Chapter 46: The Hammer Awakens, the Shadow Moves

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you in advance.”

Irophen responded with a faint smile.

Their conversation began, but it wasn’t about the letter.

Instead, they discussed the palace atmosphere and the noble factions. Poeras couldn’t help but wonder.

‘What on earth was written in that letter?’

‘Why did Irophen, the leader of the Crimson Shadows, personally deliver it? Why was the villa ordered to be cleaned out?’

“Then, I’ll take my leave for now.”

The conversation ended, and Irophen bowed slightly.

“Very well. See you tomorrow.”

Once Irophen left the room, Poeras finally spoke up.

“Duke…”

“Ah, forgive me!”

Romen smiled and replied.

“His Majesty sent the Crimson Shadows.”

So it was true. Irophen’s appearance and the villa being cleared really meant it.

The Crimson Shadows were here because of the chimeras.

“If they’re here, we won’t need to worry about the chimeras.”

No matter how dangerous the chimeras were, the Crimson Shadows were more than capable of eliminating them.

One of the two major problems was now taken care of.

“What about the orcs?”

Now they could focus fully on the orcs.

“We can’t dispatch a subjugation force…”

Romen trailed off, glancing at Poeras.

They couldn’t risk sending a formal army.

It would require moving troops—signaling they were mobilizing. This would provoke the orcs and risk heavy casualties.

And with tensions high with the noble faction, conserving strength was crucial.

They couldn’t afford a full-blown campaign.

“We need to minimize losses, not wipe them out,” Romen said.

“In that case, why don’t we let adventurers slowly chip away at them?” Poeras suggested.

Adventurer numbers had skyrocketed recently.

Monster populations had fallen, and public order had improved.

With the right bounties, adventurers would eagerly hunt orcs.

“Hmm… not bad.”

Romen seemed satisfied.

“Shall we prepare?”

“Yes, let’s.”

Romen nodded to Poeras’s question.

***

Meanwhile…

“Yeah, I’m logging in now.”

Kang Juho ended the call with Kim Seokju and headed to his capsule.

It was 30 minutes before their scheduled time, but he had nothing else to do.

Hissss…

Upon logging in, Kang Juho walked toward the southern gate and opened his character panel.

[Character Info]
Name: Kang Juho
Nation: Kingdom of Paraville
Class: Battle Blacksmith
Level: 180
EXP: 4%
HP: 70,750 (+5,000)
MP: 1,800
Satiety: 75%
STR: 682 (+610)
AGI: 133 (+120)
VIT: 1315 (+420)
WIS: 90 (+80)

Seeing his stats brought a proud smile to his face.

With Seokju’s buffs, his STR would spike by another 900.

He could crush goblins and even trolls effortlessly—especially with the “Hammer of Fury” in hand.

He arrived at the south gate and waited for Seokju.

Three minutes later, Seokju appeared.

“Whoa, you’ve changed a lot, hyung!”

“I swapped out five items.”

“Five?!”

“Yeah, the shield, boots, and…”

As they shared item info, they set off toward Rovar Plains.

“You planning to grind right away?” Seokju asked.

“Of course. I’ll aim for level 200 before nightfall. After that, I’ll create my guild and pick up a sub-class.”

“Busy day, huh.”

“Let’s hope it all fits in today.”

Creating a guild only required level 200 and 1,000 gold, but acquiring a sub-class required completing a quest—unlike the main class, which used recommendation letters.

[You have entered Rovar Plains.]

They soon reached their destination.

Not a single player was in sight—only goblins and trolls.

“What quests did you get?” Kang Juho asked.

Although goblins and trolls inhabited the plains, they stayed separate.

From their current position, goblins occupied the left, trolls the right.

“I have 200 and 300 goblins. You?”

“I’ve got 300 goblins, 50 trolls, and 10 troll blood vials.”

“How about we start with goblins and hit some trolls later?”

Trolls gave better loot, but goblins offered better EXP.

“Sure!”

They prioritized leveling.

“Physical boost… Resistance boost…”

Seokju began casting buffs.

• [Defense +20% for 10 minutes]
• [Speed +20% for 10 minutes]
• [Physical resistance +8% for 9 minutes]

With all buffs applied, Kang Juho approached the nearest goblin group and counted them.

“Eleven… I wonder how many ranged ones there are.”

There were two goblin types: melee dagger-users and ranged poison dart-throwers.

Once combat began, melee types would charge, while ranged ones stayed in place—creating space between enemies.

He had to close that distance quickly for maximum effect.

‘Even if I take some hits, better to get in close…’

The goblins spotted him.

One broke from the group and approached, triggered by “Contempt”—a mechanic where enemies underestimated low-level players.

Perfect.

“I’ll be able to get in close easily.”

The goblins were level 230–250.

With Juho at 180, “Contempt” would continue to trigger until level 200, allowing him to safely close the gap.

The goblin swung its dagger. Kang Juho blocked easily with his shield and moved in.

Once at ideal distance…

“Hammer of Fury!”

He cast the skill and struck the goblin.

WHAM!

The shockwave radiated outward.

KIEEEEK!

KIIIEEEK!

The wave struck the entire goblin group, making them all scream. But it was only the beginning.

He still had three more swings.

WHAM!WHAM!WHAM!

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

Thankfully, the fourth wave finished off the group.

Kang Juho sighed in relief.

Only the one hit directly by the hammer survived.

‘That was close…’

If not for the gear upgrades and Seokju’s staff, the AoE might not have been lethal.

“Worked out.”

In fact, this was ideal.

The skill “Relentless” benefited from targets surviving.

Juho swung once more and defeated the last goblin.

He checked the hammer’s cooldown. Still ticking.

‘Guess I’ll just run to the next pack while waiting…’

He moved to the next goblin group.

Again, “Contempt” triggered, and one goblin ran at him.

He blocked and closed the gap, and the moment the cooldown ended—

WHAM!

[Skill ‘Hammer of Fury’ proficiency increased to 6.]

The instant the first wave hit, the skill leveled up.

Juho quickly wiped the rest of the goblins and checked the skill window:

< Hammer of Fury>
Proficiency: 6 (0%)

• On hit, creates shockwave (5 times, 807 range, 130% of damage received)
• Mana Cost: 500
• Duration: 40 sec
• Cooldown: 2 min

He was stunned.

Three things had changed:

1. Mana cost rose by 50 (as usual).
2. Number of waves increased from 4 → 5.
3. Duration increased from 20 → 40 seconds.

That third one shocked him the most.

He never expected the duration to double.

No more wasting the skill in 20 seconds.

At 40, it became strategic.

“If this strengthens again…”

He still had 4 more proficiency levels to go.

If the duration increased again?

Eventually, with the passive “Relentless” and item Two Birds, One Stone (soon to be equipped), cooldowns would decrease by 18–20 seconds per attack.

With five swings and reduced cooldowns, he could loop the hammer skill infinitely.

“Hyung? Something drop?” Seokju asked, seeing him freeze.

“Just checking a skill!”

Juho closed the window and strode toward the next goblin group.

***

Back in the monitoring room…

Yoo Janghyuk stared, dumbfounded.

“So much for ‘a few days’…”

The previous rank 1, “HuntingRing,” had been overtaken—now 3rd. Rank 1 and 2? Kang Juho and Kim Seokju.

He had underestimated their duo EXP gain.

They were leveling at an unbelievable pace.

“And once they hit 200…”

Things would get even faster.

With Two Birds, One Stone equipped, Juho’s performance would skyrocket.

And that wasn’t all…