[The Blacksmith God ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) stands for crafting, but it is also said that he boasted outstanding martial might.]

[There is a myth that says when the god swung his sword, the heavens wept, and when he struck the earth, the ground split apart.]

That was the explanation that appeared once the final reward was confirmed to be the swordsmanship left behind by the Blacksmith God.

Right, that’s what I heard back when I first advanced classes.

What kind of being was the Blacksmith God?

A god who was better than anyone at crafting, yet also a god who was powerful.

Now that I think about it, this is kind of ridiculous!?

But when Hyunsoo thought about all the growth he had gone through so far, there had been a disconnect between the myths of the Blacksmith God and his own path.

Because Hyunsoo was weak?

No.

Completely unlike the title Descendant of a God, Hyunsoo had never received a single attack skill of any kind.

I’ve been self-sufficient this whole time...

That was right.

Up to now, Hyunsoo had handled everything himself.

But finally.

Only now, after all these years of being a god!

Hyunsoo was about to receive the swordsmanship left behind by the Blacksmith God.

And right now, his anticipation was so intense that cold sweat was pouring down his entire body.

Naturally so.

Because Ares had judged this to rank even above the weapons and armor forged by the god himself.

Hyunsoo imagined it.

Khh, this is thrilling. It’s always something new!

Like the Sword Emperor’s swordsmanship.

Or like Bahala, who walked the path of the Sword God!

A cool, magnificent name for a sword art.

Yes, like the Heavenslaying Bow, for example.

Heavenslaying Sword.

If Hyunsoo spoke it once, the heavens would collapse.

And after that would come the awe-struck gasps of users and people all over the world.

And of course, headlines across the globe.

The First God, Master Blacksmith Hyun!

The Heavenslaying Sword he revealed truly displayed the majesty of a god itself.

With that kind of expectation swelling inside him, the name of the skill was finally revealed.

[The swordsmanship left behind by the god takes its name from that god.]

A huge sense of dread hit Hyunsoo.

What?

Takes its name from the god?

A massive foreboding wrapped around his whole body.

No, right? That doesn’t mean that, right!? Yeah, sure, Hyun’s Swordsmanship. That much I can accept!

But the system was an existence with irresistible power, and one that could not have its framework altered.

[The name of the swordsmanship left behind by the Blacksmith God is changed to suit the user.]

[Mythic Grade. You have acquired Hyunsoo’s Swordsmanship.]

“???”

Hyunsoo froze in shock.

Even someone as calm and composed as he was could not help it.

That was how absurd it felt. If such a thing existed, even Hyunsoo—a cheapskate who had never once bought a cash item in his life—would have been tempted to buy a Skill Name Change Ticket.

Of course, for an ordinary skill, that would be one thing.

But this?

This was Mythic swordsmanship.

That meant it held one of the few Mythic powers that existed on this land.

That was right.

Something capable of causing at least the same level of impact as the White Tiger Sword, and this was its name?

As Hyunsoo checked it, he thought,

With a name like this, I’d almost rather not have it at all... wait, what? This is insanely good!?

The moment Hyunsoo checked it, he could only stare in admiration.

Enough to take back every word he had just said.

It was just that overwhelming!

Hyunsoo took a deep breath and checked it again.

(Hyunsoo’s Swordsmanship)

Grade: Mythic

Level: 1 Proficiency: 0%

Swordsmanship Skill.

·Divinity

·Chapter 1: Sword of Stillness

·Chapter 2: Weeping Sky

·Chapter 3: Reset

(Divinity)

Passive Skill

Cooldown: 12 hours

Effect:

·By manifesting divinity, immense power is born.

·When Divinity is activated, all stats increase by 28%, and all attack power rises by at least 10% to 25%.

·When Divinity is activated, all damage taken from attacks is reduced by 50%.

·Hyunsoo’s Swordsmanship can only be used while Divinity is active.

·It accumulates through the awe, reverence, and admiration of users and NPCs, or of countless other beings.

·When entering battle, Divinity may accumulate more and more as time passes.

·Divinity must be activated in order to use Hyunsoo’s Swordsmanship.

(Chapter 1: Sword of Stillness)

Active Skill

Mana Cost: 5,000

Cooldown: 2 hours

Effect:

·Within the sound of stillness, those recognized as enemies within a 50-meter radius are cut down before they can even realize it.

·The number of still blades of sword energy that cut the enemy is four times the number of enemies.

·Enemies that are cut are afflicted with the Confusion status ailment.

(Chapter 2: Weeping Sky)

Active Skill

Mana Cost: 10,000

Cooldown: 12 hours

Effect:

·It produces the sound of the heavens weeping.

·Thunder and lightning accompany the sound of the weeping heavens.

·In that flash, those afflicted with the Thunder status ailment are struck before they can even realize it, taking a blow that reaches 4,200% damage.

(Chapter 3: Reset)

Passive Skill

Mana Cost: None

Cooldown: None

Effect:

·Applies when a skill is used, or when a passive skill is triggered.

·Resets the cooldown of the skill that was used, allowing it to activate immediately.

Hyunsoo’s body trembled as he read it.

This is insane...

Hyunsoo had the Sword Emperor’s swordsmanship that Sword King Barad had personally passed on to him.

Of course, that swordsmanship, along with many of the other skills Hyunsoo possessed, had tremendous power.

But this Hyunsoo’s Swordsmanship, this swordsmanship that had reached Mythic, could not even be compared to the Sword Emperor’s swordsmanship.

When I think about it, that makes sense.

If Ares 1 had been a world of Legend, then Ares 2 was a world of Transcendence.

And Ares 3 might well be the stories of Myth belonging to the chosen users.

And yet in Ares 2, Hyunsoo had already seized Myth ahead of time.

Of course, Bahala might possess that kind of power too.

Every single part of it was extraordinary.

Sword of Stillness cuts enemies soundlessly, throws them into confusion, and inflicts all kinds of status ailments while they’re still trying to understand what happened.

Weeping Sky is practically a semi-instant-kill move. And it moves together with thunder and lightning? How is this even real?

Even Reset was at a miraculous level.

It lets me use a skill one more time and strike the enemy again. If Weeping Sky activates and then Reset triggers, it could kill almost any enemy in a single burst.

And then, in that moment, Hyunsoo was swept up in another wave of exhilaration.

“His Majesty already granted permission for migration to Atlas, our allied nation.”

“I’ll follow you.”

“I’m going too.”

[Kingdom Quest: Heavenslaying Bow Commission complete.]

[It is a wondrous achievement.]

[The story born from the Heavenslaying Bow forged for 2 gold spreads throughout the entire kingdom.]

[Many wish to join the new nation of Hyun.]

[That number exceeds the maximum that had originally been projected.]

Hyunsoo was shocked.

It exceeded the maximum?

It was originally supposed to be somewhere in the 400,000 range, and now it’s gone beyond even that?

And amid all this, there was someone watching with concern.

It was Chancellor Padro.

“Long live the Blacksmith God!”

“To forge the Heavenslaying Bow—it is the return of a god!!!!”

“I’ll follow you!”

Hyun’s name was raining down through the capital of the kingdom.

And because of that, Chancellor Padro realized that the kingdom as a whole had instead fallen into danger.

[The number of people wishing to migrate surpasses 600,000.]

“......”

At first, King Antro’s intention had been to create a stronger nation.

And in that process, to let go of those who had become disappointed in him.

But now things were different.

As if they had suddenly heard of some rich country.

As if going there would let them begin a new life.

That kind of hope was planting emotions in them that should never have taken root.

That was the problem.

The chancellor studied Antro’s face with sorrowful eyes.

“......”

Antro.

He wore the expression of a man watching everything collapse.

In my own country... the name of another land’s monarch is being shouted...

He had planned this from the start, yes, but he had never imagined Hyun would create this much impact.

But could he blame Hyun for that?

No, he could not.

It was because he himself was inadequate.

And when people feel inadequate, what kinds of thoughts do they tend to harbor?

...His Majesty may ultimately head toward ruin.

The chancellor bitterly closed his eyes.

Because this alliance could not last.

The nation of Hyun, which would take away more than 600,000 citizens, would grow into a great power by swallowing Parkro’s strength.

And Antro, left behind with the national power that remained, would one day begin to feel dissatisfaction, envy, and jealousy toward the nation of Hyun, and in the end, he would break the alliance.

People who had once been close, even for only a short while—

once things soured, they could become worse than strangers.

And right now—

“......”

King Antro turned away with lonely steps from the place where Hyun’s name was being shouted.

And the chancellor thought that Hyun, now a powerful man who would rejoice after swallowing Parkro whole, would raise an arm and cry out, I shall grant you a new life.

But then—

“......Your Highness Antro.”

“......?”

Facing the crowd as they drifted away in sorrow, he spoke.

“......You told me to make a bow for the people. That bow is here.”

With that one sentence, every citizen’s gaze turned toward Antro.

The chancellor could not understand it.

Why is he handing over his achievement to His Majesty?

He could have basked in his own glory.

He could have enjoyed his own reward to the fullest.

But his words made the citizens look at Antro instead.

“......Did His Majesty truly tell you to make a bow for us?”

“......”

Even Antro could not understand it.

He had told him to make a bow for the nation, not a bow for the people.

And yet—

Antro himself realized it too.

Those meant the same thing.

A nation existed because its people existed.

And the people existed because the nation existed.

The young monarch of the allied nation walked over slowly, handed him the bow, and smiled.

“You are this bow’s true owner.”

“......!”

Hyunsoo had grasped the essence of it.

The Heavenslaying Bow the Blacksmith God had once left in this land.

And the first king, who had once been called a Divine Archer.

A god stays only for a while, then disappears.

But the one who made sure it would not vanish, who guided it and brought it into being once more, was Hyunsoo.

And Antro was the descendant of the ancestor who had built the nation of bows.

A lacking king, perhaps—but one who practiced every morning, loosing hundreds of arrows so that he could save his people.

His bow skill might not compare to the legendary Divine Archer of old.

But this Heavenslaying Bow—

from the very beginning, it had started as something uniquely Hyunsoo’s, and all of that power remained inside it exactly as it was.

Antro took the bow into his hands.

The moment he did—

[The Heavenslaying Bow has met its true owner.]

[This is the most perfect combination.]

[Active Skill. Heaven-Slaying demonstrates 50% greater power for the owner alone!]

[The grade of Heaven-Slaying is Transcendent.]

[However, a Heaven-Slaying that surpasses Transcendence will come to pass.]

The chancellor shouted,

“Listen!”

Seeing Antro holding the Heavenslaying Bow, the truth was that the chancellor had doubted him.

But standing here in the midst of what would become a new myth, he understood what he needed to do.

“I told His Majesty to cut down the necks of the noisy citizens and suppress the rebellion! But His Majesty refused!”

The story of king and minister should not be allowed to leak out.

He committed treason.

“His Majesty only wished to build a better nation, and look—look at this!!”

Antro’s eyes reddened.

Looking at the chancellor, who was smiling at him, he said,

“......Imprison that man for revealing the king’s private words.”

“Listen, look, and feel it!!!”

The chancellor wept as he was dragged away.

And Antro, looking at that chancellor with affectionate eyes, smiled as well.

At last.

In this moment, when the bow that would save the nation had found its owner—

Hyunsoo handed him a single carefully crafted arrow, and Antro drew the bowstring toward the sky.

SHHHHHHRIP—

RRRRRRRRRUMBLE—!!!!

The citizens were entranced.

Weak, insignificant, forever scrambling only to hide—the Dragon’s Tears ran down his cheeks.

And like that—

“I will not let you lose your families again. I will not submit again. I will not collapse again.”

That single arrow, carrying dozens of desperate wishes—

“Heaven-Slaying.”

With a power no false blacksmith’s bow could ever hope to rival—

RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRUMBLE—!

[An arrow that generates 3,900% additional attack power annihilates all enemies within a 40-meter radius!!]

It pierced through the clouds and announced the birth of a new nation.

[Parkro’s national power increases by 15% with the Heavenslaying Bow in its possession.]

[The return of the Heavenslaying Bow places bows once more into the hands of the people of Parkro, who possessed greater archery skill than any other people.]

[The archery growth rate of the people of Parkro doubles.]

[The children strive without end for the nation of bows!!]

In the middle of all that, Hyunsoo turned and smiled.

[Only 63,130 citizens will follow you.]

That number had been slashed to one-tenth.

But Hyunsoo knew.

[The Parkro Kingdom makes its name known as the nation of bows!!]

[Multiple kingdoms and empires grow fearful of the Parkro Kingdom’s rise!]

This country was our ally.