The VR game Ares presents a new chapter on its cycle.

Chapter 1: Adventure.

Chapter 2: King’s Path.

With massive updates like this, a lot changes, and new content appears.

And in this game, there exists an absolute god named Ares.

Right now, most users believe Ares is the only one.

Because they don’t know about the descendant of the blacksmith god. And they don’t know Bahala is walking the Sword God’s Path.

But Chapter 2 is preparation for Chapter 3, and users also have the right to know more.

Hyunsoo heard two notifications related to gods that he hadn’t heard in Chapter 1.

Because Chapter 2 had opened, and he could gain hints for Chapter 3—still a long way off.

Those hints being that someday, users would encounter gods other than the absolute god.

“Twice in just one month since Chapter 2 opened....”

Lee Sejin, who was at the Special User Management Team, marveled.

A first claim on what will happen later is extremely important.

Sometimes it becomes the foundation you prepare for and move forward on.

And through this notification, user Hyunsoo also learned that someday he would receive a commission from a god.

Of course, no one knows when that “someday” will be.

Anyway, Sejin focused on the next part.

“A mineral whose grade can’t be measured. Of course. They haven’t established it yet.”

They haven’t established it.

Pureum Co., Ltd. is already preparing a Second Ares, too.

But they haven’t established everything.

They establish it in step with users’ growth speed.

They just haven’t registered it yet.

And on top of that, its effects don’t get nerfed or anything.

“User Hyunsoo has probably already figured out what that mineral is.”

The grade that Sejin and Pureum Co., Ltd. assigned to that mineral—Sejin was sure Hyunsoo would reach the same conclusion.

“You really ended up getting an unbelievable mineral.”

“Yeah. And once we set the mineral’s name, he’ll also receive a reward for creating an outstanding mineral.”

That reward would be measured by the supercomputer Ares.

But what matters right now isn’t that.

“What he makes with that mineral.”

Sejin was intrigued.

It had been months since user Hyunsoo last made an artifact for himself.

And the power of that mineral—soon to have a name—was so tremendous that it was hard not to expect something big.

“Since he’s trying to raise probability, it looks like he’s focusing on passive skills.”

Sejin agreed, and Associate Lee Jihee tilted her head.

“It looks like he’s trying to make a secondary weapon, but isn’t probability too precious to spend like that?”

To Jihee, it did.

But Sejin shook his head.

“User Hyunsoo owns a lot of things based on probability.”

Nine consecutive slashes.

A single attack cuts the enemy nine times—an activation based on probability.

And again—

When HP is under 10%, it activates with a 40% probability, deletes the skill cooldown, and can be triggered again.

The blacksmith’s soul.

It doesn’t list a percent, but it’s still a probability-based activation. And The Lord’s Grace is the same.

Like that, user Hyunsoo possesses many things tied to probability.

“What you should pay attention to is Ultimate Art.”

“Ultimate Art...?”

A Transcendent-grade passive Hyunsoo obtained.

Of ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) course, since it still has to grow, its activation probability is absurdly low for now.

“If Ultimate Art that triggers at 0.4% doubles, it becomes 0.8%. But the one you should pay more attention to is the Ultimate Art that triggers at 0.1%.” 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

A 0.1% trigger outputs twice the greatest power he’s ever produced.

“That 0.1% Ultimate Art is what Hyunsoo defines as an insta-kill move—though it depends on the target. Just making that power 0.2% is already immensely valuable. And every time Ultimate Art grows, that probability application comes with it, so if he has that kind of artifact now, it can create insane synergy.”

“Ah....”

Jihee finally understood.

Doubling the probability of an insta-kill move is something you feel, very directly.

But then Hyunsoo’s next words shattered the expectations of the Special User Management Team—Sejin included.

—The probability increase is the add-on for the artifact I’m making.

Add-on meant supplementary.

Sejin’s brow furrowed.

So it wasn’t a probability artifact?

—The main effect is saving the traits of named ones.

“What...?”

Sejin’s eyes shook.

Named monsters or NPCs have unique traits.

Dragons and Hydras have Breath.

demon Graut has regenerative power, and others—like Fenrir—have things like Death’s Fear.

And humanoid monsters or named NPCs are the same.

You could cite the calamities.

The Fifth Calamity had psychokinesis.

The Fourth Calamity had absolute domination.

The Second had transcendent defense power, and so on.

Those who were called “named” possessed traits.

Sejin felt fear at user Hyunsoo’s thinking.

Then he felt relief.

“It won’t be easy. Balance won’t allow it.”

But soon he understood one fact.

Did user Hyunsoo really not know that?

“If it’s a low probability, it might be possible. The reason he set the main effect as saving traits and the add-on as probability... it was to increase the low probability assigned to trait saving.”

A chilling design—raising a lowered possibility inside a single artifact.

At last, Hyunsoo decided that mineral’s name.

—Desire. I’ll name this mineral Desire.

It was a fitting name that captured Hyunsoo as he was right now.

For Sejin, this was a first.

Watching Hyunsoo craft things had always brought him only expectation and interest.

But today was different.

Expectation came with worry.

The artifact Hyunsoo wanted to make—

Because it would be shaped by the mineral Desire.

*****

“Demigod.”

After deciding the name, Hyunsoo muttered while staring at the mineral—Desire.

As for this unmeasurable grade, he guessed that was what it should be called.

It’s better than Transcendent, but not as high as Mythic, so isn’t that right?

Then Hyunsoo said one thing to Pureum Co., Ltd.

“Aren’t you going to hurry up and do your job?”

Maybe they’d left it unset on purpose.

But it wasn’t that it wasn’t defined as Demigod—only the name wasn’t.

This was clearly better than Transcendent, and not as high as Mythic.

But there was one disappointing thing.

Usually, ‘the first’ comes with a reward.

But no notification appeared.

He wondered if it was because it was a mineral whose grade couldn’t be measured.

If that’s the reason, that would be ridiculous...

At that moment—

[The system measures your reward.]

His face brightened.

It wasn’t that they weren’t giving one—reward measurement had just taken a long time.

And Hyunsoo received the best reward currently possible.

The size of Desire, where white and black on the ground were mixed in balanced proportions, grew larger.

[You acquire an additional 500g of the mineral Desire(慾望).]

[You acquire Fame 500.]

[You acquire Overwhelm 100.]

An additional 500g. What reward could be more special than getting more of the mineral Desire?

And thanks to this reward, he could keep what remained, too.

Even if you only have a tiny amount left of the best mineral, someday it’ll be used at an astronomical value.

Only then did Hyunsoo put Desire into the furnace.

This would be the best artifact possible for Hyunsoo right now.

This artifact was a possession artifact.

A possession artifact is one that exerts its effect just by being in your possession.

Because of that, normal abilities fall behind, and the special abilities you can add are limited.

But Hyunsoo already had the best weapon.

So, thanks to the possession artifact he would hold, the Twin Dragon Sword would effectively be strengthened even further.

Also—

This idea is only possible because the mineral Desire exists.

Hyunsoo’s understanding of the game was high.

And he made the call with the knowledge of a Master Blacksmith layered on top.

The trait-saving artifact Hyunsoo wanted was impossible due to balance.

But he had the mineral Desire that could chase that balance down.

Obviously.

The trait saving for this crafted item wouldn’t happen unconditionally.

It would be done with a small probability.

But that was fine.

CLANG!

CLANG!

CLANG!

Because the supplementary power of this artifact would raise that small probability!

Hyunsoo immersed himself like a madman.

He intended to finish it before leaving for demon hunting.

I might be able to pull out Luxiu’s traits.

Hyunsoo focused like a madman.

Meanwhile—

Unlike him, there was someone trapped in enormous worry.

He’s crafting again?

Nell watched Hyunsoo begin additional crafting after Babylon, and fell into concern.

That concern was the ones targeting Atlas.

After the Server Merge, it wasn’t only Chinese server users who crossed into the Asgan Continent.

Japan’s Musashi, America’s Kali, Vietnam’s Mio, Russia’s Kassandra... and many other high-rankers crossed over.

First, competitiveness.

Second, they’d likely planned to defeat Hyun, force him into submission, and make him craft artifacts for them.

Of course, Kabel had thrown them into high-level dungeons in the Asgan Continent.

But it meant the time was approaching for them to come out.

And the ones with information-gathering ability that can replace Kabel.

They might’ve bought information from them, and he might guide them to Atlas—or might not.

Someone will reach the vicinity. For sure.

At that point, what Hyunsoo and they needed to do was prepare.

They had to place forces away from Atlas’s entrance and wipe out every enemy.

Atlas’s location must never be exposed.

And he doesn’t know that...?

Nell was disappointed in Hyunsoo.

Of course, most of them would come by the same route.

Atlas’s front was a monster-infested mess, so there was only one path.

They had to defend that place at all costs.

No. Why am I disappointed? That’s my role.

Nell soon let out a small chuckle.

Maybe she had overestimated Hyunsoo, and that was why she felt disappointed.

Hyunsoo had too much to do, and too much to keep track of.

So she was going to go tell him directly and make him postpone the crafting.

But then—

CLANG!

“Of course I knew.”

There was no way Hyunsoo was that irresponsible.

He spoke calmly.

“I sent one smart kid, so it’s fine.”

Nell was flustered.

One smart kid? They come in groups to begin with.

They weren’t an army like the Chinese users, but at minimum, they came in tens—up to a hundred at a time.

Then Nell froze.

[Those with hostility cross the boundary.]

Nell’s expression twisted.

She had installed an expensive consumable that notified the territory if enemies crossed a specific path.

That consumable’s warning differed depending on the strength of those who crossed.

[Warning stage: Danger.]

A very strong group had entered within 2 km of Atlas.

Hyunsoo must have heard it too.

But Hyunsoo was so immersed in crafting that it looked like he hadn’t even heard the sound.

No—who the hell is the smart kid...

Then Nell’s eyes went wide.

[Bahala has joined Hyun’s Forge.]

*****

At that time.

Japan’s peak-class user Musashi reached the vicinity of Atlas.

His guild members numbered only 30.

But Musashi’s guild only had 100 members total to begin with.

And yet it was called Japan’s best guild.

Because their average level exceeded 400.

And they were ninjas.

As Musashi moved fast with his body low, he faltered in surprise.

“What the hell are you?”

A man wearing an obstructive robe that covered his body, face masked, was blocking the path.

The one blocking the path was hearing notifications.

[The achievement system assesses the situation.]

Why he had been able to achieve such an enormous number of achievements—

Because the Sword God could chase achievements.

Until now, he hadn’t gone out of his way to clash with users.

But today was different.

One last thing I’m asking for. Until we go to Luxiu, protect Atlas.

Hyunsoo asked for something truly difficult.

And the achievement system told him what he could stack.

[You designate a location and fight.]

[You have become a guardian.]

[Slay endless enemies and protect what you seek to guard, and accumulate achievements.]

Up to that moment, Bahala didn’t know.

That, here, he would create a story of 1 versus 200.

The legend of the “smart kid(?)” was beginning.

Meanwhile—

Did the plan succeed?

Kabel, who had arranged the entire board by sending the guardian, stood before a door.

Inside the open doorway, thousands of grotesque beings were shrieking.

“Grrrrr....”

“Kuhahaha!”

Kabel looked somewhere.

A place where Atlas would likely be.

And he thought of Lucky Lump, and Hyunsoo.

I’ll be back soon, too.

[You have entered Hell Path(地獄道).]

[Asura’s Trial begins.]

Another guardian crosses the gates of hell.