Chapter 601: 1 vs. 500,000 (3)

(Training Wooden Sword)

Grade: Unique

Durability: 10,000/10,000

Attack Power: 1

Restriction: None

Special Abilities:

· You may use every passive and active skill of the weapons you own, including swords and blunt weapons.

· The amount of stats consumed and all penalties remain the same.

Description: A wooden sword made solely for training. It is incapable of killing anyone.

Attack Power: 1.

It was an attack power practically equal to zero.

Even the wooden swords handed out in the Beginner Zone to smash wooden dolls have 4 Attack Power.

As stated, it included every sword and blunt weapon Hyunsoo possessed.

Throne Sword, Twin Dragon Sword, Full Bloom, Peerless.

Being able to unleash all their skills for training without killing the soldiers was an excellent thing.

Still, Hyunsoo deliberately avoided the ultimate-tier abilities.

Because as he fought them, he had begun to realize something as well.

[Fifty people bear hostility toward you.]

[The title 100,000 Massacrer shines.]

The more hostile people there were, the more clearly Hyunsoo would learn how much stronger he became.

Even with Grout, it was better to save the skills for later than waste them merely cycling cooldowns.

The skills are supposed to get stronger too.

Right now, he had the chance to draw the hostility of more than 450,000 people.

He looked forward to the strength that would increase.

How much stronger will I become against fifty people?

[All stats increase by 0.4%, and total attack power and defense increase by 0.5%.]

[Skill attack power increases by 0.5%. Wide-area skills increase by a very small amount.]

“...?”

Frankly, Hyunsoo was disappointed.

I thought it would start at 3% at the very least.

His expectations had been thoroughly dashed.

The minimum increase mattered greatly to Hyunsoo.

And if the increase is only this much, can it really become that meaningful even at the maximum?

It was not that Hyunsoo had lost his will to fight the soldiers.

He had realized it as well.

[The soldiers are beginning to trust in their own strength.]

[They may become complacent because their abilities have exceeded their expectations.]

Complacency and relief were the worst emotions for soldiers.

They bred laziness and robbed them of the desire to train.

“Only forty thousand have fallen, yet His Majesty is visibly tiring.”

“Maybe we’re stronger than we thought?”

“After all, we have commanders other kingdoms don’t.”

“And our artifacts are excellent!”

Those words spread through the entire battlefield, settling into relief.

But it was only a momentary relief.

WHOOOOOM—!!!

The energy gathering on Hyunsoo’s wooden sword was anything but ordinary.

Like seeing Sword King Barad himself, the force rolling off Hyunsoo as he stood planted against the ground made them realize what foolish nonsense they had been saying.

“Sword King’s Swordsmanship, Chapter 3.”

It made them realize how powerless they were before the mysterious power an enemy could unleash.

“Sword Rampage.”

KRAKRAKRAKRAK—!

More than eighty fragments of sword energy rained down over the training grounds.

The armor of soldiers who had been smiling arrogantly groaned and twisted.

CREAAAK—!

KRRRRAAAACK—!

The sight of more than a thousand soldiers, once packed tightly together, tumbling across the ground where the eighty-plus sword-energy fragments had swept through was spectacular.

“The Parion Empire commands more than five million soldiers.”

“...”

“...”

Facing one man, five hundred thousand of them had charged forward, and they finally realized what utter bullshit they had been spouting.

Five million.

A number that could not merely surround the entire nation of Hyun, but conquer the likes of them in five days.

With their lives on the line and their hearts burning, they would march onto the battlefield.

Handel, I’ll come back alive.

Mother, I’ll protect you.

Father, I have to go. Even us boys have to stand together.

But before the might of a five-million-man army, they would realize just how futile their resolve, vows, and cries truly were.

And within that five-million-man army—

“There will be at least four people like me!”

They would pierce through the gaps in the five-hundred-thousand-man army, swallowing the soldiers one by one.

And that would let the five-million-man army devour them even more easily.

[You sense hostility.]

[You sense hostility.]

One soldier straightened his crooked helmet.

Another gripped their weapon more tightly with both hands.

Still another stared at Hyunsoo as though they wanted to kill him.

[Five hundred people bear hostility toward you.]

[All stats increase by 1.7%, and total attack power and defense increase by 1.9%.]

[Skill attack power increases by 2.1%. Wide-area skills increase by a very small amount.]

That notification startled Hyunsoo again.

When he had first faced fifty people, all his stats had increased by only 0.4%, while attack power and defense had each risen by 0.5%.

But now, the increase had grown strangely larger.

Suspecting something, Hyunsoo shouted at the soldiers now radiating killing intent.

“There will be dozens like Luxiu. They’ll cut you down and remember it as nothing more than killing one soldier as they passed by.”

Their hostility rose further.

“They’ll push through you and advance on the capital.”

The guards who had always greeted them with smiles would die like that.

“Once they reach the capital, they’ll burn everything.”

The capital that had once been filled with laughter would become a sea of blood, and everyone would die.

“Our home will disappear.”

Those who fled to survive would be scattered from their families, never to meet them again.

“Fight.”

[5,000 people bear hostility toward you.]

[All stats...]

“If you want to protect your home from that day onward, fight.”

[50,000 people bear hostility toward you.]

[All stats...]

“If you want to cut down even one more enemy, do not miss this chance.”

[100,000 people bear hostility toward you.]

[All stats increase by 15%, and total attack power and defense increase by 16%.]

[The levels of all attack skills increase by 1.]

“Show the enemy who you are.”

“WAAAAAAAH!”

“WAAAAAAAHHH!”

Now carrying genuine killing intent, the soldiers charged with even greater conviction.

Only when he saw the fierce soldiers rushing him like mad did Hyunsoo smile.

My soldiers will not rest easy, and they will not stop training.

Because if he guided them well, they would grow into soldiers the Parion Empire could not handle.

And his smile also came from realizing something new.

The secret of 100,000 Massacrer had now been unraveled.

The more people who bear hostility toward me, the greater the increase in my strength.

The hostility of one hundred thousand people had increased his total attack power and defense by 15%.

On top of that, every attack skill had risen by one level.

But—

Not enough.

The movements of those hostile to him grew fiercer.

More and more of them had begun gritting their teeth to survive, as though this were a real battlefield.

But there were still only one hundred thousand.

He had to turn this entire place into something that truly resembled a battlefield.

Only then would they grow further, and only then could he see the true face of the 500,000 Massacrer title.

At last, Hyunsoo brought out the mighty power he had been waiting to use.

Before the soldiers charging him with desperate persistence, he drew Peerless from his waist.

High in the sky—

KRAAAAAAAK—!

A {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} massive hammer manifested over the heart of the nation of Hyun.

It announced what kind of power it was: reassuring beyond measure when it stood on one’s side, yet enough to make one’s knees buckle when it stood against them.

RUMBLE—!

An immense pressure descended.

And the effect that increased every skill’s level included artifact skills as well—an absurdly powerful effect.

The hammer, heavier and stronger than ever, crashed down upon the soldiers.

BOOOOOOM—!

When the descent of the enormous Peerless faded, a miserable sight was revealed.

TWITCH! TWITCH!

“Ughhh...”

“Arghhh...”

They had not died, but the soldiers who had taken the blow directly writhed on the ground.

As it came to resemble a real battlefield more and more, they struggled with even greater cunning and precision to survive.

Already, ninety thousand soldiers lay scattered across the ground.

[150,000 people bear hostility toward you.]

[200,000 people bear hostility toward you.]

[You exert extreme mental strength.]

[The stat Will activates.]

[You will not grow tired!]

Hyunsoo grew even more steadfast.

[Longing rises!]

[Critical Hit!]

[The title Unconditional One-Kill shines.]

[X3 damage is added.]

His speed, destructive power, and the range of his skills all increased.

The soldiers watched in awe as he cut them down madly, moving nearly 40% faster than when the battle had begun.

He was clearly getting tired just moments ago.

How can this be?

Is this His Majesty’s power?

They now understood exactly why His Majesty had defeated an army of more than one hundred thousand.

He did not know how to give up, and even when an ordinary person would collapse, he had the mental strength to endure.

Those who had run into the mental limit known as fear overcame it and kept charging.

Before long—

[250,000 people bear hostility toward you.]

Even though Hyunsoo had become astonishingly stronger, he felt grateful as he watched the soldiers continue to charge him.

And—

[The nation of Hyun’s soldiers’ chance of surviving against someone with transcendent strength has increased by a total of 11%.]

Compared with the beginning, the odds had clearly risen.

Hyunsoo was happy.

But he was not the only one.

The soldiers felt genuine joy at having met a king who gave his all for them.

What king would let us gain real combat experience for our sake?

Meeting His Majesty Hyunsoo was the greatest good fortune of my life.

Even as Hyunsoo’s strength kept growing, they were astonished and searched for a breakthrough.

[300,000 people bear hostility toward you.]

Hyunsoo exerted extreme mental strength.

He was so focused on knocking them down that he did not even realize how strong he himself had become.

How many have I cut down?

He did not know.

Nor did he know how much stronger he had become.

With only one thought—that he had to knock down as many as possible to teach them a lesson—he charged forward.

BOOMBOOMBOOMBOOM—!

Then a notification snapped Hyunsoo awake.

[The king and soldiers are growing together, moving forward.]

[It is a rare sight scarcely seen in any nation.]

[As their king, show them a strength great enough to satisfy them, so that they may grow even further.]

[That tremendous power will teach them, stripping away the arrogance of complacency and indolence, and establish a foundation for them to grow for a long time.]

[Their growth changes markedly according to this lesson.]

“...”

An opportunity.

An opportunity for the soldiers to grow even more.

At last, Hyunsoo emerged from his deep immersion.

“WAAAAAAAHHH—!!!”

“WAAAAAAAHHH—!!!”

The soldiers, still standing firm, charged him like mad.

Finally—

[350,000 people bear hostility toward you.]

[Most people are currently hostile toward you.]

Now it became clear how much power 100,000 Massacrer displayed when more than 350,000 opponents stood against him.

[All stats increase by 36%, and total attack power and defense increase by 37%.]

Astonished, Hyunsoo steadied his breathing.

The simple wooden sword was drawn behind his back.

The increase to his stats, attack power, and defense was enormous.

But something even more extraordinary remained.

[The levels of all attack skills increase by 2. You may designate one skill to raise by up to 4 levels.]

It was the maximization of skill power.

The moment Hyunsoo drew the wooden sword behind him, a different phenomenon took shape.

[Cut Them in Two is selected.]

[Cut Them in Two exceeds its limits.]

[Cut Them in Two exceeds its limits.]

[Cut Them in Two...]

[The title Maker of the Strongest Blow shines.]

[X2 damage applies.]

After the repeated notifications, a massive tremor spread from the ground beneath Hyunsoo’s feet.

RUMBLE—!!!

The Twin Dragon Sword appeared through the wooden sword, and tremendous power surged forth.

As Hyunsoo swung it, he thought,

If I show them tremendous power...

The soldiers would grow.

Then he swung with all his strength.

SHWAAAAAAK—!!!

At that moment, an immense cutting sound rang through the entire capital of Hyun.

Normally, Cut Them in Two cut down as few as one thousand enemies, or up to three thousand with the aid of multiple effects.

But what appeared now was—

[You have cut down 47,318 people.]

THUDUDUDUDUD—!!!

All 47,318 soldiers fell at once, as though they had been cut down by a single strike.

At that moment, Hyunsoo felt all strength drain from his body.

[Your body can no longer endure the activation of Cut Them in Two beyond its limits.]

Notifications surged toward the collapsing Hyunsoo.

DING!

[You have cut down enemies across the greatest range in history.]

[It is a remarkable achievement.]

[The soldiers will never forget the mythic martial prowess you displayed.]

[They will grow based on the myth you have shown them.]

DING!

[The soldiers will grow by the greatest margin!]