The necromancers and summoners were gathered together.

Their HP pool was similar to mages, and their defense was the same.

It wasn’t for nothing that necromancers were called the weakest in close combat.

Sword’s Cry falling on them was, literally, a calamity.

KRRRRRRAAAAACK-!

“W-what kind of damage is this......?”

“Is this really level 330 damage?”

“Kuh-huk!”

The Chinese users who had rushed in to protect the necromancers panicked.

The damage that splashed onto them was beyond common sense.

And China was forced to watch a horrific result unfold right before their eyes.

SHAAAAAA—!

[89 Chinese users are forcibly logged out.]

[User Hyunsoo is rampaging!]

Every necromancer and summoner, including Wei, scattered into dust.

As he watched his allies crumble away, Zhuge’s face froze cold.

‘The advantage of 100 people.’

They were the ones who had entered with 100 more people than Korea.

But more than a hundred died in an instant.

Everyone here thought the same thing.

Zhuge pointed at him. His finger, stained with rage, trembled violently.

“Kill him.”

Yeah, Crazy Rookie’s plan had succeeded. But anyone here could tell.

[Hyunsoo Lv.339]

He seemed to have explosive strength for his level. That was all.

Because China’s rankers were the same.

And this was enemy territory, and the greatest danger was here.

[Poison King Liu Lv.401]

The average level of the other Chinese users was between 370 and 380.

Considering Korean users were between 360 and 370, it was overwhelming.

And Liu was a user shining as world rank #19, and he was #7 within China.

“Calm down, Zhuge. The result won’t change. That one will be torn to pieces, and you’ll be able to vent your anger.”

Liu smiled slightly and aimed his spear at Hyunsoo.

In that moment, condensed, powerful force erupted from him.

“Exploding Spear.”

[An explosion with 930% additional attack power devours a single target, then sequentially explodes 3 times in succession.]

KWAAAAANG-!

The moment Hyunsoo staggered inside the explosion, a chain explosion went off.

KWA, KWAAANG-!

Normally, if users around Hyunsoo’s level took a direct hit from Liu’s Exploding Spear, their HP would drop below 40%.

In other words, with this one attack, he would be torn to shreds.......

‘......?’

Liu was flustered.

‘What the hell is this bastard?’

The day Liu had been most shocked was when he fought China’s rank #1.

They were so powerful and so great that Liu felt like a mere pup.

And today, he was shocked for the second time.

The amount of damage he had dealt.

[HP falls below 85%.]

It was only a 15% HP drop.

Back then, China’s rank #1 had taken a 10% drop.

But China’s rank #1 was level 421, and this one was in the 330s.

And soon Liu’s face was dyed in even greater disbelief.

Because power incomparable to before began to surge out of him.

*****

[Triple defense is applied.]

One of Calamity’s powers, the passive application of triple defense.

And as Hyunsoo watched the Chinese users approaching, his chest boiled over.

His muscles repeatedly relaxed and contracted without end.

Black currents whipped around Supreme Saber as he braced against the damage from just now.

[By a 20% chance, the sword’s basic attack power increases by 311%.]

[It lasts for 15 seconds.]

Up until now, Hyunsoo had crossed countless lines between life and death.

There was a commonality to them. They were NPCs or monsters.

He had never fought the world’s strong.

But.

‘I believe in the road I’ve walked.’

At that moment, a small ignition began from Hyunsoo.

The flames scattering from him as he let the sword hang down transformed into a single blaze and surged.

[A small ember covers the world.]

At that moment, seven users specialized in close combat dove in at the same time.

-It was definitely an amazing thing that he killed the necromancers, but to go into the middle of enemy territory—this is clearly reckless.

-I judge it to be no different from a suicidal act.

-Perhaps Crazy Rookie sacrificed himself for his homeland Korea.......

“Ghost Step.”

KRRRAAACK, SHRK, KRAK, SHAAK, FWUMP, FWIPFWIPFWIP, KRRRAACK, KZZT, CRACK!

-......!

-......!

Exactly 17 times. Leaving afterimages as he moved, Hyunsoo returned to his original spot.

SPLATTER-!

The users who had approached him were knocked away or cut by blades, screaming.

Liu’s eyes widened. He looked toward another group.

About fifty assassins moved toward Hyunsoo.

China was a country specialized in assassins.

The reason they were far stronger than Korea’s assassins was because they were under the legendary Assassin King of China.

TATATATATAT-!

They surged in from all directions.

Watching their fast movement—appearing, disappearing, repeating—daggers held in reverse grip, Liu couldn’t take his eyes off Hyunsoo.

‘Their strength is that they learned it through real combat.’

Something only possible because China was called a nation of martial arts.

At that moment.

[Fate]

[For 30 seconds, you move like someone you know.]

Liu doubted his eyes.

‘His presence changed?’

The arm holding the sword drooped.

A body that looked endlessly light. A slightly bent waist, and between it, the eyes of a ferocious beast shining.

The instant the assassins stabbed in—

FWUMP-!

His knife-hand struck into an assassin’s throat.

His footwork, head, and the flexibility of his body reached an extreme.

FWUMP, FWUMPFWUMP-!

KWAZAZAZAZAK-!

Hyunsoo evaded every attack like flowing water.

The one settled into him—Sky-Blue Ben.

Ben and Barad each had different strengths.

Barad overwhelms enemies with explosive power and the powerful swordsmanship of the Sword King.

But most of Ben’s strengths come from skill.

A veteran who had lived 25 years longer than Barad, who had lived only 40.

That veteran had reached physical limits, and the only way to improve further was skill.

But now, Hyunsoo’s body was far younger.

KWRRRRRAAACK-!

KZZT

KRAK-!

FWUH.

Liu doubted his eyes.

Six assassins fell. In that state—another twenty assassins sprang in.

At that moment.

FWOOOSH-!

Following Hyunsoo’s gesture, all of them were seized in midair.

‘Telekinesis?’

Toward them, unable to move and frozen stiff, he lightly kicked off and flew.

Like a supreme master from a martial arts novel, with movements that stepped on the air, every assassin was butchered.

And he advanced.

KWAKWAKWAK-!

KRAK

FWUMP-!

Liu doubted his eyes.

‘What am I even watching right now?’

It was strange. He admitted Hyunsoo had become vastly stronger. But even so, this made no sense.

“Magic, pour magic on him!!!”

KUUHOOOOOO-!

A fire spell unleashed by a mage shot toward Hyunsoo.

In that moment, they saw a scene they had never seen in their lives.

Hyunsoo as well.

Ben’s true form—something even Hyunsoo didn’t know.

SHAAAAAA—!

Inside the raging flames, a soft sword flowed in.

That sword lightly quelled the scorching blaze.

[It nullifies the skill.]

“The magic disappeared......?”

“Is it a dispel-type skill?”

“But I didn’t feel any mana......?”

And he moved.

“Stop—”

Zhuge realized the target was himself.

“Stop hiiiiim!”

Right now, he was the single most crucial person here.

He was like the head coach of a soccer team.

And Zhuge fell into fear.

In a recent interview, Zhuge said,

‘Korea? Three hours is enough. Isn’t it a country that’s pitiful if it isn’t Lee Hwan?’

A Chinese reporter asked an interesting question.

‘You mean you’re going to play with them?’

‘Who knows?’

The fact that he didn’t deny it was enough for the world’s criticism.

But the criticism wasn’t large. Because it made sense.

But in the small country called Korea, a single beast had been hiding.

KWAJIIIIIK, KWAKWAKWAK—!

His movement, driving back a pack like wolves, was like a Baekdusan tiger charging in.

FWUMPFWUMPFWUMPFWUMP-!

Seeing the tiger hunting him, Zhuge fell into fear.

And before he knew it, the tiger’s sword was aimed at Zhuge’s throat.

‘I can’t believe it.’

He had ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) pushed in through a distance of 30 meters.

Between users in the 370–380 range!

At that moment.

CLANG-!

A spear knocked Hyunsoo’s sword aside, and a sword drove into Hyunsoo’s abdomen.

The one who stabbed him was Sword Emperor Pond.

The strongest ranker among the participants.

World rank #4 Pond.

China called him this.

The one closest to the heavens.

And Liu’s spear was powerful as well.

[HP falls below 30%.]

Hyunsoo had also taken heavy damage while approaching here.

“Kuhk—”

Pond twisted the sword.

“......Not bad.”

Pond was genuinely surprised. Hyunsoo’s skill just now rivaled a top-10 world ranker.

Pond realized the reason.

“Are you aiming for MVP?”

SNORT-

Yeah, if that martial presence he’d just shown had continued, it might have been possible.

“Your power’s gone.”

But the power settled into him vanished.

FWOOOSH-!

Pond pulled his weapon out, and Hyunsoo was flung up again.

But Pond’s speed surpassed Hyunsoo by a vast margin.

CLANG-!

In midair, the two exchanged endless offense and defense.

Each time, Hyunsoo’s body was carved full of wounds.

Pond was literally overwhelming him.

“I’ll do it alone.”

He said to Liu, who was about to intervene. Pond, too, was aiming for MVP.

If he killed Crazy Rookie, who had been the most active until just now, he could get closer to MVP.

KWRRRRRAK, KWAKWAKKRAAAACK-!

It was instantaneous.

A level 421 user.

The sword of Pond, the one Chinese people supported the most, drove into Hyunsoo’s abdomen once again.

FWUUUUMP-!

“......That’s too much.”

Pond whispered.

“To come into enemy territory this deep, you should be ashamed. Even I’m embarrassed.”

Pond was trampling his pride with a voice like he was looking at an insect.

It was his nasty hobby.

After trampling guys with some name in the world, he broke them.

Then suddenly, Hyunsoo started laughing.

“Heh-heh-heh-heh-heh.”

“......?”

Pond was flustered.

That bizarre laughter didn’t match what Hyunsoo had just been like.

In that laughter, he sensed there was an ambush.

‘Don’t tell me?’

Pond’s eyes widened.

He had watched the First Calamity hunt video recently as well.

He hurriedly pulled away from Hyunsoo and took a defensive stance.

‘Where is it? Where’s it coming from? There—there!’

At that moment.

KRRRRRRAAACK-!

From Korea’s fortress, an arrow far surpassing Hyunsoo’s trinity shot out.

KWA-DUDUDUDUDUK-!

Pond dramatically pulled up every ounce of strength.

KRRRRRRAAANG-!

An absolutely invincible shield formed in front of him.

This shield would block that arrow that pierced everything.

At last—

PAAAAANG-!

The arrow flew in. And it struck straight at Pond.......

‘It passed by?’

For a moment, Pond’s thoughts stopped.

KRRRRRRAAACK-!

From behind, he heard the sound of something being hit and flying away.

And as he tried to come to his senses—

Suddenly, a dragon appeared in the sky.

An outstretched hand snatched Hyunsoo and flew back to the Korean side at high speed.

He had escaped at the speed of light.

Sensing something ominous, Pond slowly turned his head.

“.......”

Pond’s face twisted grotesquely as he took in the scene before his eyes.

His breathing quickened, his heart pounded, and enormous rage surged up.

‘Crazy Rookie.......’

A user slammed into a distant cliff was scattering in a miserable state.

[Zhuge has been forcibly logged out.]

Unless you were a continental war survivor, whispers, party chat, war chat—everything was impossible.

Yeah. Crazy Rookie wasn’t the type to make a laugh like that in the first place.

That laughter was nothing more than a ploy to disrupt Pond.

And Crazy Rookie, who had just arrived at the wall, gave Pond a small smile.

The laugh he made echoed in his ears.

‘Heh-heh-heh-heh-heh.’ 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

‘Y-you...... you.......’

Today, Pond was angrier than he had ever been in his life.

‘You fucking bastardaaaaaaa!’

It was the moment China lost Zhuge, their most important person.