The entire world sighed as they watched Hyunsoo stand on the brink of death.
The Breaker Golem seemed certain of its victory.
Then, when Hyunsoo swapped to Full Bloom, it grew puzzled at the current of air rising behind its back.
—Aren’t pets impossible to summon unless one has a class related to pets?
A considerable number of World Championship regulations.
Unless a user’s class was something like summoner or Pet Master, pets could not be summoned.
People had said that restriction had been created to keep Hyunsoo, who possessed Lucky Lump, in check.
Pureum had denied that this was true at all, but it had been a lie.
No matter what happened in the World Championship.
If Lucky Lump, KyooKyoo, KkoKko, Golsuni, Pretty, and the others appeared, the balance would collapse.
However, Pureum, which had tried to keep Hyunsoo in check, had only looked at the pets from that time.
Because back then, Hyunsoo had not yet tamed Grout.
—An ego sword?
—That’s right. An entity dwelling in an ego sword is not classified as a pet. That’s why he wasn’t restricted. But who is that?
Could he, revealing himself as a black silhouette, truly change the course of this battle?
Those who thought so let out exclamations at the being who revealed himself.
With black skin, he was undeniably handsome.
The phrase “as if he had been sculpted” suited him, and his superior proportions stood out.
His appearance, reminiscent of a Western nobleman, was enough to make female viewers around the world’s hearts race.
The identity of that beautiful being.
When the world saw what floated above his head, it was thrown into upheaval.
[Grout, the Blood Demon.]
—The Blood Demon!?
—You mean Grout, born between a vampire and a Great Archdemon!?
—More than several hundred ancient books about the Blood Demon have been discovered. Archaeologist classes, dungeon explorers, and various others have endlessly warned us about the Blood Demon who would soon appear on the surface. He is a cruel demon, but he is also called the Demon of Knowledge!
—It has already been more than a year since that information was released. But for some reason, the Blood Demon never showed himself.
—Then, could it be?
The world arrived at a single conclusion.
—The reason he never appeared was because he was raided by Master Blacksmith Hyun?
—This is insane!
The entire world was turned upside down.
The commentators shouted at the top of their lungs, and experts from every country insisted that it was impossible.
—How in the world?
—At that time, wasn’t Master Blacksmith Hyun only around level 200 to 300?
—How in the world!?
Grout took the No. 1 spot in portal-site search terms, and Master Blacksmith Hyun took No. 2.
Those who searched thoroughly came to fully realize what kind of being Grout was and were filled with awe.
However.
—Calling an uncontrolled demon here may backfire instead!?
That was how humans perceived them.
Demons could not be ruled, and they could not be controlled.
The perception was that they were like beasts that had tasted blood.
—User Hyunsoo’s situation is certainly understandable. It seems he called him in a panic, as if clutching at straws.
The commentators fully acknowledged Hyunsoo’s urgency and were convinced that his judgment had gone awry.
Then Grout, who had revealed himself.
He quickly grasped the situation and looked at Hyunsoo behind him and the Breaker Golem.
When the Breaker Golem tried to send the final blow at Hyunsoo.
Grout, whose sunken eyes made it impossible to tell what he was thinking, moved.
Because there was neither anger nor sorrow on Grout’s face over his summoner being attacked, most people thought, “Of course.”
However.
CLAP—
After Grout seized that hand.
“Blood Explosion.”
He caused a massive explosion of blood, sending the viewers into upheaval.
And also.
CREEEEEEEEAK—!
The creature’s head, making a bizarre grinding sound as though it would collapse at any moment.
Grout grabbed it and ripped it straight out.
SPURT—!!!
Looking at the Breaker Golem whose head and body had been separated, the experts who had been so certain did not change their minds.
—That’s right. We judge that there is some kind of compulsion forcing him to protect the summoner once or twice, in some way.
—You must remember that Grout, the Blood Demon, is absolutely, absolutely an untamable beast!!
Experts always asserted their opinions.
This time, no one denied those opinions.
Because it was only natural.
But then.
Grout, who had ripped out the head.
He took one step, then another, walked over, knelt in front of Hyunsoo, and offered up the head.
“I am glad you are unharmed, Master.”
No matter who looked at it, that was the meaning of obedience.
Though dry and emotionless, it was also the image of a subordinate fulfilling his duty.
Since ancient times, it had been considered natural for tamed beings to offer what they hunted to their masters.
—Didn’t you say he absolutely wasn’t tamed?
—Fuck, do they ever get anything right!!
—If that isn’t tamed, then what is it!
Viewers around the world harshly criticized the experts who had been talking.
Among them, the words of the most famous expert summarized everything.
—The experts did not make a wrong judgment. User Hyunsoo is simply an outlier.
Everyone agreed with those words.
Meanwhile.
“Good work.”
[Grout, the Blood Demon, is returned to Demon’s Prison.]
Watching Grout scatter while still in the posture of offering up the head, Hyunsoo felt relieved.
If he’d been even a little later, I would have died.
Hyunsoo had not intended to reveal Grout in the World Championship.
If I had intended to do that, I would have summoned him from the start.
Grout was a being who had left many achievements and traces throughout his life.
In the strictest sense, he had been a secret weapon of the nation of Hyun.
However, in a situation where every moment was urgent.
As the experts had said, it was true to some extent that Hyunsoo’s judgment had become tangled.
Still.
It was better than dying.
The Breaker Golem’s head dropped with a thud where Grout had scattered.
[You have hunted the Legendary Golem. Breaker Golem.]
[Settlement is calculated according to party contribution, but because your party remains in the second stage, 100% contribution is recognized.]
[You acquire 620,013 gold.]
[You acquire 17,401,032 EXP.]
[You have leveled up.]
[You have leveled up.]
[You have leveled up.]
[You acquire the Legendary mineral. Rupture Stone.]
[You acquire a Legendary-grade golem core.]
[You acquire 75 kg of golem byproducts.]
(Rupture Stone).
Grade: Legendary.
Restriction: Level 430 or higher blacksmith.
Difficulty: Advanced-grade
Special Abilities
·Rupture Stone is a mineral in which the power to destroy enemy artifacts dwells.
·Depending on how perfectly it is smelted, refined, and crafted, the power capable of destroying enemy artifacts will increase by up to 50–200%.
(Golem Core.)
Grade: Legendary.
Special Abilities:
·Can create a new golem.
Description: The golem core is like a golem’s heart. When inserted into a golem with a new body, it gives birth to a new golem.
The first round had essentially been like a preliminary.
And in the second round.
“When a golem is hunted, you will receive rewards on the level of hunting an actual Legendary monster.”
Pureum had already announced that.
However, what came out would be left entirely to luck.
Yet Hyunsoo had gained far greater loot than he had expected.
I went from level 504 to 507. On top of that, I obtained Rupture Stone, which could be called the crafting material used for the white greatsword that formed the Breaker Golem’s core.
Perhaps.
He might become able to create an artifact far more advanced than the Twin Dragon Sword’s artifact-breaking function.
However, the reward more unexpected than Rupture Stone was the golem core.
To think I’d obtain a golem core.
A golem core was the heart that operated a golem.
A golem without a golem core could not move.
Also, according to what had become known through golemancers.
A high-grade golem core was known to have a value higher than an artifact.
Of course it would.......
A golem core followed the intelligence of its previous owner.
In other words, Hyunsoo might come to possess that highly intelligent golem from before.
On top of that, the 75 kg of golem byproducts that had dropped with it showed that this could truly be realized.
However, he quickly cut off his thoughts.
How long did it take?
He could not know the time.
Just then.
[You have cleared the second stage.]
RUMBLE—
It seemed Paul, Hers, and Kas had succeeded in raiding the Transcendent Golem on the second stage.
[You have cleared Dungeon Breakthrough.]
What mattered was not the clear.
How much time did we achieve? What’s our rank?
That was what mattered.
Immediately after.
[You will be warped to the awards ceremony.]
Everyone there became light and vanished.
*****
This is insane.
Team USA.
That was Valhalla’s honest assessment as he began Dungeon Breakthrough.
During the first round, too.
He had learned that, through the combination of Lund, Kali, the priest-class user Muksiyu, and himself, they had achieved an astonishing result.
However, high-rankers were people who shone in the second run.
After trying to clear it once, they’re practically flying.
After Dungeon Breakthrough began.
The moment Valhalla entered the dungeon, he resisted the status ailment skills through the power of “Crouch” used by Muksiyu, the priest.
And then Kali.
“Grrrrrrr!”
Kali, who transformed into the form of a white tiger, let out a tiger’s roar, drawing aggro.
Even Valhalla thought the sight of Kali facing roughly eighty golems alone among the concentrated swarm was incredible.
Also.
“White Tiger Dance.”
BOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOM—!
“Fire Storm.”
A difference of 0.3 seconds.
Kali quickly escaped from the middle of the clustered golem swarm, and immediately afterward, Fire Storm crashed down.
RUMBLE—
The Fire Storm that swallowed them looked weak, but.
“Double.”
ROOOOOOOAR—!
An additional Fire Storm formed and swept through them.
And the remaining stragglers.
BOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOM—!
Valhalla wove through them and hunted them down with short, concise movements.
So this is what a team is?
Valhalla realized for the first time how incredible it was to be together with the strongest people of each country.
They were dazzling on the second run as well.
To the point that......
[The title Strongest Party emits light.]
[It grants all party members an additional 12% attack power buff.]
Strongest Party.
When the system recognized that the Sword God had formed an outstanding party, that power revealed itself, strengthening the party even further.
The second stage was a stage for Valhalla.
“Together with God.”
Through the buff of the priest Muksiyu, the skill ability containing his full strength was maximized.
“Sever.”
BOOOOOOM!
The left arms of more than two hundred Combat Golems vanished.
“Fire Wall, Fire Wall, Fire Wall.”
“White Tiger Barrage, White Tiger Light Speed, White Tiger Charge.”
“Heal, heal, grant blessing to my allies.”
Their various combinations created synergy, renewing their speed to a level incomparable to the first round.
[You have cleared the second stage.]
They immediately moved on to the third stage.
What greeted them was an assassin-type golem.
It awakened over a hundred clones identical to itself.
However, through Valhalla, Kali, great mage Lund, and Muksiyu.
“Kihihik, kihihihik!”
The hundred or so Shadow Golems scattered in every direction.
BOOM, BOOMBOOMBOOM, BOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOM—!
As the attacks dug in with perfect coordination, the party members sensed it.
We’re first.
America is taking two gold medals.
Valhalla was once again impressed.
Incredible.
Even though he had not used his full strength, they had produced this kind of synergy for him.
Of course.
Even if I had used my full strength, it would have taken a similar amount of time.
That was sometimes the kind of power team harmony exerted.
[You will be warped to the awards ceremony.]
They sensed that they would be able to check their rankings and time taken at the awards ceremony.
Then they all became light and vanished.
When they opened their eyes.
Kali, Lund, and Muksiyu thrust both arms high into the sky.
“We did it!”
“Glory to our homeland!”
It was a performance that treated victory as certain.
Valhalla simply gave a light bow to the whole world, announcing this glorious moment.
Right then.
“......Hello?”
“???”
A familiar voice came from above.
Hyunsoo’s voice? But why is it coming from above?
An awards ceremony usually had three podiums.
Gold medal.
The highest podium, located in the center.
Silver medal.
The podium on the right, lower than that.
Bronze medal.
The podium on the left.
But strangely, Hyunsoo’s voice came from above.
Feeling uneasy, Valhalla turned his head and froze in shock.
“Waaaaaaah!”
“Father! I did it!!!!”
“Sniff, sniff.”
Hyunsoo, standing above him, was looking at the audience filling the stands.
Beside him, the Team Korea representatives were crying or rejoicing in prayer-like poses.
Seeing them standing on a podium higher than his own, Valhalla realized it.
We lost......?
He turned his gaze to the electronic board, and the results were written there.
[1st place Republic of Korea 9 minutes 58 seconds. Gold medal confirmed.]
[2nd place USA 10 minutes 2 seconds. Silver medal confirmed.]
[3rd place China 15 minutes 3 seconds. Bronze medal confirmed.]
Four seconds.
A difference of only four seconds had decided the course of victory and defeat.
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