Heartbreak Sword Strike.

As he watches, Arte’s pain is transmitted to Hyunsoo.

Graut had imprisoned and tormented them for life for the sole reason that a human possessed knowledge far superior to his.

Now, the power dwelling in Hyunsoo’s sword is Arte’s heartbreak.

Compared to mental agony, it is nothing but mere pain sensation.

However, with this power, it gifts Graut pain beyond imagination.

A ghost walks, bearing Arte’s wailing.

SLASH—!

[You dealt 16,933 damage.]

[7x pain is applied.]

“Ke, kehaaaak!!!”

Graut’s eyes rolled back as their arm was cut.

It had merely cut and passed by, yet pain beyond common sense was felt from it.

The power of Heartbreak Sword Strike exerted even greater force from the unexpected.

Hyunsoo thought Graut’s irrational reflexes might be able to counter Ghost Steps.

But pain that was too great, as Heartbreak Sword Strike’s description said, made him lose reason and numbed all senses and rationality.

And he still had to suffer more.

Subtleties of Swordsmanship.

Originally, Ghost Steps is a continuous attack that cannot trigger critical hits.

It is a restriction in exchange for being able to deliver five or more attacks at once.

But the passive skill Subtleties of Swordsmanship dwelling in the Supreme Blade made critical hits able to trigger on it, and here, the Heartbreak Sword Strike effect is applied.

One strike has 180% additional damage.

And it triggers.

[A critical hit triggers.]

[You dealt 21,067 damage.]

3 strikes.

[A critical hit triggers.]

[You dealt 22,413 damage.]

Graut’s total HP is higher than any enemy Hyunsoo has ever met.

Even after being hit directly by the world’s most powerful single shot, they still had half their HP left.

4 strikes.

5 strikes.

6 strikes.

7 strikes.

8 strikes.

SLASH

CRUNCH

WHAM

THOOM

[You dealt 15,313 damage.]

[You dealt 14,130 damage.]

[A critical hit triggers.]

[You dealt 13,612 damage.]

11 strikes.

[Graut’s HP falls below 20%.]

Even if the bastard’s HP and irrational defense are there, it’s fine.

This Ghost Steps, unlike usual, is activated for a time of 3 seconds.

14 strikes.

15 strikes.

16 strikes.

[A critical hit triggers.]

[You dealt 16,313 damage.]

“GAAAH!”

Graut writhed in pain. Their eyes rolled back, and foam nearly rose from their mouth.

But this was a hundredth of the pain Arte felt, a ten-thousandth.

19 strikes.

20 strikes.

CRACK-CRACK-CRACK—!

A demon who toys with humans for amusement. A noble of the Demon Tribe, known as the most superior among all races.

From the mouth of Blood Demon Graut, words that could not be imagined burst out.

“S-stop itttt!”

It is power brought forth by the loss of reason.

But Hyunsoo does not stop.

21 strikes, 22 strikes, 23 strikes.

Arte’s rage, felt in full, throws Hyunsoo into extreme immersion.

24 strikes, 25 strikes, and then 26 strikes, 27 strikes.

He fixes in his eyes the bastard writhing miserably.

The rewards from killing the bastard will make him stronger by another step.

Also, he does not doubt it will become a yardstick for clearing the Cage quest.

28 strikes.

29 strikes.

FLAP—!

At the end, as if stepping on air as ground, he put strength into his back leg and shot forward, burying the sword into the bastard’s chest.

THUNK—!

[A critical hit triggers.]

[You dealt 17,301 damage.]

Ssshhh, the demon Graut, scattering away, is finally freed from pain.

Demon Graut fixes Hyunsoo in their eyes.

“......You’re getting arrogant just because you broke a mere fragment.”

Graut, with chilling eyes, spoke.

“Will Arte really be able to escape this place? Huh? In this Beres Mountain Range?”

Hyunsoo pulled the sword without hesitation.

He hears the voice of Graut, completely scattering away.

“......To make me take such a risk.”

[Graut will return.]

Hyunsoo’s eyes shook.

Because Graut might return in their true body.

Hyunsoo had been able to kill Graut because they were a fragment.

Hyunsoo pretended to be calm, but he could not even imagine it.

The power of Graut with complete strength.

However, there was one fortunate thing.

That right here, he could become one step stronger.

[You executed Blood Demon Graut’s fragment.]

DING!

[Linked Quest: Blood Demon Graut’s Fragment completed]

[Experience and artifact drop rate X2 is applied.]

[You gained 1,260,041 experience.]

Hyunsoo was shocked. Because for the first time, the amount of experience gained exceeded one million.

[You leveled up.]

[You leveled up.]

[You leveled up.]

[You leveled up......]

Seven level-ups at once.

In the level 300 range where required experience for leveling is atrocious, it was beyond common sense.

And moreover.

[You gained 223,031 gold.] 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

The amount of gold gained was also an enormous level.

If there was one regret, it was that perhaps because it was a fragment, there were no item drops.

But with this, Hyunsoo reached level 320.

Having become stronger by another step than before.

[You gained story rate 25%.]

[Story rate reflects various things.]

Reflection of various things.

Hyunsoo did not know, but Hyunsoo’s level and Graut’s level difference.

Clear time, and various other things dwelled within it.

[You completed it with an astonishing feat.]

[You gained story rate 7%.]

And he could not know where the end of this story rate was.

At that moment.

[You executed Blood Demon Graut’s fragment.]

[It is astonishing to an unbelievable degree.]

‘Again......?’

From the fragment remnants of Graut, which had been scattering away, blood suddenly burst out.

That blood flew to Arte and flung them outside the Sage’s Tower.

“Keuhk!?”

Even in the moment of annihilation, the bastard torments Arte.

[Once again, a story begins.]

The first time he heard it, he was shocked, the second time he found it strange, and the third time, it flustered him.

DING!

[Linked Quest: Monsters Closing In]

Grade: SS

Restriction: One who proceeds with a new story

Reward: story rate ???

Penalty on failure: Arte’s death

Description: By Graut’s curse, if Arte leaves the Sage’s Tower, they will be attacked by all monsters of the Beres Mountain Range. Also, Graut’s activity radius is constrained. If Arte escapes the Beres Mountain Range, they can no longer interfere with Arte. Have Arte escape safely.

RRRRRUMBLE—!

A huge vibration rang out.

From below, from above. From the entirety of the Beres Mountain Range, monsters were coming.

[There are a total of 8,643 monsters living in the Beres Mountain Range.]

And the Beres Mountain Range is counted as a high-level hunting ground known on the domestic server.

The average monster level is 330–350.

And among the eight thousand or so monsters, there were 100 boss-class monsters.

Hyunsoo looked at the pitch-black numbers of monsters.

His body trembled for a moment.

But he quickly becomes calm.

Slowly, he takes the Beres Mountain Range into his eyes.

And he thinks, and finds the only method.

‘There’s only that.’

He moved toward Arte.

*****

Meanwhile.

“It rose to grade 4.”

Once again, a story—because of it, difficulty rose additionally.

CEO Lee Sejin, who was in the Special User Management Team, touched his jaw.

The grades of a new story go up to grade 7.

Among them, grade 4 is a bizarre degree of difficulty.

Just now, the quest to execute Graut’s fragment was to the degree that it was grade 5.

Even that grade 5, in fact, might not have been clearable if Arte hadn’t been there.

CEO Lee Sejin ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) thought it through.

Thousands of monsters closing in, and only one blacksmith.

Within his common sense, no method comes to mind.

“Team Leader Kim, what will you do?”

“......I don’t know.”

No matter who you asked, it would be the same.

One thing was certain.

The reward of the newly broken-out sudden quest is written as story rate ???.

“If he breaks through that, how much will it accumulate?”

It changes depending on the situation, and differs depending on what the system acknowledges.

What is certain is that, basically, it will at least start by taking 20%.

The Special User Management Team focused on the monitor.

Before they knew it, the monsters had reached right near Arte.

*****

THOOM—!

The Sage’s Tower.

All doors of the tower Arte had lived in for 300 years closed by themselves.

Forcibly dragged outside the tower, Arte looked down.

Seething monsters were climbing up.

The moment they turned their body to flee upward, monsters were pouring out there too.

“.......”

GRRRR!

RAAAARGH—!

They could also see about fifty Snow Mountain Wolves charging.

[Snow Mountain Wolf Lv.347]

The advantage of Snow Mountain Wolves is that they have fast feet.

The bastards who arrived faster than other monsters rushed at Arte.

At that moment.

FLAP—!

Hyunsoo appeared.

SHIIING

Hyunsoo, coat hem flapping, raised the sword and struck up.

SHIIIIIING—!

Cry of the Sword.

Sword King’s subtlety minces all wolves within a radius of 30 m or more.

“Y-yelp-yelp-yelp!”

“YEEELP!”

THUD-THUD—!

Seeing the wolves all dead in an instant, Arte grabbed his lapel.

“Go, now. This is enough, so go. Go now!”

Arte screamed.

It was a brief connection.

But they were grateful that Hyunsoo fought for them.

This was enough.

Every direction was blocked by monsters.

A sage.

Even with the confidence of knowing everything in the world, they could not think of any solution.

And even if the outsiders’ death and revival were infinite, the process was far too painful and horrific.

In truth, Arte did not understand.

Why did Sword King and the Sky King cherish Hyunsoo so?

Why did Sword King teach him their swordsmanship, and the Sky King teach him their secret technique?

“I’m fine. It’s enough if I hurt Graut. So go back!!”

They blurted anything out. Before they knew it, the distance to the monsters grew closer.

From the front, from the back, the ones drawing close—those visible right in front of their eyes alone were over three thousand.

Soon, Hyunsoo said.

“.......”

Hearing those words, Arte finally understood.

Why Sword King cherished him, and why the Sky King became his friend.

FLAP—!

Thousand-Weight Bow.

Hyunsoo stepped forward holding the bow, and what he said:

“I never learned how to retreat.”

Those words struck Arte’s heart.

They knew it. He would want the reward forged for him.

But behind that reward, there was one blacksmith who did not know surrender.

A line that made them not feel awkward, not feel sorry.

Hyunsoo drew the bowstring once.

And Arte discovered something. Something attached to the tip of the arrowhead.

It was far too familiar.

When Hyunsoo shot the most powerful single shot at Graut, the two of them had talked.

‘We should take that too.’

‘What is that?’

‘A miniature bomb I made. It can easily kill a hundred monsters at once.’

A bomb slightly larger than an index finger.

An object made by Arte’s genius knowledge.

Hyunsoo aimed at the bastards coming up from below.

Before they knew it, the distance to them was 30 m.

25 m.

20 m.

Arte instinctively shouted.

“Don’t you know it won’t work just by killing a hundred......!”

In that moment, Hyunsoo turned his body.

FLAP—!

The bowstring snapped free.

It seemed like the arrow would fly at the monsters.

But that arrow struck the mountaintop directly.

BOOOOM—!

“To miss.......”

Arte’s eyes shook.

“No. I didn’t miss.”

Not a miss?

Soon, Arte heard a tremendous roar.

RRRRRRUMBLE—!

A blizzard of the first time in a hundred years. Because of it, the Beres Mountain Range had piled up several times more snow than usual.

That snow was now pouring down from the impact just now. An avalanche had occurred.

It was like a massive tidal wave of snow, exceeding 8 m in height.

And a notification rang in Hyunsoo’s ears.

[It is an ingenious idea.]

[The system acknowledges him.]

[You gained story rate 21%.]

That’s right.

The arrow Hyunsoo shot did not miss.

A massive tidal wave of snow began sweeping the monsters away from above.