control like Valhalla or Kabel.
For ordinary users, moving dozens of times in the span of one or two seconds was extremely difficult in itself.
Of course, Hyunsoo had come to perform Ghost Step more than thirty times.
But each time he used Ghost Step, he felt mentally worn down.
It was only a fleeting moment of movement, but the extreme concentration exhausted him.
Also.
The Legendary skill. Ghost Step was being used less frequently by Hyunsoo now, and there was a clear reason for that.
Ghost Step is a basic attack.
Its principle was striking twenty to forty times with basic attacks.
Of course, if all twenty to forty strikes landed accurately, it could deliver a powerful impact.
But what if there was an attack skill with an additional 2,000 to 3,000% Attack Power attached?
The truth is, that’s more convenient.
But this Divine Step compensated for those weaknesses.
First.
It isn’t a basic attack.
A 20% increase in all stats was directly connected to Attack Power and Defense.
And a 20% increase in all stats meant at least a 40% increase in Attack Power.
There’s also something applied on top of that.
Attack Power increased by 200%, and additional damage was added through the increase to Critical Rate.
Especially.
Movement speed and attack speed increase by 300%?
That compensated for Ghost Step’s dozens of movements per second.
Even now, from the perspective of low-level users, Hyunsoo ran faster than any other user.
And at that moment, attack speed and movement speed rise by 300%......?
Of course, he would no longer be able to move forty times in one second.
But this was even more broken.
He would be enjoying the buff effects, and considering that Hyunsoo could normally attack three to four times per second on average, he could attack up to ten times per second.
The greatest advantage was.
O-one, ten seconds!?
Ghost Step was a step of one to two seconds.
That was both its advantage and its worst weakness.
Moreover.
A growth-type skill......
This was the first time he had heard of a growth-type skill among Myths.
Normally, if Level: None appeared, it meant the power could not grow.
But this had a level, which meant it had room to rise to at least Level 9.
......If it had been Level 9 from the beginning, would I have been able to learn it?
If Hyunsoo’s class had been “descendant of the Spear God,” perhaps it would have been possible.
But Hyunsoo was a blacksmith, and there was a high chance this skillbook would have had a “Level Restriction” attached to it.
From beginning to end.
Hyunsoo felt Ben’s heart.
Then, after an unknowable amount of time had passed.
Yes. Old Man Ben will come back. Don’t waver.
Ben’s heart set Hyunsoo straight.
Hyunsoo immediately headed to his grave.
There, he drove another thing Ben had left him deep into the ground.
CRUNCH—
It was Poseidon’s trident, which Hyunsoo had forged for him.
The old man’s worn trident was planted before the grave.
I’ll come again, Old Man Ben.
As Hyunsoo turned away, he would welcome the Guardian Deity who would return more brightly than anyone.
For that day.
And until that day.
Stay well, Old Man Ben.
He would keep him in his heart and live with everything he had.
*****
When someone died, °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° someone else was bound to be born.
When someone was happy, someone else was bound to be sad.
A message had rung through Ares not long ago.
[The king of the Prime Kingdom. Azure Heaven Ben has passed away.]
[Azure Heaven Ben was the father of all spearmen.]
[He created the fundamentals of spearmanship for the spearmen of the entire continent and was a king respected by all.]
[Please honor him for a moment.]
Some people grieved.
—King Ben of the Prime Kingdom......?
—King Ben was my favorite......
—Grandpa......
—We will never forget you.
Many users honored Azure Heaven’s death.
In particular, the users of the Korean server grieved the most deeply.
—When I first went to the Prime Kingdom, Azure Heaven was just a lunatic obsessed with the Small World Tree. Turns out the reason he was obsessed with the Small World Tree was because he wanted to save the hungry people in his kingdom.
—After the Small World Tree bore fruit, there were no more hungry people in the Prime Kingdom, and he went down as the greatest king in Prime Kingdom history. Prak, who newly took the throne, will probably be a decent king too, but he won’t be as great as Azure Heaven Ben.
As mentioned.
In contrast to those who mourned, there were also those who rejoiced.
It began with several articles.
—Master Blacksmith Hyun’s participation in Continental War: World Championship uncertain.
—The first king sunk in grief.
—Only twenty-one years old. An age when death is hard to accept.
—Master Blacksmith Hyun’s whereabouts unknown.
Master Blacksmith Hyun’s participation had become unclear.
Because of that, Korea fell into a great shock.
—It was known that the Korean government would grant Master Blacksmith Hyun an even more special position.
—With Ben, his longtime dear friend, now having passed away, no information has emerged that Master Blacksmith Hyun has accepted the invitation.
—Our country is a weak nation in Ares. The situation has become uncertain as to what kind of result we can produce.
Those who rejoiced at this clapped with all their might.
They were the dozens of nations around the world that had been keeping Korea in check.
Every one of them began using his grief.
China.
—Master Blacksmith Hyun has vanished because he is sunk in grief? Has there ever been more ridiculous bullshit? Master Blacksmith Hyun is merely using that as an excuse not to participate. Because he is a blacksmith, not a damage dealer.
Russia.
—Master Blacksmith Hyun fled. Our country does not think Master Blacksmith Hyun is weak by any means. But we know his entire team is weak. Korea is highly likely to place last among all participating nations. It is hard not to call it a country that brings shame to the title of Ares’s founding nation.
Japan.
—It is an excuse. He is not participating because he is too sad over the death of a mere NPC? Shouldn’t there be a limit to making excuses with artificial intelligence?
The United States.
—This World Championship is even more special. Countless people who have been operating unofficially around the world are participating. In particular, the blacksmith Smith is participating. Smith is known as someone who was famous even before Hyun began Ares. It is already widely known that Smith’s real-life profession is also blacksmithing. Also, Smith is different from Master Blacksmith Hyun. Smith is fifty-two this year, which is known to be the prime age in the field of blacksmithing. He too forged his first Mythic-grade item not long ago, and Hyun does not have the confidence to beat the seasoned Smith.
The claim that carried the most weight was the one from the United States.
Smith.
He was someone the whole world knew extremely well.
In the past, Smith too had been a master craftsman who worked as a handcraft blacksmith.
But as time passed, he judged handcrafting to be meaningless, and became a master craftsman who walked the path of a machine-style blacksmith.
Every nation in the world was paying attention to the match between Smith and Hyun, but it was practically being confirmed as a story that would never happen.
And now.
Jamsil Sports Complex in Seoul.
The participants from countries around the world whose participation had been confirmed were appearing one after another with their team captains.
“Waaaaaaaaaaa!”
“It’s Fond of the United States!”
CLICKCLICKCLICKCLICKCLICKCLICK—!
Hundreds of reporters snapped their cameras every time high-rankers appeared.
Also, the country receiving the greatest attention was the United States.
“V-Valhalla.”
“Valhalla!!!!!”
“Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!”
“Smith is there too!!!”
The participants from the United States were packed with some of the most famous people in the world.
No matter how famous someone was in one country, people usually did not know them if it was not their own country.
But American rankers were different.
Everyone paid attention to them as if they were watching Hollywood actors.
And Valhalla, walking at the very front.
......Are you not coming after all?
To be honest, he had no interest in this World Championship.
He had only wanted to end the story from his past with Hyunsoo in this place.
Then.
The host spoke into the microphone.
“Next, the representatives of Team Korea will enter.”
“......”
Valhalla’s face twisted.
Why right after Team USA, of all teams......
Of course, there did not seem to be any particular malice.
It simply seemed Team Korea had been unlucky in the order.
A black van.
One by one, the people representing Korea began stepping out.
Hyunsoo’s whereabouts had already become unclear, and it had been made official that his participation application had not been submitted.
All the high-rankers standing there watched Team Korea’s representatives get out.
Hwan was the first to step out, and the others who would represent Korea began following him down.
The high-rankers from around the world clicked their tongues as they watched.
“If it were me, I would have forfeited.”
“That would be better than disgracing your country in front of the whole world. Tsk.”
Other than Hwan, there was no user who looked famous anywhere among them.
They even shrank back under the gazes of countless high-rankers.
“......It’s over.”
All the reporters looked at them with pity and threw out a single comment.
Then.
From inside the black van, a voice rang out.
“Everyone, straighten your shoulders.”
“......?”
The reporters and high-rankers went quiet.
From inside the van, one man set a foot out.
A man with a tall frame and broad shoulders stepped down.
A female reporter exclaimed at his close-cropped hair, small face, and physique that stood out even in a black suit.
“......I’ve never seen an Asian man with this kind of feel before.”
Also, the faint scar on one side of his neck seemed to show the life-or-death lines he had crossed until now.
His gaze swept once over the high-rankers who had been mocking Team Korea just moments ago.
“......”
“......”
The high-rankers averted their eyes without realizing it.
Soon, as he stepped out of the car and walked, more shutters and microphones moved toward him than they had for the American users.
CLICKCLICKCLICKCLICKCLICK—!
After sweeping his gaze over the crowd, he spoke into dozens of microphones.
“I am Team Korea’s captain. Kang Hyunsoo.”
Jamsil Sports Complex.
WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA—!
The cheers of the Korean people shook the whole world.
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