Graut looked at Hyunsoo.

Hyunsoo’s current condition was severe.

Because of the status ailment Severe Injury, it looked difficult for him to even steady his body, and his face was stained with blood.

But eyes that did not fall, fighting spirit.......

Graut thought some trump card he didn’t know was being activated.

Because he said this.

“You’re the one who lost.”

Like that most powerful single shot from before.

Hyunsoo shouted.

“Hey, friend, help me!”

“......?”

Did that human perhaps hit his head?

What made Graut even more dumbfounded was this.

CHIRP-CHIRP-

Nothing happened.

[Summoning fails.]

Graut held back a laugh.

“What is that ridiculous name? Are you messing with me right now?”

What was especially funny to Graut was that in the end, the summoning failed.

But Hyunsoo was staring at Graut with unwavering eyes.

[Temporary skill creation is completed.]

[You have obtained the skill Hey, Friend, Help Me (3).]

(Hey, Friend, Help Me)

Active Skill

Grade: Unique

Level: None

·You can request help from those who have formed a strong bond with you.

·Upon approval, they are summoned.

·If those who approved are users, they receive a –1 level penalty.

·If those who approved are NPCs, for one day, due to large mental consumption, they may fall into great powerlessness and may faint.

·Up to 5 people are possible.

·Summoned friends can remain for 5 minutes.

·Depending on how severe the crisis is, dramatic notifications may be heard by them. Be careful(?).

Hyunsoo gained inspiration through a skill being created called Fate.

But there was a reason Hyunsoo didn’t waver.

‘Because I believe the path I’ve walked.’

But like Graut sneered, the same notification rang out to Hyunsoo once again.

[Summoning fails.]

A small distrust sprouted—was the path I walked not a good one?

But Hyunsoo soon shook off that distrust.

He was proud he had walked a more correct and straight path than anyone.

‘More than that, what is that?’

Naming-sense dead, Hyunsoo only decided what kind of custom skill to make and left skill creation to the system.

But in the skill’s contents, there was this.

‘Depending on how severe the crisis is, dramatic notifications may be heard by them. Be careful(?).’

What does that mean?

Hyunsoo couldn’t understand it.

At that moment. A notification sounded to Hyunsoo.

[......Error.]

Seeing that notification, Hyunsoo’s chest grew hot.

Because proof of the path he had walked was right in front of him.

*****

A few minutes ago.

A beautiful woman with silver bobbed hair stood on the platform of a soldier training camp.

Watching the tens of thousands of soldiers training, she had recently risen to the position of the Kingdom of Goyard’s knight commander.

The second Sword King candidate.

The Kingdom of Goyard’s top talent.

A knight the king loves.

There were far too many epithets attached to her.

After Knight Commander Benson of the First Knights was appointed as the Kingdom of Goyard’s supreme commander, Bella’s growth after taking the commander position was dazzling.

NPCs steadily grow along with users.

It was because of the high degree of freedom, and also to prevent the gap between users and them from shrinking.

[Knight Commander Bella Lv.401]

It was strength that far transcended ordinary NPCs.

After receiving a new life from one person, she had worked harder than anyone.

The reason was to protect that person better.

She glanced at her arm and made a small smile.

Her emaciated body now had proper muscle again, and her eyes were clear.

That was when.

Bella suddenly saw a portal created in front of her.

“What is this......?”

She panicked.

And a notification she, as an NPC, could not hear, rang out.

[It is the worst crisis situation.]

[Hey, friend, help me!]

[Dramatic notifications are heard by them.]

Walking up to the portal, Bella soon widened her eyes.

[Your friend Hyunsoo is in danger of dying.]

[Your friend Hyunsoo is suffering.]

[Your friend Hyunsoo’s breath is being cut off.]

[Your friend asks for your help.]

Bella’s eyes widened.

Of course, the contents of the notifications above were true.

Hyunsoo was currently severely injured and in pain, and it was true his breath was being cut off.

But this was made unusually dramatic by the skill.

Seeing the end of that unusualness, Bella clenched her teeth hard.

CLENCH-

My benefactor.

My second sun.

[If you cross the portal, you will receive a penalty.]

It did not enter Bella’s ears.

‘How dare some bastard.......’

The second-strongest of Goyard crossed the portal.

At that time.

Prahum Kingdom.

One of the strongest NPCs on the current Korean server.

One of the Ten Legends, and the king of a nation.

Recently, Sky King Ben had been stirring up many winds of change.

A king who was simply lofty and strong.

An old man who didn’t communicate with his people and had an eccentric personality.

Before that old man, there were countless children.

To “Ask the King,” hosted by Ben himself, commoner and noble children alike had come.

Ben hugged a cute little girl and read her a fairy tale book.

‘This, too...... is not bad.......’

The thing that planted change in Ben. It began from one friend.

That friend said.

‘Don’t make yourself so lonely.’

Who would dare say something like that to Sky King Ben?

It was something possible because it was a friend who could talk without reserve.

Because of that, Ben’s life was changing.

He was still an eccentric king, but little by little, he was growing closer to his people and easing his loneliness.

Yes, people began coming and going through Ben’s castle that had been close to an elderly loner(?), and laughter started to appear.

At that moment, the child in his arms asked.

“Does Sky King Grandpa also have something he cherishes?”

“......I do.”

Ben gave a small smile.

Though he was still small and shabby, the Sky King cherished him.

But the Sky King was a straight person.

He did not help his growth by simply handing things out.

Surprisingly, this, too, was something Hyunsoo said.

‘Just handing things out doesn’t make you friends, you know?’

That punk—Ben laughed, giving the child an embarrassed smile.

At that moment, my most precious one.

[Your friend Hyunsoo is in danger of dying.]

[Your friend Hyunsoo is suffering.]

Ben heard the message he sent.

Ben was calm.

He slowly set the child in his arms down and placed a strawberry into their hand.

After patting their head, Ben smiled faintly.

And he took the spear his friend had made, standing to one side, and began to move.

[Penalty......]

That sound did not enter his ears.

Because he had received far more than something like that.

‘Just this once, Hyunsoo.’

There was a lot he wanted to repay him for.

But this one time would be enough.

The greatest spear master crossed the portal.

Another place.

The graves of the Kingdom of Goyard’s Sword King family.

There, a man with a splendid, sturdy body, praised as the Sword King of all generations, stood.

[My son, Ban. Sleeps here.]

Looking at the gravestone, he muttered to himself.

“It’s fine. This father is not lonely these days.”

His son he had lost at Ifrit’s tomb.

A life that fell into despair.

Grief and pain swallowed behind the name of king.

When he finally repaid his son’s vengeance, he had wanted to die, but the man who survived smiled.

“There’s a kid who resembles you. He’s still lacking a lot, but he’s growing without end. I hope. That kid will inherit my seat in your place. Haha, what? You already saw that guy too?”

It was a monologue, but it was joyful.

He looked at the withering chrysanthemum placed beside the gravestone.

It wasn’t something he brought.

“I picked a good friend. He asked where your gravestone was. He says it’s the first time he’s seen this father laugh so brightly. Hm?”

Barad was a king.

It was hard for him to smile warmly at anyone, and hard to bare his true feelings to anyone.

But before his son, he was nothing more than a father.

“......Yes. These days, I’m happy.”

He brushed the gravestone.

“Don’t worry. Your dad. He’s someone with rigid flexibility. He won’t hand things out, and he’ll just stand and wait. And when that guy comes this far.”

Hesitating on the ticklish words, he spat them out.

“I will give him my seat.”

WHOOOOSH-

The wind made the cloak he wore, bearing the kingdom’s crest, flutter.

At that moment.

[Your friend Hyunsoo is in danger of dying.]

[Your friend Hyunsoo is suffering.]

A notification reached him too.

Barad, who had been looking at the gravestone, turned his body.

“I should go. What? Isn’t that different from what I just said?”

Barad let out a hollow laugh.

“You punk, not long ago in the borderlands, Hyunsoo saved me. To save me, his friend, he ran here in a single bound.”

He hadn’t saved him with physical force.

“Just this once. Just this once, I’ll fight for my friend.”

SHING.

The Sword King drew the sword at his waist and walked toward the portal.

His face was twisted fiercely.

Meanwhile.

“It’s certain he’s in a region where whispers don’t reach.”

“It feels like something big happened, but what is it?”

In Vallas Territory’s lord’s castle, the people of Radiance gathered, excluding Nell.

Because Hyunsoo’s whispers hadn’t reached, they sensed something had happened.

At that moment.

[Your friend Hyunsoo is in danger of dying.]

[Your friend Hyunsoo is suffering.]

They heard the notification.

The first to rise was Bark, the Growing One.

Bark.

One of Ares’s best tankers.

And also the Republic of Korea’s top real-estate tycoon.

The person who rose next was Ressel.

The youngest of a chaebol family, and domestic ranking 21st, holding the Dragonlight Sword.

CLENCH-

Saint’s Child Belia was the same.

With a grim expression, they nodded, and Ian gripped the bow slung on their back.

And the three people.

Taehun.

Hanul.

Hyeji.

The trio of geniuses looked at the portal.

As they were about to move, they stopped.

Because one person came to mind.

Nell.

They had come during a short break.

And they were also doing their utmost for the development of Vallas Territory.

Movement of group forces like this would be fatal to Vallas Territory.

Nell was the coldest and most analytical person.

Also, the death of User Hyunsoo was nothing more than a forced logout within the game.

If you think calmly, it was highly likely Nell wouldn’t permit everyone moving for one user’s forced logout.

That was how strict and smart she was.

At that moment, the door opened and Nell entered.

“......What are you all doing right now?”

Looking at them standing, Nell said.

“Why haven’t you crossed the portal yet? Go right now and save Hyunsoo!”

PATTER-PATTER-

Nell crossed the portal first.

“......?”

They had forgotten.

That Hyunsoo was a precious person to Nell too.

Hey, friend, help me.

Under a trivial, unremarkable name.

That notification was reaching those he had passed by.

A mere Unique skill.

It was true that it was an impossible power for hunting a demon.

And Ares’s balance was thorough.

Those who accepted a friend summon received penalties. NPCs faint after returning, and users’ levels drop.

Also, summoning an “ordinary friend” wasn’t such a great power.

It was only that the friends he made were exceptionally special.

***** 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

[Summoning fails.]

Hearing that sound still ringing, Graut laughed for a long time.

A hardy mentality that doesn’t fall.

Eyes that still don’t cool.

Pride that doesn’t abandon Arte.

Graut wanted to trample him.

“They say humans believe their existence is very special. {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} It seems you were the same as them.”

Tsk-tsk-tsk.

A tongue-clicking sound came from Graut’s mouth.

“So this is the path you walked. Without collapsing, why did you walk this far?”

He asked.

Why did you walk this far.

To that, Hyunsoo spat the blood in his mouth.

Before he knew it, his vision was returning.

Before him, there was a notification Graut could not see.

[Summoning fails.]

Hyunsoo smiled.

[An error occurs.]

The notification changed and updated.

[The response rate is too high.]

[Summoning will take time.]

[Current progress 13%...... 32%...... 58%......]

Now he wasn’t afraid.

Because he knew who would come, and with what 마음 they would come.

[Summon rate 100%.]

Hyunsoo aimed the Supreme Blade at him.

[All are summoned.]

At the same time.

FWIPFWIPFWIPFWIPFWIPFWIPFWIP-

The strongest swordsman in the world. A sturdy man appeared at his side and placed a hand on his shoulder.

An old man with his hands behind his back appeared, staring at Graut as if he would kill him.

“Is it you? The one who did this to my friend, Hyunsoo?”

A woman who usually showed cooler judgment spoke with a worried expression.

“We’re here, so don’t worry.”

They blocked my front.

They guarded my left.

And on my right, they aimed their weapons.

Looking at them, Hyunsoo smiled. The demon had asked him.

‘So this is the path you walked. Without collapsing, why did you walk this far?’

This was the proof.

With cold eyes, Hyunsoo looked at the flustered demon and said.

“This is the path I walked.”

Hey, friend, help me.

My friends began to overwhelm the demon.