Chapter 634: Forgotten Mine (2)

As a Master Blacksmith, Hyunsoo was fully capable of attempting to craft an armor set that boasted the greatest defensive power imaginable.

Yet instead of doing so, he had focused almost exclusively on weapons.

Some people might have looked at him and said—

Isn’t that just because weapons are the only things he can make well?

He probably isn’t confident he can create a good set of armor.

That was partially true.

Even if he crafted an entire armor set, producing every individual piece at a high grade would not be easy.

However, the real reason lay elsewhere.

It was because of these two artifacts.

[Transcendent grade: Overlord’s Armor.]

[Transcendent grade: Overlord’s Helmet.]

Even though more than five hundred Transcendent artifacts have entered circulation by now....

Hyunsoo had checked the auction house and countless other sources, yet he had never seen another piece of defensive equipment with effects that surpassed the Overlord’s Armor and Helmet.

Despite consisting of only two pieces, the Overlord set also provided a set effect.

Other artifact sets require at least three pieces before their set effects activate, but the Overlord set ignores that rule.

Equipping just those two pieces increased all of their effects by 10%.

With such an absurdly powerful set already in his possession, Hyunsoo had never felt the need to obsess over crafting armor.

Furthermore, this had once been the ultimate armor worn by the Overlord, the strongest man among humanity.

And now, that armor and helmet were revealing their power in the land of the elves.

The Orc Legend approached Hyunsoo, who had been observing Revas, Poso, and Elvin’s battle, and swung its axe.

WHOOOOOSH—!

The sound of the axe tearing through the air was so tremendous that it hardly seemed possible for a single swing to produce it.

The creature was gripping the weapon with both hands. The blow looked more than powerful enough to cleave Hyunsoo in half.

Hyunsoo prepared for it simply by swapping his miner’s cloth clothing and headgear for the Overlord’s Armor and Helmet.

KABOOOOOM—!

The impact against Hyunsoo sent such a violent tremor through the entire mine that the cavern itself seemed to shake.

However—

[Your HP has fallen below 98%.]

Against Hyunsoo’s immense Defense, the Orc Legend’s basic attack inflicted only that much damage.

On the other hand—

[Overlord.]

[Returns damage at x3 strength and ignores all Defense.]

A faint black glow flickered across the Overlord’s Armor.

Simply by reflecting the attack—

Thanks to the defense-ignoring effect and the x3 damage multiplier, Hyunsoo was returning damage at more than five times the amount he had actually suffered.

BOOOOOOM—!

[You have inflicted 133,030 damage.]

A massive wound tore across the Orc Legend’s body.

“GRAAAAAARGH!”

The screaming Orc Legend crumbled into ash and scattered away.

Revas, Poso, and Elvin came rushing over in a panic.

What in the world is that armor...?

The three elves stared with wide eyes.

The armor and helmet alone had completely transformed Hyunsoo’s presence.

Even though they knew little about artifacts, some qualities were obvious at a glance.

The seams flow together flawlessly.

It feels sturdy enough to withstand anything.

That glossy black finish... It looks incredible....

The black horned helmet and the gleaming full plate armor, fitted perfectly to Hyunsoo’s body, were enough to inspire awe.

Moreover—

SHHHH—

The section dented by the Orc Legend’s strike restored itself before their eyes.

The sight was nothing short of miraculous.

Hyunsoo removed his helmet and tucked it beneath his arm.

Revas asked him,

“Did that armor just kill the creature?”

“It contributed, but the Orc Legend was already dying.”

In truth, the Orc Legend had only around 1.6% of its HP remaining.

In gaming terms, it had been clinging to life with a sliver of health.

“Ah....”

They realized that as well.

Still, the fact that Hyunsoo had remained unharmed after taking such a powerful blow—and that the armor had reflected the attack—made it obvious that the equipment was extraordinary.

“Where did you obtain that armor?”

“It was a gift.”

“A gift....”

Revas, Poso, and Elvin found that somewhat understandable.

He is a Legendary Miner, after all.

Gordon, King of the Elves, did not casually befriend members of other races.

Yet even Gordon had acknowledged a human as his friend for the first time in 130 years.

If that was the case—

He must have an excellent reputation among humans as well.

And since he can mine things no other miner can, it makes sense that someone would give him something like this.

Could it be a Legendary artifact?

They could tell that the armor was unusual, but their limited knowledge prevented them from judging its true grade.

Remembering how frantically they had rushed over when they believed he was in danger, Hyunsoo said,

“I’m capable of protecting myself, so there’s no need to worry too much....”

Hyunsoo’s actual combat strength surpassed theirs.

However, he could hardly say that openly without appearing arrogant.

The three elves interpreted his words differently.

With Defense like that, he certainly won’t die easily.

That’s one less thing to worry about.

They were relieved that they would not have to exhaust themselves protecting Hyunsoo during battle.

“Farther inside, an Orc Legend wielding a greatsword and a Human Legend wielding daggers will appear together.”

Revas, Poso, and Elvin had entered and experienced this place before.

“Although our elementalist is no longer with us, we’ve fought these enemies once already and prepared sufficient countermeasures. Once we kill them, we should be able to destroy the wall and proceed.”

Hyunsoo voiced a concern.

“What will you do if you encounter three or more beyond the wall?”

The elves had clearly said that even two had been difficult for the four of them.

If they encountered three, the situation would become dangerous.

“A great deal of time has passed since then, and we have grown stronger as well. Our earlier complaints about how the three of us could possibly break through these Legends were merely that—complaints.”

“....”

“Besides, the situation has turned out better than expected. You can protect yourself, and the three of us are considerably stronger than we were before. Furthermore, the World Tree didn’t merely locate Belto’s final traces. It also revealed the interior of this mine to us. There are certainly quite a few Legends beyond the wall, but they are spread apart. We should be able to eliminate them one at a time.”

Revas unfolded a map.

It marked Belto’s suspected location, as well as the positions of the Devolved Legends.

Most importantly, it also listed how many were gathered at each location.

Come to think of it, none of them suffered a serious injury against the Orc Legend.

That alone demonstrated how thoroughly they had trained and prepared to find Belto in the Forgotten Mine.

“They’re coming.”

“Please remain behind us.”

Just as they had said, an Orc Legend wielding a greatsword appeared alongside a Human Legend armed with daggers.

Standing behind the others, Hyunsoo focused on the Human Legend.

Could these be copies of Legends from across the various continents?

That was Hyunsoo’s conclusion.

He narrowed his eyes, trying to determine whether the Human Legend was anyone he recognized.

Hmm... I have no idea who that is.

There were plenty of hidden Legends scattered across the continents.

And if this one came from the distant past....

There was no way he could identify every Legend who had ever lived.

The battle soon reached its midpoint.

Revas fought the Assassin Legend alone with his rapier, while Poso and Elvin faced the slower Orc Legend.

Then—

[A new story will begin shortly.]

“...?”

Hyunsoo’s gaze sharpened at the notification.

What...?

RUMBLE—!!!

Immediately after the message appeared, the entire mine began to shake violently.

Dust and luminous stones rained continuously from above.

Revas, who had been fighting the Assassin Legend, looked around in alarm.

“What is this?”

His eyesight, sharp enough to be rated at 4.0, pierced the darkness and fixed upon the distant wall they had been unable to destroy.

“Damn it!”

The wall was rising on its own.

Several figures were already walking out from behind it.

“Why...!?”

The World Tree had clearly told them the monsters’ numbers and locations.

However—

“The World Tree didn’t know the door could open....”

Poso’s shaken voice rang out.

The instant the doorway fully opened, Devolved Legends began emerging.

Each carried a different weapon.

There were five of them.

Worse still, every Devolved Legend that had been positioned beyond the wall wore a crimson cloak.

“Are they stronger?”

Their overwhelming presence made the enemies they had faced earlier seem like nothing more than a warm-up.

The five immediately began charging toward them.

THUD-THUD-THUD-THUD—!

While Revas stood momentarily stunned—

BOOOOM—!

An arrow fired from a massive longbow in the distance struck him directly.

KABOOOOOM—!

The impact sent Revas flying, and blood burst from his mouth.

“COUGH!”

As Revas rolled across the ground, the Assassin Legend he had been fighting drove a dagger toward him.

Revas barely managed to block it.

CLANG—!

“Revas!”

“Are you all right!?”

Now severely injured, Revas could no longer properly contend with the Assassin Legend.

Furthermore—

BOOOOM—!

There was more than one Assassin Legend.

Another figure, faster than any of the other Legends, raced through the enemies Poso and Elvin had been fighting and joined the battle.

SHRIIIIK—!

The second Assassin Legend descended from above.

CRACK—

“...!”

Poso stared in horror at the thin fracture forming across his shield.

Even though it had been made from orichalcum—

A shield that had failed to reach Legendary grade was still something that could break before a Devolved Legend.

Poso, the group’s tank, was trapped between two enemies.

The Assassin Legend stabbed from one side while the Orc Legend swung its greatsword from the other.

STAB—!

SLAAASH—!

“Gaaagh...!”

The Assassin’s damage defied common sense.

Even a basic attack from a Legendary-class assassin was lethal, and the dagger had accurately pierced a vital point.

Then there was the greatsword.

Its attack speed was extremely slow, but anyone struck by it would inevitably suffer a critical wound.

Blood sprayed like a fountain from Poso’s slashed body as he staggered.

If I fall here....

Elvin, an archer, would die instantly.

Poso gathered every last ounce of strength and smashed his shield into both Legends.

BOOOOOOM—!!!

It was the activation of Charge, a technique that knocked nearby enemies away with explosive force.

However, the Assassin Legend landed as though gliding through the air.

SWISH—

“Damn it!”

Poso bit his lip and looked both ahead and behind him.

In front, another Assassin Legend was closing in on the severely wounded Revas.

And because Revas had been at the front of the formation, the remaining Legends were approaching from three hundred meters away, weapons drawn and murderous intent pouring from them.

WHIP—!

Behind him, the Assassin Legend was kicking off empty air as it closed in on Elvin, ready to turn his body into a pincushion.

We’re going to be wiped out....

They were the elite of Elvenheim’s military.

Revas served the king directly. If he died, Gordon would lose his right hand.

Poso himself was the commander of the elven forces. His death would leave the elves without their center.

And Elvin was responsible for teaching archery, the elves’ greatest racial strength.

The deaths of these three elves would bring an unprecedented disaster upon Elvenheim.

“Daaamn it!”

Poso tried to draw upon his final reserves of strength, but his body refused to respond.

At that moment, a potion bottle rolled to a stop beside him.

“...?”

He turned his head.

Hyunsoo, the Legendary Miner, was standing nearby.

“Get up. Quickly.”

Poso picked up the potion bottle, but a bitter laugh escaped him.

“What difference will drinking this make?”

An overwhelming sense of helplessness had seized him.

The Assassin would kill Elvin faster than Poso could uncork the potion.

The other Legends would overwhelm Revas faster than Poso could pour it over his wounds.

But then—

“It will.”

Poso looked at Hyunsoo, whom he had regarded as nothing more than a Legendary Miner, and frowned in confusion.

What is that look...?

He could not understand the expression in Hyunsoo’s eyes.

Nor did Hyunsoo display the slightest panic, contrary to what Poso expected from a mere miner.

However—

“Ghk!”

Poso had no more time to think.

In the distance, a dagger plunged into Revas’s shoulder.

“R-Revas!”

SPLURT—!

The Assassin pulled the dagger from Revas’s shoulder.

Then it thrust the blade directly toward his philtrum.

At that exact moment—

FWHOOOOOSH—!!

A deafening roar shook the entire mine.

A head exploded.

BOOOOOOM—!

“...??”

Not Revas’s head.

The Assassin Legend’s.

Poso turned his head in bewilderment.

Hyunsoo stood there, having just released the string of a bow.

“I told you it would make a difference.”

H-He was an archer!?

That assumption—

Was completely wrong.

Because the next thing Hyunsoo drew out was—

“????”

An enormous greatsword.