Chapter 602: 1 vs. 500,000 (4)

Words, when taken at face value, were bound to cause misunderstandings.

Resil, Rock, Hyeji, Taehoon, and the other founding members of Hyun’s Forge guild had just returned from a hunt when they received a report.

“His Majesty Hyunsoo is beating up an army of five hundred thousand.”

To the knight who had delivered the report, that was certainly what it had looked like.

“Hyunsoo?”

“Why would Hyunsoo be beating up soldiers?”

They had recently been astonished by the tale of Hyunsoo single-handedly defeating more than 120,000 Parion Empire soldiers.

They exchanged glances and took the report literally. He was simply “beating them up.”

And without knowing the details, it was not entirely untrue.

“Could Hyunsoo have gotten drunk on his own power?”

That was what Rock said.

Had Hyunsoo become dissatisfied with the soldiers after gaining such tremendous strength, and was he now flaunting that power before them?

“That cannot be allowed.”

Resil’s face darkened with disappointment.

The nation of Hyun’s soldiers trained hard.

It was said that their training sessions ran about an hour longer than those of the Parion Empire.

Why would Hyunsoo beat up soldiers who were struggling so desperately to protect their country and its people?

“We cannot stand by while Hyunsoo flaunts his strength before the soldiers.”

Resil called Dragon-Dragon.

The founding members of Hyun’s Forge guild climbed onto the enormous dragon’s back.

The Olympic Four, Resil, Rock, and the rest.

Their expressions were grave.

“We need to correct him right away.”

“I agree. Hyunsoo is still young.”

Rock nodded.

Because he was young, there were times when Hyunsoo could do things he should not.

That did not mean he was beyond saving, nor was there any reason to worry too much.

That was why the guild existed.

That was why they were here.

And if he was still beating the soldiers around like a complete lunatic...

“We will subdue him.”

“Right.”

Resil intended to call in some sixty dragons. Hyeji would fire the Evil-Slaying Greatbow, and Rock had even considered blocking Hyunsoo’s path with his massive shield.

Not to diminish Hyunsoo’s standing, but because they wanted to make sure he stayed on the right path.

Then, as they flew at full speed, they heard a notification.

[The soldiers of the nation of Hyun are achieving a short-term rate of growth that no nation has ever attained.]

[This growth originates with the king of the nation of Hyun.]

“...What?”

“Growth?”

They had heard that the soldiers were being beaten up, yet now they were hearing about growth?

They could not understand it, and the notifications continued.

[The likelihood that soldiers of the nation of Hyun will survive an encounter with someone of transcendent strength has increased by a total of 19%.]

[When the soldiers of the nation of Hyun encounter someone with transcendent strength, they will gain the power to face them without fear and resist a considerable number of status ailment skills.]

“Our soldiers?”

They were stunned as they headed toward the training grounds atop Dragon-Dragon.

Super-named NPCs.

Or users with classes far superior to those of ordinary users, or who had reached a much higher realm, could inflict status ailment skills simply by appearing.

Hyunsoo, for example, could wield a power like Master Blacksmith’s Pride, which weakened its targets.

In other words, such people could activate debuff effects through their presence alone. That was one reason a small number of powerful people could defeat the many.

Yet the soldiers of the nation of Hyun alone could now resist some of those status ailment skills.

How can this be possible?

The notification had said this unprecedented growth originated with Hyunsoo.

And when they neared the training grounds, additional notifications appeared.

[By displaying martial prowess that will remain a myth to the soldiers, the king of the nation of Hyun has etched himself deeply into their minds.]

[The respect that 500,000 soldiers feel for Hyunsoo has reached MAX.]

[They will devote even their lives in loyalty to Hyunsoo.]

Ding!

[The soldiers’ understanding of swordsmanship has increased dramatically, and the rate at which they learn swordsmanship has permanently increased by 10%.]

[All sword attack power of the soldiers has increased by 5%.]

[They will never forget the mysteries of Cut Them in Two that they witnessed, and it will be passed down from generation to generation.]

“How did this happen?”

Hyeji voiced her confusion.

The notifications said that Cut Them in Two would be passed down by word of mouth for generations.

That was what people called a legend.

Just as every moment of Yi Sun-sin’s life had been passed down through the ages as a story.

But there was one thing they could not understand.

“What kind of Cut Them in Two was it? What else happened...?”

Resil accelerated.

When Resil and the other members of Hyun’s Forge guild reached the training grounds, they found Hyunsoo collapsed to his knees, along with soldiers who had been swept away in droves.

At a glance, they could tell that the number approached fifty thousand.

“What in the world...?”

As they stood there in awe, Nell explained the situation.

“...That is what happened.”

After they understood the truth, they dismounted from Dragon-Dragon, and Nell gave them a full explanation.

“The soldiers’ odds of surviving an encounter in which hundreds of thousands of them faced an opponent on Hyunsoo’s level have risen by around 20%. I also checked, and a condition called ‘Training in a New Way’ was applied during this battle. The soldiers gained an average of eleven stat points each. Not only did their sword attack power increase, but their understanding of the sword rose by as much as 15%. That was thanks to the Cut Them in Two he showed at the end. As a result, the military strength of our nation of Hyun has increased by 5%.”

“...”

“...”

“...”

They were awed by a result that did not feel real.

For an ordinary nation, even increasing military strength by 1% or 2% in a year was difficult.

The nation of Hyun might be in the middle of rapid growth, but a 5% increase in military strength in a single day was an absurd figure.

And that was not all.

“What is even more interesting is that the soldiers’ growth rate is about to rise to an unbelievable degree.”

“What?”

“Why?”

Resil and Rock questioned that conclusion.

Nell seemed to be predicting something, when the voices of the soldiers standing nearby reached them.

“His Majesty Hyunsoo was strong because he worked tirelessly and never gave up.”

“Perhaps it was also because he possessed the pride to fight to the very end, even against an opponent he could not defeat.”

“We have watched His Majesty Hyunsoo from the beginning. He was not always this strong.”

“That is right. He kept growing stronger. Meanwhile, all I wanted was to half-ass today’s training so I could go home and rest.”

“Same here. I wanted to cut training short and rest. But not anymore.”

Hundreds of thousands of soldiers looked at Hyunsoo.

The soldiers who had been death-ruled by a single hit and withdrawn to one side all looked at Hyunsoo as well.

“We need to train more.”

“Me too.”

“We should increase it by at least 30%.”

“Will that be enough? It needs to go up by 50%.”

The soldiers decided to surrender their own rest time.

Luxiu did not miss the opportunity.

“A 50% increase in training will be harsh at times. There will be moments when you want to give up. Will you still do it!?”

“YES!!!”

At their cry, the notification Nell had expected appeared.

[The soldiers voluntarily increase their training time considerably.]

[Average training time increases from 8 hours to 12 hours.]

[Harsh training that pushes them to their limits will continue. However, the more they surmount their limits, the greater their rate of growth will be!]

Nell’s heart pounded as they looked at them.

“Can you see it?”

Resil, Rock, Hyeji, the Olympic Four, and the other founding members of Hyun’s Forge guild followed Nell’s gaze toward Hyunsoo.

“It is impossible to tell just how far our soldiers will be able to grow from here.”

Everyone there agreed.

There is a vast difference between doing something because you are made to...

...and doing it of your own free will.

When people were forced to do something, they eventually slacked off and tried to cut corners.

But those who chose it for themselves could reap the fruits of growth.

All eyes focused on one person.

“All of this was accomplished by just one man.”

Everyone marveled.

Contrary to their concerns, Hyunsoo was establishing himself as an excellent king.

“Ah, there is something I am curious about.”

Resil remembered the most important question.

“What is it?”

“So how many people did Hyunsoo cut down by himself?”

They had heard that the 100,000 Massacrer title was being tested.

Before anything else, the most important indicator was how many people Hyunsoo had brought down once that title took effect, considering he already had a record of defeating more than 120,000 soldiers.

“A total of 183,000.”

Everyone’s eyes widened in shock.

In the past, they might have felt jealousy and self-loathing when Hyunsoo achieved something so absurd.

But they were no longer like that.

We are still far too inadequate.

I need to hunt longer.

Let’s increase my time logged in.

They knew how Hyunsoo had lived, so they chastised themselves.

And he was giving them another reason to grow stronger.

“Oh! We need to hurry before he pulls another ‘Hyunsoo Passed Out Again.’”

Resil ran over, expecting Hyunsoo to collapse.

Hyunsoo had his eyes closed, looking utterly exhausted. It would not have been strange for him to collapse at any moment.

But when Resil rushed forward to support him, he froze.

FLASH!

Hyunsoo opened his eyes and raised one hand.

“Wait. I’m not passed out. I’m checking something important.”

Everyone stopped.

Hyunsoo had achieved results satisfying enough that he had been about to collapse without a care.

But the notifications he heard made him hold on.

[You have manifested a mythic power that would astonish even gods.]

[This is the first such achievement among all users, and it was an astonishing power comparable to divine power.]

It certainly had been.

The Cut Them in Two Hyunsoo unleashed had only lasted for a moment, but it had been abnormal.

First, a total of 350,000 people bore hostility toward him, granting him +4 skill levels.

On top of that, the damage boost from the title Hyunsoo possessed, Maker of the Strongest Blow, had been applied immediately before activation.

It had been a special Cut Them in Two that could never happen again.

That was why.

[The system grants you a reward.]

[The system intends to grant you a reward that increases all stats by 5.]

The notification made Hyunsoo smile.

There is nothing better than receiving an unexpected reward.

Then—

[The god good at making things raises an objection.]

“...?”

The God of Blacksmiths.

The owner of Hyunsoo’s class.

Yet for some reason, the god had objected to the blissful reward of +5 to all stats.

Is he trying to preserve the balance, even if I’m his successor?

[The objection is accepted.]

Hyunsoo’s face twisted.

Then another notification appeared.

[The system intends to grant a reward of +3% to all attack power and +3% to all defense.]

That was not bad either.

Just as he was about to grin—

[The god who loves fighting raises an objection.]

“...?”

Who was this one?

The Fighting God.

Hyunsoo had learned what kind of existence the Fighting God was through Lorander.

Strictly speaking, Hyunsoo was someone who had gone against the Fighting God’s will.

No matter how it had happened, he had recreated the original Fighting God’s Obsession into something new.

Could it be because of that?

[The objection is accepted.]

Once again, the reward before Hyunsoo’s eyes disappeared.

Hyunsoo felt wronged for no good reason.

What did I do wrong?

He had no idea why the God of Blacksmiths, the Fighting God, and [N O V E L I G H T] Ares—what everyone called the system—kept raising objections, or why those objections were accepted.

Can’t they just give it to me cleanly like they do for every other user?

Even as he thought that—

[The system intends to grant 2 Skill Points as a reward.]

Another notification appeared, followed by another objection.

[The God of Death raises an objection.]

[The objection is accepted.]

Hyunsoo wore a devastated, hollow expression.

He was bitterly certain that he would receive a reward far worse than the original offers.

But then—

[The system accepts the gods’ objection that the proposed rewards are insufficient.]

What...?

Hyunsoo realized it.

The notifications had not claimed that the rewards were excessive.

They were saying the rewards were insufficient.

Then another notification sent a thrill through him for the first time in a while.

[The reward is amplified even further.]

[Cut Them in Two evolves.]