Kali threw out a question.

How did it come to this?

No matter how you looked at it, it was a battle with a 99.9% win rate.

They’d planned to end it lightly, and afterward the apexes would grow even closer—there was even joking talk about building a massive guild together.

And watching Hyunsoo cross mountain after mountain and finally reach this place, Kali found the answer.

It started with that phrase.

“With anyone’s eyes, the alliance will win.”

With that arrogance and certainty, Hyun and Hyun’s Forge moved forward.

We can just push through.

But unlike their plan, those people must have run hundreds, thousands of simulations and built their plan.

What if we lose?

They never even thought that.

And the other side was different.

They knew that if they lost, everything would collapse.

Amid those questions and answers—

“Let’s end this.”

KUUUUNG—

[Overwhelm]

A massive status ailment presses down on Kali.

Only under that crushing pressure did he realize it.

All those questions and answers were meaningless.

Kali’s thinking changes.

With ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ shaking eyes, he meets Hyunsoo’s eyes—still shining, firm and unyielding—and understands.

A real answer that no amount of questions and answers—hundreds of them—could ever reach.

Because he truly has what it takes to become king.

Goosebumps race up his back.

Experts predicted Ares’s first king would appear, at the earliest, in a year and six months.

Someone capable of building a great territory wouldn’t emerge for another six months.

He ignored all of it—and faced three thousand ranked users alone. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Strength floods through Kali’s entire body.

If even I lose...

They will be handing him immense power.

The one who defeated a 3,000-strong alliance!

The one who made a miracle!

The one who forged the first great territory!

And as much praise as he receives, Kali will be jeered just as hard.

[Hyunsoo’s HP drops below 34%.]

That is Hyunsoo’s status as he points his sword at him.

[HP drops below 36%.]

That is Kali’s status.

[White Tiger Aura]

[All attack power doubles for 30 seconds.]

[Movement speed and attack speed increase by 20%.]

A white haze begins to rise from Kali’s mottled red-and-white White Tiger body.

Kali believes he can still turn this around.

If I just win Great Atlas War!

It was a crisis, but the summit was right in front of him.

With White Tiger Aura activated, Kali didn’t doubt that, in this moment, he rivaled Bahala.

The world didn’t know it, but Kali had fought Bahala before.

And every time, Kali had been utterly defeated.

But back then, he didn’t have White Tiger Aura.

Even in Ferocious Beast Transformation, Kali had fought a Legendary monster one-on-one and won.

And besides—my opponent isn’t even a fighter. He’s a blacksmith.

All the endless stories about Hyun were just rumor and exaggeration.

KWAHHHHHHHANG—!

Kali kicks off the ground and launches forward—so fast the camera sees it like a streak of light.

At that moment, Hyunsoo prepares for the end as well.

Until now, Hyunsoo had been commanding from the rear, storing power.

Of course, it was true that he’d spent a large portion of that stored power smashing frozen enemies apart.

But he had prepared for Kali.

FWOOM—

A small flame ignites on Hyunsoo’s body.

[All stats increase by 20%.]

[All skill levels increase by 2.]

[While the flame is applied, HP decreases.]

[A small spark covers the world.]

From flame, he becomes a firestorm.

Staring at the rapidly charging Kali, he gathers his breathing.

“Hooo.......”

In this moment, Hyunsoo falls into extreme immersion.

He remembers Kabel’s movements, copies Bahala’s sword that he fought beside, and moves like the Sword Emperor who taught him.

[You fall into Trance.]

It feels like only he and Kali exist here.

Watching Hyunsoo gather his breathing, Kali, still closing in, is thrown into confusion.

...Why do I see—

He asks a question he can’t understand.

Am I seeing Bahala?

Has he met Bahala?

And how does he have a skill that lets him imitate him?

Yes. It’s possible.

KRRRRT—!

As they collide, Kali is shaken as he fights Hyunsoo—moving like flowing water.

No—this is...!

He can’t believe it.

After watching Hyunsoo’s continent war videos, after seeing Fenrir’s battle at the fall of Goyard, Kali thought he was at best “just a ranker.”

But Hyunsoo was far above that.

It isn’t a skill.

He thought, then moved, then thought again.

Hyunsoo’s ability—now it’s taking flight, to the point it can threaten even Kali.

But in the end, it’s still a blacksmith’s attack power.

No matter how strong the Twin Dragon Sword is, there’s a limit to—

KRRRRT—!

Kali is blasted back by the collision, and a hollow laugh forms on his face.

The damage output is absurd.

An “ugh” almost spilled out of his mouth, and his balance almost broke for an instant.

Kali realizes it.

Not only does he have an unshakable army—he himself has the qualification.

But Kali is also the world’s #2.

And he has the power to crush that qualification.

“I watched your footage dozens of times—understood it, analyzed it.”

Strength surges into Kali’s arms as he regains his balance.

[White Tiger’s Power]

Hyunsoo raises his arm.

Kali knows he’s trying to control him with telekinesis.

[White Tiger’s Power ignores telekinesis.]

[While White Tiger’s Power is active, targets who manifest skills take 3x damage.]

White Tiger’s Power is a trap-like hidden card.

If you activate even a single skill to stop him, it nullifies you—and loads triple damage.

[It hits 100%.]

And thanks to the backlash of using a skill, it becomes an effect that hits 100%.

KWAHHHHHHHANG—!

The moment the White Tiger’s massive forepaw slams down, the ground around them caves in deep.

RRRRRUMBLE—!

[It slams down with 2,600% power!]

[HP drops below 3%.]

Watching Hyunsoo stagger, blood streaming from his head, Kali becomes certain of victory.

Just 3% HP.

Meanwhile, Kali’s HP is still in the 30% range.

But Hyunsoo takes Kali’s words.

“......You weren’t the only one doing the analyzing.”

“......?”

Kali thought it was Hyunsoo’s arrogance.

But it was already etched into Hyunsoo’s Twin Dragon Sword—still within Trance.

[Link.]

[The Twin Dragon Sword maximizes the power dwelling within the wearer, and the speed of the connected powers becomes over 2x faster.]

Hyunsoo broke out of the old frame.

Originally, he used Link and stayed trapped in the same pattern every time.

Now, he steps out of that pattern.

Link is power that maximizes the power dwelling within you—and accelerates the connected speed by twofold.

At an absurd speed, Hyunsoo is already drawing a bowstring.

The first Link.

[This is the most powerful shot.]

KWAHHHHHHHANG—!

“KRAAAAH—!”

Kali is hit head-on and thrown back.

Isn’t Link supposed to connect into Gather and One Strike, Two Halves?

Hyunsoo ignores it.

With only 3% HP remaining—

With this single blow, Kali’s HP drops into the 20% range.

And at the same time—

“Pull.”

FWOOOSH—!

Kali is yanked hard, meeting Hyunsoo’s eyes.

And the third Link wasn’t an attack.

On the left, a buff-type Twin Dragon Sword forged with anti-force.

On the right, an attack-type Twin Dragon Sword.

The two Twin Dragon Swords meet and, even if only briefly, forge an even stronger transcendent power within Transcendent itself.

[This is the most perfect combination.]

The third Link ends.

Immediately, Hyunsoo rises into the sky—and at the same time, turns on Master Blacksmith’s Pride.

Sweat pours down Kali’s back under that pressure.

KUUUUNG—

Hyunsoo rises into the sky.

His brown coat flutters, visible to all the world.

With anyone’s eyes, the one with superior skill—the genius—is Kali.

But while Kali watched a single “dullard” who only repeated things dozens of times to analyze and understand him—

That dullard watched hundreds of times, forging power.

KROOOOAR—

Everyone watches the combined Twin Dragon Sword’s power rampage in the sky.

Among them—

Bahala.

“...Is he really going to win this?”

Watching through the screen, Bahala couldn’t believe it.

Hyunsoo’s skill was too different from what he remembered.

And his vision swam.

Because—

Only then did he understand.

Another goal behind the goal of becoming king.

It would be defeating him.

It made clear that Hyunsoo’s goal was only beginning.

And another person—

“......”

CEO Lee Sejin was one of them.

He knew Atlas was far greater than people thought.

But if he had to bet his entire fortune on Atlas vs. the alliance, he would’ve bet on the alliance without hesitation.

“...If User Hyunsoo really wins, the reward he’ll obtain is beyond imagining.”

What reward would he get?

Even Lee Sejin couldn’t predict it.

Atlas had been at an overwhelming disadvantage, and the reward for victory was something even he couldn’t measure.

And others—

Countless viewers were witnessing the birth of a new world’s king rising upward.

Is this real?

He’s really going to beat Kali, too?

From 3% HP?

That’s insane....

That guy is seriously incredible!!

Among the masses—

The final Link detonates.

“Sword Frenzy.”

The instant he fires it, Hyunsoo breaks free from Trance with a snap.

“Huuuuup!”

Gripping the sword with both hands, he drives the blade down into Kali.

[Kali’s HP drops below 12%...]

[Kali’s HP drops below 7%...]

And they meet another variable.

[The White Tiger is an unyielding tiger.]

[White Tiger’s Spirit activates.]

[Those struck head-on by the power emitted from the White Tiger take sustained damage.]

[The defense of the one who activates White Tiger’s Spirit increases 3x.]

KWAHHHHHHHANG—!

A mighty aura surges up from the dying Kali and engulfs Hyunsoo.

Just being struck by that aura made Hyunsoo start taking damage.

For an instant, Hyunsoo almost lost his grip on the Twin Dragon Sword.

[HP drops below 2%.]

But he grits through it.

Even if he breaks.

KRAK—!

Clenching the Twin Dragon Sword, he keeps driving the descending blade down.

Kali’s defense tripled—yet it falls.

2%.

1%.

Sssrrr—

At the moment Sword Frenzy ends, it’s heard.

[HP becomes 0%.]

The same is true for Kali. At the same time, they begin to scatter.

Watching Hyunsoo scatter right in front of him, Kali speaks.

“I might have lost.”

The outcome still isn’t known.

“I felt it. That you’re going to say you’ll walk the road of kings.”

“.......”

Hyunsoo looks at him with a flat gaze, and Kali lays out reality point by point.

“...What people follow someone who leads only twenty thousand troops?”

Kali’s words are reasonable.

Part of him wants to sneer, but he also wants to speak reality.

“NPCs don’t follow users. Your kingdom has to be centered on users. The problem is you don’t have the resources and troops that NPC kings do, and the quests and rewards you can offer are limited.”

Kali asks.

“Why would they follow you, and why should they be on your side? It’s too early for you. The moment you declare you’ll be king, you won’t be able to embrace as many as you think—and instead you’ll become the target of even more people. Yes.”

Kali nods slowly, then digs in.

“You don’t have the qualification to be king.”

Hyunsoo only stared at Kali.

[Great Atlas War ends.]

Because Kali turns to ash faster, it becomes clear who won.

[Atlas’s Lord Hyunsoo remains to the very end, and Atlas wins.]

Kali smiled.

Because he believed he’d won mentally.

But Hyunsoo, turning his body to ascend the throne instead of vanishing, spoke.

“There’s something you got wrong.”

Something wrong?

As Hyunsoo tilted his head slightly, Kali saw an arrogant expression he’d never seen on any user before.

A faint, crooked smile—and then Hyunsoo looked down at his own hand.

“I’ve held a hammer since I was five.”

“...!?”

Kali’s eyes shake at those words.

Was it just something said to dodge the criticism?

No—Hyunsoo’s sharp gaze goes to his own palms.

Calluses driven in deep.

A man whose skin peeled, then piled up again, then peeled and piled again.

Even the Twin Dragon Sword....

The Thousand-Pound Bow, the lord’s coat, everything he wore.

They were all crafting methods that didn’t exist in this land.

Not the power of a class, a skill, or an artifact—the greatest power a human can have.

A power that doesn’t rust, doesn’t break, doesn’t fail.

And because it stepped outside the “concept” of a skill, it can teach someone and lead them.

Kali corrects himself.

Because he possesses the greatest weapon an ordinary human can have, he might have the qualification to be king.

Kali holds Hyunsoo in his eyes as he stands on the throne.

A faint smile—

Seeing that mocking smile aimed at him, Kali understands.

[The lord’s speech will begin soon.]

Today, Hyunsoo will reveal that he is the only Master Blacksmith.

And beyond that—

[Rewards are being measured.]

He will “monopolize” the finest things in the world.