The Korean viewers watching Hers’s “Freeze” began to get their hopes up.
—Can it actually work?
—If he can just cool all of them down, they can smash through them instantly and move on to the second stage.
—Huh? What’s so special about cooling them?
—It’s not just cooling. If they’re completely frozen, their defense drops exponentially.
—Whoa, then if he really freezes all of them, they might have a chance?
Impossible.
MC Hyemin watched him from one side and shook her head.
The moment Freeze was cast, Hyemin was immediately able to check the ability.
[Applies 300% damage to all monsters within a 70-meter radius and freezes them.]
Of course, seeing only that much made it hard to confirm.
The important thing was Hers’s magic attack power.
[Hers Lv.486.]
Hers.
When it came to dungeon clearing, he was an outstanding ordinary-class archer.
Of course, he was excellent.
However.
Freezing all those modified Iron Golems is impossible.
They were beings created to withstand attacks from high-rankers.
MCs and commentators were special.
They could check the Iron Golems Pureum had created for this Dungeon Breakthrough in minute detail.
The Iron Golems she knew.
Their total defense is 40% higher than ordinary Iron Golems, and their total HP is 20% higher too.
That was why they were never easily hunted, and the key lay elsewhere.
Their status ailment resistance is 120%...
Area attacks were naturally far weaker than single-target attacks to begin with.
On top of that, the golems’ status ailment resistance was far too high.
Sure enough.
CR—CRAAAAACK!
Crackle—
—The golems are beginning to resist Freeze.
—The golems, who seemed as if their entire bodies were freezing over, are moving again.
The golems that had stopped began moving again, and the fragments of ice clinging all over their bodies started falling off in chunks.
Then.
Huh?
On Team Korea’s screen, a bow began forming in the sky.
That is?
Hyemin rose from her seat and stared at him.
Those who enjoyed watching User Hyunsoo’s videos knew what it was.
The principle of Reversal.
It summoned something he had once crafted himself.
And the sight of Hyunsoo catching the descending greatbow and drawing the bowstring made Hyemin’s heart tremble.
Hers.
He was merely a man in his early thirties with an ordinary appearance.
By contrast, what about Hyunsoo?
He was tall, with broad shoulders, and the splendid artifacts suited him incredibly well.
There was also the cloak he wore on his back, befitting the king of the nation of Hyun.
With his short hair and sharp eyes, the sight of him alone facing the seventy or so enemies breaking through the ice and starting to move was cool.
Thump, thump, thump, thump—
Enough to captivate Hyemin, the most famous MC in Korea.
But the reason her heart was trembling right now was not only because he looked cool.
Even if it is the same artifact skill...
It differed depending on who used it.
That was because their personal stats, skill attack power, and so on were vastly different.
From what she saw, Hyunsoo’s skill attack power would be several times higher than Hers’s.
Soon.
—Freeze.
A power incomparable to before swept through the dungeon.
*****
The Iron Golem had been flustered by the power that froze its body.
The joints that moved its body had frozen over, and it felt itself slowing as ice crystals climbed all the way up to its chest.
However.
Pshhhhh—
A power rising from deep within its body weakened and melted the ice.
Soon, its body could move again, and the Iron Golem mocked the dungeon intruders before it.
But this time, a different human drew and released the bowstring.
“Freeze.”
At that chilling voice, the Iron Golem looked around.
Most of its comrades, who had already shattered the ice, were advancing.
It was not afraid either, since it had already resisted once.
At that moment.
CRAAAAACK—
“......?”
The Iron Golem was confused.
Unlike the power released by the first human, the walls, floor, and ceiling were freezing over from the cold.
Even the Iron Golem, made of stone, could feel the air growing cold.
And then.
RATTLE-RATTLE-RATTLE—!
The chill that began covering its body started freezing it again from its toes upward.
It was far faster and more intense than the first time.
Yet inwardly, the Iron Golem laughed.
Pshhhhh—
Once again, the tremendous power inside its body began releasing its strength to melt this frozen flesh.
The Iron Golem’s intelligence was low, but it knew one thing.
It knew its own body had been specially made to resist powers like human magic.
SHAAAAAA—
It waited to melt like that, but soon, the Iron Golem was flustered.
CRACK-CRACK-CRACK-CRACK—!
That power did not stop. In an instant, it swallowed the Iron Golem’s neck, the golem core called the golem’s heart, and even the top of its head.
Before it knew it, the Iron Golem was completely frozen.
Through its vision, trapped inside the ice, it could see the man drawing a great blade larger than its own body.
[Hyunsoo: We will break through the first stage within five minutes.]
Paul, Hers, and Kas could not believe what Hyunsoo had said the moment they entered the dungeon.
Team USA had boasted an overwhelming first place.
Their total time in the first round had been in the seven-minute range.
So when Hyunsoo said they would clear the first stage within five minutes, they doubted him.
However.
[The effect of Freeze occurs!]
[The Iron Golems’ defense falls by up to 58%.]
[Critical hit damage against Iron Golems rises by 150%.]
[Destructive Power increases when attacking Iron Golems.]
Watching Hyunsoo run ahead with the Twin Dragon Sword in hand, they realized that his words had not been an exaggeration at all.
In particular, Hers realized that even the same artifact skill differed depending on who used it.
But right now.
“More than three minutes have passed.”
Even if the enemies’ defense had dropped exponentially, too much time had passed, and despair filled him.
Then.
SLAAAAASH!
One Iron Golem collapsed, destroyed in a single strike.
What......!?
After smashing one apart horizontally, Hyunsoo spun as he was and struck the Iron Golem beside it.
CRAAAAASH—!
He immediately plunged into the crowd of frozen Iron Golems and swung.
CLAAAAANG—!
CLAAAAANG—!
CLAAAAANG—!
“Three in one second!?”
They found themselves wondering if what Hyunsoo was swinging really was a greatsword.
Hunter Paul, especially, felt that the greatsword Hyunsoo was swinging was easily three times faster than his own.
That’s a greatsword?
No, to be precise, it was not because of the sword.
Just what is his attack speed!?
The reason was this.
[Dante’s Blessing emits light.]
[When a greatsword is equipped, damage, Cutting Power, attack success rate, and skill damage increase by 30%, and attack speed increases by 50%.]
It was because the blessing of Dante, who had roamed the battlefield with a single great blade in hand, dwelled within him.
The people there were not the only ones shocked.
—Its speed is hard to follow with the eye.
—How can this be? He certainly wasn’t this fast during the Endurance event.
—It seems his greatsword speed has become twice as fast as when he competed in the Endurance event.
—A greatsword that produces that much Destructive Power becoming twice as fast!?
“Let’s go too.”
“Hurry!”
Hers, Kas, and Paul quickly came to their senses.
And the words on the insignia of Hyunsoo’s gauntlet changed to gold.
[Mode is changed.]
[Cooldown mode.]
After recovering a portion of his MP through MP mode, he swiftly began filling his cooldown again.
CLAAAAANG—
CRAAAAACK.
CLAAAAANG—!
[Plunder.]
[You steal 8 seconds of cooldown and succeed in reducing the cooldown of the skill you wish to use by 16 seconds!]
CLAAAAANG—!
[Plunder.]
[You steal 8 seconds of cooldown and succeed in reducing the cooldown of the skill you wish to use by 16 seconds!]
CRASH, CRACK-CRACK-CRACK-CRACK—
[Plunder.]
[Plunder.]
Before long, Hyunsoo cut down the final golem and heard the notification.
[You have cleared the first stage.]
The important thing was how much faster they were compared to the first round.
Kas, Paul, and Hers also wanted to know whether Hyunsoo had truly kept the time he had stated.
And the time revealed was this.
[You have set an astonishing record compared to the first round!]
[Time taken: 4 minutes 48 seconds.]
As everyone there filled with emotion at the sight, Hyunsoo said something they could not understand.
“I can use it again soon?”
What did he mean?
Kas, Hers, and Paul could not understand, but now they felt as if they could believe anything Hyunsoo said.
“Run.”
They realized this match was not over yet and ran after Hyunsoo.
Meanwhile.
American branch head John stood in the stadium and looked at the giant screen, feeling awed.
[First stage, Team USA. 4 minutes 32 seconds.]
[First stage, Team Korea. 4 minutes 48 seconds.]
I never thought Team USA would only be ahead by a hair.
It truly was a hair’s breadth.
Then the rankings appeared in a row on the electronic billboard.
[1st place, USA. 4 minutes 32 seconds.]
[2nd place, Korea. 4 minutes 48 seconds.]
[3rd place, China. Clearing in progress......]
[4th place, Russia. Clearing in progress......]
Seeing that list, people all over the world could not stop marveling and gasping in shock.
Commentators from countries around the world gave their analysis.
—A single player substitution has changed far too much. It is difficult to describe this simply by saying Master Blacksmith Hyun is strong.
—Through the armor Master Blacksmith Hyun crafted for Hunter Paul, all party members became more than 20% stronger, and he appropriately utilized Damascus as a countermeasure against the golems. It is also presumed that he inserted the power called Freeze in order to exploit the fact that cooling monsters causes their defense to drop exponentially.
—At this very moment, the number of people emigrating to the nation of Hyun is increasing all over the world.
—As for how much influence this has, even I, currently residing in the Parion Empire, am seriously considering emigrating to the nation of Hyun.
—Hyun is attractive. Every single day, he radiates a new charm, so he could be called a devilishly charming man.
Hyun......
John was astonished.
A single user turning the whole world upside down was an astonishing thing.
And on top of that, this was Team USA.
Valhalla, great mage Lund, and Kali were on that team.
It was incredible that he had narrowed the gap this much.
However.
Is it over?
Even in the first attempt, there had been a ten-second difference between the two teams.
Yet they had used Freeze in the first stage.
Of course, the same went for the user Hers.
They should have used it in the second stage......
On the electronic billboard, Team USA and Team Korea could be seen entering the second stage.
The reason Freeze should have been used in the second stage.
The golems in the second round were different from the golems in the first.
Creeeeeak—
BOOOOOOM!
The moment they entered, around two hundred humanoid golems landed on the floor.
The one-eyed golems resembled “robots.”
Their status ailment resistance was the same as the previous Iron Golems, but their speed was on the level of ordinary high-rankers, making them difficult to deal with.
If he had used it in the second stage, he could have neutralized them.
John found the person called Hyunsoo regrettable and pitiful.
Is he still this lacking?
He was inexperienced at reading the flow of battle and arranging the order.
Just then, the USA entered the second stage, and Korea entered the second stage right after them.
And Hyunsoo.
By entering the second stage first, he came face-to-face with a humanoid golem.
Of course, the humanoid golem would not be his match.
But then.
Hm?
Hyunsoo put away his greatsword, grabbed the ordinary-type golem’s wrist, and restricted its movement.
In that state.
“Mine~”
“???”
He spouted nonsense in front of the whole world.
At that moment.
What is that gauntlet?
John looked puzzled as he saw the gauntlet Hyunsoo had not been wearing during the Endurance event.
Then a smile formed on Hyunsoo’s lips.
[Mine has been selected.]
[You steal 10 minutes of the Combat Golem’s cooldown.]
[You steal 4,613 MP.]
[You steal 40% status ailment resistance.]
Ding!
[The cooldown of the selected skill has fully filled, allowing it to be used again!]
[Reversal.]
—What is this?
—H-how has Reversal’s cooldown already come back up!!!?
Hyunsoo had intentionally “smashed” the ordinary golems to fill his cooldown.
And finally, by using the skill Mine, he had reset the cooldown.
The idea that he could not read the proper order had been nothing more than John’s misconception.
Hyunsoo had thought enough, prepared enough, and understood enough.
As for his understanding of this dungeon.
Hyunsoo’s was at least higher than Valhalla’s.
Drawwwww—
The greatbow, drawn for the second time, displayed its power once again.
“Freeze.”
“What!?”
—Two Freezes in a row?
—What in the world......!!?
CRAAAAACK—!
Around two hundred Combat Golems froze over.
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