Chapter 583: Soldier (3)

Commander of the Parion Empire’s 1st Knight Order.

Freng was a man surrounded only by rumors even among users.

There were users who had heard stories about him, but almost no one had actually seen him, and Kim Hyein was certain this was because it was not yet time for Freng to appear.

And when information on Freng gradually began to be released, it became clear that information on Freng, presumed to be a super-named NPC, would be revealed. It had recently become possible to confirm that when he visited Musashi’s territory.

Freng’s Level is 610......

He was on a level comparable to the kings who had led past eras.

Then again, the Parion Empire was the strongest force in Ares.

There was no way the level of a commander who led thousands of knights would be low.

And the 1st Knight Order Freng led.

Each member of the “Heart of Parion” seemed to be nearing Level 540 as well.

The 1st Knight Order consisted of only ten people.

Each and every one of them was comparable to the knight order of an ordinary kingdom.

The Parion Empire had taken talented people from across the continent since childhood and raised them.

Before the information on them that had been revealed just recently, it made one feel how lowly the existence called users truly was.

It also made her think that many of the things users had built up would be taken away, and that Musashi’s territory would be the beginning.

However, the names written one by one on the whiteboard she saw then.

The Great Atlas War.

The battle fought that day to defend the territory called Atlas was about to be recreated.

There would be countless names engraved in this battle, and they would be formed under the name of “soldiers.”

And the Parion Empire’s 1st Knight Order.

Had they said that each member of the Heart of Parion was equal to the knights of an ordinary kingdom?

It did not matter.

Who were our soldiers?

Dmitri, the strongest priest.

World Ranking 35th.

Great mage Lund.

World Ranking 27th.

Mio, the hero of Vietnam.

World Ranking 19th.

The Dawn of Thailand.

World Ranking 29th.

And finally......

His Majesty Hyunsoo.

Of course, Hyein knew there were many more names not written there, and she spoke in admiration.

“It’s amazing. Realistically, the nation of Hyun is in a position where it can’t send troops to Musashi’s territory. If it sends troops, that will lead to an all-out war with the Parion Empire, and by giving them justification, the Parion Empire would have sufficient reason to sweep over the nation of Hyun. But the idea of sending world-class users into Musashi’s territory as soldiers instead of our army and making them fight like this. It’s truly great.”

And Hyein was surprised by something else.

“You must have been busy and had so many things to do, so when did ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) you recruit these soldiers?”

“......Huh?”

Hyunsoo, who had been shrugging while looking at the whiteboard, gave her a puzzled look.

“What do you mean, recruit?”

“Hadn’t you already recruited all of them?”

“......That’s your job, Hyein.”

“???”

Hyein was flustered.

In other words, they had not been recruited yet.

“I said earlier, ‘Thank you, Hyein. For doing your best.’”

“Ah......”

Hyein realized the truth.

Did that mean she was disappointed?

No.

By showing her the plan, Hyunsoo had shown her the possibility.

Hyein’s heart grew hot.

“I’ll do my best.”

Just then.

—Hyunsoo vs. Musashi.

—The big match between Korea and Japan will begin shortly.

At the sound coming from the speaker, the two met each other’s eyes and left the waiting room together.

Hyunsoo headed to the arena.

Hyein moved to recruit the soldiers.

*****

The PvP arena.

Amid the cheers and heat of countless people, Master Blacksmith Hyunsoo, representing Korea, and Musashi, representing Japan, stood facing each other.

Musashi still had not decided anything.

Going under the man he had hated and chased so bitterly.

And even if he did, the Japanese continent would be encroached upon by the Parion Empire.

The thought that the ones who survived would be only himself, his guild members, and the people who fled tormented him.

Was there anyone suffering as much as he was now?

He wondered that, then met Hyunsoo’s calm eyes.

There was.

The first time they met had been during the Great Atlas War.

In the small country called Korea, amid the envy and jealousy of high-rankers, Hyunsoo had proposed the “Great Atlas War” as his final straw.

That had been his last move, and they had lost.

He’s incredible......

That was Musashi’s honest evaluation.

Now that his own situation had become exactly like that, he could sympathize with how Hyunsoo must have lived in a situation full of fear.

No, Hyunsoo had faced hundreds of rankers and had been in an even greater crisis.

And before coming to the match.

Musashi had finally watched the “mad movie” that people had been so passionate about and praised so highly.

It was hot-blooded, astonishing, and incredible.

“I wanted to live. It moved me.”

At the words spoken before the match began, Hyunsoo nodded.

And then.

Fweeeeeet—

With the sounding whistle, Musashi’s Japanese sword let out a sharp cry.

Japan’s pride rushed forward.

Claaaaang—!!

Its destination was Korea’s Twin Dragon Sword.

The “Japanese sword” that represented Japan.

The “ring-pommel great blade” that represented Korea.

The collision of the two weapons announced a fierce battle.

Baaaaang—!

Bababababang—!!!

The Japanese sword was relentlessly fast.

A Japanese sword swung seven times per second.

And Musashi’s strength lay in the fact that he was like a true “warrior.”

There were two types of rankers in Ares.

Those who had grown based on strength from reality, and those who had grown based on genius gaming ability and their class.

Musashi was overwhelmingly the former.

Slash, slash, slash—!!

Musashi’s Japanese sword, swung with discipline, aimed for Hyunsoo.

However, most of the attacks were being blocked by Hyunsoo’s Twin Dragon Sword.

In the past.

He was being neutralized by the “blacksmithing” he had looked down on so much.

At the same time.

[The title Warrior’s Tenacity awakens.]

[Through meeting a powerful opponent far stronger than you, Warrior’s Tenacity does not break.]

Musashi’s every stat rose by fifteen percent in an instant with a ferocious cry.

However.

Craaaaaaack!!!

After cutting Hyunsoo, the moment he was struck hard.

I lost.

Musashi began to realize it.

That he would lose no matter what.

But Musashi decided not to break.

Because the man before him had never broken even once!

And Hyunsoo, too, clearly saw the state of victory.

And he felt it.

What Musashi needed was overwhelming proof.

Musashi had not heard the plan yet, so there was a high chance he believed his territory would be abandoned no matter what.

Thooooom—!

After striking Musashi violently, Hyunsoo opened his mouth.

“Musashi, we’re thinking of trying a second Atlas War.”

Craack, craack, craaaaaack—!!!

Hyunsoo explained the current situation to Musashi, who was charging at him like mad.

Even in that moment, Musashi’s Japanese sword unleashed its power.

“Warrior’s Quick Draw.”

[A quick draw dealing 2,900% additional damage cuts down the enemy!!]

As the illusion of Hyunsoo’s body being sliced in half arose, he quickly swapped to Full Bloom.

Bababababang—!!!

Instead, he was stealing Musashi’s HP and restoring his own.

Even in the middle of that.

Hyunsoo explained each point one by one.

“......Let’s begin the users’ counterattack.”

“.......”

Four years had passed since users came to this land.

We were outsiders, and the NPCs were the people who lived here.

But Ares had now become our world as well.

However.

It was difficult to defy the destiny that had ruled this land through thousands of years of history.

If users grew, NPCs would grow even higher.

To balance the power scale of growth, Ares would release endless powerful enemies and hidden, deeply rooted masters, and we would lose the place where we stood.

“You don’t know anything!!”

Ruuuuumble—!!!

The Japanese sword.

The blade he had mistaken for nothing but a sharp and excellent Japanese sword undulated like the body of a snake.

Hissssss—!!!

When he poured power into the Japanese sword, the sound of a snake filling the arena sent chills through the entire world.

[Venomous Snake Dance.]

Chararararang—!

A single Japanese sword became dozens of Japanese swords, writhing like snakes as they shot toward Hyunsoo from every direction.

“The power Freng has! You haven’t seen it, have you? You’ve never seen Freng!”

Users, too, would someday surpass NPCs.

Until yesterday, Musashi had believed that too.

Users could become kings, and those kings could become masters of a great empire like the Parion Empire.

It was a lie.

The level of Valhalla, the world’s No. 1 ranker.

At a time when he was currently estimated to be in the 580s.

The newly appeared Freng was in the 610s.

And he was not even a king who led an era, but a mere knight.

“We can’t do anything.”

Sixty falling Japanese sword blades.

Like snakes finding prey and biting.

Hissss—!!!

Hisssss—!!

Dozens shot forward all at once.

It was a power that, once it bit, induced dozens of status ailment skills.

“Nothing will change just because you come. We have to accept it. That is the natural order!”

The natural order.

We only need to feel satisfaction in living as we are given.

We do not need to look at the sky. We only need to look at the ground.

If we do that, it will actually be a peaceful life.

He comforted and consoled himself like that.

He put down everything he had chased and lied to himself, saying that would be enough.

However, the voice of Musashi, who said so, was clearly trembling.

His chest swelled and shrank again and again.

Because every sacred battlefield he had protected in his Ares would be taken from him.

Then.

“Sword King’s Swordsmanship, Chapter 1.”

Hyunsoo moved to deny those words.

“Sword King’s Mettle.”

The killing intent that rose in an instant resembled Sword King Barad.

Whooooooo—

A red haze surged up, and he looked at Musashi with sharply shining eyes as if to say:

The natural order was something to defy, and we would be able to move forward.

Who was the master?

The NPCs rooted in this land?

No.

Who the master was, was something to be made.

[All enemy buff effects are neutralized, and if this is judged to be a moment of crisis, all sword-related attack power increases by up to 40%.]

Ding!

[This is a moment of crisis.]

The power felt from his Twin Dragon Sword itself overwhelmed Musashi.

What......!?

Musashi realized one thing.

Hyunsoo had not gone all out until now.

He was the kind of bastard who had held back in order to talk to him.

He was someone who had picked up a hammer and a sword because he wanted to live, and perhaps he had endured through danger and crisis far greater than Musashi’s.

Through pain and suffering.

His first step.

[Absolute Invincibility.]

Fwaaaaaaah!!

It became a massive light and burst from his body, neutralizing all of Musashi’s snake-like blades.

[Venomous Snake Dance cannot inflict any damage!]

Hisssss—!!

The snakes that had been flicking out their tongues lost their force, and among those dozens of blades.

The blacksmith who had wanted to live took his second step.

“Gathering.”

Fwaaaaaaaah—!!!

The dozens of Japanese swords and Musashi were pulled into it together.

Craaaaaack—!

To Musashi, who had said they should fight because he had never met Freng, who had said they should simply submit smoothly to the NPCs and live, he told him this.

That we would be able to fight.

“Cut Them in Two.”

Slaaaaaaaaash!!!!

[Your HP has fallen below 20%!]

As Musashi staggered and was about to collapse, Hyunsoo met his eyes and finally took the third step.

With his cloak fluttering, he informed Musashi.

That this had come from a combo, and it was proof that he could have killed him in a single sequence.

It was hope that, even if they clashed with Freng, they could fight.

And beyond that.

“Raging Storm.”

Ruuuuuuumble—!!!

As the power pierced into his chest and whirled there, Musashi felt joy.

It was joy that this was someone he would not be ashamed to serve.

“.......”

Perhaps it had been only natural that he had lost until now.

Crackaaaaaaaack—!

Musashi’s entire body collapsed.

[Your HP has become 0.]

[You have been logged out.]

As Musashi turned to ash, at that moment, he saw a single possibility.

In the man who had subdued him in only three moves through the flow of a combo, he clearly saw possibility.

However.

Lord Musashi.

You are Japan’s hero.

Musashi, the hero of Japan.

Walk the path of a warrior.

His guild members, the citizens who believed in him, and the vow he had made to his father that he would return as Japan’s greatest warrior.

Even in the final moment, his shallow pride rose up.

Yes.

This was the kind of man he had been from the beginning.

Because of that shallow pride, he could not say it.

Let’s fight together.

Foolish Musashi.

As befitted the name arrogant Musashi, he was about to miss the opportunity called the users’ counterattack.

But then.

“......Help me, Musashi.”

“.......”

Hyunsoo’s words, spoken with sincerity, melted his arrogance.

They made him realize just how trivial and insignificant the shame he had felt about being the first to say it had been.

Before he scattered, Musashi looked at Hyunsoo and made his decision.

“Let’s start the war, Hyunsoo.”

The Second Atlas War.

Musashi decided to stand at the vanguard.