Krr... ha... ha... hong...

The unidentified tiger’s roar began to fade.

At that moment, Hyunsoo appeared together with an unfamiliar ring of fire, moved in an instant, and rescued Bahala.

At present, countless people around the world who had once loved idols, actors, and celebrities were broadening that radius.

Because even among rankers, there were many who were as handsome and stylish as entertainers.

But most of them could not compare to Bahala.

Just as people say there are celebrities among celebrities,

Bahala was a flower-boy with snow-white skin whom everyone could love.

It was true that Master Blacksmith Hyunsoo lagged behind in that regard.

But the sight of him appearing out of the ring of fire and, with a flash, rescuing Bahala like a streak of light was more than enough to captivate the world.

Among them were even people who were only watching because other people had switched the channel to him.

And then Gremory glaring with a vicious expression, and Hyunsoo looking down at her.

“How much experience do you give?”

Those were words heard by half the TV-viewing population.

Unfortunately, they immediately turned even the viewers who had just found him cool.

“What in the...?”

The commentators were flustered.

That line was certainly excellent if the goal was to seize the initiative.

Even Gremory’s expression had clearly stiffened in surprise.

But this was a different matter.

“How is that any different from a level 100 player asking a PKer at level 300, ‘What artifact do you drop if I kill you?’...”

[Top 10 Legendary Master Blacksmith Hyunsoo. Lv.444]

[Great Archdemon Gremory Lv.694.]

That was the gap between the two beings.

Of course, the commentators around the world already had some grasp of Master Blacksmith Hyun.

“Master Blacksmith Hyun is far stronger than users at the same level. He himself is a predator who stands above even high rankers, which is why he monopolized titles, stats, and skills. And because his artifacts are exceptional, it is true that he possesses a level of power that is difficult to measure.”

“However, Bahala possessed conditions far superior even to his. And Bahala was still affected by Awaken.”

“The current situation is disastrous for the Ares Church. Pope Karsel has suffered grave injuries, and Aria has exhausted all of her divine power.”

“Because of the repeated warfare over several days, the holy knights and priests are completely worn out. The only one who can properly fight right now is Hyun.”

“Don’t they say the protagonist appears at the very end? Even so, it feels as though this final entrance came far too late.”

The viewers’ reactions were the same.

“...Guess he lost his touch after staying out of the public eye too long, or maybe he came down with middle-school syndrome?”

“He’s a little old for middle-school syndrome by now...”

Hyunsoo had appeared at the end.

The problem was that although he had appeared at the end, the situation was already almost over.

And there was something else helping push things that way.

“Could it be that the artifact only had an effect and nothing else? Since no World Message rang out, if it really was an exceptional artifact, then maybe the creator was an NPC.”

In fact, when NPCs were involved, no World Message rang out.

But Bahala, lying in Hyunsoo’s arms, thought differently.

...What in the world did he do in the Tower?

Held in his arms, Bahala had been embarrassed at first, but now something else had swallowed him whole.

It was Bahala who had first sent Hyunsoo into the Tower.

He had wanted Hyunsoo to grow stronger, and he had wanted the two of them to become endless rivals.

No, to be honest...

I wanted you to chase, while I kept running ahead.

Humans could not help themselves.

No human could truly feel happy when someone who had once been behind them overtook them.

Bahala, who had lived with that instinct, was now afraid.

Because it looked as though in the Tower, Hyunsoo had achieved a growth so absurd it made no sense...

And like the commentators and viewers, he too had not yet accurately grasped the true identity of the effect spreading through the tiger’s roar.

So this, too, puzzled him.

If Hyun made it, then the World Message should have sounded. But it hasn’t.

And yet...

“...Thanks, Bahala. Leave the rest to me.”

Compared to the situation, Hyunsoo was far too calm.

And as he laid Bahala down off to one side—

[You are beginning to fall into the status ailment Stunned.]

Bahala finally reached the end of the mystery.

No way...!

He was one who walked the path of the Sword God.

He recalled something he had read in the old records.

A god arrives with a melody.

“...!?”

Remembering that, Bahala understood.

Ordinarily, when users created something extraordinary, it triggered A World Message rings out.

But when a god arrived, no World Message rang out.

Why?

Because a World Message was nothing more than a privilege meant for ordinary users. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

A god, however, sounded a melody.

And that melody was that sound tied to its nature, echoing across all of Ares.

KRAAAAAOOOAR...

That roar, right there.

It was ending.

The melody that announced the arrival of a god.

With his consciousness growing distant, Bahala soon felt certain that his thought had been correct.

After a World Message, a user normally received an enormous reward.

Just like now.

[The tiger’s roar ends.]

The moment the roar ended, a tremendous surge of power was flowing into Hyunsoo.

It proved that Bahala’s expectation had been right.

A... mythology artifact...?

And then, at last—

Thud—

Bahala lost consciousness.

*****

[The tiger-roar effect lasts for 5 minutes.]

[The tiger’s roar will end shortly.]

This is kind of annoying.

That was Hyunsoo’s impression as he placed Bahala somewhere safe.

If he had not been in such an urgent situation, he would have been thrilled by this effect.

Legendary, Transcendence, even Transcendence-above-Transcendence artifacts—

all of them were bound to the limited thing called a World Message.

But the first god ever forged caused something unique.

It is cool, though.

The White Tiger Sword.

It was an effect worthy of it.

And the reason Hyunsoo found it annoying was the reward that came down after the 5-minute effect, which had only now begun to descend.

[Congratulations.]

[You are the first in the world to forge a mythology artifact.]

[This is the first time in 300 years!!]

[This proves that you are more than worthy as a god of blacksmiths!!]

[You obtain the title Mythology Crafter.]

[You obtain 1,000 Dexterity.]

[You obtain 5,000 Fame.]

(Mythology Crafter)

Unique Title

Grade: SSS

Special Abilities:

·The probability of forging a mythology artifact increases by 50%.

·When the one who forged mythology equips any artifact at all, the effects of all artifacts increase by 5%.

·All artifacts made by the creator of mythology inherently gain effects that are 5% better.

·You may use any mythology artifact without restriction.

·The growth rate of blacksmiths who serve the one who forged mythology increases by 15%.

·You are the protagonist of mythology. No one will be able to disregard the one who forged mythology.

What is this... ?

It was a ridiculous title.

To begin with, the 50% increase in the probability of forging a mythology artifact implied that Hyunsoo could forge another mythology artifact.

He had already forged mythology, but it was fair to say that this had opened up the possibility again.

Originally, the blacksmith’s soul had been about to break under the System’s restrictions. But because of all those effects, I was able to overcome it. Now it means I won’t even be constrained by those restrictions anymore.

On top of that, every artifact Hyunsoo made would automatically become 5% better.

Because he was a hand-forging blacksmith, Hyun’s artifacts were already superior to those of ordinary blacksmiths within the same grade.

In other words, if he forged something legendary, then because it was hand-forged, and because he had become the creator of mythology, it would be an artifact at least 10% better than anyone else’s.

Even without adding any special effect or anything else.

Which meant—

There’s no reason not to buy my artifacts, is there?

And to top it off, the people in Hyunsoo’s territory—the ones who had endured and held out—

had succeeded.

Those who had migrated to Atlas but had not yet enjoyed any major benefits.

Now they would experience a 15% faster growth rate...

And even more than that—

[The effects of all artifacts equipped by the creator of mythology increase by 5%.]

Through the title effect, he had gained an enormous 5% increase in strength.

And the better the artifacts, the more brightly that bonus would shine, and Hyunsoo was the one in Ares decked out in the greatest artifacts of all.

And then there was the part Hyunsoo was looking forward to the most.

The increase to all stats received when forging an exceptional artifact.

[It is mythology grade.]

[You obtain 30 in all stats.]

A 30-point increase to all stats.

That meant a rise of at least more than 200 stat points.

And yet the feeling was strange.

Why?

Even after this tremendous growth, it felt small.

Hyunsoo quickly found the reason.

The White Tiger Sword...

A blacksmith’s greatest power came from artifacts.

And Hyunsoo had now seized that greatest growth and greatest power.

The detailed description of the White Tiger Sword he had seen earlier—

even thinking about it now made the back of his knees tingle.

And Hyunsoo realized that his plan had worked.

What he had said, it was true, had come from genuine curiosity.

Gremory in her complete state.

[A new story is in progress.]

[The experience earned from hunting Gremory is increased by 3x.]

Because it was true.

She really did give more experience.

And he also had confidence, and something he wanted.

In the brief instant while Hyunsoo had set Bahala down, Gremory had gathered every demonic beast and monster descending from the gate.

There were so many that “pitch-black” was the only fitting way to describe them.

[Gremory’s Legion.]

[31,683.]

Hidden behind them, Gremory remained calm, and the commentators could not understand it.

“Why is Gremory over there instead of killing Hyun directly?”

“She almost looks like she’s hiding.”

“...This is strange.”

That came from a truth only Gremory and Bahala knew.

Gremory was clever.

I must avoid a direct confrontation until I know what kind of power that armament has.

She too was one of the very few present here who knew that a god arrived with a melody.

KRAK—!

Rage toward Hyun surged up in her. Yet at the same time she thought of him as a pitiful creature.

He must have struggled so hard to forge it, and yet she had no intention of facing him head-on now that he held it.

“Come to me, Hyun.”

So she laughed, mocking him.

To begin with, artifacts had cooldowns.

Even if Hyun held mythology in his hands, he would never make it all the way here.

Because the blessings of the soldiers of the Twenty-Two Legions were greater than expected.

“If you don’t come...”

Her long, beautiful finger

pointed toward the Saintess atop the wall.

At Karsel, and at the others.

Why had she not killed them until now?

One reason was that she had felt no urgent need to kill them.

And up until now, the existence called Bahala had been stopping her.

And she thought that the Hyun she knew would grow desperate when faced with hostages.

But.

He answered her without words.

Shiiing—

The sword he drew from his inventory.

Three tigers engraved into the blade.

And unlike that, a sword hilt wrapped instead in rough, almost crude cloth.

Rrrrrrrr...

Along with it, a low sound slowly began to ring out, and they read the name engraved into that beautiful blade.

“T-the White Tiger Sword?”

“Then does that mean the notification we’ve been hearing all this time came from that sword!?”

At the same time, a force that had been turned on inside Hyunsoo like a chained beast lashed down and exploded outward.

The power of a king who had locked himself in a prison, swallowed back his cries, and feared that his people might fear [N O V E L I G H T] him.

As it took root in him whole, he gave his true voice for the first time.

“Cry out, White Tiger.”

KRAAAAAOOOAR—!!!!!!

Heaven and earth shook.

And further—

the existence born with the energy of the greatest tiger, the White Tiger, a being that had slaughtered the people simply by facing them, roared now from within the White Tiger Sword.

[Even a god cannot resist!!]

[Inflicts continuous damage equal to 10% of the user’s physical attack power!]

[You have been afflicted with the status ailment Near-Death Fear.]

[You have been afflicted with the status ailment Extreme Shock.]

[You have been afflicted with the status ailment Stunned!]

[You have been afflicted with the status ailment Instant Death!!!]

An effect erupted in which a black tiger swallowed the enemies whole.

That effect finally struck Gremory.

And when, like a mirage, the black tiger vanished—

“W-what is this right now!?”

“This is impossible...?”

The viewers realized that they had been idiots for talking about middle-school syndrome.

“What the hell?”

“Holy...”

All over the world, viewers in front of their TVs began rising to their feet.

Because an absurd scene was being broadcast.

Tens of thousands of monsters and demonic beasts had collapsed.

“KHUHEEEEEEEEEEK!”

And at the center of it, Gremory coughing up blood and staring at Hyun with fear-filled eyes was broadcast to the whole world.

But as if it were not over yet—

“Tear them apart, White Tiger.”

KRAAAAAOOOAR—!

A single enormous White Tiger sprang out from one sword.