The branch heads had sent messages to the people they loved.

Looks like I won’t be able to come home for a while.

Since they came from all kinds of backgrounds, the ways they said it varied too.

The Italy Branch Head.

[Oh, my little lark. It seems I won’t be able to be with you for a while.]

The Japan Branch Head.

[Looks like I won’t be able to watch the Dragon X special edition we planned to see together in remembrance. Please honor the 25th memorial anniversary in my place.]

The China Branch Head.

[Looks like this place has even more overtime than I expected, so I don’t think we’ll be able to go to that hotpot buffet we planned on for a while.]

The responses were similar.

[My little lark, how about never coming back at all?]

[I’ll have the Dragon X special edition sent to your office^^. Just live there!]

[Sleeping in your car for a while doesn’t sound too bad.]

They smiled bitterly.

Even when the replies sounded like that, the moment they actually went home, those people would welcome them more warmly than anyone.

And now it looked like they would be able to go home soon.

The wrap-up on the P-41 incident ended earlier than expected.

They had been planning to clock out as soon as the Floor 8 trial ended.

—To surpass ten thousand alone is extraordinary.

That was what the US Branch Head had said.

Once he passed seven thousand, and then nine thousand, it had turned into a battle of mental strength.

Monsters that surged endlessly, and one who regenerated and grew endlessly.

Naturally, Hyun was bound to grow exhausted.

Even so, it was astonishing.

How many people could keep cutting monsters down nonstop for three days straight?

It was only possible because it was Hyun.

—In Bahala’s case, he earned 300,000 Honor Points, so User Hyunsoo’s amount should be more than double that.

—That user Bahala really is a monster too. He killed five thousand by himself six months ago.

—He must be far stronger now than he was then.

—If it were him now, he might be able to hunt fourteen thousand.

As the end drew near, the branch heads started gathering their things.

Then, together with the suddenly appearing Kabel, they saw rings of fire filling the screen.

—......?

—......?

—......?

Fire Bird, which had not been activating, was igniting at the perfect moment.

For an instant, two thoughts coexisted in their heads.

One was worry that going home like this might fall through.

The other was anticipation.

—Atlas is suffering from financial trouble right now, isn’t it?

—Not just financial trouble. Its growth has stagnated too. And now what they call “mob duplication” is effectively becoming real...

—Mm... Atlas is probably the most looked down on faction these days. Since it hasn’t been growing, there are plenty of experts spouting nonsense about how Hyun’s nation is ridiculous.

—Even famous streamers have been mocking it lately with titles like, “Latest update on Atlas, the place that said it’d become a nation. I’ll probably become king first.”

—If they join in on this mob duplication...

They had worked overtime for quite a long time, so by now they could dump the rest of the workload onto their teams.

But they too had started taking genuine interest in Atlas and in Hyun himself.

One by one, they quietly sat back down.

Because there was something they were far too curious about to choose going home instead.

—With Atlas’s fighting strength, how many tens of thousands do you think they could hunt?

—And how many Honor Points would they gain? To begin with, the higher the monster kill count goes, the more the Honor Points rise exponentially, doesn’t it?

—At this rate, could User Hyunsoo end up receiving another million points or so, like the amount he burned through on Floor 8? And if they really pull off that level of hunting, what sort of reward will the tower hand down?

—Atlas itself is a small but powerful army. How much stronger could they become?

Each of them began picturing different numbers in their heads.

30,000?

35,000?

It’ll be 40,000.

But before long, all of their predictions were completely overturned.

This was the special phenomenon that activated in the game Ares depending on what happened through the bond between users and NPCs.

—W-what is that?

—No, why is that status ailment skill activating?

—Hk...!

The ones triggering it were the figures appearing through the rings of fire.

*****

There was one fact the branch heads had overlooked.

They had assumed that the ones who would burn together with Fire Bird would simply be thrilled about “mob duplication.”

It had been more than four full days.

For over four days, Hyunsoo, who had promised Fire Bird, had been completely silent.

The idea that mob duplication would happen could plant a false impression that a user might be able to stay logged in forever and die forever.

And the fact that there had been no contact was more than enough to make people anxious.

And for those four days, he had fought alone.

Of course, they knew Hyunsoo had dreamed of mob duplication, and that it had also been for the sake of creating a foothold for new growth.

But still.

“......”

Seeing Hyunsoo drenched in sweat, pushed to the brink of the status ailment stun, an indescribable emotion surged up inside Asura Kabel.

It was guilt, for being late to his friend’s lonely battle.

It was the realization that he truly cherished him, had worried for him, and was enraged at the monsters that had reduced him to this state.

And that voice Hyunsoo had shouted just moments earlier—

“Ah, why did you take so loooong?!”

—that voice was reaching those being summoned.

It was proof that he had been desperately waiting for them.

Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump—

Crossing through the rings of fire, a furious army began its advance.

My lord.

We are sorry.

We were late.

At the very front, leading the charge with silver hair streaming, was Bella, followed by Atlas’s army.

They cast aside the complacency that had expected nothing more than some trivial mob duplication.

Their lord had fought here alone.

And even the one shouting about mob duplication must have done so for their sake.

Atlas’s army was small in number, but stronger than the soldiers of most ordinary kingdoms.

The biggest reason was the artifacts Hyun had made for them.

And while the nobles who led most armies treated soldiers and knights as nothing but cannon fodder, they had not been treated that way here.

And they had heard it—

Why did you take so long?

Rage at themselves for having been late boiled up inside them.

And along with it, a fury they had never felt in life before boiled up toward the monsters that had been surrounding their lord and attacking him just moments ago.

And ahead of them, walking while commanding them all, was Bella.

That once-in-a-generation genius cherished by the Sword King also saw Hyunsoo rising with Asura Kabel supporting him.

It felt as though a tremendous power were boiling inside her body.

Even without having seen it, she could understand what kind of events had taken place.

KRAAAK—

Gripping her sword hard, she shouted.

“Formation!”

Atlas’s army formed ranks, guarding Hyun’s left flank.

And because of the sudden appearance of this powerful force, the tower declared—

[Tower of Honor Floor 8 detects an anomaly.]

[A new story begins.]

[Monster respawn speed doubles, and monsters appear infinitely.]

The number of monsters crossing the horizon began to increase exponentially.

At that point, it was becoming difficult even for him to count them anymore.

FWOOOOSH—!

But before the man appearing from another ring of fire, they were little more than riffraff.

The one who had cut down dozens of enemy commanders in the Battle of Goyard.

A once-in-a-generation genius even the great archdemon Gremory had coveted.

A being called [N O V E L I G H T] the undefeated knight because he had never once been defeated.

Luxiu.

The instant Luxiu appeared, he dropped to one knee before Hyunsoo.

“...I am sorry for being late.”

He too had heard Hyunsoo’s voice.

Hearing that sound of relieved complaint—asking why they had only just arrived—made it clear how desperately he had been waiting for them.

And he knew what the proper answer to that was.

“Would it suffice if I take ten thousand heads?”

Then he realized that his question itself had been wrong.

“No. I will cut down so many that my lord would not dare imagine the number, and I will offer up the spoils.”

He was the very image of a loyal knight now living a life that looked only at Hyunsoo.

And he himself was now a being who might single-handedly slaughter far more than ten thousand.

At this point, it was impossible to say whether even Bahala could stand against him.

And the rings of fire still had not vanished.

KIIIEEEEEE—

High in the sky, the Myriad Mile Bird was still crying out.

FWOOOOSH—!

From within it, the Black Wind Corps and Bon’s powerful troops also advanced.

It was Hyunsoo who had become the new rain that soaked the drought-stricken Atlas, which had been mercilessly broken by the existence called dragon.

It was he who had awakened them from sleep and given them new life.

Bon and the Black Wind Corps were the strongest army once raised by Saint King Harun.

The rage of the mightiest cavalry, mounted on black horses, was boiling over.

And Bon too, though he seemed expressionless as he watched Hyun being slowly escorted forward, had his hand clenched hard around his weapon.

Then he pronounced judgment upon the Black Wind Corps mounted on horseback.

“One hundred each. If you cannot kill even that many, then you are no Black Wind Corps.”

“CHARGE!!!!!”

Their fierce cry rang out toward the monsters, now estimated to be in the tens of thousands, with double respawn speed and infinite numbers.

And elsewhere—

there were figures who, the moment they emerged from the ring, ran straight toward Hyunsoo.

They were Nell, along with Hyuksu and Resil, the Olympic trio, and Bellia, child of the Saintess.

“Are you all right?”

Nell was usually the coldest and most calculating among them, but even she had been drowning in worry after four days without contact.

And in the case of Resil and Hyuksu, they had been imagining that Hyunsoo might have been getting mob-beaten infinitely, all alone, for four straight days.

And they too had heard his voice asking why they had only just arrived.

That was why.

“This is a chance for explosive leveling. We cannot afford to miss it. Let’s wipe them all out.”

Using explosive leveling as an excuse, they were burning with more motivation than ever before.

And then the rings of fire began to fade.

In that narrowing gap, the latest arrivals appeared.

They were the smallest of all, but they were running with all their might.

Lucky Lump and KyooKyoo.

Lucky Lump planted itself directly in front of Hyunsoo, bared its rice-grain-sized teeth, and roared.

“Maaang!”

[Lucky Lump says not to worry.]

[KyooKyoo says it will protect you.]

“Kyuu!”

Standing at the center, Hyunsoo was hearing countless notifications.

[A total of 51,303 monsters advance.]

It was an overwhelming number.

And before he knew it, the ones that had completely crossed the horizon were already drawing close.

But—

he soon witnessed a bizarre sight.

The monsters that had been advancing abruptly halted, overwhelmed by those around Hyunsoo.

Ding!

[Loyalty’s Wrath usually activates when a commander or someone dies on the battlefield, but in rare cases it can activate due to deep bonds.]

[Loyalty’s Wrath is a first activation that grants a debuff to enemy forces and a buff to allied forces.]

[The morale of all troops is soaring high enough to pierce the sky.]

[All Stats increase by 12%.]

[All attack power increases by 15%.]

[Attack speed and movement speed increase by 20%.]

[The killing intent blooming from noble hearts for someone weighs down all enemies.]

[All enemies’ stats decrease by 14%.]

[All enemies’ defense decreases by 30%.]

[This will not disappear until all enemies are exterminated!]

Hyunsoo looked at Bella and Atlas’s forces guarding his left.

And he looked at Bon and the Black Wind Corps guarding his right, Luxiu standing beside him, and the guild members layered around him in rings.

And he looked at Lucky Lump and KyooKyoo in front of him, pretending to be brave.

When he had first started the game, Jihoon had been the only friend Hyunsoo had.

But not now.

“All troops, advance.”

Those who wanted to protect him shot forward all at once.

And among them, running together with them, the blacksmith holding Full Bloom would never forget this moment for as long as he lived.

Of course—

Thud—

“M-my lord?” 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

“Mr. Hyunsoo?”

“Not-Hyunsoo syndrome again...?!”

“Hk...!”

Hyunsoo fainted again in the middle of running.

But in the end, that turned out to be a good thing(?).

“You bastards!”

“I’m not letting this go!”

With Not-Hyunsoo syndrome added on top of Loyalty’s Wrath, their combat power was running wild.