Chapter 498: Continental War: World Championship, Part One (13)
“Everyone who talked shit about me earlier, come here.”
“......”
“......”
“......”
“......”
Dozens of the world’s greatest tankers were avoiding one man’s eyes.
Some had risen as super rookies in their countries and departed through airports amid thunderous cheers.
Some had sworn they would win a medal no matter what and bring glory to their people.
One thing was certain: most of the tankers were practically idols in their own countries.
And now they realized it.
Hyunsoo hadn’t been cowed......
He knew he would be able to show them soon.
The users who had been avoiding his eyes looked at the young king named Hyunsoo.
“Whew.”
He was quietly steadying his breath.
Daniel.
The HP King, and the one considered most likely to win bronze.
His personality was absolute garbage, and he had been caught up in multiple controversies on JoyTube, including degrading East Asians, but he was famous for a total HP pool that let him endure against the strongest boss monsters.
Just moments ago, Daniel’s HP had still been around 50% of his total.
And yet that HP had been one-shot all at once through a flowing combination of multiple skills and powers.
Because they now understood why Hyunsoo had stayed silent despite possessing such overwhelming force, they avoided his gaze.
What would have happened if Hyun had suddenly attacked us the moment the match began?
The entire world would have torn him apart, saying he was distorting the essence of Endurance.
Of course, for Hyunsoo, that would have been a way to endure in the Endurance event, and his chances of winning a medal would have risen because of it.
But there would have been no beautiful glory in that.
World media would have leapt at the chance to denounce him and spew abuse.
But they themselves had given Hyunsoo his justification.
Now that was being proven.
Even their own countries’ users were condemning the tankers who avoided his eyes.
-Henta! Why are you avoiding his eyes!? You talked all that trash before the match. Aren’t you ashamed!? Fight him fair and square. Take responsibility for what you said.
-I’m disappointed in Versa. You spent thirty minutes on JoyTube viciously criticizing user Hyunsoo’s statement that he would beat people up, and now what is this!?
-Chen Hao. You, the man called the Great Wall of China, said you would beat Hyunsoo up instead, didn’t you!?
They could not check their own countries’ reactions in real time.
However.
Even our own people will understand if Hyunsoo uses us to absorb HP.
In other words, they had created the opening that allowed Hyunsoo to do this.
It was also far too awe-inspiring.
He got stronger......?
How is this possible?
He became absurdly stronger. And now he’s using us to heal himself too.
They had watched Hyunsoo’s videos many times.
But to the world rankers who had been crouching low, he had only been an exceptionally excellent blacksmith.
The world was overflowing with dealers stronger than Hyunsoo, and in terms of pure skill, there were plenty whose ability was far more astounding than his.
Hyunsoo’s current skill had certainly reached a new peak, but more than that, his damage output was on a completely ridiculous level.
Before coming here.
It was synergy caused by the +7 enhancement of Full Bloom, the 30 All Stats he had gained through it, and all the other effects.
As they kept watching each other’s reactions, Chen Hao, known for being as huge and imposing as the Great Wall of China, stepped forward first.
“So beating people up meant you were going to use users to recover. Your thinking truly shocks me. Impressive, Hyunsoo. I acknowledge you.”
Versa of Italy also stepped forward while clapping.
CLAP, CLAP—
“Unbelievable! I acknowledge you. Hyunsoo, you really are amazing. To enter as the only dealer and show us something this astonishing!”
Henta, the Japanese user, chimed in as well.
“To tell the truth, I knew you would show an achievement unlike anyone else!”
The reason was survival.
They had realized that if they took attacks from both Hyunsoo and Baal, there was no way they would survive.
However.
“Shut your mouths.”
“......”
“......”
“......”
At Hyunsoo’s cold-eyed words, they fell silent.
Hyunsoo remembered exactly who had cursed and criticized him.
He especially did not forget the ones who had insulted his father.
“Disgusting bastards.”
Chen Hao flared up.
“You think you can take all of us on?”
Chen Hao said that and looked around.
However, the tankers looked unsure.
“What can you people do when your Attack Power is only 50% of ordinary users’?”
“......”
At Hyunsoo’s words, Chen Hao realized it.
They could not simply think of it as their Attack Power being 50% lower.
Their attack success rate and critical-hit damage were lower too.
On top of that, if Hyunsoo fought alongside them while the tankers attacked, he would recover.
However.
“If every tanker activates their attack skills at once, that changes the story!”
When Chen Hao said that, the tankers’ eyes lit up.
No matter how much they were tankers, every one of them had at least one attack skill.
But then.
Hyunsoo moved as far away from them as possible.
Chen Hao looked puzzled when Hyunsoo, who had seemed so confident, backed off.
What is this?
And soon, Hyunsoo’s words made him realize.
“Why would I fight honey pots that heal my HP?”
“......”
“......”
“......”
From the beginning, once Hyunsoo put distance between himself and them, there was no way they could catch him. And there was no reason for Hyunsoo, who was at full HP, to clash with them right now.
The tankers were left speechless by the phrase honey pots, and Hyunsoo jerked his chin toward the space behind them.
Baal’s second attack was coming.
Baal was a being who could use the authorities of all Great Archdemons.
Baal, with yellow eyes and narrow black pupils, looked at everyone there.
After they had endured his first attack and grown confident, Baal seemed to look down at them with nothing more than an intrigued expression.
That was right.
It was nothing more than intrigue.
[Astaroth’s authority.]
A brief flicker of interest.
One of the authorities possessed by the Great Archdemon Astaroth continued.
[All targets visible to Baal are pulled in.]
That power resembled Hyunsoo’s Gathering.
Hyunsoo was also flustered by the unexpected power.
WHOOOOOSH—!
Every participating tanker was dragged into one place and packed together.
Beneath their feet.
[Leviathan’s authority.]
The power of Leviathan, known among the 72 demons as the demon of fire and chaos.
Astaroth and Leviathan alike.
Their powers had ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) never appeared before the public, so the entire world watched with high expectations. But that soon transformed into a tremendous shock.
[Pillar of Fire.]
ROOOOOOOAR—!
A black pillar of flame exploded up from beneath the packed users’ feet, instantly annihilating several users who could not endure it.
[It lasts for 3 seconds.]
ROOOOOOOAR—!
Among the users standing there when the first pillar of flame erupted.
In particular, the tankers whose HP had fallen below 40% from the first attack, “Insolent,” and who had not yet recovered, vanished and scattered.
[13 users are eliminated.]
It was not over yet.
[Accumulated damage continues for 5 seconds!]
[You continue taking damage equal to 10–15% of the initial damage!]
WHOOSH, FWOOSH, FWOOOSH—!
The tankers, engulfed by a pillar of flame that reached the sky, took continuous damage.
“Indomitable Blessing!”
“Body That Does Not Collapse!”
“Steadfast Will.”
“Ares’s Recovery!”
Recovery skills that restored their own HP flashed all at once from more than a hundred tankers.
Contrary to the common knowledge that only priests could heal people, tankers from around the world each possessed at least one skill that restored their own HP.
Their HP recovered by nearly 30% to 40% each, allowing them to endure death amid their falling HP.
And.
“You arrogant bastard!”
“You called us honey pots!? You’re the one who can’t even endure!”
“Kha-ha-ha!”
Hyunsoo’s honey pots, the tankers engulfed in flame, burst into mad laughter.
Even if Hyunsoo had been at full HP, they had endured by using their HP recovery skills.
Hyunsoo won’t be able to endure.
That was their assessment.
However.
BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM—!
Inside the surging flames, Hyunsoo began cutting down the honey pots like a madman.
[HP falls below 25%.]
[You recover yourself by the amount of damage dealt.]
[5% HP is recovered.]
[HP falls below 21%.]
[6% HP is recovered.]
[HP falls below 15%......]
[8% HP is recovered.]
RUMBLE, RUMBLE, RUMBLE—!
However, one fact was clear: Hyunsoo’s HP recovery speed could not keep up with the rate of damage he was taking from the pillar of flame, and it was falling.
Before long.
[HP falls below 10%.]
Hyunsoo had endured by killing three honey pots, but his HP had been pushed to the limit, and everyone there expected this powerful championship contender to be forcibly logged out.
At that moment.
The tankers, including Chen Hao, discovered a bizarre phenomenon.
The blood flowing from their own bodies.
Hundreds of droplets of that blood were floating in midair.
Those small bead-like droplets of blood floated around Hyunsoo as he stood engulfed in the pillar of flame, and an arrogant smile rested on his lips.
It was the new probability-based activation privilege added to Infinite Regeneration.
[Infinite Regeneration’s special privilege, which activates at a 5% chance when you are attacked, is triggered!]
[You recover yourself with the damage dealt by those within a 20-meter radius.]
The tankers let out exclamations as they looked at the hundreds of blood beads floating in the air.
Viewers around the world also marveled at the sight, and the commentators were so shocked they were left speechless.
Hundreds of blood beads were absorbed through Full Bloom and into Hyunsoo’s body all at once.
FWAAAAAAH—!
[HP rises by 12%.]
[HP rises by 6%.]
[HP rises by 15%.]
[HP is restored to 100%!]
[You have taken 97,130 damage.]
[You have taken 103,130 damage.]
[HP falls below 90%......]
[HP is restored to 100%!]
[Hyunsoo’s HP maintenance is overwhelming!]
[Hyunsoo’s score is updated.]
[1st place, Korea’s Hyunsoo. 121 points.]
[2nd place, Russia’s Ivan. 75 points.]
[3rd place, America’s Emily. 64 points.]
Even Ivan, who had been the strongest championship contender, was impressed by Hyunsoo standing in front of him.
“To think saying he would beat people up could create this kind of ripple effect. Amazing. And the fact that the target was not Baal, but users, is amazing too.”
Ivan honestly expressed his awe.
Then he gave a faint laugh.
[HP falls below 35%.]
“Then again, the idea of attacking Baal, who has done this to me in only two attacks, was absurd in itself. Perhaps all of us were caught in a misconception because of what user Hyunsoo said.”
This was Baal, after all.
At that moment.
[64 participants are eliminated.]
That was what had happened after the second attack.
Hyunsoo was clever. From the beginning, attacking Baal made no sense.
“If you attack Baal, you become the target of Baal’s focused attacks, and elimination becomes a foregone conclusion.”
Because the user who drew aggro would receive Baal’s concentrated attacks.
Then Hyunsoo spoke.
“This event is Endurance. It is a game where everyone endures. Pureum publicly announced that, and only tanker users participated. And rankers already know one thing. When you accomplish the impossible, you are rewarded.”
“......?”
Ivan could not understand why he was suddenly saying this.
An impossible thing in this place?
He thought carefully about what that might be.
It was the very thing he had just been thinking.
Attacking Baal is impossible.
But if one did it, a reward would be given.
“......You were serious!?”
Hyunsoo had also planned it half in disbelief.
In Endurance, the impossible thing would be attacking Baal.
That was what he had suspected.
He had only suspected it and had not been able to confirm it, but the notifications he heard gave him certainty.
[You have recorded many points in a short period of time.]
[A new story begins.]
[If you complete the new story splendidly, you will receive a special benefit.]
DING!
[Sudden Quest: Attack Baal.]
Grade: SSS
Restriction: The one who has recorded the highest score.
Reward: High points awarded for each hit. 1,000 gold per successful hit.
Penalty upon Failure: Death.
Description: You are walking the only path in the Endurance event and recording an unrivaled score. If you succeed in landing hits on Baal, you will be awarded far more points than by enduring.
Far more points awarded.
Hyunsoo had already confirmed in the Mascot Selection Match that rewards were granted when one achieved an awe-inspiring achievement.
Also, from his perspective, there was now no reason not to attack Baal.
If it’s 1,000 gold per hit, that means 1,000,000 won per successful attack.
Greed filled Hyunsoo’s eyes as he looked at Baal.
How many hits can I land?
He began walking to attack Baal.