Chapter 571: Throne Match (2)

Throne Match.

It was a one-on-one PvP contest, the event the entire world had waited for most, and also the event in which the largest number of the most famous rankers would participate.

Perhaps because of that, the participants’ entrances were flashy, and many of them received help from their respective governments.

When Musashi got out of a black Carnival with hundreds of guild members.

The entire world had enough reason to admire that magnificent sight.

And when Miao appeared in the Rolls-Royce provided by the Vietnamese government, the Gold-Star Red Flag fluttering, it suggested that Vietnam’s hero was by no means small.

Also.

On the jammed road in Jamsil.

Vroooooom, vroooooooom—!

Koreans admired the motorcycle that appeared, cutting across the congested road.

—Perfect score for obeying traffic signals, perfect score for wearing protective gear..

—And yet it’s still that cool of an entrance?

Because the person who had appeared obeyed the traffic signals thoroughly and even wore a helmet perfectly.

When he pulled over to one side and took off the helmet, his beautiful appearance was more than enough to amaze the world. In that way, most of the participating users were heading toward the stadium in their own ways.

At that moment, the appearance of a limited-edition Bugatti, a world-class luxury car, created another issue.

—That car is...?

—It’s the famous American user Lorander’s Bugatti!

—The car alone is said to cost no less than four billion won!

A limited-edition Bugatti.

The appearance of a special edition said to have only eight units in the world surprised everyone.

Lorander.

He was a user famous for never having lost even once in PvP.

However.

Because of one user, he had been cut down in seconds.

It had happened during the Great Atlas War, and that one user was Hyunsoo.

At the time, Hyunsoo had astonished the entire world by activating Extreme Essence and killing Lorander, who was called the god of PvP, in one blow.

—Damn... Lorander. That Bugatti is insane.

—But what you have to know is that he brought it all the way from America to Korea.

—LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

—How much does it cost to send that thing back? lol

Just as the sharp-eyed viewers said, for the sake of this one performance, Lorander had gone through the complicated process of loading the car onto a ship and unloading it.

But the result was satisfying.

Korea....

Hyunsoo would come by bus or subway.

The Hyunsoo Lorander had seen had no sense, and he did not understand the power of dignity.

And that thing is a king?

It was well known worldwide that he liked taking the bus.

People’s clothes and the things they rode should change according to their position.

Of course, it seemed he had created an image of frugality through that, but it was foolish.

Just show up. I’ll laugh at you thoroughly.

Lorander had lost many things because of Hyunsoo and had suffered humiliation.

And today, he prided himself on having overcome that and grown easily two or three times stronger than he had been back then.

Today, once the match brackets were drawn, the matches would begin in order immediately afterward.

First, he intended to seize the momentum with this car, and if he met Hyunsoo in the match, he planned to trample him completely.

That was when.

“This is insane....”

“Wow....”

“The cars are moving aside?”

“They’re making people move aside even though they’re not an ambulance, fire truck, or police car?”

“Look carefully.... They’re not making anyone do it. People are just giving way.”

“...???”

Seoul was famous for its severe traffic congestion.

Jamsil was even worse.

Because Hyunsoo had not appeared yet, people were wondering about him.

But then.

For a procession of cars, vehicles were moving aside.

The procession parted like the miracle of Moses, and the sight went beyond surprising. It was even cool.

—Our country is famous for yielding the road better than any other country when something like an ambulance sounds its siren.

—Around the world, people even say that in Korea, you can often see the miracle of Moses.

—That very sight is being produced now. A moment ago, the radio broadcast said that Hyunsoo, who is participating as a national representative, was running late, and it seems people are moving aside because of that.

Between the cars yielding the road.

Dozens of luxury cars were entering, and among them was also a Bugatti model identical to the one Lorander owned.

Reporters set off camera flashes like mad.

Flashflashflashflashflash—!

“This is insane!”

“To think we’d see luxury cars like this all in one place!”

Lorander was dumbfounded.

“Do Koreans get scared and move aside when luxury cars pass? Is money all that matters?”

In fact, the sight of dozens of expensive cars dominating the street was imposing, and it was enough to make him think that way.

A passerby beside him said, “What are you talking about? It’s not because Lord Hyunsoo has a lot of money. It’s an expression of gratitude toward someone who didn’t have to compete for Korea, but chose to compete anyway.”

“Even so, people coordinate like that?”

“Do you think this country overcame the IMF crisis faster than anyone for no reason?”

This country was truly unusual.

As expected.

The person who got out of the car was Hyunsoo, and the entire world surged into upheaval.

But Lorander alone watched the sight sullenly.

“He really knows how to put on a show.”

“Is it really a show? I don’t think so. There are a lot of people here who are cheering for Lord Hyunsoo.”

“Because he’s Korean?”

Lorander found it absurd.

It was only natural for citizens to cheer for one of their own inside their own country.

He had been certain that if Korea were not the host nation, this would not have happened, but then Lorander was flustered.

...It is because they’re the host nation, but there’s another reason too?

A massive chill ran over Lorander’s body.

It was because of the insignia attached to the chest of the man he had just spoken to.

A hammer and an anvil?

It was not only one person.

The crowd surrounding the entire stadium numbered at least more than a hundred thousand.

They were not limited by race.

Westerners, Vietnamese, Asians, Africans, and people of every race in the world had gathered, and all of them had the same insignia attached somewhere on their bodies.

Lorander also realized something else.

The passerby just now had called him “Lord Hyunsoo.”

This crowd of more than a hundred thousand.

All of them were people of the nation of Hyun.

“.......”

Only then did Lorander realize one thing.

Hyunsoo was the first king among users, and no one else had yet ascended a throne.

Now.

Users of the nation of Hyun, people Hyunsoo did not even know by face, had come to reality to cheer for him.

“Your Majesty!!!”

“Lord Hyunsoo!”

“Long live Hyunsoo, Your Majesty!”

“Long liiiiiive!!!”

The resounding shouts made it known that his nation displayed its power even in reality.

The commentators around the world discovered this one step late.

They marveled as they saw citizens waving the Korean flag and people waving flags marked with the insignia of the nation of Hyun.

And.

Whew, I almost ran late.

Hyunsoo, who had nearly been late for the match bracket drawing, felt relieved, then discovered that sight and was surprised. Hyein, standing beside him, informed him.

“It is said that a total of one hundred ten thousand users from the nation of Hyun have gathered from all around the world to cheer for Lord Hyunsoo.”

This flashy entrance had not been suggested by Hyein or anyone else.

Hyunsoo had suggested it.

Until now, he had always shown himself using public transportation, but Hyunsoo had judged that it would be good to show this side of himself at least once.

The result was excellent.

Because it was more than enough to drive the people of the nation of Hyun who had gathered to cheer for Hyunsoo, as well as Korean viewers, into a whirlpool of emotion.

To think as many as one hundred ten thousand gathered....

The fact that so many people of the nation of Hyun had gathered made Hyunsoo happy, and before he knew it, one man was approaching him.

It was Valhalla.

“Are you nervous?”

It was the question Hyunsoo asked Valhalla after getting out of the car.

At that, the people of the world were flustered.

—I’ll admit his flashy entrance was enough to show the dignity of a user king.

—I agree, but how dare he ask Valhalla if he’s nervous?

—User Hyunsoo has guts. Has he forgotten this isn’t the nation of Hyun fighting Valhalla, but the Throne Match, where you climb by beating opponents one-on-one?

—His arrogance reaches the sky.

—This is why kids don’t work.

The viewers thought it was ridiculous that he had even asked Valhalla such a question.

But then Valhalla spoke.

“I am a little nervous.”

—Excuse me...?

—Whoa....

They were nothing more than ordinary viewers, and there were others who were not.

—There seems to be something special about Master Blacksmith Hyun that Valhalla acknowledges.

—He’s seeing something we can’t see.

—If Valhalla says he’s nervous, that proves this match won’t be easy for him.

It was true.

Valhalla intended to face this with everything he had.

After the two men shook hands, each turned and entered the stadium separately.

They would clash.

It was a story that would make the entire world cheer and go wild, but people knew.

—First, the two of them have to meet.

—Right.

The Throne Match was not a match where two people could fight just because they wanted to.

If one of the two were eliminated along the way, the two of them might never meet in the end.

—Do you know what the truly frightening thing about one-on-one PvP is?

—What is it?

—That it’s impossible to predict. In the past, when another legend named Vera was born, people predicted she would tear Atlas apart. But then Kabel appeared and subdued her in only two moves.

—Of course, that must have been a burden for Kabel as well. After all, the finishing move Kabel possessed was revealed.

—Just like that, there is a high probability that users each have hidden finishing moves, and everyone should keep in mind that a single move like that can act as a major variable even for Hyunsoo and Valhalla.

It was a Throne Match where nothing could be predicted yet.

And now, an important event would unfold.

—The first match bracket is about to appear.

—How will the bracket be confirmed?

—The branch heads from around twenty countries will draw two balls, like drawing the Super Bowl or our country’s lottery, and the players with the numbers on those two balls will face each other.

—So all the participants arrive at the stadium and receive their own unique numbers.

—Is this fate playing tricks? Or are these numbered tickets the order the viewers are hoping for?

—Valhalla’s unique number is 1, and Hyunsoo’s unique number is 2.

—In that way, unique numbers have been assigned to approximately one hundred users.

—Now that the assignment of unique numbers is complete, the branch heads of twenty countries are beginning to draw number tickets on the screen.

Hyunsoo, who had received the unique number 2, watched carefully.

—The match between No. 44, player Flaming, and No. 69, player Amton, has been confirmed.

—The match between No. 74, necromancer player Wei, and No. 39, player Musashi, has been confirmed.

—The match between No. 43, Divine Archer Miao, and No. 63, Lund, has been confirmed.

—No. 1? No. 1 has come out!

—Oh, finally No. 1!

The entire world focused, and Hyunsoo did the same.

My unique number hasn’t been called yet.

There was no law saying the two of them had to meet at the top.

—No. 16 has come out.

—Who is that?

—Lee Taeha. Player Resil.

And Hyunsoo felt bitter that Resil, of all people, had been drawn. About five minutes passed.

Hyunsoo’s number was called.

—It’s No. 2.

—That’s player Hyunsoo.

—What is the opponent’s number?

—It’s No. 97.

No. 97? Who is that?

Hyunsoo was puzzled.

The first opponent was more important than one might think.

That was because the easier he could finish each match, the more he could keep his power hidden and carry it forward for a long time.

Soon, Hyunsoo’s opponent was revealed to the entire world.

—Fighting God Lorander and Master Blacksmith Hyun will face each other.

Lorander, who was not far from Hyunsoo, rejoiced, and he quickly approached Hyunsoo and said, “Do you know how long I’ve waited for this day since the Great Atlas War? I have been counting the days until this day, crossing one mountain after another and improving {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} myself all this time.”

Lorander was so delighted that even his eyes were bloodshot.

He could not forget being struck by Extreme Essence and dying to Hyun in only a few seconds in front of the entire world.

“I trained and trained, polishing myself so much that there wasn’t a single day I forgot you. My skill levels and stat levels have grown several times higher than they were back then, that’s how much effort I put in. There were many days I wanted to give up, and there were days I wanted to cry, but I endured and held on stubbornly. It was all for this day. So look forward to it.”

Lorander, standing at the end of a fated grudge after years, smiled in joy and exultation.

“To the changed me.”

Lorander was intoxicated by enormous excitement.

There was no way Hyunsoo did not know how enormous the driving force could be when a human being harbored a desire for revenge and grew through it.

Listening to those words, Hyunsoo opened his mouth.

“I mean this sincerely....”

What would he say?

Long time no see, Lorander?

Or.

So you worked that hard? Admirable.

Or perhaps.

I’m looking forward to a great match.

Soon, after staring at Lorander for a long time, Hyunsoo said,

“Who are you...?”