Seven players from six countries participated in breaking the hero. There was a ‘Hero’ in the center of the stage.

"Are you challenging me?”

A black-haired man asked with a nonchalant face. He was the ‘Hero.’

***

[Breaking the Hero]

It was the event Peak Sword was participating in. The participants would fight one on one with the Hero and the contestants who defeated the Hero the quickest would win. It was an ordinary time attack game. However, the public’s expectation for the event that was debuting this year was very big.

It was due to the identity of the Hero. It was the PvP winner of the 2nd National Competition, Kraugel. That’s right...

To be precise, the Hero was a ‘doppelganger’ who duplicated Kraugel’s stats and skills from last year. How many of this year’s contestants could fight against the strongest player last year? Breaking the hero was enough to stimulate the curiosity of the public and attracted a great deal of attention long before the 3rd National Competition began.

『 Chris from Canada, Damian and Katz from Japan, Pon from Spain, Regas from the United Kingdom... The participants are amazing. But the number of participants is much lower than expected. Why? 』

『 This the majesty of Kraugel. It might be the Kraugel from one year ago, but Kraugel of last year is still recognized as the ‘best.’ How many would dare challenge him? I think it’s great that there are seven participants. 』

Some experts interpreted this way, but reality was different. The reason why other players didn’t participate in breaking the hero wasn’t because they feared Kraugel’s doppelganger.

“What’s the point of knocking down a ghost of the past?"

The Argentina team’s waiting room. Soul Predator Seuron scoffed as he confirmed the participants of breaking the hero.

“Pathetic losers. If you want to be a real hero, you should play in PvP.”

It wasn’t just Seuron. The elites of the other countries also laughed at the participants of breaking the hero. What was the pointing of winning a fight with the Kraugel from one year ago? It was clear that this year’s Kraugel would be much stronger than last year after becoming a Sword Saint. They had to fight and win against this year’s Kraugel in order to be qualified to win the title of the strongest.

‘Breaking the hero is nothing but a refuge for the cowards who don’t dare to challenge the true Kraugel.’

The people who thought like this didn’t realize that all the participants in breaking the hero were members of Overgeared or deeply related to the Overgeared Guild.

***

"In the end, we gathered like this.”

1st on the unified rankings, Chris. He broke the expectations of many people and participated in breaking the hero instead of PvP. Then he greeted the other participants.

Pon, Regas, Peak Sword, Katz, Ibellin, and Damian. All the participants except for Damian belonged to the Overgeared Guild and Damian was a famous Grid fan. The people who challenged the non-PvP event, breaking the hero, had one thing in common. They were those who knew the power of Grid’s new sword, the Enlightenment Sword.

In particular, Damian had the direct experience of dying from the Enlightenment Sword. That’s right. The reason they didn’t participate in PvP wasn’t because they were afraid of Kraugel like the other strong players thought. Grid was scary.

“But...” Katz ignored the other participants and talked to Peak Sword and Ibellin. "Isn’t it too difficult for guys like you to challenge Kraugel?”

It was a realistic question, not a hurtful one. Peak Sword and Ibellin were vulnerable to Kraugel. It was suicide for Peak Sword to compete one on one against the nimble Kraugel, since Peak Sword had a big delay after attacking. Ibellin was very talented, but he was still inexperienced. He couldn’t handle Kraugel’s skills.

Ibellin replied ambitiously, "I don’t believe I can win! But I think this is a good chance to measure my skills! I’m determined to use today’s challenge as a platform for my growth!”

On the other hand, Peak Sword...

“Hut. The Japanese have such futile hobbies? You don’t need to worry about me.”

The replies were very enthusiastic.

Chris laughed. "It’s nice that you have faith. But it won’t be easy. Don’t you know? It will be very difficult to win a gold medal against me.”

Chris carried the fate of his country. Once he won a gold medal in this event, the chances of Canada being ranked first would be increased exponentially. Chris had an obligation and a desire to win. Chris’ eyes showed his desire not to yield and it was enough to stimulate the other participants.

The participants became more competitive because they were close friends. Apart from Peak Sword and Ibellin, there was a fierce war of nerves between those who were regarded as the power of their countries. It was like there were flames in their eyes as they looked at each other. However, their eyes were amiable when they looked at Peak Sword and Ibellin. The pity was obvious! In this event, they were clearly looking down on Peak Sword and Ibellin!

Peak Sword felt isolated, but he muttered with a calm expression. "...I will show you the spirit of South Korea today.”

***

『 Chris and Damian have an 80% chance of winning in breaking the hero. 』

『 That’s right. They’re the strongest people who have been often compared to Kraugel since last year. After all, Chris is first in the unified rankings while Damian has been the pope for a few years. I think it isn’t hard for them to beat the Kraugel of last year. Time is of the essence. 』

『 Chris has explosive power with his greatsword, so he’s likely to kill the Hero faster than Damian. Apart from these two, Katz seems to have high odds. Katz has a high chance of winning if he can block the Hero’s agility with his unique ability to control blood. 』

『 On the other hand, it’s questionable if Pon and Regas can win. Their strength is in their control, the same as Kraugel. It will be difficult for them to win against Kraugel, who’s the peak of control. 』

『 Peak Sword and Ibellin are highly likely to be eliminated. 』

The experts started speculating ahead of the match. The evaluation of Peak Sword was very cold. Peak Sword had a disadvantage against Kraugel because the characteristics of his class were weaker than the other participants. It was natural to analyze that he couldn’t defeat Kraugel when he had a gap between attacks.

The Koreans couldn’t deny it.

“It will be very difficult for Peak Sword.”

"Peak Sword is a bit dubious. He’s overwhelming when supporting a team, but there are too many vulnerabilities when fighting solo. There’s no answer when his opponent is Kraugel.”

No matter how much they thought, it was difficult to expect anything from Peak Sword. People thought that the chance of South Korea becoming first was gone. But Grid thought differently.

‘Peak Sword has the highest possibility of winning.’

Grid was someone who knew exactly the power of Kraugel last year.

‘He has a paper body. He just needs to be hit.’

Bloodstone. It was the best mineral that Grid acquired as a reward in last year’s National Competition. The Iyarugt’s Sheath that was made from it fit very well with Peak Sword. It wasn’t something Grid intended from the beginning, but it ended up like this.

Duguen! Duguen!

Grid’s expectations were amplified.

***

『 Wahhhhh! It’s an overwhelming attack power!! 』

Jjejeong!

Jjeejeeeong!

Chris, the first challenger of Breaking the Hero, did as well as everyone expected. He blocked the swift attacks of the Hero while hitting back with his greatsword.

Puok!

In the end, the body of the Hero was damaged by the greatsword.

“Cough!”

The Hero perceived the danger and developed Super Sensitivity. The evasion rate and accuracy of the Hero was instantaneously amplified. The Chris of last year wouldn’t have been able to handle the Hero in this state. But Chris had been hunting harder than anyone in the past year. This was how he could maintain the number one ranking. He had encountered Super Sensitivity multiple times due to his ‘Great Swordsman Hunting’ hidden quest and quickly blocked the Hero with the wide area attack of his second class, Tyrant.

In the end.

Kwajajak!

At the end of the fight, Chris succeeded in breaking the Hero. It took him 19 minutes to turn the Hero to grey. It was 20 minutes shorter than the time it took for last year’s Grid to be defeated by Kraugel. He was a strong candidate to be the winner.

“Wow, really great.”

"I realize how big a year is after seeing this.”

Last year. People thought that the confrontation between Kraugel and Grid were on a different dimension. At the end of a fierce battle, Kraugel was victorious. Now one year later. No, to be exact, it was one year and three months. Last year’s Kraugel was no longer the best. He seemed like nothing in front of Chris, the first ranked player. Everyone was realizing how great the power of time was when Damian challenged the Hero.

The Hero was once again defeated by Damian, who used the strong defense of a paladin, various buffs, and the pope skills to win. Damian took 20 minutes and 55 seconds to take down the Hero. It was two minutes slower than Chris.

"Ugh, gold medal...”

Damian became frustrated by the fact that he lost first place.

‘What a monster...’

Chris and the other participants were unable to close their mouths. It was because Damian’s attack was incredibly powerful. It was comparable to a major damage dealer using the greatsword. His defense was also several times higher.

‘Watching him get beaten up by Grid...’

'...I didn’t know he was so strong.’

The Overgeared members pledged not to be enemies with Damian.

Then.

"I’m next.”

The third challenger was Peak Sword. He went on stage without any expectations and faced the Hero.

‘What pressure...’

The Hero, which recreated Kraugel from a year and three months ago, had already been defeated two times. This didn’t mean he was weak. Peak Sword forgot to breathe the moment he faced the Hero in a one on one match. The Hero caught the moment he was distracted.

Teong!

The Hero narrowed the distance to Peak Sword in an instant.

Clink!

Peak Sword used Draw Sword. He was also a strong representative of his country. He restored his breathing.

“Annihilate.”

Flash!

Iyarugt showed a beautiful appearance as it was pulled from the red and transparent sheath. At that moment.

[Iyarugt, who is 100% charged with magic power, is in an intoxicated state. He has lost his ego and is running wild.]

[The conditions of use for Iyarugt has been changed to ‘person to be sacrificed.’]

[It’s impossible to summon Iyarugt.]

[Iyarugt’s damage has increased by 500%.]

[Iyarugt’s state is delivered to Peak Sword through Iyarugt’s Sheath.]

Sakak-!

Among all the skills that existed in Satisfy, Draw Sword combined the best attack power and speed, drawing a red color in the air.

“What?”

“What’s this?”

Chris, the other participants, commentators from various broadcasting companies, and viewers were simultaneously amazed. It was because the Hero’s health gauge fell to the bottom with a single blow.

“...!”

The Hero was more surprised than anyone and stopped attacking, stepping back. He lost a large amount of health and entered defense mode, judging that he was in danger. This was the limit of an artificial intelligence. The original Kraugel wouldn’t have made such a stupid mistake.

Clink!

The Hero didn’t fight back, making it easy for Peak Sword to retrieve his sword.

[Iyarugt has been picked up by his sheath! 50% of your health has been lost!]

Peak Sword ignored the notification window and attacked again.

Sakak-!

The Hero used Super Sensitivity to try and evade, but it was impossible to escape the moment it had allowed Peak Sword to retrieve his sword. The Hero was hit once again and died. Just two blows. This was what it took Peak Sword to bring down the Hero.

Then.

Swaaaaah.

Peak Sword turned to grey.