Hyunsoo liked stories of heroes too.

Greek and Roman mythology.

The hero named Heracles was very appealing.

Especially the image of Heracles sweeping away the tribe of giants that had threatened Olympus with nothing but a club looked unbelievably cool to him.

That was why, for a whole month, he had whittled down all kinds of trees.

He was already familiar with how to make a club, so he was simply trying to create something as close as possible to Heracles’s club.

Hyunsoo was sure of it.

He must have made at least a hundred of them.

Of course, the source of Heracles’s strength was not the club.

It had only given Hyunsoo inspiration.

‘A club that can let me put out strength equal to Heracles, the god of strength, even if ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ only for a moment.’

The Giant King’s regeneration against sharp weapons rises by 300%.

But a club belongs to the category of blunt weapons and is unrelated to that.

So he thought it might be able to cover the regeneration the soldier had talked about.

With that in mind, he had shaped it using Emergency Crafting.

Even if Heracles was not strong because of the club, he wanted that club to make him like Heracles, even if only for a brief time.

The application rate of God’s Custom Crafting and God’s Emergency Crafting.

In the end, that depended on the highest possible understanding of artifacts and on the method of crafting.

Hyunsoo was convinced.

That he was the only one in this world who could create a club most similar to the one Heracles had gripped.

And as a result, it was completed.

(Heracles’s Club)

Grade: Unique

Durability: Infinite

Attack Power: 604

Restriction: No restriction for the creator, Level 150–300.

Special Abilities:

· Strength +76.

· Attack Power against giant-type monsters +16%.

· Active Skill: Heracles’s Strength.

Description: A club born through Emergency Crafting, containing the creator’s experience, knowledge, and original power; the club closest to the one in legend.

(Heracles’s Strength)

Active Skill

Level: None.

Effects:

· You can concentrate the stats you possess into the club.

· Your stats decrease by the amount concentrated, but that much Strength is focused into the club.

[You may concentrate your available stats into the club.]

However, the skill called Heracles’s Strength had a clear downside.

It was because it temporarily raised Strength by burning other stats.

‘But I’m different.’

And Hyunsoo had crafted this club from the very beginning with all of this planned out.

In Ares, there is no such thing as a useless stat.

There can only be stats that are not needed right now for that person.

In the end, Hyunsoo was a blacksmith.

He possessed, in a geometric amount, one stat that combat-type classes could never have.

‘I go all-in on Craftsmanship.’

[Strength is amplified.]

[Strength is amplified.]

Craftsmanship was completely unnecessary in this battle, and Hyunsoo’s Craftsmanship stat was enormously high.

‘I go all-in on Charisma.’

The same went for Charisma.

When he burned these two stats completely, their total reached 1,400 points.

And even so, there was no side effect like his character becoming weak.

[Strength increases by 510%.]

Yes, in that brief instant, Hyunsoo had created the strongest weapon optimized for himself.

After he stopped the Giant King with Lord’s Command, he laughed. The thing had sent Luk flying all the way here.

‘You try flying once too.’

KWA-AAAAANG—

As he was about to chase after the thing that went flying, Luk had asked a question.

Who that god was.

“Heracles, the god of strength.”

Hyunsoo kicked off after it and shot up into the sky with all his might.

FWOOOSH—

[Wolf Leap]

[You leap up to 30m in a single bound and land.]

The active skill dwelling in Fenrir’s Boots.

‘There’s no time.’

Listening to the soldier’s words, Hyunsoo had made several predictions.

He must not give the thing even the slightest bit of leeway.

From what Hyunsoo had heard, the Giant King was the most intelligent boss monster so far.

You could tell just from the fact that it had been hunting humans on its own.

On top of that, as time went on, the thing was regaining the strength it had lost.

[10 minutes have passed.]

[The Giant King regains the strength it had lost.]

[Giant King Lv.291]

[The Giant King’s final level is 383.]

The numbers made his flesh crawl.

It was a higher final level than the former Calamity Jack.

And Ressel and Bark were not even here.

If the thing regained all of its power, there was a high chance even Araham Territory would fall.

‘Only right now.’

This was the one and only time he could kill it.

He had to turn that cunning nature against it.

The Giant King, which had gone tumbling from the blow of the club, shook its head and tried to regain its senses.

As it raised its body, it roared at Hyunsoo.

“KRRAAAAAAAH!”

At that moment, Hyunsoo swung the club once more.

KWA-AAAAAAANG—

“KRHEEEK!”

[The Giant King’s HP falls below 90%.]

Hyunsoo realized he had run into another problem.

‘Even with a club that has this kind of power, its HP only drops that much?’

It meant he had to land at least eighteen more damage cycles.

‘There’s no time.’

KWA-AAANG—!

KWA-AAAAAAANG—

The scariest thing about boss monsters lies in their traits.

Of course, regeneration could also be counted as one of this thing’s traits, but there might be other powers.

On top of that, the Giant King’s total HP itself was six times higher than Hyunsoo’s.

KWA-AAANG—

When Hyunsoo swung once again, the thing crashed into the ground.

Its flailing fist soon smashed into Hyunsoo.

KWA-AAAAAAANG—

Hyunsoo was blasted backward.

[HP falls below 77%.]

Even though he had only been hit by a blindly thrown arm, more than 20% of his HP had dropped in one shot.

Hyunsoo understood.

His club carved off 5% at a time, and the thing’s fist carved off more than 20% at a time.

If he took four hits, he died; the Giant King, meanwhile, could still afford to take ten more.

On top of that, Heracles’s Club had, in the end, been born through Emergency Crafting.

‘Twelve more from here.’

KWA-AANG—

KWA-AAAAANG—

KWA-AAAAAAANG—

‘Eight more.’

KWA-AAANG—

KWA-AAAAAANG—

‘Six more.’

Just then.

“KRRAAAAAAAH!”

[Giant’s Rage.]

[You fall into Fear (status effect).]

[You are stunned for 3 seconds.]

Hyunsoo’s face twisted wretchedly. His whole body refused to move.

The Giant King, its eyes slanted up, slowly slammed its fist into the ground.

KWAJAAAAAAAK—

A massive shockwave erupted, and it literally ripped Hyunsoo’s body to shreds.

[HP falls below 60%.]

[HP falls below 40%.]

[HP falls below 10%. ...... ]

[HP 0%. ...... ]

Hyunsoo’s eyes went wide.

The power of a single blow.

Of course, it must have been one of the Giant King’s most powerful attacks.

And the Giant King laughed as it imagined Hyunsoo mashed like a bug.

He had been more trivial than expected.

If not for that club.

But at that moment, Hyunsoo’s body was wrapped in a bright light.

For a brief while, that light was beautiful enough to snatch away even the Giant King’s sight.

FWAAAAASH—

[You are in possession of Asnium.]

[Your HP has fallen below 10%.]

[HP is restored to 15%.]

One of the reasons Hyunsoo had not yet created a good artifact with Asnium.

It was because Asnium was an astonishing mineral that, just by possessing it, granted you the power of self-healing.

When it regained the sight it had lost to the light, the Giant King saw three pieces of ore surging up around Hyunsoo.

[Reverse activates.]

[You can craft three artifacts.]

The Giant King realized it.

That the man who had nearly died from a single attack of its own was insignificant.

But as it looked at the club in that man’s hand, it understood one thing.

When he made something, he could unleash a bizarre power.

Then it thought about it—did it really need to be fighting him right now?

Ssssssslide—

Watching the club crumble into dust in his grasp, it understood.

In the end, that power was nothing more than a temporary one.

And that once it had fully regained its strength, it would be able to tear that man apart with ease.

It just had to run away until those things were completed, then come back.

“KUKEKEKEKEKE!”

The Giant King let out a deep, thick laugh.

KWHOOOOOOM—!

Then it shot up diagonally, soaring about 70m, as if piercing the sky.

The Giant King was sure of its victory. A mere 30 minutes would be enough.

In that time, it would awaken all of its strength.

In the end, its victory......

“Got you.”

The Giant King’s sensory ability was special.

Especially its hearing, which was highly developed; at the sound of that unknown voice, the Giant King tilted its head.

At that moment—

FWOOOOSH—!

Something unknown pierced it from behind and passed straight through.

“KUHEEEEEEK!”

What had pierced through its back was a spear wrapped in light.

The Giant King’s body thrashed in pain and began to plummet.

In contrast—

“Wolf Leap.”

The man sprang up into the sky.

The Giant King planned to beat the guy who had leapt up to it to a pulp in an instant.

Then it realized.

“.......”

Up in the sky.

It could not move freely.

Especially, the idea that a being whose balance had collapsed in midair could attack an enemy at all made no sense.

In contrast, someone who had jumped up with a prepared attacking posture was different.

The man flying straight upward, and itself falling upside down.

Two swords were forming around the man.

A chill—

A shiver ran down the Giant King’s back. Then, soon, it understood.

Creeeak—

The man was clever and impressive, but its own regeneration was far superior.

What had pierced through its back and passed by was, in the end, a weapon.

Exponentially, its body healed at incredible speed.

Because of that, the Giant King became sure.

That even if he swung those two swords, it would still win.

*****

Hyunsoo, who had leapt up, met eyes with the falling Giant King.

Its eyes were mocking him.

Hyunsoo also understood what that ridicule meant.

‘Even if I swing Dragon-Flame Sword and Fifth Custom Craft Sword in succession......’

He could not kill the Giant King.

Even if he swung them in sequence, the thing would already be recovering.

And the moment they both landed together, he would be the one to die to the Giant King.

But Hyunsoo’s eyes were still sharp.

‘Even so......’

He was going to try, however stubbornly, to kill it.

He did not know how to give up.

Even knowing that these two swords could not kill it, he would not despair until the very end.

The Renown he would gain by killing it, the quest rewards, and all sorts of things.

Especially the entire Storm Brigade, which he could only obtain by killing it.

No, if he failed to kill it here, he might not even be able to have Kan of the Storm Brigade.

The thing would soon turn Araham Territory into a wasteland.

Hyunsoo stretched out his hand to grip one of the swords.

Just then—

[You are in a moment of crisis.]

[The title God of Blacksmiths shines.]

Hyunsoo’s eyes flashed open.

The title God of Blacksmiths.

A power that opened up a force even Hyunsoo himself did not know.

[You learn a hidden function within the God’s Secret Artifact Reverse.]

Hearing that notification, Hyunsoo shivered with joy.

“KUGEGEGEGE.”

As he burned the mocking image of the Giant King into his eyes, the corners of Hyunsoo’s lips twisted.

“......You’re dead.”

At that confident declaration, the Giant King doubted him.

The two swords that had been floating around the man.

He grabbed both swords.

KWA-AAANG—

[The hidden function is a 1% chance to swing two weapons simultaneously.]

He brought the two swords down at the same time.

The Giant King’s thoughts went blank.

For some reason, its body was rapidly freezing over.

CRRRRACK—

A dragon descended from the sky and slammed it hard down into the ground.

KIIHEEEEEEEK—!

KWA-AAAAAAANG—

The Giant King, still frozen, could tell that it was starting to crumble apart.

THUD—!

An electrifying notification reached Hyunsoo, who crashed into the ground a beat later.

[You have hunted the Giant King.]