《Transmigrated into the Gacha Game I Abandoned for 10 Years》 Chapter 185: Divergence (1) ¡°¡­¡­¡± Kim Hyunwoo opened his eyes at dawn. Turning his gaze, he saw Charyll sleeping beside him, breathing softly. He stared at her for a moment, then suddenly realized that he was enjoying a luxury he didn¡¯t deserve. If he had remained in the modern world, he wouldn¡¯t even have been able to talk to such attractive women, let alone share feelings. ¡°Well, that doesn¡¯t meaning to Arteil was good.¡± As he pondered briefly, he gazed at the sleeping Charyll and recalled what she had said the previous day. ¡°The possibility¡­¡± Possibility. Kim Hyunwoo understood the emotions Charyll had, as well as her intentions for spending the night with him, and the same went for the other heroes. In fact, there were more heroes who had spent the night with him than those who hadn¡¯t. Excluding the Five Swords of Cn and the Four Heavenly Kings brought by the Red-eyed ones, there were a total of nine heroes in Arteil with whom Kim Hyunwoo had established a rtionship, and he had already spent the night with five of them. He had also been with Adria, who was not yet in the territory. He briefly chuckled at the realization that the promises he had made while epting the heroes of Lartania had long since flown away. ¡°¡­Are you awake?¡± ¡°Ah, yes.¡± Charyll spoke in a slightly hoarse voice, and despite that, her tone was still sweet. It was as if honey had been smeared on her voice¡ªa more urate description, one could say. Softly¡ª Charyll looked at Kim Hyunwoo with a nk expression for a moment, then approached him with a light smile and leaned her head against his chest. ¡°It¡¯s been my dream to be like this with you since 10 years ago¡­ It¡¯s wonderful.¡± ¡°¡­Is that so?¡± ¡°Yes. Truly.¡± Amidst their conversation, Charyll nestled closer, rubbing her head against him, and after a brief smile, she looked up at Kim Hyunwoo and asked. ¡°But it seems you have some worries.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not quite a worry.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re worried about me, don¡¯t be. As I mentioned, I just wanted to gain the same possibility as the other heroes.¡± Charyll fiddled with Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s hand. ¡°I can assure you that even if you choose another hero, I won¡¯t leave your side.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Really. No matter which hero you choose, what I cherish most won¡¯t change. It hasn¡¯t changed in the past, it doesn¡¯t change now¡­and.¡± She pecked him lightly. ¡°And it won¡¯t change in the future; it will remain forever.¡± After giving Kim Hyunwoo a brief kiss, Charyll smiled serenely. As the rising sun began to shine over the terrace, it illuminated Charyll. Once again, she looked more beautiful than he could have imagined. Kim Hyunwoo was thinking about what to do with the Proposal Ring. Specifically, he had just decided on a rough outline for how to organize his rtionships with the heroes after his encounter with Charyll. Unfortunately, the problem that arose while he was trying to rify his thoughts stopped him in his tracks. ¡°¡­The ck beings¡­?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± At Elena¡¯s report, Kim Hyunwoo sighed and, as if organizing his thoughts, spoke up. ¡°So, the ck beings are advancing towards Lartania?¡± ¡°Yes, the ones I mentionedst time are destroying all the territories in the Eastern region as they move down.¡± ¡°How long will it take for them to reach here?¡± ¡°¡­Based on rumors, it¡¯s estimated to be about¡­8 days. But this isn¡¯t certain either.¡± ¡°Why?¡± At Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s question, Elena paused before responding. ¡°ording to the rumors, the speed at which the ck beings move changes drastically from day to day.¡± As Elena spoke, she ced a map on Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s desk. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a map I brought to exin things.¡± Elena continued, pointing to the Northern region on the map. ¡°No one has urately measured the time it takes to travel from here to the Northeastern region, nor has any rumor spread that far, but it¡¯s different from here.¡± ¡°The distance from the territory called Colliam to Paldan is estimated to take about 3 days at best. If we consider the movement of an army, it would take about 5 days. However, the ck beings attacked Colliam and reached Paldan in just one day.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re saying they¡¯re inexplicably fast?¡± ¡°No. Instead, they attacked several territories after Colliam, then dealt with Matteo territory and headed towards Balkan. Normally, it should take about 2 days to reach Balkan territory, but this time it took more than 10 days.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re saying their marching speed is all over the ce?¡± ¡°Yes. So based on rough estimates, I don¡¯t think we can be sure when they¡¯ll reach here.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± As Kim Hyunwoo pondered, Elena continued. ¡°And there¡¯s one more thing I¡¯d like to mention.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°¡­There¡¯s a wizard who ims to have seen the ck beings and wants to sell information for money. What should we do?¡± ¡°How much are they asking?¡± ¡°About 50 Gold Coins.¡± ¡°¡­Fifty Gold Coins.¡± While it wasn¡¯t arge sum for Lartania, which spent and earned thousands of Gold Coins a day, it was still a significant amount for an individual. ¡°¡­First, bring that person to me.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± A momentter, Elena returned with a wizard who appeared to be a mercenary. He wore a tattered robe that suggested he had been a mercenary for a long time, but despite the worn clothing, his eyes gleamed sharply. ¡°Greetings, Lord of Lartania. I am the wizard Gert.¡± ¡°¡­Nice to meet you, Gert.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get straight to the point. I offered 50 Gold Coins for information, so you should provide me with something of equal value.¡± As he spoke, he pulled an old crystal ball from his cloak. ¡°What is this¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a wizard who earns a living by selling information, so this is a vision to lend credibility to my words.¡± As Gert spoke, he began channeling magic into the crystal ball. Soon, the crystal ball disyed a dark night scene, showing countless ck beings moving about. Some were slithering. Some walked on two legs. Others moved on four legs, all heading somewhere. The crystal ball soon flickered and cut off. ¡°This is an event captured by my familiar. This should prove that I¡¯m not spinning tales, what do you think?¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s quite trustworthy.¡± At Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s nod, Gert smiled in satisfaction and began to provide information about the ck beings one by one. He started with the story of the ck knight, who seemed to be the leader of the ck beings, and continued with how they multiplied. ¡°¡­After ughtering everyone in a territory, they throw a sword, and a ck pir rises. After that, ck beings are born, feeding on the corpses¡­ Am I correct?¡± ¡°Exactly right. I¡¯ve never seen anything like it before, but the ck beings are indeed born in that manner.¡± ¡°¡­Did you observe their speed of movement?¡± ¡°I was just about to mention that. When I observed them, they sometimes moved along the ground, and at other times, they traveled through some kind of ck portal.¡± ¡°¡­A ck portal?¡± ¡°Yes. However, I¡¯m not sure when exactly they use it, as the rules are too ambiguous, but they can instantly reach other territories through the ck portal.¡± The more Kim Hyunwoo heard Gert¡¯s words, the more he found himself wrapped in strange doubts. He had some confidence in the concept of the ¡°other world¡± as described by the merchants, but at least the one he was hearing about felt quite different from what he imagined. ¡®¡­The other world I was thinking of was the disasters I witnessed in Arteil.¡¯ The details Gert was providing about the beings of the other world werepletely unrted to what Kim Hyunwoo understood about it. The onlymonality might be that they emerge unexpectedly through a portal. Thus, pondering this, Kim Hyunwoo soon asked. ¡°So, you mentioned that the ck knight and a woman following him seem to be the leaders. Do you have any information about that woman?¡± In response to a question that recalled Gert¡¯s earlier words, he answered with an ambiguous expression. ¡°¡­I only know their names. The man¡¯s name is Lancelot, and the woman¡¯s name is Arthur¡­ At least that¡¯s what I heard.¡± ¡°¡­What did you say?¡± Upon hearing those words, Kim Hyunwoo couldn¡¯t help but exim. And it was understandable. ¡°¡­Are you sure it¡¯s Arthur?¡± ¡°From the short exchanges I overheard, they called each other by those names.¡± In Arteil, ¡®Arthur¡¯ was. ¡®¡­The Continental Raid Boss, Arthur of ck and White¡­¡¯ She was known as the worst raid boss in Arteil. Chapter 0: Prologue I entered a game that had been neglected for 10 years. But then¡­ ¡°I- I was wrong. You won¡¯t leave now, will you? Please¡­ don¡¯t leave.¡± ¡°If you tell me what I did wrong, I¡¯ll fix anything, anything at all, gulp- I¡¯ll listen well-¡± ¡°Look at this, see this? I¡¯ve reflected, right? Right? I cut it off as a sign of reflection¡­ I¡¯ll never do it again. Never-¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need gold, nor any famous sword or artifact. In fact, for me¡­ for me, I only need you. So please ¨C don¡¯t abandon me.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The 5-star heroes I had raised had all be strange. Chapter 1: Message (1) Looking back, there were many happy days. Even though it was just a mobile game, Arteil had brought Kim Hyunwoo many memories over the past five years. From nurturing and growing a territory from nothing. To diligently raising beloved 1-star characters to 5-stars. And devising strategies using those characters that he nurtured himself to solvebyrinths. He truly enjoyed it. But now, it was time for it to end. [5-star character 'Beast King' demands a gift! Requested gift: Halcerthe's Gauntlet (Payment of 72,000 won)] [5-star character 'Absolute Darkness' demands a gift! Requested gift: Laios's Amulet (Payment of 68,000 won)] [5-star character 'Crimson Dragon' demands a gift! Requested gift: Blood Diamond (Payment of 99,200 won)] [5-star character 'Hero King' demands a gift! Requested gift: Famous Sword 'Lykesister' (Payment of 142,300 won)] [Refuse] [Refuse] [Refuse] [Refuse] [5-star character 'Beast King' gets angry!] [5-star character 'Absolute Darkness' is disappointed!] [5-star character 'Crimson Dragon' is annoyed!] [5-star character 'Hero King' sneers!] [The affection of the 5-star character 'Beast King' is about to drop!] [The affection of the 5-star character 'Absolute Darkness' is about to drop!] [The affection of the 5-star character 'Crimson Dragon' is about to drop!] [The affection of the 5-star character 'Hero King' is about to drop!] [¡ùIf affection drops, abilities will decrease!] Seeing the smartphone messages popping up before his eyes, Kim Hyunwoo let out an involuntary chuckle. ¡®Why was I so scared of this message that I even worked night shifts to pour money into it?¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo pressed the home button and turned the game off. Right after, he went into the ¡®Applications¡¯ section, found Arteil, and pressed hard to delete it. [Do you want to delete 'Arteil'? Y/N] A notification window popped up as if seeking confirmation for a final decision. Without hesitation, Kim Hyunwoo pressed the button, and soon, Arteil, the game he had been ying for about four years, vanished from his smartphone. Just like that, ten years passed. ¡°Huh?¡± Kim Hyun-woo entered the game, quite unexpectedly. Into the game ¡®Arteil¡¯, which he had quit a decade ago. At least, Kim Hyun-woo, who likes subculture, knew that normally, web novel protagonists who possess a game usually recognize and adapt to being in the game within the first few minutes to a few hours. Rebuild the fief 'Lartania' and eliminate the Labyrinth. Reward: Survival Failure: Death However, unlike those extraordinary web novel protagonists, it took Kim Hyunwoo a full three days to ept the fact that he had entered the game, even with such notifications before his eyes, but once he epted it, he thought, ¡®Surviving should be easy.¡¯ Of course, Kim Hyunwoo has been ying Arteil for nearly four years. Naturally, most of the information in his head has faded over time, and thebyrinth exploration, a main element of Arteil, must have changed from when he could devise strategies with his eyes closed. Yet, the reason Kim Hyunwoo could make such a judgment when he regained hisposure was precisely because he was the Lord of the territory he had built until now. In other words, it was because he had be the Lord, the yable character of the ount he had been using. Kim Hyunwoo, who had not taken a single step out of his room since falling asleep on the subway home after finishing a night shift, was convinced he had entered Arteil because of the word ¡®Lartania¡¯ in the notification window. Lartania was the name of the territory Kim Hyunwoo had chosen when he first started Arteil and had used until he quit the game. Therefore, Kim Hyunwoo was not worried. No matter how long Kim Hyunwoo hadn¡¯t touched the game in ten years, the territory he had built should remain the same. Since the territory, which was more like a vast kingdom than a mere territory and had been in the top 0.1% of Arteil, it was expected to significantly lower Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s game difficulty. That was the expectation, for sure. ¡°Shit, what¡¯s this¡­?¡± Kim Hyunwoo looked around with a deste expression. What he saw was ruins. No, it was more urate to say there was just nothing rather than ruins. The ruins were just a small part, and the rest was truly just an empty piece ofnd. ¡°Where the hell is my territory?¡± Kim Hyunwoo, who even used swear words he normally wouldn¡¯t in a situation where they involuntarily came out, looked more closely around, but the fact that there was nothing around did not change. ¡°Ah¡­¡± In fact, what Kim Hyunwoo further realized was that the Lord¡¯s castle he was standing in seemed like it could copse at any moment. And while Kim Hyunwoo was looking at what used to be his territory with a dumbfounded face, [...My Lord, wee back] [From now on, I will assist you in rebuilding the territory] Such a voice could be heard in Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s ears. Startled by the voice in his ear, it didn¡¯t take long for Kim Hyunwoo to realize who the NPC speaking to him was. ¡®Loria, the NPC help of Arteil.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo immediately asked questions to the NPC who appears with an empty territory screen at the start of the game, informs yers about various things, helps build the territory, andter manages the yer¡¯s territory. Beginning from why he entered this game to why the territory ended up like this. Naturally, he did not get an answer to the former question. However, for thetter, Kim Hyunwoo was able to hear a shocking answer. ¡°¡­It¡¯s been ten years?¡± [Yes, it has been ten years since you left Lartania. The territory has fallen into a decline repeatedly in your absence and has been regrly looted by the neighboring territories] ¡°That¡¯s absurd. I mean, is there even anything left to loot in thisnd of nothing?¡± [There are still people living in the territory] ¡°What? Where exactly?¡± [In the residential area you see to the north] Kim Hyunwoo turned his gaze to the north. What he saw was the ce he earlier thought was ruins. A slum where the shapes of houses were barely maintained, practically couldn¡¯t even be considered ruins. [Most of the people have left, but about 120 residents are still living here] As Kim Hyunwoo made a dumbfounded face upon hearing that, a very familiar window soon popped up in front of him. [This is the current detailed information of the territory] A familiar window that Kim Hyunwoo had looked into thousands of times before. Territory: Lartania. Territory Development: -20 Territory Residents: [Humans: 98] Owned Buildings: [Lord's Castle] Owned Troops: -None- Heroes in the Territory: Kim Hyun-woo (Lord) Kim Hyunwoo, who read everything in the window that appeared before his eyes in less than five seconds, let out a hollowugh of indeterminate frequency and said, ¡°Is this¡­ really the state of the territory?¡± [Yes, this is the current state of the territory] Hearing Loria¡¯s words, Kim Hyunwoo unwittingly clutched his forehead. There were too many things to criticize one by one. He was displeased that the territory window, which was a hassle to check even once when it went over 50 pages, was in this state. He was furious that the territory development, which never went into the negatives when he started the game, was now proudly marked in the negatives. Above all, what made him the angriest was¡­ ¡°Shit, all my money¡­¡± The fact that tens of millions of won in cash, which he had poured into growing this territory ten years ago, had simply evaporated. He felt an immediate urge to fly into a rage, but Kim Hyunwoo knew. That raging about it now would leave him with nothing. Hence, with a sigh, Kim Hyunwoo, looking at the territory window, opened his mouth with a glimmer of hope. After all, even though Kim Hyunwoo had spent a lot on the territory, the ce where he truly lost a lot of money was somewhere else. ¡°Just wondering, but none of the heroes I raised are left, right?¡± Kim Hyunwoo, a student who, filled with a sliver of hope, recalled the heroes he had insanely spent on to the point of reaching his limits by working night shifts like crazy. [Yes] However, Kim Hyunwoo involuntarily covered his eyes with his hands at the NPC¡¯s answer that shattered his expectations. ¡®I kind of figured they wouldn¡¯t be there.¡¯ In fact, Kim Hyunwoo naturally knew that the heroes would not remain. Because in this game, Arteil, it¡¯s not enough to draw heroes through gacha; if you don¡¯t continuously manage them and increase their affection, they will break their contracts and flee. At the time of ying, Kim Hyunwoo was afraid of his raised heroes¡¯ affection decreasing and them fleeing, so he had poured in an absurd amount of money. Eventually, he quit because of the gamepany¡¯s harsh mization policy. ¡®If I had known this, I would have just kept on ying the game.¡¯ Thoughte regrets flooded in, he soon collected himself with a sigh. Kim Hyunwoo was already in the game, and he had to rebuild the territory to survive. [My Lord, there is something more I need to tell you] A voice reached Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s ears as he began to ponder deeply. ¡°What is it?¡± [Are you pondering how to rebuild the territory?] ¡°What else would it be?¡± Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s response was a bit brusque. [It's very good that you're thinking about reconstruction even in this situation, but there's a more pressing issue that needs to be addressed first.] ¡°What is it?¡± [In five days, a Labyrinth Break event will ur] However, Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s response began to take on a questioning tone as the conversation continued. ¡°A Labyrinth¡­ Break event?¡± Kim Hyunwoo ended with a question, but he was not unaware of the Labyrinth Break event. The Labyrinth Break event. It is an event that urs every two months in Arteil, where monsters pour out of abyrinth near the territory, and yers must fend them off to receive rewards. From the user¡¯s perspective, it¡¯s a generous event because you can obtain red stones, which are cash currency, and blue stones, which are in-game currency. However, that can only be called a generous event if there are heroes and troops capable of adequately defending against the Labyrinth Break situation; if not, the territory will simply be devastated. In other words, the current situation is extremely bad for Kim Hyunwoo, whocks the power to stop the Labyrinth Break. [You may not be aware, but if the Labyrinth Break is not stopped for 60 times, the Territory Stone that constantly controls the gate of thebyrinth will break, causing the territory to disappear] ¡°How many times are left?¡± [So far, invasions by monsters have been allowed 59 times, and now only one chance remains] ¡°Shit.¡± Kim Hyunwoo muttered to himself upon realizing that he had only five days left for his survival limit. [My Lord, given the circumstances, perhaps it would be wise to send a message] ¡°¡­A message?¡± [You may have forgotten, but upon the Lord's return to the territory, it is possible to send a message once to the heroes who have left the territory] Kim Hyunwoo was able to hear such words from Loria. Chapter 2: Message (2) Following Loria¡¯s words, a notification window scrolled open before Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s eyes. Beast King Absolute Darkness Crimson Dragon Hero King Spectrum Witch Olunga's Descendant ¡­ ¡­ .. . ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Responding to Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s puzzled voice, Loria answered. [This is a list of heroes who left after you departed, naturally leading to the decline of the territory. You can flip through the pages by touch, so it might be good to check] Following her words, Kim Hyunwoo quietly flipped through the pages of the notification window. The names of numerous heroes appeared as he swiped with his finger. Naturally, among them were the names of heroes who had left soon after being drawn from the gacha because Kim Hyunwoo did not nurture them, as well as those he frequently used. And then. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The names of the five individuals who could be considered Lartania¡¯s greatest strength, whom Kim Hyunwoo had nurtured by spending a tremendous amount of money, were also there. [You can send a message to one of them] ¡°Only one?¡± [Yes, only one. You cannot send it to everyone] ¡°That¡¯s stingy as hell.¡± Loria did not respond. ¡®What should I do?¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo thought, stroking his chin. In his current situation, the only heroes Kim Hyunwoo could feasibly call upon were naturally one of the individuals from ¡®The Round Table¡¯, whom he had raised with tremendous spending and affection ten years ago. Bringing back just one of them could neatly solve the Labyrinth Break situation Kim Hyun-woo was currently facing. However, the reason Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s mouth did not easily open, despite knowing this, was because this was not a ¡®guaranteed right¡¯ to definitively bring heroes back, but merely a ¡®message¡¯. In other words, even if he sent a message, the hero might not return. ¡®The message system itself was designed to make heroes reappear at a certain probability within the game, wasn¡¯t it¡­? Well, this isn¡¯t a game, so it¡¯s not about probability, but that makes it even more crucial.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo thought coolly. About which one of the heroes, who are likely to have lost all affection by now, that sending a message to would yield the highest probability of sess. And after some time had passed. ¡°Can I send a message to the Beast King?¡± Kim Hyunwoo made his decision. [As you said, I will proceed to send the message] Following Loria¡¯s words, Kim Hyunwoo made a puzzled expression and asked in confusion. ¡°Wait, message? Don¡¯t I need to write something?¡± [No. The function of the message is merely to notify the hero that the Lord has returned; it cannot contain any text] ¡°¡­This is really dizzying.¡± Kim Hyunwoo, about to curse without realizing it, then smacked his forehead again and sighed. ¡®It would be quite troublesome if I can¡¯t send the message.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo had raised the Round Table¡¯s 5-star characters, who could be considered Lartania¡¯s greatest strength, from when they were 1-star. Meaning, he was somewhat familiar with the background stories of the 5-star characters, which is why he decided to send a message to the Beast King. Based on the background information he knew, he believed that conveying a few words to the Beast King would be enough to move her. ¡°Is there really no way?¡± [There is no way to include text in the message. Moreover, the message has already been sent. It will be delivered to the hero about a day from now.] ¡°Wait, why does it take a day to send a message?¡± [Because it's express mail] Muttering ¡®This is absurd,¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo shut his eyes tightly and sighed deeply, but, ¡®In the current situation, this is the best I can do. Besides, there¡¯s a chance that the Beast King wille just by receiving the message-¡¯ With that thought, he shook off his regrets and opened his mouth. ¡°Loria, show me what I can do in the current situation first.¡± Although everything would be resolved if the Beast King came back, Kim Hyunwoo, not wanting to rely on such luck, decided to look for actions he could take in the current situation immediately. After all, if he staked everything on the Beast King and she did note, Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s life there would be over. However, ¡°Isn¡¯t this a bit too much?¡± After rummaging through the game window Loria had created, simr to when he used to y Arteil, for several hours, Kim Hyunwoo realized the harsh reality. ¡°How can there be nothing that I can do?¡± Literally, there was nothing Kim Hyunwoo could do at the moment. ¡®There¡¯s no poption to recruit troops, no resources to erect barricades, and not even gold to distribute among the workforce.¡¯ ¡°This is fucking-¡± Truthfully, up to this point, Kim Hyunwoo wouldn¡¯t have been so angry. But the reason he was cursing at this moment was: ¡°If the territory is destroyed, the territory level should also drop to 1, what¡¯s the point of having a territory of Level 30!?¡± Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s territory, Lartania, was not at Level 1 but at Level 30. Of course, even Level 30 for a territory could be considered weakpared to when Kim Hyunwoo used to y Arteil. Because ten years ago when he yed Arteil, the level of Lartania he was building had exceeded 60. Having a high territory leveles with many benefits. Immediately, it allows for the unlocking of higher-level buildings, increases the number of territory residents that can be epted, and also increases the area ofnd that can be affiliated. Furthermore, the total number of gacha characters, i.e., heroes, that can be held increases, so the territory level is quite important. However, that¡¯s assuming the territory is functioning properly; having a high territory level in Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s current situation, with nothing in it, leads to adverse effects. In Arteil, the number of monsters attacking is determined by the territory level, and the Labyrinth Break, which holds his entire life in bnce, also varies in the number of attacking monsters based on the territory level. In short, the current situation meant that a monster army equivalent to a territory level of 30 was swarming towards a city that couldn¡¯t even function properly as a territory, with a development of -20. To summarize Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s situation simply, in one line, or rather in one word, it was this: Fucked. There was no other word that could perfectly and neatly summarize the situation, so he grimaced, but¡­ ¡°Loria.¡± [Yes] ¡°Spread out the map.¡± Kim Hyunwoo did not give up. ¡®Somehow, request reinforcements from the neighboring territories¡­!¡¯ Although he knew the situation was the worst of the worst, Kim Hyunwoo valued his life too much to just mentally break down and pray to the heavens. ¡®I¡¯ll try everything I can¡­!¡¯ He looked at the map spread out by Loria. The map was the same as he had seen ten years ago, withrge dots continuously marked based on a perfect square. Looking at the very familiar dot map, where brown terrain representednd, green terrain represented forests, and blue parts represented the sea, he soon checked the neighboring territories marked with green markers. ¡°Loria, what are these orange dots on the outside?¡± He asked, feeling a spontaneous curiosity. The orange dot, far away, that Kim Hyunwoo pointed out, would have sparked only minimal curiosity, even if found during his time ying the game, and he wouldn¡¯t have paid much attention to it. The reason he suddenly became interested in that dot was because it was the first time he had seen an orange dot. [Since I also awakened when you, my Lord, did, this is my first time seeing an orange dot as well, but upon examining the map system, it seems that the orange dot is likely a Boss zone] Following Loria¡¯s words, Kim Hyunwoo asked again. ¡°A Boss zone?¡± [Yes, if you send soldiers to defeat it, you could gain a considerable wealth. For your information, the name is-] Loria paused as if looking at something, then continued. [-It seems to be called 'Red Eye' by the surrounding territories and kingdoms] Beastfolk are inherently a martial race. They enjoy struggle and fighting, taking pleasure in battling beings stronger than themselves, truly a race that could be called living weapons. Thus, territories ormunities where beastfolk gather never have a quiet day, thanks to their inclination to turn fighting into a form of y. Beastfolk love to fight at any opportunity and do not hesitate to confront those in higher positions. Anyway, such traits of the beastfolk naturally apply to themunity solelyprised of them, ¡®Red Eye¡¯, which is always noisy due to its nature. ¡®Gerta¡¯, a beastfolk who had recently joined thismunity, could not understand the situation. ¡°¡­¡­¡± It was quiet. By now, it wouldn¡¯t have been unusual for a fight or a drinking bout to break out in Red Eye¡¯s territory, but it had been silent for four days already. Thus, it was already the fourth day of silence in Red Eye. Being perceptive and good at fighting, even among beastfolk, and treated quite cleverly by one of the Four Kings, he could not contain his curiosity about the unending silence and asked. ¡°¡­Why has everyone been silent and not fighting like scared dogs since four days ago?¡± Gerta¡¯s question came out with the rough tone typical of beastfolk, perhaps due to not having satisfied their urge to fight for four days. In response, ¡®Giral¡¯, a member of the Langin tribe and one of the Four Kings of Red Eye, who had been maintaining silence like the other beastfolk, simply said, ¡°Because we don¡¯t want to die.¡± ¡°What? What do you mean?¡± Gerta made a puzzled expression. ¡°That¡¯s all, Gerta. It¡¯s the period set by our Leader, so remain silent. If you don¡¯t, you¡¯ll die.¡± ¡°¡­The Leader?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Regardless of Gerta¡¯s expression, Giral closed his mouth after that statement, indicating the end of the discussion. Gerta then turned his gaze towards the top of the mountain. The Leader, unlike the beastfolk who were always fighting and drinking, had nevere down from the mountain peak, a sight Gerta had rarely seen. Thus, Gerta, who had never had much interaction with her, had a somewhat diminished respect for her as a Leader. ¡°¡­Understood.¡± Gerta decided toply with Giral¡¯s words and remained silent. Of course, he had only seen the Leader a few times. Yet, the reason Gerta kept his mouth shut without any objection was the power of her, who he had only seen a few times. He had experienced a fear beyond shivering firsthand with his own eyes. When sheunched herself, dozens of soldiers exploded away. When she swung her arm once, massive monsters were sliced as easily as cutting tofu. Because he had seen with his own eyes how beastfolk who arrogantly gathered numbers to challenge her for the leadership were turned into mush with just a single gesture from her. Gerta remained silent, looking at the top of the mountain where the Leader, revered by the beastfolk, resided. At the center of that mountain¡¯s peak. She, with her slightly swollen, weary eyes forcibly closed, buried in her white tail¡­ Thump- ¡°¡­?¡± Received a letter that fell from the sky. Chapter 3: Message (3) Thinking back, there was nothing special initially about the wolf. No matter how well-treated, she was just amon member of the Langin tribe. Evaluating the reality of that time, she was merely a young wolf who had barely escaped from a ver, not even considered a proper member of the Langin tribe. Was that all? Despite escaping from the ver, the young wolf had nowhere to return to. The reason she was captured by the ver in the first ce was because her parents abandoned her for being timid andcking the instincts expected of a beastfolk. Thus, the only choice left for the girl was wandering in hunger. Naturally, for a young wolf who hadn¡¯t learned the basics of hunting from her parents, wandering was nothing but hardship. There were days without food, and sometimes she had to evade vers hunting her. Thus, the young wolf grew increasingly weary. As time passed, the number of years she had to endure hunger increased, and the relentless pursuit of vers mentally pressured her. At one point, she even contemted death. The prolonged hunger and mental pressure from vers were too much for her to bear. However, as those thoughts became more concrete, she met a man. The man, who introduced himself as the Lord of this territory, wanted to recruit the young wolf. Naturally, she was wary of such a man. Having met too many vers, the young wolf could not simply believe his words. Yet, surprisingly, the man¡¯s words were true. He was indeed the Lord of this still-small territory she had entered, and he recruited her with a contract fee that was somewhat generous for a young wolf. Desperate for a ce to return to, she epted his offer, but even then, her doubts about the man did not dispel, who was now her Lord. As a young wolf, she could not fathom why the man had recruited her. The Lord said he would use her as abatant, but she knew the money given to her could have recruited a more capable beastfolk or soldier. However, the distrust and doubt that filled the young wolf began to slowly disappear at some point. The Lord taught her how to fight. He invited beastfolk to teach her about beastfolkbat. He had her subdue a single goblin. Naturally, the young wolf knew this was consideration on the Lord¡¯s part. Goblins, while troublesome in groups, were weak enough that even amoner could defeat one with a weapon. In short, having her subdue a few goblins was of no help from the Lord¡¯s perspective. Yet, the Lord had her subdue goblins for a very long time. He did not scold the young wolf for getting injured by mere goblins. He simply treated her with expensive potions, encouraging her, ¡°You¡¯ll do better in the future.¡± It was the same afterward. She improved her skills by subduing goblins, which were of no particr help to the Lord. Each time, the Lordvished praise on the young wolf for aplishing tasks even amoner could do, taking good care of her. Over time, thanks to the Lord¡¯s care, the young wolf grew to the point where she could single-handedly subdue a goblin tribe that posed a significant threat to the territory. That day, unable to contain herself, the young wolf asked the man, who was overjoyed and praising her for subduing the goblin tribe. ¡®My Lord, why are you doing so much for me?¡¯ That question stemmed from her curiosity about the Lord, who had made an illogical choice to take her in as his servant from the moment she met him. ¡®I wanted you to be by my side.¡¯ With those words, the young wolf realized. That she truly had a ce to return to. That she had found a small piece of happiness. From that point on, the young wolf began to grow even more. From a certain moment, she had grown to such an extent that the adjective ¡®young¡¯ no longer applied to her, bing one of the top warriors in the entire territory. The territory, which was small when she was recruited, had grown so much over time that it could now be called a kingdom rather than a territory. The wolf felt pride in all of it. She thought that this territory was something she and the Lord had built together, and the Lord was pleased as the territory developed further. Therefore, she weed all the changes happening in the territory. Except for one thing: the increasing number of other heroes around the Lord. Of course, she knew that as the territory grewrger, it was inevitable that other heroes would appear around him. Neither the Lord alone could cover this vast territory, nor could she alone defend this now vast territory by herself. The wolf did not wee the heroes that multiplied around the Lord as the territory expanded. That seemed to be the reason. Why she uncharacteristically threw a tantrum. But with just one tantrum, she received a gift. Objectively, the gift that the Lord gave to the wolf wasn¡¯t anything remarkable. What she received was just a small pair of earrings. Yet, she was happy. She was overjoyed that the Lord had given her a gift, and it felt like it signified that she was different from the other heroes attached to him. The wolf wished to be someone special to the Lord. However, that joy was short-lived, and her expectations were soon shattered. The reason was that the Lord began giving gifts to the other heroes, just as he had done for the wolf. The wolf felt jealous. She felt as though she was being dragged down to the same level as the other heroes, despite believing she had be someone special to the Lord. Of course, she understood in her mind that this was not the case, but at some point, the wolf started to frequently show her disappointment to the Lord. To receive more gifts than the other heroes. Because she wanted to be even that little bit more special to the Lord. That was the root of the problem. What was not supposed to be normal, started to be so. From a certain point, the heroes started to demand more than just gifts from the Lord. The wolf was no different. Even when the Lord looked troubled, the wolf threw tantrums. Despite his troubles, as she saw the Lord taking care of her, she felt that she was being recognized as someone special to him. And time passed. The Lord refused to give gifts. He refused to show favor. He refused to show intimacy. It was not just to the wolf. That included all the other heroes as well. She and the other heroes expressed their displeasure. It might even have been a manifestation of anxiousness. However, despite that¡­ He no longer said anything to the heroes, as if there was no longer any need to do so. Not long after, the Lord left. He disappeared. The wolf, including the heroes, initially expressed their frustration with all their might despite the Lord¡¯s departure. When the Lord did not return for over a week, the heroes finally realized that something was wrong. They probably felt a faint sense of guilt around that time. Perhaps thinking it would be best to apologize first if he returned, wondering if they had made things too difficult for him. The wolf thought so too, but the Lord who had disappeared then did not return once. Continuously. On and on. A month passed. Three months passed. Even until half a year had passed. The Lord did not return. Only then did the wolf wonder if she had crossed a great river that she could not return from. Naturally, she clenched her teeth and denied it. ¡°No, it can¡¯t be,¡± she muttered habitually, staring nkly at the territory without its Lord for another year. The wolf, having finally shaken off her twisted senses and base desires, realized she had made an irreversible mistake and fell into self-loathing and despair as she looked at the territory. The territory she had built with the Lord was on the path to decline after his disappearance. The walls, after numerous invasions, had already crumbled, and the territory¡¯s poption was scattering even at this moment. The wolf did what she could. She stopped the invading enemies. She eliminated the enemies that appeared around the territory. ¡­That was all she could do. The territory continued to decline. Buildings were destroyed, and the walls disappeared. The people left, and thend became deste. To protect the memories she had built with the lord- -Just in case, to preserve a ce for the Lord to return, she did her best. In the third year after the Lord had left. The territory hadpletely lost its original form. What remained was a bit of ruin and the Lord¡¯s castle, nearlypletely destroyed. Nothing else remained. Even the training ground the Lord had built for her to train in. Even the house he had built for her. Everything had disappeared. No more memories of the Lord remained here. Nor did a ce for the Lord to return to remain. When she realized that, no more tears flowed from the wolf¡¯s eyes. She just looked at the empty territory with hollow eyes. ¡­Silently screaming at herself for her stupidity and dullness, for having thrown something so precious away. Thus, in the fourth year. The wolf, who had been sitting on the roof of the Lord¡¯s castle, stood up and left the territory, where nothing remained. To create a ce for the Lord to return. Of course, she understood painfully that the Lord would not return. She knew that the water she had spilled could not be gathered back. Yet, the reason the wolf moved was a kind of self-hypnosis. It felt like something would go wrong if she didn¡¯t do at least this much. So, the wolf who left the territory created a foothold for her Lord to return to in the way she could best do. She fought and fought, creating a crudemunity. Compared to the territory the Lord had created, it was a very crudemunity, but that did not matter much to the wolf. After all, she was just self-hypnotizing. ¡­Creating a ce to return to was just holding on to the hope that perhaps he mighte back. It had already been six years. The crudely mademunity of the wolf had grown into a rather decent one. Listening to the appointed Four Kings ramble on, it seemed hermunity had be famous in the area, known by everyone. The growth of themunity brought her no joy. Instead, she felt her emotions dulling as more time passed. As the years went by, the hastily made light of hope slowly extinguished, leaving only embers. As a result, she recently felt increasingly listless, spending much of her time sleeping. Ironically, when she slept, she would sometimes dream about him. Dreams of the Lord, whose face was now blurry and hard for her to recall properly. That was why she was trying to force herself to sleep again today. Until a letter fell onto her head just a moment ago. ¡°¡­¡­¡± And. ¡°¡­Ah.¡± Inside that letter, an unbelievable content until she read it. Her lips parted slightly, then closed again, repeatedly. The hand holding the letter trembled. To anyone looking, a clear fragment of emotion was seen from the wolf. Her eyes moved restlessly from side to side, repeatedly reading the single sentence written on a small card inside the letter. ¡®Your Lord has returned.¡¯ The words, which seemed utterly unrealistic to her. However¡­ ¡°¡­¡­¡± She stood up. The wolf did not know where this letter hade from. Nor did she know who wrote it or who had sent it. But the content written within was such a heartwarming story for the wolf, just thinking about it. She decided to find out. Whether the contents of this letter were true or not. And then. Crackling-! As the wolf¡¯s feet dug into the hard rocky mountain floor. With a loud Crash! Breaking through the rocky mountain, the wolf leaped. Chapter 4: Reunion (1) With only a few days left, as the Labyrinth Break was only a few hours away, Kim Hyunwoo did what he could. And that was to request reinforcements from the surrounding territories. Lartania, the territory Kim Hyunwoo had to rebuild, was not in a self-sustaining state from the moment he returned. Fortunately, it seemed not all surrounding territories were in a non-self-sustaining state like his, so Kim Hyunwoo sent a message requesting reinforcements with a promise of generouspensation. Although there was no immediate reward to offer, he could secure amplepensation for the reinforcements if they arrived and managed to prevent the Labyrinth Break. [Time remaining until thebyrinth break: 00:02:42] However, since this situation also ultimately depended on the arrival of reinforcements, Kim Hyunwoo waited with a somewhat anxious expression. When only about 30 minutes remained until thebyrinth break. [My Lord, it seems that people areing from the east.] ¡°¡­!¡± Upon hearing that from Loria, Kim Hyunwoo immediately turned his gaze eastward, where he could see soldiers walking towards the Lord¡¯s castle, treading over the deste territory. [¡ï¡ï¡ï Hero 'Knight Alto' has entered the territory.] ¡ùNote, a hero from another territory. As the soldiers approached to a certain extent, a notification popped up before his eyes. Seeing that, Kim Hyunwoo felt somewhat relieved but also thought about getting additional information from the reinforcements that hade all this way. After all, he was overallcking information about this world. So, he started thinking about what questions to ask to gain information once the reinforcements arrived, but that was only for a moment. ¡°¡­?¡± Kim Hyunwoo realized one strange thing. ¡®¡­Aren¡¯t there too few soldiers?¡¯ Even at a nce, there were less than 50 soldiers dragging arge wagon, and after noticing something was off, with about 10 minutes remaining until the Labyrinth Break, to the knight who arrived with the soldiers, sporting a tantly arrogant expression. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but we are not reinforcements.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± He was able to hear such words. ¡°Let me say it once more, we are not reinforcements.¡± The knight introduced himself as a knight from ¡®Hancia¡¯, a territory to the north, and said so in response to Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s question, who hade out of the Lord¡¯s castle. Kim Hyunwoo frowned with a confused expression for a moment. However, the knight, despite seeing his expression, continued speaking without any shrinkage, not erasing his arrogant smile. ¡°It seems you were indeed expecting us.¡± Seeing the knight smirk with a bit of derision, Kim Hyunwoo spoke with an incredulous expression. ¡°If you are not reinforcements, then why have youe here?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve merelye to scavenge whatever remains after this territory disappears, as per our Lord¡¯smand.¡± Upon hearing the knight¡¯s words, Kim Hyunwoo furrowed his brow as if realizing something and replied. ¡°¡­Don¡¯t tell me, you¡¯vee for the Territory Stone Fragments?¡± Seeing the knight smile without answering, Kim Hyunwoo let out a hollowugh. Territory Stone fragments. Those are, literally, items that appear naturally when a territory is left unattended for a very long time by a user who has quit the game, leading to its disappearance due to a Labyrinth Break. The number of Territory Stone Fragments that appear is determined by the territory¡¯s level, and within the game¡¯s economy, these fragments can rece the Red Stones, which are the only cash resources in Arteil. Hence, the knight before Kim Hyunwoo was saying this. He would quietly wait here, and once the Labyrinth Break urs, destroying the territory and killing Kim Hyunwoo, he would collect the Territory Fragments. ¡°Have you ever seen such bastards?¡± Understanding that, Kim Hyunwoo naturally cursed, causing the knight to stop smirking and frown instead. ¡°It would be wise to watch your mouth.¡± ¡°You¡¯re spouting nonsense.¡± Seeing the knight subtly show the sword at his waist, Kim Hyunwoo smirked. Of course, that¡¯s not to say he wasn¡¯t afraid of the sword. Even though he was aware that he was in a game, the ce where he lived was not one where threats of violence weremonly seen in reality. But now that things hade to this, the knight before him was no longer a figure of fear to Kim Hyunwoo. From Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s perspective, whether he died from the knight¡¯s sword or from the Territory Stone exploding in a Labyrinth Break, as per Arteil¡¯s setting, it was all the same. Moreover, if the knight was after the Territory Stone Fragments, he wouldn¡¯t be able to use his sword on Kim Hyunwoo anyway. ording to Arteil¡¯s settings, territory stone fragments would only appear when a territory explodes due to a Labyrinth Break. In other words, even if someone invaded the territory and exploded the Territory Stone in the same manner, all they could obtain were Blue Stones, a resource iparable to the Territory Stone Fragments. Knowing this fact, the knight frowned. Crunch-! Roar-! Soon, with the monstrous roar and the massive vibrationing from afar, he sighed and opened his mouth with a small smile. ¡°I know there¡¯s no need for me to intervene. You¡¯re going to explode and die anyway.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The knight, having spoken with a twisted smile on his lips, began to distance himself from Kim Hyunwoo, followed by soldiers wearing simr smiles. Not too close, but not too far away. The knight stood at a distance where they could see each other¡¯s faces, wearing a smirk. As if he intended to witness Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s death right there. ¡°Truly a motherfucker.¡± Seeing the knight¡¯s behavior, Kim Hyunwoo also smirked and looked at the knight. The monstrous roar was growing closer!!! As the monstrous roars grew closer, Kim Hyunwoo turned his gaze. With no walls or barricades, he could easily see the horde of monsters screaming from beyond. ¡°There are so damn many.¡± Kim Hyunwoo had already experienced the Labyrinth Break event dozens of times, but that was only within the game. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The horde of monsters rushing straight towards this ce, though still far away, imposed a sense of pressure on Kim Hyunwoo. As the horde of monsters gradually approached, Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s smirk deepened. At the forefront were goblins clutching rusty weapons and charging in a frenzy typical of the Labyrinth Break setting, followed by orcs and wolves that had absorbed the Labyrinth¡¯s magic. ¡­And then, an ogre almost as tall as the nearly destroyed three-story Lord¡¯s castle was running with a huge club. ¡°It¡¯ll be my first time seeing a person explode and die.¡± From afar, yet clearly within earshot, Kim Hyunwoo clenched his teeth upon hearing the knight¡¯s voice mocking him. At a certain distance, Knight Alto, standing firm, watched the Lord looking at the approaching horde of monsters, thinking with a smirk full of satisfaction and mockery. ¡®I would have liked to kill him myself, but watching this will also be quite enjoyable.¡¯ As Kim Hyunwoo expected, Alto¡¯s reason for not killing him was because of the Territory Stone Fragments. If the knight killed the Lord, he wouldn¡¯t be able to obtain the Territory Stone Fragments, and if things went wrong in such a way, he wouldn¡¯t be able to avoid punishment from his own Lord. Therefore, although the knight felt a bit of dissatisfaction, he smiled at the thought of the rude Lord, who owned a territory that hardly seemed like one, dying before his eyes. ¡°¡­?¡± The knight wore a puzzled expression. That was because the expression on Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s face, which had been endlessly tense just moments ago, had changed. From an expression filled with negative emotions to one full of questions. And in addition¡­ Seeing a slight smile form on Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s lips, the knight wore a simrly puzzled expression. The distance between the monsters and the Lord¡¯s castle had already closed to the point where it could be considered closepared to before. However, there seemed to be no reason for the Lord, cornered as he was, to smile like that. ¡®Has he gone mad?¡¯ The knight thought so, but¡­ Of course, Kim Hyunwoo had not gone mad. The reason he unknowingly smiled at the horde of monsters that had now approached very closely. That was because. [¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î Hero 'Beast King' has entered the territory.] A notification like that had popped up before his eyes. At that moment. With a massive Roar-! From the forefront of the horde of monsters rushing towards the Lord¡¯s castle, a huge exploding sound urred, and monsters were flung in all directions. A goblin clutching a rusty sword rolled on the ground with its head separated from its torso, wearing a confused expression. An orc split in half, spilling its entrails, drenching the destend with its blood. Wolves that had absorbed the Labyrinth¡¯s magic were crushed and flung out of the dust pits. And, When all the dust had settled, Kim Hyunwoo could see¡­ ¡°¡­Merilda.¡± The wolf with red eyes. And then. Simultaneously, the knight also saw. ¡°Who are you trying to kill?¡± ¡°¡­!¡± Halting the advance of the monster horde, emitting a killing intent so intense it seemed to paralyze the body and stop the breath. ¡°You dare, who?¡± Muttering clearly, ring as if about to rip Alto apart, now clearly showing emotion, ¡®Red Eyes¡¯. Chapter 5: Reunion (2) Knight Alto knew of the Langin tribe. No, from his perspective, it was impossible not to know of the Langin tribe. The blood-red eyes staring at him as if to tear him apart and the white hair. Despite the Langin tribe¡¯s disdain for wearing essories, the red earring on the right ear was exactly like the appearance of Red Eyes he had heard of through rumors. Seeing this, Alto felt puzzled at the same time. The question was why she, who should have settled in the north of the Southern Continent, in other words, where the Norba Kingdom was located, is here. As far as Knight Alto knew, the distance between where the Norba Kingdom was located and here was very far. Yet, Red Eyes appeared before the knight. ¡®What on earth?¡¯ Knight Alto, while experiencing a suffocating fear unknowingly, endlessly harbored questions on one side. Roar-! ¡°Huff-! Gah-!¡± Soon, as she let out a roar and prepared to charge again, the monsters turned their screams towards Alto, and he, gasping for breath without realizing, turned his gaze to Red Eyes. Her, facing and standing alone against a horde of hundreds of monsters. Simultaneously, the nicknames of Red Eyes shed through Alto¡¯s mind. The Emotionless Massacrer. The Hero Killer. The Mad Wolf. Each one a title representing her power, and at the same time, names created out of awe and fear towards her. Naturally, Alto thought all these nicknames were not unfounded, even though he had not seen her fight. If those nicknames were unfounded, the stories of a smallmunity formed in the faraway Norba Kingdom would not have traveled this great distance to reach his ears. Moreover, the appearance of Red Eyes he saw was indeed fitting of those nicknames. Just by making eye contact, Alto had already realized. That the monster venting anger towards him could easily kill someone like him, maybe even a being as powerful as one of the Five Swords of Cn. However, the reason Alto could maintain his sanity and continue his thoughts despite the fear of being targeted by such a powerful being was only one. ¡®She can¡¯t possibly stop that alone.¡¯ For some reason, Red Eyes appeared to protect the Lord of this barren territory, but naturally, the Labyrinth Break she had to stop could not be carried out alone. There were more than hundreds of monsters visible to him, among which were demonic creatures even heroes found difficult to confront. Therefore, to stop the Labyrinth Break, military forces and arge number of heroes were needed. Ultimately, this was not a singlebat but a war with monsters. He thought it was absolutely impossible to stop it alone. ¡°¡­!¡± Until he witnessed what happened before his eyes. The first thing the knight saw was Red Eyes¡¯ body bending over as she stepped on the corpse of a monster. Her legs were appropriately spread to tear through the deste earth. Her left hand was widely spread across the deste earth, and her right hand was simrly spread wide, aiming at an ogre about to smash down with a huge club. ¡°-Aran (Hungry Wolf)!¡± Swoosh-! She disappeared with a small murmur. As if she had never been there in the first ce. And then. Suddenly-! The monsters¡¯ movements stopped. Even the greenskins that were about to start advancing again. The ogre that had swung its giant club at Red Eyes. Even the demonic creature dripping acidic fluid and emitting strange noises. Everything. Stopped. As if time itself had stopped. And then, the next moment. Whoooosh-! A sound as if the wind was picking up reached the knight¡¯s ears. Boom-!! With a massive explosive sound, the ground where she stood burst open, and the bodies of monsters started to explode in unison. The bodies of hundreds of monsters exploded at once, scattering blood in all directions. The head of an orc, baring its fangs in a frenzy. The hand of the ogre that had swung down to strike Red Eyes. The legs of a gnoll, as if unable to contain its ferocity. The corpses of monsters fall from the sky. And then. Kim Hyunwoo, like the knight gaping in astonishment, was watching the scene. Thud-! Thudding! Along with the bodies of monsters falling to the ground. [You have thwarted the 'Labyrinth Break' quest event!] [Your domain is preserved!] [Quest rewards will be given!] Along with the notification that appeared before his eyes, he could see Merilda, covered in blood, having returned to that spot. ¡°Uh, ugh¡­!¡± As if he had seen something he shouldn¡¯t have. Kim Hyunwoo, watching the knights and soldiers hastily turn around and start to run, just like he was contemting fleeing as well, soon quietly turned his head to see Merilda looking at him. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Kim Hyunwoo had some idea of how strong the 5-star heroes he had raised were. Although he couldn¡¯t actually see them fighting in the game right away, he could view the heroes¡¯ stats instead. That was why he thought that just one of the 5-star heroesing here could solve this situation. Kim Hyunwoo knew the strength of the heroes he had raised with affection, pushing in payments with part-time jobs at night and loading and unloading work he had secretly done illegally since he was a student, not even earning minimum wage. However, to be honest, he did not know it would be to this extent. No matter how high the stats were in the game, it was only expressed in brief messages and seemed like the character was attacking a few times. Therefore, that sight was extremely shocking to Kim Hyunwoo. [Would you like to make a recruitment offer to the 5-star hero 'Beast King'? Y/N] Kim Hyunwoo, without hesitation, reached towards the ¡®Y¡¯ option on the new notification that appeared before him. Of course, he didn¡¯t know what the Beast King was thinking toe all the way to this domain without even being able to send a message. As far as Kim Hyunwoo knew, the Beast King had no reason toe here because, in Arteil, if you don¡¯t maintain affinity by consuming various actions or using gift payments, the affinity would drop to nearly 0. ¡®Maybe it could even be negative.¡¯ Having seen the affinity of a hero character leaving because he didn¡¯t take care of them in Arteil ten years ago fall below zero, Kim Hyunwoo thought it might be possible, but he did not stop his hand. After all, the fact that the Beast King received the message and came here meant that he could have some conversation with her. Therefore, Kim Hyunwoo, who was moving his hand, Swoosh-! ¡°¡­¡­¡± He could not help but involuntarily pause his hand at the new notification that appeared before his eyes immediately after. The wolf with red eyes, no, Merilda, looked at the Lord standing before her. The Lord, who was gazing at her nkly. Her Master. ¡°Ah.¡± She involuntarily let out a dry exmation as she looked at him. The Lord seemed unchanged from ten years ago. Although he had matured somewhat over the course of ten years, the image of the Lord reflected in Merilda¡¯s red pupils was indeed of the same person she had seen ten years ago. ¡°¡­¡­¡± With that realization, tears began to well up in Merilda¡¯s eyes. Not because she was sad. Rather, she was happy. Because she could see that blurry face she had always seen in her dreams once again. Because the opportunity hade to reim the happiness she had kicked away ten years ago. Because the moment hade to beg for forgiveness from her Master. As if the emotions that had been dulled until now were a lie, a whirlwind ofplex emotions began to swirl within Merilda. ¡®I must¡­ ask for forgiveness.¡¯ As soon as that thought crossed her mind, Merilda¡¯s hands began to tremble. Her heart, which had been unbothered even when dealing with hundreds of monsters, began to pound fiercely. Her limp tail, without her realizing, wrapped around her waist. At the same time, such a thought crossed Merilda¡¯s mind. The thought of fear. Thud- Merilda knew her mistake. She knew very well that the Lord was fed up with the nonsense she had caused. So, she was afraid. She was afraid of whether the Lord would forgive her. She was afraid of what the Lord might say. ¡­She was afraid that the Master would reject her. Yet, Merilda took another step forward. Longing outweighed fear. Thud- She missed the hand that always stroked her head. Thud-! She wanted to see the smile of the Master who looked at her and smiled as if in trouble. Therefore, Merilda took steps forward and stood before Kim Hyunwoo. At that moment, another specific detail about the Lord that Merilda had forgotten came to mind. ¡®The Master is taller than I thought.¡¯ Merilda looked up at the Lord looking down at her, silently, but with trembling eyes. ¡°Th-¡± A voice flowed from her lips. ¡°I-¡± But, it did not continue. Merilda was confused. She had no idea what to say at this moment. The sentences and words she had naturally uttered until now did notbine properly. It was as if her mind was broken. In the midst of this, tears welled up, fearing the Lord might get annoyed. And at that moment. Click- Merilda realized a warm hand was ced on her head. Something she hadn¡¯t felt in ten years. Therefore, a sensation she had longed for, was felt. With that feeling, Merilda¡¯s ears that had been pulled back gently rose again. At the same time, her head, which she had lowered because of the tears that welled up, was raised. The tail that was wrapped around her waist gently moved. At the same time, she felt joy. ¡°Thank you.¡± Because the Lord had said those words. At the same time, seeing the Lord stroking her ¨C her heart began to beat in a different sense. However. ¡°Still, it¡¯s enough now.¡± At Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s following words. ¡°¡­Eh?¡± Merilda¡¯s stopped. And so did Kim Hyunwoo. [Would you like to make a recruitment offer to the 5-star hero 'Beast King'? Y/N] [¡ùCaution, recruiting this hero to your domain will result in hostile nations and domains.] [Norba Kingdom Rtions ¨C282] [Cn Kingdom Rtions ¨C162] [Eastern Union n Rtions ¨C132] [Sertoa Domain Rtions ¨C112] [Hancia Domain Rtions ¨C 332] [Altronia Domain Rtions ¨C273] [Kamia Domain Rtions ¨C442] [Ebroa Domain Rtions ¨C 263] [Chelba Domain Rtions ¨C 213] [Anderm Domain Rtions ¨C733] [Kehm Domain Rtions ¨C633] [¡­] [¡­] [¡­] [¡­] [¡ùYou could be the continent's public enemy!] ¡®This is a bit-¡¯ He sweated coldly as he looked at the notifications filling his vision. Chapter 6: Reunion (3) As soon as Kim Hyunwoo saw the Beast King arrive in the territory, he thought he must somehow keep her within the territory. Even if it meant spending most of the wealth acquired through this Labyrinth Break. Because he was certain that once the Beast King was recruited, there would definitely be much more he could do, even if it meant a significant consumption of resources. However, at this moment, Kim Hyunwoo realized something as he saw the flood of notifications before his eyes. That recruiting her would not just make the reconstruction of the territory difficult but impossible. That recruiting her would be like drinking from a poisoned chalice. ¡®Just recruiting one person creates too many enemies.¡¯ Of course, the Merilda that Kim Hyunwoo saw was strong. So strong that he found himself unwittingly gaping. Moreover, ording to the notification he saw, Merilda was not just a 5-star but had be a 5.5-star, as if the game had been updated or some additional system had been added. But still, there were too many enemies to recruit her. ¡®There are even kingdoms and ns that didn¡¯t exist in my time, and countless other territories in a hostile rtionship, right?¡¯ Seeing the destructive rtionships, Kim Hyunwoo involuntarily clicked his tongue, wondering what she had been doing since leaving the territory. ¡­In fact, if this were all, Kim Hyunwoo might have seriously considered recruiting Merilda. No, he might have even knelt right now. Seeing what hade up, it seemed that Merilda¡¯s affinity was maintained to some extent for some reason, but Kim Hyunwoo had no idea what she was thinking exactly. However, Kim Hyunwoo did not do so for another reason besides the fact that Merilda had many enemies. ¡ùCaution If you recruit the 5-star hero 'Beast King', her infamy as the Boss 'Red Eyes' will increase, negatively affecting the influx of territory residents. If the territory's development level is high, you can nullify the infamy of the recruited hero. ['Red Eyes' Infamy: 1442] [Lartania's Territory Development Level: -20] Current Territory Influx Rate: -25% New Territory Influx Rate: -1275% ¡°¡­¡­¡± Fundamentally, in the setting of Arteil, the biggest factor in the growth of a territory is its residents. Taxes can be collected only if there are residents, and goods can be produced and basic infrastructure can be designed only if there are residents. And such residents in Arteil are not randomly copied as the territory level rises, but the system involves sh-and-burn farmers or nomadic groups from outside settling down and gradually increasing. But in such a situation, epting Merilda and increasing the already -25% territory influx rate to -1275% was absolutely something Kim Hyunwoo, who had to reconstruct the territory, should not do. -25% was a number Kim Hyunwoo could fully recover through obtaining this reward, but -1275% was not. ¡®If the territory was like it used to be, I could have epted her-¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo thought of the territory as it was in the past. A time when the territory level was unimaginably higher than now, and the development level of the territory easily surpassed 5000 units in his memory. If the territory was in its heyday, epting Merilda would have only slightly reduced the territory influx rate without major issues, but he knew all that was in the past. ¡®Indeed, I have to give her up.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo, with a look of regret, nced at Merilda and then at the earrings at her ears. ¡®¡­Maybe there will be a chance to recruit her once the territory developster.¡¯ With that thought, he opened the in-game window created by Loria and began to operate something. Merilda looked at Kim Hyunwoo with trembling eyes. He, with a troubled expression as he looked at her, soon waved his fingers in the air and then, Thud- Soon a small box appeared in his right hand and he ced it in the frozen Merilda¡¯s hand. She dully looked down to check it. It was a gift wrapped in a small box. A small gift that she seemed to have seen sometime before. Merilda raised her gaze again. Still, what was visible was the troubled face of the Lord. And then¡­ ¡°Your earrings, they¡¯ve worn out quite a bit.¡± The Lord¡¯s mouth opened. However, Merilda could not properly respond to Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s words. She couldn¡¯t understand why he was suddenly giving her a gift. No- Actually, she understood. Even if she didn¡¯t want to understand, her mind automatically grasped the meaning of his actions. ¡®Is this the end?¡¯ The Lord¡­ Meant it as a starting over. It wasn¡¯t a gift for an apology orpliment to her. That was obvious. Merilda hadn¡¯t conveyed anything to the Lord yet. She hadn¡¯t asked for forgiveness. She hadn¡¯t admitted her fault. Nor had she shown affection. Then, there was only one meaning to the gift in Merilda¡¯s mind. This is, this was- ¡°Let¡¯s meet again sometime if we¡¯re meant to.¡± ¡­It was a farewell. A sign he had no intention of starting over with her. A deration that this was the end of their rtionship¡­ ¡°¡­Ah.¡± ¡­The punctuation mark on their rtionship. A low exmation escaped Merilda¡¯s lips. At the same time, her eyes narrowed. She looked at the Lord. Precisely, she looked into his eyes. She felt aplex yet firm determination in his gaze. Merilda felt like the tears she was holding back would pour out, but she just bowed her head. She wanted to beg for forgiveness right there and then. To be epted once more. To admit all her wrongs. To ask for just one chance to return to how things were before. But she couldn¡¯t say any of it because she was afraid. Sadly, Merilda knew the words that the Lord, who already looked at her with such eyes, would say. Moreover, what if she troubled the Lord again and he disappeared once more? ¡®No.¡¯ Merilda felt a wave of fear engulf her at the thought of the Lord she had barely met disappearing again. Therefore, she said nothing. Nod, nod. Just bowed her head, nodding. A few hours after seeing Merilda leave with a slightly grim expression and nodding her head in displeasure. ¡®Could it be that some affection is still there?¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo tilted his head slightly, thinking about Merilda¡¯s somewhat gloomy expression, but soon shook his head. If affection was maintained ording to Arteil¡¯s settings, she wouldn¡¯t have left the territory. ¡®Or was the gift too trivial?¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo thought about the gift he had given to Merilda. The earrings, the first gift he gave to Merilda, were worth only 300 won in cash if bought with in-game currency. ¡®I gave her the gift before she entered the territory to maintain affection so I could recruit herter if possible.¡¯ Thinking about it, Kim Hyunwoo remembered that Merilda was only happy with the first gift, and afterwards, she demanded gifts worth tens of thousands of won, making him click his tongue in retrospect. ¡®Well, after receiving dozens of items worth tens of thousands of won, a 300-won gift now does seem a bit meager.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo thought it was a poor choice, but shook his head as if there was nothing he could do about it. What he needed to think about now wasn¡¯t the feelings of a hero he couldn¡¯t recruit but the life-or-death rebuilding of his territory. ¡°Loria, show me the UI.¡± [Understood.] Immediately after those words, the UI appeared in front of him. Kim Hyunwoo, looking at the UI that appeared just like it did when he yed the game ten years ago, soon checked the currency written at the top of the UI [Red Stones: 9700] [Blue Stones: 1500000] [Gold Coins: 0] Unlike a few hours ago when both were at zero, seeing the now filled, though not abundant, currencies made Kim Hyunwoo smile. The currencies earned as a reward for clearing the level 30 Labyrinth Break of the territory would surely be a great help in restoring this devastated territory. ¡®Especially the Red Stones.¡¯ The value of Blue Stones, being in-game currency, is higher than Gold Coins. And Red Stones, being cash currency, had infinite value and utility. Although he had used about 300 to buy Merilda¡¯s gift, 9700 Red Stones were enough to restore this territory, which had hit negative development progress, back to its original state. ¡®Interestingly, it seems you can still buy cash items even after entering the game.¡¯ Furthermore, even after ten years, Kim Hyunwoo was one of the 500 most devoted yers, as well as a top-ranked yer, until Arteil was on the verge of copse. Meaning, he had enough knowledge in his head to restore this territory to its original state. ¡®Shall we start?¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo began to operate the UI. Merilda, walking out of Lartania in a daze, soon found herself unwittingly kneeling and sitting down. Drip- Drip- Tears, which hadn¡¯t flowed in a long time, fell from her red eyes, streaming down her cheeks. Her heart, which she thought had cooled and wouldn¡¯t race again, was pounding madly. Yet, Merilda felt as if her heart had been hollowed out. Certainly, her heart was beating, but it felt so empty and painful ¨C she couldn¡¯t bear it. It hurt. It hurt too much. The words of farewell she heard from the Lord, her Master. Those eyes. That gesture. The more she thought about it, the more it seemed to tear her heart apart. Merilda, without realizing it, gripped her chest and clenched her fist. ¡°¡­!¡± However, soon after, she hurriedly rxed her grip. At the same time, she looked at the gift given by the Lord in her left hand. Fortunately, the box was intact. ¡­Unfortunately, the box was in her hand. The Lord¡¯s farewell gift was clearly in her hand, as if it wasn¡¯t a dream. Unknowingly, Merilda gripped the gift and cried her heart out. It felt like thest thing linking her to the Lord. At the same time, hating the gift for symbolizing the end of their rtionship, yet finding it precious. She repeatedly checked the gift, clenching it as if with force while crying, then, startled, loosened her grip to ensure it was still there. Fortunately, despite the many teardrops soaking the box, it still maintained its shape. How much time had passed like this? ¡°¡­¡­¡± Merilda, stood up from her ce. ¡°No, it can¡¯t be.¡± Still shedding tears as if pouring out years¡¯ worth at once, she stood up. She, as a wolf, with red eyes¡­ ¡°¡­¡­¡± Merilda had no intention of giving up. The Lord had returned. She wanted to be forgiven somehow. By any means necessary, even if it meant offering her life to a demon, she wanted to be forgiven. She wanted to gain his affection. She wanted to gain his favor. But at the same time, Merilda knew. If she kept throwing tantrums, he might disappear like the wind again, never to return. She didn¡¯t want that. At least for her, it was as good as a death sentence. Therefore, ¡°There¡¯s¡­ hope.¡± Merilda murmured. Her tearful eyes were looking at the gift. A gift of farewell given by the Lord. ¡°There will be.¡± He gave Merilda a gift. If he truly hated her to the point of loathing, he would have pushed her away without a gift. He would have hurled abuse at her. Just like she, who was foolish ten years ago, would have done. But the Lord gave her a gift. Even if it surely meant farewell, it was now in Merilda¡¯s hands. Meaning, in the Lord¡¯s heart, there still was, still had a small space enough to give her a farewell gift. A very small bit of reluctance remained. Merilda judged. No, she decided to think. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Then, there was one thing she had to do. She had to help the Lord. She had to help her Master. She had to help with anything possible, to open a very small crack in a corner of his heart. She didn¡¯t intend to make it obvious. Just silently, she decided to do whatever she could. If she continued to help the Master like that, and if the Master notices and shows her a very small bit of affection instead of a gift. The wolf ¨C Merilda, that would be enough. Therefore, ¡°¡­¡­¡± With red eyes, Merilda looked at one ce. The ce where the knight, who had tantly mocked at the Master¡¯s death, had fled to. Chapter 7: Wolf (1) Knight Alto, despite the day turning to dusk, did not camp but was almost running back to his territory to get as far away from Lartania as quickly as possible. Thanks to that, the sound of heavy breathing was heard all around, and although the soldiers had abandoned the wagon they had brought from the territory, the knight did not reprimand them. No, he couldn¡¯t. His mind was preupied with survival rather than reprimanding the soldiers for abandoning the wagon at the moment. ¡®Surely this wasn¡¯t the mission I was given¡­!¡¯ Alto¡¯s mission from the Lord was clearly only to retrieve Fragments of the Territory Stone from a failing territory. He hade from the distant Northern Continent to receive favorable treatment, unaware, but ording to the Lord, the territory of Lartania was said to have been of great prestige ten years ago. The mission seemed pretty easy to Alto, and indeed, he thought things were going smoothly until the halfway point. The Lartania territory he visited was, in fact, hardly worthy of being called a territory. That was, until it appeared. Knight Alto recalled the scene from earlier. With a single leap from Red Eyes, hundreds of monsters were instantly torn apart, a sight he had never before witnessed. And recalling the Langin tribe, who had done such an unbelievable act, looking at him with a clear expression of anger, the knight unconsciously clenched his teeth. ¡®Monster, that thing is a monster¡­!¡¯ He quickened his pace even more. Now, it was more than brisk walking; he was almost trotting. The knight, using his sense of duty to quickly inform his Lord of his justification, was trying to escape the trembling fear in his body. Just as Knight Alto was about to climb the entire uphill path of the mountain¡­ Thud-! His body suddenly fell forward. Crash-! Thump! Feeling a sharp pain in his chest, Alto grimaced but also felt a bit of shame. Even drenched in fear, he was well aware of how his current state must look to the soldiers following him. ¡®I must get up-¡¯ Thus, Alto, trying to ovee his shame and get up as if nothing was amiss, noticed something was off. ¡°¡­?¡± He knew something was wrong. His lower body felt lighter. For him, wearing te armor that was so heavy ordinary knights couldn¡¯t even wear it, yet capable of blocking even an ogre¡¯s club, this sensation was exceedingly unfamiliar. So, naturally, when he turned his gaze to look behind him. ¡°Eh?¡± Alto could see. Unlike his fallen self, his two legs were still standing on the ground. And. Spurt-! From the severed section of those legs, red blood was pouring out. The moment he realized it, a terrible pain began to fill Alto¡¯s mind, who had not understood the situation until then. ¡°Aaargh!¡± He realized that his two legs had been severed. And that had happened before he even realized it. At the same time, ¡°Did you think you could escape?¡± With eyes mixed with fear, he could see Merilda, who was already standing at the top of the hill, looking down at him. ¡°At-attack! Attack!¡± Alto, without realizing, opened his mouth seeing Red Eyes looking at him with endlessly indifferent eyes devoid of any emotion. Of course, there were no soldiers to respond to such amand from the knight. That was because the soldiers who had climbed the mountain with him were¡­ ¡°Ah-¡± Already all dead. Shiver- With trembling eyes, Alto turned his head to look at the soldiers who had died without even screaming. All of them had their bodies split into three parts or had their heads had disappeared, dying without a scream, staining the mountain path red. Alto, after looking at them, turned his gaze back to Red Eyes. Still with an indifferent expression, her eyes shining brightly under the moonlight, she was slowly stepping towards Alto. ¡°Sa-save me-!¡± At the same time, Alto cried out. He had no intention of opposing Red Eyes. No, he couldn¡¯t. Because he was critically injured? No. Alto had realized from the beginning. That he could never defeat the monster before him on his own. Thus, the scream that instinctively burst out, was a cry for survival. But Red Eyes just silently moved forward, step by step. ¡°If-If you touch me, do you think our territory will just stand by!? Our Lord of Hancia is under the protection of the Kingdom of Cn!!¡± Despite Alto¡¯s increasingly frightened state leading him to throw polite speech far away and resort to threats, Merilda just silently moved on. However. When Red Eyes stopped right in front of him, about to raise a fist emotionlessly, ¡°Do you think the Lord of Lartania will be safe if you kill me!?¡± Suddenly-! At the scream-like utterance from Alto, Merilda¡¯s movement stopped, and at that moment, Alto instinctively realized. That this was Red Eyes¡¯ weakness. Therefore, Alto started to babble in order to survive. ¡°If I-if I do not return, of course, the Lord will know something happened to me and send troops! Do you think you can stop those troops!?¡± ¡°No!? You cannot stop the army of our territory! We have as many as three heroes in our territory!¡± ¡°Of course, you could run away!! But could the Lord you wished to protect run away?! No! That¡¯s impossible! Your Lord will be captured by the army sent by our Lord and will not escape execution!¡± Alto was screaming at Merilda, who stood still. In fact, his words were a cunning mix of truth and lies. It was true that Hancia had many soldiers, as he said. It was also true that there were three strong heroes, and over fifty knights, which could be considered elite troops. However, the only incorrect part was that all those forces would not move just because of one hero who entered Lartania territory this time had died. At least, the Lord would not move the soldiers until making a decision. Because the Lord he knew was such a person. However, for Alto at the moment, that wasn¡¯t what mattered. Surviving was all that mattered. Seeing Red Eyes wavering, Alto, for whom only survival was important, immediately shouted a cunning mix of truth and lies. ¡°So if you kill me here, you-¡± At the moment Alto, who saw herpletely stop with her fist raised, was about to speak with a triumphant smile. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Alto stopped speaking. His neck wasn¡¯t cut. His neck was still well attached to his body. And his tongue was also properly attached. Eyes, nose, mouth, not one was harmed. Yet, the reason Alto stopped speaking was- ¡°Say it once more.¡± ¡°Ah-¡± Shiver- Because his body was trembling. To the extent that he felt like he would suffocate under the murderous intent emitted by Red Eyes, who looked down on him with a demon-like scowl. ¡°What did you say?¡± Trembling even more- The knight couldn¡¯t answer. He just realized one thing. The Lord of Lartania, who had declined and diminished over ten years holding nothing, was not her weakness. The Lord was- Crack-! -A taboo to Red Eyes. A taboo that must never be brought up. Alto screamed as he btedly realized he had done something that should never have done and that his right arm had been torn off. Regardless of whether he screamed or not, Red Eyes, who had grabbed the knight by the head to meet his gaze, said, ¡°Listen well.¡± ¡°Ugh-!¡± ¡°No one, absolutely no one, can touch my Master. If they do-¡± While looking into Alto¡¯s eyes trembling with fear and pain, ¡°¡­I will, by any means necessary, kill them all.¡± Crunch-! And then, by squeezing her hand, she crushed his head, killing him. Thud-! Thump. The wolf, Red Eyes, carelessly threw away the corpse of Alto, whose head had burst and died. ¡°No, absolutely- absolutely not.¡± Looking north, where the territory of Hancia is located. ¡°No one can touch the Master.¡± Red eyes shed. ¡°Anyone, no matter who.¡± Holding a small gift box in her arms, treasuring it. ©\©\©\ About two days after the end of the Labyrinth Break incident, Kim Hyunwoo had drawn up all the blueprints to restore Lartania and began working in earnest. Of course, there were problems along the way. No, to be precise, there were many. Immediately, in Lartania, there was not a single building left besides the Lord¡¯s castle, and the few remaining houses in the residential area were almost all ruined, not even considered buildings by the territory¡¯s standards. Still, it was okay. From Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s perspective, who could use game currency just like when he was ying the game ten years ago, such a problem could be solved. If there were no resources to build, it was necessary to pay a bit more than usual, but resources could be purchased through in-game currency. Thanks to that, high-quality wood that could be used to build fences around the entire territory and houses were piled higher than the Lord¡¯s castle itself at the back of the current castle. Simrly, ample supplies of minerals like stone or iron were prepared for use as well. Is that all? The barrennd was made into arable farnd, capable of plowing a few percent of its area, using an item called ¡®Blessed Holy Water¡¯ that could be bought with 2000 Red Stones. Now, what remained was to build various essential buildings and homes for the territory¡¯s residents to settle in properly, and to proceed with the primary industry by actively usingbor. The problem arose right here. ¡®There¡¯s just not enough manpower.¡¯ As Arteil exined time and again, the territory¡¯s residents were the most important. The number of residents equates to the amount ofbor that can be mobilized. Given Arteil¡¯s characteristic of constantly consuming resources,bor to produce resources is an indispensable element. And the construction window of Lartania, currently maintaining just over 90 residents, was: [Construction List] Ruined House Repairs [Time Remaining: 208 days 5 hours 22 minutes ¨C In Progress] Fence Construction [Time Remaining: 92 days 2 hours 15 minutes] Training Ground Construction [Time Remaining: 182 days 9 hours 30 minutes] It was in a very dire state. Even if there were 90 residents, the problem arose because less than 50 of them could actually work. Of course, even if all 90 becameborers, this disastrous number would not decrease. ¡®¡­It would be nice if manpower could be bought with cash currency.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo, clutching his head as if it hurt, thought. However, from the beginning, when enjoying Arteil as a mobile game, funnily enough, this game was only bizarre in terms of BM elements for heroes, but was rational in terms of BM for operating a territory. In other words, whether it¡¯s cash currency or in-game currency, the only way to buybor was for Kim Hyunwoo to either properly set up a trading post or establish friendly rtions between territories to receivebor support, otherwise, it was impossible. So, it was just yesterday that Kim Hyunwoo was pondering how to solve this problem. Yes, until yesterday, he was worrying. ¡°The territory influx rate, it¡¯s not disyed incorrectly, right?¡± [Yes.] ¡°¡­Why all of a sudden?¡± [That, I don¡¯t know well either...] Domain Influx Rate: 292% ¡ùDue to events caused by an incident, the correction for the decrease in influx rate due to development disappears! Until such a disy appeared in front of Kim Hyunwoo. Chapter 8: Wolf (2) The Hancia territory, located just a bit north, was a territory developed around a very prosperous agricultural industrypared to the territory Kim Hyunwoo was cultivating. Thick walls surrounded the territory, and within it was fertilend grown with numerous crops. Additionally, no one dared to meddle with the Hancia territory, which received protection from the Sertoa territory, part of the Cn Kingdom, under the condition of handing over 30% of the resources harvested each year. Thanks to this, the Hancia territory had maintained steady growth from the past to the present, but the current Lord, the son of the former Lord who suddenly died a few years ago, was dissatisfied with this arrangement. He had ambition. He was far more interested in the mercenary or magic industries, which could attract more money and better manpower than agriculture. He also wanted to developbyrinths, which he couldn¡¯t do due to the guise of protection from the Sertoa territory. However, the reason the Lord couldn¡¯t do so was that, thanks to his father, the previous Lord, the Hancia territory had already be dependent on the Sertoa territory for many of its problems. Thus, for the Lord, who had been pondering how to gain independence from the Sertoa territory since his inauguration, the territory of Lartania was a very good solution. The Lartania territory, once acquired, would soon yield Territory Stone Fragments, which could bring in an enormous amount of wealth. Therefore, the Lord of Hancia considered it very fortunate that the Lartania territory was nearby. To his knowledge, there weren¡¯t many abandoned territories like Lartania on this continent to begin with. In fact, there were only a few such ces throughout the entire Southern Continent. Initially, Territory Stones don¡¯t just disappear when a lord dies without passing the territory on to someone else; they immediately designate the next person to be the lord and continue the lordship. Thus, since territories hardly ever get abandoned even if a lord dies or disappears, opportunities to obtain Territory Stone Fragments like this were rare. Therefore, from the Lord of Hancia¡¯s perspective, it was fortunate that the Lartania territory was right nearby. Due to the geographical advantage of being very close to the Lartania territory, the Hancia Lord was able to possess all the Territory Stone Fragments alone. Of course, the Fragments obtained after the Lartania territory was partially destroyed could not be monopolized by the Hancia territory. The reason Hancia could initially possess the Territory Stone Fragments alone after the territory was destroyed was because of a promise made. The promise to hand over 80% of the obtained Territory Stones to the Sertoa territory. Thanks to this, those who aimed for the Territory Stones resulting from Lartania in this area, which could essentially be considered part of the Cn Kingdom, disappeared under the protection of Sertoa. Hancia was put in a situation where it could safely devour the Territory Stones. However, naturally, the Lord of Hancia had no intention whatsoever of offering the devoured Territory Stones to the Sertoa territory. Instead, he nned to offer all the Territory Stones directly to the Cn Royal Family, changing the head of the Hancia territory from the Sertoa territory to the Cn Royal Family. Of course, from someone else¡¯s perspective, one might wonder what the difference was. After all, the Sertoa territory was part of the Cn Kingdom. But that was distinctly different. Unlike the Sertoa territory, which did not want the Hancia territory to expand the Cn royal family would not impose such restrictions on the Hancia domain. Is that all? If there were disputes with the Sertoa domain over offering the domain stones, the royal family could mediate adequately if they stepped in. Thus, the Hancia domain, under the protection of the Cn Kingdom, would gainplete freedom to grow without restrictions, and he was hopeful for this. He had no intention of helping when the owner of the territory, neglected for ten years, suddenly returned and sent a letter requesting reinforcements. No, on the contrary, the Lord smiled upon receiving the letter. He didn¡¯t know why the Lord of Lartania had returned, but ultimately, the request for reinforcements meant there was no force to stop the Labyrinth Break. Upon reflection, that was obvious. The prosperity of Lartania was ten years ago, and the Round Table of Lartania, once called the strongest in this vicinity, naturally dissolved as the Lord disappeared. Therefore, the Lord of Hancia was waiting for Alto, who had gone to fetch the Territory Stone, to return as soon as possible. Until he knew that Alto had died. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The Lord¡¯s of Hancia looked out at thendscape outside the castle with a vacant expression. What he saw was apletely destroyed wall. Beneath that wall, there was a path lined straight to the castle, decorated with the blood and bodies of soldiers. In front of him, ¡°How did you, by all means¡­?¡± She was standing there. No, terror stood there. One of the Round Table of Lartania, who had killed the hero most cherished by the former Lord of Hancia in just five moves, ¡°You ordered it?¡± -Now, a member of the Langin tribe, called ¡®Red Eyes,¡¯ stood in front of her. ¡°Watch the master die and bring back the Territory Stone.¡± The Lord of Hancia could not understand why Red Eyes was in front of him. No, in fact, it was somewhat deducible. Red Eyes was a hero who belonged to Lartania in the past. However, the reason the Lord could not fullyprehend the situation was because she had belonged to Lartania ten years ago. Thus, she should have no connection to Lartania now. Even if the Lord had returned, the Lord of Lartania, who now had nothing, could not possibly recruit her. Therefore, ¡°Now, calm down, Red Eyes-! Why are you doing this? After all, you are no longer affiliated with Lartania-¡± The Lord opened his mouth to persuade her, but the moment he spoke, Crack-! The lord could no longer speak. ¡°Grrrugh!!!¡± His face was grasped and lifted by Merilda¡¯s hand. The Lord struggled to escape from her grip, blood flowing between Merilda¡¯s fingers, possibly with a broken jaw, his eyes bloodshot. However, Merilda spoke with clear signs of anger, ¡°Who said I¡¯m not affiliated?¡± ¡°Ugh-! Eugh-!¡± The lord writhed in midair, caught in her grasp. She then threw the Lord¡¯s body down. Bang! Crack! The Lord, flung against the antique wooden furniture, screamed, holding his mouth, but Merilda, seemingly unconcerned with his screams, approached him again. ¡°Whether in the past or now, every single oneing from your territory always speaks infuriatingly.¡± Crack! She then stomped on the Lord of Hancia¡¯s head, crushing it. The Lord trembled and then went limp. Merilda, looking at the Lord, ¡°¡­¡­¡± Suddenly, she recalled a memory from the past. The one who spoke to her, sitting in the castle wearing the Hancia territory¡¯s insignia, waiting for her master- ¡°Let¡¯s go together, Beast King. All the other heroes have left, and you¡¯re not even originally from Lartania. Why are you still here? It¡¯s been three weeks of persuasion; how about you at least listen to what I have to say?¡± ¡°Ha! If you can¡¯t ept it, I¡¯ll tell you directly!! Your master has abandoned you. They won¡¯t even look for you! You¡¯re forsaken, a-¡± The hero whom they had killed, bearing the mark of Hancia. And then. ¡°No¡­ No.¡± ¡°I am, I am-¡± ¡°I am still affiliated.¡± Merilda stared as if she would kill the dead lord. ¡°Not yet-¡± Her hands trembled, which did not even when killing hundreds of soldiers. ¡°¡­I just¡­ can¡¯t return.¡± She clenched the gift box she held in her arms tightly. Trembling- ¡­Her trembling hands only calmed down long after she had left the territory of Hancia. Kim Hyunwoo, who was amazed to see Lartania¡¯s territory influx rate suddenly reach 292% yesterday, didn¡¯t feel any particr change that day. After all, just because the territory influx rate suddenly increased didn¡¯t mean that residents would suddenly show up that day. Therefore, Kim Hyunwoo wondered what had happened outside for the territory influx rate, which had been -25%, to rise this much, but naturally, he couldn¡¯t find out anything. After all, the only thing he could find out through the notification window was the fact that the territory influx rate increased due to an event. Thus, Kim Hyunwoo, having spent a day immersed in curiosity, ¡°¡­What¡¯s this?¡± As the next day began, he found himself with a bewildered expression at the enormous number of people who hade into the nearby abandoned vige. [Territory Influx Rate: 310%] [¡ùDue to the event caused by the incident, the correction for the decreased influx rate due to development disappears!] After confirming that the territory influx rate, which had been 292%, had improved to 310%, he unwittingly opened his mouth wide and hurried to check the territory window. Territory Lartania Territory Development: -14 Territory Residents: [Humans: 288] Owned Buildings: [Lord's Castle] Owned Forces: -None- Heroes in the Territory: Kim Hyunwoo (Lord) ¡°This is crazy.¡± Kim Hyunwoo unwittingly cursed, his eyes widening. He had never seen so many residentse into a territory at once, no matter how much the territory influx rate increased. ¡®Even if the influx rate is high, the average would be 1020 peopleing in steadily.¡¯ With over 200 people increasing in just one day, Kim Hyunwoo couldn¡¯t hide his unwittingly formed smile despite being dumbfounded. Kim Hyunwoo, who was seriously pondering where these territory residents hade from, ¡®Thinking about it, I could just ask, right?¡¯ Recalling that this wasn¡¯t a game, he immediately called for a representative among the refugees who hade to settle in this territoryst night to hear their story. And then. ¡°So, all of you came here because the Hancia territory was destroyed, right?¡± ¡°Yes, the soldiers said that ¡®Red Eyes¡¯ attacked the territory.¡± ¡°¡­Red Eyes?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± As Kim Hyunwoo unwittingly tilted his head at the refugee¡¯s words¡­ The Lord of Sertoa territory, which is a certain distance east from Hancia and under the protection of the Cn Kingdom. ¡°¡­Say that again.¡± The former ¡®Hero¡¯ Roadmalis. ¡°What?¡± Listening to the servant¡¯s report that the Hancia territory was half-destroyed and that Lartania was not destroyed during the Labyrinth Break incident, he wore a very intrigued expression. Chapter 9: Territory Development (1) ¡°Hmm-¡± Lord Roadmalis of the Sertoa territory fiddled with his suit, listening to his servant¡¯s words with great interest before speaking. ¡°So, to conclude, the Lord of Lartania has suddenly returned, and the Hancia territory was single-handedly destroyed by Red Eyes. Is that what you¡¯re saying?¡± ¡°It¡¯s unbelievable, but yes.¡± ¡°¡­Unbelievable¡­¡± Following the servant¡¯s words, Lord Roadmalis muttered and then chuckled before speaking. ¡°Well, that¡¯s possible.¡± ¡°What do you mean by, that¡¯s possible?¡± ¡°I mean, someone like Red Eyes could indeed destroy a ce like the Hancia territory on their own.¡± As the Lord of Sertoa and someone who had previously operated as a 4-star hero, Lord Roadmalis knew the strength of Red Eyes. No, to be precise, he remembered the power shown by Red Eyes ten years ago, when they were still known as the ¡®Beast King¡¯ in Lartania. However, Lord Roadmalis also spoke with a peculiar smirk. ¡°After all, that ce wasn¡¯t properly defended to begin with.¡± Lord Roadmalis knew well how the Hancia territory was run. In fact, it would have been strange if he didn¡¯t know. In reality, Lord Roadmalis was the one managing the Hancia territory, and it was his will that maintained the agricultural industry that the Lord of Hancia so desperately wanted to escape from. ¡°The 500 guards deployed to handle monstersing from the Labyrinth were not enough to stop that monster. Not to mention, the heroes were all worthless.¡± ¡°Not to mention, the walls, neither high nor made of quality materials, were something Red Eyes could easily break through or climb over.¡± Muttering the reasons why the Hancia territory was destroyed so quickly, Lord Roadmalis spoke to his servant. ¡°So, what¡¯s the current state of the territory?¡± ¡°First off, one of the hastily assessed Baron¡¯s clerks was chosen by the Territory Stone to be the Lord and is now hastily stabilizing the territory. However-¡± ¡°However?¡± ¡°Many residents have also fled after Red Eyespletely destroyed the territory.¡± At his servant¡¯s words, Lord Roadmalis fell into deep thought. Of course, he wasn¡¯t thinking about the residents who had fled the Hancia territory. He was pondering why Red Eyes had attacked the Hancia territory. Naturally, he had pieced together some of the puzzle in his mind. ¡®The Lord of Hancia must have sent a knight to obtain the Territory Stone, and Red Eyes, after defending Lartania during the Labyrinth Break, must have killed the Lord of Hancia¡­ that seems to be the most likely scenario.¡¯ Despite fitting most of the puzzle pieces, there was one reason Lord Roadmalis was still pondering. ¡®Why is Red Eyes helping the Lord of Lartania?¡¯ As far as Lord Roadmalis knew, Red Eyes was no longer affiliated with Lartania. Likewise, the Lord of Lartania surelycked the funds and ability to recruit Red Eyes. So, why did Red Eyes help Lartania? After pondering for a while, Lord Roadmalis eventually shrugged. Frankly speaking, from Roadmalis¡¯ perspective, such matters were of no concern to him. What mattered to him was that the Lord of Lartania had returned, giving him a pretext. Perhaps a pretext to expand his territory by acquiring a new colony. ¡®Red Eyes must be handled with caution, but-¡¯ If everything went ording to his n, the colonization of Lartania would naturally ur. Even if Red Eyes was attached to the Lord of Lartania, it would be done so covertly that it would go unnoticed. Therefore, instead of themon smile he had been wearing, ¡°Send someone to Lartania with a gift.¡± He said, a greedy smile on his lips. Five days after the residents began to officially enter the Lartania territory. Territory: Lartania. Territory Development: 5 Territory Residents: [Humans: 518] Owned Buildings: [Lord¡¯s Castle LV1] [Walls LV0 (Under Construction) 0%] [Residential Area LV0 (Under Repair) 22%] [Barracks LV0 (Under Construction) 0%] Owned Forces: -None- Heroes in the Territory: Kim Hyunwoo (Lord) The residents of the Lartania territory reached 518 in just five days. Of course, even though the number of territory residents had dropped to only 450 as of yesterday, and the influx rate to the territory had decreased back to 5%, Kim Hyunwoo was quite satisfied with the situation. After all, even just five days ago, Kim Hyunwoo had been earnestly pondering how he could possibly fill his territory with residents. However, even though the number of territory residents had already been replenished to 518, and on top of that, the number of workers who could be employed as constructionbor immediately exceeded 300, Kim Hyunwoo was still worried. No, to be more precise, it would be more urate to say he was slightly annoyed rather than worried. And with good reason. [Labor Efficiency: 54%] ¡®Look at these guys¡­?¡¯ The territory residents were cking off in their work. In other words, they were loafing around. Of course, Kim Hyunwoo wasn¡¯t exploiting the territory residents for free. He had provided sufficient resources to the territory residents who suppliedbor, and of course, he had even arranged for houses (though they were dpidated for the time being) where the territory residents could live. Yet, the territory residents were still doing their work half-heartedly. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Kim Hyunwoo knew why thebor efficiency of the territory residents was only in the 50% range. Initially, the basicbor efficiency of the territory residents was influenced by various factors of the territory, but to maintainbor efficiency above 80%, there basically needed to be either a high level of territorial development or a practical hero capable of managingbor efficiency. Otherwise, it would suffice if just the loyalty of the territory residents to their Lord was high. However, the problem for Kim Hyunwoo was that hecked all three of these conditions. And the reason Kim Hyunwoo was even angry now was because. [Thieves have invaded.] ¡°How many?¡± [There seems to be about 30.] It was that thieves had appeared who not only further reduced the already lowbor efficiency of the territory but were also forcing the territory residents out. And this was happening at a time when there were no basic soldiers to protect the territory. ¡°Huh-¡± Of course, this was not entirely unexpected. ording to Kim Hyunwoo, most of the events happening now were issues faced when first ying Arteil. However, the problem was that the situation of Lartania¡¯s territory was even worse than when the game was first started. Not only that. ¡°30?¡± [Yes.] ¡°¡­¡­¡± The level of territorial development was disgustingly low, but the territory level was high, which meant that the inherent difficulty was very high. But he knew that no one would help him just because heined about the difficulty being in hell mode. [It seems they are now entering the residential district and looting.] Kim Hyunwoo, who had been thinking for a while upon hearing Loria¡¯s words, ¡°Ah.¡± Let out a strange exmation as if he had a good idea, then rose from his seat. Rosie, a girl who hade to Lartania¡¯s territory with her parents from Hancia¡¯s territory, did not like this ce very much. Of course, aside from that, the girl, who was already somewhat mature and had received much praise for being intelligent or clever from those around her, knew why her parents hade to Lartania. Initially, they had no other choice but Lartania. Even Sertoa, which was rtively close to Hancia, was quite far away, and above all, it was certain there would be no work there. And most importantly, Sertoa did not indiscriminately ept territory residents. This meant that if they went to Sertoa and were not epted, they would have no choice but to stay in the shantytowns outside the territory. Therefore, including Rosie, the residents of Hancia hade to Lartania this time because of rumors that the Lord had returned and started to function properly as a territory. ¡®Is this a territory?¡¯ Lartania was truly a barren wastnd. The only ce to live was a vige of dpidated houses, and there were no walls built; it was to the extent that one might wonder if this could actually be called a territory. And, as befits a territory without proper soldiers or defenses, Lartania was vulnerable to the invasion of thieves. The territory residents could only watch in fear as the thieves looted the belongings they had put in the newly settled vige of dpidated houses, emerging from their homes with frightened looks. ¡°Wow, what¡¯s with all this stuff? There¡¯s so much food too?!¡± ¡°Jackpot, jackpot, grab everything!¡± ¡°I came just in case, but who knew we could make such a solid haul¡­!¡± The territory residents gritted their teeth as they watched the thieves, who seemed very excited, rummaging through the dpidated houses and taking out their belongings, but no one dared to step forward because of the weapons at the thieves¡¯ waists. Just silence. However. ¡°¡­?¡± At some point, Rosie inadvertently raised her gaze and looked ahead at the sound of the territory residents murmuring. Rosie looked at a man who had appeared in front of the thieves who were dumping their loot in the middle. No. ¡°Isn¡¯t that the Lord?¡± ¡°The Lord?¡± They could see the Lord of Lartania. ¡°¡­Ah.¡± As someone let out a sigh, simr sighs could be heard from here and there. The quiet sighs that followed the murmuring quickly dissipated the strange sense of expectation that had arisen. And Rosie also felt the territory residents¡¯ sighs were just low sighs. And with good reason, for Rosie, even though it was her first time seeing him, the Lord looked nothing more than ordinary. And since he hadn¡¯t brought any soldiers with him, the territory residents sighed with overt disappointment and regret. Interestingly, the Lord¡¯s expression remained calm. No, rather than calm, he appeared confident. And then. ¡°Do you guys know this?¡± Kim Hyunwoo looked at the thieves, who, even at a nce, had faces that looked like they¡¯d been ground against asphalt, expressing ¡®my life hasn¡¯t been easy¡¯ with their entire being. At a nce, it was clear that the thieves, possibly refugees or sh-and-burn farmers, wore mismatched clothing. The problem, however, was the weapons at their waists. Naturally, Kim Hyunwoo, not being a hero, couldn¡¯t stop those thieves by force. However, the reason Kim Hyunwoo confidently stood in front of the thieves was because¡­ [Would you like to use 1000 'Blue Stones' to purchase logs? Y/N] He had a way of dealing with the thieves without needing to resort to force. ¡°Huh? What¡¯s this guy saying?¡± The moment a thug with a fierce expression looked at the Lord. ¡°People die when they get crushed by logs.¡± Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s finger moved without hesitation towards ¡®Y¡¯. ¡°Wha, what!? Shit!¡± ¡°Uh! Ughhhhh!¡± Logs suddenly appeared above the thieves, as designated by Kim Hyunwoo, and fell. Bang! Crash! Starting to crush the thieves. And then, as the thieves were swept away. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The territory residents, who had been wearing disappointed expressions, all watched in stunned silence, unable to close their mouths. Chapter 10: Territory Development (2) Kim Hyunwoo sighed in relief internally as he looked at the thieves who had died instantly without even a scream, crushed by the logs. ¡®Did it somehow work?¡¯ Of course, the reason he thought of this method was purely by chance. After all, in Arteil, when summoning resources, moving his fingers to ce them on the desired tile would just disy mobile graphics. However, in this world, he could summon any desired material anywhere within his territory, so Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s attempt out of a ¡®what if¡¯ thought was sessful. However, ¡°Hmm.¡± Kim Hyunwoo nced down. What he saw was a huge pile of logs. ¡®To be honest, summoning about ten logs would have been enough to deal with the thieves.¡¯ Due to the thought of ¡®just in case¡¯ and the fear that if the attack didn¡¯t work, it would be the end, he summoned too many logs, creating a chaotic mountain of logs around the abandoned vige. ¡®Still, I did make too many.¡¯ Despite such thoughts, Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s expression was not a frown. Logs were a resource with many uses, and since he couldn¡¯t immediately import or gather resources from outside, having to convert all resources into Blue Stones first, it wasn¡¯t really a loss. Thus, after looking at the mountain of logs for a while, Kim Hyunwoo turned his gaze to look at a territory resident staring nkly at him from afar. ¡°Alex.¡± He soon spoke to one of the territory residents looking at him from beyond his line of sight. ¡°Ah, yes¡­!¡± A man in his mid-30s quickly stepped forward to face Kim Hyunwoo as soon as he spoke. Kim Hyunwoo, who had been rying various messages to the territory residents as their representative until a hero to handle internal affairs would arrive, felt puzzled after hearing about Red Eyes a few days ago. ¡®Was he always this brisk?¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo cocked his head at the sight of Alex moving briskly, unlike his usual slowbor efficiency, but soon shrugged and told Alex to prioritize the logs here as resources over those behind the territory before turning back. After dealing with all the thieves, Kim Hyunwoo turned around to leave. The territory residents, standing there and witnessing the scene where over 40 thieves were annihted in one go, were in awe. ¡°How did he do that?¡± ¡°Did you see it? The logs just fell from the sky?¡± ¡°How did he do that??¡± Suddenly plunged into confusion, they began to murmur among themselves. ¡°Is he a wizard?¡± ¡°How is that magic?¡± ¡°But the logs fell from the sky¡­?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that impossible even with magic?¡± ¡°Is it like that?¡± ¡°I heard that magic can¡¯t make creations like that¡­¡± The territory residents, each offering their opinions on the strange technique shown by their Lord, soon began to chatter among themselves. ¡°Our Lord, isn¡¯t he actually quite amazing?¡± ¡°Think about it, the Lord who led Lartania ten years ago, isn¡¯t he that Lord? Initially, he suddenly disappeared, and that¡¯s why the territory became like this-¡± ¡°Certainly, the Lartania territory ten years ago was strong enough to be unmatched by any surrounding territories-¡± Strange rumors started to flesh out from the mouths of the territory residents. ¡°Thinking about the rumors from ten years ago-¡± ¡°I was in the Hancia territory even then, and there were rumors that the Lartania Lord was an incredibly great person.¡± Soon, the absurd rumors from ten years ago, which were not even based on truth to begin with, began to morph again in the memories of the territory residents. About 30 minutester. ¡°Could our Lord actually be like an apostle of a God?¡± ¡°A God¡¯s apostle?¡± Among the territory residents, a strange misconception about Kim Hyunwoo began to take root. And around that time, Kim Hyunwoo, who had returned to the Lord¡¯s castle and was sighing, suddenly felt a strange sense of discord. ¡®Come to think of it, didn¡¯t I just kill people?¡¯ That was the discord in his own feelings. It might sound strange, but Kim Hyunwoo, having entered this game, was naturally an ordinary person. He was not a psychopath, just a young man who had graduated from a boys¡¯ middle school, a boys¡¯ high school, and a vocational college,pleted his military service as a sergeant, and worked hard in a furniture factory. Of course, there was a period when he was obsessed with Arteil and worked night shifts instead of studying during two years of high school, but the point here is that Kim Hyunwoo considered himself ordinary. In other words, while it might be unknown in the game, killing someone in this reality should normally inflict a moral blow to his mentality. It certainly should be. ¡®¡­Why do I feel so normal?¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo felt normal, by his own assessment. Not to the extent of having a life-disdaining philosophy like the protagonists in some Chinese martial arts novels, but just a matter-of-fact thought that he had killed. Therefore, ¡®Could it be¡­ that I¡¯m a psychopath?¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo, beginning to doubt his own normalcy, soon discovered the truth. Hero Name: Kim Hyunwoo Title: X Star(ÐÇ): ?? Star -Stats- Strength: 9 Agility: 10 Intelligence: 6 Luck: 9 Magic: 1 -Traits- Indomitable Spirit (²»„ÓÐÄ): In any case, if desired, quickly regains peace of mind. beobmeokmwongiddwi rukddukgyeong: beolgyeongyeonuddyeom ryeotgeotgyongbegaem ddingeukddangmungmong beobmeokmwongiddwirukd dyeonkkongddwidaegyeon ungeongryeotmwogyeong beobmeokkkeumkkongnwi wonryumbokgungddung meorumbengkkaddae bwotddungreonbokgwong dongbeotkkwiddumneong ryungdatgwongregnon kkwiddumnyumyeonggwong romdikgyongbellyeom ddukgwiwongryeotryeo gwakdingddaengmipheu Surprisingly, from the hero window that he had never opened until now. ¡®Was it because of this?¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo looked at ¡°Indomitable Spirit¡± and felt slightly relieved that he wasn¡¯t a psychopath, but his slightly odd expression did not ease. The reason was the broken words written below ¡°Indomitable Spirit.¡± ¡®What¡¯s this?¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo, having never seen this ability window before, toggled the traits window on and off several times, but naturally, the broken words did not restore. Kim Hyunwoo, pondering what these broken words could mean, soon stopped caring. After all, Kim Hyunwoo currently had no time to worry about such things. Thus, satisfied with confirming that he was indeed not a psychopath, he wore a content expression the next day. ¡°Should we indeed enforce discipline?¡± Kim Hyunwoo was discussing with Loria. The topic of discussion was, of course, the management of the territory residents. [To increase thebor efficiency of the territory residents to at least 70%, as you mentioned, building a tavern and recruiting a hero to manage the interior or recruiting those with rted traits would be good, but since that¡¯s not possible in the current situation, enforcing discipline through force seems like a not-so-bad n.] Kim Hyunwoo decided to enforce discipline to slightly increasebor efficiency and quickly establish the basic form of the territory before it reached a certain level of development, as thieves would continue to invade until then. [However-] ¡°But?¡± [At this point, it seems unnecessary.] ¡°Huh? What do you mean?¡± [Please open the construction window.] Kim Hyunwoo, puzzled by Loria¡¯s words. However, he soon opened the construction window as Loria instructed. ¡°¡­Huh?¡± Soon, Kim Hyunwoo could see. [Labor Efficiency: 84%] Thebor efficiency, which was just 50% until yesterday, was now at 84%. ¡°¡­All of a sudden?¡± Kim Hyunwoo looked at the skyrocketedbor efficiency with a startled expression, puzzled. [Congrattions. You¡¯ve obtained your first title.] [First Title: ¡®King of Logs¡¯] [As amemoration of your first title, an event reward will be given!] Upon opening the territory window, the notification popped up as if it had been waiting. ¡°¡­What¡¯s this now?¡± Kim Hyunwoo murmured with an incredulous expression unknowingly. [I believe it¡¯s a title that resulted from how you dealt with the thieves yesterday. However, as far as I know, the term ¡®Apostle of God¡¯ was mentioned first-] ¡°Then why is it ¡®King of Logs¡¯ instead of ¡®Apostle of God¡¯?¡± [I¡¯m not sure either.] Kim Hyunwoo felt a mix of emotions watching Loria subtly cut off his exnation. Actually, having a title itself wasn¡¯t a bad thing. ording to Loria, thanks to his actions yesterday in dealing with the thieves, the loyalty of the territory residents had increased, leading to greaterbor efficiency and even an event reward. ¡®Still, ¡®King of Logs¡¯ is a bit-¡¯ Knowing what ¡®logs¡¯ might mean in certain inte circles, Kim Hyunwoo felt a bit strange, but¡­ Since everything had turned out well, Kim Hyunwoo decided to quietly ept the title. A day after Kim Hyunwoo became the ¡®King of Logs¡¯. ¡°¡­Sent from the Sertoa territory?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Someone hade from the Sertoa territory. Moreover, ¡°Lord Sertoa sent a gift.¡± ¡°¡­A gift?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s wine.¡± With the gift, Kim Hyunwoo, who had been puzzled by the sudden kindness from the Sertoa territory, couldn¡¯t help but stiffen upon seeing the wine delivered by the territory¡¯s messenger. The wine brought as a gift from the Sertoa territory was of a moderate price and quality. However, the reason Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s expression turned peculiar was unknown. Starlpan Wine. A wine produced in the ancient Southern Continent territory of Starlpan. It is traded at fairly high prices in the market. [¡ùCaution, this wine contains a colorless, odorless, intangible poison.] Intangible poison manufacturer: Absolute Ruler of Darkness. ¡°¡­?¡± Because the alias of the hero he had raised from 1-star along with Merilda ten years ago was engraved in the wine¡¯s notification window. Chapter 11: Territory Development (3) Arteil originally did not have NPC territories when it was first released. The reason was that Arteil was initially well-received for its blend of territory system and cute girl gacha system. Until then, all territories existing in the field were owned by yers. However, as Arteil began to focus heavily on mization, introducing bizarre mechanics into the cute girl gacha, the number of deserters increased, and yers rapidly left the game. At that point, Arteil hastily began transforming the territories abandoned by users into NPC territories in an attempt to somehow maintain the game. This led Kim Hyunwoo to sometimes wonder if he was ying a single-yer game, given thatter on, there were many territories around him but not a single yer, only NPC territories filling the space. Anyway, the reason Kim Hyunwoo suddenly recalled his past memories was precisely because of the Sertoa territory. More precisely, ¡°The Lord of Sertoa is really d that the Lord of Lartania has returned.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Yes. Moreover, the Lord of Sertoa sincerely hopes for the revival of Lartania¡¯s territory.¡± ¡°It¡¯s good to hear that the Lord of Sertoa thinks that way.¡± This was because of Sertoa¡¯s envoy, who, with a sycophantic expression, gifted him wine and left several insincere well-wishes whileughing. Therefore, ¡°Then, having delivered the gift, I shall take my leave now.¡± Watching Sertoa¡¯s envoy disappear with a smile, Kim Hyunwoo, from his Lord¡¯s astle, watched him leave the territory and thought. ¡°¡­What exactly is their intention?¡± Of course, he knew that the Lord of Sertoa was plotting something sinister. They might not know this side, but Kim Hyunwoo had the ability to check the information of any item just by picking it up, just like in a game. However, the reason Kim Hyunwoo was tilting his head in puzzlement was because there were still unresolved questions. ¡°Why go about it in this manner?¡± The map function that Loria opens, though not precise, gives a rough indication of the development level of surrounding territories, so Kim Hyunwoo was aware of Sertoa¡¯s territory development level. ¡°It was definitely around 2500.¡± 2500. Of course, the territory development score wasn¡¯t purely a measure of military strength, but a development score of 2500 indicated that Sertoa¡¯s territory had a decent military power, ording to his assessment. This meant that there was no need for them to go about dealing with me in such a roundabout way. Unless Kim Hyunwoo had some sort of backing, which he did not. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Of course, it wasn¡¯t that nothing hade to Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s mind up to this point. ¡°Is it because of Merilda?¡± Merilda, now called Red Eyes, had destroyed the Hancia territory not long ago. And that Hancia territory was allied with Sertoa¡¯s territory, while Merilda, on the other hand, had connections with Lartania¡¯s territory. This meant that, from the Lord of Sertoa¡¯s perspective, they might have acted this way out of concern that Merilda had returned to Lartania. But that also seemed a bit off. ¡°Loria, open the rtionship window, please.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± As soon as Kim Hyunwoo spoke, he saw a translucent window appear in front of him and wore a subtle expression. [Lartania Territory Rtionship Chart] [Hancia Territory: -24] [Sertoa Territory: -1] Theplex territory rtionship chart from ten years ago was nowhere to be found, and the chart currently before Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s eyes was so simple it was monotonous. If Merilda had entered Lartania¡¯s territory, the rtionship chart wouldn¡¯t have been this dull. The territory window that Kim Hyunwoo was looking at would have been so long that it required several pages of scrolling, and the current rtionship status with Hancia and Sertoa territories would have ridiculously hit the minus hundred mark. ¡®It seems that Merilda¡¯s actions were not because of Lartania after all¡­¡¯ Having pondered for a while why the Lord of Sertoa acted this way, Kim Hyunwoo eventually shrugged and set the wine aside. In truth, thinking about it one by one was endless. Right away, Kim Hyunwoo didn¡¯t even know why Merilda had destroyed the Hancia territory. He also doubted whether the rtionship chart he saw functioned like it did in Arteil. Above all, he couldn¡¯t understand why the poison sent by the Lord of Sertoa was named ¡®Absolute Ruler of Darkness.¡¯ ¡®¡­Has the Absolute Ruler of Darkness attached to Sertoa territory?¡¯ After a brief thought, Kim Hyunwoo decisively shook his head. If the Absolute Ruler of Darkness mentioned in the wine¡¯s description was the hero he had raised since level one, then it wouldn¡¯t make sense for Sertoa territory¡¯s development level to be stuck around 2500. Ultimately, Kim Hyunwoo, burdened with unsolvable problems, realized that worrying was pointless and decided to focus on developing his territory first. Two dayster. Labor efficiency exceeded 80%. Moreover, as the number of people providingbor increased, the reconstruction of the territory naturally began to happen rapidly. Looking north from the terrace of the Lord¡¯s office in the castle, the always visible ruined vige had been reced by houses. Although not the entire territory, about 40% around the Lord¡¯s castle began to be enclosed by fences. Even though it was only 40% and not the entire territory, and the construction took a long time due to the increased level of the territory, Kim Hyunwoo was quite pleased to see the fences being erected from the Lord¡¯s castle. ¡®It¡¯s finally starting to look like a territory¡­¡¯ In fact, the scenery looked too shabby to be called a territory¡¯sndscape. The houses built in the area of the former ruined vige were mostly shabby log houses, and the fences surrounding the territory were too flimsy to be called walls. Honestly, it was more urate to see it as a slightly well-developed sh-and-burn vige rather than a territory. However, for Kim Hyunwoo, who had first seen Lartania¡¯s territory as nothing but a ruined vige, seeing the wastnd-like territory gradually taking the shape of a vige was incredibly moving. ¡®Once the fences are finished, and the barracks and tavern are all built.¡¯ From that point on, he could seriously start managing the territory, and while Kim Hyunwoo was smiling at this thought, Bista, the man who had delivered the wine to Kim Hyunwoo as an envoy from the Sertoa territory, was returning to Sertoa by carriage, a two-day journey from Lartania. ¡®It¡¯s a bitte.¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m sorry, it seems the orb I brought this time was faulty, it took some time to fill it with magic and make contact.¡± ¡®Then, it can¡¯t be helped.¡¯ He was speaking with Lord Roadmalis, visible beyond the crystal orb. ¡®Was the gift delivered well?¡¯ ¡°Yes, it was delivered well. Naturally, he epted the wine without any suspicion.¡± ¡®That¡¯s fortunate. What was the state of the territory?¡¯ ¡°To be honest, it didn¡¯t look very good.¡± ¡®To what extent?¡¯ ¡°It seemed more like a sh-and-burn vige than a territory. There was a Lord¡¯s castle, but it had been in disrepair for a long time, there were no walls, and houses in the residential area were just being built. However-¡± ¡®Was there something?¡¯ ¡°If there was something unusual, it was that the resources were abundant.¡± ¡°Resources¡­?¡± ¡°Yes, as you know, apart from the characteristic of the Labyrinth, the Lartania territory would be a prairie with nothing around it, but in such a wastnd, there were unusually abundant resources, like logs-¡± Bista, seemingly recalling something, nced upwards as he spoke, continuing to discuss Lartania Territory for a while. ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s good that the poison was delivered well. We¡¯ll discuss the rest when you return.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± After listening to the Lord¡¯s words and bowing his head, at the moment he was about to cut off the magic flowing into the crystal orb. Creak-! Lord Roadmalis saw. Bista, who was surely bowing to him, had his neck twisted 180 degrees on the spot. ¡°¡­?¡± At that moment, Lord Roadmalis¡¯ expression contorted. -Bang! Crash! A loud noise came from inside the crystal orb, and the screen began to spin chaotically. ¡°What, what¡¯s that!¡± ¡°At-attack! Att-Aaaaah!¡± At the same time, the voices of the soldiers. No, screams began to be heard. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The screen Lord Roadmalis was looking at was just a crystal orb showing a broken carriage, but with chilling screams and the sound of something being torn apart, Lord Roadmalis inevitably realized that something had happened. Thus, in less than 30 seconds as the soldiers¡¯ screams subsided, Lord Roamalis was able to realize. That more than 50 soldiers sent with the envoy had all perished. And then, the moment the screen of the crystal orb spun chaotically again and stopped. Lord Roadmalis involuntarily held his breath. The reason was, inside the crystal orb was she, who must have directly caused the recent catastrophe. Red Eyes. She, whom he had seen as one of the Round Table of Lartania ten years ago, with an infinitely expressionless face. Yet, with a face that seemed to convey clear anger, she looked at Lord Roadmalis from beyond the crystal orb. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Without saying a word, she stared intently at Lord Roadmalis and soon pointed a finger at him, and then, ¡°Wait-¡± Ending with the words, ¡°Because I¡¯ming to kill you right now.¡± Crack! The connection was severed along with the sound of something breaking. ¡°¡­¡­¡± And that night. A ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î hero 'Beast King' has entered your territory. A ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î hero 'Beast King' has left your territory. ¡°¡­?¡± Kim Hyunwoo, lying down to go to bed, unwittingly wore a puzzled expression at the notification window that appeared and disappeared in less than five seconds before his eyes. At the same time, Red Eyes, holding a wine bottle in each hand, began to move towards the Sertoa territory. Chapter 12: Tinnitus (1) Fundamentally, in a siege, the defending side can manage the battle much morefortably than the attacking side. No matter how many troops attack, the presence of walls provides an advantage that can cover for overwhelming numbers. Of course, in this world, there are heroes who canpletely negate the advantages of such walls, but that¡¯s only when the walls are ordinary. From the moment serious resources are invested in the walls to imbue them with ¡®magic¡¯, the walls begin to hold significance, even for the heroes. ¡°Hu, huhuhu-!¡± Just like now. Lord Roadmalis looked around with a confident expression. On the walls, there were hundreds of archers armed with superior equipment and ten wyvern riders prepared for sortie, standing proudly behind him. Beside them, more than six heroes, who had already shown brilliant performances in dozens of territory battles, were lined up on either side. Among them, four heroes had particrly distinguished titles. Baron the Massacrer. Arta the Spear Collector. Sharen of a Hundred Battles. Tn the Silencer. They looked down at the area below the walls with confident expressions. Just like the heroes, Lord Roadmalis turned his gaze to Red Eyes, standing in the deste in. With endlessly expressionless, hollow eyes, Yet, with a gaze that seemed to oddly contain anger, looking at him. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The moment Lord Roadmalis felt his breath catch at that gaze, unknowingly. Boom! In front of Lord Roadmalis, a loud explosion could be heard. Specifically, the sound came from a blue barrier that appeared to block the punch swung by Merilda, about five meters away from Lord Malis. Crack-! Fizzle! The barrier began to crack with a harsh thundering sound. However. Thump!!! The barrier soon pushed Red Eyes back with strong bulletproof force. Seeing her, who hadunched an attack so fast that not even Lord Roadmalis or any other hero could perceive her form,nd on the ground, Crunch- soon smiled, sweating coldly, as he saw the cracks in the barrier quickly repair themselves to their original state. ¡°You¡¯vee this far with difficulty, but I¡¯m sorry, Red Eyes. You cannot cross this protective wall.¡± There was a reason Lord Roadmalis had a confident expression. It was because the walls of Sertoa were enchanted with protective magic. Not just any protective magic, but a protective magic circle created by inviting dozens of magicians and investing an astonishing amount of resources. Of course, the protective magic circle was not invincible. Just constructing the protective magic circle, as mentioned, requires pouring in several years¡¯ worth of territory budget. Oncepleted, it can block most attacks from outside, but that¡¯s only as long as there are Mana Stones to be used as energy. In other words, the protective walls that Lord Roadmalis is confident about will no longer function once the Mana Stones embedded in Sertoa are depleted. Despite being fully aware of this fact, the reason Lord Roadmalis was confident is because Sertoa has a considerable amount of Mana Stones. ¡®Of course, they weren¡¯t meant to be used for the walls¡­!¡¯ Honestly, the fact that the Lord of Sertoa had collected over 100 tons of Mana Stones for a different reason meant that it was a painful loss for him. However, thinking differently, it was obvious that the 100 tons of Mana Stones would surely preserve his life from Red Eyes, allowing him to smile confidently. Hearing that, Merilda charged again and swung her fist. Whoosh-! Her fist was blocked by the protective wall, as expected. ¡°I was slightly afraid because of the ¡®Hero Massacrer¡¯ and such titles, but it¡¯s nothing. Rather, isn¡¯t she a bit foolish?¡± ¡°Yeah, why is she doing that?¡± ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because she¡¯s a beastfolk that her intelligence is a bit low.¡± Along with that, heroes including Baron the Massacrer, standing next to the Lord, sneered as if they had been waiting to mock, opening their mouths withughter. Of course, they also knew how strong Red Eyes was. After all, the heroes hadn¡¯t been able to follow Merilda¡¯s attack with their eyes even once. But still, they could mock Red Eyes because, like the Lord, they knew the power of these overwhelming protective walls. Merilda, seeing the heroes mocking her along with the soldiers who sneered at her supposed folly, then, Swiftly. She lowered her gaze to look for something and then, picking up a stone the size of her palm from the middle of the barren field, Scrape-! She began to carve the stone with her fingernails. ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°What is she doing?¡± ¡°Who knows, maybe she suddenly felt like sculpting.¡± ¡°Is she a bit off in the head?¡± Lord Roadmalis, along with the heroes who chuckled and talked while watching Merilda, also mocked her. However, she said nothing and continued to carve the stone until it became thin like an arrowhead. Then she looked straight at Lord Roadmalis. The moment Lord Roadmalis felt a threat through a hero¡¯s unique intuition upon seeing her. Whoosh-! At the voice he heard from the side, Lord Roadmalis turned his gaze. And soon saw. ¡°Choke- Gag?¡± That Baron the Massacrer, who had ughtered hundreds of soldiers alone on numerous battlefields, had a sharp stone embedded in his neck. Gush-! As Lord Roadmalis realized the stone was embedded in Baron¡¯s neck, the blood that burst forth was sprayed around in an instant. Thump-! One of the heroes Lord Ro had trusted was met with death. Before he could even question how it happened. ¡°Ah-¡± Soon from below the walls. ¡°¡­I missed.¡± At the indifferent voice of Red Eyes. Shiver! Lord Roadmalis felt a shiver down his spine and unwittingly stepped back from the walls. A few dayster. [Congrattions! You have obtained a title.] [Title: 'God of Stone'] ¡°¡­What¡¯s this.¡± Kim Hyunwoo, who had just produced the necessary resources for the barracks and cksmith, muttered incredulously at the title he received soon after. He turned his gaze to see the fences of the territory¡¯s castle nearingpletion, then suddenly looked at the cab on one wall of the office. More precisely, he looked at the shelf of the cab from which the wine had disappeared. ¡®¡­Why did Merilda take the wine?¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo thought of this because the wine had been missing since Merilda had entered and exited the territory in an instant, he then tilted his head in confusion. After days of thoughts that led only to various spections without a clear answer, he suddenly shifted his thoughts elsewhere. ¡®The Beast King, now that I think about it, I don¡¯t see what was so great about it.¡¯ The title ¡°Beast King¡± attached to Merilda was not given by Arteil but was coined by Kim Hyunwoo himself. In Arteil, heroes born with four stars came with their titles, so you couldn¡¯t give them one, but if you raised a hero from one to three stars to four stars or higher, you could give them a title. From Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s perspective, there was one hero he felt slightly sorry for at the moment because of the title. ¡®The Absolute Ruler of Darkness¡­¡¯ As soon as Kim Hyunwoo thought about it, he involuntarily grasped his forehead as if dizzied and then clenched and unclenched his hand without realizing it. ¡°It¡¯s not easy.¡± A title not easy enough for him to murmur unknowingly. ¡®What was I thinking, giving such a cringeworthy name?¡¯ Of course, the person who could answer that had disappeared ten years ago. The Absolute Ruler of Darkness was a title Kim Hyunwoo came up with at 17, thinking it would be cool while ying Arteil in the back of the ssroom. In fact, even at that time, and even after quitting the game, he had no regrets or much thought about the title he had given. However, now that he was in the game and realizing the hero he raised was using that title, he felt sorry. ¡­Honestly, even Kim Hyunwoo thought the title he came up with at 17 was filled with adolescent cheesiness. Therefore, ¡®¡­If I ever get the chance to meetter, I should apologize for this.¡¯ As Kim Hyunwoo was lost in these thoughts, staring nkly at the graduallypleting fence¡­ In Sertoa Territory. ¡°Lo-Lord¡­! The amount of Mana Stones we have-!¡± ¡°Shut up! I know, so just shut it!¡± ¡°Yes¡­ y-yes!¡± Lord Roadmalis sat in his office chair with a very anxious expression, biting his lip with a mix of anxiety and nervousness- Boom! Crash! Boom! He gritted his teeth as he saw the sparkling blue barrier protecting the Lord¡¯s castle amidst the tremendous noiseing from outside. ¡®That monster¡­!¡¯ Lord Roadmalis thought of Red Eyes. She had sharpened a mere stone to pierce the barrier and kill one of his heroes, Baron the Massacrer, in one go. ¡®How on earth did she prate the protective magic circle¡¯s barrier to attack¡­?!¡¯ Lord Roadmalis frowned, unable toprehend the phenomenon. Fortunately, it seemed that was her only means of attack, as she then resorted to throwing rocks or punching to try to break the protective magic circle. However, that only further agitated Lord Roadmalis¡¯ anxiety. After all, only about 30 tons of Mana Stones remained from the original 100 tons, all due to Red Eyes. ¡®Is this¡­ is this even a usible situation¡­?¡¯ A hundred tons of Mana Stones,ughable as it may sound, were enough for a massive warsting a long time, not just to be depleted in a few days by one person. But Red Eyes had depleted those 100 tons of Mana Stones in just a few days alone, making Lord Roadmalis feel increasingly suffocated as time went on. He was all too aware of what would happen to him if the protective magic circle engraved on the walls broke after a little more time. ¡®When on earth is iting¡­!¡¯ Thus, Lord Roadmalis, with his hands sweaty and his eyes filled with anxiousness, was in a state of extreme nervousness. ¡°Lo-Lord!¡± The servant who had fled the office after Lord Roadmalis¡¯ scolding came back. ¡°The Swords of Cn have arrived¡­!¡± He reported to Lord Roadmalis. Upon hearing that, Lord Roadmalis wiped away his anxious expression and smiled broadly. When Lord Roadmalis first announced that Red Eyes had appeared in the crystal ball with a murder threat, the very first thing he did was to request support from the Kingdom of Cn. Not just any support, but he requested help from the five strongest warriors of the Cn Kingdom, the Swords of Cn. Of course, calling upon the Swords of Cn was not something that could be said to be easy even in jest, but the Sertoa territory had given much to the kingdom over the years. More precisely, they had given much to one of the real power holders of the Cn Kingdom, Lord Rosetonia, which allowed them to request the support of the Swords of Cn. Believing that their lives would be undoubtedly saved if only the Swords of Cn came, they were able to wait with a glimmer of hope despite the protective magic circle being consumed at an rming rate. ¡°I¡¯m alive¡­! I¡¯m saved now!¡± As Lord Roadmalis saw Shin Sword Loriel, one of the Swords of Cn, enter his office, he immediately attempted to bow his head, but then, Immediately after, ¡°¡­?¡± Lord Roadmalis expressed his confusion when Loriel immediately stepped aside and bowed slightly towards the door. Of course, the Swords of Cn do not bow their heads to anyone. Nor do they show awe. The only ones the Swords of Cn bow to are the King of the Cn Kingdom or those with powerparable to the King. Thus, Lord Roadmalis was expressing his confusion. Immediately after, as a girl entered the office and he heard her voice, ¡°I will ask.¡± Instinctively he felt that something was amiss. ¡°You-¡± The reason was¡­ ¡°Is it true that you sent the poison I made to the Lord of Lartania?¡± Because the gaze of the girl, who was receiving the awe of the Swords of Cn and looking at him, was filled with immense hatred. Chapter 13: Tinnitus (2) A few seconds after realizing something was terribly wrong due to the hateful gaze of the girl revered by the Swords of Cn, Lord Roadmalis broke the silence. Swoosh! ¡°Ah?¡± It was the first time Lord Roadmalis, feeling a burning pain from his right, turned his head sideways involuntarily and let out a dumbfounded noise. ¡°Aaaaah!!¡± That was the beginning of the screams filling the previously silent office, starting with the scream after he realized his right arm had fallen off. Lord Roadmalis screamed, pressing on his severed right arm with his left hand. However, the girl who had done it approached Lord Roadmalis with a face still full of annoyance and hatred. Crack! She then mmed his head onto the ground. ¡°Kwaaack!¡± Despite breaking the wooden floor of the Lord¡¯s office, Lord Roadmalis, formerly a hero, did not die but screamed instead. The girl, staring intently at him, then moved her hand to grab Lord Roadmalis by the hair and pulled him up. His face was covered in blood due to scratches from the wooden splinters. ¡°Answer me, did you send my poison to the Lord of Lartania who returned this time?¡± He felt fear at hearing the girl¡¯s voice once again, yet he struggled to grasp the situation. ¡®Why has this suddenly-!¡¯ Clearly, Lord Roadmalis had requested the support of the Swords of Cn in anticipation of Red Eyes¡¯ arrival. Therefore, the Swords of Cn present here should undoubtedly have been his ally. ¡®It was supposed to be an ally¡­!¡¯ Bleeding, Lord Roadmalis looked at Loriel, one of the Swords of Cn standing by the door, but she did nothing and just watched him suffer. As if she had no wish to intervene. Then, Lord Roadmalis turned his gaze to the girl holding his hair. ¡°¡­Huh?¡± He, unwittingly, let out a sound of incredulity. That was because the girl¡¯s appearance was definitely one that Lord Roadmalis had seen somewhere. Her long dark hair, as well as pupils as dark as if drawing one into an abyss. Simrly, her wearing a dark cheongsam and the distinct darkness floating above her shoulders reminded Lord Roadmalis of a certain being in his memory. The moment he fully recalled that being, ¡°What¡­?¡± Lord Roadmalis looked at the being in front of him with an incredulous expression. If what he understood and deduced was correct, then he understood the entire situation now. Of course, there was still much he did not understand. It was a question why she, who had disappeared starting eight years ago, appeared here now. It was also a question why the Swords of Cn showed reverence to a being who was once part of Lartania¡¯s Round Table. However, such questions were not that important. What was clearly visible on his face was fear. ¡°Uh, aah-¡± Emotions drenched in fear. His eyes began to tremble at his clearly visible end, and his left hand holding the stump started to shake. It was only natural. After finishing all his deductions and realizing who the person in front of him was, it was all too easy to predict his own end. Thus, Lord Roadmalis opened his mouth to beg for forgiveness as cowardly as possible with fear in his eyes, but, ¡°Absolute Ruler of Darkness, there has been some- some misunderstanding-¡± The moment those words flowed from Lord Roadmalis¡¯ mouth. ¡°Ah.¡± For the first time, Loriel, who had not uttered a word since entering this office, let out a low exmation. A calm, yet somehow regretful exmation. For a fleeting moment, Lord Roadmalis met Loriel¡¯s gaze. He looked at Loriel, who was looking at him with an emotionless, yet regretful gaze, as if he could not understand. ¡°My title given by that person is the Absolute Ruler of Darkness.¡± The moment the voice was heard. Lord Roadmalis could see the girl¡¯s expression. The girl¡¯s face, which had been frowning until now, twisted like a demon¡¯s. ¡°Ah.¡± And with that. Boom! Crack! Before he could properly piece together the puzzle of thought, his head was torn apart and burst by the darkness floating behind the girl. Loriel, known as a Shin Sword and one of the Five Swords of Cn, sighed involuntarily upon seeing Lord Roadmalis¡¯ body mmed into the ground like a rag doll. ¡®To make such a mistake, of all things.¡¯ Of course, Lord Roadmalis¡¯ death had been certain even before she arrived here. Because of whom? Because of Lord Roadmalis himself, due to the report he had submitted. But if not for the mistake, Lord Roadmalis could have lived at least another ten minutes before dying. Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! ¡°¡­¡­¡± Like this, the body wouldn¡¯t have been instantly smashed into the territory¡¯s ground in such a messy way. Loriel silently looked at the ce where Lord Roadmalis¡¯ body was destroyed, then looked at her. Seeing her still not appeased, her face filled with deep anger unlike her usual expressionless appearance, was something even Loriel saw for the first time, enough to slightly intimidate her. Looking at her, Loriel once again thought of her title. ¡®The Absolute Ruler of Darkness.¡¯ In truth, even Loriel thought her title didn¡¯t sound all that impressive. ¡­Honestly, to speak a bit more candidly, her title seemed childish. Yet, as far as she knew, no one dared to disregard the girl before them. Not even the Five Swords of Cn. Not the major nobles who secretly knew her identity. ¡­Not even the King. No oneughed at the girl¡¯s title. The power that the girl held was so immense that even the King had to speak of it with awe. Because everyone who knew the girl knew what happened to those who crossed her. And above all, she was- ¡°Loriel.¡± ¡°Yes, Master.¡± ¡°Did you find it?¡± Because she was the Master of the Five Swords, considered the greatest force of the Cn Kingdom. ¡°If you mean Yuliarr¡¯s Pendant, I found it.¡± ¡°Give it to me.¡± At the girl¡¯s gesture, Loriel took the pendant out from her bosom and respectfully bowed her head slightly to hand it over to her Master. ¡°It was on the delivery list, so it was easy to find in the warehouse.¡± Upon hearing Loriel¡¯s words, after receiving the item, she seemed to float the pendant in the darkness and examine it. ¡°It is done.¡± Then, putting the pendant away, she asked, ¡°Loriel, which noble is connected to this scoundrel?¡± ¡°¡­Duke Raipeoshin.¡± Loriel named the Duke, who was among the top three nobles of the Cn Kingdom, including the King. Yet, even upon hearing the name of the Duke, who held power that even the King couldn¡¯t recklessly oppose, she remained unemotional. ¡°Tell him,¡± she said. ¡°If he fails to heed my warning just one more time, I will personally rip his throat out and hang it in the center of his territory.¡± Loriel, who heard this as well, replied, ¡°Everything as you wish, Master.¡± She bowed respectfully and said, ¡°If the Duke makes another mistake, we, the Five Swords, will dismember him and present him before you, Master.¡± She showed her unwavering loyalty. And then, the Absolute Ruler of Darkness, without hesitation, turned around. ¡°Now, just two more ¨C just two more.¡± She murmured quietly and left the office. And then, there was no one left there. And at that moment. ¡°My Lord.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Kim Hyunwoo, deeply contemting whether to build the cksmith or the tavern first after the palisade was fullypleted, responded to the voice. ¡°There has been a change in the territory¡¯s influx rate.¡± ¡°Of course, it would rise, with the palisade built, we have some foundations, so it would have gone up by about 10%, right?¡± He spoke as if it was not a big deal, but then, ¡°It¡¯s not just that.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I rmend checking the territory¡¯s influx rate.¡± Loria suggested that. Soon, Kim Hyunwoo had a puzzled look. ¡°???¡± Territory influx rate: 333% ¡ùAn event triggered by the incident will start. Chapter 14: Tinnitus (3) ¡°How, why?¡± From Roadmalis¡¯ mouth, a question flowed out. ¡°How on earth?¡± There was not a single thing that wasn¡¯t a question. From the moment he became involved with Lartania, there was not a single thing that didn¡¯t raise questions. It was a mystery why one of Lartania¡¯s heroes was secretly operating in the Kingdom of Cn. It was also a mystery why Red Eyes was rampaging on behalf of a lord who now had nothing but ruins, unlike ten years ago. The biggest mystery was that Red Eyes was standing right in front of him. This was, without a doubt, a strange story. Roadmalis had died. He had only been resurrected with the power of an artifact, and his death was an undeniable fact. ¡®Even so ¨C why?¡¯ Red Eyes was waiting for Roadmalis. As if she already knew that he woulde back to life. Thus, to Roadmalis¡¯s unwittingly thrown question, Red Eyes, ¡°Intuitively.¡± Gave an answer that was so void of substance it left Roadmalis feeling utterly deste. The next moment. Swoosh! ¡°Aaargh!¡± Roadmalis screamed in terror as he realized his legs had been severed by Red Eyes. The moment Merilda, without a word, picked up a wine bottle she had ced to one side and opened it while stepping on Roadmalis¡¯s chest. ¡°Why are you doing this! Why!! Why are you doing this to me!!!¡± A scream burst from Roadmalis¡¯ mouth. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Merilda looked at Roadmalis indifferently with the bottle cap off. ¡°It¡¯s strange, all of it is strange, everything!!¡± However, Roadmalis, filled with indignation and anger over the injustice rather than the fear he had just felt, began to shout as if spitting it out. ¡°Red Eyes! Why are you doing this for the Lord from ten years ago!? Why is the Absolute Ruler of Darkness secretly operating in the Kingdom of Cn!?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not part of Lartania anymore, are you! Neither the Absolute Ruler of Darkness nor you!¡± Roadmalis knew that even though Red Eyes had attacked the territory, she was not a hero affiliated with Lartania¡¯s territory. No, he had to know. Those who became Lords with the power of the Territory Stone could know whether they were bound in a contractual rtionship with heroes by their colors. Red indicates a hero who has already made a contract and cannot make another. Green indicates a hero who is avable for contract. Grey, showing no color, indicates a hero who belongs nowhere and has no intention of being recruited. And when Roadmalis first saw Red Eyes in the territory of Sertoa, he saw, just in case, by using the power of the Lord¡¯s Stone. That the color emanating from Red Eyes¡¯ body was grey. ¡°Why are you doing this when you¡¯re not even affiliated with that lord anymore ¨C why!!!¡± Spitting blood from his mouth as if venting his frustration, Roadmalis regained his senses after all his words and wore a terrified expression. The moment he spoke out, he felt as if the whole world was holding him back, shouting out of a sense of injustice, but after venting his anger, fear began to creep in again. However¡­ Surprisingly, Red Eyes, who had been listening to Roadmalis¡¯ angry cries, looked down at him with an unexpectedly indifferent expression, unlike before. ¡°¡­?¡± Just as he felt puzzled by this, ¡°There¡¯s one thing that everyone, including you, has got wrong.¡± She spoke calmly, not with anger as before. ¡°My rtionship with my Master is not bound by just such a contract.¡± Red Eyes leaned down. ¡°Who do you think is the reason I have this much strength, being chased by ve hunters?¡± ¡°Who do you think taughtbat techniques to a clueless fool of a Langin tribe?¡± ¡°Do you know from whom I received the epithet and name that you all shout and remember?¡± ¡°These clothes, this hairstyle, even the instinct to realize that you woulde back to life-¡± She looked at Roadmalis. ¡°All of it, I received from my Master.¡± ¡°Without exception, all from my Master.¡± Red Eyes looks at Roadmalis. Roadmalis also looked at Red Eyes. And then, he realized two things he had been mistaken about. ¡°My Master is my everything.¡± One was that Red Eyes, who seemed endlessly indifferent and cold, had something uniquely characteristic of a madwoman. The other was¡­ ¡°My, everything.¡± ¡°Uh, aah-¡± That Red Eyes was not calm, but angrier than ever before. And then, ¡°So, you who tried to take everything from me-¡± Crack! ¡°-Are going to die.¡± Red Eyes, who killed Roadmalis by thrusting a wine bottle through his throat, soon disappeared silently from the spot. Territory: Lartania. Territorial Development Level: 23 Territory Residents: [Humans: 918] Owned Buildings: [Lord¡¯s Castle LV1] [Wall LV1] [Residential District LV1] [Forge LV0 (Under Construction) 0%] [Barracks LV0 (Under Construction) 77%] [Tavern LV0 (Under Construction) 77%] Military Forces: -None- Kim Hyunwoo, staring nkly at the territory window that showed the number of territory residents had increased to nearly 900 in just a few days, wore a very strange expression. The reason was due to the endlessly increasing number of territory residents. Of course, an increase in territory residents is a good thing. Since, in Arteil, the number of territory residents essentially trantes tobor force. However, that¡¯s when the basic structure of the territory is in ce; if the number of residents increases without the manpower to manage it, it could lead to a rebellion in the worst case scenario. Of course, in the original game, there are no rebellions at the start of y. This is because when you first start Arteil, you either start with all the basic buildings already constructed, or they are built almost instantly even if they are not. But what about the territory of Lartania now? The palisade has just been constructed, and the partially destroyed Lord¡¯s castle has yet to be repaired. Is that all? Due to the influx of territory residents, additionalbor had to be allocated to the residential area, and the forge, which should be the foundation of the military and agriculture projects, has not yet been constructed. Moreover, the tavern for selecting heroes to manage the inner workings of the territory? It¡¯s non-existent. The trading post? Likewise, non-existent. In other words, despite Kim Hyunwoo essentially not being able to do anything, the situation is such that it wouldn¡¯t be strange for a rebellion to ur at any moment due to the influx of territory residents. Yet, despite such a situation, the reason Kim Hyunwoo wore a nuanced expression was because: [Labor Efficiency: 75%] Thebor efficiency, which should have decreased with the increase in territory residents, was still maintained at a quite high level, and moreover, the dissatisfaction level of the territory residents was lower than expected. And the reason for that was- ¡°¡­Because of a title?¡± [Yes, the story about the title 'King of Logs' that emergedst time has also spread among the refugees who arrived this time.] Upon Loria¡¯s words, Kim Hyunwoo nodded and said, ¡°Ah, so you mean the dissatisfaction is low because the story about being a messenger of the Gods or something has spread?¡± [No, that's not it.] ¡°Huh? Then what is it? Wasn¡¯t that what you just said?¡± [It's true that the story is about the title 'King of Logs,' but it's not the story about a messenger of the God that has spread; rather, it's about crushing the bodies of bandits with logs.] ¡°¡­¡­¡± [To provide more detail, the story that has spread is that right after saying 'Wanna taste the log??', waving his hand made logs fly out and turn the bandits into minced meat.] ¡°I never said that!?¡± [Rumors tend to get distorted, My Lord.] ¡°¡­It got distorted weirdly.¡± [Still, thanks to that, the dissatisfaction level is significantly low.] Having realized that the dissatisfaction was low not for religious reasons but out of fear, Kim Hyunwoo, with aplex expression, said, ¡°So, how much longer until the territory starts functioning properly?¡± [As you might expect, you should be able to start managing the territory properly 20 days from now, once the forge, barracks, tavern, and trading post are fully constructed.] ¡°Really?¡± Hearing Loria¡¯s words, Kim Hyunwoo nodded in satisfaction and looked over the residential spaces beyond the Lord¡¯s castle. The poption had certainly increased significantly from before. Seeing refugees from outside setting up mats and starting to sell goods, as there was no market constructed yet, Kim Hyunwoo suddenly thought about where the refugees hade from. ¡®Sertoa-¡¯ The Sertoa territory. The representative of the refugees, who came shortly after an event popped up, said that they became refugees and came to Lartania after Red Eyes had destroyed their territory. Upon hearing that story, Kim Hyunwoo realized one certain fact. For some reason, Merilda was helping him. Of course, Kim Hyunwoo could not fully understand why Merilda was helping him. However, considering that every territory Merilda had attacked was after some slightly inconvenient events for Kim Hyunwoo, it was hard to attribute it to mere coincidence. He inwardly thought his spection was correct. Therefore, ¡®Maybe I should meet and talk to her once I get the chance, as a way of saying thanks.¡¯ As Kim Hyunwoo was thinking this, Loria spoke up. [But-] ¡°Hm?¡± [Once the basic form of the territory ispleted, how do you n to expand the territory? The poption has been met for now, but as you know, it won't be easy to grow the territory in the usual way given the current situation.] ¡°Hmm.¡± Loria¡¯s point was certainly valid. While he was rtively free now due to not being able to manage just yet, he couldn¡¯t afford to leisurely grow the territory as he did in Arteil. While it might not seem a big deal now as the territory hasn¡¯t grown much, once it does grow and resources begin to umte, other territories will eagerly start conflicts to plunder those resources. Moreover, due to the territory level being higher than the development level, strong monsters from the Labyrinth would periodically emerge, and if Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s predictions were correct, high-risk, high-return events would ur frequently starting from territory level 30. ¡®Things like major raids would proceed just the same.¡¯ So, if Kim Hyunwoo were to manage the territory in the usual way at this point, it would naturally fail. No, it wouldn¡¯t just be likely; it would be inevitable. However, despite knowing this¡­ ¡°It¡¯s okay. I have a n.¡± Kim Hyunwoo confidently stated. [May I ask how you n to manage the territory?] Following Loria¡¯s question: ¡°I¡¯m going to create a Labyrinth city.¡± [A¡­ Labyrinth city, you say?] ¡°Yes.¡± Kim Hyunwoo smirked and murmured, ¡°A city where the best talents from across the continent can¡¯t help but gather.¡± The Lord of Raipel, a territory located to the east of the Kingdom of Cn, also ranks among the top three in prosperity among the territories belonging to the Kingdom. Duke Raipeoshin, one of the top three most powerful figures in the Kingdom, fundamentally possesses an arrogant character. However, most nobles and even the King of Cn have not criticized the Duke¡¯s arrogant nature. The reason is simply that Duke Raipeoshin was in a position where he could afford to be so. He is among the top three most powerful people in the Kingdom, including the King, and he has more than eight heroes in his territory, heroes whose reputations go beyond mere fame to the level of legends. Moreover, his territory has thousands of soldiers that the Duke can call upon at any time, and it¡¯s the only territory in the Kingdom to have a significant number ofbat guilds established. Thanks to this, there are mercenaries who can be hired at any time for the right price,plementing Duke Raipeoshin¡¯s arrogant nature. ¡°Why don¡¯t we just kill him? The Master was bothered by him, wasn¡¯t he?¡± ¡°Shh, Ruin. The Master said to just give a warning and nothing more.¡± ¡°I want to kill him; can¡¯t I just do it?¡± ¡°Do you want to trouble our Master?¡± ¡°Ha. I don¡¯t understand why we should spare that pig who doesn¡¯t even listen to our Master¡¯s words, the one who didn¡¯t heed the single warning to never touch Lartania territory.¡± ¡°Shut up, Ruin, it could inconvenience our Master¡¯s ¡®Master¡¯.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we give him the opportunity to do it himself?¡± ¡°Ah.¡± ¡°Right?¡± ¡°Then, shall we kill just half?¡± ¡°Hmm-¡± Trembling in fear, thanks to the Five Swords of Cn who hade to follow themand of the Absolute Ruler of Darkness. Chapter 15: Tinnitus (4) Inside the office, where the Five Swords of Cn were speaking freely, Duke Raipeoshin felt a sense of shame in this situation. And for good reason, as the Duke had never been treated this way by anyone before. To his territory¡¯s residents, he was like a God. Even nobles of the same rank would fawn over him, flipping over like dogs at a single word from him. Even the King of Cn could not ignore the Duke. The abundant resources from his territory brought him wealth and power that could not be ignored. However, the reason he could not raise his head, despite his arrogant nature, was because those in front of him were the Five Swords of Cn, the Kingdom¡¯s greatest force, capable of destroying a territory with just their five members. The reason they hade was because of their Master. This Master was an entity unknown to most nobles, known only to the six who attended the highest council within the Kingdom of Cn. They hade ignoring the warning of the Absolute Ruler of Darkness, who in the shadows had grown the once overall weaker Kingdom of Cn to beparable to other nations, their Master, thus he remained silent. ¡®Even so, this is¡­!¡¯ The Duke frowned and looked at the Five Swords. Duke Raipeoshin himself realized that it was somewhat wrong to have misused the brainwashing poison. After all, it was he who had given it to Roadmalis without proper warnings to use for colonizing neighboring territories. However, Duke Raipeoshin considered it an ident. After all, who would have thought that the Lord of Lartania, a territory almost ruined and about to vanish, would return? ¡°This was an ident, so don¡¯t speak so recklessly-!¡± Thus, as the ident started to take such a turn, the Duke tried to speak to the Five Swords with a hint of difort, but¡­ ¡°¡­¡­¡± The Duke suddenly stopped what he was about to say and shut his mouth. That was because the Five Swords of Cn, who until moments ago had been speaking leisurely without any change in expression, all red at the Duke simultaneously. ¡°Hey Duke, you seem to be under some misunderstanding; do you think we¡¯re keeping you alive because we want to?¡± ¡°Gasp¡­!¡± Feeling as if being strangled by the murderous intent from Ruin, one of the Five Swords who had been talking about taking the Duke¡¯s life, he instinctively shut his mouth. ¡°Don¡¯t be mistaken, Duke. Thanks to our Master¡¯s grace, you¡¯ve grown this much, so don¡¯t wag your tongue like a dog.¡± Ruin, ring at the Duke with eyes shimmering with murderous intent as if about to kill him at any moment, growled but- ¡°Stop it, Ruin.¡± Upon hearing Loriel¡¯s calm voice, Ruin red at the Duke for a while longer before turning around without hesitation and leaving the office with a frown. And Loriel, who had stopped Ruin, said: ¡°Duke Raipeoshin. This time, the Master said to just let it go with a warning, so I won¡¯t say much.¡± She said while looking at the Duke with her characteristic serene expression. ¡°If such a situation arises again, I won¡¯t stop Ruin. In fact, there won¡¯t be any need to,¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°I will personally execute you and hang your head on the Lord¡¯s castle g.¡± Shiver! Loriel clearly did not show any trace of emotion. Yet, despite this, the Duke involuntarily felt a chill course through his body at those words. ¡°Remember, Duke. The reason you were able to rise to your position. And-¡± With those words, ¡°That we, known as the Swords of Cn, originally belonged to whom.¡± The Five Swords of Cn disappeared from the Duke¡¯s office, and for a long time, the Duke could do nothing but stop breathing, his eyes filled with fear. Thinking about it, she did not like the name ¡°Absolute Ruler of Darkness.¡± No, she actually detested that title in the past. The reason was, of course, because it was childish. Of course, that title was given by him who had taken her in without any discrimination, a half-demon who had to hide her identity all her life, and who had helped her grow without asking for anything in return. But back then, she found it embarrassing and detestable. Not knowing how much of an honor it actually was. ¡°¡­¡­¡± In the underground castle built in a huge cavern beneath the Saint Territory, a major stronghold of the Kingdom of Cn, where the King serves as the Lord, she looked at the parchment in her hand. The short piece of parchment read, ¡°The Lord of Lartania has returned.¡± She received this parchment a week ago, realizing that the Lord of Lartania had returned, and it was three days ago she confirmed that it was indeed him from ten years ago. However, even after realizing that fact, she, the ¡°Absolute Ruler of Darkness,¡± did not act. Because her heart had wandered? No. Her heart, which had been quiet for ten years, raced just from reading the characters written on that mere piece of parchment. Just recalling his voice, whose face she could barely remember now, made her tremble. ¡­And on days when she reminisced about the day she realized he had disappeared, tears flowed all day long. Yet, the reason why the Absolute Ruler of Darkness did not seek out him, who could be considered her only light, was because of the sins she hadmitted. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The Absolute Ruler of Darkness recalled a day after he had left. That day was one month after the Lord, who was undoubtedly her light, had left. Looking back, she felt like an utter fool for being annoyed at the Lord who did not return. No, perhaps it was anxiousness. Maybe, the anxiousness that the Lord might never return. But, to forcibly suppress that anxiousness, she fancied that the Lord was engaging in a power struggle. It had not been this long before, but there had been a few asions where he had not returned for an extended period. Thus, she brainwashed herself. The Lord was engaging in a power struggle with them. He was not returning to break his pride. Repeating this self-brainwashing, the half-demon began to believe over time that the Lord was indeed not returning in order to win the power struggle. On the day two months after the Lord had disappeared, she destroyed all the gifts he had given her. She broke the essories he had given her. She broke the weapons he had given her. She tore the clothes he had given her. She trampled on even the minor items he had given her. She wanted to exact revenge on the Lord who made her heart suffer so. Wanting to give a hard time to the Lord who couldn¡¯t even properly ept her slightest tantrums. Foolishly convincing herself, firmly believing her own lie that he was not returning because he was engaged in a power struggle, she vented her umted frustration. The Lord would surely return. Because he couldn¡¯t possibly abandon her. But then, another month passed. Half a year went by. And then another year. She realized. That the Lord was noting back. Sitting in the ce where the Lord always sat, the half-demon spent days and nights crying after realizing that. Crying until exhausted, falling asleep, waking up, and then crying until falling asleep again became her routine. After spending a few days in such apletely broken state, she staggered to her room. She wanted to escape. From the fact that the Lord was noting back. To escape from the fact that his voice and face were gradually fading from her memory. She headed there. To her room, where the gifts from the Lord were. And then¡­ When the half-demon returned to her room, what she saw were the gifts from the Lord, her only source of light, shattered to pieces. Seeing that, she immediately thought of her past self. The fool she had been, destroying all the Lord¡¯s gifts. The half-demon wept bitterly. Over the Lord¡¯s items she had broken herself. Gathering every memory, she hugged the now scrap metal remains of the gifts and cried. Her body became covered in blood from the sharp metal shards, but such things did not matter to her. Because the pain in her heart, as if it had been hollowed out, was far more terrible than any physical wounds. Ridiculously, she cursed herself as she sobbed. In the end, the only thing left to her at that moment was the title ¡°Absolute Ruler of Darkness¡± given by the Lord. Yes, nothing but that. ¡­The bond and memories with the Lord, only that remained. From then on, that title became her sore spot. And so, another year passed. The half-demon left the territory. To once again fill the void left by the Lord¡¯s gifts she had destroyed herself. So that when the Lord someday returned, he would not be disappointed in her, to return all the gifts to their original state. Because she was afraid. She couldn¡¯t bear the thought of the Lord returning, seeing the destroyed gifts, and looking at her coldly. ¡®If-if I were to receive such a look from the Lord, I would-¡¯ ¡°Ah, gasp¡­ huff¡­ sob!¡± Just imagining it made her feel suffocated, so she forcibly stopped her thoughts. Her breathing did not calm, her heart throbbed as if it would burst any moment, and tears formed in her eyes. ¡°No, no ¨C such a thing must never happen¡­!¡± I don¡¯t want to be hated. I didn¡¯t want to be rejected. In her life, she didn¡¯t want to lose the light again, the only one who had reached out and saved her, a half-demon. That was why. ¡°I must gather them all, everything-¡± She couldn¡¯t go back. Until she had collected all the gifts given by the Lord. She could never go back. ¡°¡­Just two more to collect.¡± Fortunately, her current situation wasn¡¯t too bad. Although she disliked her, the arrogant wolf girl was protecting the Lord, and now there were only two gifts left for her to collect. ¡°Just two more to collect-¡± Moreover, it was only a matter of time before collecting the two items. ¡°¡­I can be forgiven.¡± She found herself imagining. Having collected all the gifts. Returning nonchntly, prostrating herself before her light, asking for forgiveness. And the Lord, smiling, epting her apology. ¡°Haah-¡± Feeling a dream-like hope, whether possible or not, she unwittingly reveled in joy. But to escape the anxiety that always crept up on her, she- ¡°Eh-¡± As she had always done, she indulged in pleasure alone to rid herself of the anxiousness. Calling out the Lord¡¯s name. Chapter 16: Pioneering The Labyrinth (1) Fundamentally, Arteil¡¯s territorial development follows a pretty standard route for territory-based content. Starting with the Lord¡¯s castle as the base, after building all the basic production buildings, then the first-tier buildings are constructed. That is, until all the first-tier buildings are built and the territory is somewhat on track. However, after that, when you can start building second-tier buildings and define the territory¡¯s actual direction, Arteil bes distinct from other web-based territory games. Unlike the usual territory content where you simply level up buildings, recruit many soldiers, and blindly battle to plunder resources or expand territory, Arteil has many forms of territories. Among them, there are three main types:mercial, production, andbat territories. Forbat territories, as the name suggests, it¡¯s a type that uses PVPbat to plunder resources and seize castles for territorial development. Commercial territories, literally, involve operating arge tradingpany, buying territories with money, or investing funds for development. Lastly, production territories are a type that focuses on developing the territory by selling special resources that can only be produced through a production route, along with hero-equipped artifacts from Labyrinths. While there are many other forms of territories, users basically choose one of these three directions. Of course, as the territory level increases and develops, you can enjoy all content evenly, but Kim Hyunwoo also initially raised his territory level as amercial territory. If Arteil were amon territory game,bat territories would have been the most highlighted, but surprisingly, Arteil wasn¡¯t well suited for indiscriminate fighting. The reason is due to the rtionship system based on the territory¡¯s direction. For each,mercial territories have high rtionships with tradingpany NPCs, and production territories have high rtionships with production guilds, adventurers, and heroes based on actions, making it difficult forbat guilds, which must solely supply resources from outside, to interfere. Conversely,mercial and production territories must also consistently consume resources to maintain high rtionships to deterbat territories from plundering, making Arteil well-bnced and diverse in direction for a territory game. ¡°Well, even that well-made bnce was blown away by a single BM.¡± With that thought, Kim Hyunwoo looked at the territory window. Territory: Lartania Territory Development: 58 Territory Residents: [Humans: 1084] Owned Buildings: [Lord's Castle LV1 >>> Upgrading 0%] [Wall LV1] [Residential District LV1 >>> Upgrading 0%] [cksmith LV1 >>> Upgrading 0%] [Barracks LV1 >>> Upgrading 22%] [Tavern LV1 >>> Upgrading 0%] Owned Troops: -None- In about three weeks, many aspects of the territory had changed. Immediately, the residential area was densely popted with many people living together, a stark contrast to when Kim Hyunwoo first arrived, and small businesses were operating between the narrow paths. In front of them were a cksmith and a tavern, with barracks built to the east of the Lord¡¯s castle and residents engaged in farming to the west of the residential area. In other words, positively speaking, Lartania had now finally taken the form of a proper territory. Of course, negatively, one could say it had only just reached the very beginning of the tutorial in Arteil, but ultimately, the important thing for Kim Hyunwoo was that the foundation for properly managing the territory had been established. ¡°Lord, basic management is now possible.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s start getting down to it.¡± Starting with Kim Hyunwoo responding to Loria¡¯s words with a smile. ¡°Well, shall we start with developing the territory first?¡± He murmured. ¡°Lord, I¡¯m sorry, but may I ask you something?¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I remember you mentioned making a Labyrinth cityst time, but what exactly do you mean by that type of territory?¡± Kim Hyunwoo nodded as if that was a reasonable question to Loria¡¯s curious inquiry. She was basically an NPC that helped with the development of the territory, but a territory like thebyrinth city mentioned by Kim Hyunwoo did not exist in Arteil. Thus, contemting how to exin this territory, Kim Hyunwoo soon opened his mouth as if he had thought of a good exnation. ¡°Simply put, think of it as doing business through the Labyrinth.¡± ¡°Doing business through the Labyrinth, you say¡­?¡± ¡°Yes, more precisely, it¡¯s about doing business with Magic Stones thate from the Labyrinth.¡± Basically, there are monsters inside the Labyrinths of this world, and when these monsters are dealt with, Magic Stones are dropped. These Magic Stones are an energy source like oil and electricity in Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s world and an essential resource for weapons and more in Arteil, hence the demand is high, but the supply is limited. The reason is the Lords¡¯ monopoly on Magic Stones. Basically, in this world, the only way to obtain Magic Stones is to hunt monsters in the Labyrinths. However, Labyrinths exist only in territories with a Lord¡¯s castle, and naturally, one cannot enter such Labyrinths without the Lord¡¯s permission. Thus, at this point, only Lords with territories could produce Magic Stones, and hence, they strictly controlled the demand for Magic Stones. The important resource of Magic Stones gave the lord a strategic advantage over various guilds, adventurers, and mage towers. ¡°Does that mean you intend to open Lartania¡¯s Labyrinth?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± However, at Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s deration to give up the strategic advantage a Lord could gain without hesitation, Loria seemed to pause for a moment before speaking. ¡°¡­I hesitate to say this, but isn¡¯t that too reckless?¡± ¡°It might seem that way.¡± Kim Hyunwoo thought Loria¡¯s concern was valid. The system he mentioned had never been attempted in any territory before, and more strictly speaking, it was a method that no one had even dared to consider initially- ¡°I understand your thinking, Lord. You n to open the Labyrinth to the public, not just ordinary citizens but to gather adventurers, mercenaries, and guilds.¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡± ¡°Doing so will solve most of the problems you are currently facing, Lord. The territory¡¯s development level will skyrocket, and the city will naturally be prosperous with just a sufficient number of troops for management. However, as you know, Lord, that requires-¡± ¡°You mean to say that Magic Stones must continue toe out of the Labyrinth, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡± This method was, in fact, a form of territory that originally couldn¡¯t exist. Monsters in the territory¡¯s attached Labyrinth basically drop Magic Stones. That was an undeniable fact. However, one additional fact to be aware of is when the Labyrinth¡¯s monsters respawn. The Labyrinth¡¯s monsters typically respawn on a weekly basis. Thus, the amount of Magic Stones that can be obtained from each territory on a weekly basis is ultimately limited, even if one delves deeper into the Labyrinth. Even if one obtains high-quality Magic Stones, the quantity avable is still limited, and even that quantity is notrge, so it¡¯s unlikely that adventurers or guilds would flock to it. However, the reason for Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s confidence despite this is. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, there¡¯s a way for everything.¡± ¡°A method, you say?¡± Because he had a very good method for making this impossible Labyrinth city. ¡°Loria, you said we have to start from the beginning with Labyrinth exploration, right?¡± ¡°Yes, every time we fail to prevent a Labyrinth break, the exploration level is reset by oneyer, so at this point, you have to start from the very beginning.¡± Following Loria¡¯s words, Kim Hyunwoo spoke with a confident expression. ¡°Let¡¯s go find a hero first.¡± Elena is a hero. ¡­To be more precise, she was a hero who was unwee everywhere, just an ordinary hero. It was because, even by her own admission, Elena¡¯s abilities were too ambiguous. Although she was abat hero, her abilities were oddly inferiorpared to other heroes. Of course, as a hero, she was stronger than ordinary soldiers, but that was all;pared to other heroes, her abilities were significantly lower, and thus, she continued an unwanted nomadic life without being able to settle in any territory. While it might have been different in the past when territories were barely emerging, at this point, no Lord wanted to hire a hero with such ambiguous abilities as hers. Of course, it wasn¡¯t that Elena hadn¡¯t tried. She was filled with the desire to be famous, to spread her name across the Continent, and to be stronger than others. ¡­And at the same time, wanting to take revenge on the Lords and heroes who had scorned and ignored her, she had tried several times over the past few years to break free from this cycle. With the money she had painstakingly saved, she changed weapons, trained until dawn, and even tried to learn magic and archery, which she had never used before. But no matter how much Elena tried, that was all. It was as if her limits were set, and after struggling for five years, Elena gave up on bing stronger. She crushed her pride and simultaneously acknowledged it. That her limits were just that. Afterward, while wandering from territory to territory earning money through minor jobs, Elena heard a rumor. That the Lartania territory, which had beenpletely destroyed after its Lord disappeared ten years ago, was beginning to be rebuilt with the return of its Lord. Upon hearing that, Elena, as if enchanted, headed towards the Lartania territory. Perhaps because of the hope that she might be employed by the Lord. ording to the rumors she had heard, the Lartania territory seemed no different from the territories that had employed her ten years ago, just beginning to emerge. However, when Elena arrived at Lartania and entered a tavern, she was unwittingly disappointed. The reason was, of course, because there were quite a few heroes inside the tavern. At that moment, Elena was disappointed. Having realized that there were already more than five heroes in the tavern, she had an epiphany. Thus, she had been giving up. ¡°¡­You want to hire me?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Until that answer came back without a moment¡¯s hesitation. Elena looked around in surprise. Of course, the heroes sitting in this tavern didn¡¯t seem very strong to Elena, but objectively speaking, they were stronger than her. Sadly, among all the heroes, she was the one with the lowest capability. ¡°¡­Are you sure I¡¯m okay for the job?¡± So much so, she stuttered these words out with a voice that seemed to crawl along the floor. It was a kind of cold self-deprecation automatically ingrained in her due to a series of unfortunate past events. ¡°Yes. No, rather!¡± But. The answer came back instantly again, as if there was no need to even ponder. As if she was really needed. And then. Snap-! ¡°If not you, then it won¡¯t do!¡± At the Lord¡¯s action of snatching her hand up and saying such words, Elena¡¯s eyes widened in an instant. ¡°This, this is¡­!¡± A confession? It couldn¡¯t be, right? While Elena was startled by the sudden turn of events, Kim Hyunwoo, who was actually holding her hand, ¡°This is amazing¡­!¡± Was smiling as he looked at Elena¡¯s information window that appeared before his eyes. Chapter 17: Pioneering The Labyrinth (2) The first thing Kim Hyunwoo had to do was hire a hero for Labyrinth exploration. This was because only heroes employed by the Lord could undertake Labyrinths affiliated with the territory. ¡°If I had the heroes I raised before, this part would have been easier.¡± Kim Hyunwoo made a slightly regretful face with that thought but quickly dismissed it. Certainly, if he had the heroes he raised before, Labyrinth development could have been done in an instant, but the heroes Kim Hyunwoo raised were not here now. ¡°It would be convenient if I could negotiate a deal with Merilda for Labyrinth exploration.¡± Of course, it seemed there was some degree of favorability with Merilda, but unfortunately, Kim Hyunwoo had no intention of asking her. ¡°That would be like burning down the house to catch a flea.¡± It was clear that it would be convenient to somehow make a deal with Merilda and explore the reset Labyrinth. Kim Hyunwoo had already witnessed her strength firsthand. The problem was that if he hired Merilda, the Labyrinth city that needed to grow rapidly might just copse. In fact, the possibility of the Labyrinth city copsing if he hired Merilda was almost inevitable. The rtionship penalty incurred from recruiting Merilda was significant enough to make that possible. ¡°¡­If only the rtionship was a bit more intact.¡± Kim Hyunwoo unknowingly recalled the endless list of rtionship penalties he saw when Merilda¡¯s recruitment window popped up, breaking out in a cold sweat. Each one seemed to easily surpass -70, potentially leading to war, along with the nearly -1200% influx rate of territory residents when she was recruited. ¡­Anyway, given the situation, Kim Hyunwoo thought it best to find a new hero for Labyrinth exploration and came to the tavern, though he did not have high hopes. After all, the chances of high-level heroes appearing were not very good unless the building¡¯s level was fundamentally high. More urately, it would be correct to say that the gacha probability was not high. Since the essence of this Arteil was gacha territory material, heroesing was purely a gacha element, and with good luck, it was possible to draw a 5-star hero even if the tavern level was 1. However, Kim Hyunwoo did not wish for such a stroke of luck. After all, he had once spent the staggering amount of 500,000 won at the age of a middle schooler without drawing a 5-star, experiencing the bitterness of this world. ¡­Even then, the price for 10 consecutive draws was only 9,900 won, so he ended up using it for a total of 500 draws without getting a 5-star hero, leading him to tearfully convince himself that ¡°raising a 1-star hero to 5-stars would be more fun,¡± which is why Kim Hyunwoo headed to the tavern without much expectation. Yet there, he made a discovery. ¡°Uh, excuse me¡­ If you¡¯re okay with me, please take care of me.¡± He stumbled upon a jackpot. For some reason, Kim Hyunwoo looked at the hero window floating in front of him while watching her shyly greeting him. ¡ùThe target for recruitment is in the tavern, so the information window is avable for viewing. Hero Name: Elena Title: X Star: 1 star ¡ï Affection: 0 -Stats- Strength: 19 Agility: 24 Intelligence: 17 Luck: 18 Magic Power: 15 -Traits- Hard Worker: Efforts to diligently perform any task, maintaining maximum efficiency in training and execution. Insight: When using a weapon with a talent beyond 'innate,' there's a 50% chance for attacks to be considered as ignoring defense. -Talent- Has an innate talent for hand axes. -Skills- [View] Contrary to Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s beaming enthusiasm, her information window appeared to be a typical 1-star ability window with nothing particrly special. Yet, what he liked was, ¡°The Hard Worker, Insight, and innate talent¡­!¡± It was because Elena¡¯s trait and talent windows formed an incredible harmony. In this Arteil, what fundamentally determined a hero¡¯s performance were traits and talent. Of course, naturally 5-star heroes from the start have insurmountable basic stats, but for all other heroes, traits and talent were very important. To the extent that depending on how harmoniously these traits and talents align, it could determine the number of stars a hero could ultimately achieve. In that sense, the information window of Elena in front of him was so good that Kim Hyunwoo couldn¡¯t help but apud. ¡°How can it fit together so perfectly?¡± Of course, Kim Hyunwoo had seen many heroes with better traits and talent than Elena. Even just ncing through the information windows of about seven heroes present here, there were those with better stats or superior trait and talentbinations than Elena. However, what is important in this game is that the synergy between traits and talent must be properly harmonized. For example, the hero sitting immediately to Elena¡¯s right had a trait called ¡°Eyes that See the Truth.¡± The ¡°Eyes that See the Truth¡± trait, as extraordinary as its name, is a fraudulent trait that, for talents prefixed with ¡°incredible,¡± allows all attacks to be considered as ignoring defense. Unfortunately, that hero does not have a talent with the ¡°incredible¡± prefix. All it has is a usable level of swordsmanship. In other words, no matter how good the trait is, in such a situation, it just ends up being a mirage. And in Arteil, there are many such regrettable trait and talentbinations, making Elena¡¯sbination exceptionally excellent. ¡°Of course, growing like this, 4-stars might be the limit.¡± Kim Hyunwoo, who has a history of raising all 1-star heroes to 5-stars, has a lot of know-how in raising heroes. Thus, confident in his ability to ovee Elena¡¯s innate limits to make her a 5-star, he smiled confidently. [¡ïWould you like to make a recruitment offer to the hero 'Elena'? Y/N] ¡°Please take care of me.¡± ¡°Uh, uh¡­ I, too, ask for your care.¡± He ced his hand on Elena¡¯s recruitment window without hesitation, smiling, and then said, ¡°Shall we get started with the work right away?¡± The Altaz mercenary group,posed of about ten members, not of particrly high rank but well-known in this region for their long-term activity. Among them, Column, who could be called the leader, looked ahead with a nk expression. In front of them was a goblin tribe in a forest not far from the Lartania territory. ¡°But are we really just going to stay like this?¡± Looking at the tribe, which seemed to have been neglected for quite some time and had grown considerably, Column responded to a subordinate¡¯s voiceing from beside him. ¡°What?¡± ¡°No, I mean, is it okay to just watch like this?¡± ¡°If I said to watch, then that¡¯s what we should do.¡± The subordinate spoke with a look ofplete iprehension to Column¡¯s nk-faced response. ¡°It¡¯s strange. What was the Lord thinking when he hired us?¡± ¡°How would I know that?¡± The reason the mercenary group, including Column, was here was because Kim Hyunwoo, the Lord of Lartania, had hired them upon their visit to the newly established territory, wondering if they were looking for work. The reason they did not approach the goblin tribe beyond a certain distance was that the mercenary group was not hired to subdue the goblins. ¡°¡­Watch the hero fight and save her if an unforeseen situation arises, perhaps.¡± As these thoughts came to him, Column looked at the subject of the request in front of him. Her, standing in front of the goblin tribe, with long blue hair, holding a small hand axe in each hand. Chuckle. Seeing Elena standing timidly in front of the goblin tribe, Column chuckled without realizing it. ¡°¡­So the Lord who established Lartania ten years agocks discernment.¡± Column knew Elena. To be more precise, he couldn¡¯t help but know her. She was a woman known in the vicinity of this area as the ¡°Failed Hero,¡± a name that was clearly a derogatory term to anyone who heard it. Despite being a hero, her abilities were so meager that mercenaries who had worked with Elena even once often ridiculed her, wondering how she became a hero. Even though the mockery sprang from the sullenness of mercenaries who had not be heroes, it was true that she was weak. Thus, the mercenaries, including Column, said, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to see a hero die in front of my eyes when it¡¯s not even a war.¡± ¡°What nonsense? If she dies, we won¡¯t get our fee.¡± ¡°Ah, right. Well, even if she wasn¡¯t a failed hero, heroes without a reputation couldn¡¯t possibly single-handedly eliminate a goblin horde of more than 200 individuals.¡± The mercenaries¡¯ conversation went as such. Indeed, as they said, it was virtually impossible for a hero without even a reputation to eliminate a goblin horde alone. ¡°Seems like she won¡¯t be able to kill even one, right?¡± ¡°Last time, it seemed like she managed to kill about 34 by sneaking into their gaps.¡± ¡°Shall we make a bet?¡± The mercenaries started betting on how many goblins Elena could kill. Along with the mercenaries¡¯ conversation, they began to watch the failed hero¡¯s fight as goblins, as if on cue, burst out of the tribe and ran towards Elena with their rusty weapons raised. About ten minutester. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Silence spread among the mercenaries who had beenughing and jeering. Even the mercenaries who had been smiling. Even the ones who had been scoffing. Even Column, who had just mocked the Lord¡¯s discernment. All fell silent. The reason was the numerous goblin corpses surrounding Elena. ¡°What¡­ what?¡± ¡°Does this make sense?¡± At the same time, it was because of Elena, who, despite having wounds all over her body, stood covered in blood, holding a hand axe in each hand. ¡°???¡± Seeing this, all the mercenaries looked at Elena with expressions full of astonishment and questions. Elena had single-handedly decimated the goblin tribe with two unremarkable hand axes. ¡°???¡± Breathing heavily, she stood there dumbfounded, with a look of not understanding why. ¡°Eh? What¡­ what?¡± She murmured to herself unknowingly. Chapter 18: Pioneering The Labyrinth (3) Honestly, before she massacred all the goblins in the tribe, Elena seriously thought that the Lord might have had some ulterior motive. After all, the first thing Kim Hyunwoo did after hiring Elena was to hand her two hand axes she had hardly used and assign her the task of single-handedly dealing with the goblin tribe using only those axes. Naturally, Elena refused such a task from the Lord. She knew her own abilities too well, and besides, it was typical for her, a hero without any renown, tock the capability to handle a goblin tribe on her own. However, the Lord sent her to the tribe along with the mercenaries, calling it an ¡®opportunity to assess her abilities objectively.¡¯ Hearing the Lord¡¯s words that it was fine to run away without hesitation if it seemed dangerous, Elena, with reluctance, reached the tribe and was prepared to flee at once when the goblins appeared. Even with the derogatory title of a failed hero, she was still a hero chosen by the world, so escaping from goblins was somehow within her capabilities. Despite thinking this, the reason she did not flee was that her hands naturally lifted as if guided towards the charging goblins. ¡°¡­Huh?¡± It was because the hand axe in her hand had shattered the skull of an approaching goblin too swiftly. Barely adapting to the situation that urred in a sh, she instinctively swung the axe at the goblins that kept pressing in. The small hand axe in her hands moved back and forth, slicing through the bodies of goblins. Her hands moved as if possessed, reliably taking down a goblin with each attack. The sensation of being someone else stopped only after she had split open the heads of all the attacking goblins. ¡°Pant, pant-!¡± Elena gasped for breath and slumped to the ground where she stood. Her heart was pounding madly. Her whole body ached as if she had muscle pain, and her arms and legs were trembling. Despite being in what could definitely be described as a not-so-good physical condition, Elena¡¯s thoughts were wholly focused on what had just happened. ¡°Did I¡­ fight this well?¡± Elena reflected on herself but firmly shook her head. Having given up her dreams and slowly started topromise with reality, she was thoroughly self-aware and knew her own abilities well. She was weak. As weak as the derogatory title of ¡®failed hero¡¯ that was attached to her indicated. Therefore, she could not understand the situation. ¡°Is it because of this?¡± Elena looked at the hand axes in her hands. Axes so small that they seemed only suitable for splitting already chopped firewood or for throwing. She turned the axes over and over, but she felt nothing special about them. Rather, the axes were excessively ordinary. ¡°Did I ¡­ have talent?¡± Just by holding a hand axe, to be this strong? A fleeting thought. Elena shook her head firmly again. Before and after receiving the title of a failed hero, she had made a great effort to be stronger and learned numerous weapon skills. Among them was naturally the skill with axes, and although she had used a hand axe once or twice before, this was the first time for such an experience, making Elena suddenly remember the Lord¡¯s words. He had spoken of an opportunity to objectively assess her abilities. ¡°Try to trust it¡­ once.¡± At the same time, recalling the Lord who had said such things to her, she decided to go see him. That afternoon. As the sunset slowly faded and night approached, Elena, who had arrived at the Lord¡¯s castle, immediately went to see the Lord. ¡°What happened to me?¡± She asked Kim Hyunwoo. A questionden with many implications. Even Elena, not knowing what to ask first, instinctively threw this question, and the Lord, as if guessing everything, smiled and spoke. ¡°It seems you¡¯vepletely dealt with the goblin tribe on your own.¡± ¡°Well, yes, but¡­¡± Seeing her slightly confused expression, Kim Hyunwoo did not hesitate to take out a box from his robe and hand it to Elena. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a gift.¡± ¡°What? Just like that-¡± ¡°First, open it. If it feels like a burden, consider it a reward for trusting my word.¡± At Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s words, Elena looked mildly startled but soon opened the box he handed her. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the weapon you¡¯ll use from now on.¡± Inside the box were two hand axes. However, these axes, unlike the ones Kim Hyunwoo had handed over in the afternoon, had a somewhat more luxurious aura. ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll rece it with better ones as you gradually earn money, so please make do with these for now.¡± At Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s words, Elena looked up and replied. ¡°¡­What exactly did you do?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± At Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s tilting head, she fumbled with her words and then slightly shrank back as she spoke. ¡°I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s my ce to say this, since I¡¯ve already been hired, but I¡¯m weak. Weak enough to be called a ¡®failed hero.¡¯¡± ¡°So?¡± ¡°And yet, I dealt with the goblin tribe alone, even though there were more than 200 of them. A massive tribe that heroes without any fame like me would struggle to fight properly. This is-¡± ¡°Are you asking if it doesn¡¯t make sense unless I did something?¡± As Elena hesitated and nodded slightly, Kim Hyunwoo, as if choosing his words, stroked his chin a few times before speaking. ¡°Well, you¡¯re half right, to begin with.¡± ¡°Half, you say?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s true that I did something.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± At Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s words, Elena let out a low exmation. Of course, it was something she had already sufficiently guessed. However, despite her suspicions, there was a sense of regret as if a part of her had hoped otherwise, and Elena unwittingly attempted a self-deprecating smile. ¡°But the truth is, what I did was only half of it, and Elena, you truly have talent.¡± At Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s continuing words, she inadvertently retorted. ¡°Me?¡± ¡°Yes. You seem to be misunderstanding something; I can¡¯t create powers in others that aren¡¯t there to begin with.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a God, after all,¡± Kim Hyunwoo added, before continuing. ¡°If that were the case, there would¡¯ve been no need for me to specifically choose you.¡± At his candid voice, Elena unwittingly recalled the recent events. The Lord¡¯s appearance as he held her hand firmly and eximed. ¡°Hmm, hmm-¡± Recalling this made her face flush with unnecessary heat, and she cleared her throat unwittingly, but Kim Hyunwoo, unfazed, continued. ¡°To put it simply, I can help bring out your talent.¡± ¡°My talent?¡± ¡°Yes, because the talent Elena has is not just this much.¡± At Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s words, Elena involuntarily shrank back. Of course, contrary to her gesture, she was very pleased. Having lived a life more ignored than recognized, as befits the derogatory title of a failed hero attached to her for the past ten years. Therefore, the recognition she was receiving from the Lord at this moment was an incredibly sweet and spontaneously body-warmingpliment to her. However, despite such thoughts, the reason Elena¡¯s body instinctively shrank back was due to the habits and thoughts ingrained in her over the past ten years. The frustration of never being recognized in thest ten years instinctively weighed her down. She knew. As always, it was more tormenting to see a disappointed expression after receiving hopeful looks than to be disappointed. ¡°If it¡¯s hard to believe in yourself, just believe in me.¡± However. ¡°I¡¯m going to make Elena a 5-star hero ¨C no, a hero famous in her own right.¡± At Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s confident voice, Elena found herself nodding involuntarily. ¡ùThe hero is currently under the effect of a Proficiency Elixir. Hero Name: Elena Title: X Stars: 1 Star ¡ï Affection: (Measuring) -Stats- Strength: 20¡ü Agility: 25¡ü Intelligence: 17 Luck: 18 Magic: 15 -Traits- Hard Worker: Always strives to diligently perform any task, keeping the efficiency of training and execution at its maximum. Insight: When using a weapon with 'innate' or greater talent, there's a 50% chance that attacks will be considered to bypass defense. -Talent- Has an innate talent with hand axes. -Skills- [View] ¡ùThe hero feels trust towards you. After she left, Kim Hyunwoo, looking at Elena¡¯s information window, wore a satisfied expression. ¡°It seems to have taken effect well.¡± Objectively speaking, Elena¡¯s information window hadn¡¯t changed much. The only changes were a single increase in both strength and agility, the affection level changing from zero to being measured, and a trust indicator appearing in thest notification window. However, those three changes alone meant Kim Hyunwoo had achieved his original objectives. ¡°First impressions are always important with heroes, after all.¡± Unlike other games where affection could be blindly raised or lowered, in Arteil, the heroes¡¯ first impression drastically changed the difficulty of building affectionter on. Especially Kim Hyunwoo, who had a history of turning all his characters into 5-stars, knew very well the importance of first impressions. Not only that, but Arteil also had many elements to consider in raising a hero. The hero AIs, created using inte AI technology that was rumored to have reached a singrity at that time, were significantly affected by each and everyrge and small element. The reason Kim Hyunwoo initially bought a Proficiency Elixir with cash currency to temporarily increase Elena¡¯s talent proficiency and sent her to the goblin tribe was also rted to this. ¡°Elena¡¯s confidence was too low.¡± Seeing the mercenaries¡¯ reactions and collecting information about Elena through Loria, Kim Hyunwoo made such a judgment. A hero with low confidence falls into various debuffed states. Although he couldn¡¯t yet open detailed traits of the hero due to not having raised the tavern level, Elena¡¯s detailed traits likely included a ¡®Slump¡¯ debuff for sure. It¡¯s a very troublesome debuff that reduces the efficiency of all proficiency work to one-third as soon as it takes effect. Therefore, Kim Hyunwoo deliberately spent the little remaining cash currency to push confidence into her, aiming to boost Elena¡¯s self-esteem. To remove the Slump debuff. Of course, he had no intention of continually filling Elena¡¯s self-esteem. Continually pampering her wasn¡¯t a good choice either. While this is fundamentally influenced by personality, in the case of heroes, self-esteem that is too high makes them hard to control. In short, the key is to properly arrange both carrot and stick until you raise the bond and affection with the hero. ¡°Moreover, I need to make them realize that my presence is absolutely necessary to prevent a somewhat grown hero from leaving.¡± While thinking this, Kim Hyunwoo suddenly remembered one of the heroes he had raised. Certainly, a hero of a rare half-dragon race, whose self-esteem was so low that he had to soothe her low self-esteem through chatting, leading him to increase his typing speed from 300 to 500. And while Kim Hyunwoo was lost in these old memories. A hill in the far reaches of the territory. In that ce where animals or monsters had ceased to be seen for some time. Red Eyes was intently watching Elena, who was moving with a slightly ted step. Chapter 19: Pioneering The Labyrinth (4) Merilda stared nkly at Elena moving in the distance, inadvertently thinking to herself. How envious she felt. She was envious of her. So very envious. The fact that she was so casually by the Master¡¯s side made her feel like she could die of envy. So envious that she wanted to kill that woman right here and now- Merilda forcibly restrained herself as her hand involuntarily started to rise. She coldly assessed that killing that woman right now would gain her absolutely nothing. Furthermore, the moment the Master found out about it, if ever. Merilda momentarily felt as though her breath was being choked off, but she quickly shoved the malicious thoughts aside and looked at Elena again. Seeing Elena, who didn¡¯t realize how blessed she was, Merilda suddenly wished she could be her. Of course, objectively speaking, there were too many differences between Merilda and Elena. So much so thatparing them one by one would be ridiculous. Yet, Merilda wanted to be that woman. If it were possible, Merilda was willing to give up everything she had built up to this point right here, right now. At least for her, the chance to return to the Master¡¯s side. ¡­To start over by the Master¡¯s side held value beyond anything else. Therefore, Merilda, looking at Elena with endless envy but also with hatred, With a grit of her teeth, involuntarily raised her hand again as she saw Elena entering a room, biting down hard, But then, forced herself to lower her hand once more. As a beastfolk, she barely suppressed the destructive impulse rising instinctively within her and looked with bloodshot eyes at the room into which Elena had walked, located on one side of the Lord¡¯s castle. All too familiar to Merilda. The door with several nail marks on the handle. ¡°My¡­ room¡­¡± That was originally Merilda¡¯s room. The very first room the Master had given her. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Tears began to well up in Merilda¡¯s eyes without her realizing. All she saw was Elena entering a room, but to Merilda, that scene felt significantly meaningful. ¡°Uh¡­¡± The tears brimming in Merilda¡¯s eyes spilled over. She felt as if she had lost a ce to return to. At the same time, it felt as if the Master was erasing her presence. Erasing and oveying- That pain was so unbearable, Merilda clutched her chest. Tears flowed from her hate-filled red eyes. ¡°Sob¡­ sob-¡± And her gaze remained fixed on the door of what used to be her room, now Elena¡¯s. ¡­She could not stop her self-loathing and grief until the day broke. It has been a week since Elena was gifted with two hand axes. Hero Name: Elena Title: X Stars: 1 Star ¡ï Affection: (Measuring) -Stats- Strength: 23¡ü Agility: 29¡ü Intelligence: 18¡ü Luck: 18 Magic: 15 -Traits- Hard Worker: Strives to diligently perform any task, maintaining maximum efficiency in training and execution. Insight: When using a weapon with 'innate' or greater talent, there's a 50% chance that attacks will bypass defense. -Talent- Has an innate talent for hand axes. -Skills- [View] ¡ùThe hero trusts you. As Kim Hyunwoo hoped, Elena was growing quite rapidly. ¡®In just a week, her strength stat increased by 3, and her agility stat by 4.¡¯ Objectively, the stats hadn¡¯t increased dramatically. Intuitively, Elena¡¯s stats had only increased by a total of 7. However, considering that the game itself hardly showed serious increases in stats, as if they were practically fixed, Elena¡¯s rate of improvement was incredible. ¡®¡­The road to 5 stars seems a bit long, though.¡¯ In Arteil, stars increase sequentially as the total stats increase. For a 1-star hero, if the total stats are below 120, they are treated as 1-star. For 2-star heroes, they be 2-star once their total stats exceed 120. Subsequently, 3-star heroes need a total of 200, 4-star heroes 330, and finally, 5-star heroes must exceed a total stat count of 450 to be 5-star characters. Therefore, Elena, currently with a total stat count of 103, will be 2-star once her stats increase by 17, and upon bing 2-star, heroes receive stat adjustments ording to their stars. ¡®This is the difference between ordinary soldiers and heroes.¡¯ In Arteil, all ordinary soldiers also have stats, and among those called elites, there are soldiers with stats superior to 1-star, 2-star, or even 3-star heroes. Yet, the reason soldiers cannot defeat heroes is due to the stat adjustment rate that exists for ¡®heroes¡¯. Heroes called so from 1-star receive a 10% stat adjustment rate. For example, if the agility stat is 20, a 10% adjustment makes it effectively 22. Furthermore, as stars increase, the stat adjustments be stronger. ¡®2-stars get 20%, 3-stars 30%, 4-stars 50%, and 5-stars 70%¡­right?¡¯ While talent and traits are important, stats, being an indicator of strength, cannot be ignored, so this hero-exclusive stat adjustment creates an absolute gap between heroes. A 1-star hero cannot defeat a 2-star hero, and a 2-star hero cannot defeat a 3-star hero unless they have exceptional talent and traits. Moreover, 5-stars can increase their bond and affection with the lord to receive additional ability bonuses, allowing for 100% stat adjustments. When the affection level reaches stage 5, the adjustment rate exceeds 100%, so Kim Hyunwoo endured the horrendous BM to avoid dropping the heroes¡¯ favorability. The stat increase due to the adjustment rate at 5 stars was too important. ¡®Eventually, I quit because of that BM, though.¡¯ Since the moment he entered the game, the bond with heroes became an element he could not help but obsess over, so he was quite concerned about Elena. ¡®But, is it normal for affection to be measured this long?¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo, still seeing the affection not properly determined, tilted his head for a moment, suddenly curious. ¡®¡­Thinking about it, what criteria does this world use to determine a hero?¡¯ It was a question that naturally arose now that he was in the game, though he had epted it without question when it was just a game, but he soon shook his head. Because that wasn¡¯t what he needed to focus on at the moment. ¡°Loria.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°How is the recruitment of soldiers going?¡± ¡°There are about 100 applicants currently. However, due to the limited number of cksmiths, it may take some time to supply the materials.¡± ¡°How long?¡± ¡°Considering the speed of producing materials, it might take about a month.¡± ¡°That¡¯s too long.¡± ¡°But under the current circumstances, this is the best we can do.¡± ¡°Show me the cksmith¡¯s situation panel.¡± The situation panel appeared immediately at Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s request. cksmith Personnel: 13 / 150 Comparative Efficiency: 23% (Efficiency is low due to theck of specialized personnel!) Production Status: Iron bars / In production. [Daily production / 3 units] Helmets / In production. [Daily production / 3 units] Light armor / In production. [Daily production / 2 units] ¡°It¡¯s definitely low.¡± The forge is running with an absurdly low number of people, perhaps because not many refugees from specialized professions like cksmiths havee in. ¡°I wish it could be roughlypleted within two weeks.¡± [Are you nning to pioneer the Labyrinth?] ¡°Right.¡± Kim Hyunwoo was nning to pioneer the first and secondyers of the Labyrinth to coincide with Elena reaching 2 stars. And, of course, soldiers were needed to pioneer the first and secondyers of the Labyrinth. ¡®Actually, it seems like Elena could be sent alone.¡¯ Despite thinking this, Kim Hyunwoo needed soldiers because of affection levels. A Labyrinth is basically a ce where anything can happen, and sending a hero alone could certainly lower affection levels. ¡®I can¡¯t do anything that would lower affection levels, especially if I want Elena to grow quickly.¡¯ Knowing how powerful the stat correction rate from affection is, Kim Hyunwoo did not want to do anything that might lower the correction rate. Above all, there was another reason Kim Hyunwoo wanted to enter with the soldiers. ¡°We need to secure a base, you know.¡± [A base, you say?] Kim Hyunwoo nodded in response to Loria¡¯s question. ¡°I¡¯m thinking of creating a safe zone, a resting space, inside the Labyrinth.¡± [A resting space inside the Labyrinth?] Kim Hyunwoo grinned at Loria¡¯s puzzled question. ¡°It¡¯s better to do business with everyone rather than just a specific ss, right?¡± With that, Kim Hyunwoo immediately got up from his seat as if organizing his thoughts. ¡°I need to visit the forge.¡± He said. [For what reason...?] ¡°I need to increase thebor efficiency.¡± Kim Hyunwoo said with a smile in response to Loria¡¯s question. Tienus Merchant Group is an incrediblyrge tradingpany that travels across the entire continent, and to put it a little exaggeratedly, they sell everything that exists in this world. Therefore, every territory in the Southern Continent hopes that the Tienus Merchant Group will visit theirnds. The items they sell can only be bought from them, and once the Merchant Group visits a territory, the dissatisfaction among its people noticeably decreases. For this reason, while every territory wanted the Merchant Group to visit, none of them pressured the Merchant Group toe. Even the Eastern n, known as the most powerful force in the Southern Continent, did not recklessly pressure the Tienus Merchant Group. There were two reasons for this. One was that if rtions with the Tienus Merchant Group soured, it was always the territory that suffered. The other was because of the guardians that appeared when the Tienus Merchant Group was tampered with. For these two reasons, the Tienus Merchant Group could travel the Continent freely without even needing soldiers. The owner of the Tienus Merchant Group was a girl with red hair. ¡°If you¡¯re talking about Lartania territory, you mean the ce that¡¯spletely ruined in the Cn Kingdom?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Hmm, Lartania territory has been revived-¡± The woman known as the ¡®Golden Witch¡¯ in the Southern Continent, ¡®Adria,¡¯ listened to her assistant¡¯s words. ¡°Shall we go take a look?¡± ¡°If you say so, I¡¯ll prepare immediately.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go then, well ¨C it might not be much.¡± She muttered this with her characteristic calcting smile. ¡°There might be something that person wants.¡± Chapter 20: Tier 1 (1) Most cksmiths, while not all, tend to have a prickly personality. This is because the job of a cksmith itself is very arduous, but also because it is a profession where mistakes cannot be made in any part of the production process. Items made in the forge involve working with iron and fire, so even a small mistake can lead to various problems. Not only can there be idents,rge and small, but an item that has been worked on for a long time can be unusable due to a single mistake. Therefore, cksmiths generally have a prickly nature, and this was also true for the cksmith who came from Sertoa and is now employed as a leader in the Lartania forge. ¡°Tsk-¡± He sighed discreetly while looking at the Lord of Lartania, who entered the forge with a displeased expression, surveying the surroundings. Ralph had already guessed why Kim Hyunwoo had stopped by the forge. ¡®It must be about the production volume.¡¯ Ralph began to imagine what the Lord, who was looking around the forge, would say next. The first thing likely to be said would definitely be a criticism about production volume directed at Ralph. After Ralph starts pointing out the issues with the low production volume, the Lord will likely propose a nonsensical solution. Then, the administrative staff who follow the Lord around might apud, and the Lord will be pleased as if he has done something great, which was the behavior Ralph had observed from Lords in the past. Therefore, Ralph was seriously considering what to say to the Lord in front of him. The forge was currently short-staffed. Although there were definitely good materials, whose origin was unknown, there was a dire shortage of cksmiths to work with the iron. Thus, although Ralph was clearly aware of the problem, he was choosing his words because whatever he said, the response from the Lord was predictable. After all, even if he detailed the current issues of the forge to the Lord in front of him, the likely response would be nonsensical suggestions like, ¡®No manpower? Then just add more people from the territory.¡¯ Working with iron to produce weapons or armor in this manner was a task only somewhat skilled cksmiths could do. Inserting residents with no experience would be meaningless. However, Lords who not only looked down on the profession of cksmithing but also regarded it as some form of menialbor casually made such remarks in front of Ralph. Ralph disliked hearing those words. Of course, he was fully aware that the Lord was in the position of an employer, and leaving the forge he had opened with his own money, he recognized that being able to work here was somewhat fortunate for him, who otherwise had nothing. Even if he had been somewhat sessful, it was clear there would have been no ce for him to work outside of Lartania, as other ces already had cksmiths established. However, having pride in his profession as a cksmith, he wanted to avoid being belittled to his face, even if he was an employee. However. ¡°That¡¯s impressive.¡± The first words from the Lord¡¯s mouth were quite different from what Ralph had expected. ¡°¡­Yes?¡± ¡°I said it¡¯s impressive. All the equipment in the forge is properly managed, and the efficiency shown by just about ten people must be because the cksmiths are working hard.¡± The Lord, who was seriously looking around and muttering, soon started to speak as if in admiration after looking around. ¡°That, it looks like the equipment was ced arbitrarily to increase production. Indeed, operating in such a way has its advantages since everyone can work together. However, it would increase the difficulty ¨C considering the production volume, the skills must be exceptional.¡± ¡°The smelting process also seems to have had a lot of effort put into it, are you using a mixture of powdered flux and y? Indeed, doing it this way can produce iron of a higher purity.¡± ¡°And the quenching process-¡± As each word flowed from the Lord¡¯s mouth, Ralph¡¯s mouth hung open, and his irritated gaze filled with surprise and astonishment. The reason was that everything the Lord said was true, not just superficial. Therefore, Ralph found himself asking a question without realizing it. ¡°By any chance, have you worked with iron before, My Lord?¡± At that, Kim Hyunwoo showed his hands, free of calluses, and said, ¡°That¡¯s unlikely, I¡¯m not cut out to be a cksmith. After all, cksmithing requires endurance, physical strength, and perseverance, doesn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Ick the perseverance for cksmithing,¡± Kim Hyunwoo said briefly, prompting Ralph to ask further. ¡°But how do you know so much about working with iron?¡± ¡°Am I not the Lord? I should know how hard the people working for me are working. And also have the discernment to see how diligently they are working.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± At the Lord¡¯s words, Ralph unwittingly stared at him with a nk expression. Thinking about it, he had rarely been acknowledged for his work as a cksmith. Although he was certainly a skilled cksmith, he was not the master craftsman sought after by the Lords of all territories. Thus, receiving recognition from a high-ranking individual for the first time in decades. ¡°I look forward to your continued good work.¡± ¡®This Lord, he¡¯s different.¡¯ Ralph faintly realized that the Lord of Lartania was different from any he had seen before. Recently, Elena has been repeating a routine that umtes quite a bit of fatigue throughout her day. Waking up in the morning to train, eating lunch and then training, and training after dinner ¨C her days are not much different from five years ago when she desperately trained to shine on her own. Thinking back, this meant that Elena always had fatigue and irritation on her face five years ago. The insane amount of training brought fatigue, and theck of improvement despite such efforts led to negative thoughts. However, despite spending as much, if not more, time training as she did five years ago, Elena¡¯s face now bore a smile instead of fatigue and irritation. The reason was that Elena herself felt that she was growing. Unlike five years ago, when she felt like she was floundering in a swamp, she was now growing rapidly, a fact she herself could feel. After the Lord did something for her, the awkwardness of her hand axe improved noticeably with more practice. The hand axe she wielded became precise enough to hit targets urately in any situation. Furthermore, her movements became more agile and flexible day by day. Movements that were previously impossible became possible, and her body, which was neither stiff nor particrly flexible, could now perform some level of acrobatics, giving Elena a sense of achievement. The sense of aplishment from her own growth and the confidence that she was taking another step forward. This made each day enjoyable for Elena recently. For her, who had not received any rewards despite her efforts, the fact that her efforts were now being rewarded was sweeter than any fruit. Furthermore, for this reason, Elena truly felt grateful to the Lord. ¡®It must be because the Lord did something for me.¡¯ Elena thought of her Lord. The one who recruited her, once called a failed hero, a week ago and awakened talents she herself was unaware of. Indeed, as the Lord had said, she had a talent for the hand axe. But at the same time, Elena knew. That such unbelievable growth day by day couldn¡¯t just be due to having talent. ¡­Of course, Kim Hyunwoo did nothing beyond giving Elena a potion to boost her skill on the first day to increase her confidence. Thus, Elena¡¯s daily growth was indeed due to her ¡®innate¡¯ talent, but unaware of this, she sincerely felt grateful to the Lord. After all, without him, Elena would never have had such an experience in her lifetime. ¡®Once I be stronger, I must repay this kindness.¡¯ Elena smiled softly, thinking of the Lord who had recruited her and continued to allow her to train. Soon, in a tavern she visited for a simple meal due to the absence of a restaurant nearby- ¡°The Lord is a very fascinating person.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± Elena, seeing Ralph talk about the Lord inside the tavern, wore a surprised expression. The reason was that Elena knew about Ralph to some extent. ¡®Master Craftsman Ralph.¡¯ As she knew, Ralph was a well-regarded cksmith from the Sertoa territory. It was fair to say that no better cksmith existed in the territories near Sertoa. Evenpared to the masters of the Norba Kingdom, aside from their signature techniques, his skills were not much different from theirs. For this reason, adventurers, heroes, and mercenaries active in the nearby territories would wait more than half a year to purchase weapons he made. The weapon Elena had used before was also made by him. However, she was surprised not because she saw Ralph, but because of what he said. As far as she knew, Ralph had a strong sense of pride in his profession and was not one to easily acknowledge or praise someone as a cksmith. Moreover, in Sertoa, it was well-known that he would criticize the Lord in taverns almost daily, and she had heard Ralph speaking ill of the Lord before. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know how it was made, but that blue me is also useful.¡± Therefore, seeing Ralph seemingly acknowledging the Lord instead of criticizing him, she couldn¡¯t help but wear a surprised expression. ¡®The Lord is truly versatile.¡¯ Following Ralph¡¯s words, Elena expressed her admiration for the Lord, who had received the cksmith¡¯s acknowledgment. ¡ùThe Blue me Package is in effect. Smelting time is reduced! [29 days remaining] Forge Personnel: 13 / 150 Comparative Efficiency: 50% (Efficiency is low due to theck of specialized personnel!) Production Status: Iron bars / In production [Daily production / 6 units] Helmets / In production [Daily production / 6 units] Light armor / In production [Daily production / 6 units] [That's impressive.] ¡°What is?¡± As Kim Hyunwoo responded to Loria, who was looking at the information window with satisfaction, she continued. [The Blue me Package only increases efficiency by 15%, but you, My Lord, have soothed the cksmiths to raise efficiency to 50%, haven't you?] Kim Hyunwoo shrugged at Loria¡¯s words. ¡®I honestly didn¡¯t think it would increase this much.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo praised the cksmiths to the point of dryness because he knew efficiency varied with the cksmiths¡¯ morale. ¡®Who would have thought that my experience of running around the forge to make a great sword for a hero in Arteil without spending cash woulde in handy here¡­¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo, who yed the forge minigame thousands of times to make cash items demanded by heroes without spending money, was able to praise the cksmiths with that knowledge. Thanks to the descriptions that appeared all day during the thousands of minigame attempts, he was able to increase efficiency by praising the cksmiths for even the most minor details. However, one thing was puzzling. ¡®It seemed like he wasn¡¯t that pleased.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo had seen Ralph¡¯s stats when he visited the forge. ¡®Currently, he hasn¡¯t fully developed, but if he grows, he has the talent to be at least a master, and if nurtured well, even surpass having a signature to be a true master.¡¯ A true master refers to a cksmith with the talent to create weapons of greater value than those farmed in Labyrinths. Such cksmiths were rare. Even Kim Hyunwoo was surprised when he first saw Ralph¡¯s stats. ¡®Originally, cksmiths came in randomly, so I didn¡¯t pay much attention.¡¯ Like a 500 consecutive gacha blowout, Kim Hyunwoo, who had no expectations due to his generally bad luck, felt as if he had struck it rich upon seeing Ralph. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± In any case, the point was that despite Ralph¡¯s reaction not being very noticeable, and assuming that the efficiency wouldn¡¯t increase much because he was well-regarded by those around him, the efficiency turned out to be higher than expected. Feeling puzzled, Kim Hyunwoo soon shrugged. After all, as long as the efficiency was high, he had noints. Therefore. ¡®I¡¯ll gradually help Ralph grow, and with this level of efficiency, we should be able to start in earnest in about two weeks, including what we¡¯ve already produced.¡¯ He looked forward to the Labyrinth expedition happening in two weeks. And so, two weeks passed. The day of the Labyrinth expedition arrived. And at the moment when Kim Hyunwoo was about to seriously tackle the firstyer. ¡°It¡¯s okay, it will be okay¡­ because it¡¯s still, still just one person. Still-¡± The Absolute Ruler of Darkness was muttering to herself alone. ¡°I too, just one more¡­ if I gather just one more, then I can go.¡± ¡°Just a little more-¡± ¡°¡­I can, go.¡± With gloomy eyes. ¡°Just, a bit more.¡± Quietly. , Episode 20: Tier 1 (1) , <button x-on:click="chapterFont = 'font-sans'" :ss="chapterFont === 'font-sans' ? 'text-highlight' : 'text-primary-700'"> Inter <button x-on:click="chapterFont = 'font-lora'" :ss="chapterFont === 'font-lora' ? 'text-highlight' : 'text-primary-700'"> Lora <button x-on:click="chapterFont = 'font-mono'" :ss="chapterFont === 'font-mono' ? 'text-highlight' : 'text-primary-700'"> Mono <button x-on:click="chapterFont = 'fontic'" :ss="chapterFont === 'fontic' ? 'text-highlight' : 'text-primary-700'"> Comic <button x-on:click="chapterAlign = 'text-left'" :ss="chapterAlign === 'text-left' ? 'text-highlight' : 'text-primary-700'"> <button x-on:click="chapterAlign = 'text-justify'" :ss="chapterAlign === 'text-justify' ? 'text-highlight' : 'text-primary-700'"> <button @click="if(chapterFontSize > 16) chapterFontSize--"> 16 <button x-on:click="chapterFontSize++"> <button x-on:click="if (chapterLineHeight > 24) chapterLineHeight--"> 24 <button x-on:click="chapterLineHeight++"> <button x-on:click="if(chapterPadding > 0) chapterPadding--"> 0 <button x-on:click="chapterPadding++"> <button x-on:click="chapterFont = 'font-lora', chapterAlign = 'text-left', chapterFontSize = 16, chapterLineHeight = 24, chapterPadding = 0"> Default Prev Next Chapter 21: Tier 1 (2) Territory: Lartania Territory Development Level: 94 Territory Residents: [Humans: 1424] Owned Buildings: [Lord's Castle LV1 >>> Upgrading 0%] [Walls LV1 >>> Upgrading 0%] [Residential District LV2] [Forge LV1 >>> Upgrading 73%] [Barracks LV2] [Tavern LV1 >>> Upgrading 0%] [Market LV0 (Under Construction 0%)] Owned Troops: -Regr Soldiers 100 [View Details] Over approximately two weeks, the territory of Lartania has undergone further development. The Residential District, previously at Level 1, has risen to Level 2, and now housesrger than the usual log homes are sporadically visible. The barracks, having recruited soldiers, has been upgraded to Level 2, enabling not just the recruitment of soldiers but also the hiring of instructors for autonomous training. Additionally, with the increased development level, the inflow of territory residents has nearly reached 1,400, and the agricultural tools, production of which began in earnest yesterday after fulfilling the quota, will soon provide significant work to those with a specialty in agriculture. ¡®It seems there are many with a specialty in agriculture, likely because many of the refugees came from Hancia.¡¯ While contemting how to expand the fledgling agricultural industry assigned to one side of the territory, he soon turned his attention to the information window of Elena that was open. Hero Name: Elena Title: ? Stars: 2 Stars ¡ï¡ï Affection: (Measuring) -Stats- ???Strength: 30¡ü ???Agility: 39¡ü ???Intelligence: 21¡ü ???Luck: 18 ???Magic: 15 ¡ùThe hero trusts you In fact, two weeks is a considerable amount of time, but not necessarily long enough to increase stats. However, seeing her reach 2-stars in just two weeks as expected, Kim Hyunwoo wore a satisfied expression and marveled at her hardworking trait. ¡®When raising others before, it took at least a month just to go from 1-star to 2-stars.¡¯ Remembering the hero that took the longest, over two months, Kim Hyunwoo, looking satisfactorily at Elena¡¯s information window, asked Loria. ¡°Is everything ready?¡± [As you instructed, all the soldiers and the mercenary group are ready] ¡°It¡¯s the Droal Mercenary Group, right?¡± [Yes, the mercenary group that includes one hero is also ready. But¡­] ¡°Hmm?¡± [With so many soldiers, is there really a need to bring along a mercenary group?] Kim Hyunwoo nodded without hesitation at Loria¡¯s words. ¡°The primary reason for sending soldiers this time isn¡¯t for them to fight.¡± Among the reasons Kim Hyunwoo decided to send soldiers, one was to maintain Elena¡¯s affection, but there were other reasons as well. The two most important were securing a resting ce in the firstyer of the Labyrinth and increasing the overall skill level of the soldiers. Most of the soldiers currently avable for use in Lartania were just regr territory residents, with a few exceptions. In other words, the soldiers created were no different from civilians, except that they held spears. Therefore, Kim Hyunwoo nned to secure the resting ce in advance and hire mercenaries to protect the soldiers, minimizing losses and increasing their skill level. ¡®The Labyrinth is dangerous, but there¡¯s a setting that increases skills 50% faster than on the surface.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo, recalling when he used to send just one hero and soldiers to conquer the Labyrinth before the hero had properly grown. Troop Type: [Regr Soldiers] Leader: Malon [Proficiency: 31/100] Number of Personnel: 100 [View Details] Combat Efficiency: Low [No personnel avable for upgrading to higher troop types] -Basic Equipment- Head: Helmet Body: Light Armor Waist: None Legs: None Armed: Spear Secondary Armament: None ¡ù These are untrained soldiers. Combat efficiency is reduced. ¡ù The equipment is inadequate Looking at the somewhat inadequate soldier type, he said, ¡°Tell Elena to start the conquest of the first tier.¡± *** Labyrinth. The Labyrinth that appears in front of a territory with a Lord¡¯s seat negatively impacts the territory in many ways. Monsters from the Labyrinth periodically emerge to attack the territory or create anomalies around it, and monsters from inside the Labyrinth are typically stronger than those on the surface. Moreover, the Labyrinth breaks that ur every few months and the asional emergence of Tier Bosses greatly burden the territory from its perspective. Failing to properly stop suchrge-scale events would only be a matter of time before the hard-built territory bes devastated. Anyway, for a Lord, the Labyrinth continues to create inconvenient problems in managing the territory. However, the reason most Lords are more focused on conquering rather than sealing off the Labyrinth is due to the Magic Stones and artifacts that emerge from within. In the world of Arteil, Magic Stones produced exclusively by Lords in the Labyrinth give them an advantage over various guilds, including the mage towers. Most of the artifacts obtained through exploration within the Labyrinth or by killing a Tier Boss are very rare. Thus, the Labyrinth has both negative and positive aspects for a territory. And ¡®Alta¡¯, the leader of the Droal Mercenary Group hired for such Labyrinth explorations and a hero chosen by the world, was currently in a rather good mood. The reason was the condition offered by the Lord of Lartania for assisting with the exploration of the Labyrinth¡¯s first tier, which she found out about when she came looking for any decent requests in the newly established territory. ¡®To hand over 30% of the Magic Stones from the first tier. No matter how you look at it, it¡¯s aplete jackpot, isn¡¯t it? Well-¡¯ Of course, there was a condition that no more than ten soldiers should die, but even considering that, the Lord¡¯s offer was exceptional. She knew well that the Magic Stones from the first tier were not of high quality, but what mattered to her was not the quality of the Stones but the fact that even those of lower quality sold for a generous amount. Therefore, Alta smiled and also smirked while looking at Elena, who was leading the way with a smile. ¡®¡­It seems like she knows nothing about how the world works, though.¡¯ Alta knew Elena. It would have been strange not to know her. After all, she was a hero known by everyone in the vicinity, dubbed the ¡®failed hero¡¯, an unlikely hero. ¡®They say she¡¯s going to deal with the first tier Boss today-¡¯ With that thought, Alta unconsciously smiled with a mix of pity and scorn. Of course, from her perspective, the widely rumored failed hero taking on the first tier¡¯s Boss alone was unbelievable. Indeed, there had been brief rumors that the failed hero had changed, and Alta had heard these stories too. However, the reason Alta dismissed these stories as mere rumors was because of Elena¡¯s performance up until that point. Being a mercenary, one ends up taking various jobs, and Alta had worked with her on a few asions. And Elena¡¯s performance at those times was so weak that the term ¡®failed hero¡¯ fit her perfectly. Having seen that side of her more than once, Alta treated such rumors about Elena strictly as rumors. ¡®Why on earth did they choose someone like her?¡¯ Alta wondered this as she looked at Elena, but soon shrugged it off. Truthfully, it didn¡¯t matter whom the Lord of Lartania chose. After all, the contract with the Lord of Lartania stipted that no more than ten soldiers could die during the exploration of the first tier of thebyrinth. Besides, she wasn¡¯t going to deal with the first tier¡¯s Boss alongside Elena. ¡®Even if we can¡¯t kill the Boss, being outside its room won¡¯t particrly harm us.¡¯ Thus, Alta, who had been smirking with feigned pity at Elena, who boldly led the way, and the Lord who would likely lose a hero by the end of the day, eximed: ¡°¡­!!¡± Screech! As they began to enter the Labyrinth in earnest, they could see the monsters that started to appear. Since it was still the first tier of the Labyrinth, most of the monsters were goblins and trolls. However, goblins infused with the Labyrinth¡¯s magic and containing Magic Stones appeared muchrger and more threatening than surface monsters, and some trolls even exceeded human height. The reason Alta looked surprised that such creatures were already appearing on the first tier was: ¡®What is that¡­!?¡¯ Among those monsters, there was a creature that looked abnormally like a goblin - no, a mutant that couldn¡¯t even be considered a goblin. [Indistinct growling] ¡°Eek-!¡± ¡°What, what is that!?¡± The surroundings stirred. The soldiers were overwhelmed by the monster that appeared to be at least three meters tall. The mercenaries swallowed hard at the sight of the muscr entirety of what seemed to be a goblin mutant. ¡®I¡¯ve never heard of such a thing appearing on the first tier!¡¯ Alta frowned as hard as she could, realizing that only the barely remaining face indicated that it ¡®was¡¯ a goblin. ¡°Prepare for battle!¡± She felt tension rise in her body and shouted loudly. The mercenaries and warriors instinctively raised their weapons at the loud shout. And then. Just as the massive mutant seemed ready to charge. Crack! An axe was buried into the head of the giant mutant creature. [Agonized shriek!] The mutant began to thrash about, losing control. However, Elena, who had already leaped onto the mutant¡¯s head, swung her hand axe down once more towards the axe embedded in its head. Crunch-! Apanied by a clear sound of flesh being torn. Thud-!!! The mutant¡¯s body mmed into the ground. And then. Creak-creeeak!! Crack! ¡°¡­It didn¡¯t go as well as the Lord said it would.¡± Watching Elena quietly mutter as she effortlessly twisted and removed the two hand axes embedded in the mutant¡¯s head. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Alta, with her eyes wide open, stared nkly with her mouth agape. *** At the entrance to the great cavern beneath the Kingdom of Cn. ¡°Ruin.¡± ¡°You¡¯re out now.¡± Loriel, one of the Five Swords of Cn, found Ruin standing at the entrance to the underground cavern where her Master resided. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°I came because it seems like the condition is not too good.¡± At Ruin¡¯s words, Loriel let out a short sigh before speaking. ¡°As expected, the condition isn¡¯t very good.¡± ¡°¡­Should I not have ryed the message?¡± ¡°No, the Master¡¯s words are absolute. If the Master said to ry it, then we should just do so.¡± ¡°Haah, why would the Master¡­¡± At Loriel¡¯s words, Ruin nodded in agreement but also seemed displeased, smacking her lips as if to say something, but then she closed her mouth. She knew that her words would be a great disrespect to the Master, and at the same time, she would be very angry upon hearing this story. Therefore, looking at the silent Ruin, Loriel said, ¡°So, have you looked for thest item?¡± ¡°I did look, but there¡¯s absolutely no rumor about it.¡± ¡°¡­Really? Are you sure you got the name right?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m sure. But strangely, I couldn¡¯t find anything like it for sale. The same goes for information, it seems to exist ording to what I¡¯ve heard.¡± ¡°What was the name of that artifact?¡± Loriel questioned. To which Ruin responded, ¡°It¡¯s an artifact called the ¡®Execution Sword¡¯.¡± She said. Chapter 22: Tier 1 (3) It¡¯s been quite a long time since we entered the Labyrinth. During that time, the partyposed of mercenaries, soldiers, and Elena, explored the Labyrinth smoothly without anyone getting hurt. Even when mutated monsters, which seemed like they should never be on the first floor, appeared several times, the expedition did not fall into great danger. In fact, there were no situations where they could be in danger. This was because every mutant that appeared was promptly killed by Elena with an axe to the head. That was why. ¡°How on earth?¡± Alta looked at Elena with an expression of utter iprehension. ording to her knowledge, Elena was weak. Not just weak, but weak enough to be dubbed a ¡®failed hero.¡¯ Moreover, she knew of Elena¡¯s weakness not just from rumors but from seeing it firsthand multiple times. It was certain. ¡°How did she be so strong in just a few months?¡± The Elena she remembered was undoubtedly weaker than Alta. To the extent that without even fighting, everyone could predict the oue of a fight between Elena and Alta due to the significant difference in their strength. But the Elena that Alta saw now definitely did not seem weaker than her. In fact, she seriously had to consider whether she could predict a victory if she were to seriously fight her. ¡°¡­¡­¡± No, in fact, in Alta¡¯s heart, the feeling that she couldn¡¯t win even if she fought Elena was growing rapidly. That was why. ¡°How on earth-¡± Just as Alta was pondering this question to herself again, with no one to hear, ¡°We¡¯ve arrived.¡± The expedition was able to reach the end of the first floor and the Boss room where the floor Boss was located. The Boss of the first floor of Lartania¡¯s territory is a ¡®Mutant Orc¡¯. However, that was a fact only known to Kim Hyunwoo, who had already cleared the Labyrinth of Lartania¡¯s territory, and none of the expedition members there thought the creature before them was a Mutant Orc. Even Elena, who had heard about it in passing from Kim Hyunwoo. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The expedition looked at the creature, which could hardly be called a monster, as the Boss door opened. The first thing that caught their eye was the pulsating red skin that looked as if it could explode at any moment. Next, they saw a body evenrger than any mutant they had encountered on the first floor thus far. Lastly, there were two monstrous heads that hardly seemed like they could belong to an orc. The Boss¡¯ chilling scream sent the expedition into a panic all at once. Despite realizing that they were not the ones being targeted, they all looked as if they had lost their will to fight. However, Elena, who was directly under the Boss¡¯ ferocious gaze, remained calm, despite her face being tense. Soon, the battle began as the Boss started charging towards Elena with a bellow. The Boss¡¯ fist, which seemed capable of killing with a single blow, iled wildly in an attempt to kill Elena. Bang! For a moment, the soldiers all grimaced at the force that shook the ground, as Elena narrowly avoided the Boss¡¯ attack. The Boss¡¯s attacks continued immediately after. The force in each blow, even though it missed Elena and struck the ground instead, made the soldiers wince. The soldiers unknowingly made expressions as if their legs were giving out from under them, as they watched Elena, who was dodging the Boss¡¯ attacks with almost acrobatic finesse. Some soldiers even closed their eyes tight, thinking that Elena would get hit by the Boss¡¯ attack when it appeared she stumbled for a moment. However, the expressions of those soldiers¡­ Bang! Slowly began to change over time. Bang! Bang! The Boss had attacked dozens of times by now, yet Elena not only avoided every single one¡­ ¡°¡­Wow.¡± She was now dodging with a certain ease, markedly different from before. Thus, the soldiers who had lost their will to fight just moments ago now looked at Elena with expressions of admiration. The Boss, frustrated by her continuous dodging, gathers its hands and raises them to the sky. Swoosh! Elena, who had been dodging all along, didn¡¯t miss that brief moment and leapt up to plunge her axe into the eye on the monster¡¯s left head. Crack! The boss began to convulse with the sound of something bursting. However, Elena didn¡¯t stop there; she climbed atop the orc¡¯s head, showing bnce that was almost acrobatic, as the Boss¡¯ eyeballs began to burst. The Boss, now blind in all eyes, began to thrash about the Boss room, mming its body here and there. And then, Due to running madly in all directions and causing a rampage, the Boss, covered in wounds, even killed itself by wildly swinging its fists at its own left head. Crack! With Elena embedding a pair of axes into its right head, the Boss finally died. And then. ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°She defeated that monster all by herself-¡± ¡°Incredible¡­!¡± ¡°They said she had a nickname like ¡®failed hero,¡¯ but this?¡± Elena, having single-handedly dealt with the giant Boss and receiving looks filled with admiration and awe from everyone, ¡°Huff, huff-!¡± Unintentionally turned her gaze towards the soldiers at the sound of voices, feeling a strange look from them. Not the mocking looks she had always received, but ones filled with admiration,even from the mercenaries, not just the soldiers. ¡°Ah.¡± Elena felt something stirring in her heart. After all, this was the kind of look she had always wanted to receive from the world. Therefore, feeling her heart fluttering, Elena¡¯s thoughts soon turned to the Lord. In fact, the reason Elena was able to defeat the Boss so quickly was because of the Boss¡¯ patterns and weaknesses that Kim Hyunwoo had told her about. She found herself recalling Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s words. ¡°Remember, if the boss of the first floor is not a Mutant Orc, retreat immediately. But if it is a Mutant Orc, as I said, remember my words.¡± ¡°Mutant Orcs have low intelligence and can only perform basic attacks. Probably 90% of its attacks will be wild swings of its fists. They might seem threatening, but Elena, you should be able to dodge them easily.¡± ¡°Keep in mind, you just need to watch for its fists and dodge. Don¡¯t worry about anything else. If it looks like it¡¯s going to kick, just back off. It takes a long time for it to kick.¡± ¡°If you keep dodging the attacks, it will be enraged and raise its arms. That¡¯s your chance. It takes quite some time for it to bring its arms down after raising them, so use that moment to jump up and burst the orc¡¯s eyes.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s too risky, you can jump down, but if possible, blind all of the orc¡¯s eyes. Then, the orc will run around the chamber on its own and eventually destroy itself.¡± ¡°Of course, if the Boss behaves even slightly differently from what I¡¯ve described, retreat immediately.¡± Each piece of advice was perfectly urate without a single mistake. Elena wondered how the Lord, him, could possibly know all this. Of course, she knew that Kim Hyunwoo was the person who had built the golden age of Lartania ten years ago. But even so, that didn¡¯t dispel her doubts. After all, Lords typically do not descend into Labyrinths. It¡¯s the heroes or soldiers affiliated with the domain who do, and naturally, it¡¯s the heroes who defeat the Labyrinth¡¯s Bosses. Thus, it was remarkable that Kim Hyunwoo, the Lord, knew the Boss¡¯ patterns in such detail. The advice Kim Hyunwoo gave to Elena was something she thought could only be obtained by descending into the maze and facing the boss personally. But her doubts were short-lived. Elena, seeing the soldiers still looking at her with expressions of astonishment, thought to herself without realizing. ¡°Once again, it¡¯s thanks to the Lord.¡± She didn¡¯t know how Kim Hyunwoo knew all this, but one thing was clear. That she could receive admiration here and now was all thanks to the Lord. That she had regained her confidence and be so strong so quickly. That she had been able to deal with numerous monsters easily on her way here. That she had defeated the Boss of the first floor and received admiration from the soldiers and mercenaries, all were possible because of the Lord, she realized for sure. That was why. ¡°Being under the Lord, it might really be possible.¡± ¡°To be a hero renowned across the continent.¡± Elena murmured this, genuinely grateful for having met the Lord, and smiled softly. Alta, who had been staring at Elena¡¯s unbelievable feat just a moment ago, ¡°Indeed.¡± Recalled the words she had been quietly muttering since entering the Labyrinth and smiled faintly. A short whileter, Elena, looking at a quiterge Magic Stone that appeared simultaneously as the boss of the first floor died and its body disappeared, ¡°¡­?¡± Soon noticed something had fallen near the boss¡¯s foot and picked it up, ¡°¡­A bone?¡± She soon realized it was a bone. Not just any bone, but one glowing with a blue light. ¡°¡­What is this?¡± Elena, pondering over the bone fragment as long as her forearm for a while, suddenly recalled the moment she defeated the Boss. Earlier, when she had momentarily slipped and was in a dangerous situation, the Boss unexpectedly twisted its left foot, allowing her topletely avoid an attack she would have had to defend against. Seeing the Blue Bone Fragment that came from the Boss¡¯ left foot, Elena remembered that monsters¡¯ bodies do not remain in this Labyrinth. And realized that she had been able to dodge the Boss¡¯s attack thanks to the Bone Fragment, the origin of which was unknown. Elena, after thinking about the Bone Fragment for a while, said, ¡°Let¡¯s go back for now.¡± Decided to return to the territory with the Blue Bone Fragment. Upon returning to the territory, Elena first stopped by her room to wash off the fluids that had sttered on her while dealing with the monster. ¡°¡­Nothing strange, right?¡± Casually checking her appearance, which she hadn¡¯t paid much attention to, she headed to the office where Kim Hyunwoo would be to report. And standing in front of the office, she involuntarily hesitated the moment she reached for the doorknob. ¡°How about it? I¡¯d like to join this territory if the Lord wishes. Ah, given the size of the territory, the Lord¡¯s seat is small, so you might have to remove Elena, her, to recruit me.¡± The reason was. ¡°Ah, you don¡¯t have to pay me much of a signing bonus since I want to join. That is, if the Lord chooses me, I¡¯m willing to belong to this territory immediately. Simrly, if the contract duration is a concern, feel free to specify.¡± Because she heard a voice. ¡°Truthfully, it would be difficult tomand a hero of that caliber under these conditions. What do you think, My Lord?¡± It was the voice of Alta, who had traversed the Labyrinth with her. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡­Elena swallowed. Chapter 23: Tier 1 (4) Elena felt her heart sink unknowingly and felt puzzled at the same time. ¡°Why me?¡± To her, the Lord of Lartania was a truly grateful person. Although she couldn¡¯t be sure how much of what he said was true, in the end, Elena¡¯s growth was all thanks to Kim Hyunwoo. But strictly speaking, the meeting between the Lord of Lartania and Elena had been, at most, about a month long. No matter how grateful she was, it wasn¡¯t long enough to build affection. But then. ¡°Why do I feel so bad?¡± Elena felt as if something precious was being forcibly taken from her. That feeling was all too strange to her. She wasn¡¯t like this originally. If there had been a situation where she felt simr emotions, the usual Elena might have felt bad, but as before, she would have thought, ¡®Ah, I see. I feel bad, but it can¡¯t be helped,¡¯ with a bit of regret. Over the past few years, Elena had learned to conform to reality. That was also why she was able to work steadily as a mercenary, even while being called a ¡®failed hero.¡¯ Conforming to the criticism and derogatory names thrown at her made her feel at ease. Of course, it wasn¡¯t like that at first, but after several failures and over the years, the defense mechanism that had been developed eventually consumed her confidence and became her very principle of thought. Until just a moment ago. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Elena realized that her mood had plummeted the moment she heard Alta¡¯s voice. She recognized that she valued her rtionship with the Lord more than she had thought. The moment she brought this subconsciously acknowledged fact to the surface, her mood sank even deeper. Just as she knew Elena, Elena also knew Alta. And the Alta she knew was much stronger than Elena before she was recruited by the Lord. That was why, in a moment of anxiety, Elena¡¯s hand trembled slightly on the doorknob. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I have no such intention.¡± The Lord¡¯s voice could be heard. [You have sessfully conquered the first floor.] Right after Elena and the expedition team emerged, and the message appeared before their eyes, it was Alta who came to see Kim Hyunwoo, who was waiting for a report. ¡°So, you¡¯re saying I should hire you?¡± ¡°If the Lord wishes to.¡± Kim Hyunwoo, who had been intently watching Alta as she spoke with a somewhat enticing expression, opened her information window. ¡ùRecruitment target's information is called up from the data saved during theirst visit to the tavern. Hero Name: Alta Title: X Grade: 2 stars ¡ï¡ï Affection: 0 -Stats- Strength: 33 Agility: 63 Intelligence: 25 Luck: 23 Magic Power: 19 -Traits- Clear Intuition: Can instinctively make vague guesses about what one wishes to know without going through the proper process of experience, judgment, and reasoning. Awakening: If one possesses talent beyond that of a 'monster', it bes possible to see the most ideal 'path' of an attack. -Talents- Ordinary talent in daggers. Great talent in ws. Great talent in dual-wielding. -Skills- [View] ¡°Wow.¡± To Kim Hyunwoo, Alta¡¯s stats seemed not bad at all upon overall evaluation. One could say she had quite good stats for a 2-star and thebination of stats and talents wasn¡¯t bad. Especially since her daggers, ws, and dual-wielding were greatly influenced by agility. Indeed, among the heroes of Arteil, there were those with disproportionately high stats or oddly high luck. Thus,pared to those heroes, Alta was considered to have grown quite well. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I have no intention of doing so.¡± Kim Hyunwoo tly rejected her proposal. ¡°¡­Excuse me?¡± Alta, seemingly not expecting to be rejected outright, showed a visibly flustered expression. Seeing her like that, Kim Hyunwoo spoke again. ¡°I appreciate the offer, but as I said, I have no such ns.¡± At Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s words, Alta¡¯s expression slightly soured. Her difort was evident at a nce. However, Kim Hyunwoo didn¡¯t particrly care. After all, he had no intention of recruiting Alta in the first ce. ¡°Even if the statpatibility is good, the talentbination doesn¡¯t match.¡± Kim Hyunwoo knew that Alta¡¯s traits were quite good, but in Arteil, thebination of traits and talents fundamentally needed to match well. In other words, no matter how overpowered Alta¡¯s trait of Awakening might be, it would be meaningless without the talent to utilize it. ¡°In such cases, it¡¯s meaningless to put effort into development.¡± Thus, Kim Hyunwoo, considering the visibly upset Alta, ¡°It¡¯s hard to say this, but I was much stronger than that hero. If you could help me like you did Elena-¡± Soon understood why Alta hade to him out of the blue based on what she said. ¡°Seeing the so-called failing hero, Elena, be strong, she thought I was the reason.¡± Kim Hyunwoo thought it was certainly a misunderstanding that could happen. ¡°In a way, it¡¯s not wrong.¡± But the one fact she uniquely failed to grasp was that Elena¡¯s rapid growth was due to her ¡®innate¡¯ talent and ¡®hardworking¡¯ trait rather than Kim Hyunwoo per se. Thus, since Alta¡¯s talent was at least three levels below innate, making it impossible for her to grow like Elena, Kim Hyunwoo was about to kindly reject Alta¡¯s offer when, ¡°I honestly don¡¯t know what there is to ponder about. Isn¡¯t it obvious that helping me would be far better than helping that ¡®failed hero¡¯?¡± Hearing Alta¡¯s immediate response, he felt a bit annoyed and let out a snicker without realizing it. Seeing Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s reaction, Alta frowned and opened her mouth as if to say something, but, ¡°Not at all.¡± ¡°What did you say?¡± Following Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s words, she asked without realizing it, ¡°In my eyes, Elena has much more potential for growth than you. Plus, I don¡¯t particrly like anyone, be it woman or man, who whines when things don¡¯t go their way like a child.¡± ¡°Sigh¡­¡± Following Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s words, Altaughed as if she was astounded, but, ¡°Let¡¯s just wait and see. In time, the difference between you and Elena will naturally be apparent.¡± With those words, ¡°If you¡¯re done, please leave. I¡¯ll make sure your reward is processed as per our previous agreement.¡± Kim Hyunwoo sent Alta away. Right after Alta left with a look that seemed to challenge, ¡°Let¡¯s see then.¡± ¡°Hmm, did I speak too harshly?¡± Kim Hyunwoo pondered for a moment but soon shook his head. After all, with 2-star heroes being asmon as dirt, not to mention 5-star ones, Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s temperament wasn¡¯t so great as to tolerate someone who subtly acted as though hecked discernment. A short whileter, ¡°Lord, ahem-ahem¡­ I¡¯vee to report.¡± Kim Hyunwoo, about to respond to Elena who came in to report, asked with a puzzled expression, ¡°You seem unusually happy today?¡± The reason was the suppressed yet beaming smile clearly etched around Elena¡¯s mouth. Kim Hyunwoo, noting her expression that was normally devoid of emotional fluctuations but was now slightly flushed, asked. ¡°Ah, well, that¡¯s because we were able to clear the first floor exploration without any harm¡­¡± Elena, momentarily diverting her gaze before shyly turning it aside, answered. Though her voice grew quieter the more she spoke, Kim Hyunwoo simply nodded and responded, ¡°That¡¯s fortunate.¡± ¡°Yes, thanks to you, Lord, we were able to avoid any harm. I¡¯m truly grateful.¡± Elena bowed her head deeply. A momentter, ¡°¡­As you instructed, I¡¯ve left ¡®vacancies¡¯ in four ces. Also, as you mentionedst, there were mutants.¡± Having calmed a little, Elena gave her full report, which Kim Hyunwoo listened to before nodding and organizing his thoughts, ¡°Mostly as was expected, the first floor of the Labyrinth was in an overrun state, and the Boss hasn¡¯t changed from before.¡± Kim Hyunwoo, hearing that the Labyrinth enters an overrun state if not visited for a long time and that the Mutant Orc he had killed hundreds of times for achievements in Arteil hadn¡¯t changed, wore a satisfied expression. After all, the Labyrinth being maintained as he knew it meant he had more options for action. ¡°I can¡¯t bepletely sure, but now that I know the Labyrinth functions as I¡¯m familiar with, I should check the rewards and n for the second floor.¡± So, Kim Hyunwoo, about to organize his thoughts immediately, ¡°Also, I found this on the first floor.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± Following Elena¡¯s words, he looked at what was ced on the desk and unwittingly wore a puzzled expression. ¡°What¡¯s this¡­?¡± ¡°Well-¡± As Kim Hyunwoo, looking at the blue bone, wore an expression demanding an exnation, Elena began to exin as if recalling the situation. Soon after hearing the entire exnation, ¡°¡­So, to summarize, this blue bone seems to have helped in defeating the Boss?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I think. As you know, Lord, the bone of a Mutant Orc isn¡¯t blue, nor would it be from an orc.¡± Listening to Elena, he quietly observed the blue bone. ¡°Do you have any clue, Lord?¡± Hearing Elena¡¯s tentative question, Kim Hyunwoo paused before answering, ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡± No. That¡¯s not it. ¡°Honestly, I do have a hunch.¡± Kim Hyunwoo actually had an immediate hunch upon seeing the blue bone. Though it appeared out of nowhere, the blue bone unwittingly reminded him of her. ¡°¡­The Necromancer of the Blue Forest.¡± Kim Hyunwoo recalled the title he had given her. And for good reason, as this blue bone closely resembled the form that appeared when that hero used her skill. Though he had only seen it in a mobile game, as far as Kim Hyunwoo knew, she was the only one who summoned blue bones to use. Yet, the reason Kim Hyunwoo was puzzled by this blue bone was, ¡°¡­She¡¯s dead, isn¡¯t she?¡± Because the Necromancer of the Blue Forest was already dead. Chapter 24: Top (1) A littleter, For some reason, after Elena, with her flushed face, left the Lord¡¯s office making a lisping sound, ¡®Bye-!¡¯, Kim Hyunwoo looked at the blue bone she had left behind. ¡°The Necromancer of the Blue Forest¡­¡± That title was quite a nostalgic one for Kim Hyunwoo. After all, the Necromancer of the Blue Forest was a character who had died while conquering a Labyrinth when he was deeply enjoying Arteil. Kim Hyunwoo briefly reminisced about that time. At that time, ording to the update, when he conquered the 28th and lowest floor of the Labyrinth, Kim Hyunwoo lost her, the hero he had raised with his blood and sweat, as the cost for defeating the Boss of the 28th floor. ¡°Just had to be killed off at that time¡­¡± In Arteil, when a hero¡¯s HP ispletely depleted, their fate is determined by chance. The mostmon oue was ¡®serious injury¡¯, which wasn¡¯t too problematic. For injuries worse than ¡®serious injury,¡¯ one could always revive them if anotherpanion managed to carry them out of the Labyrinth. The next most likely oue was atose¡¯, which also wasn¡¯t much of an issue. Simrly, in this case, they could be healed through the Blue Stones that could be collected in the game. However, in Arteil, ¡®death¡¯, which had a 1% chance of urring only if the enemy¡¯s attack was more than twice the hero¡¯s health, rumored to only happen to the incredibly unlucky, was irreversible. ¡°Still makes me dizzy thinking about it.¡± Even though it had been over ten years, Kim Hyunwoo could still feel a sense of darkness before his eyes whenever he thought about that time. Back then, Kim Hyunwoo was pouring his life into Arteil, even working a night job despite being a student to equip his heroes and creating essories for them through mini-game grinding instead of attending sses. As a result, when a hero died, Kim Hyunwoo literally cried his eyes out at dawn, making his parents seriously wonder if their son was being bullied at school. The death of her, whom he had raised from 1-star along with other heroes, had made Kim Hyunwoo, a gamer at the time, not turn on Arteil for an entire week. Because the hero, filled with immense dedication and affection, had spectacrly vanished along with the money he had invested. Even now, as Kim Hyunwoo thought about her existence, he felt slightly depressed, reminding himself once again how serious he had been about Arteil. ¡°If only there had been a way to revive her.¡± ¡­In fact, contrary to what Kim Hyunwoo thought, there was indeed a resurrection system. Even at the time when one of his beloved heroes, the Necromancer, died, there was a resurrection system, and Kim Hyunwoo was aware of its existence. The problem was that the resurrection system was truly filled with the gamepany¡¯s malice. ¡°Who the hell spends millions to resurrect a hero¡­¡± Kim Hyunwoo knew there were two ways to revive a hero. One way was to revive the hero using cash currency. The other was to collect items that dropped at extremely low probabilities in the game to revive the hero. Reviving a hero with cash currency was easy, but it required an amount filled with sheer malice. Kim Hyunwoo couldn¡¯t remember exactly, but he recalled it cost an amount that required doing a night job, which didn¡¯t even pay minimum wage, for more than half a year. Thus, naturally, Kim Hyunwoo at that time couldn¡¯t afford such arge sum to revive the hero, so he chose the second method, and indeed, despite the terrible odds, he was collecting the materials. The dedicated grinding of Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s teenage years made it possible. However, the reason he ultimately failed to revive her was because he got fed up with the gamepany¡¯s overflowing bad manners (BM) before he could gather all the materials. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Anyway, Kim Hyunwoo pondered why this blue bone had popped out of the Labyrinth and looked at the blue bone for a while. The day after the first floor of the Labyrinth was conquered. The Droal Mercenary Group immediately received their promisedpensation from Kim Hyunwoo and left. Although it was visible that Alta was annoyed, possibly due to being humiliated yesterday, Kim Hyunwoo did not bother to confront her and simply paid the mercenaries to leave his territory. Having returned to his office, Kim Hyunwoo checked the items obtained from this first-floor exploration. ¡°From this exploration, I got 220 low-grade Magic Stones and 1 lower-grade Magic Stone.¡± Unfortunately, no artifacts were obtained, but Kim Hyunwoo was not particrly disappointed about that. He knew that the chances of finding artifacts on the first floor were significantly low anyway. More importantly, Kim Hyunwoo undertook this Labyrinth exploration not so much to conquer the floors but toy the foundation for the Labyrinth city. For the Labyrinth city he envisioned, it was necessary to conquer at least up to the third floor. ¡°Should I just try it now?¡± Such a thought crossed Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s mind, but he soon shook his head. After all, to create the Labyrinth city and achieve the structure he wanted, the Labyrinth had to be opened up to at least the third floor. ¡°It¡¯s from the third floor onwards that lower-grade Magic Stones, rather than the lowest-grade, start to appear in some quantity.¡± Kim Hyunwoo thought that opening the Labyrinth city right now would still be premature, as many aspects werecking. Whether it was the system elements or aspects rted to making money. ¡°Now that I¡¯ve got the Magic Stones, I should at least start building.¡± Therefore, Kim Hyunwoo nned to start seriously working on what was needed for his territory while Elena began her thorough exploration of the Labyrinth, aiming to conquer the third floor. After all, he already had the Magic Stones, the primary material needed to build the first-tier buildings, which are superior to basic buildings. Thus, Kim Hyunwoo continued his thoughts. A ¡ï¡ï¡ï Hero 'Golden Witch' has entered your territory. [The 'Tienus' Merchant Group has arrived in your territory!] ¡°¡­?¡± Kim Hyunwoo saw such notification windows. Alta, who had almost fled from Lartania, was filled with anger and irritation, thanks to the Lord who had just said she was worse than Elena. But now. Crack-! ¡°Aaaaah-!¡± She screamed as her right arm was twisted backward. ¡°It hurts! It hurts!!¡± Even as she screamed, she couldn¡¯t properlyprehend what was happening to her. That¡¯s because all she could really perceive was walking with the mercenary group, then someone grabbing her head and her vision spinning, indicating she was kidnapped. Therefore, despite screaming from the sudden, terrible pain of her twisted right arm, Alta tried to shift her gaze to properly understand the situation. Having worked as a mercenary for many years, she knew that understanding the situation was crucial for survival in any circumstance. However. ¡°Ah-¡± Alta felt even greater fear the moment she saw the person clutching her head. What she saw, rolling her eyes as much as she could, was Red Eyes looking at her with indifference. Of course, Alta had never seen Merilda directly, so she didn¡¯t know exactly who she was, but she realized one thing clearly. The being in front of her was many times stronger than herself. Therefore, she trembled instinctively from the overwhelming fear. Merilda, watching her with endlessly indifferent eyes, said, ¡°If I had heard you curse even a little more by yourself, I would have killed you.¡± Suddenly, with those words, she let go of her hand. Thud-! As soon as Merilda released her, Alta fell to the ground and just trembled in ce, unable to move due to the fear coursing through her body. Alta¡¯s reason was paralyzed to the point where she couldn¡¯t even use her intuition properly. ¡°This time, since you were just insolent, I¡¯ll spare your life. Besides.¡± However, Merilda, looking at her with an indifferent expression, said, ¡°Like you said, I too agree that that woman is useless.¡± With a soft murmur, she disappeared just like that. Alta, with her right arm twisted, couldn¡¯t properly grasp the situation but realized through instinct that she had survived and felt truly grateful for her survival. Kim Hyunwoo knew that there was a merchant group system in Arteil. Anyone who had yed the game for any length of time could not be unaware of the merchant group system. The merchant group system was one of the important elements for territories with concepts other thanbat in Arteil. But even so. ¡°The scale is incrediblyrge.¡± Kim Hyunwoo had never seen a merchant group of such massive scale. He casually turned his gaze beyond the Lord¡¯s castle. What he saw were rows of luxurious carriages, easily numbering in the dozens, each setting up stalls and selling goods to the territory¡¯s residents. Kim Hyunwoo, who had been staring nkly, soon turned his gaze to the merchant group leader in front of him. No, to the hero. ¡°Well-¡± ¡°I am the leader of the Tienus Merchant Group. My name is Adria.¡± With a confident smile, she introduced herself with a slight bow, her appearance looking incredibly luxurious. From her clothes to the jewelry on her hands and ears, there was not a single spot without adornment. Kim Hyunwoo marveled at this for a moment. Normally, it was best to wear jewelry in moderation, as wearing too much can often look cheap. However, Kim Hyunwoo did not think this way at all when looking at Adria. The reason was that Adria¡¯s beauty, who sat in front of him, was enough to overshadow all the jewelry she wore. Thus, Kim Hyunwoo, who had been discreetly observing Adria¡¯s beauty, soon listened to her story. ¡°I¡¯vee to Lartania Territory to greet you, among other things. But, should I introduce myself first? It seems you¡¯re not familiar with our Merchant Group.¡± Kim Hyunwoo responded with a nod to her words. Of course, he knew nothing about the Tienus Merchant Group. After all, the Tienus Merchant Group wasn¡¯t around when he yed the game. ¡°Then, let me exin briefly.¡± Five minutes after hearing Adria¡¯s exnation about the Merchant Group. Kim Hyunwoo, having heard all about the Merchant Group from her, summarized the information he had received. ¡°So, you travel around the entire Southern Vontinent trading? You buy all sorts of goods, but primarily deal in valuables and artifacts.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. We wander without a fixed base. Hence, we can procure any specialty from anywhere through our Tienus Merchant Group.¡± Kim Hyunwoo, feeling her confidence, nodded and then expressed a sudden curiosity. ¡°So, the Tienus Merchant Group isn¡¯t affiliated with any specific territory, I take it?¡± This question was based on Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s understanding that merchant groups were typically affiliated with one territory. ¡°Well¡­ To be precise, we are affiliated, but not with any territory.¡± To that question¡­ ¡°Then¡­?¡± ¡°We are affiliated with our protector, the ¡®Red Dream Dragon.¡¯¡± Kim Hyunwoo received such an answer. Chapter 25: Top (2) ¡°If you mean the Red Dream Dragon¡­ is she a dragon?¡± When Kim Hyunwoo casually brought it up, Adria nodded and continued. ¡°Yes, the owner of our Tienus Merchant Group is a dragon. Specifically, a Red Dragon, known to be one of the stronger beings among their kind. Thanks to her, we can trade under her protection without the need for armed escorts.¡± Kim Hyunwoo nodded as he listened to Adria speak with pride. ¡°So that¡¯s why there were no escorts.¡± He knew that merchant groups typically always had escorts. After all, merchant groups were naturally exposed to various threats, not just monsters. Therefore, Kim Hyunwoo thought it strange that such arge merchant group entered without a single escort. ¡°Indeed, if it¡¯s a dragon, that would make sense.¡± At least during his time ying the game, dragons held a significant stature in the world of Arteil, simr to other fantasies, and were even treated as Raid Bosses. Thus, with a curiosity that suddenly arose, Kim Hyunwoo asked another question. ¡°Then, is the Red Dream Dragon also with the Merchant Group?¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not the case. We don¡¯t need the guardian to follow us around since the magic she has cast is sufficient for us to trade without any trouble.¡± Kim Hyunwoo nodded at Adria¡¯s answer and suddenly thought back to the past. ¡°Come to think of it, there was also a dragon in my territory.¡± More precisely, the hero in Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s territory, Lartania, was not a dragon but a half-dragon. Not just any half-dragon, but a 1-star half-dragon. ¡°Thinking about it, it was quite absurd back then too.¡± Kim Hyunwoo found himself reminiscing about that time. In the midst of browsing through a failed 500-year search, the hero he found was quite a peculiar one from his perspective at the time. She was a 1-star, directly contradicting themunity¡¯s expectation that any notable hero should start at three stars. Moreover, her mental resilience was fragile, and it took a lot of effort to cultivate her talent and traits. Thanks to her, logging into the game meant at least 30 minutes of chatting as a routine, and he even bought a book titled ¡®Eight Ways to Console¡¯ with money he didn¡¯t have to care for her mental state. Of course, thanks to his diligent care, she became quite strong and proved her worth, and since she significantly improved his typing skills, she remained a hero of considerable significance to Kim Hyunwoo. ¡°I wonder what she¡¯s doing now.¡± Suddenly remembering Adria was sitting there, Kim Hyunwoo cut off his train of thought and responded. ¡°Excuse me, something just came to mind.¡± After a brief apology, he continued their conversation. ¡°If it¡¯s okay, could you tell me a bit about what¡¯s going on in the world?¡± ¡°¡­Do you mean news about the world?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± He had quite a lot of information about Arteil. Being one of the hardcore gamers who survived till theter stages, the information about managing territories and dungeon strategies still remained in his head, proving to be very helpful. Yet, the reason Kim Hyunwoo sought information through Adria was that all the information he had was from ten years ago. In other words, while the information Kim Hyunwoo umted remained useful, all other details needed to be updated. After all, Kim Hyunwoo had no idea what changes had urred in Arteil after he stopped ying, nor was he aware of any game updates. Therefore, Kim Hyunwoo asked her for information, and after some contemtion, Adria slightly nodded and began. ¡°That won¡¯t be difficult.¡± And started to tell the story. ¡°Let¡¯s end our conversation here for now. I n to stay for about a day, so if you have anything to buy or sell, please send someone to let me know.¡± After saying this, Adria left the office. In the conversation with Adria, whichsted about 30 minutes ¨C long if considered long, short if considered short ¨C Kim Hyunwoo obtained quite a lot of information. Among the information she shared were stories about the ¡®Southern Empire¡¯, ¡®Magic Towers¡¯, ¡®Holy Kingdoms¡¯, and ¡®Adventurers¡¯ Guilds¡¯ ¨C all of which were new to Kim Hyunwoo. Among them, Kim Hyunwoo found the political rtionships of the territories surrounding Lartania to be the most useful information. Of course, at this point, it wasn¡¯t too critical for Kim Hyunwoo to understand the intricacies of the neighboring territories¡¯ political rtionships. However, it was clear that these political rtionships would be a very important factor for Kim Hyunwoo once he started operating the Labyrinth city in earnest. Fortunately, the political rtions of the territories around Lartania were in a not-so-bad situation from Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s standpoint. Therefore, Kim Hyunwoo, who had been calmly sorting through the information Adria provided for a while, thought, ¡°¡­It seems I¡¯ve learned everything I wanted to know, more than I expected.¡± Suddenly, he made a peculiar expression at the thought that Adria had selectively shared information he wouldn¡¯t know in an intriguing way. ¡°Well, that¡¯s a good thing, isn¡¯t it?¡± Kim Hyunwoo spent a considerable amount of time organizing the information. After some time had passed and he had finished mentally organizing the information Adria had provided, he thought, ¡°Now that I¡¯ve got the information I wanted ¨C shall I move on to the next step?¡± He recalled what Adria said while watching the Tienus Merchant Group busily selling goods in the Lord¡¯s castle. ¡°They said they focus on buying valuables and artifacts, right?¡± Of course, Kim Hyunwoo doesn¡¯t currently possess any notable artifacts. However, since there was a way to create valuables, Kim Hyunwoo smiled subtly. ¡°How was it?¡± Upon arriving at the office located within thergest carriage of the Tienus Merchant Group, where she, the leader, resided, Adria lightly responded to her secretary, who asked as if she had been waiting. ¡°It certainly seems right to say the Lord of Lartania has ¡®returned¡¯. Given that I wasn¡¯t aware and was also in the dark about the surrounding information.¡± The reason Adria thought Kim Hyunwoo only heard the information he wanted was because she had discerned his thoughts and only conveyed the desired information. Through the delivery of that information, Adria could realize that the word spreading about the Lord of Lartania¡¯s return was indeed true. ¡°I originally thought the Lord¡¯s return was just a rumor and that a regent had been chosen in their ce.¡± ¡°Indeed, that was amon opinion. After all, there¡¯s no precedent for a Lord disappearing for nearly ten years and then reappearing.¡± The secretary, addressing Adria seated at the office chair, then asked, ¡°So, what do you think of the Lord of Lartania?¡± ¡°Hmm, honestly, there wasn¡¯t a particrly special impression. Didn¡¯t quite feel like the person who established Lartania ten years ago. But still, it seems good to establish a connection.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°¡­? Why look at me like that?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s just that you usually don¡¯t talk about making connections with Lords.¡± As the secretary said, Adria was not fond of making connections with the Lords. Making connections certainly had positive effects in some aspects, but it also had very negative effects in others. Therefore, Adria maintained a proper distance with the Lords, not particrly trying to makesting connections. That was why the secretary was surprised by Adria¡¯s words, however. ¡°¡­If he is the Lord who created that Lartania ten years ago, and though it¡¯s not that big yet, if he can create a territory of this scale within just a few months of returning, it¡¯s worth making a connection.¡± Adria shrugged her shoulders. ¡°Well, it seems impossible to find what he wants since it¡¯s only been a few months.¡± And replied. Soon, the secretary, who had been nodding dumbly at Adria, lowered her gaze to look at an item Adria had ced on the office desk and asked. ¡°That ne¡­?¡± The secretary was pointing at the ne. A ne with a red gem, though it looked a bit modestpared to the jewelry Adria was wearing. ¡°Ah, this? The Lord gave it as a gift for providing information. I heard it was a ne he had kept for a long time.¡± Adria casually lifted the ne in response to the secretary¡¯s question and said. ¡°Include this as well in the offerings to be presented to him. He generally likes nes with red gems.¡± She was handing the ne to the secretary while saying this. Adria had added one more offering to be presented to the Master of the Merchant Group. In a huge cave within a forest in the Southeast, ¡°©¤©¤©¤¡± A woman was sitting in a very antique chair. Behind the antique chair where the woman sat, treasures were piled up to an astonishing degree. From a huge amount of gold coins, various artifacts were tangled together, and numerous weapons were embedded in the gold, exuding their grandeur. It was a ce that perfectly fit the definition of a dragon¡¯s treasure, not odd to be called a utopia dreamed of by every adventurer. Yet, the expression of the woman in the middle of these treasures looked terribly gloomy. Her red hair was disheveled, tangled with her horns. Her golden eyes, granted only to dragons, had lost their brilliant light and were soaked in gloom. Moreover, the marks of self-harm on her neck and wrists silently suggested that she couldn¡¯t feel any happiness in this space, coveted by everyone. ¡°¡­¡­¡± She quietly turned her gaze and looked behind her. A mountain of treasure unfolded in her gloomy eyes. But she still turned her head away, looking at the wealth with gloomy eyes. Then, looking straight ahead. She grabbed her neck with both hands. Crack-! She strangled herself. She also disliked pain. But, she had to do it. She was so broken that she couldn¡¯t sleep without doing this. The dragon had to sleep, even if it meant doing this. She had to enter her dreams. Because in this golden treasure trove that everyone desired, there was nothing that the dragon wanted. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Because there was no Master. ¡­She strangled herself. Chapter 26: Top (3) The current state of Lartania¡¯s territory seemed quite good on the surface. The poption of the territory, which had been around 80, had surpassed 1400, and the territory, which had been like a wastnd where nothing existed, was starting to look like a proper domain. However, an important fact to know here is that the development of Lartania was not due to the territory itself cycling and developing well, but purely because of Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s investments. This meant that Lartania¡¯s territory was in a state where expenditures far outweighed ie, and the moment Kim Hyunwoo stopped investing, the territory would enter a period of stagnation. Currently, Kim Hyunwoo was not collecting any significant taxes from the territory¡¯s residents. Of course, that was entirely his intention. Kim Hyunwoo had thought to increase the influx rate by temporarily exempting taxes to somehow gather the essential workforce of the territory¡¯s residents. Simrly, it was his decision not to charge rent to the iing residents and to hand over dwellings. Thanks to that, the territory¡¯s departure rate was nearly 0%, and the loyalty of the residents had increased significantly, so Kim Hyunwoo did not regret investing in the territory, but. ¡®It¡¯s true that the resources are starting to run low.¡¯ [Red Stones: 5800] [Blue Stones: 24211] [Gold Coins: 2134] Kim Hyunwoo looked up at the resource window disyed on the UI. The 9,700 Red Stones were gradually used up and now only 5,800 remained, and the Blue Stones, which had definitely been 1,500,000, were now left with only 24,211. In other words, the wealth Kim Hyunwoo had earned from this Labyrinth break was starting to run low. Of course, Kim Hyunwoo was not flustered. After all, he had anticipated this situation. ¡®Given that I¡¯ve been creating resources with Blue Stones, which have a much worse yield than mining directly, and converting to Gold Coins for workers¡¯ sries, it¡¯s no wonder there¡¯s none left.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo then looked from the Blue Stones, of which only about 20,000 remained, to the Red Stones. Compared to the Blue Stones, the Red Stones still had about half leftpared to before, but Kim Hyunwoo had no intention of using these Red Stones. No, it wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t want to use them; he couldn¡¯t use them. The Red Stones he currently had were absolutely necessary for creating the Labyrinth city, which was Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s original goal. ¡­Anyway, Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s financial situation, after repeatedly investing in Lartania¡¯s territory, was such that it wouldpletely run out in a month or two, but he was not anxious. After all, Kim Hyunwoo, who had anticipated all this, had a n. Therefore, ¡®I originally nned to just open up trade routes to the surrounding territories to sell goods. The Merchant Group shouldn¡¯t really mind.¡¯ With that thought, Kim Hyunwoo began to interact with the UI that Loria had created. The next day. He went to visit the Tienus Merchant Group, which was still selling goods in the territory. ¡®There¡¯s nothing to gain from this ce.¡¯ After wandering around Lartania for about a day, Adria came to that conclusion. ¡°Hmm.¡± She had known from the start that the territory would be in roughly this situation when she decided to go to Lartania. After all, she knew that Lartania¡¯s territory had only been properly managed for a few months. Naturally, it seemed difficult for the Tienus Merchant Group, which typically does not sell heavy resources, to buy anything from this ce where no specialty products existed. However, aside from that, Adria¡¯s eyes held a strange curiosity as she looked around the territory. It was because of the residents. ¡®Considering the usual rate of development, the residents¡¯ standard of living shouldn¡¯t be this good.¡¯ Adria had visited many territories, so she knew well what failing or newly revitalizing territories looked like. ¡®If a territory develops quickly, the residents¡¯ standard of living should normally decrease.¡¯ The standard of living for the residents of Lartania did not seem to have decreased. In fact, inexpensive luxury items, such as soap, which could be considered cheap and basic luxuries, were selling quite well. To Adria, at least, this was a very curious sight. Usually, when a territory¡¯s development is rapid, most of the goods andbor produced there belong to the residents. Especially in a ce without even a trading post, such a nature was more pronounced, so it would be normal for there to be some bacsh from such rapid development of Lartania¡¯s territory. Yet, there was no sign of any bacsh in Lartania. Of course, there were many other elements that piqued Adria¡¯s curiosity. Right away, she wondered how such neat wooden houses were made in this territory without a wood processing nt and a trading post, and simrly, how forces were being created in a ce without mines. At least from the information she had gathered first, she knew that Tienus was the first merchant group to visit Lartania¡¯s territory. And following the source of her curiosity, Adria¡¯s questions ultimately focused on one person. ¡®The Lord of Lartania.¡¯ The man she saw yesterday, who created Lartania in its prime, didn¡¯t seem particrly special in her eyes. First, she was gathering various pieces of information through the secretary, so looking at that would allow her to determine more urate facts, but apart from that, Adria¡¯s curiosity about the Lord was quite piqued. And then. ¡°Miss Adria, the Lord hase to see you.¡± The secretary¡¯s voice was heard. Adria¡¯s office. ¡°I heard you were buying valuables, so I wanted to sell this; would that be possible?¡± Adria was startled when Kim Hyunwoo, who had suddenly visited, ced a bottle of potion on the desk and asked. Of course, Adria couldn¡¯t read detailed descriptions just by looking at items like Kim Hyunwoo could, but the reason for her surprise was the appearance of the potion bottle and the blue fluorescent potion inside. ¡°Could this be¡­ a Coma Recovery Potion?¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡± Upon Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s answer, Adria gazed at the Potion with her mouth slightly open, then, realizing she had shown an unseemly reaction, she looked at Kim Hyunwoo and spoke. ¡°My apologies. The item you¡¯ve brought is quite unexpected. If it¡¯s not too much trouble, may I appraise it with an Appraisal Scroll?¡± ¡°No problem.¡± ¡°Then, please wait a moment.¡± Following Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s words, she extended one of the rings she was wearing towards the Potion. Whoosh-! As red magical energy spread in all directions and a magic circle unfolded, Kim Hyunwoo watched. ¡°¡­Is that real?¡± ¡°Well, of course it¡¯s real.¡± Seeing Adria¡¯s extremely surprised expression, he felt a doubt arise but answered without showing it. Soon, Adria, who had been nkly staring at the Coma Recovery Potion, looked at Kim Hyunwoo with an inscrutable expression and spoke. ¡°First off, since the mysterious merchants stopped appearing five years ago, the Coma Recovery Potions have not circted and are currently considered very valuable items.¡± ¡°Mysterious merchants¡­ Ah.¡± ¡®Come to think of it, the concept was to buy items with Blue Stones, other than resources, from mysterious merchants.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo muttered Adria¡¯s words and then spoke, recalling the concept of Arteil. ¡°So, are you saying that since five years ago, no one sells Coma Recovery Potions anymore?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Upon Adria¡¯s words, Kim Hyunwoo nodded and thought. ¡®¡­As expected.¡¯ Using Blue Stones, one could buy items helpful within the game. But the reason Kim Hyunwoo specifically brought a Coma Recovery Potion was that he knew it could only be bought with Blue Stones. Thus, Kim Hyunwoo had brought the Coma Recovery Potion as a test for Adria, just in case. If he was the only one in this world who could use Blue Stones as currency, then the value of items that could be bought with Blue Stones would surely be very high. ¡°Then, how much would you be willing to buy this item for?¡± Realizing his assumption was correct through Adria¡¯s reaction, Kim Hyunwoo asked. After a long silence, Adria nced at Kim Hyunwoo, sighed, and spoke. ¡°For this, I think we can purchase it for 16,000 Gold Coins.¡± She said. ¡°16,000 Gold Coins, you say?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Upon Adria¡¯s words, Kim Hyunwoo unwittingly stopped his mouth from gaping open in surprise. ¡®16,000 Gold Coins, what¡¯s the profit margin?¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo quickly started calcting. ¡®If converting Blue Stones to Hold Coins right away, one can be converted at 4 Gold Coins each, and thea recovery potion is 1,000 Blue Stones. So, just looking at the simple profit margin¡­¡¯ Four times. The answer that came to Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s mind almost made him smile unwittingly, but he suppressed it with superhuman patience. Though he had already quadrupled his profit margin, Kim Hyunwoo wasn¡¯t satisfied with just selling the item right away. Therefore, ¡°Madam Merchant, I have a very good proposal to make, would you like to hear it?¡± ¡°A good business proposal?¡± ¡°Yes, surely a proposal that will satisfy us both.¡± He began to speak. At that point, beneath the Kingdom of Cn. Loriel was bowing her head to her Master, the Absolute Ruler of Darkness. ¡°Have you still not found it yet?¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry.¡± The reason was that, despite some time having passed, she had not found information on thest item she was looking for, the ¡®Execution Sword.¡¯ ¡°Do you have no information either?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The voice of the Absolute Ruler of Darkness was full of heaviness and gloom. Hearing that, Loriel was silent and pondered. In fact, she had found just one piece of information about the ¡®Execution Sword.¡¯ Not only her, but all five Swords of Cn had found information on the Execution Sword. However, the reason she continued to remain silent was that the information would undoubtedly be distressing to her master. Thus, Loriel continued to ponder. ¡°I asked.¡± Upon hearing the following from the Absolute Ruler of Darkness, Loriel finally spoke. ¡°¡­Master.¡± She could never lie to her master. Thus. ¡°ording to our findings, the Execution Sword is an artifact that does not even appear in Labyrinths. Moreover, the method of its creation has beenpletely lost except for the ¡®Red Mysterious Merchant,¡¯ who disappeared without a trace five years ago.¡± Loriel conveyed the information she had found to the Absolute Ruler of Darkness. ¡°¡­Ah?¡± In the gloomy eyes of the Absolute Ruler of Darkness. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Despair began to set in. Rolling down. Tears streamed down her cheeks. Loriel, after watching her silently crying, quietly bowed her head and left the inner sanctum. The Absolute Ruler of Darkness felt her energy draining away and despair filling its ce, shedding tears in silence without making a sound. However, after several moments. She, who had been shedding tears with a vacant gaze. ¡°No.¡± Quietly, ¡°No, wait.¡± Murmured. She gritted her teeth, pushing away the despair forcibly filling her. ¡°There¡¯s still a way.¡± She did not want to give up like this. She did not want to lose him in this way. In this way, she did not want to give up on affection without having done anything. Thus. The Absolute Ruler of Darkness, before long, remembered one fact with eyes full of determination. That she was not the only one who had received the Execution Sword. And because she knew the hero who had received the Execution Sword from him. ¡°If it cannot be obtained any further-¡± She clenched her fist, thinking of the wolf with red eyes. ¡°-Then it must be taken.¡± ¡­From her tightly clenched fist, nails dug in, and blood flowed. Chapter 27: Second Hero (1) The next day. As previously discussed with the Lord of Lartania, the Tienus Merchant Group left the territory immediately after one day had passed. Inside the carriage of the Tienus Merchant Group¡¯s leader, Adria was looking at five bottles of potion contained within a somewhat luxurious box. The box, adorned with gold and suitable for a gift to a monarch, was an artifact currently traded at a very high price, designed to absolutely protect the valuables ced inside it. Originally, this box should have contained various precious metals rather than potion bottles. However, the reason she ced the potions in this box was naturally because the potions were of equivalent value. ¡°Five bottles of Coma Recovery Potion¡­¡± As Adria was fiddling with the potions in the box with a renewed expression, the voice of her secretary was soon heard. ¡°As expected, the Leader of the Merchant Group is remarkable.¡± ¡°Huh? What do you mean?¡± ¡°The Coma Recovery Potion. Didn¡¯t you buy five for just 100,000 gold coins? Truly, your business acumen is impressive.¡± The secretary¡¯s nodding, implying anew the Merchant Leader¡¯s greatness, was ultimately justified. If the Coma Recovery Potions were to be sold now, it could easily fetch 150,000 or even 160,000 gold coins, not just the 100,000 she had paid. If Adria could set the stage even a little, the item in her hand could potentially be sold for 200,000 gold coins. Thus, her skill in purchasing an item that could effectively be sold for double the price at 100,000 Gold Coins was indeed remarkable. However, that was merely the surface-level story. ¡°Really, is that so?¡± Adria recalled the words, or more precisely, the business proposal, made by the Lord of Lartania, who had handed her the Potion yesterday. ¡°Let me be upfront; I can make this Coma Recovery Potion. In other words, I can produce an item that no one else on this Continent can.¡± ¡°And if you wish, I will supply this Coma Recovery Potion to you and you alone, provided you agree to the three conditions I propose.¡± Adria recalled the conditions subsequently proposed by Kim Hyunwoo. ¡°Firstly, I would like you to keep the fact that I can make the Coma Recovery Potion a secret. This knowledge should be yours alone.¡± ¡°Secondly, after selling the Coma Recovery Potion I supply, I would like 60% of the remaining profit.¡± ¡°Lastly, for this case, I would like an upfront payment. About 100,000 Gold Coins should suffice.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Having recalled all of Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s proposals, Adria pondered with a curious expression. ¡°Indeed, impressive.¡± Adria had already grasped the intention behind Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s proposal to her. ¡°He wants to sell the items without revealing himself to the outside¡­¡± Certainly, Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s choice could be seen as very smart. The current situation in Lartania, as she had assessed, was too fraught with danger to openly sell the Coma Recovery Potion. ¡°Immediate forceful entry is possible, and even if blocked by international interests, political pressure woulde from various ces.¡± In such a case, Lartania would surely find itself in a very difficult situation by any means. Therefore, he decided against selling the items in Lartania, opting instead to pass them to Adria, proposing to share a whopping 40% of the profit with her. 40%. In effect, that amount was nearly half of the total. ¡°In reality, there would certainly be a cost to the Lord of Lartania for making the Coma Recovery Potion.¡± ¡­Of course, Kim Hyunwoo merely used a Blue Stone to create the Potion, but Adria, unaware of this, naturally thought so. Thus, to Adria, Kim Hyunwoo felt like a very experienced merchant. Fundamentally, everyone values visible worth over invisible worth. Taking the Coma Recovery Potion as an example, this means they see the value of the item itself but not the unseen value beyond it. This is true even for the smartest lords or merchants, especially with items that can earn a lot of money, as they tend to cloud judgment. But what about Kim Hyunwoo? He calcted the unseen value without hesitation and proposed a 40% profit share to her. That was certainly arge profit. But upon closer inspection, by passing the items to her, Kim Hyunwoo stands to gain more than the 40% profit he has offered her. By entrusting the Potion to her, Kim Hyunwoo can quietly sell the items, effectively sidestepping any forceful or political pressure from the outside. Even as she pondered this, Adria was actively thinking about how to sell the items, motivated by the significant 40% profit. That wasn¡¯t all. Moreover, by demanding an upfront payment of 100,000 Gold Coins, Kim Hyunwoo quietly conveyed his intention to Adria. ¡°I hope the return profit would be at least 100,000 Gold Coins¡­¡± Of course, from Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s standpoint, there was nothing he could do if Adria failed to sell the potion for more than 100,000 Gold Coins. However, Adria intended to generate a profit of more than 100,000 Gold Coins for him, as he had subtly suggested. No, more precisely, Kim Hyunwoo had manipted Adria to act in such a manner. He proposed to Adria, subtly suggesting regting the supply and demand of the Potion while discussing other items for sale and discreetly showing them. In essence, Kim Hyunwoo actively engaged Adria while effectively testing her. A test to evaluate whether she had the qualities to conduct business with him. ¡°Ha.¡± Thinking this, Adria couldn¡¯t help but feel amused andughed. Since bing a Merchant Group under her protection, she had never been in a position to be evaluated by someone else as a ¡®merchant.¡¯ Yet, she was already being evaluated. And not just by any merchant, but by a Lord. This, for Adria, was both amusing and sparked genuine curiosity. ¡°What kind of person is that Lord, really?¡± Adria knew through conversation that he possessed an exceptional level of merchant knowledge. Such knowledge that even she, who considered herself among the top three merchants on the Continent, was curious about the depth of. Since he was a Lord and not a merchant, Adria, who had been curious for a while, soon shrugged it off. After all, there was no rush to find out, as long as she cleared the evaluation he had set for her. Therefore. ¡°Did you leave the gift properly?¡± ¡°Yes, I left it quietly as you instructed.¡± ¡°Good.¡± ¡°Indeed, deciding to form a connection with that person was the right choice.¡± Adria continued on her journey, smiling. At that moment. ¡°This was outside?¡± ¡°Yes. I heard that it was left by the Tienus Merchant Group.¡± Following his request, Kim Hyunwoo looked with a puzzled expression at the box Elena, who had returned from goblin subjugation, was holding, then opened the box she ced on the desk. ¡°¡­What¡¯s this?¡± Kim Hyunwoo, upon seeing a considerable amount of precious metals inside the box, unwittingly gaped and looked at the card ced in the middle of the box. [A modest gift. -Adria-] ¡°Wow¡­¡± While admiring the inly written style, Kim Hyunwoo marveled, yet wondered why he received it. ¡°Indeed, a grand gesture fitting of a major merchant group.¡± Kim Hyunwoo soon nodded in satisfaction with a smile. Because this amount of jewelry could likely cover the territory¡¯s expenses for about a month if converted in case of financial emergency. ¡°Truly smart and capable, making a business proposal was the right choice.¡± Kim Hyunwoo pondered the reason behind making a business proposal to Adria, beyond just selling the Potion yesterday. It was because of the information window he could see thanks to Adria fortuitously visiting the tavern. He saw in Adria¡¯s information window the trait ¡®Merchant¡¯s Intuition,¡¯ considered the best for a merchant, and ¡®Trust,¡¯ which provides various advantages in trade. Usually, merchants with the trait of Trust tend to keep their word if they are not wronged, so Kim Hyunwoo proposed a business to her for this reason. ¡°Because selling the Potion alone might cause trouble.¡± Losing 40% of the profit felt a bit wasteful, but it was still okay. After all, even if she sold the Potion for the minimum amount, it was a guaranteed profit for him since he could make the Potion from Blue Stones. ¡°The proposal was for five units every three months, so it¡¯s not exactly like printing money, but¡­¡± Knowing that the high price was due to limited supply, Kim Hyunwoo had no intention of mass-producing the Potion anyway. [Red Stones: 5800] [Blue Stones: 19211] [Gold Coins: 102134] While smiling satisfactorily at the increase in Gold Coins, ¡°Lord.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it a bit off for someone to be too obsessed with money?¡± ¡°¡­Huh?¡± Kim Hyunwoo looked puzzled at Elena¡¯s sudden question. ¡°I mean, people who are a bit obsessed with money tend tock warmth, don¡¯t they? That¡¯s what I think.¡± Elena said, shifting her gaze slightly. ¡°¡­Well, I suppose that¡¯s one way to look at it.¡± Kim Hyunwoo, though puzzled by Elena¡¯s abrupt and unexpected remark, empathized with her. For him, the yet-to-be-measured level of affection was quite important. ¡°Right, isn¡¯t it?¡± Elena, seemingly pleased by the agreement, smiled faintly from her previously expressionless face. After exchanging a few words, Kim Hyunwoo noticed her attempting to leave the office. ¡°Ah, wait.¡± He called her to stop, then approached. Thud. ¡°¡­What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°A gift.¡± He presented her with a blue brooch. ¡°As a token of gratitude for always working hard.¡± Upon hearing Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s words, she stared nkly at the blue brooch. ¡°Ah.¡± ¡°?¡± Seeming to ramble a bit, then, ¡°Ah, uh¡­ I mean¡­ th-thank you?¡± She then left the office with such a greeting, moving as if she were a tin can robot with creaky motions. ¡°Definitely expensive, so it¡¯s understandable she¡¯d like it.¡± Seeing her reaction, Kim Hyunwoo smiled satisfactorily, feeling grateful for the precious metal box Adria had given as a gift, and set it aside. ¡°Now that we¡¯ve taken care of that, shall we start focusing on the development of the territory?¡± He intended to start the postponed development. And. ¡°Hee¡­¡± Upon leaving the office, Elena inadvertently gazed at the blue brooch given by the Lord and let out a giggly sound without realizing. Even though she wasn¡¯t aware of it, her face flushed red, she fiddled with the brooch several times, and then, with a seemingly happy expression, she began to move towards her room with a spring in her step. Chill-! ¡°¡­!¡± Feeling a sudden chill, Elena¡¯s face stiffened and she looked around. ¡°¡­¡­¡± There was nothing around her. ¡°¡­What¡¯s that?¡± For a while, Elena looked around, tilting her head but unable to rx her tense expression. Recently, Elena had often felt such eerie sensations. But each time, there was nothing particrly visible around her. ¡°¡­Was it my imagination?¡± With a slightly uneasy face, Elena moved on, contemting that thought. Chapter 28: Second Hero (2) A week after Kim Hyunwoo sent off the Tienus Merchant Group. Territory: Lartania Territory Development Level: 194 Territory Poption [Humans: 1758] Owned Buildings: [Lord's Castle LV1 >>> Upgrading 72%] [Walls LV2] [Residential District LV2] [cksmith LV2] [Barracks LV2] [Tavern LV2] [Market LV1] [Wood Processing nt LV0 (Under Construction 52%)] [Leather Processing nt LV0 (Under Construction 0%)] [Stone Processing nt LV0 (Under Construction 0%)] [Trading Post LV0 (Under Construction 0%)] [Restaurant LV0 (Under Construction 0%)] Owned Military Forces: -Regr Soldiers: 100 Kim Hyunwoo leisurely appreciated thendscape beyond the territory castle, along with the territory development level nearing 200. The newly appeared market next to the residential area caught his eye immediately. People, instead of sitting in the square selling items as before, were buying and selling items in the newly built market, and the tavern attached to the market had shed its cheap image with stone tiles added everywhere, thanks to the expansion construction, unlike the previous all-wood construction. Moreover, the walls, which had been merely wooden fences, had developed further with the construction of wooden watchtowers near the walls, and the expanded cksmith had also grown a bitrger than before. ¡°It¡¯s satisfying to see it grow.¡± Of course, considering the growth stage of the territory, it was still very early, but the changes brought about by this level of investment were quite pleasing to Kim Hyunwoo. After all, the territory, which was bing more prosperous day by day with each investment, was providing him with great satisfaction. From the moment the processing nts, which required Magic Stones for production, were constructed, it didn¡¯t matter whether Kim Hyunwoo used Blue Stones to extract resources or not. Once all the processing nts were built, they could produce high-quality processed resources suitable for materials, even if not as high-grade as the top-quality resources created using Blue Stones. After all, buildings made from unprocessed resources without going through a processing nt would lower the happiness of the territory¡¯s residents and increase the chance of building idents, which is why he had used Blue Stones to create resources. Of course, with production being limited, he would need to build a trading post to import resources until the level increased. Since it was important to reduce the use of Blue Stones, which could only be obtained in limited amounts through special events, Kim Hyunwoo was eagerly anticipating the construction of the processing nts and the trading post. ¡°Elena and the soldiers are also growing quite well.¡± With those thoughts, Kim Hyunwoo opened the information window. Considering only about a week had passed, both the soldiers and Elena were showing rapid growth. Hero Name: Elena Title: X Stars: 2 Stars ¡ï¡ï Affection: (Measuring) -Stats- Strength: 30¡ü Agility: 39¡ü Intelligence: 21¡ü Luck: 18 Magic: 15 ¡ùThe hero feels trust towards you. Kim Hyunwoo smiled as he looked at Elena¡¯s information window, thinking. ¡°The hardworking trait really is good.¡± Normally, as all stats increase, the rate of growth tends to slow down, but despite her being a 2-star, her stats were increasing quite rapidly. However, Kim Hyunwoo, who was naturally smiling at her outstanding growth, had one point of curiosity. ¡°Why is her Luck increasing?¡± That was because Elena¡¯s Luck stat was increasing. Kim Hyunwoo knew of only two cases where the Luck stat could increase. One was when a fortuitous event urred for Elena, significantly increasing her stats. The other was when Elena survived a life-threatening situation. ¡°But considering that, has she¡­ faced a life-threatening situation? If anything, it would only be the first level of the Labyrinth.¡± Since most of the tasks he had assigned to Elena up to now were of a nature that did not threaten her life, Kim Hyunwoo wore a puzzled expression. ¡°Maybe I should be more selective with the missions, just in case. Plus, soldiers need actualbat experience to grow, so I should pair them up.¡± With that thought, he opened the military forces window this time. [Type: Regr Soldier] Leader: Malon [Proficiency 69/100] Number of Personnel: 100 [View Details] Combat Efficiency: Average. [No personnel are eligible for upgrade to a higher military ss.] -Basic Equipment- Head: Helmet. Body: Light Armor. Waist: None. Legs: None. Armed: Iron Spear. Secondary Armament: None. ¡ù The equipment is inadequate., "A ¡ï hero 'Lani' has entered the territory." Hero Name: Lani Title: X Stars: 1 star ¡ï Affinity: X -Stats- Strength: 9 Agility: 7 Intelligence: 19 Luck: 19 Magic: 7 -Traits- Perfect Taste: Can distinguish various vors and catch subtle taste differences with their tongue. Curiosity: If possessing talent beyond 'overwhelming', the proficiency of that talent increases very rapidly. -Talent- Has a natural talent for cooking. -Skills- [View] Chapter 29: Second Hero (3) Merilda, or rather, the wolf, spoke in a voice filled with irritation. ¡°What are you babbling about now?¡± ¡°Just as I said, I would like you to return the Execution Sword.¡± In contrast, the Absolute Ruler of Darkness, or rather, the half-demon, looked directly into her eyes with an endlessly gloomy expression and continued, ¡°Originally, the Execution Sword you received was because you whined to the Master and got it before me, wasn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± At the half-demon¡¯s words, the wolf looked at the Absolute Ruler of Darkness with eyes now filled with anger but did not readily open her mouth. Grit-! Because her words were true. The wolf felt jealous of the half-demon receiving expensive things from the Master and, because of that, poured out her jealousy and whined to the Master. Knowing well that she couldn¡¯t use the Executioner¡¯s Sword, she did such a foolish thing, and in the end, the Master gave her the Sword before passing it to the half-demon. ¡­And stupidly, the wolf at that time was very pleased with it. Crack-! As the image of herself wanting to tear apart from ten years ago reyed in her mind, her mood plummeted even further to the worst. It was as if it showed how impossible what Merilda wanted now was. ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡± Therefore, Merilda decided to run away from the suffocating image of herself even at the thought. After all, there was someone here now who could help her escape. ¡°That¡¯s mine.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you just stubbornly cause trouble for the Master and take it from him?¡± ¡°Shut up¡­!¡± The wolf growled. The half-demon stared at her then soon scattered the darkness that was behind her. Thud- Thudduddud-! Thud! From the darkness, numerous weapons were scattered. Starting from spears and swords, bizarre weapons that couldn¡¯t be considered ordinary were scattered on the ground, sticking into the dirt. ¡°Even if you dislike it, I will take it.¡± As soon as the half-demon spoke, the wolf was already swinging her ws in front of her. A massive explosion. However, the half-demon, who surely had nothing in her hands a moment ago, was now blocking her attack with a sword. ¡°Try it if you can,¡± murmured Merilda, her red eyes flickering. A loud crash. The cliff was shattered. ©¤©¤©¤Boom-! ¡°¡­?¡± Kim Hyunwoo, who was moving towards the front of the tavern, momentarily turned his gaze and tilted his head at the sound of something copsing from a great distance. ¡®I¡¯ve been hearing sounds like that recently.¡¯ Recalling that such sounds had been urring somewhat frequentlytely, he shrugged and stepped into the tavern. Creak- Upon opening the door and entering, the tavern¡¯s interior definitely looked different from when it was at Level 1. The tavern he remembered from the previous stage was quite cramped, but now, despite clearly having leveled up only one stage, the size of the tavern seemed to have expanded significantly. ¡®There she is.¡¯ After looking around the changed tavern for a while, Kim Hyunwoo quickly shifted his gaze to the heroes sitting around and soon spotted a girl sitting in a corner of the tavern. She seemed to not want to reveal her identity, wearing a robe, but the pink strands of hair peeking through the robe made her presence quite noticeable, so Kim Hyunwoo moved towards her without hesitation. Perhaps due to the sound of his approaching steps, the girl sneakily turned her head. ¡°I would like to recruit you, is that possible?¡± ¡°¡­Yes?¡± Caught off guard by Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s directness, she momentarily wore a nk expression before responding in a flustered tone. ¡°Me? You mean me?¡± A voice that was clearly flustered to anyone who heard. Kim Hyunwoo felt a hint of doubt at Rani¡¯s reaction but soon realized what the issue was. ¡°Come to think of it, I haven¡¯t introduced myself. I am Kim Hyunwoo, the Lord of Lartania.¡± ¡°The Lord, you say?¡± ¡°Yes. As the Lord, I am making you a recruitment offer.¡± Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s words. At that, Lani momentarily wore a nk expression and then, just like before, looked flustered but soon smiled faintly, seemingly pleased by the recruitment offer. ¡°¡­Thank you for the offer, but I think that will be impossible.¡± However, as if she had remembered something, her smile clouded over and she soon adopted a somber expression, promptly expressing her refusal to Kim Hyunwoo. [Would you like to make a recruitment offer to ¡ïhero 'Lani'? Y/N] [¡ùWarning: epting this hero into your territory will result in hostile territories.] [¡ùWarning: This is a fugitive. Someone is pursuing this individual.] [Antalia territory rtionship: -47] [M territory rtionship: -25] ¡°¡­¡­¡± At that moment, Kim Hyunwoo stared nkly at the notification that had conveniently popped up. For Kim Hyunwoo, a hero with cooking traits like Lani was quite essential. This is because a cooking hero can provide buffs to soldiers or other heroes, minimizing troop losses or hero injuries. ¡®Hmm.¡¯ However, the reason Kim Hyunwoo suddenly stopped after making a bold recruitment offer to Lani was not only due to the penalties that woulde with her recruitment but also due to an essential question that arose. ¡®Do 1-star heroes also have such cases?¡¯ When Kim Hyunwoo yed Arteil, heroes drawn from gacha or refreshed over time would sometimes have low rtions with NPC territories, perhaps due to their background. But he had never seen a mere 1-star hero with such damaged rtions, leading him to ponder with a puzzled expression whether to persuade Lani or to give up. ¡®¡­Antalia territory is at -42, M territory at -25. Given that I don¡¯t remember them, they don¡¯t seem to be significant territories.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo had identified territories to be cautious about shortly after entering Arteil, and he remembered the names of such territories. However, at least in Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s memory, there was no Antalia or M territory. This meant, at least in Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s judgment, that Antalia and M territories were either not significant or were located far from Lartania territory. ¡®Still, the rtionships do bother me.¡¯ As Kim Hyunwoo remembered, a rtionship score of -70 or worse was practically a state where war wouldn¡¯t be surprising. This meant that recruiting Lani wouldn¡¯t create enemies across the entire Continent like it did with Merilda. Nheless, the reason for Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s concern was that creating enemies at this point offered no benefit to Lartania. Above all, the risk was tied to acquiring a 1-star hero. ¡®¡­It is tricky indeed.¡¯ If Lani had been a 2-star or 3-star hero, Kim Hyunwoo would have continuously made recruitment offers despite the rtionship penalty, but she was only a 1-star. ¡®The potential for growth is high, though.¡¯ Even considering the high growth potential, recruiting a 1-star hero who would undoubtedly take a long time to develop, resulting in rtionship penalties with other territories, seemed ambiguous. ¡®Given that she¡¯s being pursued, it seems she needs immediate care.¡¯ Above all, Kim Hyunwoo noticed she was involved in a special event, something he hadn¡¯t even seen in Arteil. ¡®Should I just give up?¡¯ As he leaned towards not persuading Lani and was about to speak, Thump-! ¡°Tch, this is so annoying! Why run all the way to this backwater?¡± Suddenly, someone entered the tavern, roughly opening the door. ¡°How, how did¡­!¡± At the same time, Lani reacted with a startled expression, and Kim Hyunwoo turned his gaze towards the door. ¡°What do you mean, how? Did you think I wouldn¡¯t find you if you ran away, you idiot?¡± Soon, Kim Hyunwoo saw a blond man cursing at Lani. The man, with a face that couldn¡¯t be considered friendly, was smirking mockingly. ¡®Isn¡¯t it too soon for a pursuit event to happen before I even get to do anything?¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo wore an incredulous expression at the scene, but the man, seemingly uncaring, boldly approached and grabbed Lani¡¯s wrist. ¡°Uh-!¡± Lani,ing to her senses toote, struggled to break free from the man. However. p-! ¡°Ugh!¡± The man pped her cheek in an instant. The violence was swung all too familiarly. Drip-! ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you just quietly get sold instead of running away?¡± Looking at Lani, who now had blood at the corner of her mouth and her head hung low, the man uttered those words and then turned to Kim Hyunwoo, who was nkly staring at the swiftly unfolded situation. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°¡­I am the Lord of Lartania.¡± Kim Hyunwoo responded with a look of disbelief to the man who boldly disparaged him upon their first meeting, to which the man snickered and said, ¡°Ah, so you¡¯re the vige head of this backwater?¡± ¡°¡­Vige¡­ vige head?¡± ¡°Ah, got it, got it. I can tell by the size. You approached her thinking you could do something, huh? Full of vigor? But sorry, what to do? This girl already has an owner.¡± Snicker. ¡°Unfortunately, I have to sell this one as merchandise, so I can¡¯t give her to you. Ah well¡­ If the vige head shows me a bit of favor, who knows?¡± Seeing the man speak so brazenly, Kim Hyunwoo inadvertently opened his mouth, thinking, ¡®Who the hell is this guy?¡¯ The man¡¯s behavior was so ridiculously thuggish that Kim Hyunwoo was left speechless. The man looked so foolish that Kim Hyunwoo had to reconsider whether he should even engage with him. However, the man, oblivious to Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s thoughts, ¡°Tch, I guess a failing territory like this can¡¯t show any favor, huh? I expected too much from a vige head who looks so ipetent.¡± Mocked him further with those words. At that moment. On top of the territory¡¯s hill. Even without seeing from the territory, the back hill had essentially be a teau due to numerous collisions. Worrying if Kim Hyunwoo might notice, silencing the noise, and being cautious towards the territory, now grabbing each other¡¯s hair, the two heroes were already fighting disgracefully. ¡°What?¡± Without anyone saying anything, they both looked towards the territory at the same time. ¡­With chilling eyes. Chapter 30: Second Hero (4) Lani is the daughter of a lord. More precisely, she is the second daughter of the Antalia territory, which has a very close rtionship with the Norba Kingdom, and also an ostracized bastard. A daughter born to a woman who was used and discarded by the Lord after a night of amusement. Nevertheless, the fact that she is the Lord¡¯s daughter remained unchanged, so Lani grew up being treated as such. As the daughter of a Lord, envied by everyone. However, for her, being the daughter of the Lord of Antalia was like a curse. Had she been born to the Lord¡¯s wife, she might not have felt this way, but Lani was a bastard. She was bullied by her siblings. Always, at family gatherings, she had to bow her head and eat. The Lord¡¯s wife always looked at her with disgust. Thus, while she was the Lord¡¯s daughter, she lived a life ostracized by her family. But that was not all. Needing someone to rely on at a young age, she opened her heart to anyone willing to approach her, but no one epted her. Children outside the Lord¡¯s castle distanced themselves from her because she was the Lord¡¯s daughter. The servants inside the mansion felt a vile sense of self-satisfaction at her ambiguous status and never tried to approach her. Ultimately, young Lani was isted everywhere due to the cursed title of being the Lord¡¯s daughter. However, what allowed her to endure those times when no one epted her was her father. Certainly, in that ce where everyone could be considered an enemy, Lani¡¯s father, the Lord of Antalia territory, treated her kindly. Because of that, Lani was able to endure, ¡®Live strong, never show weakness.¡¯ She lived without showing weakness to anyone, repeatedly recalling the words her birth mother left as a will. Thus, when Lani turned 19 half a year ago, she suddenly became a ¡®hero chosen by the world¡¯. She couldn¡¯t understand why she had be a hero. After all, what Lani liked was not wielding weapons but cooking as a hobby. But ultimately, the fact that she had be a hero excited Lani. The fact that she became a hero in a ce where she thought she would never be acknowledged perhaps gave her hope that she could gain people¡¯s recognition. However, such hope vanished before long. No, the hope disappeared, and her pir of support crumbled. The reason was that she found out that the Lord, who had supported her until now, tried to sell her to another territory as if it were all a lie. ¡­She realized that the reason she had been raised until now was merely for the merchandise value of being ¡®the daughter of the Lord of Antalia.¡¯ The Lord did not change his mind even after she became a hero. No, rather, he liked it. He liked it not as a father, but because the value of the merchandise he intended to trade had suddenly increased. ¡­Thinking that she had at least one pir of support was merely Lani¡¯s misunderstanding. Three months after bing a hero and realizing the Lord¡¯s true intentions, her father eventually tried to send his daughter to a count of the Norba Kingdom. Not even as the count¡¯s wife, known for his bad reputation, but as his eighth concubine. Realizing this, Lani fled. She lived the life of a fugitive, escaping outside the territory she had never properly ventured out of, dodging pursuers sent from the territory. Thatsted for three months. However. ¡°Tch, I guess a failing territory like this can¡¯t show any favor, huh? I expected too much from a vige head who looks so ipetent.¡± At this moment, Lani fully realized that her life as a fugitive, and even her life itself, hade to an end. Because the second son of the Lord of Antalia, who is currently engaged in a power struggle with the eldest for the lordship, would never let her go. ¡°¡­¡­¡± When the time actually came, she felt everything about herself was miserable. Being born a bastard of the Lord. Living a life never acknowledged. ¡­Even bing a hero and still being treated this way, there was nothing that wasn¡¯t miserable. Her eyes, like those of a frightened animal, involuntarily scanned her surroundings. There was no particr meaning to it. It was merely the desperate act of someone cornered. The brief moment her gaze lingered on the Lord of Lartania held no further significance. She knew she couldn¡¯t expect anything from this person. She couldn¡¯t receive any help, nor should she hope for it. But- ¡°Agh!¡± Before she could continue that thought, Lani¡¯s body was dangling in the air. A member of the pursuers, snickering, had grabbed her by the scruff and lifted her up. A tant look of contempt swept between her and the Lord. Then, with a pping sound, her cheek turned. It was a p intense enough to bring tears to her eyes. ¡°Why? Because you think that scarecrow over there will save you? From this failing vige?¡± ¡°Eh-¡± Her cheek throbbed from the blow dealt by someone who couldn¡¯t even be called a brother. But more painful than that was the fact that she had to face a miserable future. ¡°Follow me. Unless you want to be tied to a horse and dragged along.¡± Gran, the second son of the Lord who had grabbed Lani¡¯s wrist and turned, was about to drag her away. ¡°Hey, mom.¡± The low voice of the Lord could be heard. ¡°What¡­?¡± Gran turned around swiftly with a puzzled expression. And then. ¡°Hey, mom, fuck.¡± A curse flew out of Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s mouth. Kim Hyunwoo is a fairly rational person, albeit ordinary. Fundamentally, if he fails at something he wants to do, he analyzes why he failed rather than getting annoyed. When something unexpected happens, he tries to quickly find a solution rather than getting angry. This is not just how Kim Hyunwoo sees himself, but how his coworkers and friends who have spent time with him evaluate him. Thus, Kim Hyunwoo appears to be apetent social being with only strengths at a nce, but like everyone, he has his weaknesses alongside his strengths. Kim Hyunwoo has an outburst when he is ignored. Originally, his personality was the reason he could be a ranker in Arteil by spending almost all his money and time. For instance, there was a time in the military when he beat up a senior who openly ignored and mistreated him with a helmet until the operations officer arrived. Thus, Kim Hyunwoo, who hates being ignored more than death, is quite rational in all aspects but has a surprisingly quick trigger when ites to being ignored. Especially in cases like Gran, who openly ignores him now. Before Gran, who had a curse on his lips, could say anything, Kim Hyunwoo picked up a beer mug from the desk of a mercenary who was watching the sudden situation with interest. ¡°Huh?¡± The mercenary looked at Kim Hyunwoo with a startled expression. But before he could say anything. Crack-! Kim Hyunwoo then struck Gran¡¯s head with the wooden beer mug he was holding. ¡°Gah-!?¡± Gran, letting go of Lani¡¯s wrist and falling to the ground as the beer sshed in all directions. Kim Hyunwoo did not stop there; he immediately straddled Gran and began to beat his head with the mug he was holding. Thump! Thump! Thump! ¡°Ah! Ah! Ah!¡± Gran screamed every time the wooden mug hit his head. Gran raised his guard to block the sudden attack, but each time, Kim Hyunwoo skillfully swung the mug where Gran couldn¡¯t block. Crack! By the time the wooden mug was about to break from the force. ¡°Do you know who I am to be doing this kind of thing you-¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Gran seemed to btedly try to say something, but, ¡°I, I am from the Antalia territory-¡± Thump! ¡°Second-argh!¡± Thump! Kim Hyunwoo simply swung the mug without saying a word. ¡°Uh, ughaaa!!¡± Gran screamed and fainted at the same time- ¡°Young Master!!¡± ¡°What are you doing to the Young Master!!¡± -The knights who were waiting outside the tavern btedly noticed and rushed in, but Kim Hyunwoo stood up from his seat with surprising calmness. ¡°Take this and get out.¡± He said, nudging the beaten-up Gran. The knights frowned unanimously at this. Thud! Rumble rumble rumble! Soon, a loud noise from behind made all the knights turn around, and they saw a log falling onto the tavern. ¡°Or, do you want to taste the log too?¡± At Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s voice, ¡°¡­¡­¡± The five knights who entered the tavern shut their mouths at once. As the five knights took away the bloodied Gran, Kim Hyunwoo, who had hurriedly asked Elena, who rushed into the tavern, to chase them out of the vige, wore a slightly disillusioned expression. ¡®Did I go too far?¡¯ The thought briefly crossed his mind, but Kim Hyunwoo soon shook his head. Honestly, picking a fight with the neighboring territories was not a good choice upon reflection. However, even if it wasn¡¯t a good choice, Kim Hyunwoo did not want to tolerate the insult. In reality, it was not the worst; considering the grand scheme, the two territories seemed unlikely to significantly disrupt his n to create a Labyrinth city. ¡®That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t go any further on purpose.¡¯ Had I gone further, our rtionship could have worsened more than necessary, but since I let them live, even if our rtionship deteriorates, it wouldn¡¯t plummet dramatically. ¡®Besides, recruiting Lani would have soured the rtionship anyway.¡¯ With that thought, Kim Hyunwoo turned around. Behind him, Lani was still looking at Kim Hyunwoo, as if enchanted, with a dazed expression, not fully grasping the situation and not even wiping off the blood. ¡°It seems I have resolved the issue you were facing; do you now feel inclined to ept my offer to join?¡± Following Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s words, Lani simply stared nkly, taking in his face with her eyes. Gran regained consciousness two hours after being beaten by Kim Hyunwoo. Awakening in the forest, he wore a dazed expression, as if piecing together fragments of memory like a broken film, until finally, the film was fully pieced together. ¡°This, this insolent bastard-!¡± As Gran recalled what had happened to him, he rose from the ground, uttering coarse curses. Feeling dizzy, perhaps due to a rush of blood to his head, Gran forced himself up despite the sensation. ¡°Ugh-!¡± The intense pain he felt. However, Gran clenched his teeth and red with eyes bloodshot from a shame that grew the more he thought about it, overshadowing the pain. ¡°¡­Huh?¡± His anger vanished in an instant. The reason was. ¡°Are you awake now?¡± ¡°You worm.¡± ¡°You bastard.¡± This was because the wolf and the half-demon were looking at him with a terrifying murderous intent. Each of them shed a red and a purple eye gleam caused by magical powers. Chapter 31: Cooking (1) The territory of Antalia is fundamentally very wealthy. The reason is due to the endless supply of stone resources that spring from the territory, which, unlike stone from other ces that requires processing through an entire factory line to be usable, the stone resources from territory are of high grade even if some of the processing steps are skipped. Thus, thanks to the resources attached to the territory, Antalia has be very wealthy by consistently supplying resources to several domains within the Norba Kingdom. And Gran, who was born as the second child of the Lord of such an Antalia, has believed from a very young age that everything in this world can be solved with money. At least, there was nothing that couldn¡¯t be done with money during his upbringing. Want something? Buy it. Desire something? Buy it. Need to use force? Buy it. Having grown up watching the Lord of Antalia do just that from a young age, he thought that everything in this world could be solved with money. Therefore, he coveted the position of the Lord of Antalia. The seat his father held seemed to him a position of absolute power, and if he could only distinguish right from wrong to a certain extent, it was a position where he could live in luxury for life. Therefore, he took it upon himself to do something he didn¡¯t necessarily have to do and came to capture her himself. More precisely, there was an intention to retrieve the ¡®product¡¯ personally made by his father to gain his favor and look a bit better in the session battle. He thought it was an unbeatable move to win his angry father over. And above all, it seemed like not too difficult a task, which was a big reason he took action. Ultimately, even if the ¡®product¡¯ was chosen by the world to be a hero, a newly chosen hero was just a human with a bit more potential for growth. In other words, if they can¡¯t find and train their talent, they are just a bit stronger than an average human, nothing more, nothing less, so he judged this task to be easy. That was until just a moment ago. Crack-! ¡°Aaaaahhhhh!!!¡± As Gran¡¯s foot twisted in an impossible direction, a scream of pain burst from his mouth. But the one who executed that act, Red Eyes, too. Instead- ¡°Ugh! Ughhh! Ugh!!!¡± The dark eyes that silenced him with something that scattered darkness, looked at him with eyes devoid of any emotion. Gran was filled with fear. His heart throbbed as if it would burst any moment, more terrifying than the awful pain. The sight of the cruelly dead bodies of knights in Gran¡¯s eyes seemed to show his future, making him disgrace himself in his pants. He couldn¡¯t understand how this situation hade about. He didn¡¯t know why those monstrous things were attacking him. He didn¡¯t understand why the knights were so brutally killed. Nothing made sense at all. However, his mind, filled with the will to survive, continued to think of the best way to survive this situation. ¡°Money, I¡¯ll give you money-!!¡± Soon, Gran tore away the darkness that sealed his mouth and hurriedly opened his mouth. ¡°I-Is it because of money?! Huh!? I-I have a lot of money! Right, right now, even! If I just return to my territory, I¡¯ll have even more than now!¡± Gran spoke in a very urgent manner. The wolf looking at him then said. ¡°Where?¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± ¡°Where is it, the territory?¡± She asked indifferently, without any change in tone. Gran felt an inexplicable chill at that question, but he opened his mouth to survive first. ¡°An-Antalia territory, it¡¯s Antalia territory! My father is the Lord of Antalia territory! It¡¯s a huge territory if you head west from here! It¡¯s a bit far but- if you just go there, for sure-!¡± As Gran shouted as if struggling, Red Eyes looking at him lifted her foot without hesitation, aiming to strike down at Gran¡¯s head at that moment- Thud-! ¡°¡­What are you doing?¡± A half-demon blocked her attack. The killing intent amplified instantly. The moment blood-soaked ws were revealed. ¡°Just, you intend to end it with this?¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± The Absolute Ruler of Darkness spoke. ¡°No, it can¡¯t be ¨C it shouldn¡¯t end like this.¡± Her words were without a change in tone, just like Red Eyes. ¡°Why should we grant mercy by simply killing him after he has cursed him?¡± Instead- ¡°Such a person should not be killed, for there is a fate worse than death in this world.¡± With a voice full of clear anger, she muttered while looking at Gran. ¡°Ha-¡± Suddenly, upon hearing that, Gran burst into an incredulousugh. More precisely, he felt anger. Because within their conversation, Gran came to know the cause of this incident. ¡°That, because of that bastard? Because of that fucking vige chief?¡± Gran murmured with rage. Since through their conversation, he realized he had no chance of survival, it was as if anger fueled his courage, rising within him. ¡°Fuck off! What the hell is that bastard that I have to suffer this! What the fuck is that dog shit!¡± A curse filled with injustice sprung from Gran¡¯s mouth. Continuously. Without pause. ¡°And, if I disappear, do you think my father will just sit still!? You¡¯re all dead, the vige where that dog shit is will be wiped out-¡± And then. Thud-! Before the Absolute Ruler of Darkness could stop it, the foot of Red Eyes, who had suddenly made a grim expression, crushed his skull. ¡°Didn¡¯t I say not to kill him!¡± The half-demon spoke with a face full of anger. ¡°Why should I spare a piece of trash that insults Master?¡± But the wolf still seemed not to have calmed down, looking at her with a grim expression. Instinctively, at the moment when a sword was drawn from the darkness of the Absolute Ruler of Darkness and Red Eyes¡¯ arm began to swing. Halt-! The two, who had been attacking each other as if to kill, soon looked towards the territory where Kim Hyunwoo was and sheathed their weapons. As if they had made a promise, they moved their steps towards the west. A few dayster. Lorandel, the Lord of Antalia, infamous for sucking the lifeblood of his territory¡¯s residents and enjoying wealth and glory by turning them into ves, met with a sudden death. ¡°Hand over the Executioner¡¯s Sword.¡± ¡°Stop talking nonsense.¡± Kwaahhhhh-!!!! That day. Due to the fight between the two heroes, a couple of rocky mountains next to Antalia disappeared. Ultimately, Kim Hyunwoo sessfully recruited Lani. And, right after bringing the officially recruited Lani to the office to exin various things. ¡°Why did you go to such lengths for me?¡± He could hear such a question. ¡°Um.¡± To tell the truth, it wasn¡¯t that he was prepared to worsen rtionships just for her sake and beat him up. After all, the reason Kim Hyunwoo nearly smashed his head to pieces was because he couldn¡¯t stand being ignored. However, as Kim Hyunwoo, who had just sessfully recruited her and needed to increase her affection, decided it was unnecessary to tell the truth and chose to mix in some lies. ¡°I needed you.¡± ¡°Me?¡± Lani looked noticeably flustered. Just like when he first saw Elena, seeing her with extremely low self-esteem and her eyes darting around as if she had something to say, Kim Hyunwoo asked. ¡°Why are you so restless?¡± ¡°Well, I¡­ it¡¯s just, I can¡¯t do anything-¡± Lani said, bowing her head deeply. Truthfully, Kim Hyunwoo didn¡¯t know why shecked confidence so much. All he had was a rough guess that she was a fugitive who had run away from some incident in the Lord of Antalia¡¯s territory, with no other information. However, now that she was recruited into Lartania, she had to grow morebative rather than remain timid. ¡°You say you can¡¯t do anything? I recruited you because I saw your talent.¡± ¡°Talent?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°For me, what-?¡± ¡°Cooking.¡± ¡°¡­Cooking?¡± Kim Hyunwoo decided to boost her self-esteem. ¡°Yes, I can see the talent in others. And you have a talent for cooking¡­ although you might not believe me when I say this.¡± ¡°To be honest, it¡¯s a bit sudden for you to say that-¡± Seeing Lani¡¯s disbelief, Kim Hyunwoo shrugged. Such a reaction was natural. But instead of giving up because she didn¡¯t believe, it was better to keep giving positive reinforcement, so Kim Hyunwoo, who had told her a few times about her talent in cooking, said, ¡°First, take a break today, and we¡¯ll continue this talk tomorrow. Elena?¡± He called Elena, who had been by his side since chasing away the knights earlier. ¡°Yes.¡± Elena answered clearly. Kim Hyunwoo had a moment of doubt seeing her slightly blunt appearance, but. ¡°Please show her to her room for now.¡± He said. ¡°¡­Okay.¡± With a slightly odd expression and a slightly dyed response, she quickly took the cowering Lani and went outside. ¡®Why does she seem upset?¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo tilted his head slightly seeing her expression but. ¡®Maybe it¡¯s my imagination.¡¯ He soon shrugged his shoulders, and. A few dayster. Territory: Lartania Territory development: 194 Territory Poption: [Humans: 1758] Owned buildings: [Lord's Castle LV1 >>> Upgrading 87%] [Castle Wall LV2] [Residential District LV2] [cksmith LV2] [Barracks LV2] [Bar LV2] [Market LV1] [Wood Mill LV1] [Restaurant LV0 LV1] [Leather Workshop LV0 (Under Construction 0%)] [Stone Processing Factory LV0 (Under Construction 0%)] [Trading Post LV0 (Under Construction 32%)] Owned troops: -100 regr soldiers [recruiting] With thepletion of the restaurant, Kim Hyunwoo had Lani try cooking. They had be quite close after talking for a few days, but Lani, still unable to shed her characteristic timidity, started cooking in the restaurant. Seeing her nce around nervously like a dog that thought it had done something wrong, Kim Hyunwoo said, ¡°It¡¯s okay, just rx.¡± ¡°Yes, yes¡­¡± Lani, whose responsecked conviction, perhaps not believing Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s words. However, he sincerely had no intention of being disappointed regardless of what food Lani brought out. After all, Lani was still a 1-star hero who hadn¡¯t properly grown into her role as a supporting hero yet. ¡®Since she has talent, even if she can¡¯t do it now, her skills will improve quickly.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo was actually prepared to praise her regardless of the food she brought out. As the saying goes, ¡®Praise makes even a whale dance¡¯, it seemed she needed confidence. ¡°Here, it¡¯s done¡­ here.¡± While Kim Hyunwoo was thinking, Lani timidly ced the finished dish in front of him. ¡°I¡¯ll enjoy it.¡± With that, Kim Hyunwoo greeted her. ¡®Though she¡¯s only a 1-star, it would be nice if there was at least a +3 stat buff or so-¡¯ And looked at the stew. Beef Stew A simple beef stew that needs no special introduction [Buff effect]: Random ability + 7 (8 hours) Armor +5 [Permanent effect]: When you consume food on an empty stomach more than 40 times, your Dexterity score permanently increases by +2. [Limited to 1 time] ¡ùThis dish contains Rani¡¯s sincere feelings for Kim Hyunwoo! When ¡®Kim Hyunwoo¡¯ consumes the food, the 40-time consumption condition disappears and his agility immediately increases by +1. [Limited to 1 time] ¡°¡­Huh?¡± Kim Hyunwoo couldn¡¯t help but make a surprised face unknowingly. Chapter 32: Hope (1) In Arteil, restaurants and cooking y a significant role. The happiness of the territory¡¯s residents increases andbor efficiency improves when a restaurant is established within the domain. Of course, taverns have a simr effect to restaurants, but their efficiency is considerably lesserpared to restaurants. Moreover, restaurants y a very important role not only in the territory¡¯s welfare but also in the training of heroes and soldiers. The reason is that restaurants are the only ce in Arteil that can provide a wide range of buffs to heroes and soldiers. Even a small buff can increase the survival rate of soldiers. Furthermore, for heroes, buffs are almost an essential element. Given the game¡¯s characteristic that it bes harder to increase stats as one levels up, inting certain stats for 4-star or 5-star heroes can significantly enhance their power. Therefore, while restaurants were important from both a territorial and training perspective, more importantly were the chefs. No matter how high-level the restaurant, it was useless without a chef to provide buffs. Naturally, the higher the star level of the chef, who is considered a supporting hero, and the more diverse their traits, the more various buffs are added to the dishes they create in the restaurant. However, the reason Kim Hyunwoo did not have much expectation for Lani was that she was still only a 1-star hero. No matter how well a chef¡¯s talents and traits match, if they do not grow, they cannot fully utilize their abilities. And in that sense, the dish Lani currently ced in front of Kim Hyunwoo was, ¡®Is this a dish made by a 1-star? No, can a unique stat boost even appear?¡¯ It was not a dish that a 1-star could make. Kim Hyunwoo unknowingly stared intently at the dish. What he saw was a dish that brought an unbelievable stat increase, and not something a 1-star chef could make. While staring nkly at it, Kim Hyunwoo, wondering, opened Lani¡¯s information window, but there was no change in her information. The only change, if it could be called that, was that her luck had recently increased by 1. However, since a supporting hero¡¯s star level does not increase just because their stats do, Kim Hyunwoo wore a puzzled expression. ¡°Um, maybe- this, isn¡¯t it?¡± He looked forward at the sound of the voiceing soon. In front of Kim Hyunwoo, Lani was fidgeting, looking pitiful and tearing up, watching his reaction. Realizing that he had been nkly staring at the food, Kim Hyunwoo briefly shook his head and put the stew she made into his mouth. And. ¡°Oh.¡± Kim Hyunwoo unwittingly let out an exmation. After all, the food Lani made was quite delicious. So, when Kim Hyunwoo unknowingly turned his gaze to Lani, ¡°¡­?¡± Kim Hyunwoo couldn¡¯t help but look perplexed. Because, for sure, Lani, who had been looking at him with a worried expression just a moment ago, was now naturally raising her guard stance with adle in hand. ¡°What are you doing??¡± Kim Hyunwoo asked with a bewildered expression. However, Lani, seemingly flustered by his question, then asked, ¡°Um, you¡¯re not going to hit me¡­??¡± She asked. ¡°Yes¡­?¡± ¡°¡­?¡± Kim Hyunwoo, wearing an incredulous expression, looked at Lani and wondered about the life she must have led, but then, ¡°Hmm-hmm-¡± Kim Hyunwoo cleared his throat and then said, ¡°I won¡¯t hit you. I never wanted to in the first ce, and why would I when you¡¯ve made such delicious food?¡± ¡°¡­Eh?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you? You have a talent for cooking. This stew is really delicious.¡± He said. Thus, the girl, who had never properly heard praise or had anyone to lean on, unwittingly let her guard down and simply stared nkly as Kim Hyunwoo ate. Two weekster. Territory: Lartania Territory Development: 257 Territory Poption [Humans: 1926] Owned Buildings: [Castle LV1 >>> Upgrading 98%] [Walls LV2] [Residential Area LV2] [cksmith LV2 >>> Upgrading 0%] [Barracks LV2 >>> Upgrading 0%] [Tavern LV2] [Market LV1] [Wood Processing nt LV1] [Restaurant LV1] [Leather Processing nt LV1] [Stone Processing nt LV1] [Trading Post LV0 (Under Construction 63%)] Owned Troops: -Regr Soldiers 200 Kim Hyunwoo looked at the territory, which had changed once again, along with the information window that appeared before him. The territory before his eyes now started to feel more like a certain territory rather than just a vige. Right next to the market, Kim Hyunwoo could see a row of processing nts, and beyond them, newly nted rice was growing. Seeing this, Kim Hyunwoo thought, ¡®Now that the processing nts are built, I should save the Blue Stones.¡¯ Even though resourcese from the built processing nts, they couldn¡¯t keep up with the territory¡¯s development speed, but Kim Hyunwoo made that choice without hesitation. The reason is, of course, because the in-game currency, Blue Stones, could only be obtained through special events. Moreover, it became impossible to rely on Blue Stones once all buildings started to exceed level 3. The management of Lartania¡¯s territory truly began then, as the required resources for all buildings started to increase significantly. Thus, even though resources were quite scarce, Kim Hyunwoo deliberately waited for the trading post to be built without using Blue Stones. ¡®If we even start constructing paved roads here, it willpletely feel like a territory.¡¯ Thinking ofying down paved roads first once the trading post is built, Kim Hyunwoo then opened the troops window. Type of Troops: [Regr Soldiers] Leader: Malon [Proficiency 75/100] Number of Troops: 200 [View Details] Combat Efficiency: Average [No personnel avable for upgrading to higher troop types] -Basic Equipment- Head: Helmet Body: Lightweight Armor Waist: Leather Belt Legs: Greaves with leather padding Armed: Spear Secondary Armament: None ¡ùThe armament of some soldiers is not yet perfect ¡°Hmm-¡± Kim Hyunwoo nodded in satisfaction. This was because, despite continuously deploying soldiers with Elena to improve their proficiency, not a single soldier had died. Furthermore, since the construction of the leather processing nt, the soldiers were properly armed, and as the number of residents increased, the declining public order significantly improved. ¡®Impressive.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo looked at the two soldiers guarding the north gate, visible from the castle. Certainly, they looked a bit awkward before, but now, wearing full armor, Kim Hyunwoo looked at them like soldiers from a fantasy game, feeling quite reassured. Knowing the status of soldiers in Arteil, having 200 armed soldiers ready to follow hismand made Kim Hyunwoo feel supported. ¡®¡­I¡¯ve grown a bit too.¡¯ He unknowingly opened his own information window. Hero Name: Kim Hyunwoo Title: King of Logs Star (ÐÇ): ?? star -Stats- Strength: 12¡ü Agility: 13¡ü Intelligence: 6 Luck: 9 Magic: 3¡ü -Traits- Indomitable Mind (²»„ÓÐÄ): In any situation, you can quickly regain yourposure if you wish. [The rest of the text appears to be corrupted and does not disy properly] Though his stats were too meager to be called a hero¡¯s, Kim Hyunwoo was definitely growing. Not through training, but because of the food Lani had been making for him since two weeks ago. Since receiving praise two weeks ago, as if wanting to hear more praise, Lani served different meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, slowly increasing Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s stats. ¡®Permanent stat increases are unheard of in Arteil¡­¡¯ Originally, in Arteil, there were no dishes or elixirs that permanently increased stats upon consumption. A long time ago, the developers, crazed for money, sold a random stat-boosting potion for 500,000 won, but quickly ended the event when even the whales balked at it. What¡¯s more surprising is that they ended the event early not with a rollback but with the mentality of not refunding the money they earned¡­ Anyway, Kim Hyunwoo was growing, albeit slightly, because Lani¡¯s cooking unexpectedly came with permanent stat increases, something never before seen in Arteil. ¡®¡­It would be great if this could be used to grow Elena or other heroes.¡¯ Strangely, soldiers including Elena could not see immediate effects like Kim Hyunwoo did. Since only Kim Hyunwoo could see immediate and permanent effects, he wore a slightly regretful expression, but ¡®It was still very satisfying.¡¯ Naturally, there was noint since it was absurdly advantageous for a chef¡¯s cooking to increase stats in the first ce. ¡®However, it would be necessary to further investigate this ability.¡¯ Since the permanent stat increases obtained from Lani¡¯s cooking were not listed under traits or skills, Kim Hyunwoo decided to investigate it. ¡®Then, now that the soldiers seem ready, shall we start targeting the second tier in earnest?¡¯ With that thought, he called Elena, and, soon after conveying his intention to target the second tier to her, he saw Elena nodding in agreement. ¡°Lord, may I ask just one thing?¡± ¡°What is your question?¡± ¡°Um, about the room I was assigned to?¡± ¡°Ah, is it ufortable for you?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not that, it¡¯s just¡­ the room is generally in a mess.¡± ¡°The room?¡± ¡°Yes, I cleaned it up, but I can¡¯t remove the scars already on the room and walls. Besides, it seems it wasn¡¯t ventted, so there¡¯s a smell that won¡¯t go away. Above all-¡± Elena said with a slight expression of difort, ¡°The buildings within the Lord¡¯s castle are ultimately the Lord¡¯s property, so it¡¯s unpleasant to see them treated so carelessly. Anyway, it made me wonder who on earth had stayed in that room.¡± Kim Hyunwoo, momentarily recalling the original upant of the room at her slightly displeased expression, ¡®That room, it was Merilda¡¯s room.¡¯ Soon after recalling that Merilda was the owner of the room, he pondered for a moment. ¡°Um, the one who used that room was the first hero I recruited, and the scars here and there in the room are probably from her living as a beastfolk.¡± ¡°¡­Beastfolk?¡± ¡°Yes, she was quite reliable. Naturally, being the first hero, I have a bit of attachment to her,¡± he muttered with a slightly nostalgic expression. ¡°Anyway, if that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll arrange for you to be moved to another room.¡± Following Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s words- swish. Far away, on a hill, the tail of a wolf that had never swished before and had always been droopy, with still listless eyes, began to swish. ¡°Eh¡­?¡± In her eyes, which had never brightened in the roughly ten years since the Lord left, swish, swish- a liveliness began to swirl. Chapter 33: Tier 2 (1) ¡°¡­Given such a pattern, if you sessfully attack the spine, it would be quite easy to kill the second-tier Boss in reality.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Of course, as I mentioned, the second-tier Boss is a bitrger than the first-tier Boss, so you definitely need to be cautious.¡± Immediately after, Kim Hyunwoo, who had told Elena that he would move her to another room once it was cleaned, exined the second tier to her in detail. ¡°First of all, the information on the second tier is as mentioned, but do you have any questions or parts you don¡¯t understand?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve exined the information well, so I don¡¯t have any misunderstandings¡­ but can I ask another question?¡± Elena responded to Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s following question. ¡°Another question?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°What is it this time?¡± Elena cautiously opened her mouth at Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s curious look. ¡°Um, have you, My Lord, ever entered the Labyrinth?¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Upon her question, Kim Hyunwoo quickly grasped the intent behind her question and pondered for a moment before answering. ¡°To be precise, I have entered and strategized in the Labyrinth with the heroes.¡± ¡®To be more precise, rather than entering the Labyrinth myself, I merely controlled the heroes through a smartphone or PC screen and fought.¡¯ Realizing that telling Elena this fact would only confuse her and offer no benefit, Kim Hyunwoo responded ordingly. ¡°You entered the Labyrinth yourself?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m quite good atmanding, actually. Well, there¡¯s no immediate need for me to enter right now, so I won¡¯t.¡± Kim Hyunwoo said this and suddenly thought, ¡®Maybe I should apany them from the fourth tier onwards.¡¯ Naturally, Kim Hyunwoo intended to continue exploring the Labyrinth even after breaking through the third tier and creating a Labyrinth city. Breaking through the third tier was merely the minimum condition for creating a Labyrinth city; to activate it, conquering as many tiers as possible was crucial. And to explore the tiers below the third, Kim Hyunwoo needed to descend into the Labyrinth himself. Unlike the third tier in the game, where you could reach the Boss zone by just setting the heroes on auto-battle, the fourth tier requires actual strategy even when just fighting regr mobs to advance. ¡®Actually, it would be better if I could control it through a smartphone screen like before.¡¯ Unfortunately, it seems Loria cannot do that much, so Kim Hyunwoo, unable to find a way to give orders from outside by the time he descends to the fourth tier, was mentally preparing for that. ¡°I need to be stronger to protect you, My Lord.¡± Hearing Elena¡¯s voice while thinking, Kim Hyunwoo btedly remembered they were in conversation and responded. ¡°It¡¯s good if everyone bes stronger. If you be stronger, I can go into the Labyrinth without much worry. But don¡¯t overdo it. You are gradually bing stronger, and by that time, other heroes will also-¡± ¡°¡­I will definitely be stronger. So that I can protect you by myself.¡± Elena spoke as if making a deration in response to Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s words. ¡°Yes, well¡­ I¡¯d be grateful. As I said, if you be stronger, I can descend into the Labyrinth with a bit less worry.¡± Realizing the conversation was slightly off, Kim Hyunwoo made a strange expression but soon nodded. Soon after deciding through their conversation to descend to the second tier the next day, Kim Hyunwoo, who had watched Elena leave the office, opened her information window. Hero Name: Elena Title: X Stars: 2 Stars ¡ï¡ï Affection: (Measuring) -Stats- Strength: 32¡ü Agility: 42¡ü Intelligence: 22¡ü Luck: 19¡ü Magic Power: 15 ¡ùThe hero feels trust towards you Seeing her attributes rise quickly againpared to two weeks ago, Kim Hyunwoo thought that she could definitely clear the second tier with this level of ability. ¡°Huh?¡± He suddenly realized her Luck had increased again. ¡®¡­Why did her Luck increase again?¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo wore a puzzled expression. ¡®I¡¯m sure I haven¡¯t assigned her any difficult tasks? If it seemed like a slightly dangerous job, I immediately had soldiers apany her.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo wondered if there had been a situation that increased her Luck due to the various measures taken to keep her out of danger. ¡®I should investigate this as well.¡¯ He thought he should do some research on this matter. While the increase in Luck was good, it ultimately meant that Elena was continuously facing deadly dangers. So, while Kim Hyunwoo was thinking about the Luck, Elena was, ¡°¡­¡­¡± heading to the training ground for practice, recalling what Kim Hyunwoo had said earlier. ¡®Another hero¡­¡¯ Naturally, Elena did not think that Kim Hyunwoo had recruited only one hero. He had also recruited Lani, a support hero, in Lartania, and it was rare for a Lord to employ only one hero in the first ce. However, Elena still felt uneasy. It was an odd feeling, as if something unresolved was stuck in her throat. ¡®How about recruiting me instead of Elena?¡¯ For a moment, Alta¡¯s voice seemed to whisper in her ear, passing through her mind. ¡°¡­I need to be stronger.¡± ¡­Elena muttered softly. The pack of beastfolk, to which Giral, called one of the Four Kings and belonging to Red Eyes, had never left since its formation, was now left behind by him. The reason was that Merilda, the leader of Red Eyes, had suddenly disappeared a few months ago. Of course, the beastfolk don¡¯t particrly care about that. The disappearance of the leader is indeed a big deal and causes chaos in the group, but for a beastfolk pack governed by thew of power, such chaos doesn¡¯tst long. If the strongest leader in the pack disappears, the next strongest simply takes over as the leader. Of course, some may quarrel over the position of leader during such transitions, but that was not considered part of the chaos. In other words, in a typical beastfolk group, the disappearance of Merilda would have caused some chaos, but nothing more than a natural change of leadership would ur. However, the reason Giral went so far as to leave the pack and head south to find Merilda was that the characteristics of the Red Eyes she created were different from other beastfolk groups. After all, the beastfolk who joined Red Eyes were all captivated by her overwhelming power, which was beyond reach. Because she could fight on equal terms with the greatest warrior of the North and was not inferior to any of the great heroes making their names across the Continent due to her overwhelming strength. Thus, Red Eyes was different from other groups, and hoping for this group to continue, he left the pack in the care of the other Three Kings and came here. Near the territory of Antalia, where Red Eyes was rumored to appear. And as soon as he arrived near there, Giral unknowingly smiled. That was because, despite his worries that the rumors might have been false, Giral, who had a particrly keen sense of presencepared to other beastfolk, could feel her presence, albeit faintly. Therefore, Giral immediately headed towards the ce where he felt her presence to meet Merilda. After some time, when Giral arrived at a cliff with craters scattered around, ¡°¡­¡­¡± Giral could see Merilda. ¡°¡­?¡± He could see Merilda¡­? ¡°¡­??¡± Giral looked at Merilda, who was facing away from him, with a face full of questions, or more urately, full of astonishment. Even without seeing her face, the reason for his astonishment was immediately clear. ¡®Her tail, is it wagging?¡¯ Swaying gently side to side. Because Merilda¡¯s tail was swaying gently from side to side. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Basically, the tail of a beastfolk expresses the owner¡¯s various emotions. And a wagging tail like that usually means they are in a very good mood. ¡­No, beyond just being in a good mood, it¡¯s practically saying ¡®I¡¯m utterly delighted¡¯. Giral wore an incredulous expression. That was because he had never seen Merilda¡¯s tail move before, as it was always dragging on the ground unless she was shaking off blood. Moreover, the tail of the inscrutable leader, who always seemed indifferent to everything with her listless eyes, wagging like that made Giral¡¯s jaw drop without him realizing. At that moment. Swish- ¡°¡­!¡± Giral looked into the eyes of Merilda, who had turned her head. There, instead of the tired, indifferent eyes that were always unfeeling to everything, he saw her red eyes, listless yet with a hint of vitality returning. At that moment, Giral was surprised once again. ¡°Have youe?¡± ¡°Gasp.¡± At Merilda¡¯s calm, yet slightly revitalized voice, he let out a gasp without realizing. ¡­Giral had been with Red Eyes for a very long time, but he had never been greeted by her before. No, aside from being told to ¡®just fill the numbers¡¯ when he was recruited into Red Eyes, Giral had hardly ever spoken with her. But now, she had greeted him? And not in an unemotional voice, but rather weingly? Of course, Merilda had greeted him without much thought, but Giral, seeing this side of her for the first time, froze, wondering if the being before him might be someone other than Merilda. Merilda, turning her gaze back, looked at the territory in a very good mood. The Absolute Ruler of Darkness who hade to pick a fight out of the blue a few days ago, or the insolent hero who had bad-mouthed her, had already vanished from her mind. Instead, the wolf recalled the words Kim Hyunwoo had uttered earlier as she looked at him. ¡°Yes, she was quite reliable. After all, she¡¯s the first hero, so I have a bit of a soft spot for her.¡± And then. ¡°Maybe, just maybe ¨C now could be the time-¡± An uncontroble hope began to grow little by little in Merilda¡¯s heart¡­ ¡°Really-¡± ¡­little by little. Chapter 34: Tier 2 (2) In front of the entrance to the underground cavern of the Kingdom of Cn. ¡°Haah¡­¡± Loriel, one of the Five Swords of Cn and a disciple of the Absolute Ruler of Darkness, sighed upon seeing the Master, who had been away for weeks and had now been refusing food and staying in their room for days since returning. ¡®What on earth happened?¡¯ While sighing, Loriel briefly recalled the day a few days ago when the disappeared Master had returned. Surely, she, who had suddenly disappeared and caused her disciples much worry, had returned on her own. And that too, with minor wounds all over her body. The disciples were extremely surprised at that. After all, including Loriel, the disciples knew very well how strong the Absolute Ruler of Darkness was. Right now, she was the very person who nurtured the Swords of Cn, and simultaneously, she possessed power that was in no way inferior to the great heroes that existed on this Continent. Yet, she returned with injuries? That alone was reason enough for her disciples to be astonished, but the Absolute Ruler of Darkness, from the day she returned, did not even nce at her disciples and simply secluded herself in the pce. Loriel and the disciples were worried about such a Master. It might be different for the Absolute Ruler of Darkness, but all the disciples were indebted to her. ¡°Master.¡± Thus, Loriel called out to the Absolute Ruler of Darkness with a worried heart, but, the Absolute Ruler of Darkness, secluded alone in the pce, did not hear sounds she normally would hear, crouching alone on a chair with her head buried between her knees. The torn and ripped qipao seemed to suggest she had not moved from this spot for days, yet she was still recalling memories from a few days ago, unable to even think of moving. A few days ago. The time when she fought with Merilda. And, the answer she received from her then. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The half-demon fought with the wolf for almost a day. Thanks to that, everything around them was destroyed and scorched, but she did not care much. The same went for the wolf. After all, there was no Lord in that ce. Therefore, the two fought with ease, and the answer obtained after fighting for more than a day, without evening to a proper conclusion, pushed the Absolute Ruler of Darkness into despair. ¡°I don¡¯t have the Execution sword.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense! You definitely have the Execution Sword that you pestered the Lord for-¡± ¡°That Execution Sword, I lost it too, when the territory was attacked.¡± ¡°¡­Lies-¡± ¡°Does it seem like a lie?¡± The half-demon disliked the wolf. However, apart from disliking her, the half-demon, having lived under her and the beloved Lord for quite some time, knew. That the wolf could not lie. Furthermore, the wolf¡¯s dull and empty eyes, as if looking into a mirror, seemed to prove the truthfulness of the wolf¡¯s words. The Absolute Ruler of Darkness crumbled. The truth in the wolf¡¯s words meant only one thing to her- -that the Execution Sword was nowhere to be found anymore, a cruel and suffocating truth. Therefore, the half-demon, having given up on the fight with Red Eyes, a fight they had vowed to decide the rank of someday without evening to a proper conclusion, went back to their residence and sequestered themselves. And then cried. Just cried. Cried endlessly. At the thought of no longer being able to restore the affection with the Lord. At the thought of no longer being able to stand before him, whom she had gone to reim the Execution Sword from, even just once in her dreams. Just cried. Feeling as if there was a gaping hole in the middle of her heart, she wept alone. While weeping, she also thought that maybe she was being punished. Maybe for acting on her own ten years ago. Thinking she was now paying the price for arrogantly acting towards him and ignoring the goodwill and affection he had offered. Thus. ¡°¡­Sob.¡± The half-demon, fittingly in the darkness that matched their epithet, shed tears alone once again. The next day. As Kim Hyunwoo had said, Elena and 100 soldiers went down into the Labyrinth once again. Of course, it wasn¡¯t just them that were sent. Just like the first time he sent Elena to the first tier, Kim Hyunwoo hired mercenaries to apany Elena and the soldiers. ¡°It might cost a bit, but considering the potential threats, it¡¯s better to go this far.¡± Kim Hyunwoo was well aware that Elena and the soldiers had be stronger than before. Moreover, the soldiers, having received additional buffs from Lani¡¯s food, were fundamentally different from the clumsy mercenaries who had first entered the first tier. Yet, the reason he insisted on attaching mercenaries was to protect the soldiers without any loss and to increase their proficiency. ¡°It¡¯s hard to create more soldiers than this.¡± The poption of Lartania¡¯s territory has already surpassed 1,900 and is looking towards 2,000, but it was impossible to create more soldiers beyond this. Initially, not all those incorporated into the poption were men, and even if there were men left, considering thebor needed in Lartania, recruiting them would only have a negative impact on the territory. In other words, soldiers were precariously recruited because they were needed for the Labyrinth city being prepared, but since no more soldiers could be created, Kim Hyunwoo intended to protect the soldiers even if it meant spending money. ¡°I hope theye back with their proficiency significantly increased this time too.¡± Kim Hyunwoo thought this as he watched Elena, the soldiers, and the mercenaries attached to them moving towards the second tier of the Labyrinth. Lani¡¯s life was a cesspool. Sure, she was a noble, but beingbeled as a bastard, she had never been treated as a proper noble. Rather, she was not acknowledged by anyone, and the Lord, whom she believed to be her only support, raised her with the intention of selling her off as a product. Thus, Lani¡¯s life was not just a cesspool but a miserably pitiful existence, and she thought she could never escape this miserable life. Until she met the Lord of Lartania, Kim Hyunwoo. ¡°¡­¡­¡± After meeting him, Lani¡¯s life changed dramatically. He confidently reached out to Lani, whom nobody else had offered a hand to, and rescued her from the yoke of despair. Was that all? Right after meeting him, Lani for the first time understood what she was good at. She realized that her abilities were definitely useful. Moreover, Lani, who had never received any proper praise during her life, began receiving everyone¡¯s praise and recognition after being recruited by Kim Hyunwoo. Starting with Kim Hyunwoo, the soldiers who ate her food were all busy praising her. Even Elena, who for some reason looked down on her, praised her food. Lani was overjoyed by this. For her, who had never received proper recognition in her life, the praise from Kim Hyunwoo and the soldiers was like rain after a long drought. Therefore, Lani truly felt grateful to Kim Hyunwoo. Because she knew. That the reason she could work happily and receive everyone¡¯s praise in this situation was because of Kim Hyunwoo. Because he had discovered her. And she knew that this happy daily life was possible because he had pulled her out of that despair. Knowing this, Lani always felt grateful to Kim Hyunwoo. In fact, there was no reason not to feel grateful. Right away, Kim Hyunwoo not only gave her an excessive amount of gold for epting the recruitment offer but also gifted her a very nice room to live in. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Lani looked at the room she had been assigned. The room, which was more than twice the size of her room in the Antalia,pletely won over Lani¡¯s heart. The reason was not only because the room wasrge, but also because of its interior. ¡°It¡¯s indeed antique¡­!¡± The room assigned to Lani, unlike Elena¡¯s, had a quite antique atmosphere. The various furniture ced in the room were antique wooden types, and the ck velvet fabric neatly captured a ssic mood. Thus, despite having been assigned the room quite some time ago, Lani still looked around with a satisfied expression before getting up. The reason was that, since the soldiers and Elena were always out in the Labyrinth, she had time to spare and decided to clean the room. Since being assigned the room, Lani had only roughly cleaned it and never really thoroughly. ¡°Hehe¡­¡± Having already prepared lunch for Kim Hyunwoo and recalling his praise for the food, Lani smiled slightly and started cleaning in earnest. Not long after, as Lani bent down to clean under the bed, she- ¡°¡­Hm?¡± -found something under the bed and, without realizing, picked it up with a nk expression on her face. It was because, despite the dust, the item she picked up from under the bed was an antique sword, emitting a cold aura even at a nce. ¡°Why is something like this under the bed?¡± So, Lani tilted her head several times, looking at the sword that was taller than herself. ¡°It probably belonged to the person who used this room before, I should bring this to the Lord, shouldn¡¯t I?¡± She thought, looking at the dust-covered ¡®Execution Sword¡¯. Chapter 35: Tier 2 (3) The second tier of the Labyrinth. Gulra, the leader of the Gulrashi mercenary group who entered here with the soldiers including Elena, was staring at Elena with his mouth agape. The reason was, of course, because of Elena¡¯sbat skills. Naturally, Gulra, who had been active in this area for a long time, knew her as the so-called failed hero and had also worked with her before. Thus, Gulra knew Elena¡¯sbat skills. ¡°Is that even possible?¡± He watched with an incredulous expression as she took down the Boss of the secondyer, an Undead Gnoll. The appearance of the Undead Gnoll, like the Boss of the first tier, did not look anything like a normal gnoll. The Undead Gnoll was more than twice asrge as Elena, and whether it had been modified by a necromancer or not, it had as many as four arms. Despite being undead, its powerful attack that shattered the ground with a single blow sent shivers down the spines of the soldiers and mercenaries. In other words, the Undead Gnoll of the second tier looked so strong that it was clear it could not be faced alone. No, it was strong. Certainly beyond what Gulra could imagine Elena capable of. ¡­Or so it should have been. Bang! Elena, however, was facing such an Undead Gnoll as if it was nothing. No, rather. -[Scream of the Gnoll!!!] Elena was hunting the Undead Gnoll. Bang! Elena¡¯s body, which evaded the Undead Gnoll¡¯s attack so naturally, quickly moved behind it and severed its spine. Thud! The Undead Gnoll fell to the ground with a single attack from Elena. At the same time, Elena, who ran up its body to the head, plunged a hand axe into its head before it could do anything. Crack! The sound of the skull breaking as the hand axe prated the Gnoll¡¯s head. -[Screams of the Gnoll!!!] Despite being a reanimated corpse, the Undead Gnoll started to rage as if feeling pain, but Elena did not stop there and used the hand axe she held in the other hand. Crunch! Shepletely smashed the Undead Gnoll¡¯s skull, and soon the Boss copsed, ceasing to function. ¡°¡­Huh.¡± Gulra, of course, had heard the rumors. Rumors that the failed hero Elena had suddenly be strong after joining the Lord of Lartania. However, as the rumors circting in the mercenary industry are almost always exaggerated, he was only aware of such a level of fact. ¡°This isn¡¯t just a matter of having be strong, is it?¡± Because Elena¡¯s appearance was shocking. ¡°¡­Surely, does the Lord have something?¡± Gulra was thinking, recalling one of the rumors that circted along with Elena¡¯s. ¡°If it¡¯s as expected, could it be a chance to make some money¡­?¡± At that moment he thought this. Just like on the first tier, Elena, who was receiving praises from the soldiers and mercenaries, turned her gaze towards the Undead Gnoll that was gradually disappearing. ¡°Blue bone.¡± Like before, she approached and picked up the blue bone that did not disappear at the feet of the Undead Gnoll. ¡°Again.¡± Elena did not make a mistake in the battle with this Undead Gnoll. But once again, the blue bone that appeared not only helped her in her crisis but also enabled Elena to easily deal with the Undead Gnoll. The blue bone immediately pierced through one of the Gnoll¡¯s feet, allowing Elena to break its spine in a single move. Therefore, ¡°¡­I should report this to the Lord.¡± After the corpse disappeared, she picked up the somewhatrger blue bone that remained and soon turned her gaze to the soldiers and mercenaries. The awe and admiration in the eyes of the soldiers and mercenaries looking at her unknowingly uplifted her. She had already received such looks on the first tier and continued to receive them up to this Boss zone, but she still enjoyed those looks. When she received such looks, Elena felt the long-unfulfilled need for recognition being filled. Therefore, Elena once again felt grateful to Kim Hyunwoo, who had made her this way. After all, the reason she could be so recognized and fill that void was because of him. ¡°¡­¡± Elena needed him dearly. When the notification that the second tier of the Labyrinth had been conquered popped up for Kim Hyunwoo. Kim Hyunwoo, looking at what Lani had brought, inadvertently asked, ¡°So, you mean this was in the room assigned to you?¡± ¡°Yes. It probably belonged to the previous owner of the room, might have been left under the bed and not lost¡­¡± Upon hearing Lani¡¯s words, Kim Hyunwoo, thinking about to whom he had assigned the room, soon let out a low exmation, ¡°I gave her the room of the Absolute Ruler of Darkness.¡± The Absolute Ruler of Darkness. Thinking about it now, Kim Hyunwoo, recalling the girl to whom he had given such a regrettable title, soon looked at the sword that ridiculously exceeded the width of the desk. More precisely, he looked at the notification that appeared before him. ¡ùIt's a handmade weapon! Execution Sword Grade: Legendary (¡ùThe grade is reduced because it is handmade) Attack Power: The highest Traits: Reflection, One-strike, Invincibility Description: The sword of the true ruler made by the Lord of Lartania. For a handmade item, it is infinitely close to the original and can replicate the original's traits exactly Simple, yet detailed, Kim Hyunwoo, looking at the notification detailing the sword, soon looked at the description window. ¡®Did Arteil even have such description windows to begin with?¡¯ At least, as far as Kim Hyunwoo remembered, there were no such description windows, so he shrugged his shoulders and lifted the Execution Sword. The Execution Sword, which clearly exceeded Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s height, felt surprisingly light to lift. Seeing that, Kim Hyunwoo involuntarily reminisced about the past. ¡®I really struggled for five months to make this.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo, remembering the time he invested in minigames to make this Execution Sword and the endless grind, ¡®But why is the Execution Sword I gifted to the Absolute Ruler of Darkness here?¡¯ He pondered this question while looking at the Execution Sword but then, ¡®Seeing it was under the bed, it seems like it was left behind when leaving the territory due to a drop in affection.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo quickly came to that conclusion. After all, it being left under the bed covered in dust meant it was okay to assume the Absolute Ruler of Darkness had lost it and left. Therefore, Kim Hyunwoo, looking at the sword, began to ponder what to do with this Execution Sword. ¡®First of all, it seems¡­ I don¡¯t need to return it.¡¯ In fact, Kim Hyunwoo didn¡¯t even know where the Absolute Ruler of Darkness was, and even if he did, he had no intention of returning it. ¡®She must have left it because she didn¡¯t need it. Maybe she didn¡¯t think it was important.¡¯ ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡®Still, seeing it neglected like this makes me feel a bit sad, considering I worked so hard on it.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo stared intently at the Execution Sword with these thoughts but smiled instead. Considering the Absolute Ruler of Darkness had left the Execution Sword neglected like this, it allowed him to think about how he could use it. ¡®Should I give it to a hero as equipment? Or just sell it?¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo began to ponder happily. Though covered in dust, the Execution Sword was, after all, a weapon that could create variables second only to a hero¡¯s star in a world where a hero¡¯s star signifies all of one¡¯s strength. Of course, since Kim Hyunwoo made it himself, its abilities were inferior to its original mythic grade, but even so, it could be considered quite a formidable weapon. Thus, this weapon was like an unexpected gift to Kim Hyunwoo. If he wanted to use it right away, he could recruit a hero who uses swords and give it to them to use, and if he decided to sell it, it was very clear that Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s pockets would be significantly heavier. Therefore, ¡°Thank you for letting me know, Lani.¡± ¡°Hehe¡­ It¡¯s nothing.¡± He praised Lani and began to seriously consider how to use this Executioner¡¯s Sword. ¡°Master.¡± Loriel, standing at the entrance to the underground chamber of the Cn Kingdom and looking at the door with no response as usual, sighed. ¡°¡­Wouldn¡¯t it be better to just go in?¡± Ruin, with a simrly worried expression next to Loriel, suggested this, but she shook her head. ¡°No, we must always have Master¡¯s permission to enter the Grand Chamber. Are you nning to disobey Master¡¯s words?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not it. But I¡¯m worried, that¡¯s why I¡¯m saying this.¡± Ruin, clicking her tongue and looking at the door, ¡°Master, it¡¯s been days since you¡¯ve eaten, so I¡¯ve brought some food. Please have a little!¡± Spoke towards the door, but as with Loriel, there was still no response from inside. After a while, two of the Five Swords of Cn, who had been guarding the door, left when no answer came for a long time. And Loriel, who had been pondering for a long time, ¡°Ruin.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°From tomorrow, you stay by Master¡¯s side. Just in case there¡¯s something to be done, stay near the door unless there¡¯s something special.¡± Ruin said, ¡°¡­That¡¯s fine, but what about you?¡± To Ruin¡¯s curious question, ¡°I¡¯m thinking of going to Lartania.¡± Loriel said, ¡°Since Master is having a hard time, I need to speak with the Lord.¡± She muttered solemnly, looking in the direction of Lartania. Chapter 36: Tier 2 (4) Immediately after conquering the second tier. Kim Hyunwoo began receiving reports from Elena about the second tier. Listening to her report, Kim Hyunwoo wore a satisfied expression. Of course, Kim Hyunwoo could have a rough idea by seeing that the number of soldiers hadn¡¯t decreased through the troop window, but listening to Elena¡¯s report made him feel certain that the task was thoroughlypleted. Therefore, Kim Hyunwoo, who had been silently listening to her report for a while, said, ¡°And when we caught the Boss of this second tier, this came out.¡± Upon Elena¡¯s words, he looked at the blue bone ced on the desk and asked back, ¡°¡­This?¡± ¡°Yes. There wasn¡¯t exactly a crisis, but this time it seemed to help me defeat the Boss more quickly.¡± ¡°When I turned around to target its weakness, it pierced through the Gnoll¡¯s ankle, immobilizing it,¡± Elena continued. Hearing this, Kim Hyunwoo quietly looked down at the blue bone. This bone was slightlyrger than the blue bone Elena had brought before. Kim Hyunwoo, silently observing it, sent Elena away first and then quietly looked at the blue bone and thought, ¡®Is the Necromancer of the Blue Forest alive?¡¯ In fact, Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s thought was somewhat unrealistic. After all, the Necromancer of the Blue Forest had died in the Labyrinth, and Kim Hyunwoo had given up on gathering the resurrection materials halfway and couldn¡¯t revive them. However, the reason Kim Hyunwoo made such an unrealistic assumption was because the blue bone, which could be seen as a trace of her skill, was found twice in a row. ¡®What exactly is it?¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo picked up the blue bone and looked at it from various angles. Because he wondered if there might be any clue. After looking around the blue bone for a while, Kim Hyunwoo soon confirmed that there were no particr marks on it. ¡®¡­It seems like I¡¯ll need to go deeper into the Labyrinth to find any clues.¡¯ Havinge to that conclusion, Kim Hyunwoo did not hesitate to leave the blue bone in a corner. He knew that it was not a problem that could be solved alone by him thinking about it. Therefore, having ced the bone in a corner, Kim Hyunwoo- ¡®Now, let¡¯s check the rewards first.¡¯ With that thought, he went downstairs. Kim Hyunwoo was able to obtain about 130 of the lowest-grade Magic Stones and about 70 lower-grade Magic Stones as rewards for the second tier, simr to the first tier, but unfortunately, no artifacts appeared. ¡®This is a bit disappointing.¡¯ Actually, starting from the second tier, artifacts were expected to appear, but Kim Hyunwoo felt strange since not even a usable weapon, let alone an artifact, appeared. However, he soon shook off his disappointment. After all, the artifacts from the second tier weren¡¯t that useful, and what he really needed at the moment were Magic Stones, not artifacts. ¡®Well, since the workshop level isn¡¯t high, it doesn¡¯t consume many Magic Stones, so this amount seems sufficient for now.¡¯ The workshop, a building Kim Hyunwoo had recently upgraded, consumes more Magic Stones the higher its level, improving resource production efficiency. However, since the current level of the processing nts Kim Hyunwoo had upgraded were still at 1, the Magic Stones harvested from the first tier were enough to manage it, so he felt somewhat satisfied. Leaving the piled Magic Stones behind, he thought as he went up to the first floor. ¡®If I can develop up to the third tier, I think I can officially open a Labyrinth city¡­ Can¡¯t I do it a bit faster?¡¯ In fact, Kim Hyunwoo knew that things were going quite smoothly as of now. Lartania was growing day by day, and Elena was growing faster than Kim Hyunwoo had thought. Moreover, thanks to Lani, who was recruited this time, the speed of developing the Labyrinth city was bound to elerate even more. However, as Kim Hyunwoo had the goal of creating a Labyrinth city, it was true that he was getting impatient, so he habitually opened Elena¡¯s information window. Hero Name: Elena Title: X Stars: 2 Stars ¡ï¡ï Affection: (Measuring) -Stats- ???Strength: 33¡ü ???Agility: 44¡ü ???Intelligence: 22 ???Luck: 19¡ü ???Magic: 16 ¡ü ¡ùThe hero feels trust towards you Thanks to sessfully clearing the second tier, Elena¡¯s stats had grown a bit morepared to just a day ago, making her amendable 2-star hero. Furthermore, although the current barracks level wasn¡¯t at 3, so the hero¡¯s proficiency couldn¡¯t be properly measured, considering her innate talent with the hand axe, Elena had probably be almost a different person in terms of strength aspared to when she was first recruited. Therefore, after staring at Elena¡¯s stat window for a while, Kim Hyunwoo thought, ¡®¡­Should I just go down myself and break through the third tier this time? It seems like it can be done with sufficient control of the third tier.¡¯ He seriously contemted this while staring intently at Elena¡¯s stat window for a while. Gulra didn¡¯t properly know how Elena had be stronger. Simrly, he didn¡¯t know what abilities the Lord had. However, he was sure of the fact that Elena, once called a failed hero for her weakness, had suddenly be strong and that the Lord of Lartania was somehow involved in it. Of course, all of Gulra¡¯s assumptions were close to conjecture, but that didn¡¯t mean they were unreliable. Since the rumors that the failed hero had be strong were circting, Gulra¡¯s conjectures became somewhat credible. Therefore, Gulra decided to investigate how the Lord of Lartania influenced the strength of heroes. ¡®If I can find out a little more than what the rumors have spread, this information will surely make money.¡¯ Not just any money, but it was sure to be a lot of money. Right now, it was just a rumor among mercenaries, so nobody was particrly interested, but if this turned out to be true, various territories would pay attention to the Lartania. The Lartania territory was bound to be noisy, for better or worse. ¡®If the territory has grown a bit, being noisy would be the least of its problems.¡¯ If he could sell proper information, not just rumors, to the information guild, the Lord of Lartania, who hadn¡¯t properly grown yet, was likely to face a lot of trouble in many ways. ¡®That¡¯s not my problem.¡¯ Even if this information proves to be true and Lartania gets caught up in inter-territory political fights and is destroyed, it was no concern of Gulra¡¯s. His goal was solely to make money by selling information, nothing more. With that thought in mind, despite having received a reward from Kim Hyunwoo, Gulra had been sticking around Lartania for two days, investigating information. ¡°Hey, long time no see, Elena.¡± ¡°Gulra.¡± Today, he met Elena, the main character of those rumors and once called a failed hero. Fortunately, as far as Gulra remembered, his rtionship with Elena wasn¡¯t that bad. Unlike other mercenaries who mocked her by calling her a failed hero, he didn¡¯t specifically mock Elena. ¡°By the way, Elena, you¡¯ve be quite strong recently-¡± So, with a genial smile, as Gulra was asking her how she has been, trying to probe her- ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯ve be strong; I¡¯ve always been this strong.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± Gulra couldn¡¯t help but ask again immediately after hearing what came next. ¡°Exactly as I said, my strength has always been at this level.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a bit hard to believe-¡± Gulra tried to question Elena¡¯s statement further, but- ¡°Gulra, do you think it makes sense for a mercenary who has been working for a long time to have simr skills to an ordinary mercenary?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Following Elena¡¯s words, Gulra closed his mouth. Certainly, her words were not wrong. Originally, the reason the mercenaries called her a failed hero was because she was too weak to be a hero. ¡°But then why pretend to be weak until now-¡± However, feeling something was off, he still asked the question. ¡°I don¡¯t think I need to tell you that much. Then, I¡¯ll be going.¡± Elena briefly greeted and left the tavern as if she had no obligation to answer that far. Gulra, who had been watching the door she left through for a while, thought, ¡°Surely, if you ask which is a bit more realistic, it would be that. But still-¡± Around the time he was thinking that, Elena was- ¡°Sigh.¡± -sighing as she left the tavern. Of course, everything Elena said was a lie. However, the reason she lied to Gulra was because she knew he was quite a famous information hunter. Knowing this, Elena vaguely sensed the intention behind Gulra¡¯s question and lied on purpose. She took measures to prevent the possibility of Gulra selling information that could trouble the Lord. Even though he says he was not, if rumors like ¡°the Lord has the power to make heroes stronger¡± spread as strangely as they did now, it would be very difficult for the Lord. That¡¯s why Elena stopped it. ¡­On the surface. ¡°Honestly, I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re so worried about. Wouldn¡¯t it be much better to help me than that ¡®failed hero¡¯?¡± Clench. Elena unknowingly thought of Alta¡¯s voice and clenched her fist. In fact, there was one more reason why Elena stood up to Gulra. Rather than a reason for standing up, it was more like an instinctive thought. The moment she heard Gulra¡¯s words, she thought the Lord would be in trouble and imagined a new hero appearing to the Lord. And, those heroes being stronger than herself, catching the Lord¡¯s eye, she unwittingly imagined herself returning to her former state. ¡°No¡­¡± That was something that must not happen to Elena. She needed the Lord. He was absolutely vital. He must not disappear. Elena cherished the Lord. Ironically, she instinctively realized this fact the moment Gulra posed his question. Therefore, ¡°I need to be stronger, so that another hero is not needed-¡± Elena thought. ¡°Even if another hero appears, to the extent that I will still be looked upon without change.¡± ¡­Her heart was heavy. And, [Elena's Affection Level has been updated!] [Affection Level: 4] ¡°¡­Huh?¡± Kim Hyunwoo, who was pondering how to tackle the third tier, involuntarily made a sound upon seeing Elena¡¯s affection level measured unbelievably high. Chapter 37: Abnormal Disaster (1) Arteil¡¯s Affinity System is essentially the flower of hero cultivation and one of the systems that yers must manage most delicately. The reason is that how this affinity system is handled can cause the stats of heroes affiliated with a territory to fluctuate unbelievably. Thanks to this, yers meticulously managed their heroes¡¯ affinity, and Kim Hyunwoo also carefully managed his heroes¡¯ affinity. ¡­Ultimately, he quit because of the brutal BM (bad manners). Anyway, the point is that Arteil¡¯s Affinity System is one of the most important elements within the game, and most yers strive to increase the initial affinity right after recruiting a hero. The reason is that the difficulty of increasing affinityter depends on the initial affinity level marked after ¡®measuring¡¯. For example, if the initial affinity after measuring is Level 1, the difficulty of raising it to Level 5 increases significantly. Conversely, if the initial affinity after measuring is Level 2 or 3, the difficulty of raising it to Level 5 is not as arduous. ¡­Ultimately, maintaining affinity at Level 5 boasts a brutal difficulty. Anyway, the point here is that it is easier to increase affinity if the initial level is close to Level 5, so all yers try to raise the early stage of affinity, but surprisingly, affinity does not increase easily. Even with the utmost care, it is rare for a hero¡¯s measured affinity to exceed Level 2, and achieving Level 3 is notable enough to make headlines in the Arteil galleries. Considering that Kim Hyunwoo had only one hero start at Level 3 when he began with 1-star heroes, it was really no easy feat for a hero¡¯s initial affinity to be marked above Level 2. But then, in the information window of Elena that Kim Hyunwoo was looking at, the affinity was boldly marked as Level 4. ¡°¡­Really, Level 4?¡± He made a dumbfounded expression. Certainly, it was a bit unusual for Elena¡¯s affinity to have been measured for such a long time, but Kim Hyunwoo did not expect it to reach Level 4. After all, Level 4 affinity, as far as Kim Hyunwoo knew, was a very high rank. He recalled the affinity levels as divided by the yers. ¡°¡­Level 1 was a business rtionship, Level 2 was a friend, Level 3 was a very close friend, Level 4 was a precious being, Level 5 was someone you could sacrifice your life for¡­ I think.¡± Kim Hyunwoo thought about this and looked at Elena¡¯s affinity chart. The affinity level disyed in the information window was still Level 4. ¡°¡­No, I don¡¯t think there was ever any sign of that?¡± In fact, it is obvious that not every hero¡¯s reaction changes just because their affinity increases. Initially, this level of affection did not really arise from romantic interest between sexes but was literally about closeness and a slightly more intimate rtionship. However, even if it wasn¡¯t necessarily romantic interest, a reaction would be normal at around Level 4. After all, in Arteil, as the level of affection increased, the response from the hero AI changed dramatically. ¡®Compared to that, Elena is¡­¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo, thinking that Elena often showed a level of affection that remained around Levels 1 and 2, tilted his head in wonder. ¡®Honestly, it doesn¡¯t seem like I did enough to raise the affection to Level 4¡­ Well, good is good, I guess.¡¯ Ultimately, that was the conclusion he came to. If the affection was at Level 4, then raising it to Level 5 should be very easy, and if her affection reaches Level 5, she would be much stronger than she is now. That is why. ¡®¡­Elena, as I originally thought, seems to be the type whose emotions don¡¯t show easily.¡¯ With that thought, Kim Hyunwoo continued to ponder about the third tier. Meanwhile, on a hill overlooking Lartania. ¡°Boss, aren¡¯t you going?¡± ¡°Not going.¡± Giral sighed silently as he looked at Merilda, who was flicking her tail towards the territory, and asked. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°But, still, isn¡¯t it a bit off to leave the guys under you like this?¡± ¡°You guys can just fight it out amongst yourselves and sort it out.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the thing, our group didn¡¯te together with that kind of vibe in the first ce.¡± ¡°Not interested.¡± Giral sighed once again at Merilda¡¯s firm response. ¡®As expected¡­ or maybe, can this even be considered as expected?¡¯ No, in fact, for Giral, the entire situation unfolding was a continuous surprise, something he thought could never happen. Giral had not even thought that he could have such a long conversation with her like this. He hadn¡¯t thought he would ever see Merilda acting like this. Giral had expected that even if they went out of their way to find Merilda, they wouldn¡¯t be able to bring her back. After all, among the beastfolk affiliated with Red Eyes, there was no one, including the Four Kings, who could move her. But. ¡®I didn¡¯t know the reason the Boss wouldn¡¯t move was just because of a human man.¡¯ Of course, Merilda hadn¡¯t specifically said anything. However, after quietly observing her behavior for almost a few days, it was too obvious to know. After all, the only thing she did all day long here was look at the Lord¡¯s castle of the Lartania territory. Is that all? The moment a human man appears through the window of the Lord¡¯s castle, she perks her ears up and wags her tail, but when the human man disappears from the office window, her tail droops, and her ears sag. Merilda was just sitting here, repeating that over and over. ¡®¡­What¡¯s so good about just looking from afar?¡¯ Giral looked at Merilda¡¯s expression. Her listless eyes remained unchanged, but her ears perked up, and her tail wagged. Seeing the faint smile on her face, Giral began to doubt whether the being in front of him was really that Red Eyes. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Honestly, Giral didn¡¯t understand Merilda like that. He didn¡¯t understand why she was so fixated on a single human man, nor why she was just voyeuristically watching that human man. So, after days of suggesting that Merilda return without saying anything else, Giral spoke out for the first time. ¡°What¡¯s so great about that human man? After all, he¡¯s just a weak, inferior race-¡± And then, he realized. The fact that he had made a mistake. Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-! As a beastfolk, his instincts instantly made his heart race and transformed his body into a battle-ready state. His fur bristled, and his hidden ws extended out. However, despite the instinctive reaction, Giral, the Four Kings of Red Eyes and called the second in hierarchy within Red Eyes, couldn¡¯t move. The reason was. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Because of the crimson eyes of Merilda looking at him. Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-! His heart pounded. Fear devours instinct. The extended ws retract under fear, and the sharply raised fur subsided. Only then did Giral realize once again. The being in front of him was not just any beastfolk, but a formidable opponent capable of ughtering dozens of heroes alone,parable to a great hero. That she was the leader of Red Eyes that he belonged to. Only after thinking this did Giral realize how much leniency Merilda had been showing. After all, he remembered all too clearly the fate of those who had spoken out of turn to her before. ¡°Watch your words, Giral.¡± So, Merilda, looking at Giral trembling, spoke to him. ¡°There won¡¯t be a next time.¡± In the face of the Boss¡¯s leniency, staring directly at him. ¡°I¡¯m-I¡¯m sorry, Boss.¡± Giral could only bow his head. Two dayster. Kim Hyunwoo, who had been wracking his brain over whether to tackle the third tier or not, finally made a decision. To go down and tackle the third tier with Elena. In fact, it would have been better to increase Elena¡¯s stats a bit more for a safer approach to the third tier. ¡®If Elena¡¯s affection is at Level 4, it should be safe.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo judged that he could somewhat safely tackle the third tier because Elena¡¯s affection level had reached Level 4. Elena¡¯s stats, having been recruited by the Lord, were influenced not only by stars but also by her level of affection. Thus, thanks to the stat buff from reaching affection Level 4, Elena now had pretty decent specs to challenge the third tier, so Kim Hyunwoo decided to go through with it. ¡°I think I¡¯ll tackle the third tier.¡± Kim Hyunwoo, who was about to call Elena to convey his intention to tackle the third tier, was¡­ Woo-woong-! ¡°¡­?¡± Suddenly, a resonating sound spread throughout the entire territory, causing him to unconsciously wear a puzzled expression. [A Disaster (žÄÑê) urs!] A strange Disaster urs in the Southern part of the continent! Grade: Ghost (¹í) The first destination of the strange disaster: Lartania Remaining time: 3 days 17 hours 22 minutes ¡ùWarning! Significant damage to the territory is expected! Please take action immediately! ¡ùWarning! The residents of the territory begin to tremble with fear! Happiness decreases! ¡ùWarning! The residents of the territory begin to tremble with anxiety! If not addressed, residents will leave! ¡ùWarning! The work efficiency of the territory's residents- ¡ùWarning! The economic activity of the territory's residents- ¡ùWarning!- ¡°Ah.¡± Upon seeing the notification that appeared before him. ¡°Damn it.¡± Kim Hyunwoo grimaced and unwittingly cursed. Chapter 38: Abnormal Disaster (2) Elena, having bowed to Kim Hyunwoo who had said they would talkter with a serious expression, was- Woo-woong-! -She gritted her teeth upon hearing the resonating sound of the Territory Stone inside the Lord¡¯s castle. And for good reason, as Elena knew about the phenomenon of the Territory Stone resonating. ¡®Why the sudden Disaster (žÄÑê) phenomenon¡­!¡¯ The Disaster phenomenon. This Disaster phenomenon, rted to the Labyrinth and urring when ¡®the door to another dimension¡¯ randomly opens, was a truly terrible phenomenon that could only be described as a ¡®Disaster¡¯. The giant monsters that emerge from this Disaster phenomenon resonate with all nearby Territory Stones and then charge at the nearest territory, destroying everything in their path. And Elena, who had lived a very long time as a mercenary, had seen such disasters firsthand. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Elena¡¯s hands trembled slightly. Memories of that time shed through her mind. The sight of amercially sessful neutral territory being overrun by monsters with bodiesrger than the territory¡¯s walls. The soldiers¡¯ spears and swords could not make even a single scratch on the monsters¡¯ bodies. The heroes¡¯ attacks only wounded the monsters¡¯ flesh without stopping them. ¡­Instead, the heroes were all swept away by a single movement of the monsters, who, with just one attack, destroyed the territory¡¯s walls and instantly eradicated everything within the territory. Buildings crumbled and disappeared against the monsters¡¯ bodies. Fires broke out one after another. The screams of soldiers and residents echoed like a panorama. Thest memory that surfaced was of a child crying in front of the monster, and the child¡¯s mother crushed under the monster¡¯s body- ¡°¡­¡­¡± -Elena cut off her recollection there. Because she felt a surge of nausea. However, the clear resonating sound from the Territory Stone inside the Lord¡¯s castle continued her recollection, and soon Elena remembered thest image of the vanished territory with nothing left. Themercial city that hadpletely evaporated, leaving behind only the Lord¡¯s Stone enveloped within the Lord¡¯s castle, with only traces that the territory ever existed. That scene, which could only be seen as a Disaster (žÄº¦) that humans could not prevent. Elena turned her gaze to look at the residents from atop the Lord¡¯s castle. The expressions of the residents looked uniformly grim, as if everyone understood the meaning of this resonance. Some had expressions of despair, while others wore faces full of resignation. Seeing the expressions of these residents, Elena also frowned. Because Elena knew as well as the residents did. That as the Lartania territory, they absolutely could not stop this disaster. ¡­She too was painfully aware of the fact that they could not stop the Disaster. ¡®We must evacuate the Lord.¡¯ Elena decided to evacuate the Lord. For her, the Lord had be someone who must not be lost. And when Elena had made that decision, creak-! Kim Hyunwoo came out as the door opened, and as Elena turned around and was about to speak, ¡°Elena, please gather the people in the square.¡± Kim Hyunwoo spoke. Hans, a man who had moved from Hancia to Lartania with his family and young daughter Rosie, wore a look of despair. ¡°Honey, what do we do now?¡± ¡°¡­Sigh.¡± Hans¡¯ better half, his wife, spoke with a worried tone, but he had nothing to say. From the moment the resonance began from the Lord¡¯s Stone, the fate of the residents was essentially sealed. Death. That unfamiliar yet terrifying word muddled Hans¡¯ mind. Of course, some might not understand the source of Hans¡¯ despair. After all, a resident could save their life just by leaving the territory. However, that was a foolish thought for those who know one thing but not another. The Disaster does not disappear by attacking just one territory. After consuming one territory, the Disaster moves on to the nearest territory, destroys it, and continues to the next, demolishing every territory until it dies. Thus, even if one survived by leaving Lartania, any territory they settled in would surely be erased by the Disaster unless it is stopped. Initially, there were no key territories considered important by kingdoms near Lartania, nor were there any outstanding heroes. Just thinking up to that point, it was clear that Hans would have to wander for a very long time to find another territory. That too, with his young daughter who was not yet fully grown. ¡­And even if Hans¡¯ family reached another territory after a difficult journey, it wouldn¡¯t be the end. Having invested all the money he earned in Hancia and here to obtain a market stall to make a living in this territory, he had no money left. In other words, even if they saved their lives here, he and his family had no basis to live on in another territory. Other territories did not collect low taxes like Lartania, and most required a toll to enter in the first ce. ¡°Damn¡­¡± In short, the series of hardships that began for Hans and his family the moment the territory of Lartania disappeared was essentially tantamount to leading them to death, so Hans tightly closed his eyes. ¡°Daddy, are we in big trouble?¡± Hans clenched his teeth when he heard his daughter, who knew nothing, say that with a worried face due to the wailing sounds around them. ¡°The Lord will make an announcement in the square! Everyone, gather in the square!¡± Hearing the soldiers shouting outside, Hans thought of the Lord of Lartania. The one called the ¡®King of Logs¡¯ or the ¡®Messenger of God¡¯ among the residents. ¡®If it¡¯s the Lord, maybe-?¡¯ Thinking of him, Hans considered harboring hope for a moment but soon let out a deep sigh. Most of the residents knew that the Lord of Lartania was special. After all, the miraculous deeds he had shown were truly worthy of being called the actions of a Messenger of God. But no matter how talented the Messenger of God was, it seemed impossible to stop the Disaster. After all, a ¡®Disaster¡¯ is not something that can be stopped by mere talents. ¡°Wait, I¡¯ll be right back.¡± Despite being clearly aware of this fact, Hans rose from his seat and headed towards the square. He was curious to hear what the Lord had to say first and foremost. And when Hans arrived at the square after a bit of walking, the ce was already crowded with residents. The residents, like Hans, all wore expressions filled with gloom and despair. In front of the square, the Lord could be seen standing on a hastily made tform. ¡°Now, let¡¯s get one thing straight first.¡± Following the Lord¡¯s words, ¡°If you all help, we can certainly stop the disaster.¡± The residents¡¯ gazes ¡°Before the Disaster even reaches this territory.¡± All converged on the Lord. Right after Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s brief speech, ¡°¡­Lord, are you serious?¡± ¡°About what?¡± ¡°That we can handle the Disaster.¡± Elena immediately followed him to the office and asked Kim Hyunwoo that question. At least she had no idea what Kim Hyunwoo was aiming for or why he had made the residents do such a thing. But one thing she knew, was that no matter what, they could not stop the Disaster. Thus, Elena had followed him with the intention of persuading Kim Hyunwoo, but- ¡°Of course.¡± -Kim Hyunwoo responded very cleanly to Elena¡¯s question, thinking, ¡®This could actually be an opportunity.¡¯ In fact, the special event ¡®Disaster (žÄÑê)¡¯, was indescribable. Simply put, the name ¡®Disaster (žÄÑê)¡¯ was the most fitting description. In the setting of Arteil, the giant monsters that emerge from ¡®the door to another dimension¡¯, rted to the Labyrinth, charge at the nearest territory with a Territory Stone, wreaking havoc as soon as they appear. Furthermore, as these monsters approach, they resonate with the Territory Stone, causing the territory¡¯s functions to deteriorate rapidly, increasing the residents¡¯ anxiety and causing them to flee. From the Lord¡¯s perspective, this special event was indeed a dreadful one. ¡®Of course, it would be a different story if there was a guild.¡¯ Naturally, within the game, this special event was not one where yers were merely beaten up; its essence was a Raid event rmended for 8 yers. That is, if there was a guild to undertake the 8-yer Raid, they could defeat the monsters and receive a substantial reward. Of course, even without an 8-yer Raid, if a yer had spent enough time on Arteil, they could clear it alone. However, the unfortunate part was that Kim Hyunwoo currently had neither yers to run the Raid with nor strong heroes to defeat the monster. It was as if he had nothing at all. Yet, there were two reasons why Kim Hyunwoo, who had initially cursed upon seeing the notification of the Disaster, confidently answered Elena¡¯s question and considered this situation an opportunity. One reason was that the Disaster appearing this time was the ¡®Ghost (?)¡¯ ss monster ¡®Magdaora¡¯, which he had defeated thousands of times. The other reason was, ¡®200 fully armed soldiers, 300 Magic Stones, and ¨C Elena. This should be enough.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo had a method to defeat Magdaora with just these resources and Elena. After all, Kim Hyunwoo was a veteran who had yed Arteil for over ten thousand hours, and during that time, he hadpleted all sorts of ridiculous feats for achievements that seemed designed either for fun or frustration. Therefore, ¡°Alright, no need to dy, let¡¯s go defeat it right away.¡± Kim Hyunwoo grinned. Chapter 39: Abnormal Disaster (3) When most of the territory¡¯s residents fell into panic at the signs of Disaster urring in Lartania, only two people saw it as an opportunity. One was Kim Hyunwoo, who had spent over ten thousand hours in Arteil and had already caught the Disaster arriving in Lartania hundreds of times. The other one was¡­ Swaying, swaying. It was Merilda. Having observed the Lartania territory all day, she was very well aware of the current situation of Lartania, and naturally, she was also clearly aware of the signs of Disaster. After all, she had fought off Disasters hundreds of times with her master, easily oveing them. And the reason she saw this Disaster as an opportunity was because she perceived this moment as a chance to be forgiven by her master. Right away, Merilda realized that the Lartania territory operated by her Master had no capacity to stop the Disaster. But what if Merilda saved her Master in such a dire situation? Swaying swaying! Merilda smiled without realizing it. After hearing (through eavesdropping) that Kim Hyunwoo didn¡¯t think as poorly of her as she thought, Merilda had been wanting to ask her Master for forgiveness once more. However, the reason she hadn¡¯t gone out of her way to do so was simply because Merilda had no excuse to appear before her Master. But if Merilda saved the Lord in this crisis? If she could get praised by her Master and ask for forgiveness at the same time? ¡°¡­Hehe.¡± Merilda smiled happily, imagining the familiar touch of someone petting her head. For Merilda, who had been increasingly annoyed by the woman sticking close to the Lord recently, there couldn¡¯t be a better scenario. Therefore, Merilda decided to wait for the right moment. ¡®¡­He-hehe??¡¯ Giral, who was still guarding her back, opened his mouth once again upon seeing Merilda suddenly twirling her tail like a windmill and chuckling to herself. The hero ¡®Shrouded in Darkness¡¯, Roman, who was affiliated with the Norba Kingdom and under themand of Duke Tesnoka¡¯s intelligence department, was currently watching the Disaster from a hill in a vast prairie. Thud! Roman frowned upon seeing the Disaster ¨C no, the monster ¨C wearing sharp spiky armor and having a huge body that shook the earth and made the forest tremble with just one step, looking like a mix between a dragon and a crocodile. ¡®¡­This situation has be troublesome.¡¯ The reason Roman came here to check on the Disaster, was, of course, because all the Lords within the vicinity reacted as soon as the disaster appeared, including the Tesnoka territory, which also belonged to a duke of the Norba Kingdom. ¡®I expected it, but it¡¯s Lartania after all.¡¯ Roman frowned, predicting its first target as he observed the Disaster¡¯s path of movement. ¡®This is not good.¡¯ Of course, from Roman¡¯s perspective, the fact that Lartania was the first destination of the Disaster didn¡¯t matter much. The reason, of course, was that the Lartania territory had no rtion to the Norba Kingdom, and though not known ten years ago, it was now just a very small territory that had recently emerged. Yet, Roman frowned because considering that Lartania was the first target of the monster, it was highly likely that this monster would reach the territory operated by Duke Tesnoca. The reason was, of course, because there wasn¡¯t a single territory capable of stopping that monster. ¡°Lartania will obviously disappear, and the next territory, Hancia, Cn Kingdom probably won¡¯t bother reaching out. After all, it¡¯s a ce that doesn¡¯t matter whether it exists or not.¡± In the end, since it was the Duke¡¯s territory that had to stop that monster, Roman was frowning. ¡°¡­It would probably be better to call the Guardian of Spirits or the Lord of the Sword in advance from the Kingdom. I need to report about this part.¡± Roman made that decision and was about to turn around, but. ¡°¡­?¡± Soon, his body naturally stopped. The reason was- ¡®Soldiers?¡¯ -because soldiers were standing in front of a ridiculously huge Disaster. ¡®No, not just the soldiers¡­ Is that¡­ the Lord of Lartania?¡¯ Even more, Roman, who was looking at the Lord of Lartania and the hero with blue hair, known through information, standing behind those soldiers, soon wore a bizarre expression. That¡¯s because, from Roman¡¯s perspective, it was utterly iprehensible why they were doing that there. ¡®¡­What are they trying to do?¡¯ No, to be honest, Roman had a rough guess why they were out here. He couldn¡¯t not know. After all, if the Lord, along with soldiers and heroes, and even a somewhat crude catapult, stood in front of that giant monster, there could only be one thing they were thinking of. But the reason Roman was making a bizarre expression, even though he realized their intention, was- ¡®With just that much, they intend to stop the disaster?¡¯ -because no matter how he looked at it, the Lord¡¯s preparations seemed far too inadequate. After all, to Roman¡¯s eyes, there were less than 300 soldiers and heroes visible. Wondering if there were other reinforcements around, Roman expanded his search and looked around, but the only ones caught by his search in this vicinity were two people who seemed to havee to see the state of the Disaster, observing from beyond a cliff just like him. This actually indicated that the Lord of Lartania had prepared only that many people to stop the Disaster, so Roman couldn¡¯t help but chuckle to himself. ¡®Are they insane?¡¯ ording to what Roman knew, the forces needed to stop a Disaster of Ghost (?) ss required at least over a thousand men at the bare minimum. Even considering the minimum number, the soldiers had to be at least heavy infantry and cavalry, not ordinary soldiers, and a hero capable of inflicting proper damage on that monster was needed. What about the soldiers and hero brought by the Lord of Lartania? The soldiers of Lartania, although equipped with quite good quality gear for being hastily assembled in just three months, that was it. Their eyes were filled with anxiety. The same was true for the hero next to the Lord. Anyone could see that they didn¡¯t seem to havee of their own volition. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Roman, as if he could see their future, contemted advising them even now, but soon shook his head and abandoned that thought. After all, it was already toote to advise them since the Disaster had gotten too close to where they were. ¡®¡­Sending soldiers and heroes to their death.¡¯ Thus, Roman looked at the ce where the Lord of Lartania was with a mix of pity and disdain. ¡°¡­?¡± As the Disaster approached to a certain extent, the Lord briefly finished some speech, and the soldiers began to move. ¡°¡­They must have been well trained. Although there¡¯s anxiety in their eyes, their actions are quick.¡± Upon receiving the Lord¡¯smand, the soldiers, except for a few, quickly divided into two squads and spread out to both sides in an instant. The remaining five soldiers, seemingly riding pack animals, threw something at the Disaster moving straight towards the territory. And then. Bang! ¡°...!?¡± As soon as they threw it, what touched the body of the Disaster exploded with a blue light. ¡®A bomb¡­?¡¯ Such a thought crossed Roman¡¯s mind, but he soon shook his head. That was because, as far as Roman knew, there were no bombs of that form. However, before Roman could ponder the something that suddenly threw blue mes. -[Agonized shriek!!!!!!] The Disaster, letting out a monstrous scream that echoed across the entire grasnd, began moving its sluggish body towards the soldiers who had thrown something simr to a bomb just before. Due to the recent monstrous scream, the soldiers, leaving behind their horses caught in a howling state, immediately started running towards one ce. ¡®¡­Could it be, they intend to lure it away from Lartania¡¯s territory? ¡­But they should know that luring the Disaster is meaningless?¡¯ Roman had his doubts seeing this. Kwaaaang-!!! Soon, his doubts were cleared as he saw the Disaster¡¯s huge front paws fall into a massive pit, and Roman realized the Lord had prepared a trap. ¡®It was a trap.¡¯ The disaster, having fallen into a pit so deep that its huge front paws sank more than halfway, seemed bewildered and slowly moved to escape from the trap but couldn¡¯t easily get out. Kuuuung-! Roman slightly admired seeing the Disaster trip and fall due to the pit, but that was all. He still had no idea what the Lord intended to do next. Even if they managed to bring down the disaster, Magdaora wasrge and slow in movement but absolutely not foolish. That means, even if they brought it down this way, it would only take some time before Magdaora naturally got up again, and it would escape from the pit they had dug. Moreover, Magdaora¡¯s weakness was its belly, but with Magdaora lying down like that, the belly was covered, so Roman had a face full of questions. Just then, the hero who had been standing next to the Lord as if waiting, sprang towards the Disaster. Without hesitation, they headed towards Magdaora¡¯s jaw joint and struck down with an axe. Kaaang-! A rough crashing sound. Seeing that, Roman made a ¡®tsk¡¯ expression. That¡¯s because Magdaora¡¯s only weakness was its belly, and though its jaw joint was weak, it was impossible for a hero, not even named twice, to prate the skin and attack. So, Roman had a sour expression, but¡­ Gududdudduk-! ¡°¡­!¡± The moment Elena¡¯s hand axe prated Magdaora¡¯s jaw joint, he involuntarily widened his eyes. Before Roman couldpletely erase his surprised expression, Elena, who swung her axe wildly,pletely destroyed Magdaora¡¯s left jaw. -[Agonized shriek!!!!!!!!] As soon as Magdaora let out a monstrous scream and pulled its left leg, which had fallen into the pit, out-! ¡°Pull!!!!!!¡± The soldiers on both sides, as if they had been waiting, pulled so the floating leg couldn¡¯t leave the pit. Kung-Kudduddudduk! Trying to escape the trap, Magdaora failed due to the soldiers and fell forward once again. At the same time, Elena, who immediately moved to the opposite side and started hacking away wildly, quickly skinned the Disaster this time. Kwadeuk-! Kwaduddudduk! Kwaduddudduk!!! Shepletely destroyed the jaw joint on the opposite side of Magdaora, which was like a dragon¡¯s head. -[Agonized shriek!!!!!!] Once again, Magdaora let out a scream and raised its head. Chjeo-eok-! Magdaora¡¯s mouth, with its jaw joint shattered, was wide open. And at that moment, Roman could see. The catapult that was somehow already loaded behind Kim Hyunwoo, and the identity of the object ced on the catapult. ¡®That¡¯s a power engine from a processing nt, isn¡¯t it?¡¯ The object ced on the catapult was a power engine operated by Magic Stones, used in processing nts, so Roman looked at the power engine with a puzzled expression. ¡°¡­!!¡± He couldn¡¯t help but be surprised soon after. Because inside the power engine, which didn¡¯t look that great at a nce on the catapult Kim Hyunwoo had set up, was crammed full with a tremendous amount of Magic Stones. ¡°Crazy-¡± Only then did Roman realize the identity of the bomb the soldiers had thrown before. What they had thrown was a deliberately overheated small power engine from a wood processing nt. And the moment Roman realized that. Tung-! The huge power engine, filled to the brim with Magic Stones from a stone processing nt, whether it was already activated or not, emitted a blue light and flew in a beautiful parab,nding precisely inside Magdaora¡¯s mouth. Soon, the power engine that passed through Magdaora¡¯s throat. Kwaaaaaaaaang-!!!! Caused a massive explosion, blowing up Magdaora¡¯s head. And then. Roman, soon gaping as Magdaora¡¯s head burst open and it copsed, looked at the soldiers who seemed to have been waiting to cheer. ¡°¡­This, this is unbelievable.¡± Turning his gaze, he dumbfoundedly watched the Lord of Lartania, who managed to deal with a Disaster that would have caused thousands of casualties, with less than 300 soldiers and only one hero. ¡­On the opposite side from Roman, Merilda as well. ¡°¡­Eh?¡± Dumbfounded. ¡°My chance¡­?¡± She murmured emptily, with a face like she was about to cry. Chapter 40: Abnormal Disaster (4) Right after the disaster was handled, with the resonance of the Territory Stone ceasing, Lartania turned into a festive mood. People who had been in despair felt relieved. The territory¡¯s residents, without caring who spoke first, unanimously chanted Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s name, joyful that their home had not disappeared. And such admiration for Kim Hyunwoo only grew further when he arrived with the soldiers. ¡°It was unbelievably huge, the Disaster (??) wasn¡¯t called a Disaster for nothing!?¡± ¡°Uh, how huge was it?¡± ¡°Just before the Disaster disappeared, out of curiosity, the soldiers surrounded its leg, and it took 15 of us to do so¡­!¡± ¡°Fifteen people!? Just to surround one leg?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re saying you guys took down that unbelievable Disaster?¡± ¡°If we hadn¡¯t, would we be here?¡± The 200-more soldiers Kim Hyunwoo had led returned alive without a single casualty, and the moment they gathered in groups here and there in the squares and taverns to share their stories, it reached its climax. ¡°But of course, we could defeat the disaster thanks to our Lord. If it weren¡¯t for the Lord, we wouldn¡¯t have stopped it but would have been crushed to death by it, for sure.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± To Hans, a territory resident who until just the day before had been despairing over how to live, the soldier replied. ¡°Of course! Everything was exactly as the Lord said. Even when that thing tried to escape, just pulling the rope with the strength of merely 100 men prevented it from getting away, as if our territory residents had fallen into a pit and couldn¡¯t get out.¡± ¡°The Lord is really-¡± ¡°It¡¯s truly amazing, plus how did he even think to use the power engine in the workshop to go berserk and use it as a bomb?¡± ¡°From what I know, creating a power engine is one thing, but using it in such a way to make a bomb requires immense expertise in magic engineering. Is it true?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard the same.¡± ¡°Seeing this, the Lord is truly remarkable. There¡¯s really nothing he can¡¯t do¡­!¡± ¡°He¡¯s really someone to respect, even sighed in relief that the soldiers weren¡¯t injured.¡± The soldier nodded with an overwhelmed expression, as if just thinking about it filled him with emotion. As the soldiers unfolded their stories, Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s reputation soared as if piercing the sky. ¡°Elena was also incredible,pletely destroying the massive disaster¡¯s jaws with her two hand axes.¡± ¡°How could this be, that¡¯s incredible¡­!¡± ¡°Really, seeing that, why on earth was she ever called a ¡®failed hero¡¯?¡± ¡°Tsk tsk, probably mercenaries attached that out of jealousy.¡± ¡°Honestly, I think so too, how could someone who showed such prowess be called a failed hero?¡± Elena, who had yed the second most significant role in this disaster after Kim Hyunwoo, was also being praised by the territory¡¯s residents. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Elena, walking around and listening to the voices of the territory¡¯s residents, suddenly recalled a moment ago. She remembered the Lord¡¯s words at the moment she faced the disaster, wondering if this was seriously the end. ¡°Just trust me, it will definitely work.¡± Thanks to Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s confident demeanor, free of any doubt or fear, she was able to charge at the Disaster she thought she could never face and swing her axes, managing to deal with it. ¡°No matter how I think about it, the ¡®failed hero¡¯ must be a false rumor.¡± ¡°Of course it is.¡± Elena turned her gaze towards where the territory¡¯s residents were talking about her. There, the severe nickname that had followed her for years was disappearing as if it was nothing, and all the residents were praising both the Lord and her. ¡°¡­¡­¡± All of this felt strange but very joyful to Elena. After all, what she had always wanted was to be a great hero, respected and revered by others. A wish that had been crushed by reality, shattered by talent, and quietly pushed aside at some point. But now, ¡°Lord.¡± With that person, ¡°If we are together, could we reach there?¡± Her hopeful gaze lingered for a moment on the Lord¡¯s castle, where Kim Hyunwoo would be. Meanwhile, Kim Hyunwoo, who had returned to Lartania and immediately sprawled in his office chair, felt his heart still racing as he thought. ¡°That was a close call.¡± Of course, Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s life had never been in danger. Yet, he had such thoughts because the size of the Disaster he saw in reality was overwhelmingly different from what he had seen in the mobile game. ¡°I thought it was practically a moving apartment¡­¡± Kim Hyunwoo inadvertently shook his head as he recalled that moment, but soon smiled. In the end, regardless of the details, Kim Hyunwoo had seeded in capturing the Disaster, resulting in a tremendous amount of rewards. Kim Hyunwoo grinned and looked at the notification window. You have subdued the Grotesque Disaster! Congrattions! You have subdued the Ghost-ss disaster, Magdaora! Since the subjugation party consisted of one person, the rewards will be given to that person without distribution. ???[You have obtained 8,000 Red Stones] ???[You have obtained the material 'Magdaora's Carapace'] ???[You have obtained the material 'Magdaora's w'] ???[You have obtained the material 'Magdaora's Mane'] ¡­. ¡­ .. . Kim Hyunwoo smiled brightly as he looked at the rewards window that continued to list more items below. Above all, the 8,000 Red Stones filled Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s heart with abundance. For Kim Hyunwoo, who could no longer spend cash, the cash currency, Red Stones, were a very important resource. Moreover, each of the materials from Magdaora listed below could be used to create very powerful armor or weapons. Thus, being able to create armor and weapon sets that could influence battle second only to stars made Kim Hyunwoo very satisfied. Above all, what pleased him the most was. Troop Type: [Regr soldiers] Leader: Malon [Proficiency 100/100] Number of Personnel: 200 [View Details] Combat Efficiency: Average [A higher soldier type upgrade is now avable for 192 personnel] [You can upgrade to a higher soldier type 'Guard'] [The barracks level is not high enough to upgrade to a higher soldier type] [You can upgrade to a higher soldier type 'Scout'] [The barracks level is not high enough to upgrade to a higher soldier type] [View More Upgradeable Soldier Types] -Basic Equipment- Head: Helmet Body: Light Armor Waist: Leather Belt Legs: Greaves Lined with Leather Armed: Spear Secondary Armament: None ¡ùSome soldiers' armaments are not yet perfect The proficiency of the sluggish soldiers increased instantly with the capture of the disaster, allowing most of them to be upgraded to a higher soldier type. Hero Name: Elena Title: X Star: 2 stars ¡ï¡ï Affection: Level 4 -Stats- ???Strength: 37¡ü ???Agility: 47¡ü ???Intelligence: 22 ???Luck: 21¡ü ???Magic: 17¡ü ¡ùThe hero feels trust towards you Elena¡¯s stats also rose steeply enough to be considered virtually over-leveled for a 2-star hero. ¡°At this rate, if I just make some weapons and armor, wouldn¡¯t Elena be able to clear the third tier by herself without me?¡± Thus, Kim Hyunwoo had such thoughts. ¡°Using the power engine in the workshop was the right choice, even though it was a pity.¡± He recalled the power engine used to capture Magdaora. Of course, using the power engine for a bomb attack was not a method Kim Hyunwoo had utilized in the game. Arteil, being a real-time strategy battle game that allowed for terrain utilization and had a high degree of freedom, did not permit the use of materials not allowed inbat. Yet, Kim Hyunwoo thought to use the power engine because he was well aware of its destructive power. In Arteil, there was an event where the workshop would be destroyed if the wrong number of Magic Stones was identally input into the power engine. Kim Hyunwoo had experienced the workshop exploding due to incorrectly inputting Magic Stones a few times, which is why he chose the power engine as the final blow against the disaster. As a result, Kim Hyunwoo was able to deal with Magdaora so cleanly that, even though he had to repair the workshop, he could wear a satisfied expression. And so, the day after defeating the Disaster, around the time the fact that the disaster had been defeated in Lartania was being reported to the Norba Kingdom, while Kim Hyunwoo was pondering how to use Magdaora¡¯s materials, A ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï hero Loriel of the ¡®Five Swords of Cn' has entered the territory ¡ùNote, this is a hero from another territory ¡°¡­?¡± A hero of Cn came to Lartania. Soon, the hero who came to see Kim Hyunwoo, with a polite greeting, said, ¡°¡­Greetings, My Lord. I am Loriel of the Five Swords of Cn.¡± ¡°Ah, yes¡­¡± To Kim Hyunwoo, who looked perplexed at the suddenly arrived 4.5-star hero, ¡°The reason I came this time is to express my regret for what happened in the Sertoa and Hancia territories. Although neither territory held our Cn Kingdom¡¯s title, they were associated with us.¡± Loriel, stating such a reason, briefly bowed her head and then pulled out a pouch from her bosom and handed it over. ¡°This is¡­?¡± ¡°While it¡¯s a territory that hasn¡¯t received a title and is merely associated with us, it¡¯s true that a territory under our influence has been rude to another territory. Please consider this a small token ofpensation.¡± A brief conversation began following her words. And at some point, ¡°¡­May I ask just one thing?¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard that there was someone called the Absolute Ruler of Darkness in Lartania before, is that correct?¡± Loriel, thus, brought up the main reason for her visit to the territory. Chapter 41: Spirit (1) Loriel of the Five Swords of Cn held her breath and waited for Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s response, her face showing disappointment as she thought. ¡°I wish I could ask more directly.¡± In truth, she wasn¡¯t much of a talker nor was she the type to have a way with words, so she wasn¡¯t good at beating around the bush. Yet, the reason Loriel spoke in such a roundabout way about the Absolute Ruler of Darkness was because of her Master. Since her Master said she was sad and struggling, Loriel knew she absolutely should not indirectly convey her emotions. Loriel didn¡¯t know the details, but she knew her Master was gathering gifts to apologize to the Lord before her for something. Therefore, Loriel could not recklessly spoil something her Master had been preparing for years. ¡°Yes, well¡­ that¡¯s correct.¡± However, seeing her beloved Master skip meals and remain holed up in her quarters was also painful, so Loriel used ¡®diplomacy¡¯ as an excuse to visit the territory. To gauge the Lord¡¯s feelings. If the perception of her Master was not good, to try and improve it even slightly. Therefore. ¡°Indeed. The fact that the Absolute Ruler of Darkness was also called a Weapon Master doesmand some respect from the perspective of a warrior.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± ¡°Could you possibly tell me what the Absolute Ruler of Darkness was like, if that¡¯s okay?¡± She asked this question to probe the Lord¡¯s feelings. Soon, Kim Hyunwoo, having received such a question, ¡°Weapon Master¡­ Was there such a title?¡± thought this but soon answered. ¡°Well, quite a reliable hero.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Yes. Being adept with various weapons, they performed well on any battlefield. A truly remarkable hero.¡± At Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s answer, Loriel murmured a quiet ¡°As expected,¡± nodding her head in apparent satisfaction. ¡°Then, may I ask just one more thing?¡± ¡°What would that be?¡± She then stealthily nced at Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s reaction before asking her question. ¡°What did you think of the Absolute Ruler of Darkness?¡± ¡°Me?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± A question that seemed slightly off-target. It was a mistake made by Loriel, who originallycked eloquence and was in a hurry to find out what she wanted, but Kim Hyunwoo only harbored slight doubts before responding thoughtfully. ¡°From my perspective¡­ as I mentioned earlier, a good hero. Good at fighting and followedmands well.¡± He thought, ¡®Well, I almost got sick of the weapon gifts that nearly broke my back,¡¯ but Kim Hyunwoo didn¡¯t say it out loud. After all, Loriel seemed to admire the Absolute Ruler of Darkness at first nce, and from Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s perspective, there was no need to give a bad impression to a diplomat from the Cn Kingdom. ¡°Building a bit of rapport now might be helpful when I open the Labyrinth city.¡± Thus, ¡°Honestly, I did miss her presence a bit.¡± Kim Hyunwoo offered such lip service to Loriel, who seemed to like the Absolute Ruler of Darkness. Whether Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s lip service worked or not, Loriel, whose expression brightened noticeably as she spoke with him, said, ¡°Having delivered the gifts, I will take my leave now.¡± With those words, she left the territory. As Kim Hyunwoo pondered again how to handle the materials, on a hill above the territory, ¡°¡­He said, he missed her¡­?¡± Merilda murmured with a face full of murderous intent and a hint of tears. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Giral, who silently observed her as she continued to be in an oddly low mood since yesterday. Grr-! Giral, thinking the air around the intensely agitated yet deeply saddened Merilda might have dropped to below freezing, soon quietly vanished from behind her without making a sound. He actually wanted to say hello ande back, but feared he might find himself in a difficult situation if he spoke to Merilda, who had been in a low mood since yesterday. ¡°Sigh.¡± Thus, having quietly moved out of Merilda¡¯s reach, Giral sighed and then, ¡°¡­It seems the Boss has no intention of moving from here, so I should bring her back.¡± He moved to bring back the beastfolk, who were surely in disarray without their leader. Based on the Norba Kingdom, it was located at the easternmost end and was the thirdrgest territory within the Kingdom. At the same time, Roman, shrouded in darkness, belonged to the Duke of Tesnoka, who held a ducal title in the kingdom. ¡°¡­Is that true?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± He was reporting to the woman before him. ¡°Hmm-¡± The woman, humming with interest and ying with her hair that reached down to her waist, spoke with a slightly questioning tone. ¡°So, the Lord of a territory that was only established a few months ago dealt with a disaster with just 200 soldiers and one hero?¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡± ¡°¡­I hate to say this, but you do realize that what you¡¯re saying sounds incredibly hard to believe, right?¡± She answered while fiddling with her silky, purple hair that reached her waist. Yet, despite her words, ¡°It is the truth.¡± Roman answered her, the rightful heir to this territory and the one who had recently inherited the ducal title from her father. She, the Duchess of Tesnoka, crossed her arms. Her endlessly serious expression fell into silence as if pondering something. ¡°Let¡¯s hear the details.¡± Following her question, Roman began to methodically recount what he had seen. Starting with how the soldiers distracted the Disaster¡¯s attention by throwing blue mes made from a power engine. And how they trapped it in a prepared pit, the hero broke the Disaster¡¯s jawbone, and finally detonated a massive power engine inside the Disaster¡¯s body as a bomb. And after listening to Roman¡¯s story with her arms crossed for a while, ¡°Huh,¡± sheughed incredulously and said, ¡°¡­And that¡¯s really how the Disaster was captured?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Upon Roman¡¯s affirmation, the Duchess fell silent in thought. If Roman¡¯s words were true, then the Lord of Lartania had not engaged in battle with just 200 soldiers and one hero. ¡°If Roman¡¯s words are true, the important thing isn¡¯t the soldiers or the hero. Rather, it¡¯s-¡± Even though she had inherited the territory a bit sooner than other heirs due to her father¡¯s untimely death and had not received all his knowledge, she was intelligent. The fact that the Tesnoka territory had grown even more right after she officially took over as its Lord was proof of that. And the conclusion drawn by the astute Duchess of Tesnoka after hearing Roman¡¯s entire report was, ¡°-The Lord of Lartania.¡± That was precisely it. ¡°¡­An impressive Lord.¡± ¡°Yes. Certainly, the hero without a title is also a monster, but¡­¡± ¡°The Lord is even more so, right?¡± ¡°Correct.¡± Roman answered as if he had been waiting for her response. It was indeed an unbelievable tale that a being, which would normally require thousands of sacrifices and many heroes to subdue, was dealt with through strategy by a mere handful of people. Therefore, ¡°¡­How far do you think this story has spread?¡± ¡°From what I¡¯ve checked, initially, there were only two people tracking it, butter it increased to about four.¡± ¡°¡­At least the guys from Cn Kingdom have seen it, right?¡± ¡°Yes. A report will probably be submitted before long.¡± The Duchess, speaking with Roman, said, ¡°I don¡¯t want to lose this.¡± Muttering in a slightly greedy voice as if she had found precious jewelry by the roadside, ¡°Send someone to Lartania. Let¡¯s see if we can meet up sometime¡­ Or maybe I should just go myself?¡± She smiled as she said this to Roman. The meadow north of Lartania. In that ce, where there was nothing but vast fields, it suddenly appeared. Whish-! Shrouded in a ck robe, concealing its identity, it silently observed Lartania. As if assessing something, it remained motionless, watching the territory for a while. ¡°Indeed, worthy of the ¡®extrastar¡¯ expected by that person. I didn¡¯t know it could handle a Disaster to that extent. But still-¡± In a voice that could not be identified as male or female, it spoke with an odd admiration before continuing to observe the territory, ¡°-Whether the extrastar can grow until the deadline is something that must be observed.¡± It murmured softly. And after watching the domain for a long while, ¡°Arde- Pa, Narma.¡± Murmured softly, and then, ¡°May it live up to that person¡¯s expectations-¡± As these words were spoken, it began to dissolve into a ck mist from the ground up, disappearing. ¡°-O,st star.¡± With those words, there was nothing left on the meadow. As if there had never been anything there at all. Chapter 42: Spirit (2) About four days had passed since Loriel¡¯s sudden visit to Lartania. As time passed, the festive atmosphere in the territory gradually faded, returning to its original state, but from Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s perspective, there were two notable changes besides the outward appearance. The first was the reaction of the territory¡¯s residents. In fact, the rtionship between Kim Hyunwoo and the residents was not bad. He hadn¡¯t been taxing them to increase the influx of residents, and he had personally dealt with thieves who entered the vige when there was no hero. Of course, rather than the rtionship improving due to dealing with the thieves, it was more about the spread of rumors like ¡®Messenger of the Gods¡¯ or ¡®King of Logs¡¯, which naturally led to respect. Strictly speaking, the rtionship between Kim Hyunwoo and the residents was exactly that of a ¡®Lord¡¯ and ¡®residents¡¯ as their titles suggested. However, the residents¡¯ reaction genuinely changed after Kim Hyunwoo protected the Lartania territory from the Disaster. Previously, they would just give a short bow and go about their business when Kim Hyunwoo appeared, but now they naturally bowed their heads when he went outside, and children looked at him with admiration. Furthermore, the guards, who always maintained a moderate discipline, would respond loudly and look at him with respect whenever Kim Hyunwoo appeared. Just like now. ¡°Call Elena for me.¡± ¡°Yes! Understood!¡± The guard, who normally would have left with a disciplined ¡®Yes¡¯, now responded with all his might and looked at him with a gaze full of respect, prompting Kim Hyunwoo to make a peculiar expression. ¡°It¡¯s nice, but¡­¡± Of course, it was good that the soldiers and residents had high loyalty. The higher the loyalty of the soldiers and residents, the more penalty factors disappear, and their rate of departure also significantly reduces. Therefore, Kim Hyunwoo was very pleased that the loyalty had increased, but he honestly found the respectful gazes from the soldiers every time he gave an order somewhat burdensome. And the second change was, ¡°Did you call for me?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± It was Elena. Kim Hyunwoo looked at Elena. Her expression was calm. In fact, up to this point, there didn¡¯t seem to be any change in Elena. After all, apart from when Kim Hyunwoo first recruited her, Elena rarely showed emotional disturbances and was not good at expressing her feelings. Yet, the reason Kim Hyunwoo specifically said Elena had changed was, ¡°Now that the soldiers have had some rest, I¡¯m thinking about attacking the third tier. What do you think?¡± ¡°That sounds good. Shall we go down right now?¡± ¡°Well, no, that¡¯s not necessary.¡± ¡°Just say the word, and I¡¯ll move immediately.¡± After the disaster, she began to show a somewhat blind allegiance to Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s words. Of course, it¡¯s not that Elena hadn¡¯t listened before. In fact, she was more obedient than the other heroes he had raised when he yed Arteil ten years ago. However, Kim Hyunwoo thought this way because before the Disaster, Elena would provide feedback on any task assigned. Whatever her opinion, it meant she had her own thoughts. But now, her immediate nodding to anything Kim Hyunwoo said suggested she no longer offered her own opinions. ¡°Was the impact of the Disaster that significant?¡± Kim Hyunwoo thought this as he looked at Elena, but soon shrugged his shoulders. Although he felt odd about her blindly following his words, he also thought it wasn¡¯t too bad since it meant she trusted him that much. So, after some time had passed, ¡°Let¡¯s n to attack the third tier in three days then.¡± ¡°Understood. Then I¡¯ll prepare.¡± After Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s words, Elena, who bowed her head, exited the office, and Kim Hyunwoo, making a humming sound, thought to himself. ¡°In fact, I really want to equip her with some gear before sending her out¡­¡± Nevertheless, the reason Kim Hyunwoo specifically chose not to equip Elena was because of the cksmith¡¯s level. ¡°At least Level 3 is needed to proceed properly¡­¡± Kim Hyunwoo opened the information window. Territory: Lartania Territory Development: 298 Territory Residents: [Humans: 2259] Owned Buildings: [Lord's Castle LV1 >>> Upgrading 99%] [Walls LV2] [Residential District LV2] [cksmith LV2 >>> Upgrading 59%] [Barracks LV2 >>> Upgrading 0%] [Tavern LV2] [Market LV1] [Wood Processing nt LV1 (Under Repair)] [Restaurant LV1] [Leather Processing nt LV1] [Stone Processing nt LV1 (Under Repair)] [Trading Post LV1] Owned Troops: -200 regr soldiers [Upgradeable soldiers avable!] The number of territory residents has nowpletely surpassed 2,000, reaching 2,200. Unfortunately, other buildings, except for the trading post, were no longer being upgraded. The reason was due to ack of resources. The immediate cause was that Kim Hyunwoo had already used up all the resources extracted using Blue Stones, which halted the construction of buildings. ¡°I was thinking of solving the resource problem through the trading post¡­¡± Kim Hyunwoo remembered that the trading post in Arteil was used for trading various resources, allowing for real-time resource transactions in any territory, as long as there was Gold Coins. Of course, even if the resource trading was real-time, ording to the game¡¯s setting, the ¡®Fast Delivery Dwarf¡¯ would deliver the resources, which still took two to three days depending on the distance to the territory. However, contrary to Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s expectation that creating a trading post and linking it with Loria would allow the system to be used somehow, the game required a trade agreement with neighboring territories to use the trading post. In other words, Kim Hyunwoo currently had no way to obtain resources despite having an abundance of Gold Coins. ¡°It wasn¡¯t nned, but does this mean I need to foster rtions with neighboring territories?¡± So, Kim Hyunwoo, with a somewhat troubled expression, sighed. A ¡ï¡ï¡ï Hero 'Golden Witch' has entered the territory. [The Tienus Merchant Group has arrived in the territory!] ¡°¡­Huh?¡± He tilted his head at the familiar notification. A short while after the notification. Adria, who set up the Merchant Group in the streets, now more prosperous than before, immediately greeted Kim Hyunwoo, and ced a huge bundle of Gold Coins in front of the office desk. ¡°¡­What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the sales amount you mentioned before. A total of 200,000 Gold Coins.¡± ¡°200,000 Gold Coins?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± At Adria¡¯s words, Kim Hyunwoo, who had unconsciously opened his mouth, looked at the Gold Coins and then asked with a puzzled expression. ¡°But why give this to me? As I mentioned, I thought we agreed to conclude this transaction with the advance payment.¡± ¡°Of course, that amount has been deducted. The amount I gave to the Lord is just about 20,000 Gold Coins. Of course, ording to the contract, it would be fine to hand this over in the next transaction, but-¡± Adria smiled and then said, ¡°I want to establish a good rtionship with the Lord as much as possible. Let¡¯s consider this earning some points.¡± He said, ¡°Well, then I¡¯ll gratefully ept.¡± Since having more money was always better in the current situation, Kim Hyunwoo nodded and epted the Gold Coins from Adria, starting their conversation. ¡°You sold it faster than I thought.¡± ¡°Since it¡¯s a rare item, I was able to sell it at a high price. More importantly, I heard an interesting rumor on my way here.¡± ¡°What rumor?¡± ¡°I heard that a Disaster appeared in the Lartania, and you stopped it. Is that true?¡± Adria¡¯s question. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s true.¡± ¡°Can you tell me more about the situation? The rumor has spread, but not in detail.¡± He nodded in response, and as she spoke with a very surprised expression, Kim Hyunwoo began to exin the situation when the Disaster urred. Finally, Kim Hyunwoo exined how he caught Magdaora. ¡°My goodness¡­¡± Adria widened her eyes and spoke as if genuinely astonished. ¡°Really, you caught it that way?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s really impressive.¡± Pure admiration with no underlying intent. ¡°Well, honestly, I think it¡¯s something anyone could try if they just think about it a little differently.¡± ¡°But no one besides you, the Lord, has tried it, right?¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s true.¡± Kim Hyunwoo felt a bit sheepish as Adriavished him with praise. Of course, he himself thought he had aplished something significant, but being looked at with admiration by an outsider was somewhat embarrassing than he expected. Kim Hyunwoo, subtly shifting his gaze, suddenly eximed, ¡°Ah!¡± and changed the subject. ¡°Speaking of which, there¡¯s an item I¡¯d like to entrust to you, the head of the Merchant Group.¡± ¡°An item you want to entrust?¡± ¡°Yes. There¡¯s something I need to sell.¡± Kim Hyunwoo said so, stood up from his seat, and then took out an Execution Sword from behind the storage cab. ¡°¡­!¡± Adria¡¯s eyes widened as soon as he took it out. ¡°That is¡­!¡± ¡°Oh, you know it?¡± ¡°Is that, by any chance, an Execution Sword?¡± ¡°Yes, it is.¡± Kim Hyunwoo said so and then ced the Execution Sword in front of Adria. ¡°I¡¯m thinking of selling this, would that be possible?¡± He said, looking at Adria. She stared nkly at the execution sword and Kim Hyunwoo, mouthing words as if she wanted to ask something. ¡°Hem-hem-¡± Adria, having seemingly gathered her thoughts, cleared her throat. ¡°This, it would be good to put it up for auction. After all, the auction is starting in about a week.¡± ¡°¡­Auction?¡± ¡°Yes, a big auction is being held in Rapengan, amercial city at the Continent¡¯s center.¡± She conveyed that to Kim Hyunwoo. At that moment, in front of the door to the grand underground cavern of the Cn Kingdom, ¡°Master, I have met with the Lord of Lartania¡­!¡± At Loriel¡¯s shout, who had almost flown from Lartania, the Absolute Ruler of Darkness, who had not shown herself for weeks, ¡°What, what!?¡± hastily showed herself. Chapter 43: Spirit (3) Kim Hyunwoo was also well aware of the auction house. That¡¯s because the auction house was a systematic part of Arteil that existed even when Kim Hyunwoo yed the game, and he used it quite frequently. In fact, the auction house in Arteil was more urately described as Arteil¡¯s integrated trading assistant system rather than an auction house per se. Everyone was more interested in the convenience of buying and selling items with a small fee rather than the auction system itself. However, since the auction system Kim Hyunwoo favored in Arteil was purely a ¡®systematic¡¯ element, he asked Adria about the Rapengan auction house. ¡°It¡¯s literally an auction house held in themercial territory of Rapengan. Auctions are held in othermercial cities as well, but the one in Rapengan is on a different scale. Adria began to answer Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s question immediately. ¡°Unlike other auction houses, the Rapengan auction, which is held only three times a year, features items of exceptional quality, attracting a different crowd there-¡± ¡°-Since high-ranking individuals gather at the auction house, it naturally forms a kind of social club atmosphere, so the current Rapengan auction functions almost like a social gathering.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Of course, since the Rapengan territory has effectively established itself in this manner, the auction fees are no joke¡­¡± Adria spoke while looking at the Execution Swordid on the office desk. ¡°This seems okay.¡± ¡°This will be okay?¡± ¡°If the item you brought is truly the Execution Sword, as I see it, Rapengan might even waive all the fees.¡± ¡°Of course, that¡¯s just my opinion, and in reality, they might charge a fee of around 3%,¡± Adria added. ¡°¡­Is it getting preferential treatment because it¡¯s an Execution Sword?¡± When Kim Hyunwoo asked further, Adria exined, ¡°To be more precise, it¡¯s not because it¡¯s an Execution Sword, but because of the value the Execution Sword holds. As I said, the Rapengan auction has a much higher caliberpared to othermercial territory auctions, so there¡¯s an effort to maintain that.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Even without further exnation from Adria, Kim Hyunwoo seemed to understand and continued. ¡°¡­So, if equipment of this good quality were to be offered at another auction, it would attract attention, so they give preferential treatment, is that what you¡¯re saying?¡± ¡°Exactly. Rapengan is a territory famous for its auctions, so they don¡¯t want to give other territories an opportunity. As you may know, just because something is the best now doesn¡¯t mean it will be forever.¡± ¡°You¡¯re quite smart.¡± ¡°Merchants value the unseen worth more than what¡¯s visible¡­ just like you, My Lord.¡± At her words, Kim Hyunwoo momentarily tilted his head in thought, ¡®Like me?¡¯ but then he shrugged his shoulders and responded. ¡°Anyway, then I¡¯ll leave it in your capable hands.¡± ¡°Understood. However, we¡¯ll slightly change the conditions this time.¡± ¡°The conditions?¡± ¡°Yes. For this Execution Sword, we won¡¯t charge any fee.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± Kim Hyunwoo looked puzzled at Adria¡¯s words. ¡°After all, since this Execution Sword will be sold at the auction, the only help I can offer is anonymity.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m thankful for that, but are you sure it¡¯s okay?¡± ¡°Of course. But if you¡¯re still concerned¡­ perhaps you could do me a favorter?¡± ¡°¡­A favor?¡± He asked, following her statement. ¡°It¡¯s just that there¡¯s someone I¡¯d like to introduce you to when you have the time.¡± ¡°An introduction?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Well, of course, I can certainly manage an introduction.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fortunate.¡± With that positive response, she smiled and concluded. ¡°Then, since we need to move quickly this time, I¡¯ll take my leave here.¡± Adria swiftly exited the territory. ¡°Contact Rapengan immediately. I want to put the Execution Sword up for auction this time.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± After meeting Kim Hyunwoo in Lartania and immediately leaving, Adria gave such instructions to her secretary. Watching the secretary leave, she sighed and thought. ¡®Last time it was a Coma Recovery Potion, and this time it¡¯s an Execution Sword.¡¯ Adria chuckled to herself, looking at the Execution Sword ced inside an antique frame on one side of her office. ¡®¡­How does the Lord have such an item?¡¯ At least, ording to Adria, the Execution Sword was an extremely rare treasure, and practically impossible to find since the ¡®Great Depression¡¯ a few years ago. Then how does Lartania have it? No, beyond that. ¡®¡­How can they just casually hand over such an item?¡¯ Adria had made a contract with Kim Hyunwoo. However, that was merely a contract; it was hard to say that trust had been built between them. In reality, it hadn¡¯t been long since Kim Hyunwoo and Adria had signed the contract and hadn¡¯t spent much time face to face. Yet, the Lord of Lartania had handed over the Execution Sword as if he trusted herpletely. An equipment that could earn a vast amount of money, iparable to the Coma Recovery Potion. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Of course, Adria was somewhat aware that the Lord¡¯s actions could stem from ignorance, but she did not think Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s actions were due to ignorance. Initially, the disparity between his actions and the ignorance she thought was too great, considering how he had appeared during their first contract. ¡®¡­Is this an attempt to show trust?¡¯ So, after pondering for a while, Adria came to such a conclusion. ¡°Merchant leader.¡± Before she could finish her thoughts, the voice of the returning secretary made Adria turn her gaze. ¡°We¡¯ve received immediate contact from Rapengan.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°They said they would make space immediately upon receiving the Execution Sword¡¯s information stored as an artifact. They also mentioned they would extensively promote it in the vicinity.¡± Following the secretary¡¯s words, she nodded in satisfaction. ¡°That¡¯s good news.¡± ¡°So, are we heading straight to Rapengan?¡± ¡°Probably. Given the situation, that would be best.¡± ¡°As expected?¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°No, as I reported to you before, the time to offer sacrifices to the Guardian is approaching. In fact, I was on my way there when I stopped by Lartania, so I¡¯m wondering if the timing will work out¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much about that. Even if we¡¯re a bitte, I¡¯ve scheduled it so we¡¯ll arrive with three weeks to spare before the original deadline. So, we have plenty of time even if we stop by Rapengan. Besides, since we didn¡¯t find what we wanted this time¡­ we¡¯ll have to bring a lot of gold. Well.¡± Adria spoke as if to alleviate the secretary¡¯s worries. ¡°When the timees, I¡¯ll introduce you to a decent person.¡± ¡°¡­A decent person?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Following Adria¡¯s words, the secretary bowed, and the Tienus Merchant Group began to move towards themercial territory of Rapengan. And. ¡®If I can offer something that doesn¡¯t exist in the world in any form, I might have what that person wants.¡¯ Adria thought of the Lord of Lartania and smiled faintly. To be honest, when the Absolute Ruler of Darkness first heard Loriel¡¯s words, the emotions that surged were confusion, anger, and anxiety. The confusion stemmed from her meeting the Lord of Lartania without her permission. Anger and anxiety were born from the worry that she might have carelessly spoken about him to the Lord. Now, she was terrified of hearing the Lord¡¯s evaluation of her. ¡­Honestly, she hoped that his negative evaluation wouldn¡¯tpletely shatter the little hope she still held. Thus, the Absolute Ruler of Darkness was about to burst out in anger at Loriel¡¯s words, but¡­ ¡°The Lord thinks highly of you, Master¡­!¡± Upon Loriel¡¯s following words, ¡°¡­What did you say?¡± The Absolute Ruler of Darkness asked without realizing it. Soon, the Absolute Ruler of Darkness, who had re-entered the grand hall with her, could hear the details from Loriel, who had been to Lartania. Starting from how she approached the Lord of Lartania under the pretext of the Hancia and Sertoa territories, to Loriel¡¯s simple stories and bringing up the Absolute Ruler of Darkness to hear the Lord¡¯s thoughts about him. And then, ¡°Really? He¡­ said that?¡± ¡°Yes, the Lord of Lartania clearly said the Absolute Ruler of Darkness was a great hero and honestly regrets not having you as a hero now.¡± Loriel, with a slight smile, ryed the Lord¡¯s words, ¡°Ah, uh¡­ ah?¡± and saw a tearful smile begin to form on the gloomy face of the Absolute Ruler of Darkness, apanied by a flush. Soon, they saw her press her hands to her cheeks, let out a short moan of ¡°Ugh, ahh¡­¡± and hang her head down. Seeing how touched the Master was, with tears welling up in her eyes, Loriel felt a protective instinct surge, even though she was clearly aware that this was her Master in front of her. And then, three days after Loriel brought such good news to the Absolute Ruler of Darkness, ¡°Ah, uh-¡± unlike before, the Absolute Ruler of Darkness, who had been indulging in happiness alone for three days, ¡°Ma-Master!¡± was about to get angry at Ruin, who had barged in without notice. ¡°Master, the Execution Sword you were looking for will be auctioned at the Rapengan auction house!¡± ¡°¡­!¡± Hearing that voice, she smiled with a face full of joy. Chapter 44: Yes? (1) When the Absolute Ruler of Darkness began to cheer upon hearing the news of the Execution Sword, ¡°The boss of the thirdyer is a Quartz Golem. Naturally, being powered by a Magic Stone, it neither tires norcks offensive and defensive capabilities.¡± Kim Hyunwoo was exining about the third tier to Elena. ¡°However, the Quartz Golem shouldn¡¯t be a difficult opponent for you. It¡¯s slow and sluggish in its movements. As long as you remember the weaknesses I¡¯ve told you about, defeating the Golem won¡¯t be hard. Actually, you should be more cautious of the monsters around the Boss in the third tier-¡± Kim Hyunwoo was meticulously exining the third tier to Elena. In fact, he had called Elena yesterday to discuss this, but he thought it was good to review, so Kim Hyunwoo was exining to her again before setting off to the third tier. ¡°Well, I think I¡¯ve told you all the points to be cautious about, so please go ande back safely. Also, inform the soldiers and mercenaries about the monsters in the third tier.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Following Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s words, Elena smiled slightly, finished speaking, and led the soldiers and mercenaries down to the third tier. Then, watching the soldiers and mercenaries entering with Elena through the Lord¡¯s castle window, Kim Hyunwoo thought, ¡°It should be fine, right?¡± In fact, Kim Hyunwoo thought that there was no need to worry much about the third tier. As the Labyrinth became increasingly difficult the deeper one went, Elena¡¯s stats were still sufficient to clear the third tier. Despite this, fearing that unupgraded troops might die, arge number of mercenaries were hired before their proficiency was fully increased. Having mercenaries would surely minimize the death of soldiers in the first ce. ¡°Of course, from the fourth tier onwards, it would be wise to refrain from taking soldiers in.¡± That wasn¡¯t an immediate concern. After all, the tiers needed to create the Labyrinth city Kim Hyunwoo wanted were only up to the third tier. Therefore, ¡°Once the third tier is conquered, we can start the Labyrinth city right away, so there¡¯s no worry there¡­ But what about the resources?¡± Kim Hyunwoo, watching Elena who had now fully entered the maze, shifted his concern to another topic. Thanks to the remaining Magic Stones, the Lartania workshops were all repaired, but naturally, the production of resources couldn¡¯t keep up with the territory¡¯s development speed. Using the Blue Stones felt increasingly wasteful, and waiting for development was too slow. ¡°The trade center I was counting on would require good rtions with neighboring territories.¡± Unfortunately, Kim Hyunwoo was not in a position to foster friendships with neighboring territories. After all, the only heroes under Kim Hyunwoo were Elena and Lani. ¡°¡­If I think about seriously running the Labyrinth city, things will sort themselves out by then, so maybe I should n the development around that time?¡± This was the moment to consider how to handle this situation. From a hill far away, ¡°¡­¡­¡± Merilda was watching him. Her mood hadn¡¯t been very goodtely. Of course, if you asked her what was wrong, it wasn¡¯t that something had happened. Ever since the Absolute Ruler of Darkness visited thest time, nothing significant had urred to her, and although Giral did visit, he disappeared at some point. In other words, there was no one here to particrly upset her mood. In fact, if anything, her mood had been much better recently than when she lived in the territory she had created as Red Eyes. Unlike the times she searched for him in her dreams without any emotion, now she was directly observing her Master¡¯s appearance every day. Moreover, the praise she had heard from her Masterst time still brought a natural smile to her lips whenever she thought about it. ¡­And yet, precisely because of that, Merilda¡¯s mood had recently turned even worse. Naturally, it wasn¡¯t Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s fault. If there was a problem, it was Merilda¡¯s. More precisely, it was her problem of wanting praise, and then something beyond that. At first, after being rejected by Kim Hyunwoo and receiving a gift, Merilda thought when she stepped outside the Lartania territory. To support her Master from behind and build affection, waiting for him to call on her again. After thinking that, Merilda helped him without ever showing herself to Kim Hyunwoo. She silently supported him from behind, waiting for him to realize this fact. She certainly had noints about that life. However, at some point, when she unexpectedly heard Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s praise, Merilda¡¯s resolve wavered. To be honest, she thought Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s feelings towards her wouldn¡¯t be good. But surprisingly, Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s ¨C no, her Master¡¯s feelings for her were not like that. Rather, Merilda had heard her Master defending her in front of Elena. Therefore, Merilda felt unparalleled joy and at the same time thought, if her master doesn¡¯t think poorly of her, perhaps it would be good to talk to him again if he holds slightly better feelings than negative ones. Certainly, it was a different thought from her initial resolution, but once the thought started to invade her mind, it quickly took over, testing her patience. ¡°¡­Master.¡± Lately, Merilda often imagined herself standing before Kim Hyunwoo when he was alone. Imagining herself standing before him, asking for forgiveness, and the master who rejected her stroking her head with great affection. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Each time she imagined this, a smile would form on Merilda¡¯s lips, but apart from that, her patience grew increasingly thin, like a thirsty person drinking seawater. Especiallytely, seeing her Master talking with Elena sometimes made her feel suffocated. And in such situations, Merilda thought of the most usible way for her to appear, but as that opportunity came and went, her patience reached its limit. However, ¡°¡­¡­¡± When her patience neared its limit, Merilda quietly reached into her left pocket, feeling the familiar sensation, and took out a box. Looking at the small box her Master had given her, Merilda suddenly remembered Giral¡¯s voice, absent from this ce. ¡°If you, the Boss, want to make a good impression on that human man, wouldn¡¯t it be better to take a more proactive approach?¡± Giral¡¯s words, carefully offered when Merilda¡¯s chance to appear had vanished and she was in a despondent state. At the time, she didn¡¯t respond well to it and brushed it off due to her mood. ¡°¡­If it¡¯s something that will earn praise from my Master¡­¡± Reflecting on his words btedly, ¡°To take the initiative, to earn praise.¡± She murmured quietly as she gazed at the Lord¡¯s castle. About five hourster, Kim Hyunwoo saw Elena and the soldiers, who had gone to subdue the third tier, emerge as the sun gradually set and dusk fell. Troop Type: [Regr soldier] Leader: Malon [Proficiency 100/100] Number of soldiers: 200 [View details] Combat efficiency: Good [Upgraded troop type avable for 200 soldiers] [Can be promoted to 'Guard' troop type] [Upgrade to higher troop types is limited due to low barracks level] [Can be promoted to 'Scout' troop type] [Upgrade to higher troop types is limited due to low barracks level] [View more upgradeable troop types] -Basic equipment- Head: Helmet Body: Light armor Waist: Leather belt Legs: Greaves reinforced with leather Armed with: Spear Secondary weapon: None ¡ùSome soldiers have reached maximum proficiency! Proficiency is stored! ¡°It¡¯s a relief.¡± After checking the information window and seeing that the troops had emerged without a single casualty, he smiled. Soon after, Kim Hyunwoo was able to hear the report about the third tier from Elena, who came to his office. Seeing that the soldiers and Elena were unharmed, he had anticipated as much, but the report confirmed that nothing unfortunate had urred in the third tier, as Kim Hyunwoo had predicted. However, there was something noteworthy this time as well. ¡°Blue bones, they appeared this time as well?¡± ¡°Yes. This time, we attacked the Quartz Golem first, and removed the core in its right leg, which you mentioned was the most troublesome.¡± Elena ced the blue bone on Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s desk as she said this. The bone was visiblyrger than the ones seen before. Kim Hyunwoo stared intently at it. ¡°Indeed, it seems there¡¯s something in the Labyrinth.¡± He was convinced that with the appearance of blue bones near the third tier, there must be some secret hidden in the Labyrinth. He couldn¡¯t fully discern what the secret was, but he was certain it was somehow linked to the Necromancer of the Blue Forest. So, after looking at the blue bone Elena had brought for a while, Kim Hyunwoo set it aside and then spoke to her. ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard this time as well.¡± ¡°Not at all. Thanks to you, Lord, we had little difficulty.¡± Elena answered with a slight smile. Kim Hyunwoo, who had been talking with her, was now smiling more than before. ¡°Let¡¯s rest for today and discuss the details tomorrow.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± With that, he sent Elena, who had worked hard all day, off to rest. ¡°Now, let¡¯s start preparing from tomorrow.¡± Kim Hyunwoo thought with a smile. The next day, When Kim Hyunwoo woke upter than usual, having stayed up to investigate the peculiarities of the blue bone found the night before, ¡°Lord, the Duchess of Tesnoka from the Norba Kingdom hase to our territory.¡± ¡°¡­What? The Lord hase?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s puzzled expression at the sudden news of another territory¡¯s Lord visiting was brief; he then greeted the Duchess of Tesnoka. Soon, Kim Hyunwoo could see the Duchess of Tesnoka, who was strikingly beautiful with long purple hair reaching down to her hips, as she was led by the guard into the Lord¡¯s office. And then, ¡°Do you have any thoughts of marrying me?¡± At her words, spoken with a very rxed expression as she looked at Kim Hyunwoo, ¡°¡­Excuse me?¡± Kim Hyunwoo found himself asking in return without realizing. Boom-! A small explosion was heard from the hillside visible through the window Kim Hyunwoo was looking at. Chapter 45: Yes? (2) Kim Hyunwoo thought seriously. Did he have any connection with the Duchess of Tesnoka? But no matter how much he thought about it, Kim Hyunwoo believed there was no connection with the Duchess of Tesnoka. Kim Hyunwoo had only been in this world of Arteil for a few months, and it didn¡¯t make sense to call it a connection from when he enjoyed Arteil as a game. After all, ording to what he had checked, the Tesnoka territory wasn¡¯t on the territory rtionship chart. Therefore, Kim Hyunwoo looked at the Duchess, who was smiling confidently, and her secretaries, who were slightly embarrassed and bowing their heads behind her. Soon, feeling his unsettled emotions quickly settle, perhaps due to his unshakable mind, he spoke. ¡°You jest well.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a joke?¡± At the Duchess of Tesnoka¡¯s words, a thud sounded again from behind. ¡°I¡¯m actually making a sincere proposal to the Lord of Lartania.¡± -Thud! Another sound followed her voice. In fact, it was quite unsettling, but before Kim Hyunwoo could question the sound, he was already puzzling over the Duchess of Tesnoka¡¯s intentions with a bewildered expression. ¡°It seems you want something from me?¡± He answered. ¡°Why do you think that?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t make sense that someone as beautiful as the Duchess would fall for me at first sight.¡± Following Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s words, Duchess Tesnoka smiled as if she liked what she heard and then said, ¡°Why? It¡¯s possible that I might have liked you at first sight, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s hard to believe it was love at first sight when you show no shyness, only a confident smile.¡± ¡°Is that so? I am serious about the marriage proposal.¡± ¡°It seems like you want to gain something through marriage with me.¡± Hearing Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s calm voice, Duchess Tesnoka looked at him with a slightly surprised expression. ¡°Ahem, excuse me.¡± She then sat down. Duchess Tesnoka, now with a calmer expression than her previously confident demeanor, as if she had gained what she wanted, spoke. ¡°¡­Right. It¡¯s unexpected.¡± ¡°In what way?¡± ¡°Well, there are several aspects, but normally, when I propose marriage, everyone jumps at the chance. You do know who I am, right?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard you are Duchess Tesnoka.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Normally, the lords who know this fact are eager to try something with me, but you, My Lord, are surprisingly calm.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no such thing as a free lunch in this world. Naturally, your enticing proposal is not without cost.¡± Kim Hyunwoo answers neatly. ¡°¡­You¡¯re well-informed.¡± The Duchess smiled again, as if amused, ¡°First, even though you know who I am, I¡¯ve beente in introducing myself. I am Rania Tesnoka, the Duchess of the Tesnoka territory and a Duchess of the Norba Kingdom.¡± She extended her hand. ¡°And I am Kim Hyunwoo, the Lord of Lartania.¡± By shaking her hand, Kim Hyunwoo was then able to engage in a proper conversation with her. After a while, ¡°So, the reason you specifically came to our territory is because you heard that I handled a Disaster?¡± ¡°Yes. I originally nned to send someone, but after hearing that story, I wanted to meet you in person. Anyway, I wanted to meet you before anyone else from other territories.¡± ¡°¡­Other territories?¡± ¡°Yes, at least the news about you must have reached the Cn Kingdom.¡± Kim Hyunwoo nodded, seemingly pleased with Duchess Tesnoka¡¯s words. Although the Disaster could be considered a crisis, the spread of this news wasn¡¯t bad for Kim Hyunwoo, who had to manage the Labyrinth city moving forward. However, Kim Hyunwoo also had another thought. ¡®But in the end, this means they just watched and didn¡¯t actually help.¡¯ Of course, Kim Hyunwoo knew that there was no need to feel negative just because they didn¡¯t help. After all, it didn¡¯t make sense for them to think about helping Lartania, with which they had no rtion. However, while human emotions aren¡¯t as logical as a machine¡¯s, leading to some negative feelings, Kim Hyunwoo chose to view it positively. After hearing this story, Kim Hyunwoo could guess her purpose and also check how he appeared to the neighboring territories. Therefore, ¡°Anyway, it seems like you¡¯vee to establish a good rtionship with me, right?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. Oh, and I am serious about the marriage proposal.¡± ¡°¡­Why are you so fixated on marriage?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to miss out. And it¡¯s intriguing.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± Kim Hyunwoo looked puzzled at the Duchess¡¯s words. He had absolutely no intention of getting married. Arteil, the game yed by Kim Hyunwoo, is a territory-based game but also a beautiful girl gacha game, naturally including an invisible affection system aside from the affinity system. As affection increases, unlike affinity, the heroes¡¯ actions change, and if affection maxes out, even marriage is possible. Moreover, once married, the heroes¡¯ behavior bes very loving, and if the heroes get along, polygamy is possible, making marriage for increased affection in Arteil seem almost like a national rule at one time. Furthermore, as affection increases, you receive additional stat bonuses different from the affinity level, making the management of heroes¡¯ happiness tricky but almost odd not to pursue. However, the reason Kim Hyunwoo, despite knowing this, had no intention of marrying was because a Rank 33 territory was once ruined due to marriage. The incident, dubbed ¡®The Last of Magical Power¡¯ among Arteil users, was simple: a user named ¡®Narak¡¯, who climbed from Rank 380 to 33 by marrying eight 5-star heroes, caused it. Narak failed to manage the happiness of the eight heroes, leading to infighting among them, devastating his territory. As a result, Narak, formerly Rank 33, plummeted to Rank 80 in no time, and despite attempts to recover the territory and manage the heroes¡¯ happiness, managing the shattered happiness of eight heroes was nearly impossible, leading to the territory¡¯s copse. Because of this, users dubbed Narak ¡®The Last of Those Who Used Magical Power¡¯, cementing the notion ¡®Marriage = Magical Power¡¯ in users¡¯ minds, leading them to avoid marriage. Kim Hyunwoo, who was not yet a ranker at that time and had abruptly stopped working on hero affection, recalled this with a bitter expression before clearing his voice and speaking. ¡°¡­Anyway, I have no ns for marriage yet.¡± Two hourster. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll assume you¡¯ll visit me next time?¡± ¡°Since you¡¯vee to me, I¡¯ll visit you in return. Additionally, we¡¯ll discuss the trade matter through the trading post.¡± After receiving the farewell from Kim Hyunwoo, the Lord of Lartania, Rania left, climbing into a huge magitechnology carriage guarded by knights, and departed from the territory. Immediately after leaving Lartania. ¡°How was it?¡± In response to Roman¡¯s question, who appeared before the Duchess, she answered with a smile. ¡°It was fascinating.¡± ¡°¡­In what way?¡± ¡°My magical eye had no effect.¡± ¡°¡­Your magical eye, you mean?¡± In fact, the reason the Duchess kept proposing marriage to Kim Hyunwoo was because of the magical eye she possessed. The Magical Eye of Enchantment. Although it wasn¡¯t as powerful as the ¡®demonic eye¡¯ mentioned in legends, capable of perfectly charming anyone,bined with her appearance, it was enough to bring out its full potential. Moreover, despite her young age, the Magical Eye, which had been one of her weapons in managing her territory and diplomatic rtions well, strangely did not work on Kim Hyunwoo. It was the same no matter how many times she tried. That wasn¡¯t the only thing that surprised the Duchess. ¡°With just a few pieces of information, he quickly deduces the situation to get what he wants.¡± Of course, since he hade to build a rtionship with him in the first ce, it was a feasible story, but even so, the Duchess felt that the Lord of Lartania was remarkable. Being a Duchess, and furthermore, the Lord of the Tesnoka territory, was a position that naturally could exert pressure on others. Of course, the conversation was too short to go into further detail, but conversely, even that brief interaction was enough for the Duchess to recognize the value of Lartania¡¯s Lord. ¡®I want it.¡¯ At least, as far as the Duchess could tell, the Lord of Lartania was a treasure. A treasure with so much hidden that you couldn¡¯t see the bottom of it with just a 2-hour conversation. Therefore, ¡°¡­I failed to bring him under me, but it¡¯s surprisingly okay. It¡¯s no fun to obtain a treasure all at once.¡± The Duchess thought with a smile. At that moment, Merilda, who had been silently watching the Duchess leave from beyond the hill, ¡°¡­If I kill her, the Master would dislike it¡­ It wouldn¡¯t be something to be praised for.¡± Genuinely looking regretful, she crushed the stone in her hand into powder, genuinely looking regretful. ¡°Three seconds would have been enough,¡± Merilda muttered, ring at the carriage. However, knowing that Kim Hyunwoo intended to gain some benefit through her, Merilda could not kill the Duchess. Therefore, she looked regretful, ¡°¡­It would be okay if I don¡¯t kill her, right?¡± She thought, with a somewhat sinister smile. About five hourster, On a mountain path where Lartania waspletely out of sight. Crack-! ¡°Kyaa?!¡± The high-end carriage that the Duchess of Tesnoka was riding was smashed to pieces by a stone that flew from somewhere. And so, at the moment the Duchess was escaping from Lartania. In themercial territory of Rapengan, ¡°Is this the ce?¡± ¡°Yes, it is.¡± ¡°What about the budget?¡± ¡°We have brought half a year¡¯s budget of the Cn Kingdom.¡± The Absolute Ruler of Darkness said, ¡°We must obtain the Execution Sword.¡± She murmured while looking at the territory- ¡°¡­If necessary, I will destroy everything here.¡± -With a chilling gaze. Chapter 46: Yes? (3) A little while after the Duchess of Tesnoka had left, [Trading Post] [Trade Partners] -Tesnoka Territory- Resources avable for exchange: [Wood] [Iron Ore] [Stone] [Leather] ©¤ [More] ¡ùPlease enter the trade price along with the trade request if you wish to trade ¡ùOnce the other party epts the trade, the delivery of the goods will start immediately, and the trade cannot be canceled from the moment the delivery starts ¡°So this is how it works.¡± Kim Hyunwoo looked at the now properly activated trading post with a satisfied expression. Initially, he wondered if it was a mistake to create the trading post, but now that he could utilize it this way, he felt it was indeed a good decision. ¡®I was nning to start development after officially operating the Labyrinth city, but this changes the story.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo immediately clicked to see more of the trade goods avable from the Tesnoka territory. ¡°Wow.¡± He was momentarily astonished by the extensive list that appeared as soon as he clicked to see more. Kim Hyunwoo swept up as much wood, iron ore, and stone as was immediately avable from the ducal house, proposing about 20,000 Gold Coins as the trade price before closing the trading post window. ¡®This amount probably won¡¯t be disappointing.¡¯ In reality, the price of the resources Kim Hyunwoo bought was actually slightly lower than 20,000 Gold Coins, but he was willing to pay more than that amount. He decided that putting in a bit more than the exact purchase amount without calcting every detail would have a positive effect on future trades with the ducal house. ¡®Especially seeing that rare resources are also for sale among the resources, it would be best to maintain a good rtionship as much as possible. After all, basic resources will eventually have to be reced by production.¡¯ Thinking this, Kim Hyunwoo looked at the buildings outside the Lord¡¯s castle. Each building consumed a considerable amount of resources, which could be managed through trade for now, but once the buildings¡¯ levels began to rise significantly, it would be impossible to keep up with buying resources with money. Once the levels of the buildings start to exceed Level 5, the amount of resources they consume bes of apletely different magnitude. Is that all? Once all buildings start to exceed Level 5, they require rare resources corresponding to each building to level up. This means that at some point as the territory naturally grows, the difficulty will skyrocket. Of course, pouring resources and rare resources into raising building levels would indeed pay off, but it was an undeniable fact that it required an enormous amount of resources. ¡°Hmm-¡± After thinking for a while, Kim Hyunwoo looked at the currency window. [Red Stones: 13,800] [Blue Stones: 17,885] [Gold Coins: 117,724] The currency window looked much more reassuring than when Kim Hyunwoo first arrived here. Of course, the Gold Coins and Red Stones were expected to decrease rapidly, but still looking at the currency window, he smiled proudly and soon called for Elena through a soldier. A little timeter. ¡°¡­Hmm?¡± Kim Hyunwoo could see Elena, who seemed a bit ufortable,ing up to the office. ¡°Is there something wrong?¡± Kim Hyunwoo asked. Elena slightly shook her head to deny his question, then spoke with a look of being somewhat cautious. ¡°It¡¯s not that, I heard something a bit strange.¡± ¡°Something strange?¡± ¡°Yes, I heard that the Duchess of Tesnoka proposed to you, Lord¡­ Is it true?¡± Kim Hyunwoo answered Elena¡¯s subtly probing question. ¡°That¡¯s true, but I declined.¡± ¡°¡­Ah, is that so?¡± Ah, as Elena¡¯s voice brightened for a moment before sheposed herself, Kim Hyunwoo nodded. ¡°Yes. Well¡­ there¡¯s no need to get married right now.¡± ¡°Right, I think so too. And it¡¯s better to be cautious around such women.¡± ¡°¡­Is that so?¡± ¡°Usually, such women, aren¡¯t they a bit cunning? Yes. Definitely.¡± ¡°¡­Is that so¡­?¡± ¡°If I had seen someone say that in front of me, I wouldn¡¯t have just stayed quiet ¡°¡­¡­¡± As the conversation goes on, Kim Hyunwoo is losing words due to the increasingly ominous atmosphere. Her eyesck focus slightly, and her expression is chillingly cold as if she could kill someone. At that, Kim Hyunwoo awkwardlyughed and nodded. ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll be careful.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. Anyway, why did you call me?¡± Seeing Elena asking as if all her curiosity had been resolved, Kim Hyunwoo said, ¡°From now on, we¡¯re going to build a Labyrinth city.¡± ¡°¡­A Labyrinth city?¡± ¡°Yes. There¡¯s something you need to do before we build the city.¡± He looked at Elena and got to the point. A few days after Kim Hyunwoo officially dered the construction of the Labyrinth city, numerous people gathered at the grand auction house of themercial territory Rapengan. Moreover, unusually, a reallyrge crowd had gathered. This was truly an unusual event. Fundamentally, the grand auction house in Rapengan was not a ce where just anyone could enter, unlike other auction houses in the domain of Rapengan. Only those who had received permission from the Lord of Rapengan could enter this grand auction house. Those who had received the Lord of Rapengan¡¯s permission were each capable of exerting a certain degree of influence on this Continent. And the reason so many people had flocked to such a grand auction house was because the ¡®Execution Sword¡¯, which hadpletely disappeared a few years ago, was being presented at this auction. Of course, not everyone present was there to purchase the Execution Sword. Immediately, four individuals had rushed here upon hearing the news of the Execution Sword being presented. Sword God Arwen. Snow Ghost Ram. Great Mage Laran. Earthquake King Cm. Each of these great heroes, capable of easily destroying a vast territory if provoked, had gathered in one ce, and the nobles had flocked here to foster connections with these great heroes, except for the Sword God, who had no significant affiliations yet. From the perspective of the nobles and lords, it was beneficial to establish a rtionship with at least one of the four great heroes present at the auction, as they were extraordinary individuals. No, the word ¡®extraordinary¡¯ was not enough to describe them. After all, each of the great heroes present was a living history in their own right. Sword God Arwen had single-handedly erased ¡®Sm¡¯, one of the vast territories with over ten thousand soldiers and heroes, from this Continent overnight a few years ago. Snow Ghost Ram had actually lifted Mount Tai in the North to crush a Dragon-level Disaster that had invaded his tribe, an unbelievable feat. Great Mage Laran had reached a level of magic unmatched on this Continent and was on the verge of the 8th circle, a realm that every magician dreams of and aspires to. Earthquake King Cm had single-handedly explored the 12th tier of the Labyrinth, killed the Tier Boss that no one imed could be killed alone, and reached the 13th tier. In other words, each of the great heroes present had achieved feats worthy of being called a living history, undeniably strong individuals recognized by all. The nobles and lords had crowded into the Rapengan auction house in hopes of forming even the smallest connection with them. Consequently, as nobles gathered, various merchant associations and guilds also gathered, each with their own objectives, targeting those nobles. Just as the nobles had gathered to see the great heroes, the merchants and guild leaders also knew that it was rare for so many nobles and lords to gather in one ce. Anyway, thanks to everyone, including the great heroes, flocking to the auction house for their respective purposes, the interior of the grand auction house was now filled with individuals capable of exerting a certain degree of influence on the Continent, except for the Empire, which was too far from the territory of Rapengan. However, ¡°¡­¡­¡± despite such a situation, the auction house, which should have been bustling, was eerily quiet. No, it was not just quiet; there was practically a silence enveloping the ce. The reason was, ¡°¡­Huh?¡± ¡°What did you say just now?¡± ¡°Say it once more.¡± ¡°This is absurd.¡± because the four heroes who hade to purchase the Execution Sword were emitting a murderous intent so intense that ordinary people would faint in moments. However, ¡°Did you not hear? Then, I shall say it once more.¡± The woman who angered the four great heroes, the Absolute Ruler of Darkness, spoke in a calm and cold voice. ¡°I do not care about the other items. Give them all to me, but the Execution Sword shall be mine.¡± As if it were the most natural thing, she dered this to the four great heroes. ¡°And if I refuse?¡± At the words of the Absolute Ruler of Darkness, Snow Ghost Ram, with a fierce smile, spoke. ¡°If so, it cannot be helped.¡± The Absolute Ruler of Darkness, ¡°I shall have no choice but to kill you,¡± casually uttered these words, looking at him with an infinitely indifferent gaze. Chapter 47: Labyrinth City (1) ¡°Ha-¡± Snow Ghost Ram trembled with rage. Crack-Crackle-! The ground under his two feet was being crushed, and blood pooled slightly at the corners of his mouth from clenching his teeth so tightly. ¡°What did you say?¡± Clearly filled with rage, he asked again, but the Absolute Ruler of Darkness responded with an utterly calm expression, ¡°I am saying that I have no choice but to kill you.¡± That was all she said. Gnash-!! Snow Ghost Ram felt his anger rising even more at her continued words. In the five years since he had be a great hero, he had never heard such insulting words. At least, no one he had encountered before had dared to threaten a great hero capable of lifting Mount Tai. Yet, the girl in front of him, without changing her expression, had picked a fight not just with Snow Ghost Ram but with all the great heroes present. In fact, it wouldn¡¯t have been strange if a bloodbath had already started here. It wouldn¡¯t have been strange if the impatient Snow Ghost Ram had already rushed forward to rip the woman¡¯s throat out. It wouldn¡¯t have been strange if the Sword God had silently swung his sword, slicing her body in two. Simrly, it wouldn¡¯t have been strange if the Great Mage had used magic, or if the Earthquake King, with ferocity matching Snow Ghost Ram¡¯s, had charged at the woman with a fierce smile as if he had been waiting for the chance. But even so, all the great heroes were just making displeased faces, and none dared to step forward. Sword God Arwen was just fidgeting with his fingers as if he was about to grab the sword hilt, with an ufortable expression on his face. Great Mage Laran was just holding his staff in silence. The Earthquake King had a fierce smile but seemed to have no intention of recklessly charging in, standing in his ce. And even Snow Ghost Ram, known to be the most impatient of all, ¡°¡­¡­¡± was just looking at that woman with his bloodshot eyes. Seeing this, the nobles present felt puzzled. At least to them, the woman in front of them looked nothing but insane. It didn¡¯t seem like she was picking a fight with the great heroes who could trample even a territory on their own if they wished. But unlike those nobles, the four great heroes still did not move. No, to be precise, they could not move. The great heroes confronting those empty eyes realized, that the being standing before them, whose name and face were not even properly known, was not of a lower realm than themselves. No, perhaps, they might even be on a higher ne than them. ¡­They instinctively realized that they could not win against this monster by charging in alone. That¡¯s why the great heroes could only remain still. Even the Sword God with a displeased expression. The silent Great Mage and the Earthquake King as well. And even Snow Ghost Ram, clenching his teeth, realized that what was in front of them was a monster even greater than themselves. But upon realizing this, the four great heroes calmly assessed the situation and simultaneously deduced a way to defeat the monster in front of them. ¡°Combined attack.¡± If all four great heroes here united as one to charge at the monster in front of them, they could win. Even if the being in front of them was a monster, they too were great heroes. For them, each a living legend, abined attack was not impossible to win against the monster before them. No, rather, they were confident. That it was not arrogance but a in truth. ¡°Do you think we cannot defeat you? Two of us will surely die, but if we all charge in, you will die.¡± These were the words that came out of Snow Ghost Ram¡¯s mouth after all the calctions were done. At that moment, the nobles stirred greatly. The words from Snow Ghost Ram¡¯s mouth were, surprisingly, self-deprecating. And to that question from Snow Ghost Ram, ¡°I am aware of that too.¡± She neatly agreed. ¡°Then why say such a thing-¡± ¡°But-¡± Snow Ghost Ram was about to speak with a frown at the words of the Absolute Ruler of Darkness, ¡°If I don¡¯t get that sword now, I¡¯m as good as dead anyway, so what does it matter?¡± Following those words, Snow Ghost Ram closed his mouth. ¡°¡­!¡± Soon, the great heroes there could see the gaze of the Absolute Ruler of Darkness. The madness flickering in her dark eyes, which looked endlessly empty. Upon seeing that, ¡°This insane woman, she¡¯s serious¡­!¡± The great heroes felt a shiver down their spine as they looked at her. Soon, the first among the heroes, who had been in a standoff, to move was, ¡°¡­Tsk.¡± Snow Ghost Ram, whose eyes had been bloodshot until just a moment ago. In fact, he knew. That abined attack was impossible. The four great heroes gathered here were not close enough to risk their lives for each other. Furthermore, considering the honor that the great heroes held and the cities each of them managed, any fight here would only result in loss, no matter how one thought about it. At least, the great heroes gathered here had things they were responsible for. Therefore, grit¡­ Snow Ghost Ram, once again biting down hard, ¡°I, Snow Ghost Ram, will not forget your misdeeds¡­ Someday, along with my brothers, I wille to make you kneel.¡± Bang! He stomped his foot on the ground and turned to leave. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for the city, I would have fought.¡± ¡°Pridees with a price.¡± Following him were the Earthquake King and the Great Mage. ¡°Indeed, thanks to you, that small kingdom¡­¡± Lastly, the Sword God, seemingly affiliated with the Norba Kingdom, murmured as if he had realized something, and with him turning around, all the great heroes left. Watching the great heroes leave, the Absolute Ruler of Darkness looked at them with an indifferent expression and thought, ¡°This has driven them all away.¡± In fact, she had not nned to drive them away like this when she first came to the auction house. But the reason she went out of her way to drive away the great heroes before the auction started was because of the news brought by the Swords of Cn. No ¨C because of the money the great heroes brought to buy the Execution Sword. Simply put, they were driven away first because they brought more money than the Absolute Ruler of Darkness had brought. Of course, in such cases, it might have been easier to just participate in the auction fairly and then chase after the great heroes to take it from them if they lost the auction. Since the money deposited for the auction in Rapengan is immediately handed over to dwarves, who cannot be pursued right away, making things moreplicated than they are, the Absolute Ruler of Darkness resolved the situation in this manner. About two hourster, with the great heroes driven away, the Execution Sword was up for auction. ¡°1.1 million Gold Coins.¡± ¡°¡­One¡­ one point one million Gold Coins¡­!¡± ¡°Who, who exactly is that person? Who could it be-¡± ¡°It¡¯s unbelievable¡­!¡± The Absolute Ruler of Darkness bid all the Gold Coins she had brought for the Execution Sword. Of course, having already driven out the great heroes and warned others not to bid on the Execution Sword, she could have won it for the starting bid of 50,000 Gold Coins. Yet, the reason the Absolute Ruler of Darkness did not do so was because she was truly grateful to whoever had put the Execution Sword up for auction. If that someone had not put the Execution Sword up for auction, the Absolute Ruler of Darkness would never have been able to find it, let alone obtain it. Therefore, she bid all the money she had gathered as a token of her gratitude. [Auctioned, the Execution Sword has been sold to bidder number 109.] The Absolute Ruler of Darkness was able to win the auction. At that moment, the Absolute Ruler of Darkness won the bid for the Execution Sword. ¡°Is everything ready with this?¡± [Yes, it seems that all the preparations areplete, just as the Lord has instructed] Kim Hyunwoo had been preparing to open the Labyrinth city for several days. In fact, since the development of the third tier, it was possible to open the Labyrinth city immediately, but from now on, even Kim Hyunwoo was preparing as much as possible, not knowing what might happen. [As the Lord instructed, we have selected eight people who were handling guild affairs in the previous territory or who seem capable enough to undertake office duties, and it seems that everything will be perfectly constructed by tomorrow] ¡°What about the rumors?¡± [It's only been a few days since we spread the rumors, so not many mercenaries or adventurers have gathered yet, but they are gradually starting to assemble within the territory] Kim Hyunwoo, satisfied with Loria¡¯s words, nodded with satisfaction. Indeed, things were proceeding step by step as he had prepared. Therefore, [Also, the tasks you assigned to Elena will probably bepleted by today as well] Kim Hyunwoo, upon hearing Loria¡¯s final report, ¡°Now, shall we start spreading the word to the adventurers in earnest?¡± ¡°In two days, we¡¯ll open the Labyrinth,¡± he murmured with a smile. Immediately after winning the bid for the Execution Sword. The Absolute Ruler of Darkness decided to carry the Execution Sword personally instead of entrusting it to a dwarf for delivery after paying the money. She had never heard of any issues when dwarves transported items, but she felt an inexplicable sense of unease. Therefore, the Absolute Ruler of Darkness, who had just taken custody of the Execution Sword from Rapengan territory, looked at the sword with a deeply moved expression, which soon turned into one filled with questions. And for good reason. ¡°¡­Huh?¡± The Absolute Ruler of Darkness knew this Execution Sword all too well. Her eyes suddenly filled with confusion. As if she couldn¡¯t understand the situation, she nkly stared at the Execution Sword, then slowly rotated it to examine it closely. Once. Twice. Thrice. ¡­And, ten times. Standing there, the Absolute Ruler of Darkness, who had turned the Execution Sword over and over using the darkness, soon realized one unbelievable fact. ¡°¡­What¡­?¡± That the Execution Sword was, in fact, her own. Chapter 48: Absolute Darkness (1) She had seen the Execution Sword before. ¡­To be more precise, the Absolute Ruler of Darkness had seen the real ¡®Execution Sword¡¯. Unlike the Execution Sword she originally received as a gift from him, the real one possessed a power so great that merely holding it could ovee vast differences in realms. Andpared to such a real Execution Sword, the one the Absolute Ruler of Darkness had received as a gift from him was realistically very different. Of course, that didn¡¯t mean the Absolute Ruler of Darkness didn¡¯t treasure the Execution Sword she received from him. No, in fact, even though the Absolute Ruler of Darkness clearly knew that the Execution Sword he had gifted her was far less valuable than those held by other heroes, she cherished it even more. After all, the Execution Sword was something he had made directly for the Absolute Ruler of Darkness from the start. Therefore, even though the Execution Sword she received as a gift was of lower value, it was more magnificent and precious to the Absolute Ruler of Darkness than any other Execution Sword. Thus, she could tell. ¡®This is, certainly-¡¯ The Execution Sword in her hand now was definitely her own. As she clearly recalled that, numerous thoughts shed through the mind of the Absolute Ruler of Darkness. For her, the current situation was utterly iprehensible. After all, she had already destroyed the Execution Sword she had due to her own foolish mistake when he had left. Therefore, after staring at the Execution Sword with trembling eyes for a while, the Absolute Ruler of Darkness soon turned her gaze towards the Lord¡¯s castle of the Rapengan territory. ¡°¡­¡­¡± In fact, she wanted to storm into the Lord¡¯s castle right then and there. She wanted to find out who had put this Execution Sword up for auction and question the person who had submitted it. But the thoughts of the Absolute Ruler of Darkness did not lead to action. To her knowledge, the Lord of Rapengan was someone who absolutely protected the secrets of the exhibitors who submitted items to this grand auction. Even if she rushed in and threatened the Lord of Rapengan, she wouldn¡¯t be able to obtain any information. After all, the Rapengan territory had grown so vast precisely because of such integrity in their smallmercial territory. However, knowing this fact did not make the curiosity and questions of the Absolute Ruler of Darkness disappear. ¡°¡­¡­¡± For a while, she silently looked at the Lord¡¯s castle of the Rapengan territory. Recently, a somewhat strange rumor had been spreading among mercenaries and adventurers. ¡°¡­So, ording to what you¡¯re saying, in two days, the Lord of Lartania will open the gates to the Labyrinth?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Is that really true?¡± ¡°It seems to be true, doesn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Ha-ha, that¡¯s quite fascinating.¡± ¡°What will you do? Will you go to the territory of Lartania?¡± ¡°If they¡¯re opening the Labyrinth and I don¡¯t go, wouldn¡¯t I be a fool? I should run there right now¡­!¡± This was the rumor about the territory of Lartania, that ¡®the Lord of Lartania is opening the Labyrinth¡¯. ¡°Hmm, to be honest, it¡¯s hard to believe. Why would they open a Labyrinth in the territory of Lartania in the first ce?¡± ¡°I think so too. There¡¯s no benefit to opening it anyway, is there?¡± ¡°I heard it¡¯s legal to go into the Labyrinth, kill monsters, ande out with Magic Stones, but then they tax the Magic Stones you bring out.¡± ¡°Taxes?¡± ¡°Well, since it¡¯s a product from within the territory.¡± ¡°I heard about that too, something like 40%.¡± ¡°40%? ¡­Not that you can only bring out 40%, but that you only have to give 40%?¡± ¡°Right.¡± ¡°Well, if you think about it, it¡¯s unbelievably profitable?? It seems we could earn several times more than what we make from escorting and subjugating¡­ No matter how you look at it, isn¡¯t it too good to be true?¡± ¡°Honestly, I think so too.¡± Of course, most mercenaries viewed the rumor negatively, thinking it was too absurd to be true. After all, even with a 40% tax, the rumor was too good a deal for mercenaries and adventurers. Mercenaries, who well knew that the world doesn¡¯t just work in favorable ways, doubted the rumor. ¡°Still, it¡¯s too good a deal not to check if the rumor is true at least once.¡± ¡°I had nothing else to do anyway, so it worked out.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go too.¡± Ultimately, mercenaries and adventurers are beings drawn by money. Thus, having heard the spreading rumor, they began to gather in the territory of Lartania. About two dayster, on the day the Lord of Lartania said he would open the Labyrinth. Territory: Lartania Territory Development Level: 332 Territory Residents: [Humans: 2631] -Owned Buildings- [Lord's Castle LV1 >>> Upgrading 99%] [Wall LV2] [Residential District LV2] [cksmith LV3] [Barracks LV2 >>> Upgrading 32%] [Tavern LV2] [Market LV1] [Woodworking Shop LV1] [Restaurant LV1] [Leather Workshop LV1] [Stone Workshop LV1] [Trading Post LV1] Owned Troops: ¨C200 ordinary soldiers [Upgradeable soldiers are avable!] Kim Hyunwoo, having just confirmed that the territory¡¯s development level had surpassed 300, turned his attention to the mercenaries gathered noisily. ¡°My Lord.¡± As he heard a voice, Kim Hyunwoo turned to see Elena there. ¡°Ah, Elena.¡± ¡°First, as you intended, soldiers have been stationed on the first tier, and it seems all the mercenaries have gathered, but is this okay?¡± Elena, who had entered the Lord¡¯s office, spoke with a slightly anxious expression. Her anxiousness was natural. To her, who knew nothing, what Kim Hyunwoo was doing must have seemed nothing short of bizarre. What she saw was Kim Hyunwoo essentially giving away the most valuable resources that could be obtained by the Lord to mercenaries. ¡®Of course, the mercenaries have filled the territory, and the inns attached to themercial district and tavern are packed.¡¯ Initially, it seemed too wasteful to sell such expensive resources from the territory for just that much, and indeed, Elena¡¯s thoughts were not wrong. However, the reason Kim Hyunwoo could smile with confidence was that he had a method. A way to continually summon monsters, which in other territories would only appear periodically. Kim Hyunwoo opened a window in front of Elena, who looked at him worriedly. It was the cash window of Arteil, turned on by Loria. In other words, the devilish cash window filled with the BM (Business Model) Kim Hyunwoo had terribly dreaded appeared in front of him. [Soul of Chakram: 87,220 Won (Stones)] [Knuckles of North Mountain Work: 142,200 Won (Stones)] [Yan's Neckpiece: 98,000 Won (Stones)] [Shai's Armor: 55,500 Won (Stones)] ¡°Ugh.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing.¡± Upon opening the cash window, Kim Hyunwoo, startled by the sudden appearance of the gift list and its prices, involuntarily felt a PTSD shback from 10 years ago and, fumbling through Elena¡¯s concerns, smoothly navigated the window. Soon. ¡®Found it.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo found it. "Grow a Hero in the Labyrinth Package!" "Raise a hero in your Labyrinth! Your Labyrinth will be continuously filled with monsters, and your hero will grow as quickly as the monsters are replenished!" [From the moment you purchase the package, the number of monsters in the Labyrinth will always be maintained consistently!] [Additional Experience from Labyrinth Hunting - 20% / Magic Stone Drop Rate - 20%] [20-Day Pass] / [5000 Red Stones] {Purchase} [30-Day Pass] / [7000 Red Stones] {Purchase} The key package that would create the Labyrinth city he envisioned. And then. ['You have purchased the Grow a Hero in the Labyrinth Package!'] Kim Hyunwoo, who had purchased the Grow a Hero in the Labyrinth Package without hesitation, ¡°Now, let¡¯s go out to the square,¡± stepped out to the square with Elena, smiling. By the time Kim Hyunwoo had officially gone out to the square. The Absolute Ruler of Darkness, who had returned to the Cn Kingdom along with the Five Swords of Cn waiting outside the territory, stared intently at the Execution Sword before tucking it into her own darkness. In fact, she still didn¡¯t know why the Execution Sword, which seemed to be hers, was exhibited there. Moreover, she hadn¡¯t figured out who had exhibited the Execution Sword, which made the mind of the Absolute Ruler of Darkness still veryplicated. However. She decided not to worry about it anymore. After all, what mattered to the Absolute Ruler of Darkness now was not how this Execution Sword appeared, but the fact that by obtaining it, she could return to him. From the beginning, that was the only thing important to her. ¡­In fact, the original Absolute Ruler of Darkness would have investigated even the smallest doubts to the end, but she no longer wanted to look elsewhere since she had already fulfilled all the conditions to meet Kim Hyunwoo. Precisely, she did not want to dy meeting him any longer. Therefore, she deliberately turned her attention away from how the Execution Sword was exhibited. She also decided to abandon the thought that the Execution Sword before her eyes was hers. After all, she had seen several weapons that were made to look endlessly simr to her Execution Sword, but their performances were inferior. Likewise, knowing that her Execution Sword had clearly broken and disappeared, she came to a conclusion. The Execution Sword in her hand was not hers but another one strikingly simr to hers. The Absolute Ruler of Darkness, who wanted to meet Kim Hyunwoo in haste, instead of calmly uncovering the truth. ¡®Surely, since he said he missed me¡­!¡¯ She gave in to the impatience filling her heart. ¡°Master, are you¡­ leaving right away?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Loriel looked a bit bewildered at the Absolute Ruler of Darkness¡¯s immediate response. After all, Loriel, having seen the Absolute Ruler of Darkness as a disciple for years, had never seen her this impatient. At least, the Master she knew always made very cool-headed judgments in any situation, so she was bewildered. It was as if she had already made all her decisions. ¡°I will go to the Lartania territory.¡± Having gathered all the gifts she had collected so far, she began heading towards Lartania. Chapter 49: Absolute Darkness (2) When Kim Hyunwoo went out to the square, there were visibly a huge number of mercenaries and adventurers gathered. Some with curiosity. Others with distrust. And still others, mercenaries and adventurers looking at Kim Hyunwoo with a variety of emotions. Having nced over them, Kim Hyunwoo, who had gone up to the podium prepared for use today, looked around and spoke. ¡°Nice to meet you. Everyone, I am Kim Hyunwoo, the Lord of Lartania. I assume all of you gathered here are because of the opening of the Labyrinth in Lartania territory.¡± Seeing the mercenaries murmuring for a moment after his words, Kim Hyunwoo immediately continued. ¡°To put it conclusively, that statement is true. All of you gathered here will be able to freely enter and exit the Labyrinth in Lartania for the next three days. Moreover, the items obtained inside will be entirely yours.¡± The mercenaries began to murmur immediately at Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s words. Watching them murmur for a moment, Kim Hyunwoo soon raised his hand to calm the mercenaries and spoke. ¡°However, the Magic Stones you bring out are naturally the property of the Lartania territory, so a tax will be levied on the Magic Stones you carry out.¡± Kim Hyunwoo spread four fingers excluding the thumb. ¡°40%, you will have to pay 40% of the Magic Stones you bring out of the Labyrinth as tax to our territory. But the rest of the Magic Stones? They are yours, of course.¡± In fact, charging 40% tax for mining Magic Stones in the Labyrinth of Lartania was almost absurdly usurious. After all, it was the mercenaries who mined the Magic Stones. But despite that. ¡°40%, are you saying that¡¯s really the case?¡± ¡°That¡¯s unbelievable¡­¡± ¡°What a tremendous opportunity.¡± ¡°Good thing we came to the territory¡­!¡± The mercenaries were already making a fuss as if they had obtained incredible luck. The reason was that in this continent, which serves as the backdrop for Arteil, it wasmon for Lords to take exorbitant profits much like in the medieval times. Thus, in a ce where taxes naturally exceeded 60%, the 40% offered by Kim Hyunwoo was a tax rate that was enough to cause a stir among the mercenaries. Above all, the reason why the mercenaries were already making a fuss was because of the price of the Magic Stones. Even the smallest Magic Stones holds considerable value. Originally, Magic Stones are sparingly distributed by Lords who can produce them exclusively. This meant that even if the mercenaries obtained ten Magic Stones and paid four as tax, the high price of the Magic Stones themselves meant they would still make a considerable profit. Therefore. ¡°If you bring out the Magic Stones and take them to the reception desk right in front of the Labyrinth, we will return the Magic Stones to you after deducting the tax. If you wish to exchange the Magic Stones immediately, that can also be handled at the reception desk, of course, at the ¡®original price¡¯.¡± ¡°Ah, and just to be clear, please don¡¯t hide the Magic Stones to avoid paying tax. If it¡¯s discovered that you¡¯ve hidden Magic Stones, all mined Magic Stones will be confiscated, and you will be expelled from the territory.¡± ¡°Now, please feel free to enter and exit the Labyrinth from this point forward.¡± Kim Hyunwoo opened his mouth. Simultaneously, the mercenaries began to move towards the Labyrinth of Lartania. Allen, the leader of a small mercenary group of about eight people, had been hunting goblins on the first tier for hours. ¡°Another one came out!¡± He picked up the emerged Magic Stones and opened his mouth with an expression of great excitement. ¡°How many does this make now?¡± ¡°It¡¯s already the fifteenth.¡± ¡°So, even after setting aside six, we have nine¡­ wow, aren¡¯t we really going to be rich?!¡± ¡°We¡¯re really going to feast today!¡± As soon as Allen picked up the Magic Stones, he smiled at his team members who started chattering excitedly around him, then he tucked the Magic Stones into his pocket and thought with a broad smile, ¡®Is this really happening¡­!¡¯ In fact, Allen was still skeptical before he first entered this ce. It was good to be able to enter the Labyrinth right away, but he knew that the monsters in the Labyrinth were limited. Thus, Allen wondered if he would be able to touch even one monster in the Labyrinth, and indeed, when they first entered the Labyrinth, the mercenaries growled at each other, aiming their swords to catch a monster first. However, that situation was resolved in less than an hour. The reason was that the mercenaries realized that goblins were endlessly respawning on the first tier. From that moment, the mercenaries started to focus their efforts on hunting the goblins in front of them rather than turning their swords on each other. Thanks to the strong mercenary groups who realized that monsters were constantly reviving heading down to the second tier to obtain more Magic Stones, Allen was also able to obtain Magic Stones. ¡®I don¡¯t know how exactly monsterse back to life like this-¡¯ The fact that he, as a mercenary, could obtain Magic Stones from monsters was more important to him than why monsters were reviving, so he smiled. ¡°Should we try to sneak these out? Nine is great, but fifteen would be a real jackpot, wouldn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°That¡¯s absolutely not possible.¡± Allen immediately stopped her at the mercenary member¡¯s following words. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°There are still two days left, right? So there¡¯s no need to take such a risk to hide the Magic Stones. If we get caught hiding them¡­¡± ¡°¡­You¡¯re right, that would be a serious loss instead.¡± The mercenary member immediately agreed with Allen¡¯s words. In fact, most of the mercenary groups that entered here initially thought about embezzling the Magic Stones but gave up on such thoughts upon seeing monsters continuously reviving. For the mercenaries, this ce was a very good opportunity to make more money than the effort they put in. Therefore. ¡°Shall we go catch them right away?¡± ¡°Wait, aren¡¯t you a bit hungry? Let¡¯s eat something first.¡± ¡°We didn¡¯t bring anything with us, did we?¡± ¡°Earlier, I saw soldiers selling food and some simple items in the rest area where the soldiers were.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yeah, honestly, food and relief supplies are quite expensivepared to those above¡­ but considering the Magic Stones we¡¯ve mined, it¡¯s an amount we can definitely afford, right?¡± ¡°¡­So shall we eat? It would be a waste of time to eat outside just to save money.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s eat quickly and go beat up some more goblins.¡± The Allen mercenary group, all smiling, immediately headed to the rest area where the soldiers were. It¡¯s been two days since mercenaries began flocking to Lartania in earnest. ¡°Just one jerky here!¡± ¡°Here too!¡± ¡°And this side!¡± ¡°Give me everything from this side too!¡± Hans, who was selling goods on one side of the marketce, had a happier smile on his face than ever before. The reason was that his business had been doing extremely well since mercenaries began pouring into the Lartania territory in earnest. ¡®Can I really be this happy¡­!¡¯ Hans smiled as he handed over goods to the incessantly arriving mercenaries, even as he nced at his wife who hade to the market to help him due to the shortage of hands. Though his body might be tired, the money he had made over the past two days was simr to the revenue he had generated since he started doing business in the market. Therefore, Hans smiled despite sweating profusely from the effort. Not just Hans. In fact, most of the merchants selling goods in this market were dealing with the mercenaries with happy smiles, just like Hans. Thus, Hans, who was busily working without a moment¡¯s rest, was very grateful to the Lord of Lartania even amidst all this. If it weren¡¯t for the Lord of Lartania, Hans, including the territory¡¯s residents, might not have survived, knowing that they are enjoying this happiness due to the power held by the Lord right now. ¡®Indeed, the Lord might really be an Angel from Heaven¡­!¡¯ Therefore, Hans was sincerely grateful to the Lord and worked hard. Kim Hyunwoo, who had created this entire situation, was. [Lord, the total sales within the territory have increased by 2800%. Thanks to this, the taxes collected from now on are expected to significantly increase] ¡°Good. Has there been any increase in dissatisfaction among the territory¡¯s residents due to the tax collection?¡± [No, since the tax rate does not exceed 50%, dissatisfaction has not increased; rather, thanks to you, Lord, the territory has been revitalized, and happiness is at its peak] [Moreover, the public order that you, Lord, were concerned about has not deteriorated significantly yet] ¡°Is that so?¡± [The troops have not been upgraded to a higher level yet, but it is believed to be due to the umtion of a lot of proficiency] ¡°Indeed, umting proficiency in advance was the right answer.¡± Following Loria¡¯s report, Kim Hyunwoo looked at the resource window with a satisfied expression. [Red Stones: 6800] [Blue Stones: 17885] [Gold Coins: 105211] *[Quarterly Tax: +1231] [Magic Stones: 12842] ¡°Wow.¡± Kim Hyunwoo unwittingly marveled as he watched the quarterly tax increase the more he looked at it. 1,231 Gold Coins might seem like a small amountpared to what Kim Hyunwoo currently had, but it was an incredibly high amount for a territory that had only an early 300 level of development. ¡®¡­Although I¡¯ve already spent nearly 10,000 Gold Coins converting a lot of Magic Stones.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo smiled instead. The rapidly umting Magic Stones were a great help in maintaining the city¡¯s Labyrinth. Therefore, Kim Hyunwoo, who had been smiling for a while, called for Elena through the guards, ¡®Now, after giving them a taste of it¡­ let¡¯s move on to the next phase.¡¯ He grinned and stood up from his seat. And just as Kim Hyunwoo was standing up to prepare for the next task, ¡°¡­Sigh.¡± The Absolute Ruler of Darkness, with a look of anxiousness and hope in her eyes, was looking at the Lartania territory that had juste into view. Chapter 50: Absolute Darkness (3) It¡¯s the second day since the Labyrinth of the Lartania territory was opened. Most mercenaries, realizing that monsters in Lartania¡¯s Labyrinth appeared endlessly, were diligently running through the Labyrinth to earn even a penny more. At the same time, as evening approached, mercenaries started toe out for a rest in preparation for the final sprint tomorrow. ¡°Ah, it ends tomorrow.¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s a bit disappointing.¡± ¡°Tsk, of course, they won¡¯t keep such a Labyrinth open for more than three days.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ it¡¯s going to be tiring to run around doing escort quests again.¡± The mercenaries felt a considerable regret that the Labyrinth¡¯s open period would end tomorrow. The residents of Lartania felt the same way. Naturally, once the Labyrinth opening ended, the mercenaries would naturally leave, and the residents¡¯ sales would naturally decrease, returning to normal. So, when personal regrets began to be expressed here and there, Kim Hyunwoo stepped onto the tform. Just the sight of him getting on the tform and making motions as if preparing something was enough for the mercenaries to start gathering in the square. ¡°I will now announce a notice.¡± Soon, as the square began to fill up to some extent, Kim Hyunwoo opened his mouth. ¡°As you all know, after noon tomorrow, mercenaries will no longer be able to enter and leave the Labyrinth of Lartania.¡± The mercenaries showed a bit of regret at his words. Seeing them, Kim Hyunwoo continued. ¡°However, even after noon tomorrow, there is a way for you to enter the Labyrinth.¡± Immediately after Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s continued words, the mercenaries started to murmur all at once. Seeing the square quickly fill up with the murmuring mercenaries, Kim Hyunwoo, as if he had been waiting, pulled out a card from his pocket. Kim Hyunwoo, holding something the size of a credit card if it were the real world, said, ¡°With this membership card, you can mine Magic Stones inside the Labyrinth anytime, anywhere.¡± After showing the shining gray card to the mercenaries as if to give them a good look, he continued, ¡°This membership card you see is, in simple terms, an admission ticket to Lartania¡¯s Labyrinth. It¡¯s avable for purchase in our territory, and the price is five Gold Coins.¡± The mercenaries murmured at Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s words. Their murmuring was natural. While the basic currency for Kim Hyunwoo, who runs the territory, is shown as ¡®Gold Coins¡¯, one Gold Coin was a significant amount for a citizen or a mercenary. Thus, from the mercenaries¡¯ perspective, a card costing five Gold Coins was really expensive. However, despite the murmuring mercenaries, Kim Hyunwoo calmly continued speaking. ¡°Furthermore, if you buy a card and enter, from now on, you¡¯ll be able to bring out Magic Stones from Lartania¡¯s territory by paying a 50% tax.¡± At Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s words, the mercenaries murmured even louder this time. Now, amidst the murmurs, voices of discontent began to emerge subtly. If a 50% tax had been set from the beginning, it might have been different, but having to pay money and an additional 10% tax to the territory naturally led to dissatisfaction. However, Kim Hyunwoo still looked at the mercenaries with a confident smile. While there was murmuring of dissatisfaction among them, none were voicing strongints or leaving the square. Thus, even if Kim Hyunwoo stopped here, the mercenaries would not leave; instead, they would spend the rest of the day eager to buy a card. ¡°Of course, there might be slight dissatisfaction with the suddenly increased 50% tax, but-¡± However, naturally not intending to end the announcement here, Kim Hyunwoo pulled out the remaining four cards from his pocket and continued, ¡°If you diligently explore the Labyrinth and provide arge number of Magic Stones to Lartania¡¯s territory at a slightly lower price, we n to reduce the tax based on your contributions.¡± ¡°For instance, with a Bronze card, you will only be taxed at about 45%. With a Silver card, it¡¯s 40%, which means you only pay the current tax rate for the Magic Stones. Is this the end? No.¡± Kim Hyunwoo showed them a gold-colored card and a shining blue card. ¡°The Gold card shown here allows you to take Magic Stones with only a 35% tax, receiving a 15% discount, and this final tinum card gives a whopping 20% discount, allowing you to pay only 30% tax.¡± The mercenaries stirred again at his words. Kim Hyunwoo, seeing them, smiled and said, ¡°The cards will start being sold at the stands in front of the Lord¡¯s castle from this moment, as I have announced. So, if you wish to use the Labyrinth after tomorrow, please purchase a card first.¡± Having said that, he was about to step down from the tform when he added, ¡°Ah, since it takes time to make the cards, there might be a waiting period of more than a week, so if you¡¯re considering it, it would be best to apply quickly.¡± He finished his words and stepped down. At the same time, the mercenaries, ¡°Hey, where was the Lord¡¯s castle again!¡± ¡°It¡¯s over there, you dummy! Run!!¡± ¡°Uh uh? I don¡¯t have money!? What if I spend all my money-¡± ¡°Is that the problem!? First, we have to run and buy the card! If we can just get inside and work, we can easily make five Gold Coins!!¡± ¡°Move! I¡¯m first!!¡± ¡°No! I¡¯m first, you bastard!!¡± Instantly, they began to run towards the Lord¡¯s castle. ¡°Huu-¡± ¡°Phew-¡± Kim Hyunwoo looked at the mercenaries gathered beneath the Lord¡¯s castle and smiled with satisfaction. Due to the influx of mercenaries, except for the soldiers acting as guards in the resting areas of the Labyrinth, everyone was busy guarding the ce selling cards, and Elena was also busy leading the soldiers, but he had a smile on his lips. Everyone being busy meant that Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s work was going as well as he had thought. Therefore, as Kim Hyunwoo was about to open the notification window with a satisfied smile to check the uing schedule, A ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î hero 'Absolute Ruler of Darkness' has entered the territory. ¡°¡­??¡± Suddenly, a notification popped up before his eyes, and he unwittingly made a puzzled expression. No wonder, since from Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s perspective, this notification came out of nowhere. So there was Kim Hyunwoo, staring at the notification, momentarily lost in thought. Thud-! Soon after, Kim Hyunwoo realized that a woman had appeared before him, where there had been no one just moments before. Wrapped in darkness enough to engulf everything, she appeared in a dark-colored qipao, and he realized that the Absolute Ruler of Darkness had appeared before him. ¡°¡­Rin?¡± Unwittingly, Kim Hyunwoo found himself nkly calling out the name of the Absolute Ruler of Darkness. The Absolute Ruler of Darkness. No, Rin unwittingly suppressed the emotions welling up inside her. She wanted to run into the Lord¡¯s arms right then and there, but she knew. That now was not the time for that. ¡®I must apologize, I must apologize.¡¯ Rin knew what she had to do. However, once she stood before him, she had no idea what to say. Only tears welled up. At the fact that he, whom she thought she might never see again, was here now. ¡­And at the fact that he had called her name, her heart was just pounding. ¡°Sigh-¡± Knowing she shouldn¡¯t be like this, she forcibly took deep breaths, but her heart wouldn¡¯t calm down. Her heart, which hadn¡¯t raced even in confrontations with great heroes where she could lose her life, was now pounding crazily just because one man was in front of her. ¡°That¡­ That is-¡± The Absolute Ruler of Darkness gave up on calming her heart and decided to say what was most important first. ¡®First, I must start from the beginning, one thing at a time-¡¯ Rin heard a bitte that Kim Hyunwoo had returned, but she knew very well about Lartania¡¯s history. She knew that the damn wolf first came and informed about a crisis in the Lartania territory, and she also knew that the territory had faced several crises. Therefore, she had to make excuses about that. ¡°First, I am sorry for being sote. That¡­ the item ¨C I was toote because I was retrieving it¡­!¡± ¡°¡­Item?¡± Of course, the excuses were all prepared. The excuse was about the ¡®Execution Sword¡¯. In fact, thanks to Rin buying items conspicuously in Rapengan, rumors had already spread, and it was certain those rumors would reach the Lord¡¯s ears soon. That surely wasn¡¯t good for Rin. However, for that reason, she wanted to use those rumors as an excuse. She made up the excuse that she waste because someone had stolen her Execution Sword and she had been looking for it when it was put up for auction. At the same time, Rin wanted to show her sincerity to him. She wanted to ask for forgiveness by showing all the gifts Kim Hyunwoo had given her up to now, demonstrating that she had not taken any of his gifts for granted even for a moment. Therefore. ¡°The truth is, I lost the Execution Sword by mistake¡­ Someone had stolen it and sold it at the Rapengan auction¡­! I was a bitteing to the territory because I was retrieving it¡­!¡± The Absolute Ruler of Darkness said. ¡°¡­The Execution Sword in Rapengan territory?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right, someone secretly stole my Execution Sword and put it up for auction-!¡± ¡°Uh¡­ that one, is it yours?¡± ¡°¡­Eh?¡± Rin felt her vision turning white. Chapter 51: Absolute Darkness (4) ¡°Eh¡­ Ah¡­ Eh?¡± The Absolute Ruler of Darkness felt her head go nk. For a moment, she couldn¡¯tprehend what she had heard. No, she didprehend. She just didn¡¯t want to ept it. She didn¡¯t want to admit that she had heard such words. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Her heart, which felt like it was about to burst, stopped. She couldn¡¯t breathe. At the same time, countless thoughts began to race through her mind. What should I do? What did he say? He sold the item? The Execution Sword? He did? My item? Why? No, why was the Execution Sword there in the first ce? Wasn¡¯t I the one who destroyed it? What exactly is happening- Rin¡¯s mind was so cluttered with thoughts that she couldn¡¯t even recognize herself. However, those thoughts were. ¡°I thought you just threw it away, so I sold it.¡± Shattered in an instant by his following words. ¡°No, no! I never threw away the gift! Why would I throw away a gift you gave me!? That¡¯s impossible, I- I have all your gifts-!¡± Swoosh! From the darkness surrounding Rin, gifts started to emerge. Starting with swords, numerous weapons nged as they spilled onto the floor, soon filling the office. ¡°Look, look at this, I haven¡¯t thrown away any of your gifts, I have kept them all¡­! Even the Execution Sword, yes! It seems I was mistaken¡­! That¡¯s how it is-!¡± Thus, Rin,ying out the gifts scattered like scrap, began to speak. ¡°I¡¯m, I¡¯m sorry, I was simply mistaken¡­ Th-the reason I came here today was to, to seek, seek your forgiveness-!¡± Now, she couldn¡¯t even fullyprehend what she was saying herself. She was just randomly spitting out the words remaining in her mind. However. ¡°Hmm¡­? Why forgiveness?¡± Unlike Rin, who waspletely panicked, Kim Hyunwoo spoke to her with an utterly calm expression. ¡°Uh¡­ why do you have to ask for my forgiveness?¡± ¡°Eh¡­?¡± At Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s words, which seemed genuinely questioning, Rin unknowingly opened her mouth wide but soon gathered her wits and replied. ¡°That-that means, even though I knew you¡­ hade, I didn¡¯te to the territory quickly. And-¡± ¡°Uh¡­ isn¡¯t that obvious? You weren¡¯t called in the first ce.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Since I didn¡¯t call you, it¡¯s only natural that you didn¡¯te. You don¡¯t need to feel sorry at all; I was the one who didn¡¯t call you.¡± Kim Hyunwoo, as if to assure her it was really okay, even raised his hand while speaking. In fact, from his perspective, seeing Rin suddenly panic and ramble, he opened his mouth to calm her down, realizing that the conversation wasn¡¯t proceeding properly. However, for Rin, such consideration from Kim Hyunwoo seemed entirely different due to her panic and skewed thought that she was already disliked by him, as if he was mocking her for noting. ¡°Ah- uh, no¡­ it¡¯s my fault, my fault for noting-¡± The Absolute Ruler of Darkness tried to deny that fact forcefully. ¡°So, it¡¯s okay because I didn¡¯t call you, alright?¡± Kim Hyunwoo stopped her words, and then, as if he remembered something, eximed, ¡°Ah!¡± and started looking in the air for something. After searching for a while, Kim Hyunwoo manipted something. Flutter-! Soon, a fluttering piece of paper fell in front of him. Thud! The paper that fell to the ground. Kim Hyunwoo picked up the paper from the ground and then held it out to the Absolute Ruler of Darkness. ¡°Here.¡± ¡°What, what is this?¡± The Absolute Ruler of Darkness asked with a trembling voice. Seeing her like that, Kim Hyunwoo made an awkward face and then, ¡°Thinking about it, I remembered you hated that title.¡± ¡°¡­Huh?¡± ¡°If you have this, you can change your title. And like I said, you don¡¯t really need to be sorry-¡± Though the gift was somewhat unexpected, from Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s perspective, it was a gift he intended to give anyway, and by giving it, he meant to convey ¡®I really have no hard feelings?¡¯ However, from her perspective, his actions seemed full of mockery, and soon Kim Hyunwoo smiled and spoke. ¡°The reason I didn¡¯t call you, is on me.¡± And then. ¡°Ah.¡± The Absolute Ruler of Darkness felt something break inside her heart. Frankly speaking, Kim Hyunwoo still hadn¡¯t fully grasped what exactly the situation was. No wonder, from his perspective, a former hero he had raised appeared without any warning just as his territory had started to function properly. In fact, even up to that point, although he was a bit startled, it wasn¡¯t to the extent that he couldn¡¯t grasp the situation. ¡®¡­I thought she hade to reim the money for the item, realizing that I had sold the Execution Sword.¡¯ Immediately, due to the words spouted by the Absolute Ruler of Darkness, Kim Hyunwoo became unable to understand why she hade here. Honestly, at first, he thought she hade to demand the proceeds from the sale of the Execution Sword, but seeing her suddenly apologize made it increasingly unclear what her intentions were. Moreover, seeing her mildly panicking, Kim Hyunwoo first tried to calm her down and talk things over byforting her and even giving her the title change voucher he had intended to give her upon meeting. ¡°Ah, uh-¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± She seemed even more panicked than before, staring at Kim Hyunwoo without saying a word. ¡®No, really, what¡¯s going on?¡¯ Honestly, the situation was so sudden for Kim Hyunwoo that he looked a bit dumbfounded, but that was only for a moment. ¡°That¡­ I-I was wrong.¡± Kim Hyunwoo looked in puzzlement at Rin, who once again bowed her head deeply and answered, unable to understand what she had done so wrong. That¡¯s because, in Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s opinion, Rin hadn¡¯t done anything wrong to him at all. ¡°Really, what wrong have you¡­¡± So, Kim Hyunwoo, who was about to ask what exactly she thought she had done wrong, said. ¡°¡­Well, okay, as long as you know.¡± Eventually, he decided to affirm her words. In reality, he could have asked what she had done so wrong, but he implicitly realized that asking in her state of panic would only repeat the current situation. Therefore, Kim Hyunwoo answered in this way, intending to first calm Rin down quickly and then have a calm conversation once more. ¡°So, then- again, again¡­ are you epting me?¡± Along with the question from the Absolute Ruler of Darkness. Once again, a notification window scrolled up in front of Kim Hyunwoo. [Would you like to offer recruitment to the ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î hero 'Absolute Ruler of Darkness'? Y/N] [¡ùWarning: epting this hero into your territory will create hostile territories, guilds, and nations] [Norba Kingdom rtionship: ¨C522] [Eastern Union n rtionship: ¨C432] [Mage Tower rtionship: ¨C172] [Tesnoka territory rtionship: ¨C282] [Mn territory rtionship: ¨C222] [Hairan territory rtionship: ¨C338] [Rn territory rtionship: ¨C458] [Bloa territory rtionship: ¨C311] [Shtia territory rtionship: ¨C143] [Mandea territory rtionship: ¨C522] [Mihn territory rtionship: ¨C374] .... ... .. . [Norba Kingdom considers you an archenemy!] [The Eastern Union may ce a bounty on your territory to bury it!] [Mn territory has-] [Hairan-] .... ... .. . [¡ùYou may be archenemies with the Norba Kingdom!] [¡ùGreat Hero Sword God Arwen will harbor malice towards your territory!] [¡ùGreat Hero Snow Ghost Ram will harbor malice towards your territory!] [¡ùGreat Mage Laran will harbor malice towards your territory!] [¡ùEarthquake King Cm will harbor malice towards your territory!] [¡ùWarning: Recruiting the ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î hero 'Absolute Ruler of Darkness' will disadvantage your territory's poption influx once the hero's truth is revealed] [If the territory's development level is high, the recruited hero's infamy can be nullified] [Infamy of 'Absolute Ruler of Darkness': 1618] [Development level of Lartania territory: 332] [Current territory influx rate: 15%] [New territory influx rate: -1510%] ¡°Ugh.¡± Kim Hyunwoo involuntarily let out such a sound. Because what he was currently seeing was a rtionship chart far worse than the initial one with Merilda. ¡®¡­It¡¯s worse than with Merilda. And the rtionship with the territories in Norba Kingdom is especially bad¡­?¡¯ In truth, while the rtionship chart was tit for tat, in the case of the Absolute Ruler of Darkness, the rtionships with the great heroes were severely worsened. ¡®If they are great heroes, they would be 5-star heroes in the game settings.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo looked at the rtionship chart that appeared before him with a dizzy expression and thought without hesitation. ¡®This is a bit, you know¡­¡¯ epting Rin now, just as his territory was starting to truly take off, would surely wreck itpletely. epting her would smash the newly rising territory influx rate and scatter the mercenaries as well. Not only that? With this level, it wouldn¡¯t be surprising if other territories or kingdoms dered war at any moment. ¡°¡­That seems a bit difficult.¡± Kim Hyunwoo said so, and Rin, ¡°¡­Ah.¡± looked as if the world was copsing, her expression filled with despair. , Episode 51: Absolute Darkness (4) , <button x-on:click="chapterFont = 'font-sans'" :ss="chapterFont === 'font-sans' ? 'text-highlight' : 'text-primary-700'"> Inter <button x-on:click="chapterFont = 'font-lora'" :ss="chapterFont === 'font-lora' ? 'text-highlight' : 'text-primary-700'"> Lora <button x-on:click="chapterFont = 'font-mono'" :ss="chapterFont === 'font-mono' ? 'text-highlight' : 'text-primary-700'"> Mono <button x-on:click="chapterFont = 'fontic'" :ss="chapterFont === 'fontic' ? 'text-highlight' : 'text-primary-700'"> Comic <button x-on:click="chapterAlign = 'text-left'" :ss="chapterAlign === 'text-left' ? 'text-highlight' : 'text-primary-700'"> <button x-on:click="chapterAlign = 'text-justify'" :ss="chapterAlign === 'text-justify' ? 'text-highlight' : 'text-primary-700'"> <button @click="if(chapterFontSize > 16) chapterFontSize--"> 16 <button x-on:click="chapterFontSize++"> <button x-on:click="if (chapterLineHeight > 24) chapterLineHeight--"> 24 <button x-on:click="chapterLineHeight++"> <button x-on:click="if(chapterPadding > 0) chapterPadding--"> 0 <button x-on:click="chapterPadding++"> <button x-on:click="chapterFont = 'font-lora', chapterAlign = 'text-left', chapterFontSize = 16, chapterLineHeight = 24, chapterPadding = 0"> Default Prev Next Chapter 52: Dragon (1) ¡°¡­You said you would forgive, didn¡¯t you¡­?¡± These were the words from Rin, who was looking at Kim Hyunwoo with an expression as if the world had crumbled. ¡°But why¡­ is it impossible?¡± At that sorrowful muttering, Kim Hyunwoo made a peculiar face and thought. In fact, he was very curious about many things. However, despite a few unresolved questions, there were definitely facts Kim Hyunwoo could infer from her immediate actions. That was, the Absolute Ruler of Darkness before him wanted to return to Lartania. From Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s standpoint, it was undoubtedly good news. After all, obtaining a 5-star hero right now would be greatly beneficial. However, despite such merits, the reason he couldn¡¯t ept Rin was, ¡°Honestly, it¡¯s impossible because your infamy is too high.¡± It was because of her rtionship chart ¨C in other words, her infamy. ¡°Infamy?¡± At the Absolute Ruler of Darkness¡¯ puzzled question, Kim Hyunwoo nodded. In fact, Kim Hyunwoo hadn¡¯t nned on discussing her rtionship chart with her. After all, exining this rtionship chart, which only he could see, to a hero seemed not that easy a task. However, seeing her seemingly harboring a huge misunderstanding, he feltpelled to exin. To Kim Hyunwoo, her current expression seemed¡­ how should he put it? A little dangerous. Honestly, it looked like she couldmit some ¡®terrible deed¡¯ without it being the least bit surprising. Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s gaze briefly caught on the long sword at Rin¡¯s waist. Somehow, it looked exceptionally sharp today. ¡°¡­Hmm.¡± After a moment of contemtion, Kim Hyunwoo opened his mouth, pondering how to discuss this rtionship chart with her. ¡°First off, it seems you¡¯ve had a hard time. Although I can¡¯t know the details, you must have had your reasons. At least, as far as I know, you don¡¯t recklessly take lives.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± Kim Hyunwoo, cautiously praising her because of her slightly dangerous look, seemed to bring a faint color to Rin¡¯s face, but, ¡°However, while I can understand that, I can¡¯t ept you.¡± ¡°Uh¡­!¡± Her expression darkened again at the following words. ¡°Your infamy is essentially poison to Lartania¡¯s territory.¡± Kim Hyunwoo continued. ¡°You said you¡¯ve been watching me, right?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°No?¡± ¡°¡­! Ye-yes! I, I have indeed been watching you¡­!!¡± ¡°Then you must know well. Lartania¡¯s territory has just begun to grow, and a proper structure has just been established to function as a territory. But your infamy could ruin everything I¡¯ve built up so far.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re afraid of those who bear grudges against me seeking revenge-¡± ¡°If that were the only issue, I might have considered recruiting you.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Kim Hyunwoo, scratching his head as if pondering, continued. ¡°The demerits of employing you aren¡¯t just that, Rin. The Labyrinth city I¡¯ve created ultimately relies on the influx of territory residents and diplomacy. But what if I recruit you, with your infamy piled high?¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Rin¡¯s breathing visibly halted. Anyone but a fool would understand what Kim Hyunwoo was saying, and Rin was no fool. ¡°First off, the mercenaries¡¯ footsteps will cease. Naturally, the territory¡¯s revenue will decrease. The merchant groups and territory residents won¡¯te because of your presence. In a stagnant territory, the residents will leave. Then? We end up back at square one. Besides-¡± Kim Hyunwoo went on. ¡°-Even if we ignore all those demerits and recruit you, could you alone fend off everyone hostile to Lartania? No, it would be impossible.¡± Kim Hyunwoo roughly guessed the strength of the Absolute Ruler of Darkness. After all, he had seen the strength of Merilda, who was also a 5.5-star, even if it was only for a moment. But no matter how strong she was, capable of overwhelmingly winning hero battles and facing thousands single-handedly, if a nation dered war and started to form alliances, there would be no answer. After all, an individual, even a 5.5-star, couldn¡¯t fend off tens of thousands of troops and 5-star heroes. Therefore. ¡°That¡¯s why I can¡¯t ept you.¡± As soon as he finished speaking. A dreadful silence followed. Rin had bowed her head deeply after hearing those words, so it was unclear what expression she was making, but Kim Hyunwoo, having thoroughlyid out the reasons, felt the weight of the atmosphere enough to be cautious. ¡®¡­Is she angry?¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo could guess that she must have gone through a lot, just from hearing about what she had done. However, being rejected so bluntly was likely something she hadn¡¯t anticipated. But epting Rin in the current situation was out of the question- ¡°-I understand.¡± Before he could finish that thought, Rin¡¯s somber voice answered. The pain of having one¡¯s guts torn apart was etched on the face she lifted. She was clenching her teeth so hard that blood seemed to seep from her gums. It was a face that seemed to understand and ept in her mind that he couldn¡¯t ept her now, barely holding back the urge to cry out loud. However, somehow. Even with such an expression, what was engraved in her eyes was not simply pain, but a determined ¡®will¡¯. As if. ¡°I have something to do for a moment.¡± As if she had realized what ¡®she had to do¡¯. ¡°Let¡¯s see each other againter.¡± With those words, she turned her back on him with a limping walk, as if promising a future encounter. ¡°¡­?¡± For Kim Hyunwoo, those words only amplified his unease. ¡°As promised, there will be nomission this time.¡± The Lord of Rapengan territory, Berta, said this to Adria, the head of the Tienus Merchant Group who had put the ¡®Execution Sword¡¯ up for auction, with a smile. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to thank you for this convenience.¡± ¡°Convenience? It¡¯s only right to do so for you, head of the Merchant Group.¡± As Berta said, it was indeed beneficial in many ways for Rapengan to amodate the Tienus Merchant Group. While a heftymission in Gold Coins could provide immediate material benefits, the friendship with Tienus Merchant Group, one of the great tradingpanies on the Continent, offered greater advantages than the immediate material gains. Even if Berta and Adria were not on bad terms, building a good rtionship was always beneficial, which is why Berta willingly waived themission. At least, Berta thought that Tienus Merchant Group and Adria were worth it. ¡°By the way, I heard there was a bit of an inconvenience during the auction process. Is that alright?¡± Adria¡¯s question. Berta smiled slightly at that. The fact that a merchant asks such a question, even when there might be regrettablements about the problems they are involved in, proves that, even if calcted, a certain degree of friendship has been built with the other party. ¡°There was indeed a bit of an unfortunate incident at the auction.¡± Indeed, as Berta said, a very unfortunate incident urred at the auction. Certainly, it was good that four great heroes came, but then one woman drove all four great heroes away. Just one woman, against four great heroes. Regardless of the circumstances, the in fact that remained quickly spread around, causing some damage to Rapengan as well. Of course, while it was that woman who caused themotion, it was ultimately Berta who had given her the right to enter the grand auction. However, the damage Rapengan received was minimal. The reason was that the woman was strong enough to overpower other great heroes. Of course, one should not only believe what is seen. Unless one is a mad dog like those called the Continent¡¯s mad dogs, most great heroes, whether neutral or affiliated with a nation, avoid fights. From a nation¡¯s standpoint, since each great hero represents a significant force, any injury to them could lead to a substantial loss of national power, so they avoid fights as much as possible. Moreover, great heroes not affiliated with any nation, holding much in their hands, would not want to engage in fights with other great heroes and suffer losses. Especially since the disappearance of the Blue Merchant who used to roam the world a few years ago. ¡®¡­Of course, even considering all that, the fact that four great heroes were humiliated by just one woman without a fight breaking out is something worth pondering.¡¯ Ultimately, thanks to the woman, who was rmended by the ¡®Swords of Cn¡¯ to enter the grand auction, being too strong, Rapengan was able to get by with minimal damage. After all, everyone knew that it was impossible to avert a disaster capable of overpowering four great heroes in amercial territory. ¡°¡­But Adria, you don¡¯t need to worry about it. After all, the original purpose was achieved.¡± Moreover, the fact that the Execution Sword was sold in Rapengan territory and, fortunately, the woman purchased it for a vast sum meant that, ultimately, Rapengan did not suffer significant damagepared to what it gained. In fact, it could be said to have benefited in a way, beyond the damage. Ultimately, her participation in this grand auction, rmended by the ¡®Swords of Cn¡¯, revealed her identity. ¡®She is the hidden power behind the Cn Kingdom.¡¯ Berta could easily tell that she was the monster who had grown the kingdom, which, ten years ago, seemed about to be consumed by Norba Kingdom. ¡­Of course, spreading that information around was impossible, but just knowing it was a great help, so she was satisfied. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯m relieved.¡± After Adria¡¯s words and a bit of conversation, ¡°I should be going soon.¡± ¡°Oh, are you leaving already?¡± ¡°Yes. I have a destination I need to visit now.¡± ¡°A destination¡­?¡± ¡°I need to return to my Guardian.¡± ¡°Ah, I see.¡± After a brief conversation, they parted ways. ¡®Uhm, there were some issues, but it¡¯s not too bad considering.¡¯ Adria checked the Gold Coins loaded in the carriage once more, ¡®Then, should I propose to visit my Guardian while delivering this?¡¯ Thinking this, as she left Rapengan territory and was working in her office, Adria sent her secretary away and took out a small crystal orb as the territory grew distant. Today was the day to report in advance to her Guardian. Therefore, after taking out the red crystal orb, Adria ced it on the desk in her office, gently infused it with magic, and bowed. Woong-! The crystal orb shone brightly, and something simr to a hologram window appeared in front of Adria. ¡°I greet The Great One.¡± Adria immediately bowed her head as the hologram appeared. However, the woman with red hair like Adria¡¯s, appearing in the hologram, did not say anything. ¡°I will report.¡± As if ustomed to her response, Adria began the report on her own. Despite the start of the report, the woman with various scars on her neck just looked at her with an empty gaze. A little whileter. ¡°That concludes the report on the Merchant Group¡­¡± After finishing the report on the Merchant Group, Adria continued, ¡°May I introduce a person to you, if you permit?¡± The woman looked down at Adria with an indifferent gaze. However. ¡°It¡¯s just that, perhaps, that person might possess what you desire, so I dare ask.¡± ¡°¡­The item I desire?¡± At Adria¡¯s words, she responded. ¡°Yes. So, if it¡¯s alright with you, Great Guardian, I wish for you to see this person with your own eyes through your power and make a decision.¡± At Adria¡¯s continued words, ¡°¡­Alright.¡± The dragon answered. Chapter 53: Dragon (2) ¡°Ah.¡± Right after escaping Lartania¡¯s territory, the Absolute Ruler of Darkness aimlessly walked before murmuring with a low exmation as if realizing something. ¡°I didn¡¯t bring all the weapons¡­¡± She realized that although the darkness she controlled habitually gathered weapons, she had failed to properly bring a few of them. However, even upon realizing this, Rin¡¯s expression did not change significantly. After all, she had realized it. That gathering all the gifts in the end meant nothing. Upon thinking this, the Absolute Ruler of Darkness unknowingly smiled wistfully and looked up at the sky. Staring nkly into the dark night with only the moon, she unknowingly shed tears. ¡°¡­¡­¡± In fact, from a certain perspective, today could be considered a good day for her. No, perhaps it could be considered a very good day. After all, she had met him today for the first time in ten years, the one she had longed for, and at the same time, she realized a very important fact. Namely, the certain realization that she could return to his side. That was important. At least until now, she had gathered gifts for over ten years but always trembled with anxiety. After all, it was uncertain whether he, who had left disappointed even after she gathered gifts, would ept her back. But today, she had received confirmation. From him. From the one she had always waited for, and dearly cherished. The confirmation that she could return. It was an incredibly happy moment, and something she had wished for. After all, her purpose was to return to him. However, despite realizing this fact, Rin silently shed tears. No matter that she had received confirmation, the fact that she had been rejected by him weighed heavily on her heart. Thus, the Absolute Ruler of Darkness, who had been biting her lip and shedding tears for a while, wiped her tears away at some point. Then, with eyes full of determination and swollen red, she looked back at Lartania¡¯s territory that she had just left. Not the vast territory she knew from ten years ago, but a small territory just beginning to develop. ¡°I must return, no matter what.¡± Rin remembered what Kim Hyunwoo had said. More precisely, she thought about the reason he did not ept her. ¡°Infamy.¡± If only she could get rid of that, the Absolute Ruler of Darkness could return. She could return again. She could get another chance. Once again, she could have the opportunity to build affection with him. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Numerous thoughts shed through her mind immediately. How to quickly remove the infamy, numerous ns were formted, discarded, and reestablished in her mind. At the same time. Thinking of it, Rin wished to return to Lartania as soon as possible. ¡®First of all, I understand you¡¯ve had a hard time. Even if I can¡¯t know the details, you must have had your reasons. At least from what I know, you wouldn¡¯t take someone¡¯s life without reason.¡¯ Gathering the pieces of affection he had shared, she cherished them. She wished. The next day. After the sudden visit from Rin had momentarily caused confusion, Kim Hyunwoo listened to Loria¡¯s report on the sales trend of memberships. [The total amount earned from yesterday's membership sales is 7,500 Gold Coins] ¡°¡­7,500 Gold Coins?¡± [Yes, excluding the cost of manufacturing the membership cards, it amounts to about 7,500 Gold Coins] Kim Hyunwoo asked in surprise following Loria¡¯s words. ¡°So, 1,500 people bought memberships?¡± [Yes, that's based on yesterday's sales, and seeing as the line extends to the za just like yesterday, today's sales will be... truly significant] Upon hearing Loria¡¯s words, Kim Hyunwoo had a bewildered expression and thought. ¡®I thought it would sell well, but I didn¡¯t know it would be to this extent.¡¯ Naturally, he expected the cards to sell very well thanks to the system he created. After all, from the mercenaries¡¯ perspective, five Gold Coins was an amount they could recover by diligently selling Magic Stones. Additionally, he thought the tax reduction benefits from public points, which absolutely did not exist in the medieval era, would surely ignite the mercenaries¡¯ desire to purchase memberships, but he was surprised it was to this degree. Not long after, Elena, who came to report the membership sales until this morning, also spoke with a very surprised expression. ¡°¡­A total of 982 cards have been sold until this morning.¡± ¡°So, today will be¡­¡± ¡°It seems like it will far exceed yesterday¡¯s sales. The counter is temporarily closed right now because it¡¯s lunchtime.¡± Elena, with a truly amazed expression, reviewed the contents of her own report once again. Seeing her, Kim Hyunwoo smiled broadly, feeling that everything was proceeding exactly as nned. This was because he had already covered the Gold Coins he exchanged for the Magic Stones received from the mercenaries just by selling the memberships. ¡®Of course, membership sales will gradually decrease over time, but that doesn¡¯t matter.¡¯ After all, memberships were just the first method to recover Gold Coins, and even if the mercenaries bought memberships and started mining Magic Stones in earnest, Kim Hyunwoo wouldn¡¯t lose anything. It was all gain, in fact. If the mercenaries mined Magic Stones from the bottom, Kim Hyunwoo could obtain 50% of the Magic Stones they brought under the guise of taxes. In other words, from Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s perspective, he could obtain Magic Stones for free without spending any resources of the territory. And that¡¯s not all. Ultimately, mercenaries who start to establish themselves and be active in the Labyrinth city begin economic activities within the territory, which then trantes into taxes from the residents. ¡®Of course, introducing a public point system to buy Magic Stones cheaply will eventually reduce taxes.¡¯ Still, it was fine. At first nce, the public point system created by Kim Hyunwoo seemed like a positive system without any problems to the mercenaries, but naturally, he didn¡¯t create it without thought. In essence, Kim Hyunwoo had yed a trick. Of course, the trick he yed was not just about increasing public points, a tactic often seen in third-rate games. Messing with public points, an element that could upgrade the card to the next level, was an effective method, but it was likely to elicit poor responses from the mercenaries, separate from its efficacy. This is because the intent behind tampering with the required public points was too obvious. Therefore, Kim Hyunwoo did not tamper with the public points. Instead, the initial public points he set were quite conscientious, slightly excessive from the mercenaries¡¯ perspective, but still quite reasonable. Instead, the trick Kim Hyunwoo yed was introducing a ranking system. The mercenaries¡¯ public points remain as they umte. However, the value of the umted public points gradually decreases. Why? Because if other mercenaries umte public points, the card rank will drop. ¡®Of course, the rank system starts from bronze.¡¯ In essence, Kim Hyunwoo intended to incitepetition among the mercenaries, and he firmly believed this would be sessful. This was because the system, which kept thepetition going no matter how much public points were umted, was modeled after the structure of a once very sessful mobile game. From Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s perspective, a reduction in taxes was not a big loss. While average mercenaries might not understand, eventually, the skilled mercenaries who gather will deposit most of their Magic Stones in the territory for public points. Just like in that mobile game from the past, where yers retried hundreds of times for a single flip. ¡­In fact, even without all the above mechanisms, Kim Hyunwoo was genuinely profiting right now. After all, monsters in the Labyrinth would continuously regenerate while the package was purchased. Therefore, Kim Hyunwoo, who was smiling, A ¡ï¡ï¡ï hero 'Golden Witch' has entered the territory. [The Tienus Merchant Group has arrived at the territory!] ¡°Hmm?¡± He noticed the notification pop-up. ¡°Hello.¡± Soon, after some time had passed, Kim Hyunwoo, who met Adria as usual, ¡°Eh-uh!?¡± ¡°¡­??¡± Adria suddenly widened her eyes, causing Kim Hyunwoo to look puzzled, but she, making that expression, couldn¡¯t easily rx her face. That was because Adria, who was currently sharing consciousness and senses with the Red Dream Dragon, the Guardian of the Tienus Merchant Group, [Master?Master?Master?Master?Master?Master?Master?Master?Master?Master?Master?Master?Master?Master?Master?Master?Master?Master?Master?Master?Master?Master?Master?Master?Master?Master?Master?Master?Master?Master?Master?Master?Master?Master?Master?Master?Master?Master?-] could hear her voice chillingly echoing in her head. Chapter 54: Dragon (3) The Golden Witch Adria thought of her Guardian. Who appeared and saved the Merchant Group when her parents were killed by Northern barbarians and the whole Group was on the verge of copse. Furthermore, the Red Dragon became the Guardian of the Tienus Merchant Group with the purpose of obtaining whatever she desired. It has been over seven years since the Golden Witch officially took her as a Guardian. During that time, Adria always offered part of the earnings from the Merchant Group as a tribute, despite never asking for more than what she was looking for, and always interacted with the Guardian. At least in Adria¡¯s mind, the owner of the Tienus Merchant Group was that Red Dragon, the Guardian. And after seven years of such interactions under that belief, Adria definitely realized one characteristic about the Guardian of the Merchant Group. That the Guardian of the Tienus Merchant Group, who imed herself as such, really had no interest in anything except for ¡®what she wanted¡¯. From the very first meeting, Adria had gifted her many things, despite her being emotionless. Having learned trade from her parents who were merchants, her talent as a merchant was outstanding enough to greatly expand the Merchant Group beyond what her parents had managed, in addition to being chosen as a hero by the world. However, she had never shown any reaction to Adria¡¯s gifts. Countless Gold Coins. Rare jewels. Weapons of the century, none of which could elicit any emotional change in the Guardian. Instead, what Adria always faced was just a nce with an indifferent expression and a dry voice saying ¡®well done¡¯. And therefore, Adria was in a situation where she could not easilypose her emotions due to the voice echoing in her head. [Ma-Master. It¡¯s really you, Master- sob- I thought I wouldn¡¯t see you again¡­!!] That was because she had never seen this side of the Guardian before. The voice, clear enough to be felt beyond consciousness, gradually turned into a sobbing sound over time. Adria was feeling even more confused by this. ¡°Um, are you okay? You look pale¡­?¡± Soon after, realizing Kim Hyunwoo was looking at her with a strange expression, she regained her senses and answered. ¡°Ah, aah¡­ I suddenly felt a bit dizzy. Maybe because I¡¯ve been working hard these days.¡± ¡°¡­Aha, indeed, as a merchant who always works with the abacus, it¡¯s natural to be tired from workingte,¡± Kim Hyunwoo responded. Adria, while giving an awkward smile, continued to listen to the sobbing voice of the Guardian in her head, ¡°The reason I came here, as you might guess, is about the auction of the Execution Sword you entrusted to me this time. Besides, there seem to be many rumors already circting, so there are various things I want to discuss. But before that, do you happen to know the Red Dream Dragon-¡± [No!] -She couldn¡¯t finish her sentence. The reason was because of the intimidating voice, not the tearful one from earlier, echoing in her head. Adria¡¯s body froze instantly and she couldn¡¯t finish her words, but Kim Hyunwoo, having heard her and somewhat guessed the meaning, spoke. ¡°If you¡¯re referring to the guardian dragon of the Tienus Merchant Group you mentioned before, unfortunately, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve met them.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve never had any connections with dragonkind to begin with. Well¡­ I did have one half-human, half-dragon acquaintance.¡± Kim Hyunwoo said so and then continued speaking to her. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know much about dragons. Even though half-humans, half-dragons may look simr, their lineage is entirely different, so there¡¯s no mistaking it.¡± ¡°¡­I see.¡± Adria wanted to ask what that reaction was all about, but after the Guardian¡¯s sharp rebuke earlier, she buried her curiosity. ¡°Ahem, getting back to the main point, I came to deliver the payment received from the Rapengan territory.¡± Soon, Adria brought up the main topic while listening to the oddly panting breath of the Guardian. About 30 minutester. Adria, seemingly having an urgent matter, handed over only the Gold Coins to Kim Hyunwoo and then, ¡°Let¡¯s meet again next time. It seems I have to go urgently.¡± After saying that, she left the territory. Watching her leave with curiosity, Kim Hyunwoo then looked at the wealth window in disbelief, holding the Gold Coins in his hand. [Gold Coins: 1,117,334] Having sold memberships, the amount of Gold Coins, which was just around 110,000 before, had increased more than tenfold, leaving Kim Hyunwoo dumbfounded but also unwittingly smiling. 1.1 million Gold Coins. Of course, it wasn¡¯t arge amountpared to the Gold Coins Lartania had during its heyday, but for Kim Hyunwoo now, 1.1 million Gold Coins was as good as winning the lottery. With 1.1 million Gold Coins, Kim Hyunwoo could do a lot right away. ¡®I was nning to do this once the Labyrinth city officiallyunched, but with this amount, I might as well go ahead and spend it now?¡¯ So, with a smile on his face, Kim Hyunwoo, ¡°Ah,¡± suddenly had a thought and pulled out the Execution Sword stored under his office desk. More precisely, the Execution Sword that Rin, who had suddenly barged in yesterday, brought but did not take with her. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Kim Hyunwoo felt a strange feeling looking at the Execution Sword. That was because, given the situation, it was as if Kim Hyunwoo had swallowed 1.1 million Gold Coins for free. ¡®ording to Rin, it seems she bought the Execution Sword from the Rapengan territory¡­¡¯ Effectively, due to Rin not taking the Execution Sword for some reason, Kim Hyunwoo found himself in possession of it again despite having sold it. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Certainly, Kim Hyunwoo wasn¡¯t harboring any ill intentions, but for some reason, he felt a strange emotion as he gazed at the Execution Sword. As Kim Hyunwoo was deep in thought alone, looking at the Execution Sword left by Rin, Adria, who had hastily left the territory after handing over the Gold Coins to him, was bowing to the Guardian disyed on the crystal orb with a confused expression. No matter how much she thought about it, Adria couldn¡¯t properly understand the situation. ¡®Why does the Guardian know Kim Hyunwoo?¡¯ Of course, Adria knew that Lartania¡¯s territory was veryrge ten years ago and that the current Kim Hyunwoo was the man who had grown that territory. Thus, just considering that, it was possible that Kim Hyunwoo and the Guardian knew each other. After all, connections can be made anywhere. However, just thinking like that felt very strange to Adria, considering the Guardian¡¯s reaction. Despite Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s im of having no connection with dragons, the Guardian referred to him as ¡®Master¡¯. Thus, although Adria momentarily wore a puzzled expression, she soon bowed her head and said, ¡°I am sorry.¡± [¡­¡­] ¡°Despite The Great One not daring tomand it, I regret speaking out of turn, unable to contain my curiosity.¡± [¡­¡­] ¡°If by any chance this has upset you, I will do whatever it takes to appease any anger The Great One might hold. Truly, I am very sorry.¡± Adria bowed deeply, with all sincerity. However, [¡­¡­] no voice was yet to be heard. Upon this, Adria let out a deep sigh inwardly. To be honest, she still had no clue about the rtionship between the Lord of Lartania and the Guardian, but this made her realize one thing. That is, asking about this rtionship itself was like touching a ndmine¡¯. Thus, as Adria sighed over her momentary curiosity and reckless asking, just as she was about to speak again- ¡°Sigh.¡± A voice was heard. ¡°Sigh, hee-¡± The voice¡­ ¡°Sigh, heehee¡­¡± ¡­Was heard? Adria, upon hearing the voice, unconsciously raised her eyes to look at the screen from which the Guardian was appearing. The Guardian appearing there was, astonishingly, looking at a recording artifact with a bright smile, a smile Adria had never seen before. An artifact with a function simr to a modern-day camera. Adria, who was nkly staring at it, soon realized that the artifact, faintly visible from the side, was recording Kim Hyunwoo. Right after realizing that, ¡°Heehee¡­ he,¡± Adria stared nkly for a while at the suddenly malfunctioning Guardian. Chapter 55: Magic Tower (1) After Adria left, another two days passed. [You have epted a trade from the Tesnoka territory] [Time remaining until resource arrival: 23 hours, 21 minutes, 11 seconds] Kim Hyunwoo, who had been talking with a dwarf for a while, soon checked the notification that popped up in front of him. Another day passed, and Kim Hyunwoo was able to meet the ¡®Expedited Delivery Dwarf¡¯, a character that existed in the settings, face to face. ¡°Hello!¡± At a nce, she was short, but Kim Hyunwoo murmured to himself, seeing a woman whose presence andrge chest starkly contrasted with her height, making it clear she was no child. ¡°¡­Big.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°Oh, nothing. I was just saying you¡¯re quite tall for a dwarf.¡± Kim Hyunwoo, who would normally never make such a mistake, blurted out an excuse, dumbfounded by the unexpected size. ¡°Wow¡­ Our Lord knows how to please a dwarf-¡± The dwarf, seemingly very pleased, giggled and handed a document to Kim Hyunwoo. ¡°But in the end, you still have to pay the exact amount. No discounts, right?¡± ¡°I understand. Where should I sign?¡± ¡°Please sign here and here. And at the same time, you can load the payment into the empty cart.¡± Kim Hyunwoo, seeing that the territory residents he had hired in advance were all diligently moving resources, immediately signed. ¡°Wow! Thank you so much!¡± The ¡®Expedited Delivery Dwarf¡¯, who introduced herself as Gwyn, bowed with a satisfied smile, soon after confirming that all resources were unloaded to one side. ¡°Now! Since I have to deliver the payment, I¡¯ll be on my way!¡± With a livelyugh, she vanished like the wind. Kim Hyunwoo, staring nkly at her departure, thought to himself without realizing, ¡®It wasn¡¯t for nothing that people praised the Expedited Delivery Dwarf.¡¯ Of course, having yed Arteil for a long time, Kim Hyunwoo was not unaware of the Expedited Delivery Dwarf who introduced herself as Gwyn. However, Kim Hyunwoo had not been particrly interested because she was not a recruitable hero but merely a character that existed in the settings and with whom a few words could be exchanged. Having met her, Kim Hyunwoo slightly understood why some of themunity¡¯s veterans were so fond of the Expedited Delivery Dwarf. Thus, Kim Hyunwoo, who had been staring nkly at the spot where Gwyn disappeared, ¡°My Lord?¡± could hear Elena¡¯s voice, who was waiting beside him. ¡°Oh, yes?¡± ¡°No, you just seemed to be spacing out.¡± ¡°Oh, did I?¡± ¡°Yes. Since meeting that small dwarf. You¡¯ve seemed to be spacing out¡­?¡± He spoke as if he didn¡¯t know, but his half-open eyes seemed to know everything. ¡°No, well, since the resources have arrived, I was thinking of getting down to business.¡± Kim Hyunwoo, turning his gaze away slyly and speaking as if toy down a steel te on his face, dodged Elena¡¯s suspicion (?) and immediately called a guard to start directing how to utilize the resources piled up like a mountain. ¡°What could be big¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Kim Hyunwoo had to endure Elena¡¯s oddly deadpan gaze until the end of his instructions to the guard¡­ The day after the resources arrived from the Tesnoka territory. Territory: Lartania Territory Development Level: 618 Territory Residents: [Humans: 4146] -Owned Buildings- [Castle LV1 >>> Upgrading 99% (Paused)] [Walls LV2 >>> Upgrading 0%] [Residential District LV2 >>> Upgrading 0%] [Forge LV3 >>> Upgrading 0%] [Barracks LV2 >>> Upgrading 92%] [Tavern LV2] [Market LV1 >>> Upgrading 0%] [Wood Processing nt LV1] [Restaurant LV1 >>> Upgrading 0%] [Leather Processing nt LV1] [Stone Processing nt LV1] [Trading Post LV1] [Secondary Walls LV0 (Under Construction 9%)] [Inn LV0 (Under Construction 0%)] [Administrative District LV0 (Under Construction 0%)] Owned Troops: -200 regr soldiers [Upgradeable soldiers avable!] Kim Hyunwoo looked at the notification window that had begun to obscure his view, smiling contentedly. Thest time he checked, the development level was around 300, but with the opening of the Labyrinth, it had doubled to over 600 in an instant, and the poption of the territory, which was in the 2,000s, also surpassed 4,000 in no time. It was an incredible rate of development for just a few days. ¡°Is this alright?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± As Kim Hyunwoo smiled at that, he asked upon hearing Elena¡¯s voice, and she, seemingly cautious, said, ¡°Surely, the territory growing is a good thing¡­ but I wonder if we¡¯re expanding too quickly. Of course, you, as the Lord, must have thought this through.¡± ¡°¡­Hmm. I do think it¡¯s reasonable to feel uneasy about it.¡± Kim Hyunwoo neatly affirmed Elena¡¯s words. Her words were not wrong, after all. ¡®In fact, it would be better to start focusing on maintaining public order at this point.¡¯ There are many important things to consider when managing a territory in Arteil. But as the residents are the most important, Arteil requires careful effort to ensure they do not leave the territory. As said several times, the workforcees from the residents. ¡®Of course, the territory is currently overflowing with mercenaries.¡¯ In the Lartania territory, there were an estimated 5,000 mercenaries, and their numbers were increasing in real-time. In essence, this means the territory has a workforce of over 9,000. However, despite therge number of people, unfortunately, mercenaries could not be used asbor force. Mercenaries are too expensive to employ asbor, especially now with the opening of the Labyrinth city. Of course, Kim Hyunwoo, who currently has a lot of money, could afford it, but he preferred not to resort to such measures. After all, money is not infinite, and to restore the territory to its former state, 1 million Gold Coins was not considered arge amount. Furthermore, Kim Hyunwoo had already spent about 400,000 Gold Coins in reality. The reason was due to the construction of the secondary walls. Initially, when Kim Hyunwoo first built the walls, he surrounded only the vicinity of the castle, not the entire Lartania territory. The reason was, of course, because the entire territory of Lartania was veryrge. Moreover, from Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s perspective, who had to start everything from scratch, there was no need to encircle the vastnd with walls immediately. But now, with the opening of the Labyrinth city, the secondary walls were a necessary step for Kim Hyunwoo to take, so he was spending excessively to construct them quickly. ¡®Of course, even with this, it has only covered about 40% of the original territory.¡¯ Since the territory¡¯sndmass is sorge, spending more Gold Coins became wasteful, so Kim Hyunwoo decided topromise at this point. In essence, Kim Hyunwoo was expanding the territory using itsbor force rather than increasing soldiers to strengthen its foundation, knowing Elena¡¯s concerns, he pondered for a moment before asking, ¡°Is public order starting to deteriorate?¡± ¡°¡­So far, it hasn¡¯t been significantly noticeable. But if the influx of mercenaries continues like this¡­¡± Kim Hyunwoo nodded at Elena¡¯s words. Indeed, as she said, even if not immediately, it was certain that public order in the territory would deteriorate over time. In fact, it was already being maintained too well. The mercenaries had already increased to over 4,000,pared to only 200 soldiers. Even those were stretched thin across the first tier¡¯s rest area, the castle gate, and the Lord¡¯s castle security, so if public order begins to decline, the situation could escte to the worst. Firstly, if public order drops, no matter how high the happiness level, the rate at which it plummets would be unreasonable. In essence, Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s territory was in a state of very poor foundation due to building up too quickly. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, it should still be alright.¡± ¡°¡­Is that so?¡± Yet, knowing all this, Kim Hyunwoo spoke as if it was alright. Because he had a n for everything. ¡°Yes. So, for now, I¡¯d like you, Elena, to do what you can to maintain public order. I¡¯ll delegate the rted authority to you.¡± ¡°That means¡­¡± ¡°Exactly as it sounds, you don¡¯t have to report everything and can make decisions autonomously. I trust you.¡± Following Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s words, ¡°¡­Ahem, I¡¯ll do my best.¡± Elena, turning her gaze away and briefly smiling, left the office after saying that. And so, another three days passed. [My Lord, public order is gradually declining. If it falls further, the happiness of the territory residents is expected to plummet sharply] ¡®Hmm, I thought it woulde eventually, but if it hasn¡¯te to this point, I might have no choice but to recruit more soldiers.¡¯ As Loria gave the warning, Kim Hyunwoo sighed with regret. A ¡ï¡ï¡ï Hero 'Light Researcher' has entered the territory. [A messenger from the 'Mage Tower' has visited the territory!] Kim Hyunwoo smiled at the notification that popped up as if he had been waiting for it. , Episode 55: Magic Tower (1) , <button x-on:click="chapterFont = 'font-sans'" :ss="chapterFont === 'font-sans' ? 'text-highlight' : 'text-primary-700'"> Inter <button x-on:click="chapterFont = 'font-lora'" :ss="chapterFont === 'font-lora' ? 'text-highlight' : 'text-primary-700'"> Lora <button x-on:click="chapterFont = 'font-mono'" :ss="chapterFont === 'font-mono' ? 'text-highlight' : 'text-primary-700'"> Mono <button x-on:click="chapterFont = 'fontic'" :ss="chapterFont === 'fontic' ? 'text-highlight' : 'text-primary-700'"> Comic <button x-on:click="chapterAlign = 'text-left'" :ss="chapterAlign === 'text-left' ? 'text-highlight' : 'text-primary-700'"> <button x-on:click="chapterAlign = 'text-justify'" :ss="chapterAlign === 'text-justify' ? 'text-highlight' : 'text-primary-700'"> <button @click="if(chapterFontSize > 16) chapterFontSize--"> 16 <button x-on:click="chapterFontSize++"> <button x-on:click="if (chapterLineHeight > 24) chapterLineHeight--"> 24 <button x-on:click="chapterLineHeight++"> <button x-on:click="if(chapterPadding > 0) chapterPadding--"> 0 <button x-on:click="chapterPadding++"> <button x-on:click="chapterFont = 'font-lora', chapterAlign = 'text-left', chapterFontSize = 16, chapterLineHeight = 24, chapterPadding = 0"> Default Prev Next Chapter 56: Magic Tower (2) Not long after the notification appeared, Kim Hyunwoo was able to meet with a middle-aged mage who hade to his office. ¡°Pleased to meet you, I am Onel, the Light Researcher.¡± Kim Hyunwoo nodded as Onel, whose attire alone seemed to dere him a renowned mage, slightly bowed his head. ¡°Pleased to meet you, Onel. I am Kim Hyunwoo, the Lord of Lartania.¡± This brief conversation began with their introductions. Although itsted only about five minutes, Kim Hyunwoo was able to easily discern Onel¡¯s personality. ¡®Arrogant, with immense pride in his magic.¡¯ Onel possessed exactly the kind of personality Kim Hyunwoo expected of a mage, proud of his magic and somewhat disdainful of those who could not wield it. He was immensely proud of his magic, and while not overtly, his attitude showed a certain disdain for those unable to use magic. This was despite the fact that he was in a position to discuss matters of some importance from the perspective of the Mage Tower. ¡°Ahem¡­ Anyway, the reason I havee such a long way today is because there is a peculiar rumor circting about the Lartania territory.¡± As Onel seemed to conclude the small talk and get to the point, Kim Hyunwoo spoke as if he had been waiting for this. ¡°If it¡¯s a peculiar rumor, it must naturally be about the Labyrinth.¡± ¡°Correct, I¡¯ve heard that in the Labyrinth of Lartania territory, Magic Stones are produced infinitely¡­ Is that true?¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡± ¡°¡­Really?¡± ¡°Yes, it might be hard to believe since it¡¯s unprecedented, but unlike other territories, monsters are continuously generated in our Lartania territory.¡± At Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s nod, Onel nced at him and spoke. ¡°May I, perhaps, conduct an investigation?¡± ¡°It¡¯s possible to conduct an investigation, but given our current rtionship, it¡¯s a bit difficult to amodate that request.¡± At Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s subtle refusal, Onel hmmed thoughtfully for a moment before speaking. ¡°Indeed, that¡¯s exactly why I¡¯vee today to discuss this matter. If what the Lord says is true, then the Mage Tower thinks it could be a good partner with Lartania. What do you think?¡± ¡°I agree. However, I would like for us to form a closer rtionship.¡± ¡°¡­A closer rtionship?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± At the mage¡¯s words, Kim Hyunwoo sighed imperceptibly. ¡®This is as I expected.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo had anticipated that the Mage Tower would seek him out very quickly after opening the Labyrinth city. Although it did not exist in the game, based on Adria¡¯s words, the Mage Tower was indeed the one from the fantasy world he knew, and he was aware that they always needed a tremendous amount of Magic Stones. ¡®The important part starts now.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo cleared his throat with a cough. ¡°I would appreciate some support with magic scrolls.¡± He made his proposal. Magic scrolls are literally items made by mages that allow one to use magic at any given moment, encapsting spells within parchment for single-use. There are two main features of these magic scrolls: first is their convenience, and the second is their exorbitant cost. To give an idea, Kim Hyunwoo found that a simple yet quite powerful 1st-circle Fireball scroll costs over ten Gold Coins. Ten Gold Coins. This is an absurdly high price for a disposable item, equivalent to the current market price of ten low-grade Magic Stones. ¡°¡­You¡¯re asking for support with magic scrolls?¡± ¡°Yes, to be more precise, I would like support with Fireball and Binding scrolls, each at about three Gold Coins. Around 500 of each per month would be ideal.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± Onel looked incredulous, seemingly upset by Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s proposal to sh the price of the scrolls by 70%. However, Kim Hyunwoo continued without pause. ¡°However, if you agree to this deal, we will supply the Mage Tower with 1,000 low-grade Magic Stones every month.¡± ¡°¡­Huh.¡± Onel, looking at Kim Hyunwoo as if he couldn¡¯t believe it, said, ¡°Are you truly serious? No matter how I think about it, your proposal seems like a loss for us.¡± Onel continued, ¡°The scrolls you¡¯re asking for would cost 10,000 Gold Coins in total. And you want them for 3,000 Gold Coins? And in exchange, supply 1,000 low-grade Magic Stones?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°The value of 1,000 low-grade Magic Stones, at best, ranges between 1,000 to 1,200 Gold Coins. The calction doesn¡¯t go above or below that.¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct. Essentially, it costs about one low-grade Magic Stone to make a Fireball or Binding scroll, so it¡¯s practically at cost.¡± ¡°Knowing that-¡± Seeing Onel¡¯s face grow increasingly irritated, Kim Hyunwoo spoke firmly, ¡°But, of course, that¡¯s not the only thing I¡¯m proposing.¡± ¡°¡­Not only that?¡± ¡°Yes. Haven¡¯t I mentioned it? I wish to establish a close rtionship with the Mage Tower. Naturally, what I¡¯ve proposed so far is not enough for a close rtionship, nor even for a good partnership.¡± Kim Hyunwoo said that, then smiled slyly and continued, ¡°So, let me add one more thing, we intend to offer yound.¡± ¡°¡­Land, you say?¡± Kim Hyunwoo turned his gaze from Onel towards the outside of the Lord¡¯s castle, specifically towards the secondary walls where construction had begun, and spoke, ¡°As you know, Onel, our Lartania territory will develop further. Where money goes, people follow.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re asking me to see the future value, right?¡± ¡°More precisely, the near future. Moreover, the development of Lartania will happen faster than you think.¡± ¡°Right now, the rumor hasn¡¯t spread widely, and low-grade Magic Stones are the maximum that can be produced from the Labyrinth. But what if we break through to a new tier and start mining mid-grade Magic Stones?¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°As a handler of Magic Stones, you know, Onel, that mid-grade Magic Stones are of a different value altogether. When that timees, many will strive to form rtions with our territory. And at that point-¡± Kim Hyunwoo looked at Onel and continued, ¡°-thend of our territory, which can supply Magic Stones quickly and cheaply, will trade at unimaginably high prices. I n to offer a modest tax benefit to those who settle in my territory, specifically for Magic Stones.¡± After hearing this, Onel pondered for a while before saying, ¡°First, could you give me some time? I don¡¯t think this is something I can decide on my own.¡± He said so, ¡°Of course, that¡¯s fine.¡± Following Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s response, Onel soon left the office. And then, about two hourster, ¡°¡­We will ept your proposal.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve made a good decision. Then let¡¯s discuss the details further.¡± Kim Hyunwoo smiled. While Kim Hyunwoo was deep in conversation with the personnel from the Mage Tower, a short distance from Lartania, yet not far from the territory of Cn Kingdom, a wolf and a half-demon stood facing each other. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Merilda looked at Rin, who wore an expressionless face, with a slightly mocking expression. In truth, this meeting urred because Merilda had sought Rin out. Rin was simply returning to the Cn Kingdom, and Merilda had followed her. Of course, there was a specific reason why she had followed Rin. The reason was that Merilda had not been able to confirm whether the Absolute Ruler of Darkness had epted her Master or not. More precisely, she had not been able to grasp what had happened. All that Merilda had seen was Rin entering the Lartania territory and appearing before her Master. Merilda had not been able to understand the situation inside, as the rest of the scene was obscured by darkness, perhaps because Rin was aware of her. Of course, seeing Rin leave Lartania afterward, Merilda instinctively realized that her Master had not epted Rin, but she wanted to be more certain. ¡­Even though she had guessed, the anxiety and inferiority growing in Merilda¡¯s heart wanted to confirm it for sure. Thus, at this moment, Merilda wore a genuinely relieved smile. Even though they didn¡¯t like each other much, Rin and Merilda had spent several years together. Thus, with her expression and her immediate actions, Merilda could virtually confirm the situation for sure. ¡°As expected-¡± Rin had not been epted by the Master. Realizing that, Merilda¡¯s tail, which had been still from tension, began to subtly move. At the same time, a smile formed on her lips. ¡°Ha.¡± Seeing this, the Absolute Ruler of Darkness, with a scornful expression, looked at Merilda andughed, saying, ¡°Finding joy in others¡¯ misfortune, does that beast-like nature of yours ever change?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t talk about others. You¡¯re the same. Have you forgottening to take my Execution Swordst time? True to your demon hybrid nature, always looking to solve everything through plunder, aren¡¯t you?¡± Like breathing, the two naturally started to provoke each other. ¡°That¡¯s why you were rejected by him!¡± ¡°What about you? Besides, unable to contain your anger, you smashed all the gifts given by the Master!¡± Gradually increasing the intensity of their words, they continued to speak. ¡°Even after going to retrieve the Execution Sword, you were rejected.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°Why, you thought I wouldn¡¯t know? Even if you hide in the darkness, I can see when you leave. How shocked you must have been, leaving the Execution Sword behind?¡± Merilda smiled provocatively at Rin. ¡°Eek-!¡± Angered, Rin tried to reach into the darkness, but, ¡°Huh, huhuh¡­ Yes, think as you wish, your words have no impact on me.¡± Rin, trying to maintain a facade of unaffectedposure despite her expression suggesting otherwise, forced a casual smile and then dered, ¡°I have personally heard how to be forgiven by him!¡± She imed. ¡°What¡­?¡± At Merilda¡¯s incredulous question, with her tail even stopping in shock, Rin finally smiled as if she had seized victory and answered, ¡°Did you not hear? I was told ¡®directly¡¯ how to be forgiven by him.¡± ¡°That¡¯s absurd¡­!¡± ¡°Do you truly think it¡¯s absurd?¡± Seeing Rin speak with newfound ease, Merilda realized it was true and wore a shocked expression. ¡°So, babble all you want, I have things to do now.¡± As Rin looked at her with a triumphant expression, about to turn away, ¡°Wait, wait! Tell me too!¡± At Merilda¡¯s cry, Rin, looking incredulous yet with a rxed smile, ¡°Beasts are shameless, aren¡¯t they? Do you really think I¡¯d tell you? Hmm¡­¡± seemed to ponder for a moment, then- ¡°Well, alright then, if you perform three somersaults right here and now and prostrate yourself before me, allowing me to step on your head, I¡¯ll consider telling you.¡± She said this with a smile. She knew all along. She had always said that she would rather die than forsake her pride, prioritizing it even over life itself, making it unlikely she would everply with such a demand. However. Thump! Thump! Thump! ¡°¡­?¡± Contrary to her expectations, Merilda performed three somersaults right there and then, perfectly prostrating herself before Rin as if depicted in a painting. ¡°Step on me. As you wish, to your heart¡¯s content,¡± she said. ¡°¡­??¡± Rin wore a bewildered expression. Chapter 57: Magic Tower (3) Rin looked down at Merilda with an incredulous expression. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ording to the Absolute Ruler of Darkness, beastfolk inherently enjoy conflict, possessing a belligerent nature and, consequently, a very strong sense of pride. Among them, the Merilda known to the Absolute Ruler of Darkness was one of the beastfolk with an exceptionally strong sense of pride. She had almoste to a life-and-death struggle simply because the Hero King had slightly provoked her once. And she had fought with the Absolute Ruler of Darkness a few times as well. Furthermore, she was the epitome of a beastfolk who would charge forward without looking back, even in situations where she could die, if her pride was wounded, truly valuing pride over life itself. No, in some ways, Merilda¡¯s pride was even greater than that of the beastfolk shemonly knew. While beastfolk, despite their belligerence, might bend their pride to a stronger opponent, she would never bend her pride, no matter how strong the opponent. Thus, Rin thought that Merilda would never kneel before her. At least, the Merilda she knew would never lower her pride. However, ¡°Ha¡­?¡± Seeing Merilda perform a triple somersault and then m her head into the ground as if she had discarded such pride long ago, the Absolute Ruler of Darkness unwittingly wore an incredulous expression. ¡°Step on me quickly.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Step on me quickly¡­!¡± ¡°Wait-¡± ¡°Step on me quickly!!!¡± Crunch-! Seeing Merilda approaching like a piece of farming equipment, pushing against the ground with her head nted in it, the Absolute Ruler of Darkness unwittingly wore a frightened expression. ¡°This crazy woman-!¡± Unintentionally blurting out, but- ¡°Even if I¡¯m crazy, just step on me quickly! Quickly-!¡± Merilda, instead of stopping, pushed herself forward until she reached the tip of the Absolute Ruler of Darkness¡¯ shoe, shouting. The Absolute Ruler of Darkness, feeling a shiver, stepped back and eximed, ¡°It¡¯s for infamy!¡± ¡°¡­Infamy?¡± ¡°Yes, considering you¡¯re a beastfolk and went that far, I¡¯ll specially tell you.¡± Immediately, as if getting goosebumps on her arms, she brushed her arms and turned to leave. Not long after, Merilda, without even shaking the dirt off her head, pondered over what Rin had said. ¡°¡­!¡± She realized the meaning of her words. That the reason her Master had not epted her was due to her infamy. Meaning, if she could erase all her infamy, she might have another chance to gain her Master¡¯s favor¡­! With that realization, Merilda smiled brightly. ¡°If I erase my infamy¡­!¡± With that thought, she smiled. ¡°¡­Erase my infamy?¡± Soon, she realized. The many territories she had devastated. ¡°¡­Huh?¡± With Merilda¡¯sugh, the situation cracked. The public safety rate of the Lartania territory was gradually declining as time passed. The reason, of course, was due to the mercenaries flooding into Lartania like crazy. It was only the second week since the Labyrinth had opened, but thanks to the widely spread rumors, mercenaries were continuously pouring into Lartania. Thanks to this, the current estimate of mercenaries in Lartania had already far surpassed 5,000. In contrast, there were only about 200 soldiers immediately avable to maintain public safety in Lartania, and if you subtract those managing the rest area on the first tier, only about 120 remained, naturally leading to a decline in public safety. Given the nature of mercenaries¡¯ work, they were quite rough. Due to this, the slowly declining public safety began to steeply drop once the number of mercenaries surpassed 5,000. Until then, despite some issues arising, the rtively small size of the territory enclosed by walls and the diligent work of the soldiers and Elena had somewhat mitigated the impact, but after surpassing 5,000 mercenaries, ack of manpower led to unpreventable incidents. Once the guards failed to address an incident, the rough mercenaries, as if embodying the broken window theory, began causing problems everywhere. ¡°Hey, do you really want to die?¡± ¡°What do you mean die? Do you want to die?¡± It started with minor scuffles at first. ¡°Damn it, just give me a refund, will you?!¡± ¡°No, you¡¯ve already stayed for a day! How does it make sense not to pay for lodging?!¡± ¡°Stop nagging, seriously, should I just dunk you?¡± ¡°I-I¡¯ll call the guards!¡± ¡°Do you think the already busy guards wille, huh?!¡± ¡°Uh, ahh-!¡± And eventually, assault. In just a few days, the sudden increase in assaults in the market and residential areas led to the already declining public safety plummeting like a rollercoaster. Yes, that was the case until just yesterday. ¡°¡­What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°I heard he assaulted a resident of the living area and resisted the guards who came for him, ending up like that.¡± The next day, mercenaries and residents of Lartania looking at a man caged in a wooden prison in the middle of the square, on disy like zoo animals, soon noticed the message written above the wooden prison. [This man waswfully punished for assaulting a resident and resisting the guards who came for him] Under the prominently written sign, a mercenary spotted the man, who appeared unconscious with both arms amputated, andmented, ¡°Hmm, even so, isn¡¯t that a bit too harsh?¡± The mercenary¡¯s voice was negative. Naturally, the speaker knew that the mercenary in the prison had done wrong. However, despite knowing the wrongdoing, his defense of the mercenary was because he shared the same profession as the man in the wooden prison. In essence, being a mercenary himself, the stringent response from Lartania¡¯s side was somewhat irksome to him. This sentiment seemed shared among other mercenaries, all wearing slightlyplex expressions, but, ¡°Frankly, I think it¡¯s harsh too, but take a closer look at that guy¡¯s face.¡± ¡°Face?¡± ¡°Yes, the face. That guy is Kupa.¡± ¡°¡­Kupa?¡± Following his fellow mercenary¡¯s words, the man realized that the one in the prison was indeed Kupa. Kupa, despite being a hero chosen by the world, his actions were anything but heroic, causing trouble in various territories, naturally including incidents involving mercenaries. ¡°¡­If that troublemaker got what wasing, I don¡¯t feel too sorry for him.¡± ¡°Right, and if he resisted the guards who came for him, it was inevitable.¡± Nodding in understanding, the man then asked, ¡°That may be, but how did they catch Kupa? Was it the hero of Lartania?¡± ¡°No, I heard it was three guards who caught him.¡± ¡°Three guards¡­ Does that even make sense?¡± The man¡¯s disbelief in his colleague¡¯s words was due to his knowledge about Kupa. Kupa, being a hero chosen by the world and known among mercenaries for his considerable skills despite operating alone. But he couldn¡¯t understand how Kupa was caught by just three guards, so he asked. ¡°I heard he was caught by a magic scroll.¡± ¡°¡­Magic scroll? The one that costs more than ten Gold Coins each?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The man was surprised by his colleague¡¯s words. ¡°Look at the guards¡¯ waists.¡± ¡°¡­Real magic scrolls? And three of them.¡± ¡°I heard that recently, all the guards in Lartania started carrying them.¡± ¡°All of them have magic scrolls? I know the number of territory guards is small, but does that make sense?¡± ¡°To be honest, it¡¯s hard to believe, but they really do carry the scrolls. And there are signs they¡¯ve been used, just like that.¡± ¡°That is true.¡± Soon, they all talked while looking at the magic scrolls attached to the guard¡¯s waist. ¡°But how do the guards carry such expensive magic scrolls?¡± ¡°I heard they have a close rtionship with the Mage Tower.¡± ¡°¡­With the Mage Tower? Until now, only four or five territories have had a close rtionship with the Mage Tower, and those are allrge territories, right?¡± ¡°Still, the only way for all the guards to continuously carry so many scrolls must be that, right? Especially since the territory isn¡¯t even thatrge.¡± ¡°Indeed¡­ If they can supply scrolls to all guards, it seems the Lord does have a close rtionship with the Mage Tower. Now that I think about it, wasn¡¯t Lartania territory quite strong ten years ago?¡± Thus, the mercenaries talked for a while. ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s best to avoid causing unnecessary trouble within the territory. Otherwise, we might end up like that.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± With those words, they started to disperse. Soon, Kim Hyunwoo, watching quietly from the end of the Lord¡¯s castle, wore a satisfied expression. ¡°You are impressive.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°Honestly, it¡¯s not easy to catch someone when the public order is being disturbed by mercenaries. I didn¡¯t expect you to catch them like this.¡± Adria, watching from the side, followed up with a remark as if impressed. ¡°Indeed, it¡¯s a good method. Catching someone with a bad reputation among mercenaries with scroll magic and showing the results prevents mercenaries from sympathizing with them. This doesn¡¯t worsen the mercenaries¡¯ public opinion and shows the strength of the guards even in such situations.¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s right.¡± In fact, it was a coincidence that he caught a hero who was causing trouble and had a bad reputation among mercenaries, but as she said, Kim Hyunwoo intended to restore public order in this way. Solving problems like this prevents mercenaries from sympathizing with Kupa, as she mentioned. Moreover, establishing the strength of the guards like this, along with the rumor among mercenaries that ¡®the Lord has a close rtionship with the Mage Tower¡¯, will surely sustain the territory¡¯s public order for some time. After all, for mercenaries, mages of the Mage Tower were not opponents they wanted to make enemies of. ¡°Well, mercenaries are increasing faster than expected, so we¡¯ll eventually have to recruit more guards.¡± While thinking that, Kim Hyunwoo turned his gaze to Adria and asked a question. ¡°But, what brings the head of the Merchant Group here¡­?¡± The reason he asked was because Adria had visited Lartania just two days ago. More precisely, to deliver the magic scrolls requested by the Mage Tower. ¡®It would be nice if they could be received through the exchange.¡¯ Unfortunately, such magic scrolls could not be received through the exchange, so Kim Hyunwoo had asked the Tienus Merchant Group for regr deliveries of the scrolls. In other words, he had received the magic scrolls from the head of the Merchant Group two days ago, and it was not enough that she had suddenly visited yesterday; she hade to the territory again today. Therefore, Kim Hyunwoo carefully asked because he could not understand why Adria hade for almost three days in a row. Adria, staring intently at Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s face, let out a slightly awkwardugh. ¡°Today, I have something to say about the Magic Stones of Lartania-¡± She broached the subject, sounding somewhat like an excuse. ¡°Oh, is that so?¡± The next day, after talking with Adria, who started to stare at his face strangely unlike before. ¡°Um¡­ Hello, My Lord?¡± ¡°Ah, yes¡­ Hello, head of the Merchant Group¡­?¡± Seeing Adria who hade again, Kim Hyunwoo couldn¡¯t help but be puzzled. Thud-! Thud-! ¡°¡­!? Why are you doing that all of a sudden?¡± Kim Hyunwoo asked Adria with a puzzled expression, who was suddenly tapping at her head. ¡°Ah, haha. It was a bit noisy.¡± ¡°¡­???¡± Kim Hyunwoo could only look at her with a baffled expression as she answered awkwardly. Chapter 58: Magic Tower (4) For the next three days, seeing Adria visit every other day, Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s expression grew increasingly puzzled. That was because, at least in Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s opinion, there was no reason for Adria to keep staying here. Lartania had be a thriving city due to the opening of the Labyrinth, allowing the Tienus Merchant Group to make a decent profit through their business. However, even if the economy was doing well, moving around to sell goods was more profitable than staying in one ce, so Kim Hyunwoo began to wonder. ¡°Ahem, I probably won¡¯t be able to see you starting tomorrow.¡± ¡°Have you decided on your next destination?¡± ¡°Yes. I have a ce to go. Uh-!¡± ¡°¡­What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Ah, my head just rang for a moment¡­ It¡¯s a bit noisy inside.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been like this for a few days now; I¡¯m worried something might be wrong with you.¡± ¡°Ahaha, don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s nothing like that. Anyway- I¡¯ll see you next time.¡± After saying that, Adria left the territory. ¡°¡­What was that all about?¡± Kim Hyunwoo tried to guess why Adria had been visiting consistently over the past few days but naturally couldn¡¯t figure out her intentions. ¡®The only change¡­ is that she¡¯s been staring at my face for the past few days.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo nced at his face and thought. ¡®Could it be, she¡¯s fallen for me?¡¯ He chuckled at the thought for a moment. Even though Kim Hyunwoo considered himself to have an average appearance, notcking in any major way, he didn¡¯t think it was enough to attract beautiful women. If his appearance had been exceptional, he wouldn¡¯t have been cooped up raising a beautiful heroine in Arteil; he would have been out with real women. ¡®If I was going to be stuck in a game anyway, it¡¯s a good thing I¡¯m not too handsome.¡¯ Therefore, Kim Hyunwoo, feeling a mncholic gratitude (?) for his average looks that had never gotten him a girlfriend, opened the information window. Territory: Lartania Territory Development Level: 745 Territory Residents: [Humans: 4746] -Owned Buildings- [Lord's Castle LV1 >>> Upgrading 99% (Paused)] [Walls LV2 >>> Upgrading 42%] [Residential District LV2 >>> Upgrading 32%] [cksmith LV3 >>> Upgrading 13%] [Barracks LV3¡ü] [Tavern LV2] [Market LV2¡ü] [Wood Processing nt LV1] [Restaurant LV1 >>> Upgrading 0%] [Leather Workshop LV1] [Stone Workshop LV1] [Exchange LV1] [Secondary Walls LV0 (Under Construction 45%)] [Inn LV0 (Under Construction 72%)] [Administrative District LV0 (Under Construction 44%)] -Owned Troops- -Regr Soldiers 200 [Upgradeable soldiers exist!] Over the past few days, the territory has been steadily developing. The upgraded barracks, unlike the initial simple training ground, now looked much more organized, fitting the name perfectly. The training ground of the barracks, visible through the windows of the Lord¡¯s castle, had expanded so much that it was iparable to before. Kim Hyunwoo, watching the territory residents entering the barracks, perhaps for recruitment, soon turned his gaze to the market. The market, stretching across the north of the Lord¡¯s castle, had significantly increased in areapared to before. The market, which previously had a single line of stalls, had now expanded to two rows, and merchants had started setting up in every alley, making it much wider than before, though still packed full. The most significant change, however, was to Lartania¡¯s walls. Stone was starting to be piled on the firstyer of walls, which until now had only been made of logs and watchtowers. In other words, the firstyer of walls was finally starting to resemble a proper wall, and the secondyer was also being constructed of stone. The construction of the secondyer of walls could proceed to the next level as soon as enough resources were consumed, ording to the level of the firstyer of walls. ¡°Thanks to that, I¡¯ve blown through a lot of Gold Coins and already used up all the resources bought from the Tesnoka territory.¡± Restoring the territory was certainly necessary, so Kim Hyunwoo didn¡¯t regret spending Gold Coins and resources. ¡°Loria, how¡¯s the public order?¡± ¡°Since thest incident, public order has started to stabilize again. It¡¯s not at its peak like before, but it¡¯s maintained at a pretty good level.¡± ¡°And the happiness level?¡± ¡°It has also recovered. In fact, the happiness level has returned to its maximum.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡± Kim Hyunwoo nodded, satisfied. In truth, handing over thend to the Mage Tower in exchange for just a few magic scrolls was somewhat of a loss. At least, Kim Hyunwoo thought that Lartania would grow even more than the Lartania he had developed ten years ago. However, even if he took some loss in terms of future value, Kim Hyunwoo thought the deal with the Mage Tower was alright, not just because of the happiness and public order, but because he had a n. He had a way to make a good profit from the Mage Tower that had bought thend. ¡®Considering that, I won¡¯t be at a loss at all.¡¯ With a smile, Kim Hyunwoo soon realized that he also needed to upgrade the newly recruited soldiers at the barracks. Troop Type: [Regr Soldier] Leader: Malon [Proficiency 100/100] Number of Personnel: 200 [View Details] Combat Efficiency: Very Good [Upgrade avable for higher troop types (200 personnel)] [Can be promoted to 'Guard'] [Can be promoted to 'Scout'] [Can be promoted to 'Cavalry'] [Can be promoted to 'Trainee Soldier'] [..] [.] [View More Upgradeable Troop Types] -Basic Equipment- Head: Helmet Body: Light Armor Waist: Leather Belt Legs: Greaves with Leather Ovey Armed with: Spear Secondary Armament: None ¡ùCombat efficiency is high due to long-term proficiency! ¡ùThe entire troop possesses magic scrolls, significantly enhancingbat efficiency! Kim Hyunwoo, looking at the notification window that popped up, pondered calmly. ¡®In fact, at this point, it¡¯s right to upgrade everyone to guards.¡¯ With the increase in territory poption and mercenaries, making it hard to maintain public order, it was appropriate to upgrade most of the troops to guards. This is because upgrading to guards doesn¡¯t cost much in money and maintenancepared to other soldier types and actually enhances the city¡¯s security. However, Kim Hyunwoo was concerned because the career path of a guard ends precisely at ¡®guard¡¯. In other words, while cost-effective, their potential peak was not high. ¡®¡­Perhaps apprentices are better.¡¯ Apprentices. At a nce, it seems like a vague type of soldier, and indeed, apprentices were among the most ambiguous types of soldiers that could be upgraded to regr soldiers. Even though their abilities were slightly lower than those of guards, the maintenance and cost were more than double that of guards. However, the reason Kim Hyunwoo was deliberating between apprentices and guards was that the potential peak of apprentices was overwhelmingly higher than that of guards. Right away, apprentices show simr abilities to regr soldiers up to the next stage of apprentice knight, but they demonstrate their true value once they advance beyond that stage to be ¡®knights¡¯. Even among them, if they reach the highest tier of ¡®honor knight,¡¯ there is no one among the soldiers who can beat an honor knight, and if knights gather, they can even take on a 4-star hero. Furthermore, beyond the highest tier, when a ¡®swordmaster¡¯ appears by chance, they possess the power to face a 4-star hero alone, even though they are not heroes themselves. ¡®Well, in reality, from the swordmaster onwards, it¡¯s like moving to the hero category and bing a hero.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo knew that besides this, advancing from a knight to an honor knight required not experience but rather murderous BM and luck, yet he deliberated. ¡®¡­Well, I have quite a bit of money to spare, and it¡¯s better to have a higher peak.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo eventually decided to upgrade all 200 soldiers to high-tier knights. After all, even if they were apprentices, it wasn¡¯t that they couldn¡¯t be put on guard duty. Moreover, no matter how important heroes were in the territorial battles of Arteil, the next most important were the high-tier soldiers. ¡®More precisely, high-tier soldiers are also necessary to prevent fights.¡¯ With that thought, Kim Hyunwoo upgraded all the regr soldiers to apprentices. A few minutester. [The morale of the apprentices reaches its peak!] [The loyalty of the apprentices reaches its maximum!] [The apprentices feel unwavering loyalty towards the Lord!] [The apprentices swear undying loyalty to the Lord!] ¡®¡­?¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo had a baffled expression at the sudden notification windows that appeared before him. 30 minutester. ¡°I will work hard, sob-! I will work hard! My Lord!!¡± ¡°I will also, I will also work hard!!¡± Kim Hyunwoo, watching the soldiers on guard at the Lord¡¯s castle, shedding tears, ¡®¡­Why are they like this?¡¯ could only have a puzzled expression. A colossal tower in the northwest of the continent. From afar, the tower seemed to stretch so high it might touch the sky, inspiring a sense of mystery just by looking at it. The various geometric patterns etched on the tower¡¯s exterior asionally glowed, indicating that this tall and massive tower was protected by numerous spells. Together with being amunity divided into five schools, at the top floor of the tower, which could be called the fortress of mages, there was. ¡°Umm-¡± Great Mage Laran and, on the opposite side, a woman ¨C no, the Master of the Blue Tower, humming with arge pointed hat, swaying her head side to side while sipping tea. Great Mage Laran, who had been watching her long hair sway gently as she subtly shook her head, said to the Master of the Blue Tower, ¡°You seem to be in a good mood?¡± ¡°Hmm? Oh- Yeah.¡± The Master of the Blue Tower respondednguidly. Seeing her like that, Laran had an expression of wonder. She always smiled, but from Laran¡¯s long acquaintance with her, he seldom saw her this happy. Therefore, ¡°So, why have you been in such a good mood these past few days?¡± Laran asked. To which the Master of the Blue Tower replied, ¡°Umm- well.¡± After a slight moment of contemtion, she chuckled softly- ¡°I think I¡¯ll soon meet someone I wanted to see but thought I wouldn¡¯t be able to.¡± -So she said. Chapter 59: Side Effects (1) The regr soldiers in the Lartania territory each disyed different tendencies, but what they all had inmon was their respect for the Lord of Lartania. Soldiers working in Lartania could not help but respect their Lord. After all, the soldiers serving in Lartania had witnessed Kim Hyunwoo capturing Disasters with their own eyes. Furthermore, the Lord of Lartania had never once dyed the soldiers¡¯ wages and had recently been paying them extra in ordance with the increased workload. Of course, from Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s perspective, this was merely an act to improve efficiency and boost the city¡¯s security, but naturally, the soldiers were moved. From the soldiers¡¯ point of view, Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s actions were those of a Great Lord, who had tactfully handled Disasters causing thousands of casualties, was always paying attention to them, deserving their respect. Therefore, the soldiers always felt grateful to Kim Hyunwoo, sending him their respect and loyalty, and at least their feelings were solidified to never change. In such a situation, Kim Hyunwoo had transitioned the soldiers to ¡®apprentices,¡¯ and all the soldiers were seriously shocked by it. Soldiers working in the Lartania territory had never even dreamed that they could be apprentices. Of course, from Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s perspective, he had evolved them into apprentices because he could afford it in Gold Coins, but for the soldiers, it meant something entirely different. After all, the moment they were transitioned into ¡®apprentices¡¯, the soldiers knew they could break free from their ¡®set limits¡¯ a little, even if not to the extent of a hero. Therefore, most, if not all, lords would never make someone an apprentice unless they were chosen elites. Bing an apprentice immediately involved huge growth costs, and while lords had different limits, there was a limit to how many apprentices they could create. Thus, while the soldiers could easily foresee bing ¡®guards¡¯, bing ¡®apprentices¡¯, which could be considered a life-changing opportunity, was beyond their wildest dreams. They were merely civilians of the territory, not a collection of carefully selected talents, and among the regr soldiers, there were those in their thirties, considered too old to learn martial arts. Therefore, when Kim Hyunwoo transitioned them to apprentices, the soldiers wore stunned expressions at the notification that appeared, and soon, without exception, they were moved to tears. Essentially, bing an apprentice meant that the Lord had chosen them, who were nothing, to be elite personnel he would support to the end. Therefore, ¡°Sob-! Really, I will work very hard, My Lord-!!!¡± Kim Hyunwoo could see Malon, whom he knew to be over thirty-five this year, prostrated in front of the Lord¡¯s office, with tears streaming down his face. ¡°I will! I will definitely repay your kindness! Definitely-!¡± Thud! Thud! ¡°No need to knock your head that hard-¡± ¡°Thank you! Thank you!!¡± Thud! Thud! ¡°Even if I tell you not to do that, first get up and let¡¯s talk-¡± Kim Hyunwoo, after consoling and sending Malon off, the leader of the regr soldiers ¨C no, the leader of the apprentices, who was dering his moved state while knocking his head, sighed as if tired and opened his mouth after grasping the situation from what he had heard from Malon and Loria. ¡°Um¡­ So, ¡®apprentices¡¯ somewhat transform a regr person into something like a hero¡­ something like that?¡± [That's correct, My Lord] ¡°And on top of that, the soldiers also get a notification?¡± [Notifications appear only for apprentices and other additional advanced soldier types. If they are transitioned to regr soldier types, only their stats change without any notification] ¡°¡­I didn¡¯t know that was the setting.¡± Kim Hyunwoo murmured, but also nodded as if he found this reasonable. ¡®Swordmasters emerging from among the advanced soldier types are incredibly strong, enough to transition into the hero tier¡­ Considering such a setting, it doesn¡¯t feel odd. Plus, there definitely was a limit to how many advanced soldiers could be selected.¡¯ However, Kim Hyunwoo had forgotten this fact because, initially, ten years ago in Lartania, there was no meaningful limit as to how many advanced soldier types could be created. ¡°Loria, by the way, how many advanced soldier types can I currently create?¡± Aware of this, Loria answered Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s question. [The level and development have declinedpared to ten years ago, but about 300 more can still be cultivated] ¡®Now that they¡¯ve been made apprentices, we¡¯ll definitely need a hero to train them, so I should start looking. There¡¯s still no rted hero appearing in the tavern.¡¯ As Kim Hyunwoo shrugged, he watched Malon heading towards the barracks, sniffling, and thought this, ¡°Ah, now that I think about it, I¡¯ve used up almost all the resources¡­ Maybe I should buy some more.¡± Realizing that the resources he had boughtst time for constructing the walls were quickly depleting, Kim Hyunwoo turned on the trading post and began requesting resources from the Tesnoka territory. Duchess Rania Tesnoka of the Tesnoka territory, also a duke of the Norba Kingdom, was receiving a report on external affairs from Roman. ¡°This concludes the report on the Lartania territory.¡± As Roman finished speaking, Rania murmured with a genuinely regretful expression. ¡°Ah- I knew it. That was indeed the lowest price.¡± Rania made an utterly dejected face. ¡°¡­After all, it was something you couldn¡¯t buy even at its lowest price.¡± ¡°Surely, I couldn¡¯t buy it because the Magic Eye didn¡¯t work¡­ but still, it¡¯s such a missed opportunity.¡± Rania grumbled and sighed as if resigned, then spoke. ¡°Anyway, to summarize the report, it means that Magic Stones are continuously emerging from Lartania, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡± ¡°And that the Lord is rted to the Mage Tower since all the soldiers are equipped with magic scrolls?¡± ¡°And the Magic Stonesing from the Labyrinth might be-¡± ¡°The likelihood is high that the Lord of Lartania did something¡­ right?¡± ¡°Yes, the probability is high.¡± Contemting Roman¡¯s words, she spoke with an intriguing expression. ¡°Indeed, he¡¯s no ordinary person.¡± ¡°I think so too.¡± ¡°¡­Definitely, it was a small, insignificant territory at first nce, but as soon as I left, he started doing serious business through the Labyrinth, showing connections with the Mage Tower, preventing neighboring countries from acting rashly¡­ like that.¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s smart.¡± ¡°Exactly. Even without a connection to the Mage Tower, just showing it like that will make those cautious of the Mage Tower take care¡­ well, unless it¡¯s an empire.¡± ¡°It might notst long, but for a simple action, it neatly eliminated unnecessary diplomatic rtions.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Kim Hyunwoo was unaware of the status of the Mage Tower, so he had no such intention, but Rania and Roman were impressed. ¡°So, what do you n to do?¡± ¡°Huh? What do you mean?¡± ¡°The Lartania territory. Essentially, this means your n has gone awry, hasn¡¯t it?¡± Roman inquired. However, Rania smiled in response. ¡°There¡¯s no need to end the friendship because of that. No, we need to deepen our friendship even more. Even though the product has been revealed¡­ it doesn¡¯t seem like it will be sold anywhere. Besides-¡± Grinning, ¡°-I¡¯ve also be a bit interested.¡± Roman nodded at Rania¡¯s words, and after a while of discussing Lartania, ¡°Let¡¯s leave the discussion on Lartania here and proceed with an additional report.¡± ¡°Additional report? I thought Lartania was the end?¡± ¡°It¡¯s about the Duke of Landaron.¡± ¡°Tsk.¡± Rania grimaced openly at the mention of the name Landaron. Landaron. He was one of the three dukes of the Norba Kingdom, wielding one of the most formidable powers in the Kingdom. This was because, under the Lord of Landaron, there were as many as three heroes, not quite grand heroes but just below that rank. Moreover, in terms of military forces alone, there was no one within the Norba Kingdom who could oppose the Duke of Landaron on a military basis. Especially since two years ago, after experiencing an unbelievable growth unlike any other territory, even more so. Thus, at this current point, it was fair to say that no territory in the Norba Kingdom possessed a stronger military force than Landaron¡¯s territory. However, despite knowing the importance of diplomacy with such a powerful territory within the same country, Rania¡¯s dislike for the Duke of Landaron was due to his personality and behavior. Not to mention that the previous Duke of Landaron, but the personality of the second-generation Duke of Landaron, like her, was absolutely terrible. No, his personality was so ruinous that it went beyond being a mess, to the point of being utterly reckless. To the extent that he uttered offensive words to her, a fellow duke, several times upon meeting in public. Since the steep growth of his territory two years ago, his arrogant nature had turned into outright destructiveness, prompting her to ask with a scowl. ¡°¡­Why him?¡± Following that, ¡°It seems the Duke of Landaron has taken an interest in the Lartania territory. He appears to have sent an envoy.¡± Rania¡¯s expression soured. For good reason, as Rania knew all too well what it meant for the Duke of Landaron to take an interest. And at that moment. ¡°Are you the Lord of Lartania?¡± ¡°¡­??¡± Kim Hyunwoo was greeted by the Duke of Landaron¡¯s envoy, who looked at him with an incredibly arrogant expression. Recently, as an envoy of the Mage Tower to the Lartania territory, the diplomat and Light Researcher Onel was currently facing the Master of the Blue Tower. This was because of a single request made by the Master of the Blue Tower when Onel had left for Lartania. ¡°Here it is, Tower Master.¡± Thus, the Light Researcher handed over the item requested by the Master of the Blue Tower. ¡°Wow, thank you so much.¡± The Master of the Blue Tower activated the storage artifact given by Onel with a bright smile. And then, soon, the artifact, activated with the pure blue magic power that could be considered the symbol of the Master of the Blue Tower, began to reveal the face of a man. It was the photo of the Lord of Lartania, taken by Onel at the request of the Master of the Blue Tower. And, ¡°Indeed-¡± Seeing the Master of the Blue Tower smiling with a peculiar joy upon confirming the photo, he had a face full of questions. Though the Master of the Blue Tower was always smiling cheerily, such a radiant smile was a first for him too, who always interacted with the Tower Masters due to his diplomatic role. Therefore, ¡°Master, although I took the photo as you requested, may I ask what rtion do you have with the Lord of Lartania?¡± Onel asked the smiling Tower Master. The Master of the Blue Tower nodded at Onel¡¯s question as if it were obvious. ¡°How should I put it¡­¡± Seeing the Master of the Blue Tower momentarily lost in thought, Onel looked at her with a curious gaze. She is someone who prides herself on making quick decisions about everything in the world. If she is this contemtive about speaking of a person of the opposite sex around her age, the nature of their rtionship must undoubtedly be ¡®interesting¡¯. ¡®The Master is also of that age, after all.¡¯ Onel looked at her with an inwardly pleased smile. ¡°It¡¯s like a father figure.¡± ¡°I thought as much-¡± No, wait a minute. What? ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°A father, a father.¡± With a giggle and her eyes slightly unfocused, Onel barely suppressed a dizzy spell that felt like it would shatter his temples as he looked at the Tower Master. Who in the world looks at a father figure with eyes that say¡­ ¡®I want that¡¯? ¡°This time, I¡¯ll really be able to see him.¡± Regardless of Onel¡¯s bizarre gaze, the Tower Master murmured quietly. ¡°Just wait a little ?.¡± With a sentence filled with delight, the Tower Master lightly kissed the photo. Chapter 60: Side Effects (2) The Labyrinth city nned by Kim Hyunwoo was receiving tremendous attention, as it was a territory that had never existed before in this Continent. As a result, the number of mercenaries in Lartania currently far exceeded that of the territory¡¯s residents, creating a virtuous cycle due to the numerous positive effects. However, naturally, where there are advantages, there are also disadvantages. Opening the Labyrinth city and circting Magic Stones, which would essentially be considered the sole province of lords in this world, likely did not look favorable to other lords. Yet, Kim Hyunwoo had the confidence to n and introduce the Labyrinth city immediately with minimal preparation. He was confident in growing Lartania amidst these lords. Of course, the Lartania territory was not in a particrly favorable environment for growth. Initially, there were no resources around the Lartania territory that could be made into special products, and above all, a nation had already been formed around Lartania. In fact, Lartania is no different from being in the middle of the Cn Kingdom, the Norba Kingdom, and the Eastern Union n. Yet, knowing this, Kim Hyunwoo was confident and even thought that the current situation was not too bad. After all, the three neighboring countries were definitely needed to grow Lartania ording to Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s n. Anyway, in conclusion, Kim Hyunwoo had already anticipated that various diplomatic problems would arise sooner orter after creating the Labyrinth city. ¡°I am Kutra, an envoy directly sent by Duke Landaron.¡± ¡°¡­Ah, yes.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s cut to the chase. Duke Landaron wishes for you to be his vassal.¡± ¡°¡­A vassal?¡± ¡°Yes. You will continue to operate the territory, but it will belong to the honorable Duke Landaron.¡± Frankly speaking, he had not anticipated this situation at all. Kim Hyunwoo truly felt absurd looking at the greedy envoy, who was visibly overweight. Of course, it¡¯s not that he hadn¡¯t foreseen such a situation. In fact, he had almost first anticipated this kind of scenario. After all, the actions of Landaron present before him were the first thing that came to mind when considering the best way to swallow Lartania whole for free from the opponent¡¯s perspective. ¡°If Lartaniaes under Duke Landaron, you will gain the solid support of a mighty force. Of course, a modest price must be paid for Duke Landaron¡¯s gracious mercy.¡± Kim Hyunwoo was convinced by the overweight envoy¡¯sst words that the envoy was trying to ¡®make a pretext¡¯. Given that the Lartania territory was not affiliated with any nation, the current situation involved spouting nonsense to create a pretext for ¡®war¡¯ to consume the territory. As soon as Kim Hyunwoo realized that his guess was true, he couldn¡¯t help but let out a chuckle. Of course, he had easily anticipated that such a proposal woulde. ¡°What do you say, I believe it¡¯s a very good offer-¡± Contrary to Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s expectation that the envoy would subtly agitate him, the envoy was tantly ranting to create a pretext. Therefore, ¡°Do you really think it¡¯s a good offer?¡± ¡°You¡¯re asking the obvious.¡± ¡°You¡¯re talking nonsense.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± ¡°I said stop talking nonsense.¡± Kim Hyunwoo, wiping away his smirk and frowning, spoke, and the envoy from Landaron, seemingly incredulous, finally processed his words and spoke with a trembling voice. ¡°What did you just say?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you get it? I asked why you¡¯re spouting nonsense. Or should I exin it more clearly? I feel like strangling you right now and burying you next to your parents¡¯ graves ¨C like that?¡± The envoy¡¯s head turned red instantly at Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s harsh words. ¡°You¡¯ll regret those words.¡± However, even amidst this, as if he had achieved his objective, the envoy twisted his mouth and spoke, but Kim Hyunwoo responded with a smirk. ¡°If you¡¯ve said all you want, get lost, you pig.¡± A clean dismissal. The envoy stormed out of the office, his face reddening again. ¡°Sigh-¡± Elena, standing next to Kim Hyunwoo who had just sighed, spoke as she watched the envoy leave. ¡°¡­I feel like I keep saying this, but is this okay? That envoy is from the Landaron territory.¡± ¡°I know. He¡¯s one of the three dukes of the Norba Kingdom, right?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. To my knowledge, it¡¯s the territory with thergest military force within the Norba Kingdom.¡± Elena nodded, her face showing a bit of worry. However, Kim Hyunwoo, who had been frowning as if he had lost his temper just a moment ago, quickly returned to normal and reassured her. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Besides, considering the nonsense he came with, he was here to create a pretext in any way. No matter how I had avoided it, it would have ended up like this anyway.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°So, I rather gave him a piece of my mind to annoy him. Plus, there¡¯s no need to worry too much.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Yes. The one who picked a fight is a duke¡­ And of course, I¡¯ve already thought everything through for such times.¡± Kim Hyunwoo said this and soon took out paper and a pen from a drawer, smiling. Giral, one of the Four Kings belonging to the Red Eyes and effectively the second in hierarchy among them, began moving with the beastfolk to the vicinity of the Lartania territory. After all, Red Eyes was formed around Merilda, so without Merilda, Red Eyes would practically not exist. However, Giral was moving separately from the beastfolk who had started the relocation, due to two of the Four Kings. One was the rabbit beastman ¡®Ryu¡¯, who was somewhat unique among the beastfolk in Red Eyes but still firmly held a position as one of the Four Kings. And the other was ¡®Gram¡¯, the wolf beastman with a long scar on his face. They were very interested in the story about Merilda that Giral had first told them. Soon, leaving the task of leading the beastfolk to thest remaining one of the Four Kings, they went ahead to see Merilda first. At least for them, the story of Merilda told by Giral had greatly piqued their interest. Therefore, ¡°Did the Boss really do that? Laughed with a ¡®hehe-¡¯?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Wow, awesome, I really want to see that face.¡± ¡°Hmph, so the Boss is a female after all.¡± ¡°Say that in front of the Boss, and your arms will probably be torn off and made into an ornament.¡± ¡°Cut the crap, you crazy rabbit.¡± ¡°Both of you quiet down. And I¡¯ll say it again, never use derogatorynguage about that person in front of the Boss. You might just disappear on the spot if you do.¡± The three of the Four Kings of Red Eyes were having such a conversation on their way to Merilda. Soon after, they were able to meet Merilda. ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡± Merilda greeted them with a somewhat gloomy appearance. ¡°Gasp¡­¡± However, at Merilda¡¯s greeting, both Ryu and Gram couldn¡¯t help but gasp in surprise. This was because, like them, Merilda had rarely spoken to them, and she had never greeted them first. Though the Four Kings were surprised, they soon began to wonder upon seeing Merilda¡¯s somewhat gloomy expression. ¡°Um, Boss. Is something wrong?¡± Ryu asked, looking curiously at the Boss¡¯s change. ¡°¡­Is there a way to get rid of infamy?¡± Merilda asked. ¡°¡­Infamy?¡± The Four Kings looked confused, but Gram was the first to answer. ¡°¡­If you want to get rid of infamy, there¡¯s a clean way.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Just kill them all, right? If you get rid of those you dislike, there won¡¯t be any infamy to umte, and it¡¯ll disappear.¡± Those were Gram¡¯s words. However, Merilda still spoke with a gloomy expression. ¡°I¡¯ve thought about that method, but¡­¡± ¡°But?¡± ¡°¡­There are too many to deal with.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ We also have about dozens, but isn¡¯t it the same for the Boss?¡± ¡°¡­Hundreds.¡± ¡°¡­Hundreds?¡± ¡°¡­About hundreds of ces.¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s definitely a lot.¡± Silence came as Gram cleanly acknowledged it. But then, Ryu spoke up. ¡°Um¡­ Honestly, a realistic way to get rid of infamy might be to stay put and mend rtions with those we were hostile towards while umting good deeds.¡± ¡°¡­Good deeds?¡± ¡°Yes, basically, as long as you don¡¯t cause big trouble, no matter how much infamy umtes, it naturally fades from people¡¯s memory¡­ Plus, umting good deeds would be even better.¡± These were Ryu¡¯s words. After pondering over Ryu¡¯s words, Merilda said, ¡°¡­Yeah, doing that might be better than doing nothing at all.¡± She nodded as if agreeing with her own words. However, a few minutester, in a carriage headed out of the Lartania territory, ¡°This insolent bastard!! I¡¯ll make sure you regret this! I¡¯ll lock you in the dungeonter and use you as a boy toy!¡± Listening to the ranting from inside the carriage, ¡°¡­Ryu.¡± ¡°¡­Yes?¡± ¡°If you really want to kill someone but killing them umtes infamy, right?¡± ¡°¡­Right?¡± ¡°So, as long as you don¡¯t kill them, infamy won¡¯t umte, right?¡± Ryu could see the murderous intent in the Boss¡¯s eyes. ¡°Still, seems like it would umte?¡± ¡°What about an arm?¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that umte too?¡± ¡°What about a leg?¡± ¡°¡­That too.¡± ¡°What about the head?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Without saying ¡®that¡¯s just killing them¡­¡¯, Ryu looked at her with a strange expression. ¡°Hmm¡­ Boss, if that¡¯s the case, I have a very good solution.¡± Giral, who had been silent but was said to be quite smart among the Four Red-Eyed Heavenly Kings, opened his mouth. Chapter 61: Side Effects (3) Red Eyes is a beastfolk group. And such beastfolk groups are basically not very intelligent. In other words, there are many simple-minded individuals. Of course, that doesn¡¯t mean the intelligence of beastfolk is significantly lower. The intelligence of beastfolk is simr to that of humans. However, the reason why beastfolk groups behave in a simple-minded manner is due to their instincts. Beastfolk prefer to act with their bodies rather than think, and they like to throw themselves into danger rather than n ahead. As a result, beastfolk generally do not engage in prolonged thought except in life-and-death battles, and within such a group, Giral, who is good at fighting but also capable of thought, attracted their attention. ¡°Eventually, killing will build a bad reputation, right? After all, the Boss is interested in the Lord of Lartania¡­ Well, if a bad reputation builds up, it¡¯ll get discovered anyway.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Following Giral¡¯s words, Merilda nodded. Indeed, if those present here were to deal with the guy in the carriage without anyone knowing, it would normally remain unknown to anyone. In fact, even if they were to attack the carriage here and kill the person inside, there would be no one to know about it. However, unfortunately, they knew that the Lord of the territory certainly has the ¡®eyes¡¯ to detect when heroesmit murder unnoticed. No, in fact, it was inevitable that they would know. That¡¯s because the reason why there aren¡¯t many murderers among the heroes is precisely because the lords, who can see such infamy, issue bounties on them all. In essence, thanks to the lord, among the heroes and soldiers who want to be active in the territory on a regr basis, there were none whomitted murder. But anyway, the important thing here was that even if Merilda killed that guy without anyone knowing, her infamy would rise. ¡°Conversely, even if we beat that guy to a pulp and let him live, he¡¯ll go back to the territory and spread rumors, so the infamy will spread regardless.¡± So, even if they spared the guy, the infamy would spread. In other words, no matter how they acted, the infamy would rise. ¡°¡­So, what are we going to do?¡± Gram frowned as if to say, why is there so much preamble to Giral¡¯s words. In response to his look, Giral shrugged lightly and then took out a mask from within his clothes. ¡°In short, if we can beat him without getting caught, the infamy won¡¯t rise.¡± He said, lifting the mask. After hearing that, Ryu, with a slightly impressed face, said, ¡°Oh!¡± and nodded. ¡°Certainly, since we¡¯re not trying to steal anything, if we don¡¯t kill him while hiding our identity, the infamy won¡¯t rise, right?¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± Giral nodded in agreement to Ryu¡¯s words. ¡°That¡¯s what it means.¡± Upon hearing that, Merilda, as if there was no more to consider, took the mask Giral showed, put it on with a smile brimming with murderous intent. Soon, feeling as if the murderous intent had materialized and was sttering around, Giral spoke. ¡°That, Boss? Did you hear that correctly?¡± ¡°I heard.¡± ¡°¡­Just to say, it¡¯s okay to beat him hard, but you must not kill him.¡± ¡°I know. I¡¯ll be gentle.¡± Merilda, with a smile on her lips, confidently leaped towards the carriage that was quite far from the Lartania territory. Ryu, silently watching Merilda, unwittingly opened his mouth wide in astonishment. ¡°Honestly, I couldn¡¯t imagine it, but seeing it for real is truly amazing.¡± ¡°I agree. Who knew the Boss could make such a feminine expression.¡± ¡°Please say that when the Boss is here.¡± ¡°Hmph, it¡¯s not that we censor ourselves when the Boss is around; it¡¯s just that there¡¯s never an opportunity to say such things.¡± ¡°Really? Then I¡¯ll tell the Boss everything.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t spout nonsense.¡± Ryu and Gram bickered with each other. However, even as they bickered, they watched Merilda, who was leaping towards the carriage from afar. Since meeting Merilda, they had never seen any expression other than a nk one on her face. Especially since the Boss, who had never shown a shred of emotion in any situation, including fights, was expressing emotions, they couldn¡¯t take their eyes off her. Giral, observing that Merilda seemed to have richer emotions than before, wore a curious expression, pondering the reasons behind the Boss¡¯ gradual recovery of emotions. After Merilda jumped again with an excited and aggressive expression, she prated the roof of the carriage, and five minutes passed. ¡°¡­Is-is there someone to save this?!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Giral, Ryu, and Gram, pale-faced, saw Merilda opening her mouth as she dragged up the pig that was inside the carriage. ¡°¡­So I said you shouldn¡¯t kill, Boss¡­¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t try to kill! It was just a slight hit on the head, and it died on its own!¡± Merilda eximed, seeming wronged. However, none among the Four Kings sympathized with Merilda¡¯s aggrieved expression. That¡¯s because the neck of the human she dragged up was already broken. ¡°Well, the neck is already broken, so it seems impossible to revive, Boss.¡± Ryu cautiously broke the tragic reality to Merilda, but¡­ ¡°People don¡¯t die from their neck turning a bit, do they?!¡± ¡°¡­Usually, they do.¡± ¡°Right, it shoulde back if adjusted, right? Some of the Zhou n guyse back sometimes, don¡¯t they!?¡± ¡°Those guys have necks that naturally turn a full circle¡­¡± ¡°Hey, hey! Wake up, wake up! Please don¡¯t die!!¡± Merilda, refusing to ept reality, shook the cor of the pig with a pale expression. However. Crack-! The sound of the pig¡¯s neck bone breaking marked the end of its life. ¡°¡­Ah.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Merilda and the Four Kings could only remain silent with astonished expressions. It¡¯s been a day since the envoy from the Landaron territory left Lartania. ¡°Hello! Nice to see you again!¡± Kim Hyunwoo, having finished his work in his own way, greeted the dwarf Gwyn with another brisk greeting, looking at the resources piled up behind him with a satisfied smile. ¡°I¡¯ll load the payment asst time.¡± ¡°Yes! And please sign as well.¡± ¡°Here, I¡¯ve prepared it in advance.¡± ¡°Ah, thank you! Then, I¡¯ll be on my way! Please use our services again next time!¡± Watching Gwyn leave behind only the resources with a bright smile, Kim Hyunwoo, seeing the resources being quickly taken away to a warehouse built on one side as soon as they arrived, thought, ¡°Indeed, resources are quite scarce.¡± Upon reflection, it was natural for resources to be scarce. After all, Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s territory was investing most of itsbor in the development of the territory, leaving virtually none for resource generation. ¡°In fact, if I were to control by giving a bit more gold to other resources, the supply itself would increase quickly.¡± Eventually, since the refineries, except for the forge, couldn¡¯t process the iing resources fast enough to use them directly, he wasn¡¯t investing manpower in resources right now. ¡°Well, buying resources can¡¯tst forever, so after tidying up appropriately, I guess it¡¯s time to gradually increase the resource production.¡± As Kim Hyunwoo was leaving the area where the resources were quickly disappearing, with such thoughts and a light shrug, A ¡ï¡ï¡ï hero ¡®Subjugator¡¯ has entered the territory. [An envoy from the ¡®Mercenary Guild¡¯ has visited your territory!] [The ¡®Subjugator¡¯ can temporarily visit the tavern to open the information window. Would you like to view it?] Such notification windows popped up in front of Kim Hyunwoo, and immediately after, moving to his office out of curiosity to open the information window, Kim Hyunwoo found himself smiling as he went to meet the Subjugator in the office. ¡°Hello, My Lord. My name is M, and I belong to the Mercenary Guild.¡± M, wearing heavy armor, bowed politely to Kim Hyunwoo with a beautiful face that didn¡¯t seem to match the epithet ¡®Subjugator¡¯. ¡°I am also pleased to meet you. I am Kim Hyunwoo, the Lord of Lartania.¡± Kim Hyunwoo bowed in return to the polite mercenary, a contrast to the envoy from another territory the day before. The mercenary looked at Kim Hyunwoo with a renewed expression of surprise. ¡°Why do you look surprised?¡± ¡°Ah, my apologies. I was just surprised because other lords don¡¯t usually use honorifics with mercenaries like me.¡± ¡°I thought it was natural courtesy to use honorifics when meeting for the first time, but it seems many don¡¯t adhere to that.¡± ¡°I wish all lords were like you, the Lord of Lartania.¡± After a brief chat and augh with M, Kim Hyunwoo began to discuss official business with her. Naturally, the discussion was about the establishment of a Mercenary Guild branch in Lartania. ¡°The establishment of a Mercenary Guild won¡¯t be a bad thing for you, My Lord. For starters, when the Mercenary Guild is established, the people of the territory can entrust it with minor tasks, making their lives a bit morefortable.¡± ¡°I certainly agree with that.¡± The conversation flowed smoothly. M made a reasonable request to Kim Hyunwoo, and since he also needed the Mercenary Guild, there was no need to haggle over her reasonable demands. Thus, when the discussion about the branch naturally reached its end, ¡°May I ask you a question?¡± ¡°A question? Of course, go ahead.¡± ¡°Would you consider working as an instructor in Lartania?¡± Kim Hyunwoo broached the main topic with a light smile. And just as he was offering M the position of instructor, from a door inside a huge cave hidden in a forest far to the south of Lartania, ¡°The offerings, I¡¯ve brought them all-¡± Adria checked the numerous offerings once, ¡°Sigh-¡± then opened the door to the Guardian of the Merchant Group without hesitation after a small sigh. In fact, opening the door had been a cautious and tense act until recently, but after enduring quite a bit from the Guardian these past few days, the Merchant Group leader, having gotten a bit familiar with her character, opened the door somewhat quickly. Soon, she was in the room that was always filled with goods- ¡°¡­Eh?¡± -No, in a room where Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s photos were stered on one wall instead of the umted goods. ¡°Heh, hehe¡­ collection¡­plete¡­ he.¡± The dignity maintained over the past few years was gone, and they could see the Guardianughing ominously, bleeding from both wrists, havingpleted her collection. Chapter 62: Side Effects (4) ¡°¡­Me, as an instructor?¡± ¡°Yes, if possible, I would like you to teach our territory¡¯s apprentice soldiers as their instructor.¡± M wore a perplexed expression upon seeing Kim Hyunwoo speak with a kind smile. She herself had worked as a mercenary, undertaking numerous missions, but this was the first time she was asked to take on the role of an instructor. ¡°¡­Are you offering me a position?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. I would like to recruit you if possible.¡± She felt an odd confusion seeing Kim Hyunwoo speak without hesitation, even though she asked just in case. Honestly, she couldn¡¯t understand why Kim Hyunwoo was making such an offer to her, a mere mercenary. ¡°¡­Excuse me, but I am not confident in teaching soldiers well. The only thing I¡¯ve taught before is a small band of mercenaries, and the rest of my life didn¡¯t require teaching anyone, so honestly, a position like an instructor is a bit¡­¡± So, she initially tried to gently refuse, but- ¡°It¡¯s still okay.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°I would really like it if you, M, could take on the role of an instructor.¡± Kim Hyunwoo said that, then seemed to recall something. ¡°Ah, of course, if it¡¯s too burdensome to be recruited into our territory, I don¡¯t mind if you ept it just as a request. From what I know, since you, M came to see me, I understand that you will be the branch manager here when the Mercenary Guild is established¡­ is that correct?¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct. It¡¯s a practice in the mercenary industry, but I didn¡¯t know that you, the Lord, would be aware of it.¡± ¡°I worked briefly in the mercenary field before¡­ Anyway, since that¡¯s the case, you¡¯ll eventuallye to the Lartania territory, so I hope you can ept it even if it¡¯s just as a request.¡± That was the discussion. After hearing the entire conversation, M wore a strangely confused expression. The story Kim Hyunwoo told was exceptionally good news for her. In fact, other mercenaries would have gratefully bitten the bait if they deemed there was no trap, but her nature made that impossible. ¡°May I ask why you want to entrust me with the position of an instructor? Although I¡¯ve taught a small mercenary group, I¡¯m ultimately just a mercenary,¡± M asked. ¡°I have a bit of an eye for people. I think you, M, would do a very good job training my soldiers.¡± Upon hearing Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s follow-up, she wore a slightly dazed expression. A little whileter. Eventually, due to Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s persistent persuasion, M agreed to take on the role of an instructor in Lartania, albeit in the form of a request. ¡°Sigh.¡± Kim Hyunwoo chuckled, remembering M¡¯s expression, puzzled to the end about why she was being hired under such favorable conditions as she wrote the contract. M felt the contract was too good to be true and was burdened by it, but Kim Hyunwoo, having seen her profile, knew it was not the case. Hero Name: M Title: The Subjugator Stars: 3 Stars ¡ï¡ï¡ï Affinity: X -Stats- ???Strength: 82 ???Agility: 66 ???Intelligence: 37 ???Luck: 40 ???Magic: 30 -Traits- Responsibility: Acts steadfastly without abandoning any given task Exceptional Instructor: Exhibits exceptional ability in teaching others, capable of educating beyond one¡¯s own skills. The effect of this trait is enhanced based on the ¡®Education¡¯ talent Mercenary Tactics: Increases the likelihood of survival in harsh terrains -Talents- ???Possesses overwhelming talent with the ¡®Spear¡¯ ???Has innate talent in ¡®Education¡¯ -Skills- [View] ¡°Wow¡­¡± Seeing M¡¯s information window, Kim Hyunwoo couldn¡¯t help but exim in admiration once more. That was because M was exactly the kind of support hero Kim Hyunwoo had been looking for, truly perfect to the point of calling her so. Especially specialized in the role of an instructor training soldiers. ¡®I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen a hero who fits so perfectly.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo looked at her excellent instructor traits and educational talents. Of course, Kim Hyunwoo had seen heroes with either excellent instructor traits or educational talents while ying the game, and naturally, he had also seen heroes possessing both. However, he had never seen a hero with excellent instructor traits and a ¡®natural¡¯ tag attached to their educational talent. ¡®No matter how I looked, it was always ¡®excellent¡¯ or ¡®incredible¡¯.¡¯ There are a total of six prefixes in Arteil. ¡®Excellent¡¯, ¡®Incredible¡¯, ¡®Overwhelming¡¯, ¡®Natural¡¯, ¡®Monstrous¡¯, ¡®Iprehensible¡¯ ¨C the closer to ¡®Excellent¡¯, the lower the talent, and the closer to ¡®Iprehensible¡¯, the higher the talent. But as far as educational talent was concerned, Kim Hyunwoo had never seen a hero in themunity with a talent rating above ¡®Incredible¡¯ until he had been deeply involved in Arteil, which is why he had to recruit her. Especially since she had the responsibility trait attached to her characteristics, the chances were high that she would train the soldiers exceptionally well. Therefore, ¡®I will definitely recruit M.¡¯ Although they were currently connected through a request, Kim Hyunwoo smiled, setting his goal to definitely recruit M. Adria unwittingly looked at the photos pasted on one side of the wall in the Guardian¡¯s room with a shocked expression, as she was pasting a photo on the wall in front of her. What was visible there were photos of Kim Hyunwoo, each taken with a storage artifact, now transferred onto paper and stuck there. At a nce, there seemed to be hundreds of photos, all looking simr¡­ ¡°¡­¡­¡± Adria, who had been staring nkly at it, turned her gaze to the Guardian. She looked at the Guardian, who was smiling creepily at a photo; the dignity that had been present for years now nowhere to be seen. ¡°Hey, how is it? This came out well, didn¡¯t it?¡± Soon, she saw the photo the Guardian sneakily showed her. The photo depicted him talking to Adria, taken through Adria¡¯s consciousness. ¡°¡­Isn¡¯t this the same as the photos stuck on the wall?¡± However, to Adria, the photo looked just the same as the ones on the wall, so she answered as such. ¡°Ha¡­!? No, it¡¯s not!?¡± The Guardian, speaking seriously, soon went to the wall, pointed at a photo, and said, ¡°Look, look at this¡­! This one is slightly smiling, right?¡± ¡°¡­Oh, is it?¡± ¡°This, the head is slightly tilted, about two, two degrees¡­! And you can see the jawline¡­!¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± ¡°This one, ah, this also came out well because the Lord is looking down, so the gaze is subtly from below to above. This, this is really good, good, you know¡­ hehe.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± To Adria, looking at the Guardian feeling a different charm in each of the identical photos, she fell into an indescribable emotion. ¡­Honestly, she felt a sense of self-loathing for having served such a person until now, but she soon shook her head. Even if the Guardian looked like that, Adria had no intention of betraying her. ¡°Uh¡­ hehe¡­¡± No matter how much the Guardian hid such an appearance, she was ultimately the benefactor who saved Adria¡¯s life. ¡°Hehe¡­ he.¡± No matter how she appeared right now, her true nature was that of a dragon, ¡°¡­He.¡± Adria, who had suddenly looked at the Guardian stuck to the wall with a strange expression, soon cleared her throat and steadied her voice. ¡°O Great One.¡± ¡°Huh? Why?¡± She asked the question she was genuinely curious about to her, who was making a creepily gleeful yet happy sound. ¡°May I ask, if it¡¯s not too rude, what the rtionship between you, The Great One, and the Lord of Lartania is?¡± ¡°¡­The Lord is the Lord.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°My one and only, my very own Lord.¡± Upon hearing this from the Guardian, Adria was able to learn in detail about the rtionship between her and the Lord of Lartania. As Adria began to hear about the rtionship with the Lord of Lartania in earnest, in the underground of the Cn Kingdom, ¡°¡­¡­¡± All Five Swords of Cn were gathered here, waiting for the Absolute Ruler of Darkness who had summoned them, but their expressions were uniformly grim. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The same was true for Loriel¡¯s expression. That was because, including the Five Swords of Cn, they all knew what it meant for the Absolute Ruler of Darkness to have returned. Moreover, the face of their Master, who had actually returned to the Cn Kingdom yesterday, was not very bright, so they were worried about her. However, a littleter¡­ All Five Swords of Cn wore slightly surprised expressions. That was because, unlike yesterday, which had certainly not looked good, the Master¡¯s face was now full of determined will. And then, ¡°I shall reveal my true identity.¡± The real power behind the Cn Kingdom, who had hidden herself in darkness for many years, made a sensational deration. ¡­With the ¡®Title Change Right¡¯ that Kim Hyunwoo had given, firmly grasped in her right hand. Chapter 63: Diplomacy (1) ¡°Master, I apologize for asking, but what do you mean by revealing your identity¡­¡± ¡°It is as I said. Not immediately, but after resolving what needs to be done first, I n to reveal my identity rather than hiding.¡± Upon hearing the Absolute Ruler of Darkness, all Five Swords of Cn harbored doubts. That¡¯s because their Master had never once wished to reveal herself. Thus, they were curious about what change of heart their Master had, but without resolving their curiosity, they all bowed their heads and replied, ¡°We understand.¡± At least to them, the Master¡¯s words were divinemand, and they intended to obey her decisions without question. ¡°¡­Then, may I ask what needs to be done before you reveal your identity?¡± Loriel enquired about the tasks ahead. ¡°Firstly, starting internally, I n to deal with those who bear hostility towards me.¡± The Absolute Ruler of Darkness began to inform the Five Swords of Cn about the tasks, saying so. And a short timeter, after the five Swords of Cn had heard the Absolute Ruler of Darkness and left the underground cavern, ¡®¡­Ultimately, his refusal to ept me was not just because of my infamy but also because of those who are hostile towards me.¡¯ The Absolute Ruler of Darkness recalled the n she had reviewed dozens of times until yesterday. ¡®The first thing to do is not clean up the outside, but the inside.¡¯ ¡®I need to draw out those who are hostile towards me internally and either re-educate or deal with them.¡¯ ¡®And once the interior is all sorted out, then I will finally reveal my identity and step outside to-¡¯ ¡°Deal with all those who are hostile towards me from the outside.¡± Rin muttered, clenching her fist tightly. ¡°¡­¡­¡± In fact, the Absolute Ruler of Darkness could have continued to operate within the shadows of the Cn Kingdom, dealing with those hostile towards her as she had done until now. No, that would have been an easier method for the Absolute Ruler of Darkness. However, there was only one reason she chose toe forward and make herself a target. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The Absolute Ruler of Darkness looked at the ¡®Title Change Right¡¯ she held in her hand. The memory naturally reyed upon seeing it. ¡®You know, I remembered that you disliked that title.¡¯ Gritting her teeth! Upon recalling that, Rin unconsciously clenched her teeth. Feeling foolish and pathetic for having hurt his feelings with her petnce, she felt like crying. Thus, ¡®I will prove it.¡¯ The Absolute Ruler of Darkness had resolved. ¡®With action.¡¯ By making her title known to the world. ¡®I will definitely prove it.¡¯ To show that she was proud of the title he had given her. ¡®And after proving it with this-¡¯ Squeeze-! ¡­Rin stared intently at the title change right. ¡®I will make it certain.¡¯ Soon after gripping it firmly, the Absolute Ruler of Darkness began her official activities within the Cn Kingdom. ¡°¡­So,¡± Adria, after hearing all of the Guardian¡¯s story, said, ¡°So, to summarize the story, you were the hero of Lartania¡¯s Lord ten years ago, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°So, the Lord of Lartania, who disappeared ten years ago and was never expected to return, has reappeared just like that¡­¡± Adria said this while ncing at the photos filling the room, ¡°¡­and you liked that.¡± ¡°Right¡­¡± Adria looked at The Great One, who was blushing and nodding shyly, with a newfound expression. It was the first time she saw her disying such a variety of emotions and facial expressions, especially positive changes, even though she had seen her when they first met the Lord and then others. Therefore, ¡°Now, the task ahead is clear.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°You should go meet him directly. The Lord of Lartania,¡± Adria said, but, ¡°Oh, no!¡± Following the Crimson Dragon¡¯s words, Adria spoke with a face full of questions, ¡°¡­Why?¡± ¡°Well¡­ the Lord might dislike me.¡± ¡°¡­Wouldn¡¯t you know only if you meet?¡± ¡°But, still, it¡¯s scary¡­ Honestly, I¡¯m satisfied with how things are now¡­¡± The dragon spoke with a somewhat gloomy expression, tightly hugging the photo in her hand. ¡°But you can¡¯t stay like this forever, right?¡± ¡°Well, staying like this forever might¡­ uh, surprisingly be okay¡­?¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°I can see the Lord like this¡­ hehe- I mean, looking at the photos, he¡¯s always smiling¡­ I can see him from afar too¡­ hehe¡­¡± Seeing the dragonughing creepily while looking at her own photos, Adria unwittingly made a peculiar expression and spoke. ¡°Even so, don¡¯t you want to return¡­?¡± ¡°But, I¡¯ve made many mistakes¡­? What if the Lord says he dislikes me to my face¡­?¡± Seeing her eyes well up with tears just at the thought, Adria quickly said, ¡°Then, instead of going right now, how about subtly finding out what the Lord thinks?¡± ¡°Probe the Lord?¡± ¡°Right, since the Lord doesn¡¯t yet know I¡¯m associated with you, maybe we can subtly probe?¡± Adria suggested. Upon hearing this, the Crimson Dragon stopped her teary eyes and nodded, but soon spoke with a gloomy face, ¡°But, even if we probe now, it¡¯s not like I can leave right away¡­¡± ¡°Huh? Wait, why is that?¡± ¡°¡­I have to stay here for another year.¡± ¡°What? Why?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the condition for me to get rid of my half-dragon, half-human lineage and be a full dragon.¡± Upon hearing the Crimson Dragon¡¯s words, Adria looked puzzled but soon recalled what the Lord of Lartania had said. He had said he only knew of ¡®half-dragon, half-humans¡¯, not of any dragons. But Adria felt puzzled. That¡¯s because the Crimson Dragon in front of Adria seemed more dragon than half-dragon, half-human to anyone who looked at her. She had two horns, unlike the half-dragon, half-humans who have no horns or only one, and despite having a human form, she had a dragon¡¯s tail, which half-dragon, half-humans do not have. So, as Adria was about to ask with a puzzled expression, the dragon spoke, ¡°I made a contract. With the Dragon Lord.¡± ¡°¡­Dragon Lord?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m currently undergoing a ritual using ¡®Dragon Speech¡¯ to transform from a half-dragon, half-human into a full dragon.¡± ¡°So, this space is¡­¡± ¡°This is the space where the ritual is being performed. You, being human, might not see anything. But for the next year at least, I can¡¯t leave here. That¡¯s the ¡®restriction¡¯ in exchange for bing a dragon¡­ Well, there are other things too.¡± The Crimson Dragon, looking at her own wrist and murmuring, soon whimpered, ¡°¡­Had I known it would be like this, I wouldn¡¯t have be a dragon in the first ce.¡± Seeing the dragon murmur as if depressed, Adria asked with a puzzled look, ¡°If you decided there was no need to be a dragon, then why¡­?¡± ¡°As a half-dragon, half-human, I couldn¡¯t use¡­ dimensional magic¡­ so¡­¡± ¡°Dimensional magic?¡± ¡°Humans might not know¡­ but I heard that bing a dragon allows the use of dimensional magic. That¡¯s why I made the contract¡­¡± ¡°The reason you wanted to learn dimensional magic, could it be¡­?¡± ¡°I heard from the Dragon Lord that the Lord might be in another dimension¡­ so-¡± ¡°¡­You n to go to another dimension to seek forgiveness¡­?¡± ¡°Huh? No, that¡¯s not it¡­¡± ¡°What? Then¡­?¡± ¡°If I can open a door to another dimension, I can watch¡­ Then, I don¡¯t necessarily have to hear anything unpleasant from the Lord directly.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Adria involuntarily closed her mouth upon hearing the dragon¡¯s words, which were a curious mix of eeriness and creepiness. After a moment, Adria, holding her slightly dizzy head, nodded. ¡°Firstly¡­ I¡¯ve grasped the general situation.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± ¡°But, you can¡¯t keep this up forever, right? It would be somewhat regrettable if you couldn¡¯t meet the Lord even after bing a dragon in a year.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine just looking¡­ though.¡± The dragon spoke with ack of confidence. Seeing her like that, Adria, with a realization, opened her mouth to speak, ¡°From what I know, there were other heroes in Lartania¡¯s domain ten years ago, besides you. Those heroes might actually get closer to the Lord¡­ Wouldn¡¯t that be too unfair to you?¡± Adria spoke up to give a bit of courage to the deeply withdrawn dragon. However, ¡°I think those madwomen don¡¯t deserve to be by the Lord¡¯s side¡­¡± ¡°¡­???¡± At the sudden dark words from the dragon, Adria was puzzled, thinking, ¡®Huh? What did I just hear?¡¯ ¡°Yikes¡­! The Lord was so nice¡­ and if they look at the gifts he gave as if they¡¯re not pleased, if I meet those guys, I¡¯ll kill them all-¡± Seeing the murderous intent gradually fill the dragon¡¯s eyes, Adria quickly spoke up again, ¡°If that happens, it would be unfair, so let¡¯s start building up favorability over the next year¡­!¡± ¡°Favorability?¡± ¡°Yes! Since you can¡¯t leave right now and it¡¯s burdensome for you to reveal your identity immediately, let¡¯s start slowly building up favorability. I have a n.¡± Soon, the dragon was drawn into Adria¡¯s words and began to focus. Chapter 64: Diplomacy (2) A few dayster. When thepletion of the walls was improving day by day, ¡°Lord! It¡¯s lunchtime!¡± ¡°Oh, thank you as always, Lani.¡± ¡°Ehehe, it¡¯s nothing.¡± Kim Hyunwoo, having expressed his gratitude to Lani who brought food as if she had been waiting for lunchtime, ate with her with a satisfied expression. ??? Meat Curry ??? It's a diced curry with thickly cut meat [Buff Effects] Random Stats +7 (8 hours) Defense +5 [Permanent Effect] After eating food on an empty stomach more than 40 times, Strength Stat permanently increases by +2. [Limited to 1 time] ¡ùThis is a dish made with Lani's sincere feelings for Kim Hyunwoo! When 'Kim Hyunwoo' eats the food, the condition for 40 consumptions disappears, and the Strength Stat immediately increases by +1. [Limited to 1 time] [Completed] As Kim Hyunwoo put the food in front of him, notifications popped up, and while pushing the curry into his mouth, he suddenly opened his status window. Hero Name: Kim Hyunwoo Title: King of Logs Star: ?? Stars -Stats- ???Strength: 23¡ü ???Agility: 21¡ü ???Intelligence: 8¡ü ???Luck: 10 ???Magic: 10¡ü -Traits- Indomitable Heart: Quickly regainsposure in any situation if desired [Data corrupted] ¡®It¡¯s really increased a lot.¡¯ Compared to before, Kim Hyunwoo couldn¡¯t help but marvel at how much his stats had increased, to an unbelievable extent. Even though his repertoire was bing simr recently and the increases weren¡¯t steady, the fact that just eating a meal could boost his stats this much was unbelievable. Therefore, Kim Hyunwoo, wearing a satisfied expression, saw Lani, who hade to share lunch and dinner with him, happily pushing curry into her mouth. ¡°Ah, does it taste a bit strange?¡± Seeing Kim Hyunwoo staring at her, she, clearly brighter than before but soon showing a hint of anxiety, prompted Kim Hyunwoo to wave his hands and say, ¡°No, it¡¯s not that. I¡¯m just grateful you always make food like this.¡± ¡°He¡­ hehe, it¡¯s my job, after all-¡± Lani answered, blushing. ¡°If it¡¯s okay, I¡¯ll cook for you once too.¡± ¡°Ah, really?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯m not very good, but I think I can do it once as a token of my gratitude.¡± Having shared lunch with her, Kim Hyunwoo started working as usual and was soon receiving a report from Elena, as he normally did. ¡®Once the walls arepleted, I¡¯ll have to upgrade the Lord¡¯s castle to the next level.¡¯ As he was thinking this while looking at the status window, ¡°Excuse me-¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Elena spoke up. ¡°Ah, this isn¡¯t about the report, but I¡¯m just a bit curious about something. May I ask?¡± ¡°Yes, anything. I¡¯ll answer anything I can.¡± ¡°That, after the envoy from the Duke of Landaron left, you wrote a letter, right? I was curious about what it was¡­¡± Elena spoke, ncing around subtly. ¡°Ah.¡± Kim Hyunwoo smiled upon seeing Elena, who, although not overtly showing it, seemed clearly worried. ¡°If you¡¯re worried, there¡¯s no need to be. The King of Norba Kingdom will take care of it properly.¡± ¡°Yes¡­?¡± He said so. In the Norba Kingdom, among the three dukes who hold the highest position next to the King, the territory of the Duke of Landaron, who owns the Lanmaier territory, boasted an enormouslyrge territory fitting its power. Furthermore, as if to demonstrate that he was the most militarily powerful among the three dukes, numerous soldiers in the Duke of Lanmaier¡¯s territory were dedicatedly training in several barracks. ¡°Hmm-¡± The owner of the territory, who was intently watching the soldiers training for a long time in the castle of the Lanmaier territory, which was iparablyrger than the castle in Lartania. ¡°-How about the wyvern¡¯s aerial attack?¡± In response to Duke of Landaron¡¯s question, the secretary bowed deeply as if afraid of upsetting him and said, ¡°It is expected to bepleted within this week.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The Duke of Landaron, seeing the secretary bowing deeply, smiled as if pleased¡­ Snap-! ¡°Gurk-!¡± He soon kicked the head of a man lying beneath his feet. The blood scattering from the man¡¯s head sttered around instantly, dirtying the ground in an instant. After looking at the man who was no longer moving, in his final his death throes, the Duke of Landaron clicked his tongue, and immediately, the attendants waiting on both sides quickly moved to drag away the man who was no longer breathing. What remained were only the bloodstains on the carpet. The maids, bowing their heads as much as possible, cleaned the bloodstains, but the carpet, already darkened with blood from numerous urrences, did note off. The secretary, watching this for a while, unknowingly swallowed his breath. No wonder, since the one who was just killed like an insect by the Duke of Landaron was his senior secretary. Of course, it was fair to say that his senior secretary¡¯s fate was entirely his own fault. He had messed up trying to curry favor with the Duke of Landaron by offering him a beautiful youngdy from the Antalia territory, which was in a vassal rtionship with the Lanmaier territory, along with the M territory. In other words, he met his end by trying to show off prematurely without having brought the youngdy to the Duke of Landaron yet. However, even considering that, no one dared to say in front of the Duke that it was not a matter deserving such a miserable death. Apart from his violent temper, he had grown the Lanmaier territory evenrger than his father had. Therefore, the secretary, who had been bowing deeply for a long while not to cross him, said, ¡°What about Lartania?¡± Immediately after hearing the Duke of Landaron¡¯s question, he answered right away, ¡°We have already sent a diplomat. Judging by the time, he is probably on his way back after the meeting¡­!¡± Seeing the secretary speaking with his head deeply bowed, the Duke of Landaron nodded in satisfaction and thought about the Lartania territory. Certainly, ten years ago, it was a territory of such immense size that no one did not know about it, but now it was nothing but ruins with nothing left. However, in just a few months, it had grown steeply enough that even he had heard of it. ¡­In fact, up to that point, the Duke of Landaron might have harbored some curiosity but would not have sent a diplomat as he did now. After all, no matter how much the Lartania territory develops, its essence remains that of a small territory. Moreover, Lartania was situated far too away from the Lanmaier territory, and it did not have any good resources or special products in its vicinity. Rather, seeing this, he wanted to apud the Lord who had rebuilt the territory to this extent from nothing. Even though he had grown the territoryrger than his father, it seemed impossible to grow a territory in such a short period from nothing¡­ ¡­even if ¡®he¡¯ were to help. ¡°¡­¡± Anyway, thus, the Lartania territory was nothing more or less than an object of curiosity for the Duke of Landaron. Yes, originally, that is. ¡®But if Magic Stones are involved, the story changes.¡¯ Magic Stones are clearly a rare resource. An estate that could endlessly mine such Magic Stones aroused too much greed in him, no ¨C in all the lords, including him. Simply obtaining an estate that could mine Magic Stones endlessly would greatly facilitate the ns he was currently making. Therefore, unlike other territories that were just beginning to assess the situation, the Landaron territory had immediately sent a diplomat to force a choice upon him. Using force in this manner was not exactly diplomatic, but on the contrary, for Lartania, taking over the territory in this way was deemed the cleanest handling of the situation. As time passed, more territories, whether strong or weak, would be interested in Lartania. The Duke of Landaron already smiled with pleasure at the thought that the Lartania territory was as good as his. Regardless of what choice the Lord of Lartania made at this point, his territory was bound to fall into his hands. ¡®¡­If I get my hands on Lartania, I could move my ns up by at least a year.¡¯ Thus, the Duke of Landaron thought with a smile. And so, a dayter. The Duke of Landaron, who was waiting upon hearing that the diplomat was due to arrive soon, heard, ¡°Yo-Your Grace!¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°The King has made contact¡­!¡± ¡°¡­The King?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right¡­!¡± He frowned upon the secretary¡¯s following words. The King of the Norba Kingdom. The Duke of Landaron, who could be considered second inmand, recalled the face of the King, who had strangely pressured him to increase his military power from time to time, and wore an annoyed expression, but soon rose from his seat. No matter how well one does in the Norba Kingdom, one cannot ignore the King. ¡°The Sword of Norba Kingdom greets its Master.¡± With that thought, the Duke of Landaron headed straight to themunications room and immediately bowed and greeted upon seeing the King¡¯s face as he entered. [Duke of Landaron,e to the pce immediately.] ¡°Yes¡­? What does that mean¡­?¡± The moment the Duke of Landaron raised his head at that, he realized something was wrong. [Right now! Jump to the Kingdom at once!!] No wonder, for in his eyes, the King of the Norba Kingdom was shouting with a very angry expression. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Hearing that, the Duke of Landaron frowned inwardly. One of the Four Kings of the Red Eyes, Ryu, suddenly asked out of curiosity while looking at Merilda, who was sitting on a hill, flicking her tail and looking towards the Lord¡¯s castle. ¡°Boss.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Why are you looking from so far away?¡± ¡°¡­If I get closer, I¡¯ll be spotted.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Ryu nodded at Merilda¡¯s words. Certainly, she knew that the lords could detect strong beings who entered their territory. Therefore, Ryu, while looking at Merilda and thinking, suddenly eximed as if a good idea hade to him. ¡°Boss, shall I lend you something good?¡± He quickly took off a brooch he was wearing on his head and handed it to Merilda. ¡°¡­What¡¯s this?¡± Seeing Merilda looking at the brooch with a puzzled expression, Ryu said, ¡°It¡¯s an artifact. As far as I know, if you wear this, you can enter the territory without being detected. With this, you can observe the Lord more closely, can¡¯t you?¡± Ryu, who had obtained it at some point and had only been using it as an ornament, handed the artifact to Merilda with a smile. ¡°¡­!¡± Merilda¡¯s eyes widened asrge asnterns. Chapter 65: Diplomacy (3) As soon as he was summoned by the King, the Duke of Landaron headed to the territory of the Norba Kingdom, and it wasn¡¯t long before, ¡°The Sword of Norba Kingdom greets its Master.¡± Upon arriving at the Royal Castle, the Duke of Landaron bowed his head, but the expression on the King¡¯s face, who was looking at him, did not seem too pleased. Shortly thereafter, the Duke of Landaron realized why he had been summoned. ¡°What do you mean? I did send an envoy to the Lartania territory, but I never ordered him to act in such a manner¡­!¡± ¡°So, are you saying it¡¯s a misunderstanding?¡± ¡°Yes, it is!¡± Furthermore, how ridiculous was the misunderstanding he was facing. ¡°So you¡¯re saying that the diplomat you held so dear has insulted you by asking the Lord of Lartania about his parents¡¯ wellbeing, disregarding your orders.¡± ¡°¡­I haven¡¯t been able to confirm since the diplomat has not yet returned, but if it turns out to be true, I will definitely enforce disciplinary action-¡± The Duke spoke in a hurry. However, the King, as if he saw no need to listen to such excuses from the duke, lightly waved his hand to cut him off. ¡°What difference does it make to handle matters in such a manner? It¡¯s clear that your actions have caused damage to the Norba Kingdom.¡± With an annoyed expression, he showed the Duke a letter. Soon, the Duke was able to read the letter that the King had dropped in front of him. To the Great Owner of the Iron Nation, Norba Kingdom, and also called the Victor of the East, King Troman. I am Kim Hyunwoo, the Lord managing the small territory of Lartania. I am truly sorry that I cannot meet you in person at this time and must send my greetings through a letter. To the Great King of Norba Kingdom-(omitted)- The reason for sending this letter is due to the Magic Stones that we have been able to continue producing in Lartania. Magic Stones have the potential to greatly develop this continent, provided their production is kept up. They also represent a power too great for me to handle alone, so I wished to request the protection of the King of Norba Kingdom from the threats of this perilous Continent. However, all of a sudden, an envoy from Norba Kingdom, specifically from the one called the strongest of the three dukes and also known as the Sword of Norba Kingdom, the Duke of Landaron, came to me, insulted my parents, and started making various threats. ¡­ .. . ¡°¡­Ha.¡± Unintentionally, the Duke of Landaron let out a hollowugh and stopped reading the letter. After all, he had already grasped the content of the letter. Unknowingly, the Duke of Landaron clenched his teeth and frowned. Even without finishing the letter, he could summarize its contents in one line. ¡®I intended to make a deal with Norba Kingdom, but since my diplomat was insulted, I feel humiliated and will look for another trading partner.¡¯ The letter written by the Lord of Lartania was about how he originally intended to trade, but one of your subordinates acted so rudely that he no longer wished to do so. ¡°This son of a bitch¡­!¡± Unintentionally, the Duke of Landaron cursed, realizing he had been ced in a no-win situation. In reality, this letter had essentially pushed away any benefits the Duke of Landaron could have gained from the Norba Kingdom. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Truthfully, it was a bit strange that a letter from a lord not even belonging to the Norba Kingdom to the King could create such a situation. After all, no matter how many Magic Stones the Lord of Lartania had, he was still an outsider, and the Duke of Landaron was one of the three dukes of Norba Kingdom. However, the reason the king was berating the Duke of Landaron and undermining his dignity was precisely because the King was keeping him in check. The Duke of Landaron possessed such formidable military power that he could be called the Sword of Norba Kingdom. Perhaps even more than the previous Duke of Landaron, who had been a loyal vassal of Norba Kingdom. Furthermore, with his territory growing rapidly and bing a thorn in the King¡¯s side, the letter from the Lord of Lartania, which would have been nothing originally, had now be a very good weapon to keep him in check. For that reason. ¡°Thanks to the Duke, the Norba Kingdom has suffered a tremendous loss. How do you n to take responsibility for this situation?¡± Thus, the Duke of Landaron, clenched his teeth in anger, thinking about the Lord of Lartania who had caused this incident. Several days had passed since then. ¡°¡­How did you anticipate that it would turn out like this?¡± As Kim Hyunwoo read the letter from the King of Norba and smiled, he answered Elena¡¯s voice, which was filled with wonder. ¡°I could roughly guess because of the information.¡± ¡°Information, you say?¡± ¡°Yes. Didn¡¯t you tell me? That the Duke of Landaron is one of the three dukes of Norba Kingdom, and he possesses the most military power within the Kingdom, plus he has a violent temperament. And that he has grown significantly recently.¡± ¡°¡­Right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I based my prediction on. More precisely, it would be right to say that I anticipated the reaction of the King of Norba.¡± ¡°The reaction of the King of Norba¡­?¡± Kim Hyunwoo continued. ¡°Yes, in fact, my letter might have been just a meaningless one sent by an outsider from the King¡¯s perspective, but for him, it became a good weapon to keep in check a Duke who is gradually growing to match the King¡¯s power.¡± ¡°Moreover, by leaving the possibility of renegotiating if the Duke of Landaron is stopped, I¡¯ve created a situation where stopping him would definitely benefit the King.¡± Kim Hyunwoo said, shrugging. ¡°By now, the Duke of Landaron probably finds himself in a situation where he can¡¯t easily make a move. The lords who view him unfavorably, along with the King, would be taking this opportunity to undermine him.¡± ¡°¡­All because of that one letter?¡± ¡°That¡¯s how political battles are. Even a meaningless letter can be arbitrarily assigned meaning and interpreted broadly to suppress someone¡­ as long as there¡¯s a reason and justification for it.¡± As Kim Hyunwoo muttered, recalling the constant internal political and factional struggles at thepany, Elena briefly wore an impressed expression and spoke. ¡°So, are we going to side with the Norba Kingdom?¡± ¡°No? That¡¯s not it.¡± ¡°What? But didn¡¯t you just send a letter to the King under the pretext of a contract?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. But I never said we would make a contract, it was just a possibility.¡± ¡°¡­If the King of Norba Kingdom finds out about this, wouldn¡¯t it create an even more serious situation than now?¡± Elena was concerned. But Kim Hyunwoo said with a sly smile, ¡°It¡¯s okay. By the time the King of Norba is angry, we will have made some connections with the Cn Kingdom and the Eastern n Alliance.¡± ¡°¡­What does that mean?¡± ¡°As you know, Cn Kingdom, Norba Kingdom, and the Eastern n Alliance don¡¯t get along with each other.¡± ¡°Yes, I know.¡± ¡°So, by the time the King gets angry, we could align to join either the Cn Kingdom or the Eastern n Alliance.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± ¡°By then, even if the Norba Kingdom realizes this fact, they won¡¯t be able to do anything to Lartania. All three kingdoms wouldn¡¯t want a territory with Magic Stones to align with another ce. Of course, there might be a tipping point but-¡± ¡°Controlling that until the territory grows stable is now my part to do.¡± Kim Hyunwoo thus shared the vision he had been considering. Elena looked at Kim Hyunwoo with a truly admiring expression. Lani¡¯s daily life could be said to be quite monotonous. Basically, her routine these days involved cooking from the time she woke up in the morning until she went to bed at night. However, despite this, she had never once thought that she found these moments to be hard. No, on the contrary, she found her current life to be very enjoyable. That¡¯s because, by cooking in the Lartania territory, she was able to receive recognition from everyone, something she couldn¡¯t get before. Moreover, when Kim Hyunwoo, who could be considered her benefactor for rescuing Lani, enjoyed her food daily, she felt a corner of her heart fill with happiness. When she saw the Lord enjoying the food that she made, she often felt a sudden sense of being recognized. Therefore, she was enjoying her life in the Lartania territory very much, and today, she was filled with even more anticipation. That¡¯s because today was the day Kim Hyunwoo was going to cook himself as a way to repay Lani for always making meals. So, Lani was looking forward to the food that Kim Hyunwoo would make today. That evening. ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry, it¡¯s not tasty, is it?¡± The ¡®curry¡¯ made by Kim Hyunwoo was horribly tasteless from Lani¡¯s perspective. ¡°This is, um¡­ not turning out well?¡± Kim Hyunwoo, who started with the thought that he could make the curry well since he knew the ingredients, as it was something he often made instantly without much thought in modern times, ended uppletely ruining the dish and spoke to Lani with an apologetic expression. ¡°Ah, no, it¡¯s okay! I made a lot of mistakes too in the beginning¡­!¡± ¡°¡­Next time, I should learn cooking from Lani before trying to serve it again.¡± Following Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s words, Laniforted him several times along with. ¡°I-I will teach you well¡­!¡± ¡°Then, I¡¯ll ask you next time.¡± With the great harvest of being able to teach him her favorite dishes, Lani ended the dinner with sandwiches she made in a hurry. And that night. When it could be said to be a rather ambitious hour. ¡°Ha¡­ ha¡­ this is the food made by the Master¡­¡± In the restaurant, a Langin tribe member with red eyes appeared. The next day. ¡®¡­Huh? Did I throw it away yesterday¡­? No, I don¡¯t think I did¡­¡¯ Lani, seeing that the curry Kim Hyunwoo made yesterday waspletely gone without a single spoonful left, wore a puzzled expression. And then. An unidentified hero has entered the territory. An unidentified hero has exited the territory. ¡°¡­?¡± Kim Hyunwoo, who woke up in the morning, also had a bewildered expression at the notification windows that popped up in front of him. Chapter 66: King (1) A week had passed since the day an unidentified hero entered and exited, yet strangely, nothing had happened. Territory: Lartania Territory Development Level: 922 Territory Residents: [Humans: 5446] ¨COwned Buildings¨C [Lord's Castle LV1 >>> Upgrading 99% (Paused)] [Walls LV2 >>> Upgrading 84%] [Residential Area LV3¡ü] [Forge LV3 >>> Upgrading 42%] [Barracks LV3] [Tavern LV2] [Market LV2] [Lumber Mill LV1] [Restaurant LV1 >>> Upgrading 68%] [Leather Workshop LV1] [Stone Workshop LV1] [Trading Post LV1] [Secondary Walls LV0 (Under Construction 88%)] [Inn LV1¡ü] [Administrative District LV0 (Under Construction 92%)] ¨COwned Forces¨C Regr Soldiers: 200 Apprentice Soldiers: 200 Kim Hyunwoo nodded in satisfaction as he looked at the information window disyed by Loria. The territory¡¯s development level was approaching 1000, and the number of territory residents had already surpassed 5,000, which was a significant increase from when he first began to rebuild the territory. ordingly, with the residential area being upgraded to Level 3 just in time, the newly constructed buildings were now filled with houses suitable for a medieval city, unlike the countryside vige feel of the past. Despite the high prices, the inn that was built as mercenaries started to arrive in earnest was doing bustling business. However, what caught Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s eye the most was the secondary walls being constructed beyond the existing walls. The secondary walls being built near the Lartania territory were now clearly taking shape and nearingpletion. Additionally, another significant change was the increase in Lartania¡¯s soldiers, from only 200 to 400 at once. ¡®¡­Should I have recruited more?¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo thought for a moment as he looked at the information window. However, he soon shook his head. In fact, even 400 soldiers were not that many, considering the current situation of Lartania. Initially, the number of mercenaries flocking to Lartania was truly enormous. However, Kim Hyunwoo was concerned that recruiting more soldiers would immediately reduce the number of workers in the territory. ¡®This should be enough. Apprentice soldiers will be worth it once they grow anyway.¡¯ Eventually, he came to that conclusion. Although the number of territory residents was continuously increasing, what Kim Hyunwoocked wasbor. Kim Hyunwoo, who had been pondering for a while, thought, ¡®I heard that M started training the soldiers in earnest a few days ago¡­¡¯ He recalled his conversation with M, who hade to establish a mercenary guild, and looked once at the barracks visible from the Lord¡¯s castle. M, known by the title ¡®Subjugator¡¯, had lived her life moving from one mercenary job to another, but she had heard that she had quite a talent for teaching others. However, the reason she repeatedly refused Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s proposal was that she had only ever taught mercenaries. Moreover, one of the reasons she felt burdened was that Kim Hyunwoo had entrusted her with training apprentice soldiers. Being a mercenary, she was somewhat aware of how the world works and knew what apprentice soldiers meant. ¡®Except for heroes, the Lord¡¯s personal troops.¡¯ In other words, training apprentice soldiers, who could be considered one of the Lord¡¯s lifelines, was quite a burden for her. However, she epted Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s request despite the burden, frankly because the reward offered to her was too lucrative. Furthermore, since the Lartania territory would establish a mercenary guild and she would be its branch head, she epted his proposal, thinking it would be good to maintain a somewhat close rtionship with the Lord. ¡®I still don¡¯t know why the Lord chose me, but since I¡¯ve started, I must do it properly.¡¯ Frankly, M still wondered what the Lord saw in her to choose her. Even though she had heard that she was good at teaching some mercenaries, her only external title was ¡®Subjugator¡¯. However, at this point, what was important to M was not why the Lord had chosen her but training the apprentices well. Since she had epted the Lord¡¯s offer, she had no intention of taking the training of the apprentice soldiers lightly and nned to train them very rigorously. However, her thoughts changed to a strange emotion when she first saw the gathered apprentice soldiers. The appearance of the apprentice soldiers she saw was too different from the apprentice soldiers she was familiar with. The apprentice soldiers M knew were basically selected for their talents as children, but the apprentice soldiers standing in front of her seemed far from children, no matter how generously she looked at them. The faces she saw were more mature than youthful. Furthermore, wondering if she had chosen those with skills, she realized her thoughts werepletely wrong after seeing them perform a few basic training exercises. ¡®¡­They¡¯re incredibly weak.¡¯ The soldiers Kim Hyunwoo selected as apprentice soldiers were weak. Not just weak, butcking in every aspectpared to the apprentice soldiers she was used to seeing. They seemed to know how to use spears to some extent, but all other aspects were close to zero by M¡¯s standards. Right away, they couldn¡¯t properly use swords even though they became apprentice soldiers, and their basic physical strength was feeble by M¡¯s standards. She expected none of them to use magic, but after basic training, she found that mostcked the talent to even feel magic. In other words, seeing them weaker than any apprentice soldiers she had ever seen, M wondered if she had fallen into a trap. At least in her view, it was doubtful whether the Lartania apprentice soldiers, whose only excellence was their loyalty to the Lord, would properly grow no matter how much she trained them. However, since she wasn¡¯t the type to let go of a task once taken on, she started training the soldiers somehow. She worked on strengthening their basic physical fitness, teaching them the basics of swordsmanship, and making them realize the magic they must inevitably grasp to move to the next level as apprentice soldiers. And about a week after she had put in such effort, M unknowingly opened her mouth in surprise. Right in front of her, soldiers were seen forming teams and engaging in mock battles. ¡°For the Lord!!!!¡± Like the berserkers of the North, the apprentice soldiers swung their swords at each other like mad, shirtless. ¡°¡­¡­¡± However, M was not surprised because of the fanatical appearance of those soldiers. After all, M had seen the apprentice soldiers shouting ¡®For our Lord who has believed in us!!!¡¯ and training whenever they did anything over the past week. The reason she was surprised was because of the level of the soldiers. M thought back to the soldiers from a week ago. They were a group of dunces whocked physical strength, couldn¡¯t wield swords, and couldn¡¯t even use magic, literally the Lartania apprentice soldiers. But now? Despite engaging in intense battles for over ten minutes, the soldiers fought like berserkers without exhibiting any signs of fatigue. Crack! ck! Moreover, the swords, which they couldn¡¯t properly wield just a week ago, were now somewhat clumsily handled but with a basic grasp. ¡°¡­Huh.¡± A few of those fighting in the battle were using magic very weakly, although they were not aware of it themselves. ¡®How¡­ Why is this working?¡¯ Seeing this, M couldn¡¯t help but wonder with a puzzled expression. Although she had trained them personally, the soldiers¡¯ training speed was beyond strange to an unbelievable level. Frankly speaking, the apprentice soldiers a week ago could be called a ragtag group. Therefore, M looked at the soldiers she had trained with a dumbfounded expression, as if the situation made no sense. Even as she was trying to figure out how this was possible, M soon remembered what the soldiers had said. The soldiers, who always mentioned the Lord and burned with zeal during tough training, had a suspiciously high loyalty to the Lord. ¡®¡­Is it possible to reach this level just with loyalty to the Lord?¡¯ In fact, strictly speaking, this was due to M¡¯s characteristics and talent being appropriately applied, but she, not knowing her ability was specialized for training, ¡®How did the Lord of Lartania¡­ manage to elicit such loyalty from the soldiers?¡¯ couldn¡¯t help but marvel and think of Kim Hyunwoo. And at that moment, ¡®I think it¡¯s time to start tackling the fourth tier, and I need to look into the Necromancer of the Blue Forest.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo, who was pondering, A ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï hero 'Guardian of Cn' has entered the territory. The King of Cn Kingdom has visited the territory. ¡°¡­Huh?¡± Suddenly, a notification popped up in front of him, and he looked at it with a nk expression, then looked at the notification window again. ¡®The King of Cn Kingdom has visited the territory.¡¯ The notification window remained unchanged upon a second look. ¡®¡­The King hase?¡¯ Seeing this, Kim Hyunwoo wore a bewildered expression unknowingly. It was indeed a very, very rare urrence for the King of Cn Kingdom toe to such a foreign territory. No, it wasn¡¯t just rare; ording to what Kim Hyunwoo knew, it was very strange for a King to visit a territory in another country. Therefore, Kim Hyunwoo felt confused but immediately took action. If the notification window was not lying, he had to meet the King of Cn Kingdom soon to establish good diplomatic rtions. Thus, Kim Hyunwoo, who quickly prepared and weed the King of Cn Kingdom in his office, ¡°Ah, you must be the Lord of Lartania. I am truly pleased to meet you.¡± He was puzzled by the woman who greeted him with a radiant smile and a handshake, expressing her pleasure at meeting him, but soon opened his mouth to speak. ¡°Ah, yes, hello. First, let me greet you¡­.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. You¡¯re not a part of Cn Kingdom.¡± ¡°What? No, but as the Lord of a nation, I should at least show some respect-¡± As he said this and was about to kneel on one knee, ¡°It¡¯s okay, please stand up.¡± ¡°Really, it¡¯s really okay? Yes?¡± Looking at the King of Cn Kingdom, whose smile seemed not just a smile, ¡°¡­Ah, yes¡­¡± he could only stand up again with a puzzled expression. Chapter 67: King (2) Sasha Cn, the undisputed top figure and King of Cn Kingdom, looked at Kim Hyunwoo in front of her and thought, ¡®His appearance is surprisingly ordinary.¡¯ Of course, one could not know a person just by their appearance. If the abilities of the Lord of Lartania were as unremarkable as his appearance, the territory, which was once in ruins, would not have been revived like this. Moreover, even if Kim Hyunwoo were just an ordinary person, Sasha could not afford to treat him carelessly. No, more urately, she could not. Because Sasha knew. That the Lord of Lartania was a beloved entity of the true power behind Cn Kingdom, the Absolute Ruler of Darkness, who had, in fact, made a contract with her to raise Cn Kingdom. Of course, the Absolute Ruler of Darkness had not told Sasha such things. Initially, when Cn Kingdom was practically a duchy with nothing to its name, and she had be King at a young age due to her parents being poisoned, the Absolute Ruler of Darkness had always maintained a business-like rtionship with her. In other words, Sasha had not heard anything concrete about the Lord of Lartania, even from the Absolute Ruler of Darkness or the Five Swords of Cn. Yet, the reason Sasha had some knowledge of this fact was precisely because she knew the Absolute Ruler of Darkness was once affiliated with Lartania. Additionally, having entered politics at a very young age and having maintained the King¡¯s power against cunning old snakes and foxes, Sasha had already guessed how things would turn when she heard that the Lord of Lartania had returned. Furthermore, knowing that the Absolute Ruler of Darkness had gone to Lartania and returned powerless, she had already deduced three things: I. The Absolute Ruler of Darkness still harbors affection for the Lord of Lartania. II. The Absolute Ruler of Darkness attempted to return to Lartania but failed. III. The reason the Absolute Ruler of Darkness failed to return to Lartania was due to infamy. Although these were just spections, she thought they were quite urate. The infamy of the Absolute Ruler of Darkness was such that, while a greatly expanded Cn Kingdom might manage, Lartania alone could not withstand it. Furthermore, having vaguely verified what the Absolute Ruler of Darkness was doing behind the scenes, she was confident in her deductions, albeit not perfectly, thus she could not treat Kim Hyunwoo lightly. In fact, beyond not treating him lightly, she concluded that she must build a certain degree of affection. That was the reason she, as the King, personally visited Lartania. ¡°You are truly remarkable. After all, you are the one who created the Lartania of ten years ago.¡± ¡°I will graciously ept thepliment.¡± Furthermore, she nned to build affection with Kim Hyunwoo and also with the Absolute Ruler of Darkness, with whom she had maintained only a business rtionship until now. ¡®Now that I have a rough understanding of the situation¡­¡¯ Of course, she had no intention of tantly bringing up the topic of the Absolute Ruler of Darkness. She did not know what had transpired between the Absolute Ruler of Darkness and Kim Hyunwoo and, although she had spected, she was not yet certain why the Lord had expelled her. However, one thing she was sure of was that it was better not to bring up the Absolute Ruler of Darkness to him if possible. ¡®If I carelessly say something wrong and step on andmine¡­ it won¡¯t be easy.¡¯ Naturally, she had grown with the help of the Absolute Ruler of Darkness, and she possessed the power and ability befitting the King of Cn Kingdom. However, she very much wanted to avoid any situation that would sour her rtionship with the Absolute Ruler of Darkness. ¡­No, it was something she absolutely had to refuse. After all, she was one of the key figures who had created the current Cn Kingdom, and she knew that turning her into an enemy would be more terrifying than anything else. Therefore, as she naturally conversed with the Lord of Lartania, ¡°By the way, do you have anything you like?¡± ¡°Something I like?¡± ¡°Ah¡­! It¡¯s just that I heard there were a few inconveniences with territories affiliated with our Kingdom, so I thought about making amends.¡± Through their conversation, she began to build a certain level of affection and started gathering information that the Absolute Ruler of Darkness might like. ¡°¡­Ugh.¡± About an hourter. Recalling Sasha, the King of Cn Kingdom, who had left after a torrent of words, Kim Hyunwoo thought with a somewhat dizzy expression, ¡®What was that all about¡­¡¯ Of course, the sudden start of diplomacy with the King had ended without major issues. No, on the surface, it had ended quite well. Before Kim Hyunwoo could properly cater to her tastes and lead the conversation, Sasha seemed to have taken a liking to him. Of course, he wondered why the King of Cn Kingdom would do this, and checked the rtionship diagram with Cn Kingdom out of caution, but indeed, the rtionship had improved. In other words, her visit to the territory indicated that she had nothing to hide, and after a moment of puzzlement, Kim Hyunwoo shrugged it off. Although he was not sure why Sasha, with her status as a King, had personally visited Lartania, it ultimately wasn¡¯t bad news for Kim Hyunwoo. After all, he was in a position where he had to walk a tightrope between Norba Kingdom, Cn Kingdom, and the Eastern n Alliance to grow Lartania. He had just finished pondering, thinking it wasn¡¯t too bad. A ¡ï¡ï¡ï hero 'Golden Witch' has entered the territory. The Tienus Merchant Group has arrived at the territory! Kim Hyunwoo was once again stirred by the notification that popped up in front of him. A littleter in the office. ¡°Hello, leader of the Merchant Group.¡± ¡°Yes, ye- hello, hello-¡± ¡°¡­? Are you okay?¡± As usual, Kim Hyunwoo greeted Adria, but with a puzzled look, he asked her because Adria didn¡¯t seem to be in a good condition. The hand she extended to shake his was trembling, and her eyes seemed to be wandering aimlessly. The hand she reached out to him was trembling, and her eyes were wandering in the air as if she didn¡¯t know where to ce them. He asked with a puzzled expression as he saw her body shaking slightly. ¡°Yes, of course everything is okay Lo- ¡° ¡°Lo¡­?¡± In response to the following answer, Kim Hyunwoo repeated thest word with a questioning look on his face. Suddenly trembling and as if struck by anxiousness, Adria returned with an awkwardugh in just a few seconds. ¡°¡­?¡± Kim Hyunwoo looked puzzled at the clearly strange behavior. ¡°Well, the thing is, I usually carry a makeup artifact, and it seems to be malfunctioning.¡± ¡°Makeup artifact?¡± ¡°Yes. Since I meet a lot of people here and there, there are many times when I shouldn¡¯t show my emotions on my face¡­ Well, there are also times when I need to act differently.¡± ¡°There really are some fascinating artifacts out there.¡± ¡°Right? I was very surprised when I first used it. Shall we sit down and talk?¡± Adria,ughing awkwardly, showed the ring on her finger and quickly seemed to try to cover something up. Soon, Kim Hyunwoo and Adria sat down and had a simple chat. ¡°It¡¯s really the first time I¡¯ve seen a territory grow this fast; it¡¯s unbelievable.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Yes. Since I run a tradingpany, I visit various territories all the time. But even if the items you sell are extraordinary and bring in Gold Coins, developing a territory to this extent in just a few months is not an easy task.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how to react to such praise.¡± After exchanging a few more words following Adria¡¯s praise and his bashfulughter, ¡°Hmm, by the way, Lord, may I ask you something?¡± ¡°Yes. Feel free to ask.¡± Kim Hyunwoo nodded and answered Adria¡¯s words, who cleared her throat unnecessarily. ¡°Then, by any chance, do you have something else you like?¡± ¡°Something I like?¡± Kim Hyunwoo answered like that but involuntarily tilted his head, feeling a sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu. ¡®I think I heard something simr from the King of Cn Kingdom earlier¡­ Why is she asking?¡¯ The question arose in his mind. But Kim Hyunwoo didn¡¯t show his confusion and shared with her, naturally continuing their conversation. ¡°Now that I think about it, I used to be like that too.¡± When the conversation naturally shifted to the past, ¡°Ah, while we¡¯re on the subject, there¡¯s something else I wanted to ask. What do you think about the heroes of Lartania from ten years ago?¡± Kim Hyunwoo asked in response to another question from Adria. ¡°¡­The heroes from ten years ago?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you want to see them, now that they¡¯ve returned?¡± Kim Hyunwoo pondered Adria¡¯s question, wondering what her intention was, but, ¡°¡­Well, if I get the chance, I would like to see them, yes?¡± He soon answered, shrugging. And then, ¡°Eek-!¡± ¡°¡­?¡± Kim Hyunwoo looked puzzled again at Adria suddenly clutching her head. Despite his puzzled look, she couldn¡¯t maintain her state for long under his questioning gaze. And for good reason. [The Master wants to see me, the Master wants to see me, should I go right now, should I go to the Master right now, would that be right, no, then I might die, no, but the Master says he wants to see me, should I go right now, huh, ahhh, I want to see, I want to see©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤] Adria was overwhelmed by the many thoughts flooding her mind, unable to focus. An hourter. King Sasha of Cn Kingdom was still in Lartania. ¡°Hmm-¡± Of course, there was no particr reason she didn¡¯t return to the Kingdom immediately; she remained here solely to tour the territory. ¡°Hmm, it¡¯s been a while.¡± [What¡¯s the matter??] Moreover, she had a slight intention to hint something to the Absolute Ruler of Darkness. ¡°It¡¯s just that I stopped by Lartania.¡± [¡­I heard, but why did you go there?] The Absolute Ruler of Darkness frowns slightly from beyond the crystal ball. However, Sasha continued speaking without showing any sign of shrinking back at her words. ¡°It¡¯s all about the territory¡¯s diplomatic issues. I was curious because I heard Magic Stones are produced there indefinitely. Plus, I thought of providing my partner with some useful information.¡± [Useful information¡­?] ¡°Yes, information about the Lord. I thought it might be necessary.¡± Sasha speaks with an easy smile. The Absolute Ruler of Darkness, looking intently at her, snorts and begins to speak- [I don¡¯t need such things. After all, I will only return after I¡¯vepleted all my tasks¡­?] -She stops speaking. ¡°¡­?¡± Sasha looks at the Absolute Ruler of Darkness, who suddenly stopped speaking, and soon realizes that her gaze is not on her but elsewhere. And the moment Sasha turns her head. ¡°Uh?¡­The head of the Tienus Merchant Group? I knew there had been frequent exchanges with Lartania recently, but it¡¯s surprising to see someone you¡¯d barely see once a year here.¡± Soon, realizing that the Absolute Ruler of Darkness was looking at the head of the Tienus Merchant Group, Sasha opened her mouth but¡­ [¡­The head of the Merchant Group?] ¡°Yes. Tienus, you know? Some of the things you were looking for came from the Tienus Merchant Group.¡± [No, that¡¯s not it.] ¡°¡­Yes?¡± Adria looked puzzled at the following words, but¡­ [Are they sneakily tailing me from behind¡­?] ¡°¡­!?¡± At the chilling voice that followed, Sasha couldn¡¯t help but show a startled expression. Chapter 68: Magic Stones (1) The Absolute Ruler of Darkness looked past Sasha¡¯s somewhat surprised face to see the head of the Tienus Merchant Group. No, to be more precise, she saw the unmistakable signs of a ¡®contract¡¯ visible to anyone. Of course, other humans might not know, but the Absolute Ruler of Darkness, who had been with him for a long time, could easily discern it even from beyond the crystal ball. After all, she could see the aura emanating from the head of the Tienus Merchant Group right away. ¡®¡­Always the same, secretly voyeuristic from behind, whether in the past or now.¡¯ Thus, as the Absolute Ruler of Darkness clicked her tongue in thought, she unconsciously frowned, feeling an ufortable sensation in her chest. Feeling curious about this fleeting emotion, the Absolute Ruler of Darkness soon realized where it stemmed from. ¡®¡­Because I cannot see it.¡¯ It was jealousy. ording to the Absolute Ruler of Darkness, that shady half-human, half-dragon contract allows for the sharing of consciousness with the other party. This means that the Crimson Dragon, unlike herself burdened with responsibilities, enjoys the carefree pleasure of observing him very closely through another¡¯s body. ¡°Ha.¡± With that, the Absolute Ruler of Darkness, frowning as if annoyed, soon looked at Sasha. [?] Sasha wore a puzzled expression. ¡°¡­Is there a magic like sharing consciousness?¡± [¡­Yes?] A question popped out unintentionally, driven by jealousy and unfair feelings towards the dragon enjoying carefree pleasure. [¡­As far as I know, there¡¯s no such thing as magic for sharing consciousness.] ¡°As expected, you¡¯re not as much help as the other partner¡­¡± Upon hearing that, Sasha, who had a startled expression, responded, and the Absolute Ruler of Darkness, though it wasn¡¯t Sasha¡¯s fault, spoke in a tone that seemed to carry a strange spite. [¡­Yes, what do you mean??] As Sasha wore a puzzled and somewhat wronged expression, Adria, who had already moved out of the Absolute Ruler of Darkness¡¯s view and reached the Merchant Group¡¯s office, said: ¡°Haah¡­¡± As soon as she entered the office, she sighed deeply and spoke. ¡°Dragon Lord, why did you stutter so much?¡± The reason Adria stuttered when she first met Kim Hyunwoo. It was because, temporarily, the Crimson Dragon was the one controlling her body, and not Adria herself. Knowing this, Adria did so to provide even a slight opportunity to talk with the Lord of Lartania, whom the dragon adored just by watching. Of course, she had to switch consciousness immediately due to excessive trembling¡­ [So, something- that, talking a bit-] ¡°A bit?¡± [Embarrassed, or not knowing what to say, as if I¡¯d turn to dust and disappear on the spot¡­] ¡°Your body is in their, though¡­¡± [It felt like my spirit was fading¡­] Despite not being able to utter even a single word, the Crimson Dragon spoke as if she had been ¡®burned to ashes¡¯, to which Adria responded while sitting at the office desk. ¡°But what will you do if you can¡¯t even say one word¡­¡± [But, still, my mind goes nk in front of the Master¡­] ¡°May I ask if it was the same before?¡± [Huh¡­? Yes, before?] ¡°Yes. Ten years ago.¡± [It wasn¡¯t like that ten years ago.] ¡°Then, how about trying tomunicate emotionally like back then?¡± [I can¡¯t do it like that time¡­ Just standing in front of the Master now feels like my heart might burst.] ¡°¡­¡­¡± [Maybe, it¡¯s better just to watch¡­] Hearing the dragon¡¯s voice in a peculiarly sullen tone, Adria pondered with a strange expression before speaking as if she had something on her mind. ¡°Hmm, that doesn¡¯t seem like a good idea. After all, your goal, Dragon Lord, is to build up affection and receive forgiveness from the Lord, right?¡± [Right¡­] ¡°Then you need to practice from now on.¡± Adria said that, then hummed in contemtion as if pondering once more before speaking. ¡°Leaving greetings aside¡­ In the end, the reason you couldn¡¯t even greet him properly is because you didn¡¯t know what to say, right?¡± [Yes, that¡¯s right¡­ If I say something wrong¡­] ¡°How about trying to talk about a topic you like?¡± [A topic I like?] ¡°Yes. Conversations basically start by throwing out a topic. If it¡¯s difficult for you to talk like you used to, start with very simple conversations in that manner.¡± [Uhm¡­] ¡°Perhaps it will be easier to talk next time. I heard about a gift the Lord likes, so I n to prepare it. Since the Lord also mentioned it would be nice to meet you, Dragon Lord, shouldn¡¯t you practice?¡± [Yes, the Master said he wanted to see me. He¡­hehe¡­huhu¡­hihih.] ¡°¡­¡­¡± Adria wondered if it was okay, hearing the dragon¡¯s voice in her head, fluctuating between mncholy and joy like bipr disorder. [A topic men would like¡­ what could it be¡­] She sighed at the dragon¡¯s ongoing voice and started her work. She had to fulfil the long standing wish of the Dragon Guardian of the Merchant Group, but at the same time, she had to run the Merchant Group. The office of the Duke of Landaron, with a view of numerous barracks, had be a suffocating and heavy space since the Duke of Landaron returned from the Norba Kingdom. No wonder, as the number of secretaries and maids who died by the hand of the Duke of Landaron for a mere wrong word already amounted to eight. Therefore, soldiers, maids, and attendants near the Duke of Landaron¡¯s office could not even breathe freely. The Duke of Landaron, who had created such a stifling atmosphere, said, ¡°I am very angry.¡± He was meeting with someone wearing a dark red hood. His appearance was not visible. However, a few things were clear: the voiceing from beneath the hood sounded like scraping metal, and the person hidden by the hood was a man. And that he waspletely detached from the heavy atmosphere created by the Duke of Landaron. ¡°So, do I look like I¡¯m not angry?¡± ¡°No, I think you have every right to be angry. After all, you¡¯ve been openly checked.¡± At the man¡¯s voice, like scraping metal, the Duke of Landaron frowned deeply and said, ¡°Look, how long must I endure such insults? How much longer do I have to listen to the squawking of those weaklings?¡± The Duke of Landaron growled. But the man in the hood remained calm and answered without losing hisposure. ¡°Just wait a little longer.¡± ¡°Ha, just a little longer? Hey, do you have any idea how long I¡¯ve been waiting?!¡± ¡°Of course, I know. You have faithfully followed our orders, starting with the assassination of the previous Duke of Landaron, all the way up to now. You¡¯ve done well, patiently following all our ns.¡± Teasing the Duke of Landaron, the man showed a deep smile with his ominous, sharp teeth visible between the dark red hood, and soon stood up from his seat. ¡°So, I¡¯m saying to wait just a little longer. Yes, a month¡­ a month should do.¡± ¡°¡­A month?¡± ¡°Yes, after a month, we will begin. By then, everything should be prepared.¡± ¡°¡­What kind of preparations?¡± The Duke of Landaron¡¯s question. The man in the hood, still showing his sharp teeth, ¡°The preparations for you to be King, and for us, who will rule the world, to reveal ourselves.¡± He said so. About two weeks had passed since then. A period that could be considered long or short. However, to Kim Hyunwoo, a month was not such a long time. In the past two weeks, Kim Hyunwoo had so much to do, and the reason he realized a month had passed was because: [¡ùCaution: 21 hours left on your "Grow a Hero in the Labyrinth Package"!] An alert notifying the end of the Labyrinth City package popped up in front of Kim Hyunwoo. ¡°¡­What¡¯s with it popping up with only 21 hours left, not even 24?¡± [I¡¯m sorry.] ¡°Huh? Why?¡± [¡­I am responsible for the alerts, I made a mistake.] ¡°¡­You were the one putting them all up?¡± [Yes.] Kim Hyunwoo, hearing Loria¡¯s somewhat embarrassed admission for the first time and realizing she was behind even the minor alerts, momentarily wore a fascinated expression. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Kim Hyunwoo waved his hand as if to say it was fine to her apologizing. If it had been a truly dangerous situation, it might have been a bit confusing, but Kim Hyunwoo was okay now. Naturally, he had anticipated the end of this Labyrinth Package, and of course, he had made preparations for when it ended. Therefore, ¡°Guard.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be giving a speech in the square, gather some people.¡± ¡°Understood!¡± With those words, Kim Hyunwoo stood up, ¡°Now, shall we go underground?¡± and headed towards the location where a tremendous amount of Magic Stones had been umted so far. Chapter 69: Magic Stones (2) ¡°Wow¡­¡± Kim Hyunwoo, looking at the Magic Stones filling the Lord¡¯s castle basement, let out an involuntary exmation and turned to check the wealth window. Red Stones: 480 Blue Stones: 9,823 Gold Coins: 383,422 Magic Stones: 423,221 The wealth window of Lartania that Kim Hyunwoo was viewing had changed significantly from a month ago. The few thousand Red Stones that remained even after purchasing the Labyrinth package were used to expand the underground storage, as there was not enough space for Magic Stones in the Lord¡¯s castle basement. Additionally, the Blue Stones were used to activate the forge package, and the wealth window that once had over a million Gold Coins was reduced to just 300,000, thanks to the Gold Coins spent on fortifying the walls and purchasing additional resources and exchanging Magic Stones. Truly an enormous consumption. However, despite being fully aware of this, Kim Hyunwoo felt no particr anxiousness. As much as Gold Coins was being spent, Lartania was rapidly developing, and the Magic Stones exchanged for money were gathered specifically for today. ¡°Loria, are all the Magic Stones here of the lowest grade?¡± [No. The lowest grade and low-grade Magic Stones are mixed, with 92% being of the lowest grade and 8% of low grade] Hearing Loria¡¯s words and looking at the mountainous pile of Magic Stones, Kim Hyunwoo nodded, deep in thought. ¡®With this much, it should be more than enough.¡¯ In fact, when Kim Hyunwoo enjoyed Arteil as a game, the value of Magic Stones, to put it bluntly, was not very high. For one thing, in the game of Arteil, Magic Stones were a resource that basically could not be traded with others. Then, there should have been many uses for them, but in the game, Magic Stones were only used for various workshops and third-tier buildings that could be built in a territoryter on; there were no other uses in the early stages of the game. In contrast, Magic Stones would just umte in the warehouse all day long as one bought packages to raise hero levels and explored Labyrinths. Later on, the warehouse would even be full due to Magic Stones, leading yers to lodge severalints with the developers because their warehouses were filled up with Magic Stones. And so, thanks to the yers consistently pointing out the issue of umting warehouses, Arteil¡¯s developers eventually created a way to manage Magic Stones. This was the system that allowed forcing a Labyrinth break using Magic Stones. When users first heard this news, they cheered without exception. If a Labyrinth Break could not be stopped, it would cause great damage to the territory, but if prevented, it was a very good system for obtaining Red and Blue Stones. However, the system that was actually updated to trigger a Labyrinth Break with Magic Stones, dubbed ¡°Magic Stone Break¡± by users, was heavily criticized by them. The updated Magic Stone Break, in fact, was not bad in content alone. The developers did create a slight difference in rewards between Magic Stone Break and Labyrinth Break, but that was only in terms of not being able to obtain Blue Stones, while Red Stones could be obtained just the same. However, the reason that the Magic Stone Break system was criticized was because of the number of Magic Stones required for a Magic Stone Break. ording to the system updated by the developers, the number of Magic Stones needed to independently execute a Magic Stone Break exceeded 50,000. If one were to continuously buy packages and hunt endlessly, ignoring the drop in heroes¡¯ affection and not sleeping, it was possible to collect 50,000 Stones. But here, the developers imposed another restriction on the Magic Stone Break. That was, only Magic Stones of the same grade could be used to trigger a Magic Stone Break. For example, if 50,000 Magic Stones were needed, they all had to be of the lowest grade, and the resulting Labyrinth Break would only match the lowest grade, affecting territories at Level 10. In other words, despite the update revealing a strong will not to give a single penny of cash currency and the developers receiving a lot of criticism, they never touched the system. ¡®Actually, it seems like that was the point when users started to gradually leave Arteil.¡¯ Recalling what could be considered the beginning of the game¡¯s decline, Kim Hyunwoo found himself looking at the window he had opened. ¡ùCaution! Please use it where there are Magic Stones! [Lowest level] ¨CA Labyrinth Break urs!!¨C Offer a Magic Stone to trigger a Labyrinth Break equivalent to territory Level 10 Requires: 50000/50000 Magic Stones Reward: [1,500 Red Stones] [Would you like to purchase? Y/N] Reading the alert that appeared before him, Kim Hyunwoo looked at the reward. ¡®1,500 Red Stones can be obtained from a Level 10 Labyrinth Break event.¡¯ To buy a 30-day Labyrinth Package, Kim Hyunwoo had to trigger the Labyrinth Break five times using 250,000 Magic Stones, but he nodded, feeling it was not a bad deal. Though 250,000 was a considerable amount, it wasn¡¯t necessarily a loss. ¡®Being able to exchange Magic Stones for Red Stones is a bargain in itself.¡¯ Moreover, considering the additional ie and Gold Coins that could be obtained by delving deeper into the Labyrinth over time, consuming Magic Stones to maintain the Labyrinth was essential. After all, Kim Hyunwoo was rapidly growing his territory just by creating a Labyrinth city. As time passed and Kim Hyunwoo continued developing the Labyrinth, the loss would be minimized even further, so he pressed the ¡®Y¡¯ button without hesitation. Whoosh-! Watching a huge number of Magic Stones being sucked into a giant magic circle before him, he thought, ¡®Now, what¡¯s left is just persuasion, I guess.¡¯ As he walked towards the square where the mercenaries were, with a smile, An unidentified hero has entered your territory. ¡°¡­?¡± Kim Hyunwoo tilted his head at the sudden alert but soon shrugged it off. Normally, he would be concerned, but since many alerts had been popping up recently without any actual incidents, he wasn¡¯t worried. Moreover, ording to Loria, such alerts could appear when a hero wearing a specific artifactes and goes. Furthermore, after checking a few times as such alerts popped up previously, he had indeed found a hero with such an artifact in the tavern, so Kim Hyunwoo, shrugging, headed towards the square. The square of Lartania. Kim Hyunwoo looked around at the mercenaries packed tightly in the square. Receiving curious nces from the mercenaries, Kim Hyunwoo cleared his throat with a ¡®hmm¡¯ and paused for a moment. Of course, he had no intention of telling the mercenaries about the impending Labyrinth Break. Since the perception of a Labyrinth Break was what it was, discussing it could lead to unpredictable oues. So instead of telling the mercenaries exactly what was going to happen, ¡°Everyone, I am Kim Hyunwoo, the Lord of Lartania.¡± He decided to phrase his words a bit more attractively. ¡°Starting in about 30 minutes, every monster that emerges from the Labyrinth will carry Magic Stones with a 100% rate for the next day.¡± Sort of like a double experience event. After a single word from Kim Hyunwoo, the mercenaries didn¡¯t wait for another word and immediately dashed back into the Labyrinth. ¡°¡­What? So, the goblins that the Lord just mentioned will appear with a 100% rate¡­ Does that mean you¡¯ve artificially triggered a Labyrinth Break?¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡± He told the truth to the curious Elena, who asked again with a surprised expression. ¡°Is that really okay? Labyrinth Breaks are quite dangerous.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Kim Hyunwoo answered cleanly. ¡°After all, the intensity of the Labyrinth Breaks I trigger artificially isn¡¯t that strong.¡± Naturally, Kim Hyunwoo hadn¡¯t outright lied to the mercenaries in a see-no-evil, hear-no-evil way, but he understood Elena¡¯s concerns were valid. No matter how weak the intensity, a Labyrinth Break was still a Labyrinth Break, and if it led to significant damage to the mercenaries, it could cause quite a stir within Lartania. However, the reason Kim Hyunwoo could wear such a confident expression was because of the number of mercenaries. As far as Kim Hyunwoo remembered, about 1,500 soldiers were needed to defend against a Level 15 Labyrinth Break, assuming there was a solid wall and proper weapons. But the number of mercenaries in Lartania was over 9,000 at the very least, and if only 50% of the mercenaries who listened to Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s speech went down, that was 4,500. In other words, Kim Hyunwoo could now employ a staggering strategy of overwhelming numbers without any maintenance costs. ¡®Besides, a Level 10 Labyrinth Break wouldn¡¯t bring out anyrge monsters, and only goblins or trolls would appear, so there shouldn¡¯t be significant damage.¡¯ With that thought, Kim Hyunwoo smiled as he saw the notification that the Labyrinth Break had just started. ¡°And after this Break event ends, I n to go down to the fourth tier, so please prepare.¡± ¡°Ah, yes, understood.¡± As he said this and looked at the progress, Kim Hyunwoo pushed a piece of dried sweet potato, one of the snacks Lani had made as a test yesterday, into his mouth. ¡°¡­?¡± He tilted his head at a strange feeling. The reason was that, despite the dried sweet potato being a snack left over from yesterday, the end was oddly moist. ¡®Who touched it?¡¯ With that thought, Kim Hyunwoo, making a puzzled face, soon noticed Elena in front of him. ¡°¡­? What¡¯s the matter?¡± Seeing Kim Hyunwoo staring at her, Elena asked, and he nodded with a smallugh as if he understood the situation. ¡°Dried sweet potatoes are quite delicious, aren¡¯t they?¡± ¡°Yes¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s surprisingly delectable.¡± Elena was momentarily puzzled by Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s sudden statement, but she soon realized what he meant and said. ¡°¡­Uh, Lord? I think there¡¯s a misunderstanding. I didn¡¯t touch it, you know?¡± ¡°Say no more.¡± ¡°What?? No, I mean, I really didn¡¯t touch it!¡± Elena looked incredibly wronged. To which Kim Hyunwoo nodded, suggesting he knew everything, and said. ¡°Ah, I see. I¡¯ll talk to Lani to make some more next time.¡± ¡°No, really, it wasn¡¯t me!?¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°No!? It really wasn¡¯t me!!¡± ¡°Yes, yes.¡± Elena couldn¡¯t help but feel utterly wronged by Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s disbelief. Chapter 70: Great Gacha Era (1) Although it has many nicknames, it is often called the country of cksmiths, belonging to the Norba Kingdom. Among those cksmiths, the dwarf cksmith Koman, who holds the title of master, was walking towards the territory of Lartania until just a moment ago. ¡­With a slightly sullen expression. But that was inevitable. Basically, dwarves do not like to move to other ces and like to hammer iron in a corner, and Koman was no different. Nevertheless, the reason Koman specifically moved from the Norba Kingdom to this ce, Lartania territory, was because of the order given to him as a master by the cksmith guild he belonged to. ¡®Check if there is value in establishing a branch of the cksmith guild in Lartania territory.¡¯ Koman sighed. Of course, the order given by the cksmith guild was not unreasonable. After all, Koman himself had joined the cksmith guild to receive support for various items from the guild. But now that he was actually receiving work, Koman felt very annoyed by the situation. ¡®¡­Well, if you just listen to the talk, there¡¯s definitely value in setting up a branch, so I guess that¡¯s why I was sent.¡¯ Of course, Koman also knew about the rumors of Lartania territory, which had not spread widely yet but was still quite talked about among mercenaries. A territory that, unlike other territories, generates Magic Stones infinitely and is now called a Labyrinth city. However, Koman thought that there was certainly some exaggeration in the words of those mercenaries. After all, as far as Koman knew, the Lartania territory was a small territory that had just been rebuilt a few months ago. Koman, who well knew that a territory that was nothing but ruins could not turn into a ¡®city¡¯ in just a few months, judged that the Labyrinth city was a fabrication made through the exaggeration of mercenaries. After all, mercenaries liked to exaggerate. ¡®If a cksmith guild is established, then who knows.¡¯ Apart from Koman having his own pride in the cksmith guild, if the guild establishes a branch within the territory, it brings a lot of benefits to the territory. Just the construction of one of the few branches in the Norba Kingdom would have adventurers and mercenaries visiting the territory to find the cksmith guild. And that¡¯s not all. Having a branch of the cksmith guild means that the lord can receive supplies from the masters. ¡­Although it would be a bit expensive, of course. But that was a story for when a cksmith guild was established in Lartania territory, and of course, Koman did not casually evaluate Lartania territory. ¡®¡­I heard that a Mage Tower and a Mercenary Guild were alsoing, though.¡¯ That was just a rumor, and Koman intended to evaluate Lartania in a way that would be infinitely beneficial to the guild. ¡®No matter how I think about it, it doesn¡¯t seem like there will be any benefit.¡¯ Koman smirked and moved on. Then, an hourter. When he arrived at Lartania. ¡°¡­?¡± Koman unwittingly wore a puzzled expression. That was because the Lartania territory Koman was looking at had apletely different appearance from the Lartania territory he knew. The first thing he saw upon arriving at Lartania was a huge wall. And it was a wall made of proper stone. Of course, the quality of the stone wasn¡¯t that great, and it didn¡¯t seem to have magical forms or to have been specially refined, but he couldn¡¯t help but admire it. After all, Lartania had been rebuilt just a few months ago. So, with a somewhat surprised expression, Koman had his identity briefly checked by the guard, entered, and crossed the second wall. ¡°¡­!¡± There, he couldn¡¯t help but be surprised again. That was because, immediately after crossing the second wall, all he saw was a huge empty lot, but two buildings caught his eye. No, to be precise, they weren¡¯t even buildings. The site that surprised Koman was just now beginning to be filled with various materials. But the real reason Koman was truly surprised was because of the emblems disyed on that site. ¡®That¡¯s¡­ the emblem of the Mage Tower and the Mercenary Guild, isn¡¯t it?¡¯ The site where the building materials were piled up had the emblems of both the Mercenary Guild and the Mage Tower. This meant that the rumors about the Mage Tower and the Mercenary Guilding to Lartania territory were true. ¡®¡­No matter how many Magic Stones are produced, how can both the Mage Tower and Mercenary Guild¡­?¡¯ Koman briefly wondered as he looked at the empty lot except for the two guild sites. Koman unwittingly opened his mouth as he reached the first wall after crossing the second. ¡°¡­What¡¯s with all this?¡± As soon as he entered the first wall, Koman saw an enormous number of people. Many people were mixed around, the streets were packed, and the market was bustling with activity. But among them, what caught Koman¡¯s eye was the ¡®weapons¡¯. ¡®¡­Almost everyone I see is wearing armor and weapons. That means¡­! Most of the people walking around here are mercenaries¡­!¡¯ Of course, Koman had heard the rumors too. The rumor that almost all the mercenaries on the Continent are gathering in Lartania territory. However, even so, Koman did not directly believe those words, and since he had never properly seen so many mercenaries gathered in one ce even when he was in the Norba Kingdom, he couldn¡¯t help but open his mouth in surprise. And then. He realized that the rumors spreading among the mercenaries were not false, and at the same time, ¡®This was never a ce for me to judge whether to build or not¡­¡¯ Seeing thousands of ¡®customers¡¯ named mercenaries wandering around, he couldn¡¯t help but let out a hollowugh unknowingly. Rewards will be given! ¡°Sigh.¡± Kim Hyunwoo looked at the currency window with a satisfied expression right afterpleting a total of five Labyrinth Breaks over the course of about a day since yesterday. Red Stones: 7,980 Blue Stones: 9,823 Gold Coins: 358,843 Magic Stones: 183,392 Seeing the Red Stones, which had been only 480 in the currency window, replenished once more, he immediately purchased a package to maintain the Labyrinth city and smiled. ¡®This buys me another month.¡¯ It was regrettable that the Red Stones dropped from 7,980 to 980, but Kim Hyunwoo shook off the disappointment. Maintaining the Labyrinth is an essential element for Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s territory currently. ¡®But I should start preparing to move on to the next phase.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo looked at the Gold Coins. Although it had exceeded a million Gold Coins, now there were only 300,000 left. In reality, Gold Coins were continuously being spent in real time due to the ongoing exchange of Magic Stones. ¡®It¡¯s not really a loss, though.¡¯ Ultimately, all the Magic Stones Kim Hyunwoo was purchasing were money, so using them for trade would inevitably cover any deficit, but he had no intention of doing so. ¡®The more Magic Stones are circted in the market, the cheaper they will be.¡¯ In fact, now that a month is slowly passing since the Labyrinth city was opened, the value of Magic Stones is still fine, but it is natural that it will gradually decrease, if not immediately. More precisely, it was clear that the price would drop once mercenaries began to slowly circte the Magic Stones externally, and that was to be expected. After all, the value of an item is fluid, and it is natural for its value to decrease as supply increases. ¡®Well, eventually, when Magic Stones start to spread widely and find their uses, demand and supply will bnce out, so maintaining the price should be feasible enough.¡¯ The problem was that even Kim Hyunwoo didn¡¯t know how much the value of Magic Stones would fall, but it wasn¡¯t something to be too concerned about. He had ways to sufficiently regte the supply starting from medium-grade Magic Stones, even if not for the lowest or low-grade ones. However, Kim Hyunwoo nned to limit the distribution of Magic Stones as much as possible until reaching the tier that produced medium-grade Magic Stones, so he intended to process them instead of selling them raw. And not just any processing. ¡®To make at least ten times more profit.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo swiftly smiled- ???Lowest Grade Explorer's Magnifying ss??? This is a shoddy lowest-grade Explorer's Magnifying ss. Made in a few seconds by a Blue Merchant, this Magnifying ss can randomly obtain items and artifacts when used towards shining ces within the Labyrinth -Probability Table- Great Amalgam's Sword: 0.0000001% Yoichi's Bow: 0.000004% Divine Sword Armor: 0.000006% Owl Bear Transformation Scroll: 0.000014% Kamn's Ne: 0.000119% .... ... .. . Lowest-grade Potion: 15% Bandage of Holy Power: 20% Potion of Passion: 30% Rusty Sword: 35% 1 piece: 50 Red Stones 10 pieces: 500 Red Stones [Would you like to purchase? Y/N] ¡ùYou can make it yourself if you purchase the blueprint from the Blue Merchant -No, he thought with an evil smile. Around the time Kim Hyunwoo was smiling at the thought of introducing the worst gacha BM (Business Model) in the history of Arteil. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The Absolute Ruler of Darkness was near the Lartania territory. Of course, she didn¡¯te because she had business in Lartania. She was in the midst of ¡®cleaning up¡¯ within the Cn Kingdom, but in other words, she had just taken her first steps. The reason the Absolute Ruler of Darkness returned to Lartania, somewhat absurdly, was to see Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s face. The Absolute Ruler of Darkness knew that what she was doing was ridiculous. The distance between the Cn Kingdom and Lartania was very far, even at best. After realizing that a sinister dragon was spying on Kim Hyunwoo, she felt a strange sense of urgency and decided toe to Lartania for the somewhat ridiculous reason of ¡®since I have nothing else to do yet, maybe it¡¯s okay toe?¡¯ ¡°¡­Ahem.¡± ¡­She knew that it was a bit absurd, just an excuse to do as she pleased, but she soon felt great joy at the fact that she could see Kim Hyunwoo from afar. ¡°Is the Boss here?¡± ¡°Yeah. This artifact is really great.¡± ¡°Right? To be honest, I was wondering where I would use an artifact that allows you to sneak into a lord¡¯s territory without being noticed. I¡¯m d it can be used for this.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± That is, if she hadn¡¯t overheard Merilda and Ryu talking while walking towards a window with a good view of the Lord¡¯s office inside the castle. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡­Rin was basically known to be content with what she had. But if she could have something even greater than what she already had¡­ If, instead of watching him from afar, she could see him a little closer, then the story changes. ¡°¡­Hmm, ahem¡­¡± The Absolute Ruler of Darkness appeared in front of Merilda. Merilda¡¯s surprised expression at Rin¡¯s sudden appearance was brief. ¡°Th-that, can I also-¡± Following Rin¡¯s words, Merilda momentarily wore a nk expression. Sneer. ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡± She said with a sneering smile. Chapter 71: Great Gacha Era (2) As soon as Kim Hyunwoo purchased the blueprint for the Lowest Grade Explorer¡¯s Magnifying ss, he immediately headed to the cksmith within his territory. ¡°¡­My Lord?¡± Ralph looked puzzled as Kim Hyunwoo entered the forge. But that was only for a moment. ¡°Could you make this? Specifically, I¡¯d like you to make the round part on top of it. I was thinking of making about 50 of them, how does that sound?¡± Following Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s words, Ralph looked at the blueprint with curiosity and intrigue. ¡°¡­I think I could make it right away with this.¡± ¡°Then, I hate to trouble you, but please go ahead. Send everything to my office once it¡¯s all made.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± After finishing his conversation, Kim Hyunwoo left the forge and then moved directly to the woodworking shop to speak with the territory resident running the wood workshop. ¡°Could you make this rod?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ Yes. I think I could make it quickly.¡± ¡°Is that so? Then please make about 50 of them generously and bring them to my office. Remember one thing, though; you must make them exactly ording to the blueprint¡¯s specifications.¡± ¡°As youmand. Since it¡¯s a task entrusted by the Lord, I¡¯ll start working on it right away¡­!¡± After looking at the lower part of the blueprint, the woodworking shop resident nodded as if in understanding, then proceeded to start work. Seeing him get to work, Kim Hyunwoo also moved quickly, this time heading towards the location of the Mage Tower site. ¡°Hmm? Isn¡¯t that the Lord?¡± As Kim Hyunwoo walked towards the site of the Mage Tower, a mage from the Tower greeted him with a slight bow, as if they had been waiting. Recalling the greeting made about a week ago when they came out to erect a building on the Mage Tower site, Kim Hyunwoo nodded back and spoke. ¡°Could I possibly get some Mana Water?¡± ¡°¡­Mana Water?¡± ¡°Yes. I don¡¯t need much right away, just about five bottles if possible.¡± ¡°We did bring Mana Water since it¡¯s needed for drawing magic circles immediately, but¡­¡± Upon hearing Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s words, the mage looked at him with an odd expression. As far as he knew, Mana Water wasn¡¯t much needed unless one was a mage. ¡°For about five bottles, I think we could sell it to you for five Silver Coins.¡± Thus, the puzzled mage soon nodded and spoke. Right there, Kim Hyunwoo immediately purchased the Mana Water and returned to his office. ¡®With this, I¡¯ve gathered all the materials. Now, I just need to wait for the remaining materials to arrive.¡¯ As Kim Hyunwoo looked at the blueprint for the Lowest Grade Explorer¡¯s Magnifying ss to check if anything was missing, he inadvertently wore a mixed expression while looking at the blueprint. That was because Kim Hyunwoo himself had never imagined that he would personally undertake such a trashy and murderous business model that he had cursed and suffered from like crazy. ¡®Of course, tomercialize this, it would have to go through several processes.¡¯ Many problems came to Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s mind. After all, since this was ultimately about doing business, there were definitely various things to worry about. But Kim Hyunwoo soon shrugged. In fact, more important than the problems currently on Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s mind was one thing that could only be properly understood by first making the Magnifying ss using the blueprint. ¡®If only that one thing goes as nned, it would be a huge sess.¡¯ While thinking this and waiting for the materials to be quickly made, Kim Hyunwoo decided to check on his territory and opened the information window. A ¡ï¡ï¡ï hero 'Golden Witch' has entered your territory. The Tienus Merchant Group has arrived in your territory! The Crimson Dragon had been seriously pondering over thest two weeks while Adria was visiting surrounding territories for trade. More precisely, she was really struggling with what topics she should talk about when speaking with her Master. In fact, someone might think her worries were absurd. After all, engaging in conversation with others doesn¡¯t require that much thought, and if one had been socially active normally, such worries would not arise. Yes, if one had been socially active normally, that is. ¡­The Crimson Dragon essentially had no experience in socializing. The reason was due to the Crimson Dragon¡¯s tragic past. Being born as a half-human, half-dragon from the very beginning, she was destined to die originally. Her father, the Red Dragon, intended to kill her, a half-human, half-dragon, after the death of his weakened wife, ending his amusement. Of course, she didn¡¯t know why her father wanted to kill her. She had just heard those words. Therefore, to avoid death, she fled from her home and her parents secretly and wandered the world without learning a single proper magic from her father until she was taken in by her Master. To her Master, who had given her everything when she had nothing. ¡­Of course, after being taken in by her Master, she was often thrown into situations where she could have developed social skills. After all, the Lartania territory run by her Master was filled with numerous heroes and territory residents who followed him. Unfortunately, even when situations that could foster social skills arose, one ultimately had to take the initiative to develop them. Despite having ample opportunity to develop social skills after being taken in by her Master, she failed to do so. No, it would be more urate to say she chose not to develop them. From the beginning, she didn¡¯t engage in much conversation with anyone but her Master, and when not talking to him, she would simply spend her time nkly watching over him. Of course, it wasn¡¯t that no one approached her, but for the Crimson Dragon, nothing else held any significant meaning besides her Master, so she consistently ignored the advances of others. In other words, she herself had cut off any situation that could have developed her social skills. And thanks to that, the dragon was deeply contemting. Of course, Adria had suggested she try engaging in light conversation like before, but that was an option the dragon could never choose. She didn¡¯t remember much of their conversation from ten years ago, but if she forced herself to recall, she had only talked about herself to Kim Hyunwoo back then. In other words, most of their conversation was not normal but rather herining. Knowing thatcking social skills didn¡¯t mean her intelligence wascking too, she understood that she must not lead the conversation in such a manner now, which is why she was earnestly pondering. Topics men like. Topics that surely any man would like. She needed a topic that would not just elicit a subtle response but a definite one. Because throwing in a strange topic and getting a weird response from Kim Hyunwoo couldpletely shatter her mentally on the spot. Thus, after much and repeated contemtion, [Try throwing the topic you¡¯ve thought of!] Hearing the voice inside Adria¡¯s consciousness encouraging her as if cheering her on, ¡°It¡¯s been a while, head of the Merchant Group, so¡­ has it been just over two weeks?¡± ¡°Yes, that- about two weeks.¡± ¡°Yes, recently, you seem to be frequently visiting the territories around here? You mentioned that you usually travel long distances and rarely stay in one territory, right?¡± ¡°Ah, that- yes.¡± ¡°Ah, of course, I¡¯m not saying anything to you. After all, I would appreciate it if the Tienus Merchant Group continues to visit our territory.¡± Seeing Kim Hyunwoo speak with a lightugh, she said, ¡°Th-that¡­ Lord.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Seeing Kim Hyunwoo answer, she momentarily panicked. No, to be precise, it wasn¡¯t panic but anxiety. Really, what if he frowned upon hearing the topic she brought up? Such an unfounded future scenario started vividly appearing in her imagination without her realizing. However, just that one thought made her, ¡®Ye-yeah, maybe something else would be better? Something else would be good, right? Instead of asking about favorite colors or something foolish like that, something more definite would be better-¡¯ She broke down in an instant. In her broken state, she quickly racked her brain for a stimting topic that a man would like. And then. ¡°Perhaps. Th-¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°Do you like sex?¡± ¡°¡­Excuse me????¡± [What???????] From the dragon¡¯s mouth, a statement that stunned both Kim Hyunwoo and Adria was blurted out. ¡°¡­????????¡± ¡°¡­????????¡± Outside, the Absolute Ruler of Darkness and Merilda, who had been fervently discussing whether to do 20 aerial somersaults or prostrate themselves using an artifact that hides their identity, looked at the Lord¡¯s castle, radiating intense killing intent. Chapter 72: Great Gacha Era (3) The word ¡®sex¡¯ was surprisingly a term Kim Hyunwoo often heard in daily life. Even outside the world of Arteil, terms like ¡®sex appeal¡¯ and others were frequently used inmunities, and one of his friends would always embarrass others by constantly talking about sex, like a cicada unable to find a mate. In other words, Kim Hyunwoo wasn¡¯t particrly embarrassed by the word ¡®sex¡¯ itself. However, that was only when it was mentioned by intemunities or friends talking incessantly about sex, which he could dismiss as white noise. ¡°¡­.????¡± But when the one saying the word wasn¡¯t a friend or amunity, but Adria, whom even Kim Hyunwoo thought was very beautiful, the story changed. Kim Hyunwoo looked at Adria with an expression full of doubt. Dozens of responses flooded his mind in an instant, but naturally, he couldn¡¯t choose an appropriate answer. Rather, the more he tried to find an answer, the more Kim Hyunwoo wondered if there was even an answer to this question. ¡°Th¡­ Yes?? What¡­ did you say?¡± So, Kim Hyunwoo asked again. Perhaps he had misheard? With that thought, he gave Adria onest chance, and fortunately, Adria within consciousness caught on to Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s intention. ¡°I¡¯ll pretend I didn¡¯t hear that. I find this topic quite embarrassing, so could we talk about something else?¡± Adria understood his implied meaning. Therefore, Adria was very grateful for Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s consideration and immediately tried to switch her consciousness to respond to his words, but¡­ ¡°Uh, uhuhuh??¡± The real problem was the Crimson Dragon that was controlling Adria. Obviously, she was well aware that her response had been a blunder. No, not realizing it would be idiotic. Despite being aware, upon hearing Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s question, she instinctively¡­ ¡°I, uh, asked¡­ if you like sex.¡± She blurted out an answer that even the dragon herself would find astonishing. ¡°Ah¡­¡± [Ah¡­] As Kim Hyunwoo and Adria sighed, the dragon btedly realized what she had done and her face turned pale. ¡°I, uh, just to clear any misunderstanding, I meant¡­ it was entirely about adult toys!¡± ¡°Ad-adult toys?¡± ¡°Yes. Given that Lartania has a lot of mercenaries, right? Typically, such¡­ underground products sell well where there are many mercenaries. I-I was distracted and misspoke¡­!! Ha-hahaha¡­! Sorry!¡± Thanks to Adria¡¯s swift topic-drifting skills, as if performing 28 consecutive aerial flips, Kim Hyunwoo btedly managed an awkwardugh. ¡°Ah, ahh, is that what it was?¡± ¡°Yes. Yes, yes! That¡¯s it, haha, sorry. I misspoke.¡± ¡°No, I think that happens. Hahaha¡­ You must be a bit tired these days.¡± ¡°Must be, I guess I¡¯ve been quite tired recently¡­ haha.¡± With incredible agility, Adria smoothly shifted the topic and immediately started talking about business. Only then, Kim Hyunwoo, looking relieved, began various discussions with Adria. ¡°Ah, then, the Coma Recovery Potions you mentioned before, will you be providing them next month?¡± ¡°Yes, next month, I will provide other items along with the Recovery Potion.¡± After finishing the business talk with Adria as they had done before, she said, ¡°Then, I¡¯ll take my leave for today. My visit today was just a brief stop.¡± ¡°I see. Then, I look forward to our next meeting.¡± She bid farewell much quicker than usual, then turned around and opened the office door. ¡°Ah.¡± ¡°Hello, Merchant Group leader.¡± ¡°Hello, Elena.¡± She soon encountered Elena. Elena, whose lips bore a faint smile but whose eyes were not smiling at all. The sound of something sharp¡­ Adria, smiling awkwardly, inadvertently looked down upon hearing the sharp sound of metal, and then saw the hand axes Elena was holding in both hands. The axe was so sharply honed that even a slight scrape against the office¡¯s exterior wall produced a sound of metal grinding and slightly gouged the doorframe. When Adria¡¯s gaze turned to the hand axe, Elena quickly hid it and said, ¡°Oh, my apologies. I was in a hurrying from the training ground and forgot to put down my hand axe.¡± ¡°Ah- So, you had some urgent business?¡± ¡°Yes, I thought it was more urgent than I expected¡­ but it seems it wasn¡¯t, fortunately.¡± Elena said this, nodded, and then stepped aside, ¡°Then, I¡¯ll see you next time.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Yes.¡± With Elena¡¯s somewhat chilling gaze as thest interaction, Adria was able to leave the Lord¡¯s castle. And then, ¡°My Lord, I will go back to training.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you had some business?¡± ¡°Oh, that? It seems to have resolved itself now. So, I will return to training.¡± After bowing and then disappearing with her dual axes, Kim Hyunwoo, watching Elena go, said, ¡°¡­What on earth was that?¡± He murmured to himself, bewildered by the whirlwind of events that had just passed. After a storm had passed and three hourster. As the sun set and the sunset dyed the world orange, Kim Hyunwoo confirmed that he had gathered all the materials needed to make the Lowest Grade Explorer¡¯s Magnifying ss. ¡°¡­There¡¯s a round metal, a circr chunk, Mana Water, and Magic Stone powder.¡± Kim Hyunwoo, who was checking each item against the blueprint, saw that all the materials were well-gathered, smiled with satisfaction, and immediately started making the Lowest Grade Explorer¡¯s Magnifying ss. ¡®¡­I never would have originally thought of making it.¡¯ Of course, Kim Hyunwoo was not particrly skilled with his hands. However, there was one reason why he could make the Magnifying ss. It was because the making of the Magnifying ss was so simple that it made you wonder, ¡®Is this really enough?¡¯ The method of making the Magnifying ss was really simple. You just had to insert 5ml of Mana Water into the groove in the middle of the rod that would serve as the body of the Magnifying ss, sprinkle it with Magic Stone powder, and insert a metal rod shaped like a Magnifying ss. That was it. Yes, that was really the end, and there was nothing else to do. ¡®Well, that¡¯s all if you have this.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo smiled and looked at the metal rod in his hand. The rod, which looked like an awl, had a somewhatplex groove carved around where the awl part would be. ¡®I didn¡¯t buy the blueprint for nothing.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo had made a great many Explorer¡¯s Magnifying sses in Arteil. In other words, although he had made them by clicking, the method of making Magnifying sses was all in Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s head. Yet, the reason he had paid as much as 300 Stones for the blueprint was precisely because of the rod that came with it when buying the blueprint. ¡®A stamp that naturally engraves a magic circuit when inserted and rotated inside a wooden rod.¡¯ In fact, Kim Hyunwoo had bought the blueprint just for this one thing, and with it, he could infinitely make Magnifying sses by simply repeating the above manualbor process. As proof, The ¡®Lowest-Grade Explorer's Magnifying ss¡¯ has been made! Immediately, Kim Hyunwoo was able to make a Magnifying ss with just that simple manufacturing process. Therefore, Kim Hyunwoo, who had been looking at the Magnifying ss with a satisfied expression, soon wore a slightly nervous expression and immediately began making the Magnifying ss. The reason was because of the words written on the blueprint for the Lowest-grade Explorer¡¯s Magnifying ss. Remaining blueprint uses: 9 times ¡°Indeed.¡± Kim Hyunwoo unwittingly pped his forehead in admiration. Of course, it wasn¡¯t an unexpected situation. Kim Hyunwoo already knew very well that Arteil, which is sincerely dedicated to extracting money from users, had made it so that blueprints could not be used infinitely. However, the reason Kim Hyunwoo was calmly making the Magnifying ss despite knowing this was because there was something he needed to confirm. Therefore, Kim Hyunwoo, who continued to make Magnifying sses, precisely when he had made ten of them, Remaining blueprint uses: 0 times The blueprint has disappeared Though he saw the blueprint in front of him disappear in an instant, engulfed in blue mes, ¡°¡­As expected!¡± Kim Hyunwoo rather shouted for joy. Because the stamp was absolutely necessary for making the Magnifying ss was still in his hand. ¡°Sigh-¡± In fact, in the original Arteil, once the blueprint disappeared, it was no longer possible to make a Magnifying ss. Because the production of the Magnifying ss had to be done by clicking on the blueprint. Therefore, users of Arteil, for the setting reason that it was strange for a lord, i.e., a user who does not know magic, to easily make a magic item, could not make a Magnifying ss even with the stamp given for the first purchase of the blueprint, ording to the Arteil territory development team. However, since the story of making Magnifying sses with the blueprint was only in the game, Kim Hyunwoo, while shouting for joy, still started making the Magnifying ss with a tense expression. A littleter. The ¡®Lowest-grade Explorer's Magnifying ss¡¯ has been made! Kim Hyunwoo, seeing the Magnifying ss naturallypleted even without the blueprint, felt a thrill course throughout his body and smiled broadly. ¡®Perhaps I should spread gacha in the medieval era.¡¯ His eyes sparkled. And at that moment. From the office of the Tienus Merchant Group, which had left the territory of Lartania. ¡°This damn dragonhead! This is cheating!!!¡± ¡°It¡¯s been creepy since ten years ago, and now you¡¯repletely out of your mind¡­! Where do you get off spouting such nonsense in front of her!?¡± ¡°I think those of you who are watching from the outside seem even more creepy¡­!¡± ¡°Creepy? It¡¯s called being an escort!¡± ¡°Hmph, hmpf-! Is being an escort about stealing snacks left over by your Master¡­!? You reek so badly everyone can tell!¡± ¡°¡­!!! What!? Is that true!!?¡± ¡°That- that¡¯s just a toxicity check, you eerie dragon!¡± ¡°Che-checking for poison is my specialty!! It¡¯s not for you to do! From now on, I¡¯ll-¡± [What on earth is going on¡­] Seeing the two women and a Guardian, who seemingly possess monstrous strength yet are engaged in a devastatingly petty argument, Adria within the consciousness wore a bewildered expression. Chapter 73: Great Gacha Era (4) Honestly, Adria did not fully understand the situation. After all, she had never heard anything about the Guardian¡¯s former colleagues. She had only recently learned that her Guardian was one of the heroes of Lartania, so she assumed she would somewhat know the other heroes of Lartania. ¡°You¡¯re like this creepy dragon!¡± ¡°I think you¡¯re no different¡­!?¡± ¡°You¡¯re even creepier! How could you do such a thing through consciousness sharing!¡± ¡°So I¡¯m also quite savvy about poison-¡± She never expected to meet such heroes in this situation. Moreover, she had no idea that all these heroes were looking at the lord creepily, so she listened to their conversation with a dumbfounded expression, unable to say a word. ¡°Do you realize what a dangerous thing you¡¯ve done!?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t done any such thing¡­!¡± ¡°Not at all! What were you nning to do if the Master took a fancy to that woman¡¯s body¡­ yeah¡­?¡± The wolf suddenly became angry, muttered something to herself, then seemed to be depressed. ¡°I-I¡¯m in control, so it¡¯s okay¡­!¡± ¡°It¡¯s clearly not your body, is it? If by any chance it goes in that direction¡­¡± The Crimson Dragon countered the wolf¡¯s words, but upon hearing Merilda¡¯s follow-up, the Crimson Dragon looked at Adria in the mirror with a gasp, an expression full of disbelief and betrayal, as if realizing something very important. [Nononono, wait a minute. I never intended to be like that with the Lord of Lartania!?] Merilda and Rin frowned upon hearing Adria¡¯s excuse, which she blurted out incredulously from within her consciousness. ¡°¡­You¡¯re going to refuse what the Master wants?¡± ¡°Hmm, now that I hear it, that does sound a bit presumptuous.¡± Seeing the two heroes suddenly exude a murderous aura, Adria lost herposure and eximed with an incredulous expression. ¡°Really, I have no idea what tune to dance to anymore!!¡± And so, how long had it been since they had suddenly barged in and started this dizzying verbal altercation among themselves? Just as Adria began to seriously wonder if all the heroes present had serious mental defects, including bipr disorder. ¡°¡­Okay, you¡¯ve always been sneakily watching like that, so honestly, I wasn¡¯t going to say anything. But instead-¡± Following Merilda¡¯s words, who had already led the devastating argument. ¡°-Can¡¯t we somehow¡­ share consciousness too?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Adria could only wear a dizzy expression. Allen, the leader of a small mercenary band of about eight people, had been enjoying his daystely. No wonder, since life in Lartania, recently dubbed the ¡®Labyrinth City¡¯ among mercenaries, had been satisfying for him in many ways. Indeed, there was no one among the mercenaries who did not feel satisfied with the Lartania territory. For mercenaries always engaged in dangerous work and wandering about, settling in one ce to consistently earn money provided a great sense of stability. Moreover, the reason mercenaries were so satisfied with Lartania was precisely because of thepensation they received for their work. Of course, it wasn¡¯t that mercenaries weren¡¯t paid for their work. They received their dues upon sessfullypleting assignments they took on through the mercenary guild. However, hunting in the Labyrinth greatly shortened that process. Unlike receivingpensation after a certain period following thepletion of assignments taken from the mercenary guild, earning money in the Labyrinth was far simpler. You go inside, hunt monsters, exchange Magic Stones for money. Because of this simple process, mercenaries were flocking to the Lartania territory. Spending his days like this and having quite adapted to the situation in Lartania, Allen was, as usual, drinking beer in a tavern today. ¡°¡­A magnifying ss?¡± He heard an intriguing piece of news from a mercenary he had recently befriended. ¡°What, you haven¡¯t heard it yet? Hmm¡­ Well, you might not have, considering it came out just this morning.¡± ¡°What¡¯s so special about this magnifying ss?¡± ¡°It¡¯s obviously not an ordinary magnifying ss.¡± ¡°Then?¡± ¡°It¡¯s an Explorer¡¯s Magnifying ss.¡± ¡°The Explorer¡¯s Magnifying ss¡­ I think I¡¯ve heard of that before.¡± Allen rummaged through his memories and eximed ¡®Ah¡¯, before speaking. ¡°Isn¡¯t that the artifact that was quite popr ten years ago, which allows you to randomly find various items when used in a Labyrinth?¡± ¡°Exactly that. You¡¯re sharp, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Smart? I¡¯ve just picked up things living in this world.¡± Despite saying so, Allen, seemingly pleased with thepliment, sipped his beer with a swift smile and continued. ¡°So, why has the Explorer¡¯s Magnifying ss suddenly be a topic of conversation?¡± ¡°Why do you think? Because they¡¯ve started selling the Explorer¡¯s Magnifying ss in Lartania.¡± ¡°The Explorer¡¯s Magnifying ss? I heard that it became incredibly rare around five or six years ago?¡± ¡°I thought so too, but today, Lartania started selling the Explorer¡¯s Magnifying ss. And for just one Gold Coin at that.¡± ¡°¡­What? Just one Gold Coin??¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s incredibly cheap, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ is it really cheap? Considering the rarity of the Magnifying ss, it does seem cheap, but¡­¡± Allen made a strange expression. After all, one Gold Coin was the amount you¡¯d get for bringing in about ten of the lowest-grade Magic Stones. ¡°To be honest, it doesn¡¯t feel that cheap to me? From what I know, although the Magnifying ss does help find items in the Labyrinth, the chance of finding something good is incredibly rare.¡± ¡°Hmm, indeed, when you put it that way, it does seem to be the case.¡± At the mercenary¡¯s reply, Allen chuckled and continued. ¡°It might be nice to try for a life-changing find once, but that¡¯s not really my style to begin with. I think it¡¯s better to just keep working hard and saving money like now.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Yeah, why bother spending money when you can steadily earn it by hunting in the Labyrinth below? Just working diligently is better.¡± ¡°Well, your point doesn¡¯t seem entirely wrong.¡± The mercenary agreed with Allen¡¯s words, nodded, and after finishing their response, the two continued with trivial daily conversations over drinks until they left the tavernte at night. The next day. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s give it our best today as well.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s collect only 30 today as well.¡± ¡°Agreed! It would be nice if Magic Stones dropped from every one we kill this time too.¡± While hunting in the Labyrinth with the mercenary band he led, Allen and hispanions, ¡°Yessssssssssssss-!!!!!!!!!!!!¡± Allen¡¯s group, involuntarily turning their gaze towards the thunderously loud sound, was soon able to identify its source. The source of the shout was a man looking at the sword in his hand with a face filled with ecstasy. Soon, one of Allen¡¯spanions who was looking at the sword gasped and said, ¡°Crazy! Isn¡¯t that the Sword of nka!?¡± ¡°Ah, the Sword of nka??¡± ¡°Wait, isn¡¯t the Sword of nka an extremely rare weapon that can be obtained in the Labyrinth??¡± ¡°Yeah, that one! If we sell it, we could get at least 200 Gold Coins¡­!¡± ¡°200 Gold Coins!?¡± Everyone in the group wore a surprised expression. Not only them, but all the mercenaries passing by also watched the scene with their mouths agape. However, the mercenary, seemingly unconcerned with the expressions around him, smirked and carelessly threw the Magnifying ss he was holding onto the ground, ¡°Oops.¡± and only then did he realize the mercenaries around were looking at him and started running somewhere, fearing that the Sword of nka might be snatched away. Seeing this, Allen looked down to examine the item the man had thrown away earlier. ¡°This is. A magnifying ss?¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s an Explorer¡¯s Magnifying ss. I saw it being sold in front of the Lord¡¯s castle.¡± Apanion spoke upon hearing Allen¡¯s words. ¡°Isn¡¯t, isn¡¯t that worth one Gold Coin?¡± ¡°What??? Did he just pull an item worth over 200 Gold Coins with something worth one Gold Coin?¡± ¡°¡­200 Gold Coins?? At least 200 Gold Coins, and if it goes to auction, it could exceed 250 Gold Coins!¡± ¡°¡­Crazy.¡± ordingly, one by one, the heroes watching the scene seemed to start discussing. ¡°¡­Thinking about it, since it¡¯s one Gold Coin each, wouldn¡¯t it be a jackpot if just one out of ten turns out to be something decent?¡± ¡°Right? Even if something strangees out, it could still be sold, so it wouldn¡¯t necessarily be a loss.¡± ¡°¡­Huh?¡± ¡°Maybe it¡¯s worth a try after all?¡± With that thought in everyone¡¯s mind, the mercenaries present started moving towards the Lord¡¯s castle without exception. And about three hourster. ¡°¡­Wow.¡± Elena, helping Kim Hyunwoo make Magnifying sses, involuntarily opened her mouth in surprise at the sight of the huge queue of people below the Lord¡¯s castle window and said, ¡°Lord, just as you said, people really have gathered, haven¡¯t they?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a bit early, but what do you think? People have gathered just as I said, haven¡¯t they?¡± Elena, upon hearing the confident words of Kim Hyunwoo, nced at Lani, who had been making Magnifying sses with her until a moment ago, and then continued, ¡°¡­Indeed. Honestly, I didn¡¯t think that so many people would gather like this.¡± Honestly, Elena had a somewhat negative feeling towards the Magnifying sses when Kim Hyunwoo revealed their nature and asked for her help yesterday. Indeed, the Magnifying sses he made were special, but she thought no one would want to buy a Magnifying ss for as much as one Gold Coin. ¡°What exactly caused people to suddenly flock here?¡± So, Elena asked with curiosity, ¡°Perhaps one of the mercenaries who bought a Magnifying ss managed to pull a good item against the odds. And because of that, everyone else saw hope.¡± ¡°Hope?¡± ¡°Yes. The hope that they too could strike it rich with just one Gold Coin.¡± Kim Hyunwoo grinned and continued, ¡°As you know, Elena, one Gold Coin is actually arge amount to use on a ¡®Magnifying ss¡¯ gamble. Everyone knows that, and the mercenaries are well aware too. After all, the odds of getting something strange rather than something good when using a Magnifying ss are high. However, when people see someone striking it rich by using a Magnifying ss, they cling to hope. Essentially, if a mercenary in a simr situation can make money using a Magnifying ss, then maybe they can too? That¡¯s the psychology. From that point, when such thoughts arise, mercenaries start calcting profit and loss. For example, seeing an item worth about 100 Gold Coins emerge, they think investing about 50 Gold Coins is reasonable. Moreover, this thought also arises- ¡®If they pull it in one go, and I have 50 chances, shouldn¡¯t I get it at least once?¡¯ That¡¯s a deceptive hope, as you know, since the chances of getting a good item are extremely slim. But now, most people deliberately ignore that fact. They develop an unfounded confidence that if someone else can do it, so can they, especially with 50 chances. So, if they spend 50 Gold Coins and fail to pull a rare item, is that the end? No, it¡¯s not. By that point, most people start to regret the money spent. If they¡¯ve used 50 Gold Coins and got nothing, it¡¯s essentially like throwing money away. But they don¡¯t give up. The sunk cost of 50 Gold Coins keeps them buying more Magnifying sses. So-¡° Kim Hyunwoo, while speaking, suddenly felt as if he had returned to the past. Not just any time, but back to when he was a high school student, despairing over not getting ¡®Kni¡¯s Knuckles¡¯, a limited gacha item for ¡®Explorer¡¯s Magnifying ss¡¯, despite earning 837,200 won, even below the minimum wage. Therefore, Kim Hyunwoo, who had been fervently exining the garbage nature of gacha, or rather the Arteil BM, for a while, ¡°That¡¯s why this Magnifying ss is dangerous,¡± said, staring intently at the Magnifying ss he was making, with a somewhat gloomy expression. ¡°¡­Ah, yes¡­¡± Elena could only look at Kim Hyunwoo, who appeared endlessly gloomy, with a slightly startled expression. Chapter 74: Great Gacha Era (5) Elena, momentarily startled by Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s gloomy appearance, cleared her throat naturally and then spoke, ¡°Hmm¡­ But Lord, will the supply hold? It seems to me that the supply might be a bit insufficient.¡± ¡°Ah, indeed, it is like that with the current state.¡± As soon as Kim Hyunwoo knew the stamp worked properly, he called Elena and Lani to help make the Explorer¡¯s Magnifying sses. Thanks to that, the supply of Magnifying sses exceeded 1,000 in just one day, but naturally, from this moment on, it was difficult for Kim Hyunwoo to meet the mercenaries¡¯ demand no matter how many Magnifying sses he made. In other words, a factory for producing Magnifying sses had to be set up, one way or another. In fact, from Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s perspective, a factory for making Explorer¡¯s Magnifying sses could be set up quite quickly. After all, with the stamp in his hand, he could produce thousands or even tens of thousands of Explorer¡¯s Magnifying sses at this very moment. The materials needed for the Explorer¡¯s Magnifying sses were only wood, iron, Magic Stones, and Mana Water. ¡®And since only one low-grade Magic Stone is needed to make each Magnifying ss, there¡¯s no worry of running out of materials.¡¯ Thinking up to there, Kim Hyunwoo suddenly found himself pondering the cost of producing the Explorer¡¯s Magnifying sses. ¡®Given that one bottle of Mana Water can make about 1,500 Magnifying sses, and since only one low-grade Magic Stone is needed per Magnifying ss, all things considered¡­ the cost is roughly around 15 Silver Coins¡­?¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo, recalling this, unwittingly marveled to himself. ¡®It¡¯s even more profitable than the restaurant business¡­?¡¯ Admiring himself for creating a tremendous creative economy with a mere cost of 15 Silver Coins close to one Gold Coin, Kim Hyunwoo quickly returned to the main issue at hand. ¡®¡­In the end, making a factory or whatever isn¡¯t the issue, but the problem is the leakage of information.¡¯ The disappearance of a few Magnifying sses wasn¡¯t a big issue, but the leakage of the manufacturing method was. If the Explorer¡¯s Magnifying sses could be made elsewhere, then the situation would be a bit troublesome. ¡®¡­Of course, it would work if I, or other heroes, took charge of engraving the circuit inside the wooden block with the stamp.¡¯ At least that way, it would be possible to prevent the leakage itself. After all, the most important part of this simple manufacturing process was the circuit drawn by the stamp Kim Hyunwoo held inside the wooden block. Moreover, since the already manufactured Explorer¡¯s Magnifying sses were treated as cash items, not being destructible unless destroyed, there wasn¡¯t much worry about them being dismantled after being made. ¡®But, the wooden blocks beforepletion aren¡¯t treated as cash items, so they can be dismantled.¡¯ Ultimately, there was no solution if the materials were stolen beforepletion. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± After pondering, Kim Hyunwoo soon came to a conclusion. ¡°Well, given the current unavoidable circumstances, I n to make them myself for a while.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not considering using workers?¡± ¡°It would be a big problem if the manufacturing method were leaked.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°By the way, if it¡¯s okay with you, I would appreciate it if you both, Elena, and Lani, could help out a bit whenever you have time. I trust both of you.¡± Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s words. Upon hearing this, Elena momentarily wore a nk expression, then cleared her throat again which she had cleared a moment before, and spoke, ¡°I¡¯ll help out after my work. As the Lord has said, in truth, I¡¯m now in the same boat as you.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll help too once I¡¯m done with cooking! Lately, thanks to the Lord assigning chefs, I have a lot of free time besides the usual hours!¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Upon their eptance, Kim Hyunwoo nodded with a smile but thought, ¡®Even so, I can¡¯t keep making them forever, so I definitely need someone reliable to entrust this to¡­ I need to think about this.¡¯ With those thoughts, Kim Hyunwoo sighed lightly as if there was no other option, ¡°Then, could you help out a bit more today?¡± With that, Elena, Lani, and Kim Hyunwoo continued making Magnifying sses untilte at night. That day, Kim Hyunwoo, Elena, and Lani were able to make about 4,000 Magnifying sses, including procuring additional materials. In just a few days, the spread of the Lowest Grade Explorer¡¯s Magnifying sses from the Lartania territory had transformed the lives of mercenaries. ¡°Yessssssssssss!!!!¡± ¡°Fuuuuuuuuuuuck!!!¡± ¡­for better or for worse, that is. ¡°Damn it, how does this make sense! How does it not make sense!!! How can I not get even one after more than 100 tries!!¡± ¡°Fi-finally broke even! Hahahahahaha!¡± Since the Lowest-grade Explorer¡¯s Magnifying sses began to be widely distributed, a variety of human dramas have emerged in the Lartania territory. ¡°Do you know what this is?¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s S¡¯s Sword¡­!¡± ¡°It¡¯s worth as much as 310 Gold Coins¡­!¡± ¡°Yeah, exactly that. I got it with the Magnifying ss in just five tries.¡± ¡°Whooooah, this is crazy¡­!¡± ¡°Is, is it true? You got it in just five tries with the Magnifying ss?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Those who boast about the items they¡¯ve obtained with just a few uses of the Magnifying ss. ¡°Me, I¡¯m going to do it too!¡± ¡°Honestly, wouldn¡¯t it be okay to try about ten times??¡± ¡°If that guy got one, there¡¯s no way I won¡¯t¡­!¡± Those who rush to try it themselves after seeing others bragging about their items. ¡°Damn it!! How does this make sense!? How can one not even show up, not even one!!¡± ¡°I¡¯m ruined¡­ I¡¯ve already spent 50 Gold Coins and got nothing¡­!¡± ¡°Oh heavens!!!! Why this trial upon me!!¡± Those who, in a moment, gambled all their money away and became destitute, wearing a look of utter despair. ¡°I, I can¡¯t end it like this, I can¡¯t let it end like this!¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah, a guy I knew told me he got Amb¡¯s Chain exactly on the 100th Magnifying ss¡­!¡± ¡°Is, is that really true?¡± ¡°Yes! It¡¯s clear that the chances of finding something good increase by the 100th try!¡± Those who, in an attempt to recoup their sunk costs, invest even more money into the Magnifying ss, and start believing in facts that didn¡¯t even exist before. In addition, after finally breaking even after much effort, thinking that just breaking even was unreasonable, some went on to gamble more and ended uppletely ruined, along with many other human dramas spreading among the mercenaries of Lartania. ¡°Seriously¡­¡± Allen, leading a mercenary band in Lartania, was also embodying one of those many human dramas. ¡°Why won¡¯t it show up¡­!!¡± As Allen beat the floor of the Labyrinth in a grip of despair, the entire mercenary band wore gloomy expressions. No wonder, since Allen had used about 80 Magnifying sses today, and all those 80 Magnifying sses were bought with the Gold Coins collected to be distributed to the mercenary members. In other words, Allen¡¯s entire mercenary band had invested in the Magnifying ss gacha, and since they had squandered all the money they had collected over several weeks due to the Magnifying sses, the mood in the mercenary band couldn¡¯t possibly be good. So, the gloom was only momentary. ¡°¡­I knew this would happen.¡± Harel, a member of Allen¡¯s mercenary band, who had always opposed the use of Magnifying sses and who effectively served as the group¡¯s guide, sighed and said, ¡°I told you, this is too risky¡­¡± ¡°Sorry¡­ if only I had drawn better.¡± Allen murmured with an endlessly gloomy expression. Realizing there was something peculiar in his murmuring, Harel checked the mood of the mercenary members and then spoke, ¡°No, what¡¯s done is done. As you know, money doesn¡¯te back. But being gloomy about it won¡¯t change anything. You all know that, right?¡± After looking around, Harel patted Allen¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°So, let¡¯s all shake it off and get up. After all, we¡¯ve already paid the inn for more than a week in advance¡­ and Lartania will buy the random stuff that came out. If we sell all this, we can salvage about ten Gold Coins.¡± With Harel¡¯s words calmly turning the gloomy atmosphere around, including Allen¡¯s shattered mentality, the mercenary band¡¯s mood began to improve gradually. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. Being gloomy won¡¯t change anything anyway.¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right! Don¡¯t be too gloomy, Allen! After all, we all agreed to it¡­!¡± Afterforting Allen in unison, the mercenary band¡¯s atmosphere returned to its former state. ¡°Indeed, we shouldn¡¯t have started this in the first ce. As you all know, this is like gambling, right? If you draw, you¡¯re lucky, but if you don¡¯t, you fall into a trap.¡± Immediately after, as if to say that escape is in order of intelligence, Harel began to list the terrifying aspects of the Magnifying ss one by one. ¡°¡­That¡¯s true, just because it happened to that guy doesn¡¯t guarantee it¡¯ll happen for us.¡± ¡°Definitely, there are way more people who¡¯ve lost than those who¡¯ve profited from buying it. Right around here, you can see several people who¡¯ve been ruined.¡± The members of the mercenary band nodded in agreement one by one, slowly extricating themselves from the quagmire of gacha they had momentarily fallen into. Thus, about six hours passed. Allen¡¯s mercenary band agreed not to get caught up in Magnifying sses and to work as usual, collecting money in the ordinary way, and they hunted diligently. ¡°Indeed, earning money through hard work is the right way, rather than hoping for a windfall.¡± ¡°Right, right.¡± As the mercenaries were making thesements while exiting the Labyrinth. ¡°This is crazy¡­!¡± ¡°Jackpot!¡± ¡°Oh heavens!!!!! Why me!!!¡± As soon as they emerged from the Labyrinth and heard the morous voices, Allen¡¯s mercenary band all wore puzzled expressions. Seeing a familiar mercenary making a fuss, Allen approached him and asked, ¡°What¡¯s all the fuss about?¡± ¡°Who¡­? Ah, is that you? You¡¯vee at the right time! It¡¯s chaos because of the Magnifying ss right now.¡± ¡°Because of the Magnifying ss¡­?¡± ¡°Yes! Guess what, someone drew Kamn¡¯s Ne!!!¡± ¡°Kamn¡¯s Ne¡­? Huh, don¡¯t tell me that¡­ the artifact from the Labyrinth that was traded for 5,000 Gold Coins at the Rapengan auction house?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s the one! It¡¯s causing quite a stir right now because of that!¡± ¡°This is insane¡­¡± Upon hearing that, Allen¡¯s impulses began to be fanned. Though he had lost 80 Gold Coins right away, what if he drew the ne and gained 5,000 Gold Coins? It would be a profit. Not just any profit, but enough money to retire from mercenary work right away¡­! Thus, Allen felt the urges within him bubbling up, but. ¡°Ah, no¡­ I must resist¡­!¡± He tried his best to resist the urge. After all, he had just lost 80 Gold Coins that morning. So, despite Allen¡¯s gritted teeth. ¡°One Gold coin¡­ for 5,000 Gold Coins¡­¡± ¡°¡­Harel?¡± Seeing Harel starting to ponder something, Allen wore a perplexed expression, but. ¡°¡­Shall we try once?¡± ¡°Huh? But you definitely said earlier that this was an inescapable marketing ploy¡­¡± ¡°¡­If it¡¯s for an item worth 5,000 Gold Coins, it¡¯s a different story.¡± Upon hearing Harel¡¯s follow-up, Allen suddenly remembered his dream. ¡°¡­Indeed, he always wanted to retire. Certainly, even divided among eight people, 5,000 Gold Coins would be 625 Gold Coins each¡­ With that amount, one could settle down and open the tavern he always wanted¡­¡± The moment he thought of that. ¡°¡­Since we¡¯ve already spent 80 Gold Coins¡­ how about we only spend 20 more to make it an even 100 Gold Coins?¡± With those words, seeing the ambition and the symbol of money seemingly filling her eyes, Allen began to slowly unleash the desire he had been quietly suppressing. Six hours after their minds were defeated by the Magnifying ss. ¡°Should, should we?¡± The Allen Mercenary Band fell into desire once again. And at that moment. When the Magnifying sses had practically all sold out, to the point where selling them became nearly impossible due to the depleted stock. In various ces around Lartania, where heated debates about the Magnifying sses took ce, along with a mixture of hope and despair. ¡°¡­Is it¡­ really that significant?¡± Elena, with a face full of curiosity, held the Magnifying ss as she headed towards the Labyrinth. Chapter 75: Tier 4 (1) In the office of the Tienus Merchant Group. Adria, who had been moving endlessly, suddenly let out a deep sigh as she thought about the situation a few hours ago. ¡®¡­To think that it would end up in a verbal fight for nearly two days¡­¡¯ Honestly, Adria had never imagined that they would end up fighting for nearly two days. How could she have thought that a fight, which started not as a release of long-held grievances but from the beginning, wouldst for two days? Especially since that fight was to obtain information on how to secretly observe the Lord of Lartania in any form possible. ¡®¡­Somehow, it feels like all my admiration has been shattered.¡¯ It¡¯s not that she admired the heroes of Lartania. However, there was a vague image. That¡¯s because the Lartania territory Adria remembered from ten years ago was so powerful that no one nearby could oppose it, and the tales of each of the Round Table heroes under the Lord being of great hero caliber were already widely spread. So, she vaguely thought that such great heroes would have a certain dignity¡­ ¡®¡­Honestly, even aside from admiration, I didn¡¯t expect it to be so¡­ gloomy.¡¯ Adria felt slightly wronged. Thinking about it, it was because those two suddenly appeared, so she couldn¡¯t say a bad word to the Guardian who tried to socially annihte her using her own body. Thus, Adria, wearing a strangely wronged expression while working, said, ¡°Well, I¡¯ve been thinking a bit.¡± ¡°About what?¡± ¡°About a topic to discuss with the Lord.¡± She felt slightly annoyed at the dragon¡¯s sudden conversation, but she quickly suppressed such feelings. Although the dragon almost gifted her with social annihtion, in the end, no matter what, the dragon was almost a benefactor to her. Although the social annihtion was not easy, even considering that, it wasn¡¯t enough to negate Adria¡¯s gratitude. ¡°¡­It¡¯s not something like sex asst time, right?¡± ¡°Of course not¡­!¡± ¡°Yes, yes, it certainly shouldn¡¯t be¡­ That, if I hadn¡¯t covered it properly, the situation would have be very strange.¡± However, not to grumble about it would be too harsh on herself, so after a bit ofining, she asked, ¡°So, what¡¯s the topic you¡¯re suggesting we discuss?¡± ¡°Well, sex¡­ is too provocative, isn¡¯t it¡­?¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s not just provocative, it¡¯s practically a form of social annihtion. Plus, although my consciousness is being used by the dragon, it¡¯s essentially my body, you know?¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s true¡­ sex is not an option¡­¡± ¡°I have no intention of doing it¡­ I don¡¯t have such feelings towards the Lord anyway.¡± ¡°¡­Eh?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°But the Lord is handsome, right?¡± ¡°¡­Uh¡­¡± ¡°But wouldn¡¯t it be a bit off to reject the Lord¡¯s words?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Wondering which level she was supposed to match, Adria sighed shortly and said, ¡°Even so, wouldn¡¯t it be a bit much for me to do it¡­?¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s true.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± What on earth¡­ Adria sighed and eventually said, ¡°Setting that aside¡­ have you really decided on a proper topic to talk about?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve thought about it a bit¡­ Ultimately, we need to start the conversation with a topic men like, right?¡± ¡°Right.¡± ¡°So I¡¯ve thought about it¡­ In my opinion, we need a topic that men like and that would make a woman very appealing when she talks about it, right?¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± Adria nodded several times in agreement with the dragon¡¯s words, feeling relieved on one hand. Ah, so it was indeed a mistake before, talking about sex was really because she was flustered. However. ¡°Well, then¡­ how about¡­ masturbation?¡± Following the dragon¡¯s disastrous choice of topic, ¡°No!!!¡± Adria couldn¡¯t help but cut her words off with a serious tone and even using informalnguage, and at the same time, she thought, ¡®¡­Does the Guardian have a curse that lowers their intellectual level whenever the Lord of Lartania is involved?¡¯ ¡­Very seriously, she couldn¡¯t help but ponder this, but, ¡°Ah, is it not okay?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not okay! No!¡± ¡°¡­I thought the Lord would like it.¡± ¡°How, how so!?¡± ¡°The Lord also brought up many topics rted to masturbation ten years ago¡­¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± Following the dragon¡¯s words, Adria wore a stunned expression. ¡®The Lord too, a strange person?¡¯ Eventually, she could onlye to such a conclusion. A few dayster. Territory: Lartania Territory Development Level: 1349 Territory Residents: [Humans: 7656] ¨COwned Buildings¨C [Lord's Castle LV1 >>> Upgrading 99% (Paused)] [Walls LV3¡ü] [Residential District LV3 >>> Upgrading 24%] [cksmith LV4] [Barracks LV3 >>> Upgrading 35%] [Tavern LV2 >>> Upgrading 0%] [Market LV2] [Wood Processing nt LV1] [Restaurant LV2 >>> Upgrading 0%] [Leather Processing nt LV1] [Stone Processing nt LV1] [Trade Center LV1] [Secondary Walls LV3¡ü] [Inn LV1 >>> Upgrading 52%] [Administrative District LV1¡ü >>> Upgrading 30%] ¨CExternal Buildings¨C [Mercenary Guild LV0 (Under Construction)] [Mage Tower Branch LV0 (Under Construction)] ¨COwned Troops¨C -Regr Soldiers: 200 -Apprentice Soldiers: 200 Kim Hyunwoo smiled satisfactorily as he looked at the state of the Lartania territory. The development level of the territory has now surpassed 1000, reaching 1200, and the poption of the territory was nearing 8,000. Indeed,pared to a few months ago, the growth rate was unimaginably fast. As a result, thendscape visible outside the Lord¡¯s Castle had changed so much that it was of a different dimension than before. What immediately caught the eye were the two massive walls, which were only Level 3, but their appearance alone was incredibly reassuring. The outer walls had been upgraded to Level 3, matching the level of the inner walls. Moreover, unlike the outer city, which had many empty lots, the inner city was densely popted. Considering it was daytime, the number of people inside was so dense that it was hard to imagine this ce was home to just 7,000 people. Around it, the cksmith¡¯s and the restaurant responsible for the soldiers and Kim Hyunwoo had grown evenrger, and the newly built two-story administrative department behind the Lord¡¯s castle, smaller than the Lord¡¯s castle itself, was now waiting for people to arrive. ¡®It¡¯s about time to select a hero for the administrative district.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo was thinking about selecting the administrative district hero for the area behind the Lord¡¯s castle. Once the territory¡¯s poption exceeds 10,000, it would be too difficult for Kim Hyunwoo to manage the territory alone without an administrative hero. Currently, due to the high loyalty of the territory¡¯s residents, tax evasion was not frequent, but it was clear that such incidents would increase as the territory grew. Moreover, since the administrative district could assist with most of Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s tasks, including being amunication channel for the territory¡¯s residents, Kim Hyunwoo was carefully preparing to select the administrative district hero. Although he could ce anyone in the position for the time being, given Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s character, he wanted to bring in a hero worth nurturing from the start. ¡­Of course, besides that, the high loyalty of the territory¡¯s residents meant that there were hardly anyints, making the job practically easy. Therefore, Kim Hyunwoo, who had been intently looking at the administrative district, soon turned his gaze downward to look at the mercenary guild and the branch of the Mage Tower. ¡®It seems construction has started.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo, looking at the outer castle where the mercenary guild and the branch of the Mage Tower, marked as [External Buildings] because they were being constructed with resources from outside Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s buildings, soon closed the window. ¡®Now, shall we start the side job?¡¯ After quickly checking the status of his territory, Kim Hyunwoo sat down and started making the Lowest Grade Explorer¡¯s Magnifying ss, smiling to himself. Although he had been making Magnifying sses for almost several days, which could have been boring, Kim Hyunwoo was not bored at all. The reason, of course, was that the Magnifying sses were bringing in a lot of money, just as Kim Hyunwoo had anticipated. Therefore, he had been making Magnifying sses in his office whenever he had the chance. Now, he was able to make about 4,000 Magnifying sses a day by himself¡­! ¡®¡­Normally, making 1,000 a day would be hard.¡¯ Funnily enough, the food Lani provided had increased his stats to a level that allowed Kim Hyunwoo to make Magnifying sses at a speed impossible for a normal person. In other words, he had gained the ability that all thedies nationwide making earrings or essories as a side job could only dream of. ¡­It felt a bit strange to think that he was using his increased stats for a side job rather than hunting, but Kim Hyunwoo had a different thought about it each time. ¡®I will be Bill Gates through a side job¡­!¡¯ Although it was a somewhat funny thought, considering the amount of Gold Coins Kim Hyunwoo was earning each day, it wasn¡¯t exactly wrong. ¡®Indeed, gacha turns into money¡­¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo, seeing the mercenaries screaming for more as soon as he put the stock out, smirked evilly as if possessed by the developers of Arteil. ¡®I wish everyone would fall for gacha¡­!¡¯ While making such thoughts and muttering nonsense like ¡®motto hayaku¡¯ alone, Kim Hyunwoo, who was speeding up the making of Magnifying sses, suddenly heard a knock and tilted his head in thought. ¡®Ah, I said I¡¯d give a briefing before breaking through the fourth tier today, right?¡¯ ¡°Come in.¡± Recalling that, Kim Hyunwoo immediately opened his mouth and called Elena in. ¡°Hello, My Lord.¡± ¡°Yes, but¡­ didn¡¯t you sleep well? It seems like there are some dark circles under your eyes?¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s okay. I had some work to do.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case¡­ then I¡¯ll give you the briefing right away.¡± Kim Hyunwoo immediately started the briefing on the fourth tier. Soon, after a short amount of time, just like with the third tier, the brief briefing ended. ¡°Um¡­ uh, My Lord?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Um, if it¡¯s not too much trouble¡­ may I make a request?¡± ¡°A request?¡± In response to Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s curious tilt of the head, Elena nced aside as if pondering, then soon nodded slightly as if she had made up her mind. ¡°Um, perhaps¡­ could I receive next month¡¯s sry¡­ in Magnifying sses?¡± She blurted out something like that. ¡°¡­What?¡± And then, only at that moment could Kim Hyunwoo properly assess Elena¡¯s condition. Eyes slightly empty with the appearance of dark circles. Simrly, hands trembling slightly as if unable to grasp something. Seeing that, Kim Hyunwoo thought, ¡°¡­Even so, for a hero to be caught up in gacha seems a bit¡­ off.¡± He thought this as he looked at Elena, who, to anyone¡¯s observation, seemed engrossed in gacha, with a vacant expression. Chapter 76: Tier 4 (2) Elena originally had no great interest in Magnifying sses. After all, she has always been the type to prefer fame over gold, both internally and externally. Thus, Elena honestly couldn¡¯t quite grasp what was so fascinating about these Magnifying sses, buttely, as she roamed her territory, all the stories she heard were about Magnifying sses, naturally arousing her curiosity. Fortunately, she had a few Magnifying sses that she had received from Kim Hyun-woo for testing purposes, so she went down to use them out of pure curiosity. ¡­That was the problem. Elena, going down to use a Magnifying ss for the first time, drew the ¡®Sword of nka¡¯ from the first one. In other words, she made a profit of more than 200 times, maybe even 250 times, with just one draw. Naturally, Elena was very pleased when she realized this. Of course, who wouldn¡¯t be happy about making money without much effort? Moreover, the joy she felt was significant because she had lived a life of poverty, being called a failed hero, longer than she had been employed as a hero in the territory. But even so, that didn¡¯t make Elena obsessed with Magnifying sses. It was rather because of the mercenaries that she became obsessed with them. It was because of the mercenaries who flocked to her, making a fuss as soon as she drew the Sword of nka at once. They all admired and apuded Elena for drawing the Sword of nka in one go, and someone even insisted on doing the next draw at the spot where Elena had drawn, thinking it was a lucky spot. Thus, merely by using the Magnifying ss, Elena, who had quickly gained admiration from those around her, went on to use the remaining Magnifying sses once more. And from there, another Sword of nka emerged¡­!! At the sight of Elena drawing not one but two Swords of nka in session, the mercenaries apuded vigorously with voices full of both jealousy and cheers. Regrettably, Elena had fallen into the swamp of delusion, thinking it was all due to her own luck. Perhaps she was caught in themon delusion that she was meant for greatness? Furthermore, the admiration from the mercenaries, for merely using the Magnifying ss twice, gradually restored her self-esteem, which had been diminished due to being considered a failed hero. Of course, her self-esteem had already improved a lot since joining the territory, but she was still being ignored by the mercenaries. Because of that, Elena began to purchase Magnifying sses in earnest. And, of course, it was a disaster. Just as everyone has the same chance of drawing something good with the Magnifying ss, it was an unchanging truth for Elena as well. Thus, Elena gradually became obsessed with the Magnifying sses. Upon hearing about how she had fallen for the Magnifying sses, Kim Hyun-woo made a strange expression. ¡°This is problematic.¡± Strictly speaking, it wasn¡¯t that problematic. After all, as long as she did her job well, Kim Hyun-woo didn¡¯t really have a reason to be concerned about whatever else she did. However, Elena still needed to spend more time on her growth than on the Magnifying sses. ¡°Can¡¯t be helped.¡± Kim Hyun-woo decided to stitch up Elena¡¯s broken head, having no other choice. Just as numerous users of Arteil had stitched up their broken heads with the help of the government¡¯s ¡®Game Probability Disclosure Act¡¯. ¡°Elena, do you know the probability of getting a good item from the Magnifying ss?¡± ¡°Yes? No¡­ not really.¡± ¡°You said you drew the Sword of nka, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°The probability of drawing the Sword of nka is 0.00042%.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± Elena looked dazed as if hit on the head with a hammer upon hearing the probability of drawing the Sword of nka. Kim Hyun-woo didn¡¯t stop there and continued speaking. About how dreadful the probability was for the ¡®Lowest Grade Explorer¡¯s Magnifying ss¡¯. How difficult it was to hit the jackpot using a Magnifying ss. Furthermore, ¡°For your information, the probability of drawing Yoichi¡¯s Bow is 0.000004%. By simple calction, you need to draw it a million times to have a 4% chance.¡± He mentioned one of the hardest items to get from the Magnifying ss. ¡°¡­In reality, spending money on the Magnifying ss is¡­¡± ¡°Hard to say, but it¡¯s like pouring water into a bottomless pot.¡± ¡°¡­Hearing the probabilities, it certainly seems so.¡± Kim Hyun-woo nodded his head in relief, as anyone could see that the head was neatly stitched up, and said, ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s best to stop obsessing over the Magnifying ss. Elena, you don¡¯t really need to do that.¡± ¡°It would be best to do as you say, My Lord.¡± After hearing the probabilities, seeing Elena¡¯s rapidly improving condition, Kim Hyun-woo thought it was indeed necessary to keep the probability table hidden. ¡°Then please leave for the fourth tier immediately tomorrow.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± With those words, he sent Elena away. ¡°Sigh-¡± Kim Hyun-woo, who had prevented a hero from Lartania from falling into gambling, sighed in relief. ¡®Ah, I forgot to give that to Elena as well.¡¯ Recalling the item he had not yet given, Kim Hyun-woo shrugged and, after a while, opened Elena¡¯s information window. It had been quite a while since hest opened Elena¡¯s status window. And then. Hero Name: Elena Title: X Stars: 2 Stars ¡ï¡ï Affection Level: Level 4 -Stats- ???Strength: 45¡ü ???Agility: 60¡ü ???Intelligence: 23¡ü ???Luck: 30¡ü ???Magic: 25¡ü ¡ùThe hero feels a very strong trust in you. ¡°What? It¡¯s almost at a 3-star level?¡± Kim Hyunwoo couldn¡¯t help but marvel at Elena¡¯s stats without even realizing it. This was because Elena, who was definitely a 1-star a few months ago, had now grown to almost a 3-star level. Kim Hyunwoo was newly amazed at the talent of a hard worker. ¡°But why does Luck increase with it, really?¡± He made a strange expression. This was because, despite there being no particrly dangerous events for Elena recently, her Luck, which is usually hard to increase beyond 20, had gone up to 30. Kim Hyunwoo, who was questioning this, soon shrugged and turned off the information window. ¡­It wasplicated whether to like or dislike that Luck was increasing, but in the end, it was a good thing because if Elena became stronger quickly, her Luck would definitely increase. ¡°Hmm, now that she¡¯s slowly reaching 3 stars, I shoulde up with a title for her.¡± Thus, Kim Hyunwoo began to create a Magnifying ss again, thinking of a strange name in his mind. The cksmith¡¯s Street in the east of Norba Kingdom was so vast that it could be said to have devoured the entire eastern region of the Kingdom, yet no one doubted that the cksmith¡¯s Street was thatrge. That¡¯s because, from the beginning, the Norba Kingdom itself could grow because of the cksmiths. Therefore, the territories affiliated with Norba Kingdom essentially had high-quality cksmiths, and this tendency was even stronger within the Kingdom, which could be considered their headquarters. And, the cksmith Guild, which could essentially be said tomand all such cksmiths unanimously, actually receives the respect of all cksmiths. That¡¯s because the cksmith Guild is different from other guilds. For example, in the case of the Adventurers¡¯ Guild or the Commerce Guild, the position of Guild Master is entrusted to an administrator who can manage the guild the best, although the ability of their specialty is also a factor. However, like the Mercenary Guild, the cksmith Guild focuses on professional skills rather than management and ces a cksmith in the position. There are several reasons for this, but the biggest reason was the stubbornness of the cksmiths. cksmiths do not wish for someone with lower skills than themselves to be in a higher position. But, on the contrary, cksmiths cleanly acknowledge someone with higher skills than themselves, so the cksmith Guild Master, like the Mercenary Guild, was the person with the best skills. In the center of the eastern street of Norba Kingdom. A huge three-story building that, at a nce, differed in size from the other cksmith buildings. On the third floor of that ce, adorned with heavy yet elegantly carved decorations, as if to signify that this building belongs to the cksmith Guild. ¡°So, how is Lartania territory?¡± Koman immediately answered the cksmith Guild Master¡¯s question, which came while he was turning around and tinkering with something, as if there was no need for a second question. ¡°It¡¯s a great ce. There are quite a lot of people who use the weapons we made.¡± Koman answered. Upon hearing that, the Guild Master turned with a satisfied smile and said, ¡°Really? Then we can open a branch there?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not just that we can, but it seems like we definitely should.¡± ¡°Well, of course, we should if it¡¯s like that.¡± ¡°Then¡­ may I take charge of the cksmith branch in Lartania?¡± Koman asked rather politely. However. ¡°Um, I¡¯m sorry, but that might be a bit difficult.¡± ¡°¡­Perhaps, are you thinking of giving it to someone else?¡± ¡°Ah,e on- it wouldn¡¯t be right to push another cksmith into a ce where Koman has been for the branch.¡± The Guild Master¡¯s words. Koman was about to speak with a slightly dissatisfied expression, but- ¡°But, unfortunately, I¡¯m going this time.¡± ¡°¡­Excuse me?¡± As the cksmith continued, Koman made a bewildered face, and the Guild Master turnedpletely around. The first thing visible was fiery red hair that fell to their waist. Next, red eyes and a yfully smiling mouth were visible. Lastly, she wasn¡¯t tall, perhaps due to being a dwarf, but still had the cheerful charm of a woman, thanks to her unique proportions. And then. ¡°I told you, didn¡¯t I? I¡¯m going.¡± The Guild Master- no. ¡°When a close friend returns, I have to keep my promise.¡± The best cksmith in the cksmith Guild ¨C who could create a signature, albeit in a limited fashion ¨C Reneide River, said with a smile. Chapter 77: Tier 4 (3) The next day. Kim Hyunwoo called Elena, who was heading down to the fourth tier, and gave her a gift. ¡°¡­What¡¯s this?¡± Elena asked with a surprised look. To that, Kim Hyunwoo responded with a smile. ¡°It¡¯s an axe made from the materials of the Magdaora we caughtst time.¡± ¡°Excuse me? Magdaora, as in that Disaster of a¡­¡± ¡°Yes, that one.¡± With those words, Elena, who took out the axe, looked at Kim Hyunwoo with an astonished expression. The axe in her hand looked extremely good, as if it was appealing to be a very expensive entity just by its appearance. ¡®It¡¯s actually good too.¡¯ Although it wasn¡¯t a weapon for a 5-star hero to use, a weapon made from Magdaora¡¯s materials was quite a decent weapon for up to 4 stars. ¡°Isn¡¯t this gift too much for me?¡± Elena looked a bit burdened, but Kim Hyunwoo reassured her with a smile. ¡°Too much? Not at all.¡± ¡°But still-¡± ¡°If you really think so, I¡¯d appreciate it if you dedicated yourself even more to training. I sincerely believe that Elena will be a strong hero.¡± Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s words. Upon hearing this, Elena widened her eyes and looked at Kim Hyunwoo, then nodded her head with a slightly reddenedplexion and said, ¡°¡­I will definitely try to be like that.¡± ¡°I believe in you. Then, have a good trip.¡± After epting Elena¡¯s response with a smile, she immediately moved outside the Lord¡¯s castle, and Kim Hyunwoo, watching her, [Elena's affinity has increased!] [Elena's affinity has reached the maximum level!] ¡°Oh.¡± He unwittingly smiled at the pop-up notifications. ¡®Of course, it¡¯s just that the affinity reached Level 5.¡¯ In Arteil, even if the affinity reaches Level 5, it doesn¡¯t mean the hero character has fallen in love, but rather that the trust has be very strong, making it easier for the favorability to increase. ¡®Well, even in the current state, I¡¯ll sufficiently receive a stats increase due to the affinity.¡¯ While Kim Hyunwoo thought so, knock knock. He turned his gaze towards the sound of knocking on the office door. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, My Lord.¡± ¡°Ah, pleasee in.¡± Kim Hyunwoo greeted M with a smile as she entered the office, asking her how she had been along with a warm wee. Since officially scouting M, Kim Hyunwoo and M hadn¡¯t had a significant meeting. ¡®Normally, it would be good to meet often.¡¯ But currently, Kim Hyunwoo had a lot to do, including making the Magnifying ss, and above all, because he found M¡¯s characteristics trustworthy, he didn¡¯t specifically arrange to meet and talk with her separately. After exchanging simple greetings for a while, Kim Hyunwoo was able to get to the main point. ¡°So, what brings you here?¡± It wasn¡¯t Kim Hyunwoo who had called M. Rather, she had requested to see Kim Hyunwoo first, so he asked with curiosity. M, having received the question, seemed to ponder for a moment before speaking. ¡°Well, it¡¯s about forming a Mercenary Guild, I was wondering if I could get a little help with that.¡± ¡°Help?¡± ¡°Yes. Well-¡± M, looking quite troubled, soon began to tell Kim Hyunwoo about the current situation. After listening quietly to M, Kim Hyunwoo nodded in understanding as she finished speaking. ¡°¡­So, to put it essentially, the Mercenary Guild is unable to receive financial support due to political fighting¡­ Is that what you mean?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± M, making a face as if feeling quite disgraced just by thinking about it, ¡°¡­Well, to be honest, even if you don¡¯t support us, the Mercenary Guild will probably be properly built eventually. But if that happens-¡± ¡°M, you mean you¡¯ll be pushed out by politics and won¡¯t be able to stay in Lartania?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Upon M¡¯s words, Kim Hyunwoo made a thoughtful expression, nodding his head and sighing peculiarly. ¡®Indeed, wherever people gather, political fighting is the same.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo looked at M with a sympathetic expression. It made sense because, based on the story M had given, it seemed she was essentially being treated as a thorn in the side by the Mercenary Guild. ¡®¡­Since Lartania definitely seems like a winning lottery ticket, they deliberately make various excuses to block the funding for the Mercenary Guild, thinking that if M gives up, they¡¯ll send another mercenary¡­¡¯ It was clearly a very petty act. Certainly, if the Mercenary Guild acted like this, M had no choice but to be affected. ording to what she had said, if the Mercenary Guild isn¡¯t properly built within half a year, the authority to build the Guild would be transferred to the other side. However, upon cold consideration, this situation was infinitely unfortunate for M but also infinitely advantageous for Kim Hyunwoo. After all, Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s ultimate goal was to fully recruit M to Lartania. But. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll help you.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± He said those words to M without hesitation. M, looking at him with a nk expression for a moment, asked with a somewhat confused look, ¡°Uh¡­ really?¡± ¡°Yes, really. You¡¯vee to ask for help with difficulty; I wouldn¡¯t lie about this.¡± ¡°Well- if I may ask, why¡­?¡± M¡¯s question. She looked at Kim Hyunwoo with eyes that couldn¡¯tprehend. M was aware of herself. Her story might be pitiful, but he had no real reason to help, and not helping her right now would not harm Kim Hyunwoo in any way. However, ¡°As I¡¯ve said, I really want to bring someone as talented as you are here. So, I¡¯m earning points in advance.¡± Kim Hyunwoo said this, looking at M. ¡°Besides, if you leave, it would also be troublesome for me to fulfil my contracts further.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± M let out a low exmation. ¡°Anyway, so I will help you with the matter regarding the Mercenary Guild.¡± Seeing her, Kim Hyunwoo smiled and continued. ¡°Really, thank you so much¡­ If it weren¡¯t for you, My Lord, I would¡¯ve¡­¡± Seeing M, who briefly wore a nk expression before bowing her head deeply, Kim Hyunwoo intuitively felt that his thoughts were correct. ¡®As expected, she had no intention of leaving the Mercenary Guild.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo had already somewhat grasped that the Mercenary Guild¡¯s politicking wasn¡¯t just this one time when he heard about M¡¯s situation. The word ¡®again¡¯ hade up quite often from her. The fact that she had gone through such an ordeal again made him realize that this wasn¡¯t the first attempt M had made to establish her Guild. Moreover, since she had no particr intention of leaving the Mercenary Guild even for therge amount Kim Hyunwoo had suggested, he had roughly inferred the situation. ¡®¡­Well, I¡¯m not sure exactly why she doesn¡¯t want to leave the Mercenary Guild.¡¯ Ultimately, from Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s perspective, he decided to help without hesitation to build up as much favorability as possible before recruiting her. ¡°Hmm, this conversation might take some time, so let¡¯s talk about itter¡­ I¡¯ve been quite busy recently and haven¡¯t been able to check on the soldiers¡¯ condition. How are the apprentices doing?¡± At the same time, to pivot away from the suddenly awkward rtionship, he quickly changed the topic to the training status of the apprentices. ¡°Ah.¡± M, as if deeply moved, cleared her throat with slightly reddened eyes. ¡®¡­I mean, is helping with the Mercenary Guild really that moving¡­??¡¯ Right after Kim Hyunwoo made a slightly puzzled expression, M, with a flushed face, said after clearing her throat several times, ¡°The training of the apprentices is progressing very quickly. To be honest¡­ the effort of the apprentices is incredible. They are bing strong very quickly.¡± She said that. ¡°Oh, is that so?¡± Kim Hyunwoo, smiling with satisfaction upon hearing M¡¯s words, turned on the status window of the apprentices for the first time in a while, ¡°¡­Huh?¡± He couldn¡¯t help but make a surprised expression unknowingly. While Kim Hyunwoo was looking in surprise at the apprentices¡¯ information window. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Merilda, sitting on a hill for a while, was lost in thought with a worried expression. The reason was that she had encountered a sinister dragon a few days ago. In fact, it wasn¡¯t because she had met the sinister dragon that she was lost in thought. Moreover, it wasn¡¯t because she was unable to share consciousness that she looked depressed. ¡­She was a bit depressed, but that wasn¡¯t the main reason. The immediate reason for Merilda¡¯s depression¡­ ¡­was because she realized she alone had no solution. Through thest meeting, Merilda was able to understand why the Absolute Ruler of Darkness and the Crimson Dragon couldn¡¯t return to Lartania. The Absolute Ruler of Darkness was because of infamy like hers, and the dragon was due to a year-long ban. The dragon¡¯s situation was different from hers, but it could return to its owner after just one more year. The Absolute Ruler of Darkness had umted infamy like her, but it seemed to be diligently removing its infamy through its own efforts. However, Merilda was unable to reduce her infamy right away. More precisely, she had no clue how to reduce her infamy. Because, as Merilda herself knew, her infamy was tremendously high. But that didn¡¯t mean she was going to give up on returning to her Master. ¡®Is there no way¡­? A way to return to Master a bit faster than those guys¡­¡¯ Merilda had been pondering this for the past few days. ¡°Boss, what¡¯s going on?¡± Ryu, looking at Merilda, who had limited her daily raids on the Lord¡¯s castle to once a day and was maintaining silence, asked her as she pondered. ¡°Huh?¡± She asked with a low exmation, as if suddenly realizing something. ¡°Ryu.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°What was the reason those guys came to deal with the Red Eyes when we settled down?¡± ¡°¡­Ah, are you talking about the intruders?¡­Well, I think most of them came for treasure?¡± ¡°What else did they gain by capturing us?¡± ¡°¡­When the intruders dealt with us? Well- maybe honor or favorability from the surrounding territories?¡± ¡°That¡¯s it.¡± ¡°¡­What do you mean?¡± ¡°The way to eliminate my infamy, that¡¯s it.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± With Ryu¡¯s exmation, Merilda smiled. She herself thought that eliminating the already overflowing infamy would take too much time. But what if she could gain honor and favorability from territories by defeating viins? Eliminating infamy quickly wasn¡¯t an impossible task because of this. ¡®I¡¯ll return faster than that sinister dragon or the hysterical woman.¡¯ Merilda, who immediately stood up, ¡®To my Master.¡¯ Resolved, she smiled. ¡°I just have to beat all those infamous guys, right?¡± Merilda¡¯s words. Upon hearing this, Ryu made a momentarily nk expression. ¡°That¡­ Yes?¡± He asked again. ¡°If I defeat all those infamous guys, won¡¯t the favorability of those territories, who have infamy with me, increase?¡± ¡°That¡­ makes sense?¡± ¡°So, if I defeat all those infamous guys, my infamy will disappear too.¡± Following this dizzying logic, Ryu made a flustered expression, as if he might unwittingly p his forehead. Honestly, the conclusion Merilda came to was quite dizzying, and not something one would typically think of to eliminate their infamy. ¡°¡­But, wouldn¡¯t that be a bit difficult?¡± Therefore, Ryu asked, perhaps out of concern. ¡°Why? The logic is sound, isn¡¯t it?¡± Following Merilda¡¯s response, ¡°¡­The logic, it does make sense. Logically¡­¡± Eventually, he nodded as if giving up. ¡°Where¡¯s the most infamous ce around here?¡± As Merilda asked, ¡°Hmm-¡± After a moment of thought, Ryu brought Giral and Gram. ¡°¡­So, you¡¯re saying to beat all the infamous guys and clear the infamy?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Giral and Gram inadvertently opened their mouths slightly at Merilda¡¯s confident nodding. ¡°¡­Ahem.¡± Soon, Giral quickly closed his mouth. Honestly, the idea of eliminating all infamous individuals to clear one¡¯s own infamy wasn¡¯t something that coulde from a normal line of thought. After all, considering how many viins are in this world, how could one possibly find and defeat them all? But, ¡®¡­From her expression, it¡¯s clear she won¡¯t give up.¡¯ After thinking this, Giral, seeing Merilda¡¯s confident expression, spoke, ¡°I believe the most infamous ce around here is the Trikram territory.¡± ¡°Trikram territory?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a territory ambiguously belonging to the Cn Kingdom, infamous to the extent that despite being a territory, it¡¯s practically filled with nothing but ves.¡± ¡°..Then, wouldn¡¯t meddling with it worsen our rtionship with the Cn Kingdom?¡± ¡°Considering the infamy, the favorability might actually increase. Moreover, killing that lord might not affect our rtionship with the Cn Kingdom, but it will definitely eliminate the Boss¡¯ infamy.¡± ¡°Really? Is that so¡­¡± Giral nodded in response to Merilda¡¯s question, ¡°Let¡¯s go right away.¡± She immediately opened her mouth with a deep smile. Chapter 78: Tier 4 (4) Elena was descending to the fourth tier, not with a tense expression but with a mysterious smile on her face. The reason was the axe in her hand. She nced at the axe, which she had already looked at several times, once again. The axe looked very expensive at first nce, and in fact, it was so expensive that Elena wondered if she had ever heard of such an item. Looking at it, a giggling smile involuntarily flowed from Elena. ¡®I didn¡¯t expect to be taken care of like this¡­¡¯ Elena liked the hand axe so much because it was undoubtedly a very good piece of equipment gifted by Kim Hyunwoo. Equipment made from Disaster as a material is fundamentally very expensive. However, the actual reason Elena liked it so much was because Kim Hyunwoo gave her such an expensive gift without expecting anything in return. More precisely, while asking her to grow a bit more. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Elena let out a smallugh without realizing it. Thinking of what Kim Hyunwoo said, she felt he had great faith in her. Since entering the Lartania territory, the term ¡®failed hero¡¯ had be a thing of the past. She was respected by the soldiers, but her heart still fluttered whenever Kim Hyunwoo showed his belief in her like this. After all, Kim Hyunwoo was the person who had significantly changed Elena¡¯s life and was also her benefactor. Elena, who had been looking at the axe and smiling satisfactorily several times until reaching the fourth tier, ¡°Lady Elena, we have reached the fourth tier.¡± soon came to her senses at the trainee¡¯s words, nodded, andposed her emotions. After all, it was absolutely necessary topose her emotions before officially tackling the Labyrinth. Therefore, after taking a few light breaths, Elena entered the entrance of the fourth tier with the 200 apprentices who hade down with her, exhaling onest sigh. Soon, she began to recall what Kim Hyunwoo had said. ¡®From the fourth tier, mutants start to appear more frequently. Hobgoblins and orcs begin to appear, but they are not much different from the monsters in the third tier, so hunting them should not be a big problem.¡¯ ¡®However, one thing to be careful of is traps. From the fourth tier, horned rock crabs will roam around the Labyrinth. They hide and shoot horns from the walls or ceilings whenbat starts, so it¡¯s best to deal with the horned rock crabs first inbat situations.¡¯ ¡®If you enterbat and haven¡¯t dealt with the horned rock crabs, immediately move to evade. The horns of the horned rock crabs have significant prating power, and a direct hit could be fatal.¡¯ Elena, calmly recalling the other things Kim Hyunwoo had told her, soon started to share the information she had received with the soldiers while holding the hand axe. As before, with Elena leading, they walked into the fourth tier, and soon after, she found herself in the first fight. ¡°¡­?¡± She couldn¡¯t help but wear a somewhat bewildered expression. That¡¯s because, just as Elena encountered the first enemies and was about to remove a horned rock crab moving stealthily ording to Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s advice and join the fight, ¡°We¡¯ve won!¡± ¡°Waaaaah!!!¡± ¡°???¡± The fight was already over. ¡°¡­?¡± Elena looked at the monsters, which until a moment ago were baring their ferocious teeth as if ready to pounce on her, with a puzzled expression. All of them were either beheaded or had their limbs crushed, slowly fading away. Seeing this, Elena naturally looked at the apprentices who were roaring in victory with a puzzled expression. ¡®¡­Huh, are the apprentices this strong?¡¯ Elena, having spent a lot of time as a mercenary, knew that the abilities of the apprentices weren¡¯t that outstanding. But what she had just seen. Certainly, the soldiers, who until recently had only been able to fend off monsters while exploring the Labyrinth with Elena as regr soldiers, had be iparably stronger, leaving Elena dumbfounded. Immediately in the next battle. ¡°It¡¯s a monster!¡± ¡°Kill it!¡± ¡°Kill them!!¡± ¡°Show them the power of Lartania¡¯s soldiers!¡± This time, before Elena could even move, the apprentices not only swiftly ughtered the monsters but also dealt with the horned rock crabs on the ceiling, leaving her to watch. ¡®Why are they so strong???¡¯ Elena couldn¡¯t help but look extremely bewildered. Troop Type: [Apprentice Soldiers] Leader: Malon [Proficiency 82/100] Number of Soldiers: 200 [View Details] Combat Efficiency: Very High -Basic Equipment- Head: Lightweight Helmet Body: Iron Armor with Leather Padding Waist: Sturdy Leather Belt Legs: Greaves with Leather Padding Armed with: Iron Sword Secondary Arms: Iron Spear, Dagger, Bow ¡ùThe soldiers' morale is high, maximizingbat efficiency! ¡ùThe soldiers' very high morale boosts theirbat power! ¡ùThe soldiers' good rtions among themselves rapidly increase their proficiency! ¡°¡­Wow.¡± Kim Hyunwoo, without even realizing it, made an impressed expression as he secretly clicked on the detailed information to view the proficiency of the personnel, and inadvertently showed a surprised look. ¡®Isn¡¯t this crazy, that most of their proficiency is above 70??¡¯ Basically, the proficiency of soldiers does not increase that quickly. Even when Kim Hyunwoo was training ordinary soldiers, didn¡¯t the upgrade window pop up only after he had them go through actualbat experience several times? But now? Having trained for just about a month and most of the soldiers¡¯ proficiency hitting over 70, Kim Hyunwoo, with an impressed expression, unknowingly smiled brightly and said, ¡°As expected, my judgment was correct.¡± ¡°Ah, no, in fact, it happened because the soldiers were initially well-trained, not because of my training.¡± ¡°Not at all. No matter how much will there is, without the right person to lead, it would be a futile effort. It¡¯s thanks to your good leadership. Thank you very much.¡± ¡°You, you don¡¯t have to go that far¡­!¡± M hurriedly spoke as Kim Hyunwoo even bowed his head swiftly. However, Kim Hyunwoo was in such a good mood that he didn¡¯t even care about that. The reason why many criticize the apprentice soldiers as beingte bloomers is precisely because their apprentice period is too weak. But what if they could quickly pass through that apprentice period? From Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s perspective, he had no choice but to apud, so he could only smile. Several hours after exploring the fourth tier. Elena, having conserved more stamina due to the apprentice soldiers¡¯bat skills being far superior than anticipated, quickly reached the end of the fourth tier and was able to confront the Boss of the fourth tier right away. [Monstrous roar-!] The Boss of the fourth tier was a monster that seemed to be a giant horned rock crab, made even more bizarre as Kim Hyunwoo had described. Unlike the horned rock crab, which only has developed parts for firing horns, this mutant with at least dozens of protrusions on its shell hunched its body and shot horns in all directions. Bang! Crackle! Bang! Horns fired instantly in all directions. Since the soldiers, except for Elena, did not enter, Elena quickly twisted her body to dodge the horns flying towards her. Whoosh! The horn that whizzed past her head was embedded in the wall in an instant, indicating its power was not merely strong at first nce. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Despite knowing from Kim Hyunwoo, she broke out in a cold sweat at its power. However, Elena, not shrinking back, instead let out a light sigh. ¡°Hup!¡± She immediately rushed in, recalling Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s words. ¡®The power of the mutant crab¡¯s horns is tremendous, but they are also easy to dodge. Just avoid being in a straight line with the horn¡¯sunch points. It will keep tilting its body to hit you, but just avoid that.¡¯ ¡®It can only fire its horns in a straight line. Once you get close by avoiding them, it will be easier for you to handle it.¡¯ Recalling his words and immediately burrowing into the inside of the crab, Elena quickly reached the front of the crab and raised her hand axe. ¡®The shell is thick¡­ I must hit it at least three times!¡¯ With that thought, she brought down the axe. That moment. Crunch-! Contrary to Elena¡¯s expectation, the axe instantly pierced through the crab¡¯s shell and tore into its flesh. [Agonized shriek-!!!] The crab convulsed. Dozens of legs burst out, as if trying to immediately move its position, scraping the stone floor. Crack-! At that moment, as if by a lie, a blue, sharp bone pierced through the crab¡¯s body. ¡°¡­!¡± Startled by the tremendous power of the axe, Elena quickly regained herposure, entered the inside of the crab, and swung her hand axe mightily towards the belly of the crab. And then. Roar-! As the crab died, its body began to disintegrate into powder and disappear. Hearing the cheers from behind, Elena let out a small sigh and momentarily admired the hand axe made from the materials of Disaster. ¡°¡­This time too.¡± She was looking at the bone that had helped her again, this time muchrger than the third tier, now so big it was no jokepared to the size of a person¡¯s waist. ¡°¡­?¡± Soon, she realized it was different from thest time; it had a pattern engraved on it. Elena, who had been looking at it for a while, said. ¡°¡­Let¡¯s go back for now.¡± She quickly gathered the blue bone and started preparing to leave immediately. As soon as Elena began her preparations to leave, the apprentice soldiers busily started to load the loot and the blue bone they had acquired onto the wagon they had brought. Elena, quietly watching the apprentice soldiers, subtly started to take note of their movements. ¡°¡­Hem hem.¡± From her bosom, she pulled out a Magnifying ss. Of course, she was already aware from Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s words that the chances with the Magnifying ss were incredibly slim. ¡®¡­Using the Magnifying ss in a newly conquered tier increases the chances of finding something good, right?¡¯ Elena had impulsively bought the Magnifying ss due to rumors circting among mercenaries. ¡­In truth, she couldn¡¯t forget the strange euphoria she felt the first time she used the Magnifying ss, but Elena was convincing herself it was to ¡®verify the rumors¡¯. ¡°Sigh-¡± Soon, Elena used the Magnifying ss while keeping an eye on the apprentice soldiers. And about 10 minutester. ¡°¡­¡­¡± She began to exit the Labyrinth with a slightly depressed expression, considering that she had broken through the Labyrinth¡¯s fourth tier. Chapter 79: Tinnitus (1) Several hourster. Kim Hyunwoo, who was listening to the strategy report for the fourth tier from Elena, who seemed a bit somber, realized something he hadn¡¯t thought of. ¡°Monsters revived?¡± ¡°Yes. Of course, in this case, the apprentice soldiers fought very well, so it wasn¡¯t a big problem. However, if monsters continue to revive in the next tier like this-¡± ¡°We¡¯ll definitely need to be careful when conquering the fifth tier. Thank you for letting me know.¡± After Elena¡¯s words, Kim Hyunwoo nodded and then thought to himself. ¡®I forgot about this.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s Labyrinth, currently using the Experience Package, means that while the tier Bosses may not, normal monsters continue to revive even after being killed. In other words, while the Package is a very necessary element for maintaining the Labyrinth city, it bes a hindrance when conquering the Labyrinth. ¡®It seems like we¡¯ll have to give the Labyrinth a day¡¯s rest before proceeding with the conquest next time.¡¯ Taking a day off entails a significant loss, but since they couldn¡¯t just not conquer the Labyrinth, Kim Hyunwoo, who decided to conquer one or two tiers each time the Package ended, continued to listen to Elena¡¯s report. ¡°¡­The apprentice soldiers fought that well?¡± ¡°Yes. To be honest, I couldn¡¯t imagine they would fight so well¡­¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Yes. There was a clear differencepared to the apprentice soldiers I¡¯ve seen in other territories.¡± After Elena¡¯s continued words, Kim Hyunwoo nodded with a face full of curiosity. ¡°And, as you can see, the blue bone helped with hunting the Boss again this time.¡± ¡°As expected.¡± Kim Hyunwoo looked at the shining blue bone in front of his office desk. ¡°And, this time, there were patterns engraved on the blue bone.¡± ¡°¡­Patterns?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Following Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s question, Elena pointed to a small pattern drawn on a corner of the blue bone as she answered. Indeed, Kim Hyunwoo could see the pattern engraved on the blue bone. A very intricate pattern. ¡°¡­Do you have any idea what it might be?¡± Elena asked as Kim Hyunwoo intently looked at the pattern, but he soon shook his head. ¡°To be honest, I¡¯m not sure what that pattern means.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Yes. But seeing there are patterns unlike before, honestly, it does give something to ponder.¡± After Kim Hyunwoo said that, he listened to Elena¡¯s additional report. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll take my leave now.¡± ¡°Yes. You¡¯ve been conquering tiers today, so please rest easy.¡± After confirming Elena had left, Kim Hyunwoo stopped even making the Magnifying ss and quietly looked at the pattern on the blue bone. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Kim Hyunwoo, intently observing the geometric patterns made up of squares at various angles, said, ¡°Hmm?¡± He then looked at the pattern at the very front. He observed the thing that was more akin to a magic circle than a pattern, drawn with aplex pentagram within a square and small markings difficult to discern with the naked eye, and thought, ¡®This, somehow it looks simr to the magic circle patterns used by the Necromancer of the Blue Forest¡­¡¯ He stared intently at the pattern with that thought, but could only specte to that extent, unable to discern the other patterns. ¡®¡­Do I need to hire an archaeologist or something¡­¡¯ The thought in Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s mind. Considering there were characters with archaeology-rted skills when he yed Arteil. Remembering that, Kim Hyunwoo considered hiring a hero with talents rted to archaeology from a tavern next time, before starting to make the Magnifying ss again. About a weekter. The Magnifying sses made in Lartania began to spread once more among the mercenaries, this time branded as the worst gambling machine in history and nicknamed ¡®life-changing lottery roulette¡¯. In the underground of the Cn Kingdom. ¡°Master.¡± ¡°Yes. Has the task been handled well?¡± The Absolute Ruler of Darkness was receiving a report from Loriel. ¡°Yes. As you instructed, we have taken measures to naturally remove the lords who have definite resentment towards you from their positions.¡± ¡°Are you sure you¡¯ve confirmed it properly?¡± ¡°Just to be sure, we also separately investigated those who have received your help to check if they harbor any resentment, but as of now, none of those who received your help have any resentment towards you.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The Absolute Ruler of Darkness, nodding at Loriel¡¯s report, continued. ¡°So, how many lords have been reced?¡± ¡°A total of eight ces.¡± ¡°That¡¯s more than I expected.¡± ¡°Yes. Upon cross-verification, it seems that Lord Raipeoshin was secretly spreading information about you to his followers, preparing to push you out.¡± ¡°¡­Raipeoshin?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m referring to Duke Raipeoshin.¡± ¡°¡­Is that the fool who acted on his own and tried to send poison to him?¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡± At Loriel¡¯s words, Rin couldn¡¯t help but scowl and clench her fist tightly. The armrest shattered with a crack! Just thinking about that moment made Rin feel dizzy, so she wore a face full of annoyance. Honestly, at that time, Rin wanted to kill the duke on the spot, but regrettably, she was in the process of receiving necessary items through him, so she ended with a warning. After all, the important item he was delivering to the Absolute Ruler of Darkness was a gift being collected to be sent to Kim Hyunwoo. ¡°So, what did you do?¡± ¡°I took the same measures with all of them. Measures will likely be taken soon against the lords who harbor resentment towards you.¡± Rin nodded at Loriel¡¯s report. Once Loriel finished reporting everything she mentioned, it was as if all those who were bolstering her infamy within the Kingdom had been removed. However, the sad part was that controlling the Kingdom was just one step. In other words, the Absolute Ruler of Darkness still had many steps to go through before she could return to him. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The Absolute Ruler of Darkness nced to the right, looked at the blue sphere ced there, and then grabbed it. Whoosh-! The sphere in her hand began to glow red as soon as she grabbed it. What Rin held was an artifact that allowed one to visualize the infamy of the person holding the sphere. The redder the sphere, the more infamous the holder; if the sphere turned blue, it indicated neutrality. If it turned white, it meant the holder had umted many good deeds. The Absolute Ruler of Darkness looked at the sphere that disyed the user¡¯s moral alignment. ¡°¡­¡­¡± She put down the red-heated sphere and sighed. Indeed, she felt her energy draining, knowing that there were too many steps to go through before she could return to Kim Hyunwoo. ¡®I will never give up.¡¯ The Absolute Ruler of Darkness clenched her teeth softly. She had absolutely no intention of giving up on returning to him. After all, he was essentially the source of life for Rin. With a deep sigh, as Rin gathered her resolve, Loriel, who was watching, soon spoke. ¡°May I say something, Master?¡± ¡°Speak.¡± ¡°It¡¯s about the territory I mentionedst time.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s the territory you mentioned before¡­ Ah, are you talking about the one engaging in those filthy acts?¡± ¡°Yes. Upon my investigation, the lord of this territory not only harbors resentment towards you but also, being a territory on the outskirts of the kingdom and poorly managed, is engaged in highly suspicious activities.¡± ¡°¡­Suspicious activities?¡± ¡°ording to Ruin¡¯s investigation, it seems they are not only enving ordinary citizens and vagrants but also engaging in human sacrifices.¡± ¡°¡­What? Human sacrifices?¡± Loriel nodded at the Absolute Ruler of Darkness, who frowned at the mention of human sacrifices. ¡°Yes, so I thought it best to suggest that you execute that lord.¡± ¡°¡­Is there a particr reason I need to handle this personally?¡± ¡°As you know, Master, executing that lord directly would significantly reduce your infamy,¡± Loriel worded. ¡°I am aware of that. But didn¡¯t I say this isn¡¯t a problem solved by merely reducing infamy?¡± The Absolute Ruler of Darkness opened her mouth with a somewhat indifferent expression, but then she seemed to ponder and spoke. ¡°Master, may I share my thoughts?¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Honestly, my thought is that reducing your infamy, rather than managing rtionships, might be enough for you to return to him.¡± At Loriel¡¯s words, she opened her eyes wide and then spoke. ¡°Go on, let¡¯s hear it.¡± ¡°If you think calmly about the risks he takes by epting you, it¡¯s the numerous hostile territories and the obstruction to territory influx due to infamy.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°But as you know, the power you possess is immense. If you wish, you could make the Cn Kingdom a supporter behind him. Meaning, if you exin well to him, the hostile territories pose no risk.¡± ¡°¡­Oh?¡± ¡°Of course, rtions with a few great heroes worsened in the Rapengan territory, but about three of them could sufficiently restore rtions through diplomacy. The Sword God belongs to Norba Kingdom, the Great Mage to the Mage Tower, and Snow Ghost Ram has much to protect.¡± ¡°Continue.¡± ¡°In short, if you can return most of the significant heroes¡¯ rtions to their original state, you can sufficiently persuade them about the hostile territories. If you ce the Cn Kingdom behind you, no one can touch the Lartania territory.¡± ¡°At most, only the Empire could interfere, but Master has no ties with the Empire,¡± Loriel murmured, continuing. ¡°In the end, all that remains is to reduce infamy. The Kingdom you¡¯ve nurtured has prospered enough that your presence won¡¯t hinder influx, but the Lartania territory is still a small, developing territory.¡± ¡°So, that means if we first significantly reduce infamy.¡± ¡°I think that creates a logical argument to sufficiently persuade him.¡± At Loriel¡¯s words, the Absolute Ruler of Darkness unknowingly smiled. If what her disciple said was true, then her tasks would be significantly reduced. ¡°Let¡¯s go execute that lord right away¡­!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll prepare.¡± As the Absolute Ruler of Darkness spoke with an excited expression, Loriel immediately responded with a bowed head. A dayter. ¡°By the way, what is the name of that territory?¡± The Absolute Ruler of Darkness, walking towards the outskirts of the Cn Kingdom, asked as she glimpsed the territory in the distance. ¡°It¡¯s the Trikram territory.¡± ¡°Trikram¡­¡± Hearing Loriel¡¯s continuation, the Absolute Ruler of Darkness nodded and unknowingly smiled. That territory was actually where a despicable lord who engaged in human sacrifices resided, but to the Absolute Ruler of Darkness, it was an important ce to reduce her infamy. Thus, the Absolute Ruler of Darkness, wearing a deep smile, ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°¡­??¡± Upon entering the Trikram territory, the Absolute Ruler of Darkness couldn¡¯t help but wear a dazed expression. For good reason, as all the Absolute Ruler of Darkness saw upon entering the Trikram territory was an empty lot. Besides, the Absolute Ruler of Darkness saw phrases like ¡®Liberated!¡¯ and ¡®Freedom!¡¯ written all over the ruined buildings. ¡°¡­Eh? My Infamy Potion¡­?¡± She murmured sincerely, looking at Loriel, who wore an equally puzzled expression. Likewise filled with questions, she briefly bowed to the Absolute Ruler of Darkness and then disappeared. A momentter. ¡°¡­Master, it seems¡­ the territory has been attacked.¡± ¡°It was attacked?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ It seems someone attacked the territory and released the ves¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Ah, but it¡¯s okay! There are still two more lords in this vicinity who have offered human sacrifices to demons, just like that lord¡­!¡± Loriel hastily spoke to her master, who slightly frowned. At that, the Absolute Ruler of Darkness sighed as if she had no other choice. Honestly, she wasn¡¯t pleased that a lord who could have helped clear her infamy was suddenly attacked, but it wasn¡¯t her disciple¡¯s fault. Above all. ¡®Even if one is gone, there are still two left, so it¡¯s alright.¡¯ The Absolute Ruler of Darkness, with such thoughts, nodded her head weakly. ¡°I will guide you immediately.¡± Loriel, with such thoughts, immediately bowed her head in response to Rin¡¯s words and promptly led the Absolute Ruler of Darkness to the next territory. ¡°Even though we¡¯ve lost one ce, there are about two more, so killing all those lords will surely help spread our favorability!¡± While listening to Loriel¡¯s deliberately brighter words, they soon arrived at the next territory, Silverwarden. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­???¡± Loriel once again looked at the already raided territory with a nk expression. Silverwarden, known for human sacrifices like Trikram, was simrly devastated just like Trikram territory. ¡°Who in the world?¡± Therefore, Loriel wore an expression of iprehension, but soon spoke while looking at the Absolute Ruler of Darkness. ¡°Master? It seems like this ce too¡­ eek¡­!¡± She involuntarily let out a startled moan at the sight of the Absolute Ruler of Darkness starting to emanate a murderous aura. In fact, under normal circumstances, she wouldn¡¯t have cared about a single territory being attacked, but now the situation was different. As the Absolute Ruler of Darkness, who always looked forward to returning, the current events felt as if someone was deliberately dying her return. ¡®Who the hell¡­!¡¯ Therefore, the Absolute Ruler of Darkness, scattering a murderous intent, soon spoke through clenched teeth. ¡°¡­Send someone to find out who attacked this ce.¡± ¡°Understood. And- there¡¯s still one more territory left.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go immediately.¡± With Loriel¡¯s cautious words, the Absolute Ruler of Darkness immediately headed towards Stonehive, thest territory she mentioned. And then, a few hourster. When the sun was setting, the Absolute Ruler of Darkness and Loriel, having arrived at Stonehive, could see that the territory seemed untouched by any incident. ¡°¡­!! This time, the territory is intact!¡± Loriel, letting out a sigh of relief and smiling slightly as if she had aged ten years, said, ¡°Finally¡­!!¡± With that, the Absolute Ruler of Darkness, sighing with relief and smiling, drew her sword from the darkness, ready to take a great first step towards Him. The moment the Absolute Ruler of Darkness was about to leap powerfully. Boom!!! With a massive explosion, the lord¡¯s castle burst open. She could see it. The red eyes bursting from the devastated castle. And then, just from seeing the red eyes for a brief moment, the Absolute Ruler of Darkness instantly understood all the causes. ¡°You bastard!!!!!!!!!!!!!!¡± She had no choice but to throw away her dignity and show off her face. Chapter 80: Tinnitus (2) ¡°You bastard!!!!!!!!!!!!!!¡± ¡°¡­!?¡± At the sound of the distant voice and the familiar murderous intent, Merilda quickly turned her gaze and looked at the Absolute Ruler of Darkness flying towards her with a surprised expression. The reason was not so much the speed of the Absolute Ruler of Darkness¡¯ leap, but because her expression had turned incredibly sinister. However, Merilda calmly raised her arm and was able to block Rin¡¯s attack. Boom-! Landing on the ground with a loud boom, Merilda, with a puzzled expression, spoke to the fuming Absolute Ruler of Darkness. ¡°Why are you suddenly freaking out?¡± Merilda genuinely asked, not understanding. The Absolute Ruler of Darkness, even more infuriated at Merilda¡¯s shameless voice for secretly drinking all of her Infamy Removal Potion, shouted, ¡°Didn¡¯t you steal all of my Potions?!¡± ¡°Potions? I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve stolen anything from you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m talking about the Infamy Potion, the Infamy Potions!!!!!¡± The Absolute Ruler of Darkness wildly swinging her sword. Despite the surroundings exploding wildly because of him, Merilda, unfazed, tilted her head and then, ¡°Oh.¡± With a look of realization, she said, ¡°Oh¡­ were the ones I killed yours?¡± Merilda gave a slightly sheepish smile. ¡°They were mine!!!¡± At that, the Absolute Ruler of Darkness spoke with a very annoyed expression. ¡­In fact, it was only recently found out through Loriel that there were territories within the Cn Kingdom practicing human sacrifices¡­ Anyway, upon such a determined statement from the Absolute Ruler of Darkness, Merilda seemed to nce around and then, ¡°Ah, that, sorry?¡± With a too-light expression, she casually raised her hand to express her regret. ¡°This bastard¡­!!!¡± Seeing Merilda speak so shamelessly, the Absolute Ruler of Darkness became furiously angry, drawing her sword as if to settle things then and there, but, ¡°I have a lot to do right now. I¡¯ll pay you back next time?¡± Feeling Rin¡¯s unusual anger, Merilda said that and then turned around to run away. ¡°Wai-!¡± Before the Absolute Ruler of Darkness could finish speaking, Merilda quickly moved and ran off, having stolen and consumed all three of her Infamy Removal Potions. And then, ¡°¡­¡­¡± Knowing that Merilda was the fastest among the heroes of the Round Table and that she could never catch her if she chased her right now, the Absolute Ruler of Darkness, ¡°This f*&#@%!!!!¡± spewed out an unspeakable string of curses. Seeing the Absolute Ruler of Darkness emitting a murderous aura as if shing through the air around her, Loriel rolled her eyes around, unsure of what to do in this situation. ¡°Loriel.¡± ¡°Yes, Master.¡± Hearing the chilling voice of her Master, she involuntarily bowed her head. ¡°From now on, not only within the Cn Kingdom but also outside it, investigate as quickly as possible all the viins whose deaths would be beneficial, without missing a single one.¡± ¡°Ah, understood¡­!¡± Responding immediately to themand, Loriel disappeared to carry out the order before her Master could say more. The Absolute Ruler of Darkness, who had been silent, ¡°¡­Dare, my Potion, steal the chance for quick forgiveness from Him?¡± Thinking that Merilda, although differently, was having the same thoughts as herself, ¡°Let¡¯s see if there are any viins left for you to hunt¡­!¡± She vowed to deal with all the viins on this Continent before Merilda could touch them, letting out augh filled with murderous intent. A few dayster. ¡°Pleased to meet you, I am ¡®Explorer¡¯ Copson. I¡¯vee to manage the construction site of the Mage¡¯s Tower starting today.¡± ¡°Pleased to meet you, I am Kim Hyunwoo from the Lartania territory.¡± After exchanging light greetings with Copson from the Mage Tower, Kim Hyunwoo asked, ¡°But by management, do you mean the work that the mage from before was doing¡­?¡± ¡°Ah, he is my assistant. I sent him ahead because there was work to be done at the Mage Tower.¡± ¡°I see.¡± As Kim Hyunwoo nodded, Copson immediately continued, ¡°Ah, I¡¯ve also received word from my assistant about the Mana Water. I heard you wish to receive a regr supply of Mana Water, is that correct?¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡± ¡°How much do you need?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need an excessive amount. About 20 to 30 bottles per month should suffice.¡± Upon hearing Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s words, Copson nodded as if it were no difficult task. ¡°Certainly, supplying that amount is not a difficult task; it seems we can smoothly adjust to this. However, seeing you purchase Mana Water in such a manner, it appears you use it for making something?¡± ¡®It¡¯s clear he¡¯s either been stuck in a corner of the Mage Tower researching or hasn¡¯t socialized much.¡¯ Despite Copson¡¯s probing question, Kim Hyunwoo thought to himself while responding with a rxed smile, ¡°Well, there are various ces where it¡¯s needed.¡± ¡°Hmm, is that so?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Kim Hyunwoo cut him off, as if to say no more questions. However, Copson, seemingly not too savvy about social interactions, simply nodded lightly without much reaction and then said, ¡°Is it because of a connection with the Master of the Blue Tower that you¡¯re creating such mysterious things?¡± ¡°The Master of the Blue Tower?¡± Kim Hyunwoo asked with a puzzled expression. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s nothing. Just talking to myself.¡± However, Copson quickly corrected himself with a ¡®whoops¡¯ expression. ¡°Anyway, as I said, we will supply the Mana Water in the quantity you mentioned. If there¡¯s anything else in the future, we¡¯ll see then.¡± With that, he gave a light farewell and promptly left the office. ¡°¡­?¡± Kim Hyunwoo was pondering with a ¡®hmm¡¯ expression as he watched Copson leave. [The hero 'Elena' of Lartania has reached 3 stars!] [Please assign a title to 'Elena¡¯, the hero of Lartania!] ¡°¡­Oh!¡± An impressed smile appeared on Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s face at the notification that popped up before him. Certainly, he had recruited Elena early in the territory¡¯s development, but he had not thought she would reach 3 stars in just a few months. ¡®What title should I give her.¡¯ Smiling, Kim Hyunwoo began to seriously consider what title to give Elena. ¡®I want to give a cool title to my first hero.¡¯ In fact, Kim Hyunwoo very realistically assessed his ownck of talent in naming. Just ten years ago, he sincerely thought names like ¡®Beast King¡¯ or ¡®Absolute Ruler of Darkness¡¯ were cool. Of course, now he fully realizes that a title like ¡®Absolute Ruler of Darkness¡¯ is full of adolescent pretentiousness. In other words, Kim Hyunwoo thought his naming skills had significantly improved from ten years ago. However, there was one thing he was mistaken about. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± It was the very fact that Kim Hyunwoo thought his own naming skills had improved even slightly. While he recognized that the titles he created ten years ago were somewhat embarrassing, it didn¡¯t mean his naming skills had progressed. ¡°¡­This seems good.¡± He began to think of titles for Elena, starting with ones that, from the beginning, showcased his destructive sense of naming. Elena was in a very good mood at the moment. The reason was that she finally received a notification that she could obtain a ¡®title¡¯ after training all day. Knowing that only heroes with a certain level of strength could receive a title from the world, Elena smiled very happily. Receiving a title as a hero was something she had sincerely hoped for since bing a hero. ¡®¡­Meeting the Lord was truly a stroke of luck.¡¯ She felt very grateful to Kim Hyunwoo, who could be considered the starting point of her escape from being a failed hero. Elena, who was called a failed hero for being weaker than any other hero, never thought she would qualify to receive a title so quickly. Therefore, Elena, who went straight to Kim Hyunwoo, said, ¡°Congrattions, Elena.¡± Upon entering the office, she unknowingly smiled in response to Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s congrattory words, as if he had been waiting to say them. ¡°No, it would have been practically impossible if not for you, My Lord.¡± ¡°That can¡¯t be. I merely helped find your talent.¡± Warm words were exchanged. Elena¡¯s heart warmed, and she blushed without realizing it. At that moment, Kim Hyunwoo opened his mouth as if he had been waiting for this. ¡°Ah, so I¡¯ve given some thought to your title.¡± ¡°Yes¡­!¡± And then, ¡°How about ¡®ck Thunder Full Moon¡¯?¡± ¡°¡­Excuse me???¡± ¡°Ah, there¡¯s also ¡®Dark Axe Magester¡¯.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± A sense of crisis began to loom as the smile froze on Elena¡¯s face. Chapter 81: Tinnitus (3) ¡°Uh, um¡­ so¡­¡± ¡°There are ¡®ck Thunder Full Moon¡¯ and ¡®Dark Axe Magester¡¯.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± There was no hint of jest orughter in his expression, which bore its usual kind smile. This conveyed one fact to Elena. That the words from Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s mouth were a serious truth without any jest. That he was truly considering giving her one of those two titles. ¡°Uh¡­¡± ¡°Please speak freely.¡± Therefore, Elena truly felt a crisis. Receiving a title recognized by the world was something she had deeply wished for. However, that was only if the title to be obtained was conventional, neither Dark Axe Magester nor ck Thunder Full Moon were the titles she wanted. ¡­Honestly, they were titles she absolutely did not want to obtain. ¡®What is Dark Axe Magester¡­? My axe isn¡¯t ck, neither is my magic¡­ ck Thunder Full Moon¡­ What does that even rte to?¡¯ Even while being ¡®forced¡¯(?) to choose a title by Kim Hyunwoo, these thoughts surfaced. Even amidst these thoughts, she wondered if Kim Hyunwoo was joking, but his expression remained serious. ¡°¡­Um, are there no other titles?¡± ¡°Ah, other titles?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± She liked Kim Hyunwoo, but the titles he provided seemed really off, so it was her desperate struggle to escape from the adolescent-sounding titles. ¡°Um, there are others.¡± ¡°¡­! What might they be?¡± Responding to Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s words as if answering her desperate struggle, Elena asked with a genuinely happy expression. At least at this point, Elena hoped her title wasn¡¯t something like ck Thunder Full Moon or Dark Axe Magester. ¡°How about ¡®Celestial Demon Sunderer¡¯?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Perhaps, is it not good?¡± As Celestial Demon Sunderer was added to Elena¡¯s list of titles she absolutely didn¡¯t want to be, she tightly closed her eyes while listening to Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s words. ¡°Tha¡­¡± She liked Kim Hyunwoo. At least, Elena held him in high esteem and never wanted to act against his expectations if possible. But despite that, this was something she couldn¡¯tpromise on, not wanting her title to be ck Thunder Full Moon or Dark Axe Magester or Celestial Demon Sunderer, so Elena asked with a cautious expression. ¡°Can I- can I decide on it?¡± ¡°Ah, is the title a bit, like that?¡± ¡°Uh, yes¡­¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Yes, I understand. Then, if you have a preferred title, I will make it so,¡± Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s responded. He sighed for a moment. ¡®Uh, what title should I choose?¡¯ Having never really thought about her own title before, she was taken aback by Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s sudden question but remembered this was her only chance and desperately racked her brain. ¡°Please, let it be Snow Spirit.¡± ¡°Snow Spirit¡­?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Kim Hyunwoo, making a slightly puzzled face, muttered ¡®Snow Spirit, Snow Spirit¡¯ a few times. ¡°¡­Isn¡¯t ck Thunder Full Moon cooler after all?¡± He said. Seeing Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s sincere expression, Elena seemed momentarily swayed. But as she repeated ck Thunder Full Moon to herself, she was able to speak in a firm tone. ¡°I-I think Snow Spirit is better.¡± Ultimately, following Elena¡¯s words, Kim Hyunwoo nodded as if he had no choice and set her title to Snow Spirit. And on that day, ¡°It¡¯s-it¡¯s a relief¡­¡± Feeling a deep relief that her title was the rtively safe Snow Spirit, Elena smiled aforting smile, and soon after she left, he looked at the ce where Elena had been. ¡°¡­Honestly, isn¡¯t ck Thunder Full Moon not bad?¡± He thought seriously with a slightly dejected expression. At least by Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s standards, he thought a title with a bit more impact was better than something like Snow Spirit. ¡°It doesn¡¯t even give off a middle school syndrome vibe¡­¡± Kim Hyunwoo muttered as if he was disappointed. He sincerely thought that names like ck Thunder Full Moon or Dark Axe Magester wouldn¡¯t give off a middle school syndrome vibe. At least, he thought his own disastrous sense for naming had been cured ten years ago. Therefore, Kim Hyunwoo, who had been pondering for a while, soon sighed and continued making the Magnifying ss he had been working on. Rania Tesnoka, the Lord of Tesnoka territory and someone who has been a great help to the growth of Lartania recently, said with a newly admiring expression. ¡°You bought resources again? And this time, much more than before?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± At the words of the hero Roman, who bowed his head, Rania spoke with a look of newfound wonder. ¡°Where is all this moneying from?¡± Rania didn¡¯t know the details, but she was well aware that Kim Hyunwoo had a source of money. However, the reason Rania was questioning was because she thought the rate of Gold Coins consumption in Lartania territory was abnormal no matter how she considered it. ¡°Just thinking about the resources bought right now, it¡¯s already hundreds of thousands of Gold Coins¡­?¡± It was entirely possible for Tesnoka territory to manage hundreds of thousands of Gold Coins. Her territory was one of thergest in the Norba Kingdom, and her acumen made it entirely possible. However, Lartania was initially too small for that to be possible. ¡°Even if there¡¯s a Labyrinth and some of the Magic Stones are collected as taxes, they¡¯re not releasing the Magic Stones but are exchanging them¡­ Can that really work?¡± With just a few pieces of information, Rania¡¯s intelligent mind, which could deduce how Lartania was functioning, started to be curious about the finances of Lartania. At least in her mind, the amount of Gold Coins Kim Hyunwoo had to spend to maintain Lartania was enormous. And at that moment, ¡°In my opinion, maybe it¡¯s because of this.¡± ¡°¡­What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the Lowest-Grade Explorer¡¯s Magnifying ss.¡± Rania was able to receive a Magnifying ss from Roman. ¡°Lowest-Grade Explorer¡¯s Magnifying ss?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± After listening carefully to Roman¡¯s exnation about the Magnifying ss, she said at the end of his exnation, ¡°So, it¡¯s like a gambling item that can be used in the Labyrinth¡­ something like that?¡± ¡°That¡¯s how they¡¯re being consumed in Lartania.¡± ¡°¡­Heh.¡± Rania, looking at the Magnifying ss as if it were peculiar, was not unfamiliar with it. She had actually seen the Lowest-Grade Explorer¡¯s Magnifying ss before. At the auction house in Rapengan, for about 20 Gold Coins, which was much more expensive than the 1 Gold Coin Lartania territory was selling it for. ¡°They¡¯re selling thousands of these, right?¡± ¡°Yes. It seems they¡¯ve seeded in mass production.¡± ¡°Really impressive.¡± Rania genuinely admired after listening to Roman¡¯s words. At least, among the lords she knew, she had never seen one as versatile in many ways as Kim Hyunwoo. ¡°¡­At this point, it¡¯s practically the Lord running the territory by himself.¡± Rania is an exceptional Lord. That¡¯s why she knew. That a territory could never be run alone. As everyone knows, running a territory requires a lot, even excludingbat strength. From creating the operational structure of the territory to handling numerous minor issues within the territory, various administrative tasks, and collecting and using taxes from within the territory. Even a summary reveals the need for many people to assist the lord. Yet, in the face of Kim Hyunwoo seemingly running the territory alone, a fact she knew so clearly and definitively that the word ¡®absolutely¡¯ fits, Rania wore a genuinely admiring expression. For a moment, Rania became interested in the Magnifying ss. ¡°This Magnifying ss is essentially the same as gambling in the Labyrinth, right?¡± ¡°Yes. As I mentioned, it seems very rare items worth 5000 Gold Coins can also appear.¡± ¡°Really? Should we try it? How many do you have?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve bought about five just in case. Do you want to do it?¡± ¡°Yes, I heard that now even the citizens of Lartania are buying and trying one each. I¡¯m curious since it¡¯s gotten to that point. This can only be used in the Labyrinth, right?¡± ¡°Yes. It can only be used in the Labyrinth. Probably all the monsters have been dealt with this time, so you can use it right away.¡± ¡°Really? Then let¡¯s go.¡± When Rania got up, Roman looked at her and replied, ¡°My Lord.¡± ¡°Hm? Why?¡± ¡°But knowing it¡¯s essentially gambling, I think it might be better not to do it,¡± Roman advised, concerned. However, Rania smiled wryly as if wondering what there was to worry about. ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much. If this Magnifying ss is considered to be worth 1 Gold Coins and there¡¯s already talk of it being gambling, it¡¯s absurd to think rare items woulde from it. And would I get hooked on something like this?¡± ¡°¡­Certainly¡­¡± ¡°You know, only those in need of Gold Coins would get hooked on this. I can¡¯t get addicted when I have no benefit from doing it. Besides, anyone with a bit ofmon sense and not getting too absorbed would know that getting hooked on this Magnifying ss would be foolish.¡± Saying that, she walked towards the Labyrinth with a wry smile. About 30 minutester, After a total of eight uses of the Magnifying ss, when a ¡®Sword of nka¡¯ and an ¡®Iron Frame Amulet¡¯ worth a whopping 600 Gold Coins appeared, ¡°¡­This.¡± The thought ¡®Could this really work?¡¯ began to spread in Rania¡¯s mind. Several days passed after that. Kim Hyunwoo was seriously considering ways to automate the Magnifying sses. A messenger from the 'cksmith Guild' has arrived at the territory! A ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï hero 'Iron Monarch' has arrived at the territory! ¡°¡­?¡± A notification window popped up in front of him. Shortly thereafter. ¡°Wow! A true friend, right!? Long time no see!!¡± Kim Hyunwoo met a dwarf who was smiling broadly as if truly happy to see him. ¡°¡­Who?¡± To Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s subsequent confused expression, ¡°¡­Eh?¡± The dwarf¡¯s smile cracked. Chapter 82: Precursor (1) With a bang! As if a rock had fallen on his head marked by ¡®Shock!¡¯, Kim Hyunwoo was perplexed by the dwarf¡¯s expressive reaction and thought to himself. ¡®Who is this?¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo looked at the girl in front of him. The small dwarf, expressing ¡®I¡¯m totally shocked¡¯ with a rich expression, fiery red hair, and red eyes looked quite beautiful, even considering the racial trait of being short in stature. ¡®Was she one of my heroes?¡¯ He quickly racked his brain. More precisely, he began to earnestly research, reviving his memory of the cksmith heroes he had diligently managed in Lartania ten years ago. But the more he thought about it, the more Kim Hyunwoo found himself in a maze of confusion. At least in his mind, most of the 4-star cksmiths in Lartania he had managed were male and human. Even if a cksmith had grown over ten years, there were not specifically 2-star or 3-star cksmiths. If he could have chosen the heroes directly, there would have been many female cksmiths, but strangely, in Arteil, he had to use heroes who came in randomly, especially for cksmiths. So, as Kim Hyunwoo was diligently researching with all his might, he started to notice the dwarf who was now on the verge of tears. ¡°Did you forget!? Me?! This River!?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Confused by the dwarf¡¯s words, he asked with a puzzled expression. ¡°¡­River?¡± ¡°Yes! River!¡± ¡°¡­The River who was a 1-star hero but didn¡¯t learn cksmith skills, only research skills in abundance?¡± ¡°Yes, that one! I don¡¯t know what a 1-star hero is, but I always got a lot of advice from a close friend to make amazing things! Do you remember now!?¡± At her words, filled with great anticipation, Kim Hyunwoo unwittingly opened his mouth. It made sense because, by this point, Kim Hyunwoo had realized who the cksmith in front of him was. ¡®¡­The cksmith who brought me despair¡­?¡¯ Ten years ago, when Kim Hyunwoo was enjoying Arteil, he¡¯d always wanted a dwarf cksmith but didn¡¯t get one until the very end of his gamey. The reason was simply that in Arteil, he couldn¡¯t choose and ce cksmith heroes at will. Of course, there was a method of demolishing and rebuilding the forge to change the heroes that came with each rebuild until he got the hero he wanted, but Kim Hyunwoo didn¡¯t go to such lengths. No, he couldn¡¯t. By the time Kim Hyunwoo knew that cksmiths came randomly, the forge level was already over 4, and for him, who was earnestly enjoying the game, demolishing and rebuilding a Level 4 Forge was too much to bear. So, he just focused on raising the cksmiths he had as Lartania grew significantly. One of the heroes who came when the forge reached Level 10 was the dwarf in front of him, Reneide River, namely her. For Kim Hyunwoo, Reneide River was a ray of hope that fell onto the forge. Strangely, in the case of auxiliary heroes, in Arteil, which was heavily biased against races, the chance of a cksmith reaching 5 stars, or a signature level in game terms, was significantly reduced unless they were a dwarf. Anyway, he treated the 1-star Reneide River, who appeared in the forge with all of Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s expectations, very well. With utmost care when feeding. With utmost care during conversations. With utmost care when raising affection. With utmost care even when talking nonsense¡­!! He cared for her with all kinds of utmost care. Kim Hyunwoo really wanted to provide his heroes with the so-called world-ss items that other rankers were already making one or two of. Regrettably, contrary to Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s expectations and his diligent care, Reneide River began to grow in a strange (?) direction. ¡®¡­Why suddenly not learn cksmith skills and focus on something strange.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo wished Reneide River would improve her cksmithing skills. After all, her talent was considerable, even for a dwarf. But strangely, the talent she seriously developed was not in cksmithing but in inventing. Although she had talent, it was not quite as much as the engineers in magic engineering. Of course, Kim Hyunwoo tried to persuade her in various ways, but each time, she seemed to prefer the future military technology Kim Hyunwoo mentioned during their conversations and began to focus solely on her talent of inventing. Eventually, he gave up on raising the dwarf¡¯s stars at some point. But then, ¡°¡­You¡¯re Reneide River?¡± ¡°Did you only just recognize me now!¡± Seeing the cksmith confidently smiling right in front of him, Kim Hyunwoo couldn¡¯t help but open his mouth in surprise. ¡°So, I am now the Guild Master of the cksmith Guild! How¡¯s that? Impressive, right?¡± With a proud expression, quite different from that of the Expedited Delivery Dwarf, extending her chest forward, Kim Hyunwoo felt a new emotion andmented. ¡°That¡¯s impressive.¡± ¡°Right!?¡± ¡°So, does this mean a branch of the cksmith Guild will now be established in Lartania?¡± ¡°Correct! Plus, I will be at the branch!¡± ¡°You? Didn¡¯t you say you were the Guild Master?¡± ¡°Even as the Guild Master, it doesn¡¯t really matter where I work! Besides, I have to keep my promise with my close friend! Didn¡¯t I promise? I said I would recreate the technology you mentioned!¡± Upon her words, Kim Hyunwoo thought for a moment and then remembered what he had said a long time ago when she was diligently enhancing her talent in invention. [Wait for me, my close friend! I will recreate the technology you talked about!!] ¡°Ah, that.¡± Kim Hyunwoo recalled the message that had popped up in a small speech bubble. Of course, reproducing modern technology in Arteil, whether in a gaming sense or era-wise, was absurd, so he momentarily grimaced, recalling the time he despaired, yelling, ¡®My only dwarf!!!¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo asked with a slightly curious expression, ¡°So, you¡¯ve be a really amazing cksmith, haven¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Of course! Being the Guild Master of the cksmith Guild means I¡¯m almost at the top in terms of skill!¡± Kim Hyunwoo felt a strange irritation as she nodded her head, mm-hmm!, proudly. It made sense because she, who had not even considered enhancing her cksmithing talent despite his pleas ten years ago, had now be a respectable 4-star hero. ¡°If only you had worked on your cksmithing talent earlier ten years ago, that would have really been great¡­¡± To Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s regretful words, River responded, ¡°Well, I could have been a cksmith at any time, so I was more interested in the technology you mentioned back then. Besides, in the end, it was a good thing, wasn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°If I had worked hard as a cksmith and earned a title from the world, my close friend would have given me a strange title. So that¡¯s a good thing for me.¡± River spoke with utmost confidence. ¡°¡­Eh? Well, I might not have been great at giving titles back then, but it wasn¡¯t that bad, was it?¡± Kim Hyunwoo responded with a disbelieving expression, but, ¡°My friend, surely you know? The heroes working in the forge back then cried because of the titles you gave them?¡± ¡°They cried? What are you talking about? If anything, I remember their efficiency going above the base level for a certain period after I gave them titles?¡± ¡°It increased because they were annoyed?¡± ¡°¡­Really?¡± ¡°Really.¡± For a moment, Kim Hyunwoo wore a bewildered expression as he realized the truth about the forge¡¯s efficiency improvement he didn¡¯t know ten years ago. Soon, Kim Hyunwoo got back to the main point and discussed what River wanted. ¡°So, what you¡¯re saying is¡­ you want me to providend for a branch of the cksmith Guild or something?¡± ¡°Yes, but of course, I¡¯m not asking for it for free! More precisely, I¡¯m asking you to make it possible for me to work in the forge of Lartania!¡± ¡°In the forge of Lartania?¡± ¡°Yes, first off, once you be the Guild Master of the cksmith Guild, you can¡¯t step down for three years. It¡¯s tradition.¡± River, indicating it was a tricky situation, grinned and said, ¡°But what if my close friend provides thend for the Guild branch?¡± ¡°In return, I can work legally in Lartania?¡± ¡°Right! Even though I¡¯m the Guild Master of the cksmith Guild, I can¡¯t just do everything on my own. Could it work? Now that my close friend is back, I want to work under you¡­!¡± Seeing River speak with her eyes slightly raised, Kim Hyunwoo nodded without much hesitation. Her proposal wasn¡¯t something Kim Hyunwoo could simply reject; it was rather a matter for which he could prostrate himself in gratitude. ¡°Really!? Wow! Thank you!!¡± Following that, River spoke with a bright smile, and after some detailed discussion, ¡°See you next time! It might take a bit because I have to procure materials and do this and that, but it won¡¯t take more than a week!¡± ¡°Okay. See you then.¡± After showing a bright smile to Kim Hyunwoo and exiting the office, closing the door behind her, River let out a big sigh. ¡°Sigh¡­¡± And then, ¡°Su-sess¡­! I can go back to my close friend¡­!¡± With her face, now flushed to the ears, full of rosiness, she smiled, making a small fighting pose with her hands. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Unbeknownst to her, the hero recently known as Snow Spirit was secretly watching her. Until just a moment ago, Merilda was in a very good mood. The reason was she found out that by dealing swiftly with notorious criminals, she could return to her Master a bit faster. Additionally, stomping on criminals and seeing her infamy decrease through an artifact that changes color based on notoriety, which she had obtained recently, further improved her mood. She felt good because, with each passing day, seeing even a slight lightening of the red color (though still as red as blood) made it seem like the path to returning to her Master was opening up quicker. Therefore, Merilda was in a good mood even just before discovering a ve trader, saving the ves, and about to burst the ve trader¡¯s head. She was, but then¡­ ¡°¡­¡­¡± Merilda looked at the ve trader¡¯s head that had exploded in front of her. Upon checking the ledger, the number of humans sold reached a staggering 1,000, and including various beastfolk and elves, over 3,000, making him the scum of scum, whose death seemed to greatly reduce her infamy, yet his head had exploded. Not by Merilda, but by a sword that shot out at the moment her hand was about to touch him. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Merilda turned her gaze toward the direction from which the sword hade. There stood the Absolute Ruler of Darkness. She was, unmistakably, smirking. And then, ¡°Hmm, not bad.¡± ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°I did not specifically seek a fight, unlike some dog that steals others¡¯ belongings at will, I merely took what had no owner.¡± Following the words of the Absolute Ruler of Darkness, ¡°Shall we give it a try, then?¡± Merilda responded, ¡°Let¡¯s see then. Let¡¯s see if you can continue to kill evildoers.¡± Along with the Absolute Ruler of Darkness, who was unmistakably dispersing magic power, both figures disappeared simultaneously. Chapter 83: Precursor (2) Until Reneide River, who had only troubled him ten years ago, returned as a 4-star cksmith hero, Kim Hyunwoo was in a good mood. Actually, it would have been strange if he was in a bad mood. From Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s perspective, River¡¯s arrival was no different from a much-needed 4-star cksmith hero suddenly dropping out of nowhere onto emptynd. ¡®So, it was definitely good¡­¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo nced over at Elena, who was standing in front of his office. Her lips were smiling, but her eyes were not; she didn¡¯t seem to be in a particrly bad mood, but she didn¡¯t look very happy either. ¡°Hmm, have you had a bad day today?¡± Kim Hyunwoo asked cautiously. ¡°No, not particrly.¡± Despite Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s question, Elena smiled and neatly denied his words before speaking. ¡°Ah, by the way, have you known that tiny dwarf who came this time for a long time?¡± ¡°Dwarf? Are you talking about River?¡± ¡°Yes, that tiny dwarf.¡± Kim Hyunwoo smiled strangely but soon affirmed at Elena¡¯s focused description of the ¡®tiny dwarf¡¯. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. She was a cksmith who worked in Lartania ten years ago.¡± ¡°Really¡­ Is that so?¡± ¡°Yes. But it seems you¡¯ve met her, knowing that?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not that. Just- I overheard some of the conversation on my way to report to the office. I heard that you were quite casually using informal speech with each other.¡± ¡°Well ¨C she was a friend I talked a lot with, even ten years ago.¡± Elena, whose gaze seemed to be slightly colder than before, responded with a neutral ¡®Hmm¡¯ to Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s statement, which he carefully phrased without adding that they weren¡¯t particrly good memories. ¡°Lord, you must be cautious with dwarves.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°As you know, dwarves are stubborn and don¡¯t follow orders, so if they enter the territory, they will need to be managed in many ways.¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Elena¡¯s words were indeed a general truth, but dwarves not listening properly usually happened when heroes were forced into tasks other than their cksmithing duties. In other words, her statement was only half correct. While Kim Hyunwoo was contemting whether to address this, Elena, with a noticeably cooled expression, continued speaking. Given Elena¡¯s inexplicable disdain for dwarves, ¡°First off, I understand this. Well, she is the Guild Master of the cksmith Guild, so she couldn¡¯t be part of Lartania anyway.¡± Kim Hyunwoo quickly agreed with her statement. ¡°Oh, is that so?¡± Feeling the atmosphere lighten as if her words had an effect, Elena cleared her throat nonchntly before continuing. ¡°Ah, and Lord.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Should we perhaps start speaking more informally to each other now?¡± ¡°Speak informally?¡± Kim Hyunwoo looked at her with a ¡®Why here, why now?¡¯ expression, but she said, ¡°I thought it might be morefortable if we spoke more informally to each other.¡± ¡°Well, that is true. But is there a need to do so right now-¡± ¡°Do you dislike speaking informally with me, My Lord?¡± Seeing Elena¡¯s expression stiffen slightly, Kim Hyunwoo answered, ¡°Uh¡­no, it¡¯s not that¡­ Well, if you wish to do so, feel free to proceed.¡± ¡°Then, could you call me ¡®Elena¡¯ first?¡± Elena immediately responded to Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s words. ¡°¡­Elena?¡± Kim Hyunwoo, puzzled but speaking to her, saw her smile genuinely for perhaps the first time. ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll see you again at the report tomorrow.¡± She left the Lord¡¯s castle with a tone suggesting she was in a much better mood. ¡°¡­?¡± Kim Hyunwoo wore a slightly odd expression. And for good reason. ¡®¡­Didn¡¯t I originally call her Elena? And she didn¡¯t use informal speech either.¡¯ Because the way Kim Hyunwoo addressed her hadn¡¯t really changed, neither then nor now. Unable to understand what made her so happy, Kim Hyunwoo stared at the door for a while with a perplexed expression. ¡®Well, if it seems to have improved her mood, then that¡¯s fine.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo shrugged it off. Several dayster, In the lord¡¯s office, where numerous barracks could be seen, Duke Landaron, who had been silently observing the situation, soon turned his gaze and spoke to the hooded man. ¡°As promised, almost a month has passed.¡± ¡°I know.¡± The hooded figure, with a voice like scraping metal, stood up and, together with Landaron, looked down at the barracks and spoke. ¡°Do not worry, Duke Landaron, as I have said, the great n will soonmence. No, to be precise, it is already underway in real-time.¡± ¡°In progress? I don¡¯t seem to have heard such a thing?¡± Despite the slightly ufortable expression on Duke Landaron¡¯s face, the man continued speaking without losing hisposed demeanor. ¡°It was a conversation that didn¡¯t need to be had. After all, what¡¯s happening now is merely a preparation.¡± ¡°Preparation?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because demons from our demon realm need to cross over too.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s about demons crossing over, aren¡¯t you referring to what¡¯s already happening around us?¡± ¡°That alone is not enough.¡± At the hooded man¡¯s words, Duke Landaron appeared to ponder for a moment, then looked at him and said, ¡°You¡¯re not thinking of something else, are you?¡± ¡°Of course not. We demons keep our promises better than the celestials. Above all, have we not ¡®contracted¡¯?¡± ¡°That¡¯s true, but¡­¡± ¡°Then do not worry. For demons, a contract is akin to chivalry among humans. We do not break it unless the other party does first.¡± He continued speaking to Duke Landaron with a swift smile, ¡°In a few days, my kin will start appearing from the outskirts. Then, raise your soldiers and march in coordination. Once you achieve what you desire, you can aid us. That¡¯s the contract.¡± At the man¡¯s words, Landaron nodded but also asked, ¡°I understand the n well enough, but how much preparation have you made outside?¡± ¡°Are you curious?¡± ¡°You know, even if demons appear, if it¡¯s only the preparation made within Norba Kingdom, it won¡¯t cause much chaos.¡± ¡°Do not worry. Just the number of summoning circles alone prepared in the outskirts exceed 50.¡± ¡°¡­What? 50?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°¡­When exactly did you prepare so many summoning circles-¡± Muttering iprehensibly, Landaron soon fell silent. He didn¡¯t think the man before him would answer even if he asked about it right away. ¡°There¡¯s no need to ask, I suppose.¡± ¡°You know well. Anyway, it¡¯s almost time to move and finish all preparations.¡± As the Duke spoke, the man showed a sly smile and then began to move on after his words. ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°It¡¯s time for the final check.¡± Responding to him, the man immediately vanished with a burst of ck magic. And then, ¡°¡­¡­¡± Around the time Duke Landaron, who had been looking at where the man disappeared, silently turned his head back to gaze at the barracks, the hooded man was moving to check the summoning circles he had set up in the outskirts. More precisely, in various ces in the Southern part of the Continent. Duke Landaron also continued to show his desire to proceed quickly with the n, but in truth, the man felt the same. He had been preparing this grand n alone for seven years, and the energy and resources he had expended due to this n were unimaginably vast. Thanks to this, the man, though not overtly showing it, was in a much more elevated state than usual. In just a few days, he could start the work he had prepared for seven years, and the moment the nned sess was achieved, they would have the opportunity to officially take over ¡®other worlds¡¯. So, the man, smiling as he moved to the ce where the summoning circles were prepared, ¡°¡­?¡± soon had no choice but to harden his face with questions. The reason was that the viges where the summoning circles had been prepared were in ruins. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The man, looking at the nowpletely burned and razed to ashes vige, sighed softly but immediately prepared to move to another location. It was conceivable that one or two of the 50 prepared summoning circles could be destroyed. But the next vige as well, ¡°¡­??¡± And the next vige too, ¡°¡­???¡± Even the territory that the man had secretly recruited, ¡°¡­????¡± Seeing that all the viges he had checked were all in ruins, ¡°What is this?¡± His rxed voice gone, he murmured in a voice mixed with emptiness and urgency, unaware. And at that moment, somewhere in the Southeastern part of the Continent, where the man had made the summoning circles and where heretics who practised human sacrifices and operated in secrecy resided- ¡°I will- I will kill you!!!¡± Boom! ¡°It is mine!!!¡± Boom!!! -was being turned into ruins by a beastfolk and a half-demon. Chapter 84: Precursor (3) The hooded man realized a clear fact upon seeing that over a dozen viges had been devastated. ¡®Someone is deliberately destroying the summoning circles I¡¯ve created.¡¯ Had only one location with a summoning circle been attacked, the man would have let it slide. After all, the ces where he had hidden the summoning circles were mostly sh-and-burn viges or territories, which could easily be discovered and affected by external factors. However, once the number of attacked viges and territories exceeded ten, it could no longer be considered a coincidence, so the man began to investigate quickly. It didn¡¯t take long before the hooded man actually found the beings who were ravaging the viges. ¡°Don¡¯t interfere!¡± ¡°Rather, aren¡¯t you the one interfering!?¡± Boom! In the middle of the sixteenth sh-and-burn vige he found, two heroes were rampaging. ¡®Those guys, what exactly are they?¡¯ The man gazed indifferently at the two heroes. ¡®¡­I¡¯m not sure about the ck hero, but the one rampaging with that hero has red eyes.¡¯ The man, who had identified the presence of the two heroes moving too fast for even his eyes to easily follow and devastating the vige, soon wore a puzzled expression. At least, he had no clue why the hero with red eyes and the other, whose identity he couldn¡¯t fully grasp, were interfering with his n for some reason. But, of course, the man had no intention of letting those two heroes interfere with his n. This n was very important not only to him, but it was also crucial for the demons. ¡°If you can¡¯t keep up properly with your short legs, stay away, you leech!¡± ¡°Shut up, you bastard!¡± The man, upon seeing the two heroes who had eithere to destroy the vige or were fighting each other, devastate the sh-and-burn vige and disappear in moments, immediately harnessed his magic power. Swoosh-! As soon as the man harnessed his magic power, ck magic spurted out. The ck magic, even more viscous and scattering than what the Absolute Ruler of Darkness emitted, seemed to contaminate the surroundingnd and quickly coalesced into a sphere around the man. ¡°¡­¡­¡± As an iprehensible voice came from the man¡¯s mouth simultaneously- ¡°Can you hear me?¡± The man spoke while looking at a giant shadowed figure appearing on the surface within the ck sphere. ¡°Hm? What¡¯s this, Kelva?¡± ¡°Yes. Can you hear me properly, Merba?¡± After the man called Kelva¡¯s brief reply, the giant figure quickly lowered its gaze and answered with augh as if amused. ¡°Yes, I can hear you well, but why did you contact me? Didn¡¯t you dislike sending direct connections from the middle realm to the demon realm?¡± ¡°You¡¯re right, but it¡¯s an unavoidable situation, so I had to contact you.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have the luxury to exin at length, so I¡¯ll get straight to the point. I will summon you shortly.¡± ¡°Me? But the preparations aren¡¯tplete yet.¡± ¡°Even if the summoning is somewhat unstable, there¡¯s something you need to take care of.¡± ¡°Me?¡± Merba replied with an overtly annoyed tone, but soon sighed as if resigned and spoke. ¡°Are these the vermin I have to stop, even if it means being summoned unstably?¡± ¡°Yes, those creatures are sabotaging our n.¡± ¡°Tsk, we have no choice then.¡± At the man¡¯s words, Merba murmured as if without a choice, and then, ¡°Understood.¡± With those words, he disappeared. Swoosh-! The man, after looking at thepletely vanished ck magic sphere, smiled as he saw Merilda and the Absolute Ruler of Darkness running into the distance. Kelva couldn¡¯t assess the heroes¡¯ exact strength immediately, but he was sure they would not get past the next vige. After all, the being Kelva had gone out of his way to contact, ¡®Merba the ughterer¡¯, was considered quite powerful even within the demon realm, effectively stronger than a grand hero. ¡®Even if he hasn¡¯t reached the rank of a legionmander and manifests in an iplete form, capturing a couple of rampaging heroes should be easy.¡¯ With this thought, Kelva began to murmur a spell, recalling the summoning circle in the vige towards which the two heroes were heading. Several days had passed since Kim Hyunwoo started speaking informally with Elena. Territory: Lartania Territory Development Level: 1499 Territory Residents: [Humans: 8,156] -Owned Buildings- [Lord's Castle LV1 >>> Upgrading 99% (Paused)] [Walls LV3] [Residential Area LV4¡ü] [cksmith LV4] [Barracks LV4¡ü] [Tavern LV2 >>> Upgrading 60%] [Market LV2] [Wood Processing nt LV1] [Restaurant LV2 >>> Upgrading 55%] [Leather Processing nt LV1] [Stone Processing nt LV1] [Trading Post LV1] [Secondary Walls LV3] [Inn LV2¡ü] [Administrative District LV2¡ü] -External Buildings- [Mercenary Guild Branch LV0 (Under Construction)] [Mage Tower Branch LV0 (Under Construction)] [cksmith Guild Branch LV0 (Under Construction)] -Owned Troops- ¨CRegr Soldiers: 200 ¨CApprentice Soldiers: 200 ¡°Hmm.¡± Kim Hyunwoo smiled as he checked the information window for the first time in a while and saw the newly listed cksmith Guild Branch among the external buildings. ¡®It really didn¡¯t take long, just as she said it wouldn¡¯t.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo hadn¡¯t expected it to be quick, even though River had mentioned it wouldn¡¯t take long. River really brought materials in as soon as Kim Hyunwoo provided thend, building it faster than any other external structure. It had only been a few days since the work started, and the rough shape of the building could already be seen from the castle¡¯s terrace. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Kim Hyunwoo, looking at the cksmith Guild still being actively constructed, made a curious expression and then nced at the aging inner walls of the castle visible from the terrace side. ¡®Come to think of it, I need to upgrade the castle too.¡¯ Currently, Kim Hyunwoo had upgraded the castle to 99% but had not proceeded to take it to the next level. Of course, it wasn¡¯t because Kim Hyunwoo liked having a Level 1 castle. As the level of the castle increases, so too would Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s quality of life. However, the reason he had been dying the castle upgrade was that it would be inessible for a day during the upgrade. This was due to the setting that the castle undergoes a magical transformation using the power of the Territory Stone. ¡­Anyway, despite such settings causing dys, Kim Hyunwoo had been considering upgrading the castletely. After all, to start constructing third-level buildings in the territory, the castle needs to be upgraded. Thus, Kim Hyunwoo, who had been pondering when to stop this tedious Magnifying sses manufacturing and start traveling, saw: [The Territory Development Level has reached 1500] ¡°Oh.¡± He let out a low exmation as he saw the development level reach 1500 while looking at the information window. At that moment, [You have achieved a specific condition of the quest, "Rebuild the fief 'Lartania' and Eliminate the Labyrinth"] [The quest "Rebuild the fief 'Lartania'" has beenpleted] [Congrattions. You have earned the qualification] ¡°¡­?¡± Before Kim Hyunwoo could fully process his thoughts, he was taken aback by the sudden notification that appeared before his eyes. The First Clue You can obtain a clue when the first high-ranking demon who descended into the middle realm is dealt with ¡°¡­?¡± The notification window, which he had been seeing since he arrived in this world, had changed its text for the first time. To be honest, Merba the ughterer was not particrly pleased with this situation. ¡®To be summoned ipletely, of all things.¡¯ Originally, it should have taken more time for Merba to be resurrected. Although the number of humans sacrificed for Merba¡¯s emergence into this world exceeded several hundred, he could only be summoned unstably. Simply because Merba the ughterer is powerful. Thus, despite being somewhat irritated, Merba felt satisfied as soon as he was summoned to the middle realm. Having lived in the demon world for a long time, it was his first visit to the middle realm, and although he descended ipletely, he realized something immediately upon arrival. That this world did not have many beings stronger than himself. Therefore, Merba was thrilled. After all, he was born with the very demonic nature of preferring to torment others over genuinely enjoying a fight with them. Furthermore. [Hmm, it seems you are the ones Kelva mentioned] Merba felt amused because, immediately after being summoned by the summoning circle, he was faced by two heroes who were looking at him with wide eyes. The wolf beastfolk with crimson eyes and the half-demon hero, whose blood was mixed with that of a demon, were staring nkly at Merba. ¡°De-demon?¡± As soon as he heard the wolf¡¯s trembling voice, a grin spread across his face. To Merba, the wolf¡¯s trembling voice seemed full of fear towards him. Merba, about to speak while smiling at the two heroes who looked startled at him, realized something was off. ¡°¡­?¡± He noticed something strange. Because, despite the trembling voice, Merba could not feel any fear from the wolf directed at him. No, rather, Merba- ¡°This is a demon, right? The very demon that does all sorts of trashy deeds.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you see? It¡¯s obviously a demon.¡± ¡°Right? It¡¯s a demon, right? A demon, correct?¡± -From them, he could sense a deep delight. ¡°Yes, I am a demon.¡± ¡°Infamous to the core.¡± Following those words, Merba realized the wolf had thrown something at him and immediately caught it. Woooom-!!!! The stone turned a blood-red hue as soon as the demon caught it. And then. ¡°Jackpot-!¡± A deep smile formed on Merilda¡¯s lips. Chapter 85: Precursor (4) Merba looked at the Absolute Ruler of Darkness and Merilda, who showed joy upon seeing him, with an incredulous expression. That was because he had never before seen heroes express such emotions in his presence. Thus, the bewildered expression on Merba, who was infinitely puzzled, began to turn into anger as time passed. Merba realized why joy was evident in their eyes. ¡°Ha¡­ These insignificant creatures¡­!¡± Thus, as Merba frowned, about to attack the half-demon hero and Merilda, who underestimated him. Kwaang-! Merba had no choice but to release the magic power he was gathering and stand there with a dazed expression. ¡°This is mine!!¡± ¡°It is mine, you lunatic!¡± The reason was that, before Merba could attack, the two heroes, who were looking at him with joyous expressions, suddenly attacked each other. Kwaang! A massive explosion urs, and suddenly Merba¡¯s vision is obscured. ¡°¡­!¡± Even Merba, who couldn¡¯t follow the two heroes that disappeared in an instant, unknowingly tensed up, gathering his magic power. Kwaang! ¡°Hey, don¡¯t you have any sense of kinship!? They are your kin!¡± ¡°How can you say such a thing that he is my kin!!¡± ¡°You¡¯re also half the same as those guys!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you dare treat me on the same level as those irredeemable trash, you bastard!!¡± From the beginning, the two of them exchanged attacks furiously as if they had never been interested in Merba in the first ce. Bang! Kwagagagak! Bang! Thanks to that, in the middle of a town already turned to ruins, now nothing was left intact. ¡°¡­Ha.¡± Merba let out an incredulousugh. He had never before been treated like this. Even a hundred years ago when he descended to the human world, all creatures trembled in fear just by his presence. Numerous heroes despaired at Merba¡¯s overwhelming power and begged for their lives. Even in the demon world, no one dared to ignore Merba except for the legionmanders. He was Merba the ughterer, such was his existence. Such should have been his existence. But then. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The events unfolding before his eyes were more than enough to enrage Merba to his core. Thus, Merba said- ¡°I will kill you both.¡± With a mercilessly furrowed brow, he began to scatter his magic. Kwadeuk-! At the same time, his body began to twist. Kwadeuk-! Kwadeudeudeuk! Kwadeuk! With a chilling sound, the body that began to crackle rapidly transformed from its human form into Merba¡¯s flesh. First, into the form of a gigantic, unidentifiable egg. Then, into a form resembling a chimera, as ifposed of various monsters. Then, into the form of a giant human. Next, into the form of Merba the ughterer, with six arms and two horns that exceeded 1 meter, he gathered dark magic into all his eight arms. Kwadeudeudeudeuk-! The torrent created by gathering magic power sucked in everything nearby. Flying dust, rolling stone fragments, remains of buildings, corpses of people- All those remains corroded and disappeared too quickly whenever they came into contact with the dark magic. At the moment when a massive orb of magic gathered from all eight arms, the orb, capable of disintegrating everything upon contact, was fired towards the two heroes engaged in battle. Kwaang-! The orb shot at the two heroes, erasing everything it touched. However, just as the total of eight magic orbs were about to hit the two heroes. ¡°¡­!¡± Merba saw. The figures of the two heroes disappearing before his eyes. But- Sseik! Merba smiled. Naturally, he was well aware of this situation. He had roughly gauged the extent of their powers from the brief glimpse of the heroes¡¯ battle earlier. ¡®These guys are different from the heroes I¡¯ve seen so far.¡¯ Merba clearly recognized that the two heroes were strong. Even considering that he hadn¡¯t fully materialized, his eyes couldn¡¯t follow the two heroes. But Merba was smiling because he had prepared his next move. Chut-! As soon as he caught sight of the two heroes, Merba, with a smile, shot the two magic orbs he hadn¡¯t thrown earlier as if he had been waiting for this moment. Magic orbs shot from practically zero distance. Seeing this, Merba twisted his smile. After all, the two heroes were about to bepletely obliterated by the magic orbs he had thrown. But the next moment. Ossak! Merba, unknowingly, felt a chilling sensation. Surely, this situation seemed like it would end with Merba¡¯s victory. The magic orbs had almost reached the faces of the two heroes, and the next moment, the heroes were supposed to be lying on the ground, bloodied and pulped, which was the oue Merba had anticipated and was virtually certain of. Yet, the reason he felt a clear aura of fear was because of the eyes of the two heroes. Eyes containing the color of blood, crimson. And eyes containing the color of the demonic sky, purple. Those eyes looked at Merba without any change in emotion. The next moment- Chut-! Merba, didn¡¯t realize. By the time he came to his senses, the two heroes had disappeared. Simrly, the magic orbsunched towards them had also disappeared. ¡°This bastard! Blocking the attack at thest moment! Wasn¡¯t my sword supposed to reach first!!!¡± ¡°So what?¡± ¡°This damn lunatic¨C!!!¡± When Merba looked behind, the two heroes were attacking each other and exchanging words as they had been doing all along. And then- ¡°Ah.¡± At that moment, Merba remembered. The movements they showed in a fleeting moment. The coordination where the half-demon sliced through his magic orb, and the beastfolk, with a simple wave of her hand, dispersed the core of the magic orb, nullifying the attack. At the same time. Merba realized- ¡°Ah.¡± That he had been split in half. Chwaak-! As the thoughtpleted, Merba, split in half, began to disperse into dust, turning a grayish color as he sprayed purple blood. Merba, a high-ranking demon and one of the leaders of the 10th legion who would have killed many heroes had he descended onto the Continent, perished. ¡°Oh. Done. Done! The color. The color has turned a bit blood-like now!¡± ¡°I will beat you like a dog on Boknal¡­!!!¡± Actually, those two, as if they had no interest in Merba, were merely expressing bright smiles and anger, respectively. And then. From afar, Kelva, who had been observing Merba¡¯s battle- ¡°¡­What on earth is that?¡± -was just looking at them with an incredulous expression. The First Clue The First Clue. You can obtain a clue when the first high-ranking demon that descended into the middle realm is dealt with Kim Hyunwoo, upon entering the world of Arteil for the first time, forgot about making the Magnifying sses and stared nkly at the altered quest window. It¡¯s understandable since Kim Hyunwoo had never once thought that the quest window would change. Thus, Kim Hyunwoo, looking at the quest that appeared without his knowledge, soon muttered, ¡°When the first high-ranking demon that descended into the middle realm is dealt with, you can obtain a clue¡­ huh.¡± After a moment of thought, he said, ¡°Loria.¡± [Yes, My Lord] ¡°Did you disy this quest?¡± [No. I do not disy some of the notifications] ¡°Then?¡± [It is likely to be the system, I suppose] Kim Hyunwoo stared intently at the notification window after Loria¡¯s words. ¡®¡­Demons, demons¡­ Were there demons?¡¯ He pondered while looking at the quest window and soon let out a low exmation, ¡°It seems like there were some before, surely¡­¡± The reason for Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s ambiguous expression was that there were very few events rted to demons when he yed Arteil ten years ago. The only time he could see demons during his gamey was during special events thatsted about a week during summer or winter vacations, and even those were merely ¡®Deal with the remnants of the demons¡¯ type of events. Therefore, Kim Hyunwoo, with a face full of questions, [Since the first demon that appeared on the Continent has been dealt with, you havepleted 'the First Clue'] [The First Clue: You have fallen into this world as an 'Extraterrestrial'] ¡°¡­Huh?¡± Before Kim Hyunwoo could even think, he wore a bewildered expression at the quest that was cleared in an instant. The Second Clue The Second Clue. You can obtain the Second Clue when you raise the development level of your territory to 2000 Before Kim Hyunwoo could even properly read the clue, he was left staring nkly at the notification window that appeared before him. And at that moment, near the secondary walls of Lartania, where the cksmith Guild branch was being constructed for quite some time. ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°Huh? Who are you?¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m Elena. The first hero of Lartania.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Is that so?¡± Reneide River and Elena. ¡°Please take care of me?¡± ¡°Yes, please take care of me too.¡± They were exchanging greetings with a smile towards each other. ¡­Both were only smiling with their mouths. Chapter 86: Precursor (5) A worker who came to construct the cksmith Guild branch, and at the same time, a new human cksmith named Gn who will work there once it¡¯s constructed, was currently looking at a ce with a strange expression. The ce he was looking at had the cksmith Guild¡¯s Guild Master to whom he needed to report on materials today, the Iron Monarch whom he greatly respected, Reneide River. However, the reason Gn couldn¡¯t easily approach her, despite her presence, was because of the hero of Lartania standing in front of River, that is, Elena. ¡­More precisely, it seemed more urate to think it was because of the atmosphere flowing between the two. ¡°I heard that you were well-acquainted with the Lord from ten years ago.¡± ¡°Well, yes? I used to talk about this and that a lot with my sworn friend from ten years ago.¡± ¡°That¡¯s interesting. If it¡¯s okay with you, could you tell me a bit about the stories you shared with the Lord from ten years ago next time? I do talk a lot now, but I¡¯m a bit curious about the Lord from ten years ago.¡± ¡°I can tell you about it anytime. But I might not be able to tell you everything! There were so many stories from ten years ago¡­ Well, we were together for more than a year if you count by the years.¡± The content of their conversation was clearly ordinary. Elena was smiling. River was also smiling. It wasn¡¯t a bad atmosphere at all. Even the topic of the conversation was nothing unusual. However, despite that, Gn was definitely feeling a strange atmosphere in that space. Really. ¡°But, if you¡¯re the Guild Master of the cksmith Guild, shouldn¡¯t you be in the Norba Kingdom rather than at a branch? I heard that you¡¯re the Guild Master and that you¡¯re in Lartania.¡± ¡°Ah, the cksmith Guild doesn¡¯t necessarily have to be tied to the headquarters, and more importantly, I wanted to work with my sworn friend. Of course, I was directly given permission too?¡± ¡°That makes sense. Ah, now that I think about it, I¡¯m pretty sure I heard it from the Lord. You can¡¯t officially belong to the territory, but you¡¯re helping it. Thank you for helping even though it¡¯s not your affiliated territory.¡± ¡°¡­My sworn friend and I are very close. I can do at least this much. Plus, in a few years, I¡¯ll essentially be affiliated with the territory anyway.¡± ¡­A strange, strange atmosphere. Therefore, Gn continued to watch the peculiar conversation between Elena and River for a while. A littleter. ¡°Please take care of me?¡± ¡°Yes, I ask the same of you.¡± Gn, who was watching Elena and River shaking hands with smiling faces, said, ¡°Wow¡­,¡± looked at his fellow cksmith, who was expressing admiration next to him, with a puzzled expression and said, ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Huh? What?¡± ¡°I was just asking because you seemed impressed.¡± ¡°Oh, that? Just, it¡¯s surprising to see our very down-to-earth Guild Master in a power struggle for the first time.¡± ¡°¡­Power struggle?¡± In response to Gn¡¯s puzzled question, his colleague looked at him as if he was asking something obvious and replied, ¡°Yeah, power struggle. She was just doing that intensely with that hero, right?¡± ¡°¡­I knew the atmosphere was unusual, but that was really a power struggle? It just seemed like a normal conversation?¡± ¡°Tsk, you really don¡¯t know?¡± ¡°No, why did the conversation jump like that?¡± In response to Gn¡¯s words as he was frowning slightly, his colleague sighed and said, ¡°That¡¯s why I asked, because you¡¯re so oblivious.¡± ¡°No, so you¡¯re saying that conversation had a deeper meaning?¡± ¡°Of course, how could it not? Listen closely.¡± His colleague said so and then began to trante the conversation Elena and River had earlier. -I heard you were close with the Lord from ten years ago? -Yes, I was much closer to him than you, having had many conversations. -Is that important to you? That¡¯s all in the past. It seems like you¡¯re too caught up in memories from ten years ago, even though what¡¯s important is now. -I talked to him a lot more than you, even if it was ten years ago. You¡¯ve only been around for a few monthspared to that. Upon hearing that trantion, Gn replied with a puzzled expression, ¡°¡­Really, I knew something was off, but was the conversation really like that?¡± ¡°That¡¯s roughly what the tone was like.¡± ¡°¡­Then what was the next part of the conversation?¡± ¡°It was simr in content.¡± His colleague said that, then chuckled and lightly tapped his shoulder, ¡°Anyway, if you¡¯re going to report on the materials, it might be better to wait a bit longer before going. I¡¯ll be going now.¡± With that, he entered the cksmith Guild branch that was under construction. Gn, who was watching him go, ¡°¡­Women¡¯s conversations areplicated in many ways,¡± he muttered with a subtle expression, deciding to report in about two hours. The Second Clue When the territory's development reaches 2000, you can obtain the Second Clue. ¡°Hmm.¡± Kim Hyunwoo, who had been looking at the second clue for a while, soon saw Elena entering the office with a knock and said, ¡°Ah, you¡¯re here.¡± It was awkward a few days ago, but now he weed her with casual speech that had be quite familiar, and Elena responded with a smile, ¡°Yes, I came to tell River that I would help her if she needs anything, just as you, the Lord, said.¡± ¡°Really? What did she say?¡± ¡°Well, it seems that she doesn¡¯t need anything yet.¡± Kim Hyunwoo, nodding as if he understood Elena¡¯s words, soon spoke as if he had just thought of something, ¡°Ah, by any chance, Elena. Do you know about ¡®Extraterrestrial¡¯?¡± ¡°¡®Extraterrestrial¡¯?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Kim Hyunwoo immediately asked about the clue ¡®Extraterrestrial¡¯ that appeared right after hepleted a quest. In fact, even when trying to think about it on his own, Kim Hyunwoo didn¡¯t know much about ¡®Extraterrestrial¡¯. Because he had never heard the name ¡®Extraterrestrial¡¯ even when he was ying Arteil. ¡®Since Loria also said she doesn¡¯t know.¡¯ He asked in case Elena might know about ¡®Extraterrestrial¡¯. After hearing that, Elena pondered for a moment before shaking her head and answering, ¡°Well, at least as far as I know, I¡¯ve never really heard the term ¡®Extraterrestrial¡¯.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s been quite some time since I¡¯ve even heard about stars? It¡¯s been a long time since stars stopped appearing in the sky.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°No, I mean, what do you mean stars stopped appearing?¡± At Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s question, Elena looked as if wondering why he would ask such an obvious question, but she soon exined, ¡°Well, it¡¯s exactly as I said. From about six or seven years ago, stars no longer appear in the night sky.¡± ¡°¡­Stars stopped appearing?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± At Elena¡¯s answer, Kim Hyunwoo made a strange expression. The world of Arteil he knew was one where the night sky was brilliantly illuminated with stars. That¡¯s because, as far as Kim Hyunwoo knew, ¡®stars¡¯ yed a very important role in the world of Arteil. Of course, despite ¡®stars¡¯ being a very important setting in the three years Kim Hyunwoo yed, the concept of stars was almost forgotten in the story after the initial part of Arteil, not mentioned even once¡­ Anyway, by always showing the stars shining excessively whenever the night sky appears in Arteil, it proved that stars were a very important plot element, making Kim Hyunwoo feel puzzled anew. ¡°¡­Got it.¡± After sending Elena away and a few hourster. Realizing it had be night while making a Magnifying ss, Kim Hyunwoo looked up at the sky. ¡°¡­It¡¯s true.¡± He realized that the night sky was pitch ck, except for the moonlight. Despite being a fantasy world, the sky was so dark that not a single star could be seen. Staring nkly at it, Kim Hyunwoo then lowered his gaze back to the quest. The quest rted to territory development designated like a quest to obtain the clue ¡®Extraterrestrial¡¯ and the next clue. Kim Hyunwoo, looking at it and pondering for a while, thought, ¡®¡­I should probably increase the development speed a bit more.¡¯ Thinking that, he looked at the quest. In fact, Kim Hyunwoo had been deliberately avoiding looking at one fact all along. Because, even if he was curious, there were no clues to approach that truth, and the more he thought about the reality he couldn¡¯t return to, the more he felt he would suffer from severe nostalgia, so he deliberately looked away. However, the moment Kim Hyunwoo realized a way to obtain even a little clue about this world, he no longer needed to do that. No, more precisely, it became harder to turn away from reality. Honestly, he was more curious about why he had fallen into this world than being overwhelmed by severe nostalgia. Therefore, ¡®¡­Can I do it within a month?¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo set a goal and stared at the quest window. About a weekter. The Southwestern part of the Continent. At that point, when only about 15 out of 50 summoning circles remained. Kelva was- ¡°Hmm, I¡¯m a bit busy, you see. How about contacting Moluto instead?¡± ¡°¡­No.¡± ¡°As you know, I¡¯ve been using a lot of power recently, so there¡¯s a high chance I won¡¯t be of much use if I go now.¡± ¡°¡­No, wait.¡± ¡°What a pity, I identally entered a necromancy area yesterday and my soul got damaged, so it¡¯s be very difficult for me to materialize now.¡± ¡°¡­This has been brewing for a whopping seven years-¡± ¡°Sorry about that, then¡­!¡± ¡°¡­Sigh.¡± For the fifth time, looking dejected as themanders of the legion, as if fleeing, severed the connection, and he soon turned his gaze to where a man was looking in the distance. ¡°Sigh, when will it be summoned¡­?¡± ¡°Hmm, it seems it will be summoned soon.¡± ¡°Remember, it¡¯s fifty-fifty, got it?¡± ¡°Tch, don¡¯t act like a glutton wanting more.¡± Merilda and Rin were there, not destroying the summoning circle but sitting and waiting for the demon to appear. ¡°¡­Damn it-¡± The man, Kelva, closed his eyes tightly. Chapter 87: Magnifying Glass (1) Themanders, who could be considered the entire force of the demon world, gathered in the demon world¡¯s Purple dwarf star. In the temple outside the fortress, located to the east of the dwarf star that shares the color of the ever-present purple light in the demon world, ten officers loyal only to the tenmanders were gathered. ¡°¡­¡­¡± A heavy silence currently pervaded. The reason was due to the events that had transpired at the temple outside the fortress over the past few days. ¡®¡­It¡¯s quiet.¡¯ Mn of the gue, an officer of the thirdmander and a member of the temple outside the fortress, found himself thinking this unconsciously. The temple outside the fortress was not typically this quiet. The demon race was fundamentallybative andpetitive, especially so among the stronger members. Thus, those who could be considered among the upper echelons of demons were always quick to bare their teeth at each other when they met at the temple outside the fortress. However, ¡®How did ite to this¡­¡¯ Mn, finding the temple outside the fortress filled with silence, soon found himself reminiscing about the past. Certainly, it all started when the news spread that Merba, who had materialized at Kelva¡¯s request, was defeated by two creatures in the middle realm. At that time, the demons of the temple outside the fortress were maintaining a noisy atmosphere, and a few of them even looked down on Merba with disdain and insulted him. For the demons, the fact that an officer under amander had not only failed to defeat just two heroes, even if not perfectly materialized, but alsopletely vanished, losing part of their power, was enough to be consideredughable. For the demons, the middle realm was a ce where they could legally absorb the souls of lesser beings to ascend to higher realms. Among the demons whoughed at Merba, who looked as if his soul had been robbed, was Pivrak of the Explosion, who, while mocking Merba, materialized in the middle realm at Kelva¡¯s request but, ¡®Uh, ah- ugh- uuuugh-!¡¯ Pivrak returned from the middle realm in less than an hour, somehow broken. Like Merba, he too vanished, losing part of his power in the process. Naturally, up to this point, the demons were more inclined tough at Pivrak, who was defeated alongside Merba, rather than feeling apprehensive. But immediately after, Shoraim the Sloth materialized next- ¡®Ah, it hurts! It hurts, you devilish brutes!!! Inflicting pain doesn¡¯t change one¡¯s notoriety!! Aaaargh!!!¡¯ -Watching Shoraim, who began to have fits every 30 minutes as if afflicted with PTSD, the atmosphere began to grow solemn. Adding to that, La of the Blood, considered the strongest among the officers, materialized and likewise vanished, returning in defeat- ¡°Ah, demons, those creatures are full of madness¡­!¡± -With dead eyes, murmuring thus, it hade to this current state. And thanks to that, ¡°¡­Has the death summonse?¡± ¡°Yes, fortunately, since my soul was damaged, it was possible to avoid it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m also fortunate that my leg is injured.¡± ¡°Ha, should I also cut off one of my arms?¡± Among the officers in the temple outside the fortress, filled with a solemn atmosphere and not malice towards each other but a strangely grotesque air of survival, Kelva¡¯s request for support had already been effectively dubbed a death summons. After all, every officer who had responded to Kelva¡¯s request for support and materialized had not only failed to properly absorb the souls of the middle realm but had also continued to find themselves robbed of their power. Therefore, ¡°¡­Indeed, it would be best to just wait, right?¡± ¡°Yes, let¡¯s wait a bit until themanders arrive.¡± ¡°I agree.¡± Originally, the demons who had wanted to go to the middle realm first all began to brace themselves, preparing to shrink back until themanders would manifest in this world. Mn, quietly observing the atmosphere within the temple when, woo-woong-! He soon noticed the form of Kelva appearing in front of him as ck magic coalesced, and he spoke, ¡°Ah, this is unfortunate. My leg became tangled up while attending to themander this time. It seems support will be a bit difficult.¡± And then, ¡°¡­Eudeuk-!¡± Thanks to such officers, Kelva, who had lost a third of the n he had been preparing for about seven years in just over a week, turned his gaze towards the two heroes. He grimaced at the sight of the stronghold, where he had invested so much of his precious time, being destroyed in less than a minute, perhaps thinking that demons would no longer appear and rampage as they pleased. ¡®How could they do more than demons?¡¯ Kelva had seen everything the two had done while summoning the officers. Therefore, Kelva, looking at them with a trembling expression, decided to abandon the n. Because he realized. That whatever he did here, the remaining magic circles would be destroyed by those two heroes. ¡®Let¡¯s calm down. This was just a decoy, this is not the real thing.¡¯ Thus, Kelva looked at the two heroes with an expression that was trembling, simply by the mere sight of them. ¡°If themanderes, let¡¯s meet again then.¡± With that murmur, he disappeared. Lartania¡¯s development was advancing so rapidly that it was on a different trackpared to other territories. In just a few months, Lartania had already grown to a development level close to 1600. However, Kim Hyunwoo wanted to develop the territory even faster than now. ¡°¡­In fact, at this stage, there is virtually no means to further increase the development level.¡± In reality, Lartania was already developing at a dazzling pace. Numerous immigrants were arriving in the territory every day, and the economy was being revitalized by the many mercenariesing and going due to the Labyrinth. Is that all? The external buildings that would soon be constructed were sure to steepen the curve of Lartania¡¯s development speed even more than now. In other words, over time, the territory¡¯s development level would naturally hit 2000. Of course, from Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s perspective, he wanted to reach a development level of 2000 even faster, but unfortunately, there was nothing he could do at the moment. More precisely, it would be correct to say there was nothing more he could do. After all, Kim Hyunwoo had already done everything he could. ¡­To be more precise, if Kim Hyunwoo were to do anything more, Lartania¡¯s financial situation would copse. Of course, Lartania currently has a considerable amount of Gold Coins. The taxes now handed over to Kim Hyunwoo exceeded 2,500 Gold Coins, and the Magnifying sses he was making were all being sold, bringing tremendous benefits to the territory. However, despite that, Lartania¡¯s finances were in too precarious a situation to start anything new. After all, Lartania was using all the Gold Coins it earned for the development of the territory. Is that all? As the number of mercenaries within Lartania increased, the territory was purchasing all of the Magic Stones that were being produced in increasing quantities. This meant that, even if Kim Hyunwoo was making close to 4,000 Gold Coins a day from selling Magnifying sses, the territory was essentially breaking even. Of course, converting all Magic Stones into Red Stones would surely be profitable, but the current situation was such that the bnce sheet was just breaking even. ¡°I really want to mass-produce the Magnifying sses.¡± Kim Hyunwoo looked at the Lowest Grade Explorer¡¯s Magnifying sses. The Lowest Grade Explorer¡¯s Magnifying sses were so popr that they could be considered a specialty of Lartania, selling out as soon as he made them. Moreover, the number of Magnifying sses he was producing was not small. Thanks to the food prepared by Lani, which has made him as powerful as a one-star hero, he was able to produce nearly 4,000 Magnifying sses. However, despite making 4,000 units, the Magnifying sses sold out instantly. They were selling so well that mercenaries were setting up tents in front of the Lord¡¯s castle and doing open runs to buy them. This meant that the supply had been unable to meet the demand for quite some time. ¡°It seems like it¡¯s time to start thinking about mass production. But how?¡± Thanks to this, Kim Hyunwoo had been seriously considering what to do with the Magnifying sses. If the mass production of Magnifying sses could generate additional funds, it would be possible to invest in the further development of the territory. Thus, Kim Hyunwoo, who had been contemting this for some time, saw that a three-star hero, ¡®The Golden Witch¡¯, had entered his territory. [The Tienus Merchant Group has arrived at the territory!] It had been a while since he encountered such a message. A few hours after the alert appeared, ¡°Hello, Lord.¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s been a long time, leader of the Merchant Group.¡± Kim Hyunwoo was able to greet Adria, who had visited a bitter than usual this time. They were able to greet each other, but¡­ ¡°¡­Excuse me, Merchant Group leader?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Your face is looking really haggard, you know?¡± Kim Hyunwoo thought Adria¡¯s condition looked serious enough to warrant concern. Dark circles were visible under her eyes, and her face expressed aplex mix of emotions, resembling both a Buddha and a devil. Hence, Kim Hyunwoo, who had his doubts, ¡°Lord, by any chance¡­¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Could you sell me about 5,000 of the Magnifying sses you¡¯re currently producing?¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been listening to the mercenaries and did some theoretical calctions. It seems that adding about 5,000 more would definitely make a difference.¡± ¡°Look-¡± ¡°It will surely work. I¡¯m quite sharp with these kinds of calctions, you know.¡± Soon, seeing the corners of her eyes flicker with the words that emerged from Adria¡¯s mouth, Kim Hyun-woo let out a low sigh as he realized why the Buddha and the devil coexisted on her face. Chapter 88: Magnifying Glass (2) Which are the most dangerous types among people who fall into gambling? At least in Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s opinion, the most dangerous types among those who fall into gambling are actually the intelligent ones. Basically, smart people do not get addicted to gambling. However, once addicted, smart people start calcting. More precisely, they invest time and money to create data and then use that data to formte their own equations. But, quite obviously, the calctions of smart people mean little in the face of gambling. This is because, even if one can approximately gauge the probabilities in gambling, it doesn¡¯t mean they can utilize them. Thus, calctions in gambling are almost utterly meaningless and ultimately serve no purpose. Especially Magnifying sses like these of the lowest grade explorers, which are essentially box gachas. Therefore, Kim Hyunwoo calmed Adria down and exined the probabilities of the Magnifying sses to her, just as he had done with Elena. After all, to Kim Hyunwoo, Adria was an important person. The problem, however, was that- ¡°¡­I understand that the probability is exceedingly low. But still¡­ if I try with about 3,000 pieces, couldn¡¯t I at least break even?¡± Adria didn¡¯t seem like she would give up easily. With a very serious expression, Kim Hyunwoo looked at Adria, who spoke with rity in her eyes as if she had spent 30 years studying Pachinko in Gangwon Land and seeded, and persuaded her several times. ¡°¡­It does seem a bit difficult to cut with certainty based on probabilities.¡± ¡°Right? After all, just because the Magnifying ss calctes probabilities doesn¡¯t mean you can pick them out.¡± Kim Hyunwoo was able to rescue Adria, who couldn¡¯t escape from the quagmire of the Magnifying ss. ¡®¡­Well, honestly, I¡¯m not sure if I rescued her, but at least at this moment, she seems quite sharp.¡¯ ¡°Well, once we break through the truth and free ourselves from the shackles of burying costs, escape will be easy, so I¡¯ll do well.¡± Therefore, Kim Hyunwoo, who briefly thought while looking at Adria, opened his mouth. Thus, after briefly considering Adria, Kim Hyunwoo spoke up. ¡°So, how did your trip to the tradingpany go?¡± ¡°Yes, there weren¡¯t any particr difficulties this time.¡± The conversation began with a casual inquiry. Although Magnifying sses came up in the conversation now and then, Kim Hyunwoo was overall smoothly steering the conversation when he heard Adria¡¯s question. ¡°By the way, are you deliberately limiting the sale of Magnifying sses? It seems like the daily quota is always fixed.¡± Adria queried. Kim Hyunwoo, looking slightly troubled, smiled awkwardly and replied, ¡°I don¡¯t really intend to. It¡¯s just that the supply can¡¯t keep up with the demand.¡± ¡°So, it takes quite some time to make the Magnifying sses?¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not it. But due to concerns about leaking¡­ I¡¯m currently making them all by myself.¡± ¡°Alone?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± Adria cautiously asked, looking puzzled. ¡°So, all the daily output¡­ Are you making them?¡± ¡°Yes. Unfortunately, that¡¯s how it¡¯s being done for now.¡± ¡°More than 4,000 Magnifying sses?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ Is that even possible?¡± Kim Hyunwoo nodded at the sight of Adria, with her mouth agape in genuine surprise. ¡°Well, it turns out to be possible¡­¡± Kim Hyunwoo, who had previously strenuously made 4,000 pieces, now found himself able to leisurely make the same amount since he had reached a higher level of proficiency. Nodding, he said, ¡°However, I can¡¯t keep making them alone forever, so I¡¯ve been considering various solutions, but I haven¡¯te up with a feasible method yet.¡± ¡°¡­Surely, that part must be somewhat of a headache. You need to find someone trustworthy to work with without leaking the method of making the Magnifying sses.¡± Adria, quickly grasping which part Kim Hyunwoo found difficult, paused as if pondering, then said, ¡°Is the task simple?¡± ¡°Yes, it is.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s a simple task, what about using skeletons?¡± ¡°¡­Skeletons?¡± To Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s puzzled question, Adria nodded, ¡°Yes. With skeletons, there¡¯s no worry about leaks. Of course, being mindless entities, they can only perform very simple repetitive tasks, and they would be quite slow.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s certainly an idea!¡± Since in Arteil, necromancers have only ever been used asbat heroes, her suggestion sounded like a really good idea, but he soon looked disappointed, ¡°Indeed, it seems like a not bad method, but unfortunately, there isn¡¯t a necromancer in my territory.¡± Since there was no necromancer in Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s territory, he said, ¡°If only there had been a necromancer.¡± At least, as far as he remembered, necromancers were quite a unique job, and finding a necromancer hero was known to be very difficult. Despite necromancers not being particrly ostracized in Arteil, finding a necromancer hero was still very hard. ¡°Getting the necromancer from the Blue Forest in the first ce was considered one of the rare early strokes of luck.¡± Recalling that, Kim Hyunwoo smacked his lips thoughtfully. ¡°Hm? These days, you can use skeletons even without a necromancer, you know?¡± ¡°¡­What? Even without a necromancer?¡± ¡°Yes. Up until 78 years ago, you absolutely needed a necromancer to move skeletons, but nowadays, there are scrolls made by necromancers that suffice for utilizing skeletons.¡± ¡°¡­Really?¡± ¡°Ah, of course, the skeletons you can summon with a scrollck any attack or carrying capability considering their cost, and they can only perform very simple assembly tasks. And yet, they consume quite a bit of Magic Stones.¡± Adria said so and then looked slightly embarrassed. ¡°As expected, skeletons are a bit like that, right? No matter what, a somewhatplex process would be needed to make a Magnifying ss.¡± However. ¡°No? It really seems fine?¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Do you have any scrolls that can control skeletons right now?¡± ¡°¡­For now, I have about 10 that can be sold immediately.¡± Kim Hyunwoo asked with a smile on his face, and upon hearing Adria¡¯s reply, he smiled. ¡°Those 10, sell them all to me.¡± That¡¯s what he said. The Northern and Southern Continents. Afterward, Merilda spent days ransacking every vige that had all the summoning circles drawn around it. ¡°The color has faded slightly¡­!¡± After destroying thest vige, the stone that always showed a deep blood-red color had, albeit slightly, turned a light crimson, making her smile without realizing it. She confirmed with her own eyes that the hardships of the past few weeks were not in vain. Looking at the stone that had turned crimson, Merilda turned her gaze to the Absolute Ruler of Darkness with a newfound smile. Rin, like Merilda, was looking at the crimson stone with a smile on her lips. She found herself looking at the stone Rin was holding and thought. ¡°¡­Is that one brighter? No, it¡¯s simr to mine.¡± Even though their destinations kept ovepping and they ended up traveling together, Merilda originally had no intention of apanying her. Originally, her goal was to return to her Master faster than anyone else to receive forgiveness, never intending to let anyone else interfere in the process. She had to be the first to return to her Master, no matter what. Thus, upon returning, she would earn her Master¡¯s affection. Swishing softly. Merilda¡¯s tail, swaying from her elevated spirits just from her thoughts, stopped as soon as her gaze met Rin¡¯s. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Immediately, Rin and Merilda didn¡¯t say a word. They just stared intently into each other¡¯s eyes. Yet, despite that, they quickly caught on to what the other was thinking. ¡®I will never lose to that half-breed.¡¯ ¡®I will absolutely not lose to that bastard.¡¯ The two ring at each other soon turned their bodies in precisely opposite directions. The information they held was the same up to this point, but from here on, they possessed entirely different information. In other words, a real fight between them was about to begin, so without saying anything to each other, not even a goodbye, they began to exert force in their legs, ready to shoot off in opposite directions when- ¡°Master-!¡± ¡°Boss-!¡± ¡°¡­?¡± From different directions, the sudden appearance of Loriel and Ryu left both with bewildered expressions. For a moment, the two who appeared from the opposite direction also looked at them with slightly perplexed expressions, but that was brief. ¡°Boss! A hero from 10 years ago has returned to Lartania¡­!¡± ¡°Master, there¡¯s a report that a hero from 10 years ago has returned to Lartania¡­!¡± Following Loriel and Ryu¡¯s words. ¡°¡­What?¡± Their expressions froze unhappily. Chapter 89: Magnifying Glass (3) The next day. ¡°Here it is.¡± ¡°Ah, thank you.¡± Kim Hyunwoo was able to purchase a total of ten scrolls from Adria. ¡°Is this the scroll you mentioned?¡± ¡°Yes. As I exined yesterday, just summon the skeleton, insert a Magic Stone, and show it what needs to be done.¡± Upon hearing Adria¡¯s words, Kim Hyunwoo nodded in understanding and immediately spoke to her. ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll send the payment directly to the tradingpany.¡± ¡°You really don¡¯t have to do that¡­¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s only right to pay.¡± Kim Hyunwoo said this with a smile, but he was inwardly a bit shocked by the steep price of the skeleton summoning scrolls. ¡®To think it costs 200 Gold Coins tomand a single skeleton¡­¡¯ The price of the skeleton scrolls Kim Hyunwoo purchased from Adria was a whopping 200 Gold Coins each. This means Kim Hyunwoo spent about 2,000 Gold Coins on ten skeleton scrolls. For Lartania, which was covering the investment in the territory¡¯s development and the losses from Magic Stone exchange with the money earned from selling Magnifying sses, 2,000 Gold Coins was a significant expenditure, and he realized why people were not using skeleton scrolls. Considering both the cost of the scrolls and the Magic Stones needed to animate the skeletons, it was clear that humans were more cost-effective than skeletons from a perspective ofbor cost. However, even considering that, Kim Hyunwoo didn¡¯t think buying the skeleton scrolls was a loss at all. For him, preventing the leakage of the Magnifying sses¡¯ secrets was more important than reducingbor costs, and the ten skeletons he would create were going to bring him wealth far exceeding 2,000 Gold Coins. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ll gratefully use the scrolls.¡± ¡°No, you¡¯ve already paid in full. Well, you must be busy, so I should take my leave.¡± As Adria said this, she smiled slyly and was about to bow her head when she suddenly looked up and said, ¡°Ah, before you leave, Lord, may I ask you something?¡± ¡°Yes? Feel free to ask me anything, but what¡­?¡± ¡°Ah, it¡¯s just that I heard a rumor recently about a cksmith Guild branch being established in Lartania.¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s correct.¡± ¡°But I heard that the Guild Master of the cksmith Guilding to Lartania is the hero of Lartania from ten years ago, is that true?¡± At Adria¡¯s question, Kim Hyunwoo nodded. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± ¡°So, the rumor was true?¡± ¡°Yes. I didn¡¯t expect it to turn out like this, but it feels a bit strange. Honestly, I feel pretty good about it.¡± Kim Hyun-woo smiled briefly as he spoke, and Adria seemed to be pondering something. ¡°¡­Hmm.¡± Suddenly, Adria¡¯s expression seemed to stiffen slightly. ¡°Well then, thank you for your answer. I was curious because of the rumors going around. I¡¯ll take my leave now.¡± ¡°Ah, yes.¡± ¡°Oh, and I¡¯ll make sure toe back soon to deliver the payment for the Coma Recovery Potion you provided this time.¡± With that, Adria swiftly left the territory. ¡°¡­?¡± Soon, Kim Hyun-woo, who had been wearing a puzzled expression while watching Adria leave with a somewhat urgent expression, soon shrugged with an indifferent expression. ¡°Well, shall we start now?¡± He smiled as he headed downstairs. And as Kim Hyun-woo headed downstairs¡­ [Ah, this can¡¯t happen! What should I do? I can¡¯t let that strange woman captivate the Master. I need to be by the Master¡¯s side right now, protecting him.] ¡°¡­Master, please calm down,¡± Adria, looking at the Crimson Dragon muttering hard in her mind, sighed deeply and spoke. Kim Hyunwoo, who had descended into the dungeon beneath the Lord¡¯s castle, immediately went to a small warehouse built in a corner of the basement and tore open a scroll. Crackle-! As soon as he tore the scroll open, a skeleton appeared in front of Kim Hyunwoo, making a rattling noise. The appearance of the skeleton, whose dark eye sockets showed no focus, especially in the dimly lit basement, would have certainly been chilling, yet Kim Hyunwoo smiled and tore up the rest of the scrolls, producing a total of ten skeletons. Immediately afterwards, recalling Adria¡¯s words, Kim Hyunwoo threw the low-grade Magic Stones he had brought into the eye sockets of the skeletons. Swoosh-! As soon as he threw the Magic Stones into the skeletons¡¯ eyes, and red dots appeared in their eyes, Kim Hyunwoo immediately taught them how to make Magnifying sses. Actually, it would be more urate to say he divided the work among them. Kim Hyunwoo had one skeleton focus solely on embedding stamps into wood to create magical circuits. He divided the remaining nine skeletons into three teams, enabling them to repeat a single task like a factory. The first team was only responsible for adding Magic Stone powder. The second team handled the Mana Water. And thest team was tasked solely with inserting round pieces of metal into the prepared wood, repeatedlybining them. As a result, ¡°It works¡­!¡± After numerous trials and errors, the skeletons began to produce Magnifying sses perfectly. Skeletons moving in unison like machines, producing three Magnifying sses at the end of each process. Although the process was significantly slower than when Kim Hyunwoo made the Magnifying sses himself, he looked at the skeletons with a satisfied expression. After all, they could invest far more time into making Magnifying sses than Kim Hyunwoo could, even if they were slower. Furthermore, as long as Magic Stones were kept nearby, the skeletons would autonomously replenish them when needed, freeing Kim Hyunwoo from the need to supervise them closely. If anything, he only needed to replenish the stock of Magic Stones Kim Hyunwoo had piled up behind the skeletons once they ran out. Therefore, with a satisfied expression, Kim Hyunwoo thought, ¡°Now that we¡¯ll have a lot more Magnifying sses avable, should I increase their influx a bit more?¡± He smiled, thinking of the much-increased supply of Magnifying sses that would now exceed previous levels. Considering the current situation, Magnifying sses would undoubtedly sell explosively even if things remained as they were, but that was only the beginning. Once the demand for Magnifying sses really began to be met, it was clear that eventually, supply would surpass demand. ¡°Shall we begin?¡± Grin. With an evil grin, Kim Hyunwoo opened the cash window. The Magnifying sses of Lartania were still so popr that people couldn¡¯t get their hands on them, and mercenaries wouldn¡¯t even enter the Labyrinth, opting for an open run to buy them instead. However, due to the overwhelmingly low supply of Magnifying sses, some mercenaries had given up on them. ¡°Tch, no matter what, this is just not doable.¡± ¡°I agree. It¡¯s ridiculous to be holed up trying to get even one Magnifying ss when there¡¯s no certainty something good wille of it.¡± ¡°Right, it¡¯s better to just roam the Labyrinth and earn a few more Gold Coins.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. It¡¯s not easy to strike it rich with a Magnifying ss anyway.¡± While many mercenaries were still ensnared by the power of the Magnifying sses, many others had recognized their downsides and had extracted themselves. Allen from the Allen Mercenary Band, who had essentially squandered his entire fortune on Magnifying sses, had recently broken free from their curse and was earnestly gathering money again. Sigh- Allen, who had just been hunting monsters, sighed lightly and held a low-grade Magic Stone. Unlike the times when they would just roam around the first tier, the Allen Mercenary Band, which had grown faster by constantly fighting monsters, was now hunting in the second tier, allowing them to umte money more quickly than before. ¡°Shall we call it a day?¡± ¡°Sounds good.¡± ¡°I agree, we should stop here for today.¡± After more than six hours of hunting, Allen¡¯s mercenary band emerged from the Labyrinth. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s rest here for today and regroup tomorrow.¡± With those words, they dispersed. Soon after, Allen, watching his dispersed mercenaries, checked the Gold Coins in his possession. ¡°A total of 20 Gold Coins, huh?¡± 20 Gold Coins. For a lone mercenary like Allen, 20 Gold Coins was a substantial amount, yet he felt a sense of loss. After all, had he not spent money on Magnifying sses, he might have had nearly 50 Gold Coins by now. Sigh. But soon, Allen shook his head, dismissing the thought. He had realized this after having squandered his entire fortune on Magnifying sses. That making a fortune overnight was not as easy as it seemed. Moreover, the difficulty of even purchasing Magnifying sses to gamble with had allowed Allen to quit them. ¡°Since I¡¯ve saved up 20 Gold Coins, maybe I¡¯ll spend about 15 on a sword¡­ and have a beer tonight?¡± After a long time of not indulging, Allen, looking at the Gold Coins gathered in his pocket, decided to drop by a tavern for a beer. There, he ran into Tuska, a mercenary he had be friends with in Lartania. ¡°Ah, you¡¯re here, Allen!¡± ¡­More precisely, he met Tuska, who seemed incredibly excited. ¡°You seem quite thrilled today?¡± ¡°Of course! I got to use the Magnifying ss just the way I wanted today!¡± ¡°¡­Really? You must have been lucky.¡± ¡°No? It¡¯s not about luck. Starting today, Lartania began pouring out a lot of Magnifying sses!¡± ¡°¡­They started releasing more stock?¡± ¡°Yes! Thanks to that, now you can buy a Magnifying ss at any time!¡± Seeing Tuska smiling brightly, Allen nodded with a ¡®hmm¡¯ expression but seemed uninterested. After all, Allen had already lost interest in Magnifying sses. However, ¡°Do you know what I got from the Magnifying ss?¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°This right here!¡± ¡°¡­What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°Mm¡¯s Chainmail! It¡¯s worth a whopping 120 Gold Coins!¡± Allen involuntarily flinched at Tuska¡¯s boast as he bared his chest. Seeing someone he knew do well sparked a ¡®What if it were me?¡¯ thought, growing deep inside him. Yet, ¡°No.¡± Having previously been burned by Magnifying sses, Allen sessfully resisted the temptation and said, ¡°That¡¯s great for you.¡± ¡°Right? Honestly, when I spent 80 Gold Coins and didn¡¯t get anything from the Magnifying ss, I almost cried. If it weren¡¯t for the ¡®Ceiling Magnifying ss¡¯, I could have ended up homeless.¡± However, ¡°¡­Ceiling Magnifying ss?¡± Hearing this term for the first time, Allen couldn¡¯t help but ask Tuska with a puzzled tone. ¡°Ah, don¡¯t you know?¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s exactly what it sounds like. A Magnifying ss that guarantees a weapon or an armor. And it¡¯s always something quite good.¡± Allen¡¯s interest was piqued, and he asked with eyes full of curiosity. ¡°¡­They started selling such Magnifying sses?¡± ¡°No, they¡¯re not selling them. They¡¯re giving them away.¡± ¡°¡­Giving them away?¡± ¡°Well, not just giving them away per se. It seems like if you buy more than 80 regr Magnifying sses, Lartania gives you one of these special Magnifying sses.¡± ¡°So, if you buy more than 80 Magnifying sses, you get one of these high-quality Magnifying sses for free¡­ Is that it?¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± ¡°¡­And this Magnifying ss really has a high chance of yieling something good?¡± ¡°Of course. The guy sitting over there got Skarna¡¯s Sword, and that one there got Seolwoon¡¯s Spellbook.¡± ¡°¡­But why would they give something like that away for free?¡± ¡°I heard these Magnifying sses were specially prepared by the Lord for those who continuously failed to get anything from them. Wow¡­ Isn¡¯t our Lord a great person? Moreover, you don¡¯t need to buy them all at once; it umtes.¡± As Tuska spoke, fondly caressing his armor, Allen turned his gaze to the people Tuska had pointed out. One was boastfully showing off a sword, while another was buying beer, proudly holding up a spellbook. ¡­At the door, mercenaries who were around those two were seen hurrying out of the tavern. And then, ¡°¡­So, in theory, even if you spend 80 Gold Coins, if that Ceiling Magnifying ss yields a good weapon-¡± ¡°You could turn things around in one go, or at least recoup half, making it 40 Gold Coins. So, it bes a low-risk venture.¡± With the introduction of the ceiling system by Kim Hyun-woo, Allen¡¯s heart began to race. Chapter 90: Item (1) The next day. The next day, exactly one day after Kim Hyunwoo began seriously using skeletons to produce Magnifying sses, he couldn¡¯t help but be astonished. That was because the skeletons had produced around 10,000 Magnifying sses in 24 hours. Of course, this might have been because the skeletons had been operating for 24 hours, as a significant portion of the Magic Stones filled behind them had disappeared. However, Kim Hyunwoo didn¡¯t particrly care about such details since he had already produced over 10,000 Magnifying sses. This was because the material cost for the Lowest-grade Magnifying sses was so cheap that, even after adding the cost of the Magic Stones used by the skeletons, a significant profit was still made upon calction. Moreover, since the skeletons could produce Magnifying sses to this extent, Kim Hyunwoo no longer had to make the Lowest-grade Explorer¡¯s Magnifying sses himself. ¡°Buying skeletons was the right decision after all.¡± Kim Hyunwoo marveled anew at the skeletons¡¯ work performance, but about three dayster, he was even more startled by what he heard from Elena. ¡°¡­All 10,000 Magnifying sses were sold out?¡± ¡°Yes, My Lord. I saw a guard moving to report while I was receiving reports, so I listened on your behalf and am delivering the message.¡± ¡°Oh, really? They could have juste up together.¡± ¡°The guards have their duties.¡± Kim Hyunwoo thought it wasn¡¯t really necessary since there were only two guards without much work to do, but he nonchntly nodded his head as if it wasn¡¯t a big deal. ¡°All 10,000 Magnifying sses sold out¡­¡± Honestly, Kim Hyunwoo had never imagined that all 10,000 Magnifying sses would sell out. Even though the number of mercenaries in Lartania had surpassed 10,000 a long time ago, it didn¡¯t make sense that all 10,000 would be sold. After all, not every mercenary in the Lartania territory would buy a Magnifying ss. Moreover, while one Gold Coin may not seem like a lot of money to Kim Hyunwoo, who manages the territory, it is quite a significant amount for the mercenaries. ¡®Of course, I did wonder if adding the ceiling system after already selling out 4,000 a day without fail would work, but I never expected it to this extent.¡¯ As Kim Hyunwoo was pondering this and nodding, Elena cautiously asked. ¡°But, My Lord?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°So, this time, the Ceiling Magnifying sses cannot be purchased separately and can only be obtained by purchasing 80 Magnifying sses?¡± Kim Hyunwoo nodded in response to Elena¡¯s question. ¡°Well, we could sell them, but the n is to keep the Ceiling Magnifying sses as a bonus for purchasing 80 regr ones.¡± The Magnifying sses currently being marketed under the name ¡®Ceiling Magnifying sses¡¯ were originally called ¡®Low-grade Explorer¡¯s Magnifying sses¡¯. Unlike the Lowest-grade Magnifying sses that drop various misceneous items, these guarantee the drop of weapons or armor. Of course, beingbeled as low-grade meant the probability wasn¡¯t high, butpared to the lowest grade, the odds were significantly better. And naturally, these Ceiling Magnifying sses were produced by Kim Hyunwoo after he tasked the skeletons with making the Lowest-grade Magnifying sses and purchased the blueprint with the Red Stone he obtained from a Labyrinth break. ¡°If we sell the Ceiling Magnifying sses at a higher price, wouldn¡¯t mercenaries rush to buy them?¡± Kim Hyunwoo nodded in response to Elena¡¯s question. ¡°Certainly, that¡¯s true.¡± ¡°Then why¡­?¡± ¡°Because I thought this would be much better in the long run.¡± Kim Hyunwoo specifically bought the blueprint to make the Low-grade Magnifying sses to create a ceiling system. ¡°If this were a game where a ceiling item would automatically appear every 80 or 160 pulls, that would be one thing, but this is reality.¡± Thinking this, Kim Hyunwoo spoke to Elena. ¡°If we were to sell the Ceiling Magnifying sses outright as you suggested, it would indeed generate more profit. But then, what about the Lowest-grade Magnifying sses?¡± ¡°Surely demand would decrease?¡­ But if we differentiate with Gold Coins, wouldn¡¯t there still be a consistent consumer base?¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. But the problem here is the division of the consumer base. It means splitting the people buying the Lowest-grade and Low-grade Magnifying sses.¡± Kim Hyunwoo continued, ¡°But if we keep selling the Lowest-grade Magnifying sses and give a Low-grade Magnifying ss for every 80 purchases, we don¡¯t necessarily divide the consumer base. Plus, it could also stimte purchases.¡± ¡°¡­Purchase stimtion effect?¡± ¡°Yes. As you know, until now, the Magnifying ssescked a ceiling¡­ meaning there wasn¡¯t a guaranteed probability of getting good items.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Of course, excluding the few mercenaries who manage to get good items, the majority who end up with nothing or nothing worthwhile feel the unfairness and disillusionment here.¡± ¡°The frustration of seeing others seed where they did not, the disillusionment of spending so much money without getting anything good in return. Of course, those who are already hooked on Magnifying sses might not care, but others would naturally hesitate to buy again.¡± ¡°¡­Because it would feel like losing money all over again if they follow the same path as before?¡± At Elena¡¯s words, Kim Hyunwoo nodded and added, ¡°But what if we give a Ceiling Magnifying ss as a reward every time 80 Gold Coins are spent here?¡± ¡°¡­Presumably, they would like it because they¡¯re getting something much better than the previous Magnifying sses for free, right?¡± ¡°More precisely, it creates a reason for consumption.¡± ¡°A reason for consumption?¡± ¡°Mercenaries, no- people in general, basically look for a reason to spend. Even if it¡¯s gambling, they want to believe their spending is justified and want to attribute rationality to it.¡± ¡°Of course, the Low-grade Magnifying sses themselves don¡¯t have the merit worth 80 Gold Coins. On average, even if they don¡¯t produce anything good, they can yield items worth more than 20 Gold Coins, but that¡¯s not equivalent to 80 Gold Coins. However, is there anywhere else selling the Low-grade Magnifying sses besides us?¡± ¡°No, there isn¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°Then that¡¯s enough. In the end, the seller who has the monopoly determines the value of the item, and even if it doesn¡¯t have the value of 80 Gold Coins, if it ends up selling for 80 Gold Coins in the market-¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s worth 80 Gold Coins, is what you¡¯re saying?¡± ¡°Exactly. So, in the end, mercenaries are misled into thinking they¡¯ve made a rational purchase here because even if they fail with 80 Magnifying sses, they still have the Ceiling Magnifying ss left. Of course, there¡¯s no guarantee that the Magnifying ss will yield sess.¡± Kim Hyunwoo wore a bitter expression. ¡°That¡¯s right¡­ there¡¯s no guarantee of sess.¡± Suddenly reminded of a 1.5 million won gacha he hit the ceiling on five times ten years ago, Kim Hyunwoo felt dizzy and quickly turned his gaze away. Mercenaries disappear after getting their number of purchases checked by clerks, who separately keep track of the Magnifying sses produced by the skeletons in real time. Every time he sees this, he feels a strange sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu, as if ovepping with his own past from ten years ago. ¡®Is this the feeling that producers experience?¡¯ Watching money being duplicated in real time, Kim Hyunwoo wore aplex expression for a while. ¡°Ah, by the way, do you have time this evening?¡± ¡°Huh? Time?¡± Elena asks with a slightly brightened expression. ¡°Yeah, I messed up cookingst time, so I was thinking of learning to cook from Lani today and making some food together. Would you like to join us?¡± Kim Hyunwoo exined the situation. ¡°Ah.¡± Elena let out a slight, intrigued exmation and then nodded with a smile. ¡°Okay, then, see you in the evening.¡± Around that afternoon, Considering Lartania was practically renowned as a Labyrinth city and the presence of numerous mercenaries made business better than expected, Adria, who had been staying for a few days, was slowly preparing for her next schedule. ¡­More precisely, ¡°Should I just leave too?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better to just go out¡­¡± ¡°Dragon Lord¡­ Didn¡¯t you say you shouldn¡¯t go out?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not allowed, but¡­¡± Due to the Red Dragon, who was elongating its words and expressing deep gloom, Adria was eager to leave quickly. Ever since discovering that the cksmith who had returned was indeed the same one from ten years ago, the Red Dragon had been in a notably poor state. Therefore, having left Lartania more hurriedly than initially nned, Adria soon found herself unable to go any further and had to stop because of this condition. The reason was, ¡°¡­Is it true that the cksmith has really returned?¡± ¡°That cheeky little one who kept bothering their Master with pointless questions to draw attention dared to¡­!¡± This was because Merilda and Rin had barged into where Adria was. ¡°That woman is so presumptuous¡­ She¡¯s already cozying up to the master?? I even heard rumors that she held the Master¡¯s hand recently???¡± ¡°Gasp¡­!!¡± ¡°This, this little ground-crawler¡­!¡± Adria, whose body had been taken over by her Guardian, was stunned by what her Guardian was saying. ¡®¡­Such words hadn¡¯t spread, it must have just been something Dragon Lord thought.¡¯ However, Adria¡¯s thoughts had no effect on the former heroes of Lartania, who had already started to believe what they wanted and were bing angry. And then, ¡°¡­It seems like now is not the time for us to be doing this amongst ourselves.¡± ¡°Yes, I definitely think so.¡± ¡°We have no choice until we push that cksmith out.¡± It didn¡¯t take long for the former heroes of Lartania to form an alliance. However, Adria, who was observing the former heroes of Lartania forming an alliance, felt uneasy there. That¡¯s because, as a merchant who has always dealt with everyone from nobles tomon farmers, Adria could immediately sense the covert nces and thoughts of Merilda and Rin. ¡®This is definitely a betrayal¡­!¡¯ However, the reason she did not speak up, despite realizing this, was because the Guardian possessing her body seemed all too willing tomit betrayal as well. ¡°¡­Can this alliance evenst a day?¡± Seeing this unprecedented survival-of-the-fittest type of alliance, where from the moment of its formation, everyone was thinking of betraying each other, Adria felt her head spin. Chapter 91: Item (2) ¡°What if we just destroy the supplies?¡± The first item on the agenda that came up in the meeting, started immediately after forming a temporary alliance and with everyone cautiously observing each other, was exactly that. ¡°Supplies?¡± ¡°It seems like they¡¯re eagerly gathering supplies from everywhere to start staying by the Master¡¯s side as soon as possible. What if we keep cutting off those supplies?¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem like a fundamental solution, does it?¡± Rin contradicted the Red Dragon¡¯s statement. However, the dragon argued, ¡°If we keep preventing the creation of the cksmith Guild branches, the cksmith will have toe out eventually.¡± ¡°So, when shees out, we just swoop in?¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s good too.¡± The dragon spoke seriously, responding to Merilda¡¯s words. However, ¡°Who¡¯s going to swoop the cksmith, though?¡± ¡°Well? Shouldn¡¯t the person who suggested it do it?¡± ¡°¡­Do you take us for fools?¡± About three minutes after the alliance was formed, ¡°Why don¡¯t you do it?¡± ¡°As you can see, I¡¯m in no condition to move around much.¡± ¡°What about you?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you the fast one?¡± ¡°You can use poison, can¡¯t you?¡± ¡°It takes a long time to prepare poison. What do you think I can do without any equipment? So, you sneaky dragon, you can use magic, can¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I can use magic, but since I¡¯m borrowing this consciousness right now, I can only use basic spells. Maybe just a quick swoop would be best.¡± ¡°No- So even if it takes time to prepare the poison-¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t I say that won¡¯t work? Instead, just use magic-¡± ¡°Magic is too shy, so how about quickly and invisibly-¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± In just 180 seconds, the alliance began to falter. That was because the three present knew the truth. Ultimately, the cksmith who returned to Lartania was beneficial to Kim Hyunwoo, and any harm to the cksmith would mean harm to Kim Hyunwoo, whom they all cherished. Therefore, none of them even thought about harming the cksmith. Moreover, the three iming alliance here already had a rough idea of what each other were thinking. Having lived together for a few years, even though it was 10 years ago, they naturally knew each other. They were all looking for an angle to stab each other in the back. Of course, they didn¡¯t know where or expect an angle to backstab to appear in this situation, but they were certain that they would try to betray each other. Thus, as they looked at each other, ¡°¡­So, we¡¯re skipping over the cksmith swiping n. Any other ideas?¡± They returned to the agenda. After much deliberation, Merilda spoke up. ¡°¡­I have one good idea.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t she the Guild Master of the cksmith Guild?¡± ¡°Right?¡± ¡°Then shouldn¡¯t we just demolish the cksmith Guild in the Norba Kingdom?¡± It was a suggestion from Merilda. It was a solution so brutish and destructive that most people would never think of it. ¡°Wow¡­!¡± ¡°That might actually work¡­!¡± Contrarily, those gathered admired the idea as a very good one. ¡°¡­What exactly?¡± Everyone except Adria, who was listening to their conversation from within her consciousness, seemed to think so. However, excluding Adria, the n began to take shape step by step. ¡­It was a straightforward and simple n to just barge into the Norba Kingdom and blow up the cksmith Guild¡­ but the conversation continued regardless. ¡°Now, we need to decide who will execute the n?¡± The discussion proceeded to who would carry out this significant n. ¡°I think it¡¯s a matter of speed. So, the person who can move the fastest should do it. The point is to move before the cksmith Guild is established in Lartania.¡± ¡°Hmm, I agree.¡± Rin, looking at Merilda, agreed following the dragon¡¯sments. However, ¡°No, since she¡¯s the Guild Master, the destruction power shown when the cksmith Guild is destroyed is more important. Among us, the one with the most destructive power is, as you can see, the half-demon.¡± ¡°That¡¯s incorrect thinking. If you consider it that way, wouldn¡¯t the half-dragon be the most powerful in terms of firepower from the start?¡± ¡°As I mentioned before, given my condition, I can¡¯t exert much firepower.¡± ¡°Hmm, is that truly the case? From my perspective, it doesn¡¯t seem so. Couldn¡¯t you sufficiently demonstrate the capability to destroy the cksmith Guild?¡± ¡°Then, aren¡¯t you capable of doing that much?¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t magic be more feasible?¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be easier for the two of youpared to me, who is restrained?¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be right for one of the two to do it?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Why are you opting out?¡± ¡°I¡¯m the one who devised this n in the first ce, right? If I¡¯m the one nning and also executing, would that still be considered an alliance?¡± ¡°¡­What¡¯s so great about the n to just smash the cksmith Guild that you speak of it so proudly? Isn¡¯t that a n anyone could think of anywhere?¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± Rin and the dragon contradicted. ¡°What are you talking about? After all, I¡¯m the one who came up with the n, right?¡± However, Merilda frowned and spoke up. About three minutester. ¡°Are we trying this right now!?¡± ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s give it a try! How can smashing a guild be considered a n!!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t like it from the start! Since forming the alliance, you¡¯ve had that greedy look, as if you¡¯re plotting a stab in the back!¡± ¡°That goes for you and that sneaky dragon as well!¡± ¡°Hah!? You were the same!! And you¡¯re just as sneaky! You even asked for a sharing of consciousness before, so you have no right to say that to me!¡± Adria, observing from within her consciousness, let out a disbelievingugh as the alliance crumbled in less than seven minutes. ¡°Let¡¯s see you try!¡± ¡°Whether you¡¯re a sneaky bastard or a dumbass, bring it on!¡± ¡°Cut the nonsense!¡± With those words, the three heroes shed. And then- Boom! ¡®¡­My office¡­!!¡¯ As the heroes¡¯ battlemenced with her office exploding, Adria¡¯s pitiful thoughts echoed under the starless night sky. Ten minutester, ¡°Look at that! You sneaky bastard! After all this, what!? You¡¯ve got no power!?¡± ¡°You were nning to backstab from the start, weren¡¯t you!?¡± ¡°At least we didn¡¯t hide our power!!¡± The three heroes, having thrown their full might into the battle a fair distance from Lartania, literally scorched the earth around them. And just as they were about to face each other for a second round- Swoosh-! ¡°¡­?¡± The heroes, scowling fiercely at each other, wore puzzled expressions at the sudden spout of water from the ground. Merilda, frowning as she looked towards the source of the spouting water, suddenly saw the Lartania territory beyond the water jet and, ¡°¡­¡­¡± let out a soft exmation as if something had suddenly urred to her. The ce where Merilda had fought was clearly outside the Lartania territory. This meant that their fight had not caused any damage to the Lartania territory. How could they possibly have damaged the Lartania territory, which was far away in the first ce? Yes, it would have been impossible to cause any damage originally. ¡­Unless they had fought each other to the death in the middle of the main road leading to Lartania. Merilda turned her gaze around to look at the surroundings. Although she had caused it herself, there was really nothing left. The neatly maintained road was destroyed to the point where it was beyond recognition. The surrounding grass and meadows were already buried under deep loess soil and rocks, as if from long ago. ¡°Ah.¡± It was somewhat funny that they mentioned the destruction of the road, but the road was indeed important. Especially since this major road to the Lartania territory was used by hundreds of carriages every day. In other words, the absence of the road meant that the hundreds of carriages could no longer pass through. As soon as they realized this, their pupils began to tremble. The pupils of the red eyes trembled, the pupils of the purple eyes fell into panic. ¡°Eh? Eh??? Dragon Lord?¡± Due to a mental overload, the consciousness sharing with the Red Dragon was disconnected. And then- Thinking of Lord Kim Hyunwoo of Lartania, who would be witnessing this situation, their faces turned pale in an instant. ¡°First¡­ first- let¡¯s get out of here¡­!¡± They fled right away. They would definitely make repairs, but their first priority was to not get caught by Kim Hyunwoo. The next day, Kim Hyunwoo, who had been making a tidy profit through Magnifying sses, was slowly considering how to further develop his territory. The introduction of skeletons and a ceiling system meant that Kim Hyunwoo had the funds to maintain his current state of development and considerunching other ventures. ¡°Hmm, there¡¯s not much to try¡­ It seems better to wait until I¡¯m ready for the next step before proceeding.¡± However, despite having the funds, Kim Hyunwoo was pondering over theck of a suitable business to pursue. ¡°My Lord, something strange has happened.¡± Soon, upon hearing a report from a guard, he found himself asking without even realizing, ¡°¡­So, the main road leading to Lartania is destroyed, and carriages can¡¯t pass through?¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡± Even just hearing the guard¡¯s report indicated a serious issue. The destruction of the main road meant it posed a problem for all the hundreds of carriages traveling to and from Lartania. Yet, without any change in expression, no, rather, the reason he even wore a faint smile was, ¡°¡­But, at the ce where the main road was destroyed, hot spring water is emerging?¡± ¡°Yes¡­!¡± It was because of the unexpected, fortuitous luck that hade his way. Chapter 92: Item (3) Arteil has a concept called ¡®territory characteristics¡¯. These territory characteristics refer to the features surrounding a territory, unrted to the territory¡¯s development, and are determined by the characteristics present around the territory. For example, if there is a mine within a certain distance, though not within the territory itself, the territory gains a mining characteristic. If there is a gold mine, it gains a gold mine characteristic, and likewise, there are various characteristics in Arteil, including agricultural characteristics for fertilends suitable for farming. However, despite the numerous types of territory characteristics, Lartania did not have any. The reason was simply because there was really nothing around Lartania. Around the Lartania territory, there were no significant mines or gold mines, nor were there fertilends. It wasn¡¯t a region with advantageous terrain for defense or attack, nor did the surrounding grasnds offer better prospects for livestock farming than other territories. In in terms, the location of the Lartania territory was not like those backed with mountains of gold mines found in other fantasies; it was really a ce with nothing. ¡­Of course, Kim Hyunwoo knew this fact but still chose to establish a territory here. After all, the creation of territories in Arteil was entirely random to begin with. No one knew where a territory might end up being created, whether it was in the north, south, east, or west. Of course, if yers didn¡¯t like the location, they could continuously delete their ount and recreate it, rerolling until they got their desired location, but he didn¡¯t go through that process. Half by choice, and half by circumstance. ¡®¡­I might have tried it if the yers weren¡¯t already clustered together.¡¯ The reason Kim Hyunwoo didn¡¯t specifically reroll was because of the other yers. If he had been ying Arteil from the start, it might have been different, but he started ying some time after the game was released. By the time he considered rerolling for a territory, the ces rumored to be good were already swarming with yers. In other words, at that point, even if he could obtain a territory with great characteristics, the almost certain conflict with other yers to secure such a territory was why Kim Hyunwoo didn¡¯t bother rerolling. After all, to outpace yers who had started earlier, microtransactions were necessary, and at that time, he was just a student. Anyway, to sum it up, since Kim Hyunwoo had never owned a territory with such characteristics before, he couldn¡¯t help but smile at the sudden emergence of hot springs. Of course, the newly emerged characteristic wasn¡¯t as good as having a gold mine, mine, or even agricultural traits, but it seemed more than enough to contribute to the development of his territory. Therefore, ¡°First, deploy all the manpower avable to bypass the destroyed section and temporarily create a major path. For the hot spring water¡­ send someone to the timber mill first to fence off the area, and tell the person in charge of the mill toe here.¡± With that, Kim Hyunwoo finished speaking to the guard who hade in to report. ¡®¡­Attracting tourists isn¡¯t a bad idea either.¡¯ He smiled at the thought. At that moment, in the Landaron territory. ¡°It¡¯s been three days.¡± ¡°¡­But it¡¯s already been a month?¡± ¡°I know that.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t this different from our agreement?¡± Kelva, looking at Duke Landaron who was openly frowning, sighed and said, ¡°Yes, I admit it. But there¡¯s a reason for everything.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the reason?¡± ¡°All the external summoning circles have been destroyed.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± Landaron¡¯s question was full of doubt, but Kelva did not bother to answer it directly and continued speaking. ¡°Of course, the n can still proceed as is. However, since all the decoys that could have drawn attention from the outside have been taken out, we¡¯re in the process of creating substitutes. It¡¯s a matter of needing a reasonable amount of time.¡± ¡°Tch.¡± Landaron, clearly dissatisfied, clicked his tongue and replied with a deep sigh, ¡°You¡¯re not going to change your story again in three days, are you?¡± ¡°Unfortunately, even if I wanted to change my story by then, I wouldn¡¯t be able to. Aren¡¯t you seeing the same thing?¡± At Kelva¡¯s words, Duke Landaron quietly turned his head. In the vast underground cavern of the Duke Landaron¡¯s residence, a ck sphere, taller than a human, was pulsating. Like a heart. However, rather than the pulsation of life, the deep unease it provided with each beat allowed Duke Landaron, who was intently staring at it, to hear Kelva¡¯s words. ¡°In three days, that will awaken. At the same time, the army will also rise. Then, you can do as you wish. Everything else is already prepared elsewhere.¡± ¡°¡­Let¡¯s hope what you¡¯re saying is true this time,¡± Duke Landaron said. At that, Kelva let out a deep sigh, as ifining, and said, ¡°¡­I too wish it were true.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± Duke Landaron was somewhat taken aback by Kelva¡¯s appearance, which he had never seen before. However, ¡°Prepare the military in three days. I must create a recement for the destroyed summoning circle by then.¡± ¡°¡­Where do you n to go this time?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you? The summoning circles are destroyed, so we¡¯re creating substitutes. Just in case, I¡¯ve hidden one in the Rng Forest, and I¡¯m going to activate it.¡± With those words, Kelva disappeared. The duke could only stare at the spot where Kelva had been. A few hourster, as the day moved past noon and the sun began to set, Kim Hyunwoo received an additional report. ¡°As you instructed, we¡¯ve temporarily created a path, but its condition is uneven, so it seems we¡¯ll need to deploy more manpower for a few more days. As for the hot spring, we¡¯ve immediately fenced off the surrounding area.¡± After the guard, who had bowed his head slightly as he finished his report, Kim Hyunwoo nodded and then left. ¡°My Lord.¡± As soon as the guard left, Karok, the leader of the timber mill who had received his orders that morning, entered through the door, prompting Kim Hyunwoo to speak. ¡°Have you roughly estimated the situation?¡± ¡°Yes. As youmanded, today I took some workers and quickly fenced off the nearby area, making a rough estimate of the cost.¡± ¡°How is it?¡± ¡°To conclude, it seems there will be no major issue in building the hot spring as you¡¯ve instructed. However-¡± ¡°However?¡± ¡°It seems that it will take some time toplete the construction of the entire hot spring.¡± ¡°Is it ack of manpower? If manpower is insufficient, it seems like we could just allocate more. Or is it the materials?¡± When Kim Hyunwoo asked this, Karok appeared to ponder for a moment before starting to exin in detail. ¡°Indeed, manpower is one factor, but the crucial issue is the materials.¡± ¡°¡­Materials?¡± ¡°Yes. The materials used for constructing the hot spring are not ordinary timber but magically treated wood from the Mage Tower, or alternatively, magical trees from Rng Forest.¡± ¡°Will there be problems otherwise?¡± ¡°Yes, if it were just ordinary hot spring water, a bit of additional processing on the wood and constructing the building would suffice. However, the hot spring water is a bit special because¡­¡± ¡°Special?¡± ¡°Yes, one of the workers from the mill went to a ce famous for its hot springs and found out that the water contains a slight mix of magical power, making it very good hot spring water. So, it¡¯s not just any hot spring water; it¡¯s exceptionally good, but¡­¡± ¡°¡­Is the problem that the hot spring water is mixed with magical power?¡± ¡°Yes, if the hot spring water is mixed with magical power, any material that isn¡¯t specially treated with magic will quickly deteriorate. Especially since most of the magical power mixed in the hot spring water is earth-based¡­¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± To be honest, Kim Hyunwoo didn¡¯t know much about earth-based magic, nor did he feel the need to understand it in detail. After all, the important thing here was how long it would take to build the hot spring. ¡°¡­So, does it take longer than expected to build the hot spring?¡± Therefore, Kim Hyunwoo asked. ¡°If we start construction right away, it could bepleted quickly, within five days to a week. However, considering the time it takes for the materials to arrive¡­ it might take more than two months, I suppose.¡± Kim Hyunwoo grimaced slightly at Karok¡¯s answer, clicking his tongue in slight frustration. In conclusion, if it were to take as long as two months, it wouldn¡¯t be of any immediate help for the current quest. Of course, it was clear that despite this, it would undoubtedly have a positive impact on the development of the territory. ¡°¡­Well, nothing can be done about the long duration. For now, let¡¯s request the materials as quickly as possible. I will cover all the costs for the materials.¡± ¡°Understood. In that case, may I mention that we need additional materials beyond those already discussed?¡± ¡°Go ahead.¡± Kim Hyunwoo started to listen to Karok¡¯s words, nodding as if he understood. At that moment- Thanks topletely demolishing the road to Lartania, three heroes, who were worried Kim Hyunwoo might notice, anxiously looked towards the Lord¡¯s castle. ¡°¡­That¡¯s it, that¡¯s the one!¡± ¡°The trees from Rng Forest¡­!¡± ¡°We- we have to go right now-!¡± It was as if they found absolution in the conversation happening at the Lord¡¯s castle, all of them with determination shining in their eyes. ¡®¡­¡­¡¯ In her thoughts, Adria, looking at the three heroes who had climbed a hill and were focusing all their efforts on the Lord¡¯s castle in the distance, thought, ¡°¡­Really, this is a bit annoying¡­¡± With a cold gaze, she looked at the heroes anxiously staring at the Lord¡¯s castle, harboring a mix of distant feelings. Chapter 93: Item (4) Rin, Merilda, and the Crimson Dragon were well aware that any action they took at this moment, in fact, held no significant meaning. Since Kim Hyunwoo was unaware that this mess had been caused by their battle. However, despite knowing this, the reason they all chose to act was just in case of a certain situation. What if, just if, Kim Hyunwoo found out that the road had been destroyed because of the heroes? Of course, given the oue, there might be a chance he would let it slide without much fuss, but that was just a probability, and there was definitely a chance that Kim Hyunwoo would reprimand them. And the three heroes directly involved in this incident were so afraid of Kim Hyunwoo harboring negative feelings towards them that just the thought of it could send them into a panic. In other words, for that less than 1% chance that no one would find out if they just kept quiet, they all ran to Rng Forest as soon as they heard a story from beyond the Lord¡¯s castle, without hesitation. Of course, during this, there were frequent incidents of them casting spells or uprooting trees from the surroundings and throwing them in an attempt to keep each other in check. In this situation, which could be awkward if Kim Hyunwoo noticed, they interfered with each other with the thought of getting caught, hoping to create the impression that they had done more work than others, just in case. ¡­Of course, each time they engaged in acts of sabotage, somewhere an innocent road was destroyed or a forest waspletely pushed back, but to them, this wasn¡¯t really important. After all, the only thing that mattered to them was not to be hated by Kim Hyunwoo. Thus, upon arriving in Rng Forest, without caring who was first, they immediately began cutting down the trees around them. Thud! The Absolute Ruler of Darkness swung her sword, and ten trees were instantly cut down. Crash! Merilda swung her ws, and the trees shattered like chopsticks, scattering in all directions. Swoosh! The Crimson Dragon, using Adria¡¯s body, merely waved her hand lightly and instantly burned the base of the trees, bringing them down. Materials began to umte in no time. And then, suddenly, Rin, Merilda, and the Crimson Dragon, after watching each other, vanished from Rng Forest in an instant. Like the wind. Of course, distant booms could still be heard from afar, but no one was left in Rng Forest. All that remained were countless cut trees and, thanks to that, an empty clearing that was supposed to be there. Originally, ¡°¡­¡­¡± Kelva, who had been nkly observing the situation inside Rng Forest, looked at the wide clearing with a dumbfounded expression. The space, which had been densely filled with forest just about 20 minutes ago, was nowpletely empty. ¡°¡­What exactly is this?¡± Kelva muttered to himself and unconsciously looked down. There, the emergency summoning circle he had prepared just in case the 50 other summoning circles were ever destroyed was in ruins, with only parts of it still drawn. In truth, though it was called an emergency summoning circle, this circle he had drawn in Rng Forest was prepared intermittently over seven years, just as when he was preparing the summoning circles. Even though it was prepared intermittently, it wasn¡¯t prepared haphazardly. Given his meticulous and thorough nature, the summoning circle drawn in Rng Forest was truly an emergency measure in case all 50 summoning circles were destroyed, thus he had actually spent more time on it than on the others. At least, this one circle could cover for about ten of the circles drawn in the vige. ¡°What on earth¡­ is this supposed to mean¡­¡± Kelva recalled all the effort he had put in. Within this forest, which always produced hallucinogenic effects on those who entered due to its unique magic, he had endured all manner of hardships to draw this summoning circle. Though he could have drawn it elsewhere, in his opinion, there was no ce as secure as Rng Forest for hiding a summoning circle. Rng Forest, where trees imbued with magic grew, was too dangerous for lumberjacks, and above all, trees containing magic could be easily produced with the help of a magician. In essence, seven years ago, the demons, who knew nothing about the intermediary world, intermittently built viges, gathered followers, and drew summoning circles. During this, they learned human world knowledge, including economic activities andnd, and came to understand the principles of supply and demand¡­ It meant that Rng Forest was a ce imbued with the essence of knowledge about the intermediary world. ¡­Indeed, Kelva¡¯s choice was not wrong. He had never been caught for a summoning circle in the past seven years, and the circles were still well-maintained up until today. Well, until a little while ago. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Kelva looked down at the summoning circle. Wondering if it could possibly be repaired, he touched the summoning circle, but¡­ Zzzzt-! As soon as Kelva¡¯s hand touched it, the summoning circle, having already lost its power, hissed and melted away. And Kelva, looking at it, said, ¡°Ha-¡± Unintentionally, a hollowugh escaped him, and for the first time since he hade to the intermediary world, he twisted his mouth into a smile. ¡°Ha¡­hahaha¡­¡± Then, heughed in a way he had never done before in the intermediary world. ¡°Hahahahaha-!¡± Heughed so hard that he wondered if he had everughed like this even when he was in the demon world, hisughter echoing throughout Rng Forest. And then, ¡°Hey you-¡± Kelva, although he had learned it in the intermediary world, had never allowed himself to utter it because he considered it too vulgar- ¡°-Fucking bastards!!!!!¡± He spat curses out, expressing his boiling anger. The next day. ¡°¡­So, you¡¯re saying that all the materials have already arrived?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ I¡¯m not entirely sure either, but this morning, before I urgently inquired about the materials from the Mage Tower and the Merchant Group, I went to the hot springs to report the exact number of materials needed¡­ and the materials were all there.¡± ¡°¡­Even the wood?¡± ¡°Not just the wood, but all the other necessary materials were there too. In fact, there was more than enough¡­¡± Kim Hyunwoo made a strange expression as he looked at Karok, who seemed confused about the situation he himself described, but soon spoke up. ¡°Just to be sure, check the materials and if there¡¯s really nothing wrong with them, proceed.¡± ¡°Understood. Then, I¡¯ll proceed that way for now.¡± After hearing his words, Karok bowed his head immediately and left. Kim Hyunwoo then spoke. ¡°Loria.¡± Yes, My Lord ¡°¡­By any chance, did somethinge in as a quest reward?¡± No. Also, if you're asking about the materials that suddenly appeared outside the territory, at least, it wasn't a reward from the system ¡°Then?¡± ...Since it's also outside the territory, I... ¡°¡­Right.¡± ¡®It¡¯s not like the territory¡¯s development level reached 2000. What¡¯s going on?¡¯ Even as Kim Hyunwoo said that and turned on the information window, he soon shrugged his shoulders. Although there was no immediate way to know where the materials hade from, as long as there was nothing wrong with them, there was no issue. ¡®¡­Of course, it¡¯s strange to think that materials appeared out of nowhere overnight, and it¡¯s not even a reward.¡¯ From Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s perspective, the materials were needed. ¡®I need to look into this as well.¡¯ He thought about finding out where the materials suddenly appeared from, hoping at the same time that there would be no issues with them. Meanwhile. ¡°My Lord, I¡¯ve brought it.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Not at all. Then!¡± Kim Hyunwoo immediately received a ledger from the guard. The ledger looked quite thick, about three volumes in total. When Kim Hyunwoo flipped through the ledger, it was densely filled with many people¡¯s names alongside numbers next to them. ¡°¡­It¡¯s quite well-organized.¡± What Kim Hyunwoo was currently looking at was a ledger recording the number of times mercenaries had purchased Magnifying sses and hit the ceiling since the introduction of the ceiling system, which Kim Hyunwoo had instructed the guard to bring in order to check how well the ceiling system was being utilized. ¡®As expected, the ceiling system was effective.¡¯ Soon, Kim Hyunwoo smiled as he thought this while reviewing the ledger. To be honest, he was a bit worried since the ceiling wasn¡¯t for a confirmed item but for Lower-grade Magnifying sses, yet the ceiling system was performing its role even better than he had anticipated. In the ledger Kim Hyunwoo was currently reviewing, there were many mercenaries who had already hit the ceiling multiple times. ¡®Someone has already hit it more than 3 times?¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo, upon realizing that a mercenary had already hit the ceiling three times despite the system not being introduced long ago, looked quite surprised. ¡°¡­..¡± Soon, he found himself involuntarily closing his mouth. And for good reason. Elena Total purchases: 272 times Ceiling: 3 times ¡°¡­¡­¡± The ledger he was looking at had a name very familiar to Kim Hyunwoo written in it. ¡®Elena¡­ What are you doing?¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo sighed deeply. And then, Three dayster, after confirming that the materials were indeed in good condition, the timber mill staff swiftly started working on the hot spring. In just three days, although simple, they sessfully constructed the hot spring building. Since the Territory Development Level has reached 2000, you havepleted the 'Second Clue' Kim Hyunwoo was able to obtain the second clue. Chapter 94: Hot Springs (1) Since the Territory Development Level has reached 2000, you havepleted the 'Second Clue' Second Clue: Meet the Mysterious Merchant and discuss 'Extraterrestrial' Kim Hyunwoo, looking at the notification that appeared before his eyes, muttered to himself unknowingly. ¡°Mysterious Merchant, huh¡­¡± He had heard stories from Elena and Adria about how the Mysterious Merchantpletely disappeared a few years ago, but Kim Hyunwoo looked at the second clue with an expression that showed no particr emotion. After all, he knew how to meet the Mysterious Merchant who was said to have disappeared a few years ago. ¡®If you buy a cash item, that is¡­¡¯ Basically, in the setting of Arteil, the cash items avable for yers to buy are sold through three merchants, each ording to the type of item. The Blue Merchant sells basic in-game materials and gachas. The Red Merchant sells items that are limitedly avable through events or special asions. Lastly, almost all items that heroes or yers can equip in the game are purchased from the Mysterious Merchant. This means that Kim Hyunwoo, who can open the cash item window even now, can meet the Mysterious Merchant as soon as he buys something. While the appearance of the Blue Merchant in the game is random, making it uncertain when they¡¯ll show up based on what item you buy, this isn¡¯t the case for the Mysterious Merchant. Despite knowing this fact, the reason Kim Hyunwoo hesitated with a peculiar expression was, ¡®¡­Why does it have to be the Mysterious Merchant?¡¯ The reason was that he was fully aware that the items sold by the Mysterious Merchant were all exceedingly expensive. ¡°Tsk¡­¡± Nevertheless, since he was going to buy a cash item anyway, Kim Hyunwoo immediately brought up the cash item window. [Soul of Chakram: 87,220 won (Stone)] [Knuckles of North Mountain Work: 142,200 won (Stone)] [Yan's Ne: 98,000 won (Stone)] [Shai's Armor: 55,500 won (Stone)] ¡°¡­Ugh.¡± Upon seeing the equipment list that could summon the Mysterious Merchant right after opening the cash window, Kim Hyunwoo unwittingly made a dizzy expression. Naturally, Kim Hyunwoo, who had to exert all his effort just to earn 7,500 Stones, scrolled down immediately. Swoosh-! As Kim Hyunwoo lightly gestured, the scroll went down smoothly like a touchscreen, making him grimace. ¡®How many are there, exactly?¡¯ The number of cash items had significantly increasedpared to ten years ago. Moreover, as he scrolled down, Kim Hyunwoo noticed that the prices of the equipment became increasingly outrageous, so he scrolled down patiently. Soon, after several gestures, he had scrolled almost to the very bottom. ¡°Found it.¡± Kim Hyunwoo was able to find the cheapest item sold by the Mysterious Merchant. Proposal Ring: 10,000 won (Stone) ¡°¡­¡­¡± Looking at the cheapest item sold by the Mysterious Merchant, which is said to be bought only by those who use magic in Arteil, Kim Hyunwoo made a thoughtful expression. ¡®Is this the right choice?¡¯ Naturally, to meet the Mysterious Merchant, one must purchase an item, and among them, the Proposal Ring was the cheapest. While scrolling down, Kim Hyunwoo hadn¡¯t seen any items priced below 10,000 Stones. ¡®Could there be any?¡¯ He scrolled up to the top just in case he missed something, but then he scrolled down again soon after. ¡­Through that action, he realized not that there was an item cheaper than the Proposal Ring, but rather that the development team of Arteil was insanely obsessed with money. ¡®That the next cheapest essory apart from the Proposal Ring costs 23,000 Stones¡­ unbelievable.¡¯ There were a tremendous number of items, showing many updates had been made after Kim Hyunwoo left, but since none were cheaper than the Proposal Ring, he looked at the ring with an incredulous expression. ¡®Even so¡­ it¡¯s pretty useless.¡¯ The item, known among yers as a magic ring, was of no particr use to Kim Hyunwoo. Actually, considering the setting where the Mysterious Merchant would announce throughout the area with fanfare that the Lord had bought a Proposal Ring, it was rather a negative. ¡®Well, there¡¯s nothing I can do about it.¡¯ Honestly, since it was tough to collect enough Red Stones to maintain the Labyrinth city before diving deeper into its tiers, Kim Hyunwoo decided to buy the Proposal Ring. ¡®Well, I¡¯ve made quite a bit of money with the Magnifying sses so far. I suppose it¡¯s inevitable to spend this much.¡¯ With that thought, Kim Hyunwoo sighed and looked at his resource window. Red Stones: 770 Blue Stones: 6,023 Gold Coins: 89,422 Magic Stones: 492,141 ¡®¡­Gold Coins are getting dangerously low.¡¯ Of course, the fact that Lartania¡¯s finances had dropped to 80,000 Gold Coins wasrgely Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s fault. Even though he was steadily making a profit of about 10,000 Gold Coins a day thanks to the Magnifying sses, that significant amount of Gold Coins wasn¡¯t umting in the territory but was instead being reinvested back into it. Of that, 60% was being used for the development of the territory. The other 40% was used to purchase Magic Stones, so Lartania¡¯s financial situation couldn¡¯t be good. Of course, when taxes, which are collected once a month, came in, the amount had grown considerably, nearing 5,000 Gold Coins, but the finances were still precarious. ¡®Maybe I should have gradually built up the workshop more methodically.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo found himself involuntarily smacking his lips. The reason for Lartania¡¯s precarious finances was because Kim Hyunwoo hadn¡¯t followed a proper standard build. Originally, in Arteil, when developing a territory, it¡¯s crucial to prioritize leveling up the various workshops regardless of the territory¡¯syout. This is because, naturally, as the level of every building increases, a tremendous amount of materials is required, and relying solely on purchasing these materials from outside bes too costly. However, Kim Hyunwoo ended up in this situation because he was investing all his avable funds to elerate the development of his territory. ¡®¡­Perhaps it¡¯s time to focus on strengthening the internal affairs of the territory rather than just its development.¡¯ While contemting the Gold Coins, which was precariously maintained despite the rapid decrease and subsequent increase due to the Magnifying sses, Kim Hyunwoo also looked at the Magic Stones. ¡®490,000¡­¡¯ At the current rate, it would reach 500,000 by today, enabling a total of ten Labyrinth Breaks. ¡®Opening a total of twelve Labyrinth Breaks would yield¡­ 15,000 Red Stones, right?¡¯ To open the Labyrinth Breaks immediately, at least 100,000 more Magic Stones would be needed, but Kim Hyunwoo wasn¡¯t too worried about that aspect. There was still plenty of time before he needed to use the Red Stones to maintain the next Labyrinth City, and the number of mercenaries was increasing even now. ¡®Actually, I should buy more skeleton scrolls when Adriaes next time.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo remembered that he had asked her to find skeleton scrolls before she left, and after a while, ¡®¡­Once we have 600,000 Red Stones, we¡¯ll start preparing right away.¡¯ With that thought concluded, Kim Hyunwoo moved on to the next subject. More precisely, he thought about the hot spring that had raised his territory¡¯s development level to 2000. Although he had built the hot spring primarily for its development value, Kim Hyunwoo had no intention of letting it go to waste. After all, the hot spring could be a new source of revenue as a tourist attraction for him. ¡®Of course, it¡¯s currentlycking a lot to be called a tourist attraction.¡¯ Since the primary goal was to increase the development level by building the hot spring, the building had many ws, but he thought it was fine as it was. He knew well that it would take some time to turn the newly built hot spring into a ndmark¡¯. Therefore, ¡®Now, while the hot spring is being remodeled, shall we try to make it into andmark?¡¯ With a confident smile, Kim Hyunwoo began to seriously prepare for something. At that moment, as Kim Hyunwoo earnestly began to work on the hot spring, ¡°¡­Are the troops all ready?¡± Duke Landaron nodded in response to Kelva¡¯s question, who had returned muchter than the originally promised date. ¡°¡­All preparations are alreadyplete.¡± In fact, Duke Landaron had a strong desire to reprimand Kelva. He had mobilized the troops based on Kelva¡¯s words, but Kelva¡¯s failure to return had led to suspicions from the King of Norba. Thus, he was very displeased that the difficulty had been unnecessarily raised. However, the reason Duke Landaron hadn¡¯t voiced hisints, ¡®¡­Was there some very bad news?¡¯ was because Kelva¡¯s face, which usually carried a rxed expression, was now so grim that even Duke Landaron was taken aback. ¡°Is it starting now?¡± So, Duke Landaron asked without furtherment. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s starting now.¡± Shortly after hearing Kelva¡¯s words, he saw something enormous, pulsating with dark magic, absorbing into Kelva¡¯s hand. The next moment, Crack-! Along with the dark, pulsating mass, a ck mist spread out. Indistinct noises¡­ From within the ck mist, beings with purple glowing eyes started to emerge. And with them, as they walked out, emitting a chilling energy that made one¡¯s entire body shudder, ¡°Now, it¡¯s time to announce our arrival to the world.¡± In the middle realm, or intermediary realm, demons were being born. Chapter 95: Hot Springs (2) The lives of most mercenaries in the Labyrinth City of Lartania generally follow a simr pattern. During the day, they form parties or enter the Labyrinth individually to hunt fervently, thene out with Magic Stones to exchange for money after a while of diligent hunting. Then, with that money, drinking a beer at a tavern or taking a nap at an innprises the basic life routine of most mercenaries. Of course, recently, due to the newly introduced Magnifying sses in the Lartania territory, some mercenaries have altered their routine slightly, but most still fundamentally adhere to it. Naturally, Allen and Tuska were no exception. ¡°Did you draw anything good today?¡± ¡°No. You?¡± ¡°Me neither.¡± ¡°Tsk.¡± Allen, who has been consistently spending on 2-3 Magnifying sses daily since the ceiling system was introduced, and Tuska, werementing their utterly failed gacha draws over a beer at the tavern. ¡°You really should open ten Magnifying sses in a row, right?¡± ¡°The odds are simr anyway, why open ten in a row? It¡¯s not like the odds significantly increase if you open ten consecutively.¡± For a while, the two aimlessly debated the pointless topic of ¡®how to draw good items with a Magnifying ss¡¯ over their beers. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re here?¡± Suddenly hearing a voice, they turned their gaze. Soon, both saw a woman with rogue-style ck hair casually waving her hand and pretending to sit in front of them. Although she had a scar near her eye, her refreshing smile and cat-like face left them momentarily dazed. ¡°¡­? Why that reaction?¡± ¡°¡­Could it be¡­ Saul?¡± Soon, they snapped out of their daze and responded to the woman¡¯s words. ¡°Of course it¡¯s me. Who else would it be?¡± Saul countered and joined them at the table naturally. However, both couldn¡¯t take their eyes off Saul¡¯s face. That was because the Saul they knew had the appearance of a ragged thief, not a beautiful woman with a cat-like face. Therefore, ¡°¡­Weren¡¯t you¡­ totally a bandit-looking man?¡± ¡°It was almost like you had been hit by a bomb.¡± Allen and Tuska bluntly evaluated her appearance. ¡°What did you guys say?¡± Quickly changing their tune at Saul¡¯s frowning and serious expression, ¡°No, we meant before, before. It¡¯s true you used to wander around all dirty, right?¡± ¡°We mean, you look pretty now.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Anyway, why did you suddenly get so tidy? You used to not even wash and wander around.¡± ¡°Damn it. Like I said before, it¡¯s not that I didn¡¯t wash, it¡¯s just that there weren¡¯t proper facilities to do so!¡± ¡°The inns have enough facilities for washing, don¡¯t they?¡± ¡°But it¡¯s only cold water. Plus, monster fluids don¡¯t just wash off.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true¡­ Anyway, how did you get so tidy then?¡± At Allen¡¯s question, Saul finally smiled slyly and said, ¡°I went to the hot spring.¡± ¡°¡­Hot spring?¡± ¡°Yes, a hot spring.¡± ¡°What, did you go to a hot spring in another territory?¡± ¡°What other territory? Where around here would you go to another territory? All the nearby territories don¡¯t have hot springs. I went to the one that just opened in Lartania territory.¡± ¡°¡­What? There¡¯s a hot spring opened in Lartania?¡± ¡°What? You didn¡¯t know?¡± At Saul¡¯s question, Allen nodded and then said as if something suddenly urred to him, ¡°Ah, now that I think about it, I did hear rumors about a building being constructed outside the vige, was that the hot spring?¡± ¡°Correct! The hot spring is really nice. The best one I¡¯ve been to was in the Brando territory, part of the Eastern n Alliance, but this one seems hundreds of times better. You should go too.¡± Saul spoke with a smile that suggested just thinking about it made her happy, which made Allen and Tuska look indifferent. ¡°Hmm, I¡¯m not so sure.¡± ¡°Me too.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Why go to something as expensive as a hot spring?¡± ¡°Right, just having the name ¡®hot spring¡¯ means, regardless of the quality, you have to fork out at least 10 Gold Coins to enter.¡± Of course, they knew that hot springs were great. Hot springs in this world are ranked, but entering any of them generally leads to quick healing of wounds, and a few of the best ones even grant special effects to those who bathe in them. However, the reason for their disinterest was that hot springs were considered an expensive cultural content, only enjoyed by the rich or those in high social positions. ¡°Honestly, wouldn¡¯t it be more beneficial to buy 10 Magnifying sses with that money?¡± ¡°I agree with that this time.¡± So Allen and Tuska said that, but then Saul just smiled slyly and said, ¡°One Gold Coin.¡± ¡°? What?¡± ¡°The cost for the hot spring. It¡¯s one Gold Coin.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± ¡°One Gold Coin? Really?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± And so they said. ¡°The hot spring only costs one Gold Coin?¡± ¡°Yes, would I lie? I just went there today.¡± ¡°¡­No, that doesn¡¯t make sense?¡± ¡°That¡¯s why it¡¯s good. I might start bowing in the direction of the Lord every day from today.¡± At Saul¡¯s words, spoken with an air of great happiness, Allen pondered seriously and then said, ¡°No, it¡¯s definitely worth visiting for one Gold Coin, isn¡¯t it?¡± In fact, one Gold Coin is not a small amount. With just three to five Gold Coins, one could livefortably for about a month. However, the fact that entering a hot spring, a luxury typically enjoyed only by the upper ss in this world, costs just one Gold Coin was a surprise and a shock to them. Only then did Allen and Tuska notice that some of the mercenaries in the tavern looked remarkably clean. And then. ¡°¡­Oh, and it seems like a rumor from the Lord, but it seems that entering the hot spring might increase the chances of getting good items from the Magnifying ss?¡± Following Saul¡¯sment, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°We must go.¡± The two mercenaries, obsessed with the magnifying ss, got up without hesitation. About three dayster. ¡°¡­Today alone, the hot spring made 6,800 Gold Coins¡­¡± Kim Hyunwoo smiled broadly upon hearing the report from Elena, who had brought the guard¡¯s report. Initially, no one visited, but as Kim Hyunwoo actively spread the word, the hot spring started making money at an incredible rate each day, making him think. ¡®Indeed, this was the right move.¡¯ In fact, what Kim Hyunwoo did was nothing extraordinary. All he did was drastically reduce the entry fee for the hot spring, which is considered a very expensive cultural activity in this world, and slightly embellish its promotion. ¡®Actually, it wasn¡¯t necessary to lower the hot spring prices this much.¡¯ The reason Kim Hyunwoo lowered the prices of the hot spring to this extent was due to the characteristics of the territory. Currently, most of those engaged in economic activities within Lartania were mercenaries farming the lowest or low-grade Magic Stones. From Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s perspective, targeting the abundant mercenaries in the territory for business was a much better strategy than branding the hot spring as a luxury. And as if to prove Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s decision right, the ie from the hot spring was increasing drastically with each passing day. ¡°I really should thank the heavens.¡± Kim Hyunwoo mumbled with a smile, as if thanking for the sudden fortune that had fallen from the sky. ¡°Ah, My Lord. Are you nning to maintain the hot spring in its current state? I heard from the guard¡¯s report that there¡¯s no space in the hot spring, preventing mercenaries from entering.¡± Following Elena¡¯s words, Kim Hyunwoo said, ¡°First, since we still have leftover materials, we¡¯ll use them to further expand the hot spring. Once we finish the additional expansion, then we¡¯ll start making things to sell at the hot spring.¡± ¡°¡­Items to sell at the hot spring?¡± ¡°Yes, for example¡­ like cool beverages.¡± Kim Hyunwoo smiled as he spoke, envisioning the new business n. While he was deep in thought in the territory, on a hill outside the territory, ¡°Hey, hey! Let go!¡± ¡°The hot spring, it was I who created it¡­! You idiots!¡± ¡°What are you talking about¡­! I was the one who dug the ground up with magic!¡± As Kim Hyunwoo, who genuinely appreciated the creation of the hot spring and even smiled, thought, the three heroes who were trying not to get caught by him were grabbing each other¡¯s hair, each iming credit for the creation of the hot spring. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Went Giral and Loriel, who were supporting those heroes. And then. ¡°Please, stop using my body¡­ My head-!!¡± Adria, watching the absurd fight of the three heroes, was sighing. Chapter 96: Hot Springs (3) Merilda¡¯s fists, when swung with true intent, could potentially st away a small mountain in a single blow. If Rin steps into a real stance, the ground around her wouldpletely shatter due to her strength. If the Crimson Dragon were to properly wield its magic, a red sun would rise in the sky instead of the dark night. However, at this moment. ¡°Let go, you damp dragon head-!¡± ¡°You let go first-!¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you both just let go¡­!!¡± They were engaged in an endlessly unttering fight. Merilda¡¯s hands were grabbing the hair of the Crimson Dragon (Adria) and Rin. Rin was grabbing the hair of the Crimson Dragon and Merilda. And the Crimson Dragon was grabbing the hair of Merilda and Rin. Merilda¡¯s hands, capable of blowing away a mountain with a single swing, were shaking as she grabbed their hair. Rin¡¯s legs, capable of stepping into a real stance, were pressing and pushing against Merilda¡¯s stomach. The mouth of the Crimson Dragon (Adria), which could summon a red sun with its magic, was biting Rin¡¯s right arm. ¡­It was truly an unbing fight. To the extent that Loriel, who usually respected their Master, couldn¡¯t bear to watch and subtly averted her gaze, and Giral sighed deeply and looked away. To the point where Adria¡¯s respect for the dragon somewhat evaporated as she truly grimaced. Of course, those gathered here were well aware of why individuals, who could be likened to great heroes or even considered stronger, were fighting in such a manner. ¡°The Lord of Lartania.¡± Giral, Loriel, and Adria¡¯s gazes shifted towards Kim Hyunwoo, who was visible beyond the Lord¡¯s castle. The Lord was busily discussing something with the hero of his territory. Thinking that their respected Master was behaving like that because of the Lord, Loriel felt an odd urge to sigh and, upon subtly shifting her gaze, locked eyes with Giral. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Although their eye contact was brief, Giral and Loriel nodded to each other as if understanding one another without needing to speak. Feeling a slight uplift in their spirits due to a sense of solidarity amidst the emptiness, they turned their gaze to the Crimson Dragon ¨C no, Adria, who was being grabbed by the hair. Merilda and Rin, likely due to their inherently sturdy physiques, seemed rtively unscathed, whereas Adria appeared to be in a slightly worse state. Indeed, Merilda and Rin¡¯s hands were clutching quite a bit of blond hair. For that reason. ¡°¡­¡­¡± They realized Adria was in a more pitiable situation than themselves and offered her a moment of silence. ¡°Please, Dragon Lord, stop¡­ my hair is really going to get pulled out.¡± Only the intive cries of Adria echoed beyond the hills of Lartania. While the heroes were entangled atop the hills of Lartania, grappling to the right(?) to the hot springs¡¯ creation, in the Norba Kingdom, ¡°Ugh, aaaaah-!¡± A war was unfolding. The first sight was that the massive territory of the Norba Kingdom, which seemed as if it would thrive forever, was now engulfed in mes. Next, monsters roamed the territory, brutally devouring the soldiers who opposed them. In the darkness, the mes of war raged. Monsters devouring soldiers and the troops of Duke Landaron mercilessly ughtering the soldiers of the Norba Kingdom were engulfed in these mes. It was a sight so horrific it could be described as a human hell, with screams and red mes engulfing homes, seemingly decorating the dreadfulndscape with their increasing size. And so, as the red mes thoroughly enveloped everything, inside the Lord¡¯s castle of the Norba Kingdom, ¡°Duke Landaron¡­!¡± the King of the Norba Kingdom, with a face full of fear, was watching Duke Landaron approaching him. ¡°Stop him, stop that man immediately!¡± The King was shouting in fear. However, no matter how much the King shouted, there were no soldiers to follow hismand and stop Duke Landaron. It was then that the King realized there were no soldiers here to stop Duke Landaron. All had been in by the heroes and demons behind him. ¡°Ugh¡­ugh!¡± The moment he realized this, the King tried to step back from Duke Landaron with fear-filled eyes, but he stumbled over a dead soldier¡¯s hand and fell, looking up to see Duke Landaron approaching, his face etched with endless fear and terror. There was no longer any charisma on the King¡¯s face. Likewise, there was no dignity. No courage. No power. No strength. The King before him was just a man trembling in fear, the one Duke Landaron had served as King. ¡°Pl-please, if it¡¯s the kingdom you want, then have it! I, I don¡¯t need it, take it if you want!¡± The man relinquished his crown himself. ¡°Ha.¡± Duke Landaron sneered at the sight. At the same time, the King¡¯s face was filled with even greater fear and a look of utter iprehension. To the King, the situation was absolutely unfathomable. The territory of the Norba Kingdom was vast. Beyond its size, it perfectly fulfilled the role of a grand capital worthy of the Kingdom. The Kingdom boasted tens of thousands of soldiers, and easily more than ten heroes served it. Among them, one was so strong that they were called a Great Hero. Yet, despite this, the Norba Kingdom fell far too easily. It was all over in less than an hour after Duke Landaron officially invaded, with all defenses breached. Therefore, the King bowed his head unconditionally, unable toprehend the situation. He did not want to die. He wanted to live. ¡®First and foremost, I just need to escape from here, there must be a way.¡¯ However. Thud-! ¡°Gack-!¡± Contrary to the King¡¯s hopes, a soldier¡¯s sword had already pierced his neck. With a deep sneer, Duke Landaron said, ¡°Farewell.¡± With those final words to the one who was once king. Swoosh-! The king, who had ruled the Norba Kingdom until now, lost his life right there. Soon after, Duke Landaron took the crown, a symbol of the Norba Kingdom and of kingship, from the headless king and sat on the throne where the beheaded king had been seated just moments before. And then. Grinning- ¡°Nice.¡± Duke Landaron, with a twisted smile, listened to the screams of soldiers and citizens outside the Lord¡¯s castle,ughing heartily. A few days after Kim Hyunwoo gained additional ie from the hot springs. While considering how to make beverages to sell inside during the expansion of the hot springs. ¡°Friend! I¡¯ll invite you to the cksmith Guild!¡± The branch of the cksmith Guild waspleted. Although it was thest among the external buildings to start construction, it was the first to bepleted as a cksmith Guild branch, which Kim Hyunwoo found curious, but he nodded and followed River. Because there wasn¡¯t much to do at the moment. Therefore, Kim Hyunwoo, heading to the cksmith Guild branch with River, ¡°Wow.¡± couldn¡¯t help but be amazed. Because the cksmith Guild branch was built remarkably well, considering the given construction time. ¡°There are no other cksmiths right now; it¡¯s just you and me, so feel free toe in.¡± Kim Hyunwoo, who was observing the exterior of the cksmith Guild branch, nodded at River¡¯s words and then entered the Guild with her. ¡°¡­This is the Guild, right?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°But why is there a forge here?¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s a cksmith Guild! Essentially, a forge is part of the cksmith Guild!¡± Soon, Kim Hyunwoo roamed around the Guild, following River¡¯s introduction, even as he saw a scene reminiscent of a forge upon entering the cksmith Guild. After some time, having introduced the third floor, which would be River¡¯s office space in the future, she said, ¡°Now, since I¡¯ve shown you the office, there¡¯s onest thing to show.¡± ¡°Last thing?¡± ¡°Yes! Actually, the reason I invited you to the Guild today is to show you that. Follow me!¡± With those words, they descended the stairs. ¡°¡­?¡± With a puzzled expression, Kim Hyunwoo followed River and soon arrived in the basement of the cksmith Guild building. ¡°¡­When was this built?¡± Kim Hyunwoo couldn¡¯t help but marvel at the basement, which looked like a massive factory, requiring a considerable descent down the stairs due to its depth. ¡°The construction is solid, so there¡¯s no need to worry about the ground copsing,¡± River replied to his unspoken question, then gestured for Kim Hyunwoo to follow her to one side. ¡°Here it is!¡± Upon seeing the item River introduced, ¡°¡­Huh?¡± he couldn¡¯t help but utter such a sound. And for good reason. ¡°Wait a minute¡­ What is this?¡± ¡°Of course, I made it!¡± What Kim Hyunwoo was looking at¡­ ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡­appeared to be unmistakably a missile, no matter which way one looked at it. Chapter 97: Invasion (1) Kim Hyunwoo stared at the missile in front of him with a nk expression. Obviously, it looked much cruder than any missile he knew, but there was no doubt that it was indeed a missile. ¡°¡­This¡­ is a missile?¡± When Kim Hyunwoo asked with a face full of questions, River, with a very confident expression, replied, ¡°Yes! It¡¯s that thing you talked about. A missile that takes a conical shape, soars into the sky, and explodes precisely where it¡¯s aimed!¡± Kim Hyunwoo thought back to their past conversations as River spoke, clearly delighted by his astonished expression. ¡®I did mention it, though.¡¯ Certainly, Kim Hyunwoo had always shared many stories with River. That was because, from Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s perspective, he had hoped she would improve her cksmithing skills, but River had delved into her talent as an inventor instead of improving her cksmith skills. Thus, whenever Kim Hyunwoo met River, he would often discuss modern-world items, intending to quickly satisfy her curiosity. ¡­Ultimately, Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s detailed exnations of the modern world led River to be even more obsessed with inventing, which, at the time, seemed like the worst oue for him. At least now, seeing the missile in front of him, Kim Hyunwoo thought that maybe telling River about modern technology back then was truly a good decision. ¡°This, does it really work?¡± ¡°Of course it does. The issue is that it only operates.¡± ¡°¡­? What do you mean it only operates?¡± At Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s question, River made a slightly troubled expression and exined, ¡°I mean it literally; I¡¯ve sessfully made the missile based on what you told me ten years ago. Back then, you exined it in such detail as if you wanted me to create it.¡± Kim Hyunwoo nodded, remembering how eagerly he had exined it to River, hoping to foster her growth as a cksmith, even going as far as using Wikipedia to detail each part. ¡°I can say with confidence that I¡¯ve made the missile just as you described, including the guidance system with the help of magic, and even the propulsion mechanism.¡± ¡°¡­So, you¡¯ve essentially made it all?¡± ¡°I thought so too, but the problem is the fuel.¡± ¡°Fuel?¡± ¡°Yes. To be precise, that¡¯s the issue.¡± River made a gesture resembling money with her thumb and forefinger. ¡°Trying it out, it seems absolutely impossible tounch the missile with conventional fuel. Even if it were possible, it would cost a tremendous amount of resources.¡± ¡°¡­So, you mean you can¡¯tunch it because you can¡¯t find the right fuel?¡± ¡°Right. While I can make the warhead by grinding Magic Stones and money, as you mentioned,unching it precisely requires a refined source of energy.¡± ¡°Magic Stones won¡¯t work?¡± ¡°Magic Stones are impossible. They¡¯re too dangerous in many ways. If it were to explode upon activation, it would be just like self-destruction, so I didn¡¯t even consider testing with them.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I called you as soon as the cksmith Guild waspleted. I thought you might have a way to solve this if anyone did.¡± Looking at River, who was gazing at him with sparkling eyes, Kim Hyunwoo hummed thoughtfully. ¡°A way¡­¡± In truth, Kim Hyunwoo didn¡¯t really know what would work as missile propulsion fuel. The only reason Kim Hyunwoo could satisfy River¡¯s inventive desires ten years ago was purely because he could use Wikipedia. However, ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that it would be possible if there was a consistently powerful propulsion system?¡± ¡°Yes, it needs to have a certain level of output, but yes. Although, even considering that we can make it, there¡¯s still the issue with the warhead.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no warhead?¡± ¡°No? We can make the warhead. It¡¯s just that it would cost a tremendous amount of resources. As mentioned, the material is Magic Stones.¡± ¡°Well, then that¡¯s not too much of a problem.¡± Kim Hyunwoo smiled. At least at this moment, Kim Hyunwoo had thought of a way to solve all the issues River mentioned. Therefore, ¡°Listen¡­ How about we try this?¡± ¡°So, there is a way¡­?!¡± ¡°There is, so-¡± Kim Hyunwoo began to tell River something. While Kim Hyunwoo was having this conversation with Reneide River, ¡°That was easy.¡± Duke Landaron, sitting in the Lord¡¯s castle of the Norba Kingdom, gazed at thendscape of the territory beyond the terrace and smiled. Of course, the Norba Kingdom Duke Landaron was looking at was no longer as vibrant and prosperous as before. The territory of the Norba Kingdom he was observing still bore the marks of battle, with destruction everywhere. Even buildings like barracks that housed many soldiers werepletely ruined. From the Lord¡¯s castle, the sight of the territory¡¯s residents was one of universal fear, with screams asionally heard from somewhere. However, the fear of those territory residents was of no significant concern to Duke Landaron. What mattered to him was that he had single-handedly conquered the Norba Kingdom. To Duke Landaron, the territory¡¯s residents were nothing more than tools that would naturally arise over time. ¡°Sigh-¡± So, Duke Landaron, who was smiling, ¡°It¡¯s a sess.¡± Turning around at the sound of Kelva¡¯s voiceing from behind, he spoke, ¡°Yes, it was a sess. There was no reason for failure to begin with, not with my soldiers and the demons¡¯ powersbined.¡± Kelva, looking at Duke Landaron who was wearing a deep smile, subtly averted his gaze. After all, a faint purple magical aura was leaking from the soldiers guarding him. ¡°It seems the prepared items were put to good use.¡± ¡°Everything given must be used.¡± Seeing Duke Landaron sit down with an air of ownership, now fully rxed, Kelva asked, ¡°So, what¡¯s the situation with the other territories?¡± Obviously, consuming the territories of the Norba Kingdom didn¡¯t mean everything was over. In fact, since Duke Landaron had rebelled and taken his ce, he could potentially be branded a public enemy by all territories affiliated with the Norba Kingdom. Yet, even in such a precarious situation, he continued to speak with an air of ease, ¡°I¡¯ve already won over ten lords, including those around here, a long time ago. That¡¯s like having 30% support from all 32 territories.¡± ¡°It seems there are many left, though?¡± ¡°Except for two, the rest are insignificant. They will probablyply quietly.¡± ¡°And if they don¡¯t surrender?¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that be good for you? ¡®Since you need a lot¡¯.¡± At Duke Landaron¡¯s words, Kelva hummed thoughtfully before asking, ¡°Then, where are the remaining two ces?¡± ¡°Tesnoka and Tn. To be precise, it¡¯s only Tn that matters. Thedy of Tesnoka is just a pretty face, that¡¯s all.¡± ¡°And Tn?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a Sword God there.¡± ¡°A Sword God, as in, that Great Hero?¡± ¡°Yes. That might make things a bit troublesome.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Kelva pondered for a moment at that. However, ¡°¡­Let¡¯s handle the Sword God on our side.¡± ¡°The Sword God?¡± A questioning look crossed Duke Landaron¡¯s face momentarily following those words. ¡°Yes, it seems that the sacrifices are already prepared. Instead, you¡¯ll immediately raise soldiers and head to Lartania territory.¡± Duke Landaron ¨C no, now the king, made a strange face at the familiar name mentioned by Kelva without realizing it. ¡°¡­Lartania? Why there all of a sudden?¡± Landaron also had no fondness for Lartania, but he couldn¡¯t understand why they would attack it under the current circumstances, so he asked. ¡°We n to clean up the foreign one before the Legion Commander arrives.¡± ¡°¡­Foreign one?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to know that. You haven¡¯t forgotten our contract, have you?¡± Landaron nodded at the following words. ¡°Let¡¯s do that. Then, we¡¯ll immediately send soldiers to Lartania. The power of two legions should suffice.¡± Kelva spoke as he remembered her, the First Legion Commander, thinking of her with a quizzical nce. ¡°¡­We¡¯ll take care of the Sword God and then head for Lartania.¡± Chapter 98: Invasion (2) The legendary Sword God Arwen. Her strength is already evident from the titles bestowed upon her. The title of ¡®Great Hero¡¯ is a title given only to the truly powerful champions throughout this Continent. The title of ¡®Sword God¡¯ highlights her strength even more than her title of Great Hero. The title of Sword God implies that there is no one in this Continent who wields a sword better than her. Moreover, her journey thus far has already proven her strength numerous times, cing her firmly in the realm of a Great Hero. Therefore, the people of the Tolran could smile without disturbance upon hearing the news of the demons¡¯ appearance and even their advance. For they had Arwen, the Great Hero. And because they had thousands of well-trained soldiers. Thus, no one entertained the thought of defeat by the demons. Not the soldiers, nor Arwen. ¡°Ah¡­¡± That way, they did not think. ¡°Cough-!¡± Arwen spit red blood out and lifted her head with a look of despair. What she saw were the bodies of soldiers, their heads severed and strewn about. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Next to them, a lieutenant who had talked just this morning about eating meat stew with his wifey on the ground, unable to close his eyes, only his head remaining. But that was not all. If one were to broaden their view, they would see that the ce had turned into hell. Humans being hunted by monsters. The tragedy of soldiers, who had embraced the demon race and were emitting a purple aura, casuallyughing while carrying out a massacre, was being etched into Arwen¡¯s vision. And then. ¡°Hu-¡± With blurry eyes, when she followed the direction of theughter, Arwen could see. The demon looking at her with a sinister smile. ¡°Hu-hu-¡± Theughing demon was close to having human form but had a distinctly different appearance from humans. Its skin was as hard as steel, with purple mes burning in its eyes, and dozens of des fluttered on its arms. The cape seemed to have eyes that constantly moved around, observing its surroundings, and the two long horns on its head, with purple magic flowing around them, indicated it was no ordinary demon. And then. ¡°You truly are a Great Hero, you fought well. I acknowledge that.¡± It opened its mouth. With a voice like grating metal, it spoke with a twisted smile on its face ¨C no. ¡°But, after all, you are just a mere creature.¡± Agares, the Third Commander of the demon race, moved towards Arwen, who was kneeling with a look of despair, with a sneeringugh. Even then, as if not giving up, Arwen swung her sword as if she had been waiting for this moment. ng-! ¡°¡­!¡± The sword swung by Arwen was blocked by Agares¡¯ thumb and forefinger. Startled, Arwen tried to withdraw her sword immediately, but- Crack-! ¡°Kuhuk-!¡± In an instant, the punch that extended towards her heart pierced through Arwen¡¯s body. Thud-! Agares shook his hand lightly, tossing the corpse far away. Thus, Arwen, one of the Continent¡¯s greatest heroes, died without a decent fight, her heart burst open. And then. ¡°I thought it would be a bit fun to have created a Great Hero to stop us¡­ but it seems she wasn¡¯t much of a threat after all.¡± Muttering this while looking at Arwen¡¯s body, Agares casually turned to gaze at the devastated territory. Agares, finding amusement in the sight, looked over the territory, now shattered to the level of being uninhabitable, unlike the territories of the Norba Kingdom before. ¡°¡­How pitiful.¡± He turned around to the voice behind him and opened his mouth. ¡°Kelva?¡± ¡°Yes. Was there really a need to trample it into such a state of despair?¡± A sudden question arose from Kelva. ¡°What are you saying? The pleasure of wares from trampling and destroying others¡¯ possessions. Why would I give up that joy, huh?¡± However, Agares responded with a sinister smile of enjoyment. Kelva, watching him silently, soon replied. ¡°It probably doesn¡¯t matter.¡± A brief affirmation. ¡°Right?¡± At that, Agares nodded in satisfaction. ¡°Now, then, let¡¯s take the offerings straight to the capital, and then head straight to the next region, shall we?¡± With that said- ¡°You said Lartania, didn¡¯t you?¡± He smiled wryly and started walking. A few days after Kim Hyunwoo spoke to River about the missile. Territory: Lartania Territory Development Level: 2280 Territory Residents: [Humans: 13,920] ¨COwned Buildings¨C [Castle LV1 >>> Upgrading 99% (Paused)] [Walls LV3] [Residential Area LV4 >>> Upgrading 1%] [Forge LV4 >>> Upgrading 0%] [Barracks LV4] [Tavern LV3¡ü] [Market LV2 >>> Upgrading 0%] [Wood Processing nt LV1 >>> Upgrading 32%] [Restaurant LV3¡ü] [Leather Processing nt LV1 >>> Upgrading 35%] [Stone Processing nt LV1 >>> Upgrading 0%] [Trading Post LV1 >>> Upgrading 0%] [Second Wall LV3] [Inn LV2 >>> Upgrading 0%] [Administrative District LV2 >>> Upgrading 0%] [Paved Roads LV0 (Under Construction 0%)] ¨CExternal Buildings¨C [Mercenary Guild LV0 (Under Construction)] [Mage Tower Branch LV0 (Under Construction)] [cksmith Guild Branch LV1¡ü] ¨COwned Forces¨C -Regr Soldiers: 200 -Trainee Soldiers: 200 Kim Hyunwoo smiled as he looked at his territory, which was steadily growing. The development level of the territory had rapidly increased from the point it surpassed 2000, quickly reaching 2280, and the number of territory residents had also exceeded 10,000, approaching 14,000. Even now, with the estimated number of mercenaries entering the territory nearly every day slowly exceeding 20,000 and heading towards 30,000, the reality was that nearly 40,000 people were engaged in economic activities within Lartania. ¡®Thinking of it as 40,000¡­ That¡¯s about one-eighth of Lartania¡¯s poption at its peak. Though it¡¯s still far from its heyday.¡¯ Yet, considering it¡¯s been just under half a year since he seriously started developing his territory, its growth was tremendous, and the expansion was visible even beyond the terrace. The scenery Kim Hyunwoo saw from the castle was changing significantly with each passing day. ¡®Once the paved roads areid out, at least the inner parts will definitely start to feel like the old Lartania.¡¯ He thought this while looking at the materials being piled up from the end to make brick paved roads. That was the conversation just a moment ago. However. ¡°The demons are targeting and advancing towards our territory?¡± ¡°Yes¡­!¡± Not long after, the story that reached Kim Hyunwoo, something that couldn¡¯t beughed off easily, made him wear a nk expression as he listened to the guard¡¯s report, soon organizing his thoughts with a simrly nk expression. ¡°So, to simplify, the demons allied with Duke Landaron have devoured the territories of Norba Kingdom, and now those demons are heading towards Lartania?¡± ¡°Yes¡­! From the rumors we¡¯ve heard, it seems they will arrive in about three days.¡± Upon hearing the guard¡¯s report, Kim Hyunwoo sighed deeply, lost in thought, and subtly shifted his gaze. Seeing the mercenaries outside the terrace moving about busily, Kim Hyunwoo thought to himself. ¡®Why the demons, of all things?¡¯ The first thing that naturally came to mind was a question. He understood the situation itself. Even when Kim Hyunwoo yed the game, it was hinted that the demons, having allied with Duke Landaron, had overrun the territories of the Norba Kingdom. However, ¡®Why?¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo couldn¡¯t understand why those demons wereing to attack the Lartania territory. If Duke Landaron had revolted and taken over the Kingdom, the very conventional thing to do would be to stabilize the country. Especially in such a medieval era, legitimacy was an important aspect in many ways. But instead of stabilizing the nation, Duke Landaron had sent his forces to attack Lartania directly. It was as if he had no ns for dealing with the aftermath. Kim Hyunwoo, deep in thought, asked, ¡°¡­What¡¯s the number of the enemy forces?¡± ¡°We haven¡¯t been able to properly estimate yet, but it seems to be arge number. Moreover, it appears that there are monsters among them.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Upon hearing the guard¡¯s words, Kim Hyunwoo seemed to ponder for a moment, tilting his head several times in silence before he sighed,pleting his thoughts. He realized that pondering alone would never uncover the reason why the demons wereing here. Thus, Kim Hyunwoo was troubled, not because of the pondering, but because his current task was to fend off the invading demons. ¡®¡­Right now, Lartania doesn¡¯t have enough forces.¡¯ Frankly, Lartania currentlycked the soldiers to repel the demons if they came. The territory of Lartania had not grown properly yet, and it had only just taken its first steps as a Labyrinth City, still far from being a force to reckon with. Therefore, Kim Hyunwoo, who was deep in thought, ¡°Ah.¡± Suddenly let out a low exmation. After all, there was one thing he had forgotten about. Therefore, ¡°River, no ¨C call the Guild Master of the cksmith Guild here.¡± Recalling River¡¯s invention he had seen a while ago, Kim Hyunwoo spoke up. ¡°Are you talking about the missile?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± A whileter, Kim Hyunwoo, who met with River who came to the office, was soon able to talk to her. ¡°Um¡­ to be honest,unching the missile right now¡­ is possible. As my friend said, if we can prepare it, it could definitely serve as the energy for the propulsion.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Kim Hyunwoo responded with a bright expression. However, in contrast, River made a cautious expression before speaking. ¡°But, the missile¡­ you¡¯re nning to shoot it at the demons advancing towards Lartania?¡± ¡°Right. You knew?¡± ¡°Of course, it¡¯s chaotic outside because of that. Once rumors start spreading throughout the territory, it¡¯s hard to control.¡± River said that, then hesitated for a moment as if choosing her words carefully before speaking again. ¡°To be honest, I think it¡¯s impossible to defeat the demons with just one missile, my friend. The firepower of the missile I made is tremendous, but a single shot¡­ can¡¯t defeat an army.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Certainly, River wasn¡¯t wrong. After all, the missile she created could indeed beunched, and with a warhead attached, it could mimic the effects of a real missile, but it was just a single shot. Furthermore, even though the warhead could be made, it was uncertain how powerful it would actually be. But. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Kim Hyunwoo, despite River¡¯s concerned expression, responded with a smile. ¡°¡­Do you have a n?¡± Following River¡¯s question, Kim Hyunwoo smiled slyly before saying, ¡°In the world I lived in, there was a missile that ended a war with a single shot.¡± With those words, he smiled. At that moment, on a hillside close to Lartania, ¡°¡­Invade Lartania?¡± The beastfolk and the half-demon murmured quietly. Chapter 99: Invasion (3) A dayter. ¡°¡­The mercenaries have started to leave.¡± ¡°How many¡­ there¡¯s no need to ask, really.¡± Kim Hyunwoo stopped mid-sentence and subtly turned his gaze beyond the territory. There, numerous mercenaries were leaving the Lartania territory as if they had been waiting to do so. It was as if all the people in the territory were lining up to leave. ¡°¡­After receiving all the benefits they could¡­!¡± Elena, who was looking at the same scene, seemed to feel a sense of betrayal watching the mercenaries leave, but Kim Hyunwoo, on the other hand, spoke with a calm expression. ¡°There¡¯s nothing we can do about it. From the mercenaries¡¯ perspective, while Lartania is a good workce, it¡¯s not worth risking their lives for.¡± ¡°Still¡­!¡± ¡°Of course, I¡¯m not saying I don¡¯t find it regrettable.¡± Kim Hyunwoo responded that way to Elena, who seemed to feel a great sense of injustice. He too felt regret about the mercenaries leaving. In fact, after finishing his conversation with River the day before, he had intended to spend money if necessary to use the mercenaries as temporary forces. Unfortunately, by the time the rumor that the demons who had already conquered the Norba Kingdom wereing spread, the mercenaries were not takingmissions from Lartania. The mercenaries knew. That there was no chance of sessfully defending the current Lartania territory against the demons. ¡°If the Labyrinth City had been more activated and more mercenary groups hade in, the situation might have been different.¡± The reason mercenaries could leave the Labyrinth City was that Lartania was simply a good ce to work. But if Lartania became more than just a good workce, essentially bing a home? Then it would be a different story for the mercenaries. However, that was the ideal scenario Kim Hyunwoo had in mind for when the Labyrinth City had progressed to a certain extent, so now it was irrelevant, and he just watched the mercenaries. ¡°My Lord. Perhaps it¡¯s best to prepare to flee now?¡± Elena, seeing Kim Hyunwoo appear surprisingly calm, expressed her frustration. Of course, she knew Kim Hyunwoo well and had seen many things while being by his side. That¡¯s why she also knew he was more exceptional than other lords. After all, he had single-handedly stopped a Catastrophic Disaster that everyone else thought impossible to avert. But this current issue was of apletely different dimension than the Catastrophic Disaster. Currently, it was the demons targeting Lartania, and slowly spreading news indicated that not one, but two legions were sent to deal with Lartania. In other words, with only about 400 soldiers, Lartania couldn¡¯t possibly withstand a proper siege. But Kim Hyunwoo, who was as well aware of the situation as Elena, said, ¡°No. We will not leave Lartania.¡± He said so. ¡°Then, are you nning to confront those two legions?¡± In response to Elena¡¯s question, filled with frustration, Kim Hyunwoo pondered for a moment before speaking. ¡°To be honest, it¡¯s a bit odd to say we¡¯re going to confront them.¡± ¡°¡­Odd, you say?¡± ¡°Yeah, once the demons arrive, and if things turn out the way I want, their reaction will be one of two possibilities.¡± ¡°What does that mean¡­?¡± ¡°Well, for now, just trust me¡­ Oh, and have you done everything I asked?¡± In response to Elena¡¯s question, Kim Hyunwoo smiled reassuringly and asked. ¡°I¡¯ve done everything so far¡­¡± ¡°Then that¡¯s settled. Now that things havee to this-¡± Following her answer, Kim Hyunwoo smiled and looked towards the resource window floating to one side. Red Stones: 15,770 Blue Stones: 6,023 Gold Coins: 45,422 Magic Stones: 30,231 Heughed, checking the 15,000 Red Stones and the slowly decreasing number of Magic Stones. ¡°Let¡¯s see if the demons can even stop something like Little Boy.¡± For themander of the third legion Agares, most beings in the human world were nothing more than insignificant creatures. If demons were allowed to exist in the middle realm without expending magic, most of them would be nothing more than ythings or livestock for the demons. However, the reason he liked humans was purely because he enjoyed tormenting these insignificant beings. He enjoyed ying with humans ¨C no, with all beings in the middle realm ¨C and liked seeing the emotions they showed. The emotion of an insignificant creature trembling in overwhelming fear. The emptiness felt when, after mustering all their courage, they were decapitated in a single attack. The despair shown when a creature, deluded into thinking itself strong, was dealt with with a single finger. Agares found this immensely enjoyable. Therefore, Agares was thoroughly enjoying the middle realm. He destroyed every vige and territory he saw, ying with and killing each of the creatures there. Even just a while ago, Agares was raiding a vige, ying with and enjoying the creatures there. That was, until two women appeared before him. ¡°You¡¯re nning to go to Lartania?¡± ¡°Do you think we¡¯ll just stand by and let you?¡± The two women who suddenly appeared before Agares openly showed their hostility. ¡°Hmm, you seem fairly strong for creatures, but do you think you can stop me?¡± At first, Agares ignored them. After all, he had easily killed even the greatest heroes prepared by the middle realm, so to him, these beings were merely insignificant creatures. But after just five minutes, ¡°Kahak-!?¡± Agares spat blood, unable to hide his incredulous expression. The two women who appeared to stop him were strong enough to be unparalleled in the middle realm. ¡°What¡­¡± Agares frowned as he looked at the two women facing him. The white-haired beastfolk and the half-demon wielding a sword were disying a powerful force that Agares had never before felt in the middle realm. ¡­A power that simply couldn¡¯t be described as belonging to the creatures of the middle realm. ¡°These bastards¡­¡± Unknowingly, a curse slipped from Agares¡¯ mouth as he coolly assessed the situation and reached a conclusion. ¡®If it were one-on-one, I could win.¡¯ But the problem was- ¡°Kuk!¡± The women clearly had no intention of fighting alone. ¡°¡­!¡± In an instant, the beastfolk, moving faster than Agares¡¯ dynamic vision could follow and practically invisible, lunged forward and swung a punch. And just as Agares managed to block it, the half-demon sliced at his leg in the brief opening. Swoosh! Purple blood spurted out. However, since Agares could easily regenerate any severed part of his body, he quickly healed and swung his des in an attempt to attack. ¡°Tch¡­!¡± Agares¡¯ des did not reach either of them at all. A one-sided, tiresome battle of attrition continued endlessly. 10 minutes. 20 minutes. 30 minutes. As time passed, Merilda and Rin began to umte wounds. However, Agares, who fought against them, reached a point where he could no longer regenerate and heal his from injuries. ¡°These bastards¡­!¡± Shocked at the prospect of being defeated by creatures he had always mocked and despised, Agares started attacking recklessly without concern for his magical energy reserves, yet his attacks never hit them. In that final moment. ¡°Kuk-!¡± Agares realized. That he was about to be defeated. The moment he realized this, overwhelmed by shame and humiliation, he gritted his teeth. Swoosh-! A shield appeared in front of Agares. A shield made out of living people. And, as soon as the shield made of living people appeared, their attacks ceased as if by magic. ¡°I came just in case, but it seems you did show up after all. It would have been a disaster if I had beente.¡± ¡°Kelva!¡± Kelva spoke. Merilda and Rin couldn¡¯t help but frown at Kelva¡¯s sudden appearance. At first nce, he seemed ordinary, but Merilda and Rin, who were already among the strong, recognized his true strength as soon as they saw him properly. That man, there was something about him. Realizing this, they braced themselves for battle. Retreating from this ce was never an option for them in the first ce. The beings before them were the demons marching towards Lartania, and retreating here would put Kim Hyunwoo in danger. Even though they realized that the situation would turn unfavorable if that man got involved, they did not retreat. ¡°Let¡¯s make a deal.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± Merilda asked without realizing it, taken aback by Kelva¡¯s unexpected proposition, and he answered. ¡°I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re stopping us, and I don¡¯t particrly care to know. But I do know what you want.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You want to get rid of your infamy, don¡¯t you?¡± Kelva continued. ¡°I¡¯ll help you remove your infamy. No, not just help; if you let us go peacefully right now, I¡¯ll ensure you can remove more infamy than if you fought us.¡± He offered them a condition that seemed reasonable from the perspective of a demon. ¡°We are heading to the Lartania territory now. We intend to destroy the territory and kill the lord. After aplishing our goal, I¡¯ll hand over all the soldiers who participated in the massacre of Lartania territory to you.¡± ¡°Additionally, I¡¯ll hand over the soldier who beheads the Lord of Lartania. Killing him will likely umte a lot of infamy, so if you handle him, you can significantly reduce your own infamy. If you wish to reduce your infamy further, you could kill him more cruelly.¡± To Kelva, it was a condition that seemed reasonable, at least to him. If this condition were epted, Kelva and Agares could easily finish their task without the hassle of killing demons to erase their infamy. Afterwards, they could eliminate the umted evil deeds by killing the monsters and soldiers, thus reducing their infamy. However, Kelva¡¯s mistake was. Creak-!! ¡°Now-¡± That they mentioned ¡®Lartania¡¯ and arrived here minutester. ¡°-what did you say?¡± Crack-! ¡°Definitely, in this ce-¡± And that the reason they wanted to remove their infamy. ¡°-will kill you!¡± Was because of the Lord of Lartania, of which Kelva had no idea. Chapter 100: Invasion (4) Agares realized the situation was taking a strange turn as he saw the two heroes getting angry, but seriously thought he could lead the battle to victory with Kelva¡¯s arrival. Considering that the immediate situation prevented him from giving his all, it was true that Kelva definitely possessed the power to be of help in this battle. Agares, seeing the two heroes with expressions akin to brutal assassins, naturally began preparing for battle. He deployed magic around him, controlling dozens of des and contracting his body to move in ordance with the imminent battle. At the same time, he prepared a magic barrier. This was an ability only those who had reached the rank of Legion Commander could use, a technique to summon a part of their home realm, the Demon World, which made the demons stronger the moment the barrier was activated. No, to be precise, it allowed them to use their powers in their original form. Even if they were Legion Commanders, the power of the demons who came to the middle realm was reduced to half its usual strength. Thus, although it took some time, Agares judged that if he could deploy the barrier, he could achieve an overwhelming victory over the two heroes, and tried to deploy it while Kelva was buying time. Just a moment ago. Thud! Agares stared ahead with a nk expression for a moment. Kelva, still alive and groaning in pain, was right in front of him. Nothing had happened. Kelva was still in front, and like Agares, he seemed to have realized something had gone wrong and was preparing for battle. Nothing had changed. However, something indeed had changed. It was something like a very slight sense of discord. Surely, reason had not yet caught up, but instinct kept signaling that something had changed at this moment. The next moment. Agares realized that the two women, who had expressions as ferocious as deadly assassins just moments ago, had vanished from before his eyes. He realized they were now behind him. And he saw. Kelva, who had been preparing for battle just a moment ago ¨C his body burst into purple blood in all directions, torn to pieces. Shudder-! Realizing this, Agares immediately abandoned his attempt to cast a barrier and poured all his magic into bodily reinforcement before swiftly turning around. ¡°¡­!¡± Upon turning, he saw a wolf and a half-demon already within striking distance. Seeing the murderous intentced with venom in their expressions, Agares instinctively spat out des. Swoosh-! Instinctively, yet also directing his attack to where the two heroes were inevitably going to dodge, Agares tried to n his next move but couldn¡¯t. ¡°¡­!¡± The wolf and half-demon didn¡¯t dodge the attack, even though it was aimed where Agares surely couldn¡¯t miss. The de pierced through the wolf¡¯s shoulder and the half-demon¡¯s thigh. Blood sttered in all directions from them. However, having allowed the attack, the two heroes who had already closed the distance suddenly reached in front of Agares. ¡°Die-¡± With a chilling murmur of cold intent, they extended their swords and ws. In just a few short seconds. Swoosh-! Agares, the Third Legion Commander who had, in a mere few days since his arrival in the middle realm, obliterated three territories and five viges from history, was shattered into pieces. Thud! Thus, dismembered, all that remained was his head. Filled with boundless malice and murderous intent, Agares felt a moment of doubt and fear as he looked up at the two heroes gazing down at him. Crunch-! He soon felt shame and an unbearable rage at himself for feeling fear. Therefore, Agares desperately thought about how he could distort the expressions of those looking down at him. [Hmm.] Soon, he found a way. More precisely, he deduced a fact bybining the fragments of information Kelva hadn¡¯t heard with their reactions. Thus. [Do you think Lartania will be safe just because you¡¯ve stopped me?] With his body slowly vanishing, Agares threw out that taunt. ¡°What?¡± Seeing their expressions harden at his words, he smirked maliciously. [Hmm, I see you didn¡¯t hear about the advance partying with me. They¡¯ve probably already arrived at Lartania, meaning you all are-] Crunch-! As he opened his mouth, Merilda stepped on it, instantly crushing his head and killing him. And then. The two heroes, having wiped the fierce, murderous expressions from their faces, disappeared with looks of urgency and desperation. Around the time Rin and Merilda were rushing back to Lartania in desperation. Kairon, a well-known hero known as ¡®The Infector¡¯ and a close aide to Duke Landaron, leading two legions towards Lartania, muttered as he saw the walls of Lartania ahead of him. ¡°We¡¯ve finally arrived.¡± A rxed smile appeared on Kairon¡¯s face, who was soon to wage war against the Lartania territory. It was not the most appropriate expression for amander about to go to war. However, not only Kairon, but also including his adjutant and the soldiers nearby, none wore a grim expression. The soldiers were disciplined, yet their faces showed aggression and confidence. This meant that none of the soldiers facing Lartania felt any tension at this state, and as Kairon got closer, his smile turned into a smirk as he got a clearer view of Lartania. ¡°Even the walls haven¡¯t been properly constructed.¡± Having fought numerous territorial battles under Duke Landaron, he was a hero who could easily assess Lartania¡¯s strength. Lartania¡¯s walls appeared to merely serve as walls without any additional capabilities. There seemed to be no magical barriers, just ordinary walls. Furthermore, the number of soldiers on the walls was only in the hundreds, and the poorly constructed wooden gate seemed weak enough to be destroyed instantly by a singlerge-scale spell from a mage. In effect, even if Kairon did not demonstrate any strategicmand and simply gave an order to charge, Lartania would fall instantly. The soldiers Kairon brought to demolish Lartania were all several times more efficient than regr soldiers, having been nourished by demonic blood. Indeed, Lartania seemed so weak that it would surely fall just by releasing the demon legion behind them. Thus, after much contemtion, Kairon smiled and gently stroked the hilt of his sword. Had it been a regr war, he, as amander, would not have needed to step in, but upon assessing Lartania¡¯s power, this war had essentially be a game to Kairon. A game of ughtering fleeing soldiers and civilians. Naturally, such acts would have been unthinkable in normal times. Even if this was war, it was forbidden to ughter the civilians of the opposing territory, even if the soldiers were fair game. Of course, this was not necessarily due to Kairon¡¯s moral stance but rather due to concerns about reputation. Even though he might not have noticed it himself, there were undoubtedly spies from other territories present, and such unteral ughter bing known would not bode well in various ways. However, Kairon had been ordered by Duke Landaron to annihte the Lartania territory regardless of the reputation consequences. ¡°It would be fun.¡± He smiled at the thought of enjoying this as a game, regardless of those watching. As he gradually approached Lartania. ¡°¡­?¡± Kairon saw. A man at the end of Lartania¡¯s walls, smiling at him. No. ¡°¡­The lord?¡± The Lord of Lartania. Kairon¡¯s basis for identifying him as the Lord of Lartania was not special. It was because, at a nce, those standing beside him looked like heroes. Kairon, who had expected the lord to be trembling inside his castle due to the spread rumors, felt puzzled seeing him on the walls. ¡°¡­??¡± Soon, he could see the Lord of Lartania opening his mouth. More precisely, after hearing the words of a hero next to him, the lord looked straight at Kairon¡¯s location as if asking for his position. Feeling puzzled, Kairon soon realized through his own unique trait and the hero-specific vision that Kim Hyunwoo was saying something to him. After staring intently at the Lord of Lartania shouting something for a while, Kairon was soon able to read his lips. ¡°You, guys¡­ are f*cked¡­?¡± Seeing his lip movements, Kairon cocked his head in confusion. Soon, as if confirming his reaction, the red-haired hero beside him began to speak to the lord. A momentter. sh! ¡°¡­?¡± Continuing towards Lartania, Kairon saw Kim Hyunwoo raising his hand, pointing towards the sky. And naturally, Kairon, looking up, saw a massive iron mass flying towards him, and with a puzzled expression, before he could even figure out what it was, it crashed down with a tremendous noise. Whoosh-! Light appeared in the world. And after that- Beeeep! Tinnitus overwhelmed him. Chapter 101: Invasion (5) Merilda and Rin shot towards Lartania with all their might. The reason was due to the story about another demon legion that Agares had mentioned. Upon hearing that, they didn¡¯t even tend to their wounds before darting towards the Lartania territory. Using magic powers they normally wouldn¡¯t, they moved at high speed, covering a distance that would usually take a day in about five hours. Pant, pant. The sweat all over her body and Merilda panting as if she would copse at any moment showed how urgently she had run. Rin, arriving shortly after, was in a simr state as Merilda, drenched in sweat and breathing heavily. Having run to the vicinity of Lartania without properly managing their condition, both looked too worn out to continue fighting immediately. They were visibly exhausted from sprinting to Lartania, and the wounds from the battle with Agares were worsening due tock of proper treatment. Despite their condition, upon arrival, they immediately prepared for battle upon seeing soldiers advancing towards Lartania. Loriel and Ryu, who were checking on Lartania¡¯s status, tried to stop Rin and Merilda, but they ignored their warnings and prepared to dive into battle immediately. If it weren¡¯t for that massive something flying from the Lartania territory. And then. ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ Beep! Until they saw the aftermath of that massive thing dropping amidst the demons, creating a vast light. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Merilda and Rin unknowingly had a dazed expression on their faces. Simrly, Loriel and Ryu, who were trying to stop them, also had dazed expressions just like them. The enormous army of demons and humans they had been observing until just moments ago had more than halved because of that something that flew from Lartania. And then. ¡°This is unbelievable¡­¡± Ending with Loriel¡¯s murmur, who had a stunned expression. ¡°Ugh, aaaaah-!!¡± ¡°Run, run away!¡± ¡°Retreat, retreat! Everyone retreat!!¡± The demon legion started to retreat. Fundamentally, living beings possess a strong wariness towards the unknown. Adding to this, the moment they truly realize that the unknown can directly cause harm, their inherent caution turns into extreme fear. This fear stems from loss. The thousands of actual damages caused by the unknown. The anxiousness from not knowing anything about the unknown directly trantes into fear. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Kairon looked behind him. Behind him, he saw the corpses of soldiers. Some were missing half their bodies, some only had hands remaining, and others were charred, still burning. ¡°©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤!!¡± ¡°©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤!!!¡± ¡°©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤ damn it!!!¡± Next, he saw the faces of soldiers screaming in agony, their cries barely audible as if his eardrums had burst. Contrary to the earlier expressions of ease and mockery, their faces were now aplex mix of anxiousness, restlessness, and terror as they fled. Seeing this, Kairon felt puzzled. ¡®How did ite to this?¡¯ He recalled the events just moments ago. A massive iron mass flew in and hit directly, and the legion disappeared just like that. That was the end. ¡®¡­Was it somerge-scale magic?¡¯ Before he could finish his thought, Kairon, still dazed, turned to look at a mage in front of him who was panicking and shouting. They had been using a Dispel field from the entrance of Lartania to minimize damage fromrge-scale magic spells of 6th circle or higher, clearly surviving the approach. Additionally, seeing the staff shining indicated that the Dispel field was still in operation. This meant that what hade flying from Lartania was not arge-scale magic spell. After all, arge-scale magic spell could have been sufficiently blocked by a mage¡¯s Dispel. Reaching that conclusion, Kairon became aware of the reality and fear started to spread across his face. ¡°Ru, run! Run!!¡± ¡°All the monsters are dead!¡± ¡°Now, we need to retreat now!!¡± The sight of soldiers turning to flee without even amand from their leader was disgracefully simr to that of defeated stragglers. However, Kairon said nothing to the soldiers showing such demeanor. Instead, he turned the reins of his horse. ¡­He too, became a straggler. Watching the demon legion turn and flee in an instant from afar, Kim Hyunwoo thought, ¡®It¡¯s as I expected, it¡¯s tough to kill them all with just this.¡¯ Of course, the missile Kim Hyunwoo fired this time was obviously not something like a nuclear bomb. Initially, if he had been a scientist, maybe, but unfortunately, Kim Hyunwoo was just an ordinary person in his previous world and didn¡¯t even know how radioactivity was produced. However, the reason Kim Hyunwoo could inflict damage on thousands with just a single missile was entirely due to the immense power of the Red Stone. ¡®My initial estimate was around a few hundred people, after all.¡¯ When Kim Hyunwoo first created the missile with River, the firepower they could muster by forcefully embedding Magic Stones was, at best, enough for a few hundred people. But the reason he could increase the damage to thousands was precisely because of the item he purchased using the Red Stone. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect the Red Catalyst Stone to be of help.¡± What Kim Hyunwoo bought with the Red Stone was the Red Catalyst Stone sold by the Blue Merchant, who deals in gacha or materials. This Red Catalyst Stone, sold by the Blue Merchant, can be simply exined as essentially a reinforcement stone. Not the kind that enhances weapons, but one that probabilistically increases the level of a building by one. So, the item Kim Hyunwoo bought was essentially a cash-grab item created by Arteil¡¯s BM team in a desperate attempt to extract revenue from a failing Arteil, but most users did not use this cash item. In fact, they despised it. This Red Catalyst Stone from Arteil¡¯s BM team was not called a Red Catalyst Stone by users, but ¡®Dynamite¡¯. It was okay if the enhancement seeded, but if it failed, the building would explode. Not just arge explosion, but the building being enhanced would bepletely incinerated, causing damage to adjacent buildings as well. Moreover, since the enhancement probability was only around 20%, users never dared to enhance buildings using the Red Catalyst Stone. Since massive resources begin to pour into every building from Level 5, using the Enhancement Stone and blowing up a building at that point would result in huge expenses. This led to a debate among Arteil users at one time. They debated on why Arteil¡¯s BM team, always keen on breaking the users¡¯ heads, would create such a trash cash item with no positive reception whatsoever. After days of debate between newbies and oldbies, the prevailing conclusion was that the BM came out that way due to friction with the ¡®territory team¡¯. One of the development departments of Arteil, the Character Development Team, was producing thousands, even tens of thousands of heroes without duplication, as if using a copier, while the Territory Team was truly dedicated to the game. The prevailing opinion was that they shed with the BM Team, and an item that should have been game-breakingly powerful for territory growth was nerfed in such an absurd manner before its release. Indeed, as if confirming the users¡¯ spection, from that point on, the BM Team did not release a single cash item rted to territory, excluding those rted to Labyrinths and other dimensions. Anyway, ording to the game settings, they were able to create such explosive power by wrapping up a Red Catalyst Stone, which explodes upon receiving a certain level of strong impact. However, despite firing a missile of that magnitude, the number of demon troops was still quite significant. About half remained, or maybe a bit more. This means that in the current state, they could attack the Lartania territory if they so decided. However, despite realizing this, Kim Hyunwoo maintained a calm expression. Because the demon troops he saw had already lost their will to fight. Morale, that is, the will to fight, yed an extremely important role in war. The higher the morale, the more efficiently the soldiers could fight, even in unfavorable conditions. Conversely, the lower the morale, the higher the likelihood of mass panic. In that sense, the demon troops had already lost their morale with just one missile. For Kim Hyunwoo, the missile was a one-time, all-in measure, but for the demon troops, it must have been perceived as an unknown threat capable of taking thousands of lives with a single strike. Their minds were likely already filled with thoughts of avoiding another missileing from Lartania. Thus, as Kim Hyunwoo let out a light sigh, he suddenly saw the terrible corpses near the missile. Their grotesque appearance was something that he, as a modern person, could not bear. Furthermore, he was about to start contemting the thought that he had killed those people by choice, but¡­ ¡°¡­Ah.¡± Just as he was about to fall into contemtion, Kim Hyunwoo realized that his skill, Indomitable Heart, was activated, bringing him a sudden sense offort. Feeling his emotions return to normal as if nothing had happened, Kim Hyunwoo wore a peculiar expression. ¡°Sigh.¡± Of course, Kim Hyunwoo didn¡¯t think he was a fool for not believing this situation was wrong. If he hadn¡¯t attacked, he would have been the one to suffer; Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s choice was utterly rational. If such a situation were to arise again, Kim Hyunwoo would make the same choice over and over, striving to annihte the enemies as much as possible. Victory in war would ultimately benefit the Lartania territory, and the achievements umted through victory would protect Lartania in unseen ways. However, even remembering all that, still, his heart was not at ease. A few dayster. In the underground of Duke Landaron¡¯s castle, where the pulsating heart was located, Kelva¡¯s body was reconstituted and awakened. ¡°Kr¡­¡± Kelva grimaced in endless pain. With his special ability to resurrect a few times even without his main body present, he touched his neck, sighed deeply, and clenched his teeth. In the blink of an eye, Kelva had been killed by those two heroes. ¡°Ha¡­¡± Kelva sighed as if annoyed, but soon rxed his irritated expression and let out a small sigh. Ultimately, he had died due to an unforeseen ident, but it was clear that his goal had been achieved. ¡®Those two must have been rted to Lartania.¡¯ Through a brief reassessment at the time, Kelva concluded that it was the right choice for him and Agares to have encountered them at that moment. If they hadn¡¯t encountered those two heroes, they wouldn¡¯t have been able to kill the outsider. ¡®Fortunately, the purpose was achieved.¡¯ Therefore, Kelva, who had taken some rest and went up to the Lord¡¯s castle to hear the report, said, ¡°¡­What?¡± ¡°¡­We failed to destroy the Lartania territory. Moreover, all the soldiers were killed.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± From Duke Landaron, he heard a report so aggravating that it stirred up murderous intent. Chapter 102: Blue Matador (1) ¡°¡­What on earth are you talking about?¡± Kelva, who had never shown anger in front of Landaron before, openly expressed his anger, causing Duke Landaron, who had been looking ufortable, to be surprised and exin what had happened so far. After quietly listening to the story, Kelva frowned openly and said, ¡°Half of the demons were wiped out by a strange weapon made in the Lartania territory, is that what you¡¯re saying?¡± ¡°Yes. And when we tried to regroup andunch our attack afterward-¡± ¡°-Arge-scale magic spell killed all the soldiers?¡± ¡°¡­Only one hero survived and returned to the territory.¡± Seeing Landaron speaking cautiously under Kelva¡¯s ring anger, malicious magic power began to leak from his body as he clenched his teeth unknowingly. ¡°¡­Hmph.¡± He desperately calmed his anger. After all, raising his anger in this state wouldn¡¯t aplish anything. Instead, Kelva tried to maintain his rationality as coldly as possible- Boom! -But he momentarily failed, destroying the floor of the Lord¡¯s castle. However, he soon took a deep breath and calmly assessed the situation. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The more he thought about the messed-up situation, the more Kelva sighed. ¡®The n has gone awry. To proceed correctly, I must eliminate the outsider and Lartania and then summon her¡­ I can¡¯t summon her without eliminating the outsider. If she finds out the outsider exists-¡¯ ¡°Tch.¡± Kelva clicked his tongue, ming himself, but- ¡®It was my misjudgment from the start. I didn¡¯t gather enough information. When I heard about it in the demon world, I should have gathered information, but I was toocent.¡¯ He soon collected his thoughts calmly again and continued his contemtion. ¡®¡­This way, they will definitely get ahead of us. To minimize this, we must kill the outsider by any means necessary. But at this point, the outsider is¡­¡¯ After a long time of contemtion in front of Landaron, Kelva eventually opened his eyes as if he had made a decision. ¡°¡­Landaron.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Listen carefully to what I am about to say. We will start collecting sacrifices now.¡± ¡°¡­Sacrifices? You mean we need more humans?¡± ¡°Not just humans. All negative elements, including emotions stemming from war, are needed.¡± Upon hearing Kelva¡¯s words, Landaron responded, ¡°¡­We are already in a war and will likely have to fight a few more, but isn¡¯t it premature right now?¡± ¡°¡­Are you saying you want to break our contract?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not about breaking the contract. We simply have no forces left.¡± Landaron¡¯s words were true. Landaron had already sent two legions to Lartania, but besides that, most of the soldiers, excluding those needed to protect the Kingdom elsewhere, had been dispatched. He was well aware that it was crucial to quickly quell this rebellion to maintain the position he gained through a coup. ¡°Considering the Holy Kingdom is also making moves, whatever it is, it¡¯s going to be a headache,¡± Landaron continued. However, Kelva said, ¡°We will provide the forces from our end. So, you go ahead and subjugate the territories as youe across them and make the sacrifices.¡± After saying that, he turned and left the room. ¡®We must act before they all get ahead.¡¯ With that thought, he started walking down to the basement again. It had been five days since the demon troops were repelled by the missile made by River andbined with Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s Red Stones. There had been many changes in Lartania. No, it would be more urate to say that things had returned to their original state. Mercenaries who had left at the news of the demons¡¯ arrival returned upon hearing that Lartania had repelled the demons with a weapon they had never seen before, bringing vitality back to the Labyrinth City. The trust in Kim Hyunwoo among the territory¡¯s residents significantly increased, as he had swept away the demon troops, which seemed impossible after the disaster. Furthermore, the news that the Lord had wiped out the demons without even using any soldiers spread among the mercenaries, which increased the security level of Lartania. As the rumor continued to circte among the mercenaries, Kim Hyunwoo acquired the peculiar nickname of ¡®The Destroyer¡¯. And so, Kim Hyunwoo, who oddly came to mind with the quote by some great person, ¡°I am the harbinger of Death, the Destroyer of worlds¡±, earned this nickname. Red Stones: 30 Blue Stones: 232 Gold Coins: 195,422 Magic Stones: 31 ¡®¡­That was a close call.¡¯ In his office, he sighed in relief while looking at the extended Labyrinth City Package. ¡®That really was close.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo thought to himself, looking at the remaining 30 Red Stones and Magic Stones. ¡®Missiles really do consume a lot of resources.¡¯ The reason he sighed in relief after extending the Labyrinth City Package just before it expired was because making the missile had left him with only about 6,000 Red Stones. Of course, Kim Hyunwoo did not regret investing nearly 10,000 Red Stones into the missile. Had he not invested in the missile, the likelihood of Lartania disappearing into the annals of history would have been too high. However, apart from not regretting his decision, Kim Hyunwoo also realized that making missiles was currently very difficult. ¡®The cost of using it once is about 10,000 Red Stones and thousands of Gold Coins¡­ Plus, it consumes nearly 5,000 Magic Stones.¡¯ The missile was literally a money-eating hippo. No, it was beyond being just a money-eating hippo. Kim Hyunwoo had bent his back so much just filling the materials for the already-made missile that he couldn¡¯t operate the Labyrinth City anymore, effectively blowing all the profits he had umted until then. However, Kim Hyunwoo had no intention of giving up on the missile. At this point, the missile had be quite an important item for Kim Hyunwoo. The reason was not only because of the missile¡¯s power but also because of the unknown fear it held within Arteil. In other words, the missile was currently protecting Lartania from threats merely by its existence. ¡®Well, in truth, a well-grown 5-star hero might be better than a missile.¡¯ Given this is a world within a game, a well-grown 5-star hero is stronger and more useful in many ways than a missile, but Kim Hyunwoo soon shook his head. He realized he hadn¡¯t considered the gifts needed to maintain the favorability of those 5-star heroes. ¡®Considering that¡­ missiles might actually be better.¡¯ With a bitter smile, Kim Hyunwoo quickly left the Lord¡¯s castle and headed towards the cksmith Guild. The reason was to hear a report from River, who had excitedly decided to upgrade the missile right after it had spectacrly repelled the demon forces a few days ago. ¡°Ah, my friend! Wee! I was just about to go look for you!¡± And so, Kim Hyunwoo who went to the cksmith Guild, was able to meet River, and soon heard her report. ¡°So¡­ you¡¯re saying that, in essence, the cost of making a missile could be reduced to about 3,000 Gold Coins at a minimum?¡± ¡°Yes, because the missile you made previously included various magic scrolls and enchantments, which increased the price. If we use it just like we didst time, around 3,000 Gold Coins should be enough, as long as we have the coordinate-fixing scroll.¡± ¡°Last time, when we used it¡­¡± Kim Hyunwoo recalled the missile used to deal with the demon troops. In reality, the missile Kim Hyunwoo hadunched at the demon legions was more simr to a cannon than a missile. The method ofunching the missile itself involved attaching Preservation scrolls, which prevent potions or fragile items from breaking, all over the front part of the missile where the Red Stones were stored, andunching it like a cannon using the Red Catalyst Stone. Thanks to the Preservation scrolls, the Red Stones, unaffected by the impact, exploded along with the timed Magic Stones that exploded regardless of the impact. In other words, the missile made this time had several ws to be considered a modern missile. Hearing what River had said, Kim Hyunwoo, who was contemting, asked, ¡°So, what about the upgraded missile?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ that¡¯s going to cost quite a bit more. The estimated amount is¡­ about 20,000 Gold Coins?¡± ¡°¡­20,000 Gold Coins?¡± ¡°Yes, first of all, it¡¯srger. It will require more Magic Stones, and probably more Red Stones as well.¡± ¡°¡­Did you just increase its size?¡± ¡°No? It¡¯s partly true, but strictly speaking, it¡¯s incorrect.¡± ¡°¡­In what way?¡± ¡°Last time, the Red Stones were attached to the front of the missile, but this time, they will be attached alongside the trajectory like this-¡± River quickly introduced the principle to Kim Hyunwoo and continued, ¡°If we attach it this way, it will likely produce greater firepower thanst time.¡± ¡°¡­How much greater?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Assuming it hits properly, it could blow away all but one-third of the demon legions that camest time? Of course, it would require significantly more Red Stones.¡± ¡°How many times more?¡± ¡°Simply put, about three times more.¡± ¡®Three times more means we¡¯d need 30,000 Red Stones.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo thought that might not be cost-effective, and River said, ¡°Additionally, the Red Stones required forunching the missile would also be three times more¡­ Of course, if we can find another fuel that can sustain the output consistently, those Red Stones wouldn¡¯t be necessary.¡± ¡°¡­Hmm. A fuel that can consistently maintain output.¡± In fact, Kim Hyunwoo wanted to find this even more. After all, the method he had thought of didn¡¯t ultimately solve the problem. But if this problem could be solved, it would be possible tounch missiles not just in front of the territory but from one territory to another. In other words, it could beunched like a real missile. Launching missiles from one territory to another felt incredibly appealing to Kim Hyunwoo. Of course, there would undoubtedly be points that require improvement, but the ability tounch missiles from one territory to another was highly attractive to him. Having such a missile meant that he could deal with enemies even before they arrived. While Kim Hyunwoo was discussing and pondering over the missile with River, at the Mage Tower, ¡°The branch will soon bepleted.¡± ¡°Really? Then-¡± the Master of the Blue Tower, who was listening to Onel, ¡°-might soon go to meet Daddy ?.¡± murmured with a smile. Chapter 103: Blue Matador (2) ¡°Really, are you considering moving to Lartania?¡± Light Researcher Onel knew to some extent that the Master of the Blue Tower was unique. Since all magicians are inevitably those who explore the truth and prate the principle, trying to somehow unravel what¡¯s inside, those who have reached the pinnacle as magicians are somewhat entric. However, among them, the Master of the Blue Tower, in Onel¡¯s view, was slightly peculiar more as a ¡®human¡¯ than as a ¡®magician¡¯. ¡°Well, that¡¯s right?¡± Onel continued the conversation, looking at the Master of the Blue Tower, who was tidying up the office with an ted expression, shortly referred to as the Blue Tower Master. ¡°¡­Surely, it would be more inconvenient than the Tower, wouldn¡¯t it?¡± Onel¡¯s words were a truism. Even if she was moving to a Tower branch, there were many shoringspared to the tower itself. Thinking about it, research facilities, materials, supply of materials, and recruitment of magicians to assist in research, even though the research facilities do exist at the branch, their size is significantly smallerpared to the tower. ¡°Moreover, it would be difficult to participate in regr meetings.¡± The Master of the Blue Tower was a key figure who must attend the monthly meetings of the Tower Masters. She was not amon magician found everywhere but the Master of the Blue Tower. That made it even more iprehensible. Certainly peculiar, but the fact that she, sincerely devoted to magic and exploration to the extent of ascending to the position of Tower Master, is leaving for Lartania territory. ¡°Whatever the inconvenience, it¡¯ll work out. I n to return and participate in the regr tower meetings about once a month.¡± With a smile bright enough to illuminate the office, the Master of the Blue Tower swiftly tidied up, and Onel could easily guess why she wanted to go to Lartania. No, he had already guessed. It was already known that she had a somewhat strange and twisted attachment to the Lord of Lartania; what he had overlooked was that her twisted attachment was strong enough to make her give up the Tower. ¡°¡­Then, have a good trip.¡± Therefore, Onel judged that it was pointless to persuade her further and slightly bowed his head to the Master of the Blue Tower, who had effectively tidied up the office. However. ¡°Yes?¡± Onel responded in confusion to the Master of the Blue Tower¡¯s iprehensible follow-up. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°No, I just said to have a good trip.¡± ¡°Yes, well¡­You¡¯ll return from the branch someday, won¡¯t you?¡± When Onel asked with a puzzled look, the Master of the Blue Tower shook her head slightly and then smiled brightly with a mischievous look on her face flushed with rosiness. ¡°Ah- Why would I when Dad is there? There¡¯s so much to do there ?.¡± She showed a bright smile, revealing her characteristic sharp fangs. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ll be going now. See you next time.¡± She bade a light farewell to Onel and left the Master of the Blue Tower¡¯s office. In his opinion, it was the most splendid. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± After seeing the beautiful woman¡¯s smile, Onel felt his heart flutter unnecessarily and cleared his throat without reason. The Eastern n Alliance is literally a huge n formed by a total of 62 territories gathered in the Eastern region. This giant n does not have a king like kingdoms or empires, instead, it operates a system where the leader is determined by voting every approximately five years, which on the surface seemed to be a much more egalitarian system than other kingdoms or empires. The n system they operate was created to elect a leader who could slightly better lead the n, as it was truly a system of meritocracy. And currently, the leader of the Eastern n Alliance, who actually holds thergest share of power among the various factions within the alliance, is Durandor, the Lord of Callogram territory and the leader of the Eastern n Alliance. ¡°¡­You¡¯re saying they shot something incredible and wiped out a demon army of thousands?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°With just one shot?¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡± He was currently listening to the report. The content of the report was about the battle that urred in Lartania territory a few days ago. ¡°Did you find out what it was?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I stayed for about a day trying to find out, but I couldn¡¯t find any information.¡± After hearing the informant speak with a slightly bowed head, he thought for a moment before speaking. ¡°Did you find any additional instances of that thing that wiped out the entire demon army in Lartania?¡± ¡°No, we didn¡¯t find any more. However-¡± ¡°However?¡± ¡°¡­After gathering information within the territory for a day, it seems that the Lord of Lartania and the Guild Master of the cksmith Guild were involved in preparing that item.¡± ¡°¡­Shouldn¡¯t the Guild Master of the cksmith Guild be in the Norba Kingdom?¡± ¡°ording to the information, the Guild Master had been in Lartania territory even before the cksmith Guild was established. And although it¡¯s not certain, there¡¯s additional rumor that the cksmith Guild¡¯s Guild Master was the former cksmith of Lartania territory.¡± The informant continued. Durandor was silent for a while, then, ¡°Tsk.¡± He clicked his tongue lightly. That was understandable because, although the informant brought a lot of information, there were only a few pieces of certain information. Therefore, after sending the informant away with a light gesture, he lightlyid out the information gathered so far. As a result of ongoing observation, it was clear that the Lord of Lartania, who had not made military advancements, had wiped out thousands of the demon army in one fell swoop with a strange item. The Guild Master of the cksmith Guild was a cksmith belonging to Lartania territory ten years ago. These two pieces of information led Durandor to two more inferences. The Lord of Lartania noticed the approaching demon army and asked the Guild Master to create that strange thing. The cksmith used a secret weapon he had already created to defeat the demon army. Between these two inferences, he soon realized that pondering over this was meaningless. Indeed, it was problematic whether the Lord of Lartania had noticed the demon armying and had the cksmith create that item for use. It was also an issue if the cksmith had used an already created secret weapon to defeat the demon army. Whether the former or thetter, having confirmed that a weapon capable of killing thousands could be made in Lartania, and given the likelihood of its additional presence in the Lartania territory, he could not recklessly attack the Lartania territory. ¡®More precisely, it¡¯s difficult to act recklessly. This side is not yet ready to lose troops, and if the foreign force remains intact, it¡¯s still a bit early.¡¯ ¡°This is really troublesome¡­ I had hoped to turn them into demons as much as possible, but it¡¯s utterly useless.¡± Durandor muttered under his breath and then slyly shifted his gaze to the blue sphere ced on the desk. Looking at that sphere, from which blue light seemed to flow at a nce, as if it should never exist in this world, ¡®¡­Well, shall we investigate this first?¡¯ He thought, with a smile. ¡°¡­Everything is for The Great One.¡± Muttering, a blue gleam shed in his eyes for a moment. Then it disappeared. After much deliberation, Kim Hyunwoo ultimately decided to make two small missiles and onerge missile. The difference was that they were made without embedding Red Stones. Of course, making missiles this way greatly reduces their power. In fact, it¡¯s not just a sharp decrease; the power essentially drops to one-tenth. Moreover, at this point, without Red Stones, the missiles couldn¡¯t even beunched, so it was more urate to consider them as purely for show. But it didn¡¯t matter. What Kim Hyunwoo intended to do was to make missiles for show. ¡®Showing off is necessary, after all.¡¯ While showing off may seem meaningless in some respects, in the current state of Lartania, it was more important than any situation. Currently, Lartania had effectively told the surrounding territories, ¡®If you mess with me, you¡¯re screwed¡¯, byunching missiles at the demon army. At such a time, showing off the missiles was effectively a way to wisely avoid battle while also gaining the trust of the territory¡¯s residents. ¡®Furthermore, if other foes happen to invade, we can simply load up the Red Stones andunch them.¡¯ ¡­Given the current impoverished state of the territory, making it questionable whetherunching missiles is even feasible, he hoped that such situations wouldn¡¯t ur as much as possible. ¡®¡­So, upon further thought, why did the demon army attack me¡­?¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo was newly immersed in this question. Even now, there was almost no change in the information he had, so he couldn¡¯te to a conclusion, but no matter how he thought about it, it was strange that the demon army led by Landaron came to attack him. However, Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s worries didn¡¯tst long due to theck of information. Just as the finances of the Lartania territory began to stabilize in practice. A ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î hero 'Master of the Blue Tower' has entered the territory. Not long after hearing that the Mage Tower branch waspleted, Kim Hyunwoo was able to meet the Master of the Blue Tower through the notification that appeared before him. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, hasn¡¯t it? Dad ?.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± Kim Hyunwoo responded, dumbfounded. And then. ¡°Eh? Eh? Eh? Eh?¡± River, who hade in smiling broadly to report on missile improvements, started repeating the same sound like a broken toy. ¡°¡­Dad? Wait¡­ The term ¡®Dad¡¯ is already being used for the Lord-¡± Elena, equally panicked, began to mutter with trembling eyes. Chapter 104: Blue Matador (3) About a month had passed since Landaron usurped the throne and sat upon it. A month is not a short time. However, from Landaron¡¯s perspective, this month felt especially short. Considering the current situational characteristics of Landaron, that was inevitable. He staged a coup and usurped the throne, which was illegitimate. Being illegitimate meant that there were several territories that did not recognize him, and from Landaron¡¯s position, he had to quickly subjugate them. By any means necessary, as quickly as possible. In that respect, Landaron was in a rtively good position. Right away, he had numerous soldiers and demons remaining even after usurping the throne. However, naturally, there were risks associated with borrowing the power of demons. From the moment he used the power of demons to usurp the throne, it was clear that the Holy Kingdom would be watching this situation, and it would be difficult to establish friendly rtions with other countries. Thus, from Landaron¡¯s standpoint, he had to quickly subjugate the territories that were rebelling against his actions. In principle, from Landaron¡¯s position, if he could get that far, there was essentially nothing left to do. To be precise, from that point onwards, most situations arising from the power of the demons allied with Landaron were controble. Consequently, Landaron diligently subdued the rebelling territories over the past month, and currently, he had sessfully subjugated about 30 of the total 54 territories. Of course, about ten territories had already sided with Landaron before he usurped the throne, which ounts for those numbers, but subjugating nearly 30 territories in just one month was certainly an impressive feat. However, Landaron, who had quickly subdued the territories over the month, currently wore a very dissatisfied expression. The reason was due to the number of soldiers he had deployed over the past month. He had deployed all the soldiers he could muster this month, and in addition, he had also sent to war all the demons that were continuously emerging from beneath the lord¡¯s castle. That number was already five times the soldiers he originally had. In other words, considering the number of soldiers, Landaron should have already subjugated all the territories long ago, and the sacrifices demanded by Kelva should have been prepared in a short period. But the reason Landaron has not currently subdued all the territories is- ¡°¡­because Red Eyes and the half-demon are killing the demons off as theye.¡± -The direct reason is that Red Eyes and the half-demon are killing off the demons that Landaron intended to use for subjugating the territories. Thus, due to their sabotage, Landaron has been unable to subjugate those he should have already brought under control. ¡°Sigh.¡± Kelva also responded to Duke Landaron¡¯s words with an incredulous expression. ¡°So, those guys are getting in the way again, aren¡¯t they?¡± ¡°How could there not be a way?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Upon Landaron¡¯s words, Kelva started to feel a headache and began to ponder. ¡°As you know, we¡¯re running out of time. If we don¡¯t subjugate all territories quickly and summon the legion here as you said¡­ the situation could be dangerous.¡± Seeing Landaron speak with an urgent expression, he pondered for a long time. Soon after. ¡°¡­Is there no other way?¡± Murmuring something as if he had made a decision, Kelva said, ¡°Listen carefully. Gather the demons for a few days, then send them towards one territory and spread rumors, but not too loudly, naturally. If we do that and draw them out,¡± he said with a dead serious expression. ¡°-I will materialize and handle it myself.¡± ¡°¡­Materialize? You?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°¡­Didn¡¯t you say before? Materializing in such an iplete state would permanently consume your power.¡± ¡°But if those guys keep interfering, there¡¯s no choice. So prepare yourself. I too will prepare.¡± With those words, Kelva quietly moved and disappeared. Kim Hyunwoo is in histe twenties. He has not yet passed his forties, nor has he passed his thirties. In other words, what he is trying to say is this. Having a daughter with a beautiful appearance, when he himself has not even reached his thirties, truly made no sense to him. ¡°¡­Dad?¡± ¡°Yes, you¡¯re Dad.¡± ¡°¡­Me?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Despite asking three times for confirmation, seeing her nodding without any denial, Kim Hyunwoo, like during the Reneide River incident, hurriedly recalled the hero list from ten years ago and started pondering. But, of course, there was no woman like the Master of the in Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s memory. ¡®Even if I try to think of a situation simr to Reneide¡­ there¡¯s still none.¡¯ At least from what he can currently recall, among the 1-star heroes, only a few, including Reneide, had extensive conversations with Kim Hyunwoo. But among those heroes, there was no beautiful woman with blue hair and a yful smile like the Master of the Blue Tower. ¡­Especially none that called Kim Hyunwoo ¡®Dad¡¯. ¡°¡­Then, who¡­ are you?¡± Kim Hyunwoo asked cautiously. In fact, Kim Hyunwoo was fully aware that, no matter how carefully he asked, this question itself was a nuisance. ¡®Because if the other person knows and feels affection for me, but I have forgotten about them, it¡¯s only natural to feel a bit apologetic.¡¯ But since he also couldn¡¯t pretend to remember someone whose memory wasn¡¯t clear and respond with a smile, Kim Hyunwoo posed the question that way. And then. ¡°Hehe, I thought Dad might not remember. But if you hear this, you might remember? I always talked a lot with you at the orphanage.¡± Did she wear a slightly gloomy expression amidst her bright face, but she soon recovered and continued speaking. ¡°¡­Orphanage?¡± ¡°Yes, the orphanage. You always sponsored me, didn¡¯t you?¡± Her words prompted him to tilt his head in question. Because there wasn¡¯t exactly an orphanage in the Arteil world. Thus, as he pondered, ¡°Huh?¡± ¡­suddenly, a memory shed through his mind, and he found himself looking at the girl involuntarily. Upon reflection, considering the hints she had given, there was one thing that came to mind for Kim Hyunwoo. Therefore, ¡°Could you be¡­ Shadra?¡± With a feeling of perhaps, Kim Hyunwoo called the name out without realizing, and upon hearing it, the Master of the Blue Tower burst into a bright smile and then, with a hug! ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°Exactly, Dad! You remembered right away!?¡± She quickly wrapped her arms around Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s neck and hugged him tightly. Elena wore a ¡®gasp¡¯ expression, while Reneide now had a ¡®dazed¡¯ expression, mouth agape. However, since the two were behind him, Kim Hyunwoo, unable to see the expressions of Elena and Reneide, spoke with a truly surprised look. ¡°No, really?¡± ¡°Yes! Really, Dad!¡± Upon Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s bewildered words, the Master of the Blue Tower ended with a ticklishugh, causing Kim Hyunwoo to unwittingly open his mouth in response. And that was understandable, for Kim Hyunwoo had just clearly recalled where he had a connection with her from ten years ago. ¡®¡­She was definitely a character from the orphanage mini-game, right?¡¯ The orphanage mini-game. ¡­At first nce, the name might make it seem like a very strange game, but the orphanage mini-game was actually one of the daily quests in Arteil that allowed yers to gain honor points by sponsoring the orphanage. And Shadra was one of the characters at the orphanage that Kim Hyunwoo had sponsored, a very grateful presence to the former Kim Hyunwoo. The orphanage mini-game, in essence, allowed yers to gain honor points through simple mini-games by sponsoring the orphanage, but also, if a yer conversed enough with the characters within the orphanage or if their affinity was very high, they could gain honor points daily. However, since the orphanage was usually determined randomly, sometimes it wasn¡¯t easy to gain honor points because the children in the orphanage wouldn¡¯t easily give their affection. But in Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s case, thanks to Shadra, just by talking to her for about ten minutes a day, he was able to gain an extra 100 honor points. After all, even if she didn¡¯t at first, she eventually came to prefer talking with Kim Hyunwoo over ying with her friends, to an almost strange degree. Anyway, thanks to her, Kim Hyunwoo diligently increased his honor points, which he then converted into Red Stones to buy gifts for 5-star heroes, which is why he was able to recall that name upon hearing the keyword ¡®orphanage¡¯ and seeing the blue hair. By the time Kim Hyunwoo wore a look of bewilderment and surprise, on a hill outside, Loriel and Giral, instead of going on a demon hunt to erase their infamy, were following orders and looking towards the Lord¡¯s castle. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± They watched Kim Hyunwoo and Shadra, who was tightly hugging him, and without realizing, they wore dizzy expressions before looking at each other. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Loriel and Giral recognized that they both had the same expression. In fact, the two were well aware that, strictly speaking, they were somewhat antagonistic towards each other. However, a subtle sense of identity that had sprouted between them beyond their antagonistic positions was enough to prompt a few words of conversation between them, who otherwise had nothing to do but eat and stare at the Lord¡¯s castle all day. ¡°Normally, when you say ¡®Dad,¡¯ wouldn¡¯t you hug around the waist?¡± ¡°I agree.¡± The two idly chatted while looking at the window. ¡°She¡¯s a fox.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Do you see? She deliberately hugs the neck to press her chest close.¡± ¡°An action our Leader can¡¯t perform.¡± ¡°Unfortunately, I think our Master will have a harder time. Ah, I shouldn¡¯t have said that.¡± ¡°¡­Indeed, I also misspoke.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s both forget it.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s do that.¡± The two continued to gaze towards the Lord¡¯s castle. The Master of the Blue Tower, Shadra, clung to Kim Hyunwoo, not knowing how to let go. ¡°¡­If we tell this to the Master, she will be very depressed, won¡¯t she?¡± ¡°Rather than being depressed¡­ well¡­ it would be somewhat troubling. Especially for us, who watch from the side.¡± ¡°¡­Right?¡± ¡°¡­Yeah.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The two fell silent. After a while. ¡°We still have to tell her, right?¡± ¡°We should tell her.¡± ¡°¡­It wasn¡¯t like this before, but it¡¯s been toughtely.¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m also going to have a hard time soon.¡± With those words, the two turned around quietly, starting to move away with somewhat self-deprecating smiles on their faces. Chapter 105: Blue Matador (4) About ten minutester. After finding out that Shadra was the same Shadra from the orphanage, Kim Hyunwoo briefly exchanged greetings and had a simple conversation with her. ¡°It seems like everyone is here because of reports, so I shouldn¡¯t take up too much of your time, right? I¡¯lle back next time!¡± Kim Hyunwoo nodded as he watched Shadra speak cheerfully with a smile. ¡°I was nning to visit the Mage Tower branch anyway, so I¡¯lle by either today or tomorrow after I finish my work.¡± ¡°Really! Then I better hurry and tidy up the office. I left it a bit messy with things here and there!¡± ¡°Then, should Ie a bitter?¡± ¡°No! You cane today! I¡¯ve been wanting to talk, like the conversations I couldn¡¯t have with Dad. Just like back then.¡± Kim Hyunwoo, seeing Shadra smiling brightly, just like she did ten years ago, nodded in understanding at her words, ending the conversation. ¡°Alright then, I¡¯lle by then.¡± ¡°Okay! Then I¡¯ll be going? You have toe!¡± Kim Hyunwoo, watching Shadra, the Master of the Blue Tower, disappear with an innocent smile, was lost in thought. ¡®I never imagined that the character from that orphanage would be a 4.5-star mage tower lord¡­¡¯ I thought it was natural for River to have been a 1-star hero for over ten years, but I never knew that the child I became close to in the mini-game because of honor points would be a 4.5-star hero. ¡®How lucky I am.¡¯ Thus, Kim Hyunwoo smiled. Of course, in the world of Arteil, the profession of a mage is necessary not only as a hero but also as a support hero. ¡®Of course, I don¡¯t know if Shadra is more of an attacker or a supporter. But that¡¯s something I can find out over time.¡¯ I knew Shadra was a person rted to the blue mage tower, but seeing her actions, it seemed very likely that I could receive her help, so I thought. ¡°Lord. Who exactly is that woman - no, the Master of the Blue Tower¡­ What is her rtionship with you?¡± ¡°I also, I have no idea either¡­?¡± Kim Hyunwoo, noticing the serious expressions of Elena and River nearby, realized he hadn¡¯t introduced Shadra properly after greeting her and btedly began to exin. A littleter. ¡°So, the Master of the Blue Tower is the child you were very close with at the orphanage you supported ten years ago?¡± ¡°Right?¡± ¡°¡­Is that all?¡± ¡°Well, yes. There¡¯s nothing much more to add to that story.¡± After Kim Hyunwoo responded to Elena¡¯s words like that, this time River asked, ¡°My friend? Considering that- that human woman was really clingy, wasn¡¯t she?¡± Seeing River speak with a very urgent expression, Kim Hyunwoo, after a moment of thought, responded, ¡°Well, she probably did that in the past too?¡± Kim Hyunwoo, remembering that after ying the mini-game, Shadra would always, in dot form, cling to the lord¡¯s avatar - that is, either hugging him or sitting on hisp, to collect the honor points worth about 150 won in cash, said, ¡°Well, she is an adult now¡­¡± ¡°Well¡­ she definitely looks like an adult¡­ Honestly, it felt a bit weird to be called ¡®Dad¡¯.¡± Kim Hyunwoo, mumbling to himself as if he felt like he was doing something incredibly immoral, soon tilted his head as he saw Elena sighing in relief next to him. ¡°Ah, I¡¯ll listen to the reports first.¡± Eventually, Kim Hyunwoo concluded his speech by recalling why they hade up, and the report began. Territory: Lartania Territory Development Level: 2680 Territory Poption: [Humans: 17,133] ¨COwned Buildings¨C [Lord's Castle LV1 >>> Upgrading 99% (Paused)] [Walls LV3] [Residential District LV5¡ü] [cksmith LV5¡ü] [Barracks LV4 >>> Upgrading 0%] [Tavern LV3] [Market LV3¡ü] [Wood Processing nt LV2¡ü >>> Upgrading 0%] [Restaurant LV3] [Leather Processing nt LV2¡ü >>> Upgrading 0%] [Stone Processing nt LV2¡ü >>> Upgrading 0%] [Trading Post LV2¡ü] [Secondary Walls LV3] [Inn LV3¡ü] [Administrative District LV3¡ü] [Paved Roads LV1¡ü] ¨CExternal Buildings¨C [Mercenary Guild LV0 (Under Construction)] [Mage Tower Branch LV1¡ü] [cksmith Guild Branch LV1¡ü] ¨COwned Troops¨C -Regr soldiers: 200 -Apprentice soldiers: 200 After receiving the weekly reports from Elena and River, Kim Hyunwoo sighed lightly and looked at the territory¡¯s information window. Although there was a disaster in making missiles, since all the materials had already been gathered, the building levels hadfortably increased. Of course, the construction was temporarily halted due to the invasion of the demon army, but thanks to that, Lartania was nowpletely divided into before and after the demon army¡¯s invasion. What immediately changed were the houses in the residential district visible beyond the market. The houses, which until Level 4 were uniformly simr, started to gain their unique characteristics abruptly as they reached Level 5, when Lartania began to seriously consume resources. Meanwhile, dessert shops responsible for the happiness of the citizens and various spaces for rxation began to appear within the residential district. Simrly, the cksmith, having reached Level 5, transformed to almost the size of the cksmith Guild¡¯s branch, truly signifying it as the territory¡¯s cksmith. The wood, leather, and stone processing nts grew slightlyrger than before. And the bustling market streets spreading around those processing nts really showed that Lartania had be a proper territory. But in fact, what Kim Hyunwoo was most satisfied with was the paved roadsid throughout the entire territory. ¡®Now it really feels like a proper territory.¡¯ While the outer areas hadn¡¯t yet been properly nned and thuscked paved roads, the interior of the territory had paved roads, making the territory¡¯s atmospheree alive and look respectable to anyone, which made Kim Hyunwoo smile. ¡°Sigh-¡± He soon looked at the resource window. Red Stones: 30 Blue Stones: 232 Gold Coins: 246,422 Magic Stones: 192,231 The resource window Kim Hyunwoo was looking at had definitely regained stability, unlike two weeks ago when he was barely maintaining the Package. The Magic Stones, of which there were only 30, were umting at an incredible rate thanks to the mercenaries who flocked in after Kim Hyunwoo devastated the demon army. The Gold Coins had also regained stability, more out of necessity than by choice. ¡®It¡¯s significant that we can no longer receive resources from Tesnoka territory.¡¯ The reason Kim Hyunwoo had been able to grow overwhelmingly fast was that he had been able to buy resources from the Tesnoka territory. However, with the demon race starting to appear in earnest in the Norba Kingdom, it became impossible to receive any more resources from the Tesnoka territory. ¡®It¡¯s probably because of the demons.¡¯ For about three weeks, Kim Hyunwoo had a rough idea of what was happening in the Norba Kingdom, so he knew that the Tesnoka territory was no longer in a situation to sell resources. Thanks to that, Gold Coins were umting in Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s ount. Even excluding the falling price of Magic Stones, the structure of Lartania¡¯s finances meant that unless money was being poured into growing the territory, the bnce would inevitably umte. Therefore, having looked at the territory window and the resource window, Kim Hyunwoo soon organized the tasks he needed to address in order. -Increase the number of soldiers -Develop the territory further -Purchase a Proposal Ring These three things were what Kim Hyunwoo needed to do at the current moment. While public order was sufficiently maintained, the number of soldiers had to be increased without question from the moment the demon army invaded, and, of course, the development of the territory could not remain at its current level. And the Proposal Ring had to be purchased without fail. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Kim Hyunwoo unconsciously flicked his finger. In truth, issue number one could be addressed immediately, and once the number of soldiers was increased, he already had ns on how to defend against one or two demon invasions, but issues two and three were problematic. No matter how much the power nt was upgraded, resources and money were needed to develop the territory at a simr pace to before. In short, there was ack of finances. Simrly, issue number three was in the same context. To buy the Proposal Ring immediately, Red Stones were needed, and to gather those Red Stones, Magic Stones had to be amassed faster than currently. ¡®Well, the speed of collecting Magic Stones is increasing, but¡­¡¯ He wished it could be a bit faster than it currently was. As time passed, Kim Hyunwoo became increasingly curious about why he hade to this ce. At the point where Kim Hyunwoo was pondering, Elena and River, who had just reported to him and then stepped outside the office, were sure to meet Shadra, who had said she was returning to the Mage Tower branch earlier. ¡°Hello~¡± It was Shadra, speaking with a wide smile. Elena and River momentarily wore puzzled expressions but simrly nodded in greeting. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s nothing much, I was just about to head back, but since we¡¯ll be seeing each other often from now on, I thought it was a bit rude to leave without saying hello properly, so I was waiting to greet you properly.¡± At Shadra¡¯s words, still with a pleasant smile, Elena and River momentarily looked stunned and unconsciously thought to themselves. ¡®Maybe this person is surprisingly nice?¡¯ Even more so, the more they talked, the more Elena and River couldn¡¯t help but think that way. After all, Shadra was much more amiable and conversational than they had thought. However, ¡°By the way, that¡¯s a relief. It¡¯s good that you two don¡¯t have to worry.¡± Following Shadra¡¯s words, question marks popped up over Elena and River¡¯s heads momentarily. ¡°¡­Huh?¡± ¡°¡­What do you mean by that?¡± Elena and River asked. ¡°Are you talking about this?¡± To them, Shadra, with the amiable smile she had just a moment ago, said, ¡°It¡¯s a relief that neither of you seem to be the type that Dad likes~¡± That¡¯s what she said. ¡°¡­What?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± And with that, the air froze instantly. After about three days, Merilda, who was anxiously wandering around the vicinity of the Norba Kingdom, killing any monsters summoned by the demons, possibly in fear that their necessity had disappeared, ¡°What does that mean? So, what did that woman say¡­ ¡®Dad¡¯?¡± ¡°¡­She did say ¡®Dad¡¯.¡± ¡°She did?¡± ¡°It seemed like she wrapped her arms around his neck and deliberately pressed her chest against him as if to appeal.¡± That was the report from Giral. ¡°What- what!?¡± ¡°¡­As I said, Master. That woman, her way of flirting is quite extraordinary.¡± Rin also heard from Loriel about the great crisis that hade. Chapter 106: Hierarchy Advancement (1) The demons had to incarnate themselves without fail to operate in the middle realm. While lower-ranked demons could traverse the middle realm without incarnating, higher-ranked demons must go through the process of incarnating via sacrifices to materialize their bodies in the middle realm. Since the demons are said to exist on a dimension above Arteil, they inevitably require sacrifices. Thus, even when the demons began to act in earnest, only the Third Legion Commander had descended to the present world, and since dying to those two heroes, not a single Legion Commander has descended to the middle realm. More urately, it would be correct to say that they were unable to do so. For the legionmander-level demons to manifest, they need numerous sacrifices and negative energy that can be obtained through war. However, at the current moment, though they could obtain quite a lot of sacrifices through subjugating territories, they still haven¡¯t obtained enough negative energy. The reason is that, since a month ago, after Landaron swallowed up the Norba Kingdom, wherever demons were sent, two heroes appeared and killed them. Therefore, Kelva ultimately made a decision. Even if it was a bit of a stretch, he decided he had to hunt those two down. ¡°¡­¡­¡± In his eyes, he saw countless demons moving in groups, too numerous to count. If it was those two heroes moving to eradicate infamy, that number was so great they couldn¡¯t help but to appear. Furthermore, ¡°Is everything ready?¡± ¡°It¡¯s done.¡± Currently, Kelva, with the help of a lord under Duke Landaron, has formed a massiverge-scale encirclement near where demons are heavily gathered. The reason was, of course, to prevent the two heroes, who had sensed something, from escaping. In addition, Kelva had pushed most of the demons here to capture the two heroes and had even temporarily halted the war elsewhere, just in case the two heroes decided to go somewhere else. In other words, for Landaron and Kelva, who value time as gold, maintaining this situation itself means they are at a loss. However, Kelva decided that it was right to unconditionally ept such a loss if it meant capturing the two heroes. At least, in Kelva¡¯s judgment, the existence of those two heroes proved too harmful for him. It was a problem that they were hastily disrupting the process of subjugation to eliminate infamy. It was also a problem that they were certain to interfere when he moved to kill the outsider. Therefore, he hadid a trap to kill the two heroes, even if it meant suffering a great loss right now. Currently, he was even in a state of incarnation. ¡°Huh-¡± Kelva let out a low sigh and checked his body. At a nce, his body was not the humanoid form he had seen before but resembled that of a beast. Both legs and arms had sharp ws like a beast¡¯s, and there were ck wings on his back. And with horns as long as those of Agares, the Third Legion Commander, atop his head, he showed a satisfied expression at the fulfillment he hadn¡¯t felt in years, yet he also sighed. While incarnating to kill the two heroes and feeling his original senses after a while was satisfying, due to Kelva¡¯s traits, a limited incarnation and not a perfect one, was quite a loss for him. Initially, due to his special circumstances, incarnating in such a manner would cause the incarnated body to evaporate due to ack of magical power in just a few days, and thus, it would be deemed destroyed, resulting in a permanent loss of power. Moreover, since it takes a certain amount of time to incarnate and they attacked at speeds previously unseen by them, he had to incarnate in advance. ¡®The moment they fall into the trap, I will definitely kill them.¡¯ Kelva smiled as he looked at the wellid trap. A few dayster. Originally nning to visit after a day or so, Kim Hyunwoo, dealing with selecting administrative personnel and various tasks, decided to visit the Mage Tower branch about three dayster. Before visiting the Mage Tower branch, ¡°Huh-¡± After making all the Magnifying sses, Kim Hyunwoo, who had selected administrative personnel on the first day, heard that the soldiers he had mentioned separately had been gathered and opened the troops window. Regr Soldiers: 1200 Apprentice Knights: 200 Having gathered the originally intended 1,000 soldiers in just a few days, in line with the poption, Kim Hyunwoo smiled satisfactorily and soon upgraded the soldiers. Regr Soldiers: 1000 Guards: 200 Apprentice Knights: 200 As Kim Hyunwoo made the adjustments, a window with rapidly changing text popped up in front of him. Troop Type: Guard Leader: Gouka [Proficiency 0/100] Number of personnel: 200 [View details] Combat Efficiency: Average ¨CBasic Equipment¨C Head: Iron helmet Body: Guard chainmail Waist: Iron leather belt Legs: Greaves with added protection Armed: Steel spear Secondary weapon: Magic scroll (Fireball, Binding) ¡ùThe soldiers' armament is not yet perfect Troop Type: Apprentice Knight Leader: Malon [Proficiency 0/100] Number of personnel: 200 [View details] Combat Efficiency: Very High ¨CBasic Equipment¨C Head: Knight's helmet Body: Chainmail Waist: Chain belt with leather ovey Legs: Knight's greaves Armed: Steel sword Secondary weapon: None ¡ùThe soldiers' armament is not yet perfect. ¡ùThe high morale of the soldiers maximizesbat efficiency! ¡ùThe soldiers' very high morale boosts theirbat power! ¡ùThe soldiers' very high morale rapidly increases their proficiency! As soon as he upgraded the troop types, Kim Hyunwoo saw the notification windows pop up as if they had been waiting for him, and he soon moved towards the Mage Tower branch. ¡°Shadra.¡± ¡°Ah, Dad! I was just wondering when you¡¯de!¡± He was soon weed by Shadra. Seeing her bouncing on her toes exaggeratedly and smiling brightly as soon as Kim Hyunwoo arrived, heughed. ¡°¡­?¡± Suddenly, he could see a few magicians looking over this way with expressions of astonishment. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Huh? Oh, right.¡± Kim Hyunwoo, who had been looking in that direction, quickly followed Shadra without finishing his thought, and soon they arrived at Shadra¡¯s office. ¡°This is the ce!¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Shadra¡¯s office was quiterge, but the vast amount of books and various experimental tools inside made therge office feel somewhat cramped. However, perhaps because Shadra had organized it well, Kim Hyunwoo, who was looking around, felt more of a sense of wonder than of crampedness. Squeeze-! ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°Hee- I¡¯m so happy ?.¡± Kim Hyunwoo felt a little overwhelmed by Shadra¡¯s natural action of hugging him, but he patted her head in response. Thump-! ¡°¡­?¡± At the same time, Kim Hyunwoo, who had a slightly puzzled expression due to the distant booming sound he heard, soon saw Shadra naturally take a seat in a chair and sat down in one as well. ¡°So then, where shall we start our conversation?¡± Smiling brightly, Kim Hyunwoo had a genuine conversation with Shadra, learning about how she had been doing all this time. Starting from when Kim Hyunwoo disappeared, Shadra had been recognized for her exceptional talent as a magician, leading to her entry into the Mage Tower, and eventually bing the head of the Blue Tower, she exined everything that had happened. ¡°So, the Blue Mage Tower focuses more on exploration and alchemy rather than offensive magic, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Among them, what I¡¯m good at is alchemy. For example, golem creation?¡± ¡°Golem creation?¡± ¡°Yeah, it might be difficult to show here since it¡¯s cramped inside, but my golem creation is quite useful, you know?¡± ¡°Then, can¡¯t you use other magic?¡± ¡°Well~ If I have to say, I can use them, but they¡¯re not my specialty. Though it¡¯s also true that I¡¯m not very good at using them,¡± Shadra exined. Upon hearing this, Kim Hyunwoo hummed thoughtfully and then asked, ¡°Shadra, how big can the golems get?¡± ¡°Size? Hmm¡­ Well, they can be quiterge.¡± ¡°Can you also make them inside the Labyrinth?¡± ¡°The Labyrinth?¡± Shadra asked back with a puzzled expression. But soon, ¡°Ah.¡± Realizing something, Shadraughed, ¡°Hee-¡± and quickly asked with a bright face, ¡°You want help with conquering the Labyrinth?¡± ¡°Um¡­ Was I too obvious?¡± At Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s words, as he nced away, Shadraughed and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay! We¡¯re in this together, Dad!¡± ¡°¡­Really?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Seeing Shadra¡¯s confident smile, Kim Hyunwoo felt inwardly relieved. The truth was, while his purpose for today was indeed to have a conversation with her, he also intended to ask for her help with the Labyrinth. After all, the way to earn more Magic Stones at this point was to quickly conquer the Labyrinth and summon higher-grade mercenaries to Lartania. Thus, with a smile, Kim Hyunwoo said, ¡°Ah, but in exchange! Grant me one wish too!¡± ¡°A wish?¡± ¡°Yes, a wish!¡± At the mention of a wish, Kim Hyunwoo nced at Shadra, but soon nodded in understanding, seeing her innocently smiling face. Along with Shadra¡¯s action of hugging Kim Hyunwoo tightly once more, as if she had aplished something, she beamed a bright smile. Thump-! Once again, a tremendous noise was heard. ¡°¡­?¡± Kim Hyunwoo felt puzzled again, but Shadra, who was hugging him with her arms around his neck, nkly stared out the window behind him. Grin-! Seemingly having realized something, she hugged Kim Hyunwoo even tighter, revealing her sharp fangs with a grin. ¡°¡­Shadra?¡± Startled by the sudden increase in pressure, Kim Hyunwoo asked, and Shadra said, ¡°Dad, you know¡­¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°You said you don¡¯t particrly like dogs, right?¡± ¡°¡­Dogs?¡± ¡°Yes, dogs.¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m not particrly fond of them. If I had to choose, I¡¯d say I prefer cats.¡± ¡°Right? Then, what about breasts?¡± ¡°¡­Huh? Breasts?¡± ¡°Yes, women withrge breasts or small ones. Which does Dad prefer?¡± ¡°Huh? Why do you ask this all of a sudden?¡± Kim Hyunwoo clearly looked perplexed, but Shadra, with her characteristically innocent expression, persisted, ¡°So? How about it? Dad, do you like them big or small?¡± She asked as if her face bore the innocence of having not even 1% of impure intentions, ¡°¡­Well, I prefer femininity.¡± Although Kim Hyunwoo gave Shadra a peculiar look, she giggled at his response. And at that moment, Merilda and the Absolute Ruler of Darkness, who had created tworge craters on the hill and had been causing amotion until just a moment ago, ¡°¡­Hate dogs¡­?¡± ¡°¡­I am average, I am average, I am average, I am average-¡± Seeing them murmuring with expressions as if they had lost the world, Loriel and Giral turned their gazes nkly towards the Mage Tower branch, ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± and seeing Shadra, who was looking urately at their location, revealing her fangs and smiling mischievously, Loriel and Giral couldn¡¯t help but think, ¡®Isn¡¯t this dangerous?¡¯ Chapter 107: Hierarchy Advancement (2) About 30 minutester. Shadra¡¯s unusual (?) actions continued. For example, subtly embracing while talking, or pressing down on one arm, starting with obvious movements to giggling or subtly making promises. Of course, Kim Hyunwoo felt something was off due to such tant behavior and looked at Shadra, but every time, Shadra dispelled his suspicions with her expression. Whenever Kim Hyunwoo looked at her with a puzzled expression, Shadra made an innocent and naive face as if she had not intended such an appeal at all. ¡°I¡¯m not aware of this behavior at all. I¡¯m just doing this because I¡¯m so happy to see my Dad after such a long time!¡± That was her appeal. Even though it might have seemed like an overt appeal from a third party¡¯s perspective, it was only noticeable from such a perspective and was not that overt after all. As a result, Shadra, who had been earnestly appealing while avoiding Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s suspicions, began to wind the conversation up. ¡°Ah,e to think of it, don¡¯t I have to be a hero of Lartania to help Dad?¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. I don¡¯t know about regr Labyrinths, but you have to be affiliated with Lartania to take on something like a Boss.¡± ¡°Should I just join Lartania then?¡± ¡°Wait, wouldn¡¯t that be a problem? You¡¯re affiliated with the Mage Tower, right? Wouldn¡¯t joining Lartania cause various issues?¡± ¡°Um- That¡¯s true, being a Tower Master at the Mage Tower means you get a lot of support, like research funding, materials, and other things. But if Dad needs me, I can leave!¡± Very cleverly, she sessfully made an appeal that she could give up her position as a Tower Master for Kim Hyunwoo. ¡°No, you don¡¯t need to go that far.¡± ¡°Really? But if you ever need me, just let me know. I mean it.¡± Shadra sessfully scored points with Kim Hyunwoo and then left the scene. And, watching all this quietly were, well, to be precise, Loriel and Giral, who had been nkly observing Shadra¡¯s peculiar behavior, both thought the same thing without needing to say it out loud. ¡°Ah, this might be a bit dangerous.¡± Truth be told, though it might seem that way, both Giral and Loriel truly wish for the best for those they serve. Giral hopes for Merilda¡¯s sess, and Loriel wishes for Rin¡¯s well-being. Ironically, the reason Loriel and Giral, whose wishes are practically in opposition, have a not-so-bad rtionship with each other is because of the actions of Merilda and Rin. ¡­To be honest, neither of them feels much of a threat from the other. Giral does not feel threatened by Rin. Loriel does not feel threatened by Merilda. That¡¯s the reality. Even the heads of merchant groups on the same level as them feel a sort of pity for them at this point. At such a point, seeing a woman who obviously started from a different point and moved differently from Merilda and Rin, it was natural for them to think this way. ¡°¡­I¡¯m not a dog, right, I mean, I¡¯m a wolf¡­ But¡­ are wolves canids¡­? No, I am a wolf¡­¡± ¡°¡­Was that also not enough? This is inevitable- but somehow with magical power injected-¡± Especially seeing their superior, who vacites from joy to sorrow at the words of the Lord of Lartania, fall into a terrible groggy state due to that woman¡¯s cunning verbal skill made it all the more so. Thus, without needing to say anything to each other, Loriel and Giral sighed and made up their minds. ¡°I guess we have to forcefully move and help out after all.¡± ¡°We really need to start helping our Master in earnest.¡± They had been helping up to now, but now it was truly time for the group to move. ¡®¡­Wait, I wanted to ask if, with a talent in alchemy, she could create something like fuel, but I forgot to ask.¡¯ That thought came to him as he fiddled with a Magnifying ss upon arriving at his office. Kim Hyunwoo, who had thought to ask the moment he heard that alchemy could be used, but the conversation naturally shifted towards golem summoning too quickly, remembered this btedly. ¡®Should I go back for a bit?¡¯ He thought about going back even now but then shook his head and sat down. It felt a bit awkward to go again after meeting for the day, and more importantly, he thought it would be a bit too much to ask for more since Shadra had already offered to help explore the Labyrinth out of goodwill. ¡®I¡¯ll have to talk about this when we meet tomorrow.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo thought so to himself and, thinking of Shadra, smiled warmly for no particr reason. ¡®Who knew you¡¯d grow up so well.¡¯ In fact, ten years ago, it was all about grinding mini-games and gathering conversation info to gain honor points, but seeing a hero who had been invested in for so long grow to this extent felt quite special. Kim Hyunwoo was definitely not yet in his 30s, but could it be said he felt like a father in his 50s watching his daughter enter a prestigious university? ¡­Of course, it wasn¡¯t that deep of an emotion, but nheless, seeing the hero he had cared for grow up and even offer help made him feel like his actions hadn¡¯t been meaningless, which was a pleasant thought. ¡®Still, being called ¡®Dad¡¯ feels a bit, well, awkward.¡¯ Understandably, Kim Hyunwoo found it quite awkward to hear such words from a fully grown woman, but he decided to let it be. After all, Kim Hyunwoo had asked Shadra to think of him as her dad a few times when they first started talking, all in an effort to be closer. It was more the help of a Wiki article than his own judgement¡­ ¡®Let¡¯s see¡­ So, should I check Shadra¡¯s abilities tomorrow and then head straight in?¡¯ Originally, as Elena had reported, since demons kept appearing, Kim Hyunwoo had nned to take a day¡¯s rest after the Package ended due to the passage of time before heading down. However, Shadra¡¯s star rating is 4.5. In other words, she could effectively carry them up to the 10th tier. ¡®Of course, strictly speaking, since she belongs to the alchemy school which is considered support, we¡¯ll have to see about her actualbat abilities.¡¯ But seeing her confidence in her own strength, Kim Hyunwoo was somewhat hopeful that she would not be weak. The next day, as promised, Kim Hyunwoo went to see Shadra¡¯s golem crafting. ¡°I¡¯ll choose something cool since it¡¯s in front of Dad, okay?¡± ¡°Something cool?¡± ¡°Yeah, golems can look very different depending on what their basic body is made of, whether it¡¯s by choice or by necessity.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Seeing Kim Hyunwoo nod, Shadra smiled slyly and pulled a small cube from her bosom. Shadra, without hesitation, threw the neat cube she took out into the air. And with that, crack-crunching sounds followed! The cube rapidly expanded, beginning to form the shape of a giant golem. And then, ¡°¡­Oh.¡± Kim Hyunwoo, upon seeing the golem that, though slightly smaller than a fortress wall, resembled a giant armored knight, couldn¡¯t help but express his admiration, prompting Shadra to say, ¡°How is it? This is an Iron Golem. It¡¯s very durable. It can excellently block enemies at the forefront, and its physical strength is formidable too.¡± As soon as Shadra finished speaking, the Iron Golem, without hesitation, pulled its hand back and then struck down towards the ground. Boom! Kim Hyunwoo, upon seeing the ground on the outside of the wall crater with a sound as loud as fireworks, along with a turn, ¡°Wow¡­¡± ¡°How about it? This should be enough to help, right?¡± ¡°¡­Do you have time tomorrow?¡± ¡°Anytime!¡± They immediately decided to descend into the Labyrinth the next day. The day after Kim Hyunwoo decided to go down into the Labyrinth, ¡°¡­¡­¡± Kelva, who had been spinning around for quite a while as if leading a horde of demons towards a territory of the Norba Kingdom, was holding back his annoyance with a very angry expression. Grrrrr! The reason for his annoyance was, of course, because of Merilda and Rin. ording to his n, Merilda and Rin should have arrived here a few days ago and, without a doubt, should have been killed by Kelva. However, contrary to his expectations, the two heroes did note. Not only did they note, but as soon as Kelva set the trap, they seemed to have been waiting for it, went into hiding, and cut off all news, resulting in a tremendous loss for Kelva. It was critical to subjugate the territory as quickly as possible, yet he had already wasted more than three days, now going on four. Additionally, the cost of Magic Stones spent on constantly deploying demons and soldiers to capture the two heroes could be considered part of that loss. The issue of time could be resolved by moving more quickly, and the Magic Stones could be replenished by earning more resources. However, the reason Kelva was so angry was because of his manifestation. He had performed an iplete manifestation to capture Merilda and Rin. And this iplete manifestation, though slight, resulted in an inevitable loss of his abilities. In other words, from Kelva¡¯s perspective, the trap had be meaningless, as it involved the permanent consumption of his abilities. Grrrrr! This irreversible stress was a source of considerable annoyance for Kelva, which is why he wore such an angry expression. Ssshhh! ¡°¡­Ah.¡± As soon as the time came, he felt all the energy in his body drain away as if it had never been there, letting out a sigh of emptiness and closing his eyes tightly. And at that moment. Boom! ¡°¡­???¡± As if on cue, the explosive sound made Kelva open his eyes involuntarily, and soon he could see it. The two heroes he had been desperately hoping woulde just moments ago were now, as if they had been waiting, gathered together and stepping into the trap. ¡­In the state where Kelva¡¯s manifestation had just ended. And then, ¡°Aaaargh! You fucking bastards!!!¡± A cry filled with Kelva¡¯s agony and resentment burst forth. Chapter 108: Hierarchy Advancement (3) Inside the dark dwarf star of the demon world. Themanders, seated at a truly enormous round table in a room that could be called the meeting room of themanders, were having a discussion. ¡°I really didn¡¯t expect Agares to lose.¡± ¡°Fuahaha! Weren¡¯t you too careless?! No matter what, dying to two heroes is a bit much, isn¡¯t it?¡± The story being shared was precisely about Agares. Someone wasughing pleasantly while looking at Agares, who was sitting with a face full of irritation. Someone else couldn¡¯t hide their astonished expression while looking at Agares. That¡¯s because, at least among themanders gathered here, no one had thought that Agares would incarnate in the middle realm and lose. Because of that, the meeting room, which had been noisy for a while, ¡°Now, let¡¯s stop here. It¡¯s time to start the meeting,¡± became instantly quiet due to the mediation of Beor Darkheart, the Second Commander. Upon that, Noxius, the Fifth Commander who had been teasing Agares just a moment ago, spoke with a face full of the distinctive dissatisfaction of a boy. ¡°Should we start the meeting even though the First Commander hasn¡¯t arrived yet?¡± ¡°The First Commander won¡¯te.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because she is currently ¡®at the top¡¯,¡± Beor, the Second Commander, answered. Upon that, Noxius continued with a very dissatisfied expression. ¡°Isn¡¯t this too much favoritism? Even if you¡¯ve got the position of the First Commander, shouldn¡¯t you participate in the meeting? It¡¯s not like we don¡¯t have time to be here, right?¡± Noxius said. ¡°Honestly, I agree with that too.¡± ¡°Me too.¡± As soon as he finished speaking, Beor, who was watching themanders one by one start to voice their grievances that had apparently umted against the First Commander, sighed and then said, ¡°Then bring her here.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± With just one sentence from Beor, as soon as he finished, the othermanders, as if they had been waiting, shut their mouths. Even Noxius, who had expressed the strongest dissatisfaction, shut his mouth. That¡¯s because the First Commander was not someone they could bring even if they decided to do so right away. ¡°If we can¡¯t bring her, let¡¯s start the meeting. After all, the First Commander has never participated in a meeting before, right?¡± ¡°¡­Never participates, just stays quiet at that top all the time.¡± ¡°If you haveints, then bring her here.¡± ¡°¡­Tsk.¡± So, at that point, Noxius clicked his tongue as if dissatisfied and kept his mouth shut. The ce where themanders were talking about, and the ce that could be considered closest to the purple sky in this demon world. At the top, there sat a woman. She had the grayish-white skin characteristic of a demon, but unlike real demons, her long ears indicated her race was an elf before bing a demon. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Behind her, numerous weapons were stuck and immobile in the bodies of tens to hundreds of demonic beasts that existed behind the summit. It was a truly contradictory space. The purple sky was mysterious and beautiful, but the ce where she was, was infinitely provocative. In that ce, where immortal demonic beasts kept reviving and couldn¡¯t even scream due to the weapons embedded in them, just bleeding purple blood. Sigh. The First Commander of the Demons, looking up at the void with weary eyes, ¡°¡­¡­¡± He, once called the Hero King, looked up at the sky with weary eyes. Before entering the Labyrinth, Kim Hyunwoo began to brief Elena about the Labyrinth, as he had done before. ¡°Using Shadra¡¯s Golem, you can quickly reach each tier, but you and the Apprentice Knights must handle the Boss.¡± ¡°I know. Don¡¯t worry.¡± Kim Hyunwoo, watching Elena nod with firm resolve, exined to her not only how to defeat the Boss on the 5th tier but also the one on the 7th tier. The reason was that it was not difficult to guess that Shadra¡¯s Golem could take Elena to the Boss Zone without any damage right away, and the rest was because the strength difference between the bosses of the 5th and 6th tiers and those of the 4th and 5th tiers was not that great. In other words, it was judged that if Elena could maintain her stamina well and knew the strategy, she could quickly kill them. If the Apprentice Knights who go down into the Labyrinth with her also tackle the Boss on the 7th tier, they could definitely defeat it. ¡°The difference between apprentice soldiers and Apprentice Knights is significant, after all.¡± Since the apprentice soldier route is ate bloomer type, apprentice soldiers are overall weaker than any other soldier ss they can change into from regr soldiers right away. However, once they upgrade and move beyond the weakest period known as the apprentice soldier stage, they start to show their true value, albeit slightly. ¡°Of course, at this point, they are just a little stronger than other second-ss transferred soldiers.¡± Based on Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s judgment that even that level would be enough to clear the Labyrinth without loss of life, he provided her with this information. ¡°Then, I will go.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be back, Dad!¡± After Elena bowed and Shadra greeted him energetically, they left the office. Not long after, Kim Hyunwoo, having confirmed that they had taken the soldiers into the Labyrinth, ¡®Now, since we¡¯ve finished all that needs to be done right away¡­¡¯ hesitated no further and walked out of the Lord¡¯s castle, deciding to upgrade the Lord¡¯s castle over the past few months. ¡®After all, it¡¯s not something that can just be left undone until the end.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo looked at the Lord¡¯s castle. Certainly, the scenery of Lartania¡¯s territory had changed dramatically, but the Lord¡¯s castle itself had hardly changed from before. It was somewhat shabbypared to a Level 5 building, with cracks here and there. ¡°Upgrading the Lord¡¯s castle means I can¡¯t use the Lord¡¯s throne properly for a day, which is a bit inconvenient, but¡­¡± On the contrary, he couldn¡¯t keep putting off upgrading the Lord¡¯s castle forever, so he started the upgrade of the Lord¡¯s castle without hesitation by lifting the upgrade pause. Elena did not particrly like Shadra. That was obvious. After all, in their single encounter, Shadra had outright said something to make Elena feel bad. However, despite hearing such words, Elena did not harbor any grudge against Shadra within this Labyrinth. This was inside the Labyrinth, and she was very aware of how a moment of carelessness could lead to a terrible oue. Well, in fact, even if Elena did bear a grudge, it didn¡¯t seem like it would cause a big problem in conquering thebyrinth. About two hours after entering the Labyrinth. Kwaahhh! Thanks to the Iron Golem rampaging in front of them, Elena and the Apprentice Knights were not taking any damage. Of course, there were asionally monsters that suddenly popped out from behind, but since it was much morefortable than having to traverse the Labyrinth directly, Elena and the Apprentice Knights were able to conserve their energy and proceed. During that time, ¡°Wow, you were really swift earlier, weren¡¯t you?¡± Seeing Shadra suddenly speaking, Elena soon responded, ¡°Thank you for thepliment. Thanks to you, it¡¯s beenfortable.¡± ¡°No problem. It¡¯s a request from Dad ¨C so it¡¯s only natural.¡± Seeing Shadra smiling in a way that seemed quite insincere to her, Elena said, ¡°¡­But I¡¯ve been wondering, isn¡¯t it a bit strange to call the Lord ¡®Dad¡¯?¡± ¡°Why? He is Dad, isn¡¯t he?¡± ¡°I heard that you¡¯re not actually rted by blood.¡± Hearing Elena¡¯s words, Shadra hummed, thought for a moment, then said, ¡°Well, it¡¯s true that we¡¯re not rted by blood. But I still think of him as Dad.¡± ¡°¡­Is that so?¡± ¡°Yes. After all, we¡¯ll be that kind of family soon enough.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± Elena, unknowingly asking back, saw Shadra smiling and saying, ¡°We¡¯re going to be that kind of family soon.¡± ¡°¡­What kind of rtionship?¡± ¡°Family. I¡¯m going to be family with Dad. It¡¯s difficult right now, but as soon as the term of the Tower Master ends, I¡¯m nning to transfer to belong to Lartania.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ve always cherished the dream of bing family with Dad.¡± Hearing Shadra speak andugh about it, Elena nodded as if she finally understood and thought, ¡®Maybe they¡¯re not as different as I thought?¡¯ Thinking about it, Shadra hadn¡¯t really shed with Elena after that conversation, and even now, seemed to speak leisurely without any intention of antagonizing her. Elena ended up with a somewhat awkward expression. It turned out that while she had been conscious of it, the other party hadn¡¯t really been thinking about it at all, making Elena scratch her head in unnecessary thought and then spoke, ¡°¡­So bing a daughter was your dream.¡± ¡°What? A daughter?¡± At Shadra¡¯s question, as if she didn¡¯t understand what was being said, Elena replied in surprise, ¡°What? No, didn¡¯t you just say you wanted to be family?¡± ¡°Right?¡± ¡°Since you always call the Lord ¡®Dad¡¯, I thought that was what you meant¡­ Isn¡¯t it?¡± Elena¡¯s question. ¡°Ah~ That?¡± Upon that, Shadra, seeming to roughly understand the situation, smiled and then said, ¡°You can be family without necessarily bing a daughter, right? Even closer than that.¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s not being a daughter, right? In that case, calling him ¡®Dad¡¯ doesn¡¯t fit at all.¡± ¡°Ah, not really. You can still use the title ¡®Dad¡¯ even if it¡¯s not in that way. For example-¡± As if pondering something, tilting her head slightly, and then, as if a good idea hade to her, she smiled broadly, ¡°Rena¡¯s Dad-¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Something like this?¡± She spoke with a richugh, gesturing as if holding a child. ¡°Ah, the name ¡®Rena¡¯ was one of the names Dad thought was pretty. So, it would be good as a first name.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Elena unwittingly gaped at Shadra¡¯s words, which seemed yful yet infinitely sincere. ¡­A sense of crisis blossomed in Elena¡¯s heart. Chapter 109: Reinforcements Office (1) About seven hours had passed since Kim Hyunwoo upgraded the Lord¡¯s castle. As the sunset hanging over the mountains gradually disappeared and darkness began to fall, he was able to receive a report from Elena and Shadra, who had gone Labyrinth exploring. ¡°You prated¡­ up to the 7th tier?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Kim Hyunwoo, receiving the report in the administrative district instead of the Lord¡¯s castle, unwittingly wore a look of astonishment. Of course, he had thought that Elena, along with the Apprentice Knights, could manage up to the 7th tier, but he still believed time would be insufficient. After all, it took an average of four to five hours for Elena to clear a single tier. However, this time, although they came back muchter than before, the news that they had prated not just one but three tiers at once made Kim Hyunwoo wear a shocked expression. ¡°Ahem!¡± Soon, Kim Hyunwoo inadvertently turned his gaze toward a voiceing from beside him. There, Shadra, with an expression that seemed to say ¡®I did well, didn¡¯t I?¡¯ was puffing her chest out, seeking praise from anyone who looked, and Kim Hyunwoo, grinning, tousled her hair. ¡°Uhm- ?¡­¡± As Kim Hyunwoo lightly tousled her hair, Shadra swayed her head from side to side, seemingly in a very good mood. ¡°Thank you for your help.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing! After all, I¡¯m going to be here as time goes by, so that¡¯s only normal!¡± ¡°Thanks for thinking that way.¡± ¡°Right?¡± Shadra smiled brightly and then gave Kim Hyunwoo a tight hug. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Elena¡¯s eyes shed at the sight of Shadra¡¯s arms around Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s neck, but she chattered away as if she didn¡¯t care. ¡°I worked hard, so you have to grant me a wish?¡± ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll grant it if I can. What is it?¡± ¡°Um-¡± Thinking for a moment at Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s question, Shadra nced back at Elena and then spoke. ¡°I¡¯ll tell youter! Is that okay?¡± ¡°Sure, that¡¯s fine.¡± Shadra, nodding in agreement with Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s nod, smiled and confidently said, ¡°Oh, and if you need help with the next tier too, just let me know, I¡¯ll help!¡± ¡°Um- okay. But I think we probably won¡¯t need that kind of help until we get past the 9th tier.¡± ¡°Huh? Why?¡± At Shadra¡¯s question, asked with an innocent expression, Kim Hyunwoo exined, ¡°From the 8th tier onwards, the space bes much smaller.¡± Kim Hyunwoo, who hadpleted at least hundreds of raids on each tier, had information about the 8th tiere to mind. ¡®Ant hills are definitely a difficult terrain to fight in with summoned golems for various reasons.¡¯ Even though Labyrinths are basically underground, their size isn¡¯t small, but the 8th and 9th tiers distinctly change in nature from regr Labyrinths, taking on the form of ant hills. The paths be narrower and, in turn, numerous forks appear, entangling like a maze. Thus, exploration must invariably precede other activities more so than in other tiers, and since the passages themselves are narrow, golems can¡¯t really be used, which is why he shared this with Shadra. ¡°Um- can¡¯t help it then.¡± After Shadra left with a nod of disappointment, Kim Hyunwoo, who was receiving an additional report from Elena, said, ¡°This time too?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Soon, he could see the blue bones she had been waiting to show him. The three bonesid out in front of him, indicative of the total three tiers they had conquered, varied in size, if not as much as thest time. ¡°¡­They grew a bit each time a tier was cleared?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Upon Elena¡¯s nod, Kim Hyunwoo, having seen the blue bones, quickly checked the markings on the blue bones this time and asked, ¡°Did Shadra see this mark by any chance?¡± He asked, wondering if a magician like her might know something about it, but Elena shook her head. ¡°No, she did check, but she said she didn¡¯t know much about it either. She mentioned that we might need archaeologists for these kinds of symbols.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Kim Hyunwoo nodded in disappointment at Elena¡¯s words, then, after a brief chat with her and leaving a word of thanks for her efforts, he was about to leave the ce. However, ¡°Um, My Lord?¡± ¡°Huh? Why?¡± ¡°That- me too¡­¡± ¡°¡­?¡± Kim Hyunwoo, looking at Elena, tilted his head in confusion. To which Elena said, ¡°Never mind¡­¡± She quickly turned around with an awkwardugh, saying ¡®haha¡¯, then turned back around and cleared her throat for no particr reason. And then, ¡°Um¡­ could you, perhaps, praise me too?¡± ¡°¡­Praise?¡± ¡°Yes, that- tousling my hair.¡± Elena¡¯s face turned red, as if it took a lot of courage to say that, and Kim Hyunwoo wore a somewhat strange expression. After all, she had never acted this way before. So, Kim Hyunwoo, making a curious face, ¡°It¡¯s not hard, is it?¡± awkwardly nodded and tousled Elena¡¯s hair a few times. Elena flinched. As if Kim Hyunwoo had touched something wrong, Elena flinched a few times and then said, ¡°¡­I¡¯ll be going now.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ uhh¡­¡± She left the administrative area, leaving a subtle atmosphere behind. And then, ¡°¡­What was that?¡± Kim Hyunwoo, unknowingly making a strange face at the subtle atmosphere created by Elena¡¯s slight flinching, looked towards the direction she had left. The next day. Finally, as the Lord¡¯s castle¡¯s level was dyed and then upgraded to Level 2, the castle where Kim Hyunwoo had been staying changed. The Level 1 Lord¡¯s castle was essentially just minimally repaired and about to copse, but the newly expanded castle at Level 2 was different. To what extent was it different? ¡®¡­Was the Lord¡¯s castle at Level 2¡­ like this?¡¯ The moment Kim Hyunwoo saw the Level 2 Lord¡¯s castle, he unwittingly looked bewildered by how sophisticated it was. While it wasn¡¯t quite asrge as a royal pce, which he had seen when ying Arteil extensively, the Lord¡¯s castle now looked quite grand, almost like arge mansion. Furthermore, as the level increased, all the cracked and repair-needed areas were fixed, making Kim Hyunwoo wear a satisfied expression and think, ¡®Since the Lord¡¯s castle isn¡¯t built up like other buildings but naturally upgrades when the lord leaves materials around, it really seems to havepletely changed.¡¯ With that thought, Kim Hyunwoo entered the interior of the Lord¡¯s castle and could confirm that even the inside was not justmon wooden flooring but had been reced with rather high-quality wooden floors. And so, the first thing Kim Hyunwoo did as soon as the Lord¡¯s castle reached Level 2 was- ¡°¡­Fuel?¡± ¡°Yes, could you possibly research it? Since you¡¯re an alchemist, I wondered if this could work.¡± -to request Shadra to research fuel. Upon hearing this, Shadra, who had been listening to Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s story and reading what he had written for a while, said, ¡°Um- I¡¯ll discuss this with that dwarf and give it a try!¡± ¡°Please do.¡± ¡°Of course! Whose request would I refuse!¡± With a livelyugh, Shadra left the office, and Kim Hyunwoo returned to his work. Exactly one week passed from then. At that point, with about a week left until he needed to renew the Package, Kim Hyunwoo felt genuinely satisfied with the Lord¡¯s castle level increase over the past week. Indeed, while the Lord¡¯s castle level increase by just one didn¡¯t unlock additional functions, it enriched his life significantly. Cooking was always done by Lani, so he didn¡¯t feel it much, but the bed was no longer the hard one from the Level 1 Lord¡¯s castle but a very soft one, and it was subtly warm at night, so recently, he no longer woke up due to the cold. Of course, aside from the immediate improved living conditions, there were peculiar urrences, like Elena changing her hairstyle asionally or subtly grabbing his sleeve under the guise of reading his palm, but among these, the significant change over the past week was, Red Stones: 30 Blue Stones: 232 Gold Coins: 325,422 Magic Stones: 242,231 The supply of Magic Stones. In fact, the current view of Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s assets showed a clear decrease in the supply of Magic Stones. Because even after more than a week had passed, leaving only a week remaining, he had not gathered more than 242,231 of the lowest-grade Magic Stones. However, those were just the Magic Stones disyed in the asset window. ¡°Show me the low and mid-grade Magic Stones from Loria as well.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Following Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s words, the asset window updated. Lowest-grade Magic Stones: 242,231 Low-grade Magic Stones: 15,231 Mid-grade Magic Stones: 1,732 ¡°Um.¡± Looking at the newly updated notification window that appeared before his eyes, Kim Hyunwoo smiled. Until now, gathering low and mid-grade Magic Stones had been impossible, so he hadn¡¯t bothered to disy them, but after the Labyrinth was breached up to the 7th tier, the supply of the lowest-grade Magic Stones fell while low and mid-grade Magic Stones began to umte. ¡®I was thinking wrong.¡¯ In fact, Kim Hyunwoo had not thought that low and mid-grade Magic Stones would gather quickly even if he opened the tier immediately. He had judged that time was needed until high-level mercenaries, who would be the only ones entering from the 5th tier where low-grade Magic Stones weremon, started toe in. However, contrary to Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s thoughts, as soon as the 5th tier was opened, low-grade Magic Stones began to be supplied in earnest, allowing him to realize that there were quite a lot of high-level mercenaries in Lartania than he had thought. Thanks to that, Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s face was brightening day by day. Although exchanging the low and mid-grade Magic Stones, which had not yet dropped in market value, cost a fair amount of money, it was because there was a significant qualitative difference between low and mid-grade Magic Stones. Moreover, a Labyrinth break triggered by low-grade Magic Stones yields 1,000 more Red Stones than one triggered by the lowest-grade Magic Stones. This means that one Labyrinth break can yield 2,300 Stones. ¡®Shadra has really been a blessing.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo smiled as he remembered how, thanks to Shadra, they had breached the Labyrinth up to the 7th tier in just one day without a single casualty. ¡®If we could also produce fuel via alchemy here, that would really be the icing on the cake.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo thought of Shadra, who had been researching something for a week after their conversation with River, but soon shook his head. He really hoped the fuel would bepleted, but it seemed too much to hope for, so he was somewhat prepared to let go of that expectation. Anyway, ¡®At this rate, maybe I could even buy a Proposal Ring next month if things go well?¡¯ While the Gold Coins were slowly increasing, in contrast to the rapidly increasing Magic Stones, Kim Hyunwoo smiled as he looked at the current situation. ¡°My Lord.¡± At the sound of a polite knock, Kim Hyunwoo responded, ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been told that someone from Tesnoka territory hase to visit.¡± ¡°¡­From Tesnoka?¡± ¡°Yes, they say it¡¯s an urgent matter.¡± ¡°Let them in.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Shortly after Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s permission, A ¡ï¡ï¡ï hero 'Cloaked in Darkness' has entered the territory. ¡°I greet the Lord of Lartania. My name is Roman.¡± Seeing Roman bowing politely before him, he nodded and politely asked, ¡°Excuse me, but the Lord is currently very busy and couldn¡¯te in person. Could we possiblymunicate through a crystal ball?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± A simple permission. Following that, Roman, looking apologetic, bowed his head and then ced a crystal ball in front of Kim Hyunwoo. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Lord of Lartania.¡± ¡°It certainly has been a long time for me as well.¡± Rania, the Duchess of Tesnoka, immediately greeted him and went straight to the point, ¡°Time is of the essence, so I apologize for being abrupt. Lord of Lartania, could you possibly assist me?¡± ¡°¡­Are you requesting military aid?¡± ¡°Yes, if you agree to help me, I¡¯ll owe you one. I mean it sincerely.¡± Before Kim Hyunwoo could even think, he heard a firm voice- ¡°¡­Yes?¡± He couldn¡¯t help but respond with a surprised tone. Chapter 110: Reinforcements Office (2) At that moment, Kim Hyunwoo, taken aback, quickly regained hisposure and cleared his throat before answering. ¡°It seems like the conversation is going in a simr direction asst time.¡± ¡°Last time wasn¡¯t sincere, but this time, it is.¡± Feeling the sincerity from Rania¡¯s eyes and tone beyond the crystal ball, Kim Hyunwoo, who had been silent, then spoke. ¡°¡­Let¡¯s save that conversation forter. I would like to hear the details of the situation, if that¡¯s possible?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Rania began to meticulously exin her current situation to Kim Hyunwoo, from start to finish, after her response. ¡°The Norba Kingdom is currently in a state of chaos due to endless wars. Duke Landaron is leading a faction and having contracted with demons, they have staged a coup, seized the Kingdom, and are subjugating the territories using monsters.¡± Following that statement, as the detailed exnation began, Kim Hyunwoo focused intently for a while. Shortly after a considerable amount of time had passed, ¡°So¡­ to conclude, does that mean, within the span of a month, almost all the territories belonging to the kingdom have been subjugated by Landaron, and only eight territories, including yours, Lady Rania, remain?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s correct.¡± Hearing Rania¡¯s answer, Kim Hyunwoo thought, ¡®I had roughly expected this to be the case.¡¯ From the moment Duke Landaron upied the Norba Kingdom and became king, Kim Hyunwoo had a premonition that this situation was inevitable. That¡¯s because Landaron, who had usurped power through unteral violence without any legitimacy, could not possibly be viewed favorably by other territories. Therefore, from Landaron¡¯s perspective, he had no choice but to subjugate the territories to prevent the country from being divided. Even if he had upied the kingdom, the territories would never follow his orders, and instead, the territories could be torn apart, making it no longer a kingdom. Despite Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s seemingly urate prediction of Landaron¡¯s next move, the strange expression on his face was because- ¡°¡­It feels like just over a month has passed, but Landaron is moving faster than I thought.¡± -Because Landaron is subjugating the territories faster than expected. Given that subjugating other territories is essentially a race against time, it was expected that Landaron would move quickly, but the speed was too fast, which led to the question answered by Rania. [In fact, we could have somehow stopped Landaron¡¯s soldiers alone, but the problem is the monsters.] ¡°¡­Monsters?¡± [Yes. After Landaron joined forces with the demon race, he brought monsters from the demon world, and they have been more troublesome than expected. These monsters from the demon world smash through magical barriers as if they were ordinary walls.] ¡°Is that true?¡± [Yes.] Kim Hyunwoo could understand why other territories were subjugated so quickly due to Rania¡¯s dark affirmation. ¡®Was it because the walls have fallen?¡¯ Defensive battles are fundamentally more advantageous than sieges, and with the right strategy, defenders can hold off up to five times their numbers. However, that assumes the walls are intact. If the walls are not, the distinction between defense and siege loses its meaning. [Of course, the situation has improved a bit now, as the number of monsters among Landaron¡¯s soldiers has significantly decreased.] ¡°¡­They must have expended a lot of them.¡± [That could be one reason, but as far as I know, there are heroes who have been ying the monsters sent by Landaron. Thanks to them, Landaron has reportedly stopped sending monsters with his soldiers on purpose.] ¡°¡­A hero ying monsters? Perhaps from the Holy Kingdom?¡± In response to Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s question, Rania shook her head and continued. [No. It will be at least two more weeks before people from the Holy Kingdom can arrive here. They are on the eastern frontier.] ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Kim Hyunwoo, having obtained additional information from Rania, said, ¡°So, to summarize, if we properly stop Landaron¡¯s soldiers, who are almost without monsters this time, they won¡¯t have the capacity to invade anymore, right?¡± [¡°If we just deal with the soldiers currently on the move, then by the time the Holy Kingdom¡¯s people arrive¡­ this is the critical moment.¡±] Upon hearing Rania¡¯s words, Kim Hyunwoo realized it was time to make a decision. ¡®Should I save the Tesnoka territory? No, can I even save it?¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo carefully considered the current situation as exined by Rania. ¡®There are slightly over 10,000 soldiers to stop, the northern wall has already copsed, and Rania¡¯s soldiers have low morale due to the battles that have urred several times.¡¯ ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Kim Hyunwoo pondered. In fact, at this point, helping Rania would mean Kim Hyunwoo would have to endure a significant loss. Kim Hyunwoo did not have the forces to help Rania immediately, and deciding to help meant considering the use of missiles. ¡®But that would be foolish.¡¯ The Tesnoka territory has been of great help to Kim Hyunwoo. After all, Lartania¡¯s remarkable growth until now was possible because the Tesnoka territory continued to sell resources generously. However, even so, it didn¡¯t make sense to use the Red Stones for that reason. If Kim Hyunwoo had an abundance of Red Stones, it might be a different story, but that was not the case. Thus, Kim Hyunwoo, continuing his contemtion, looked at Rania through the crystal confinement. She appeared endlessly anxious, waiting for a decision. ¡®Perhaps they requested help thinking I would fire missiles rather than sending soldiers¡­¡¯ Regrettably, Kim Hyunwoo, who had no intention of using missiles, was in a dilemma. ¡°Ah.¡± He let out a low exmation and then asked Rania a question. [Yes¡­? Oh, yes. Well, there is one thing.] ¡°If you can prepare the items I request, I think I can help you.¡± Seeing Rania nod her head in bewilderment, Kim Hyunwoo spoke with a sly smile. [Really¡­?!] A smile appeared on Rania¡¯s lips. As soon as he decided to help Rania, Kim Hyunwoo immediately went to ask Shadra about something he was curious about. ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be difficult, right? Since it¡¯s not a Dispel, it can be used even during war.¡± Seeing Shadra nod as if agreeing with Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s n, he smiled and said, ¡°Then, can you go to the Tesnoka territory with me for a bit?¡± ¡°The Tesnoka territory? Why there?¡± ¡°Because I¡¯ve received a request for reinforcements.¡± After hearing Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s words, Shadra thought for a moment, then nodded as if she understood the situation and said, ¡°Got it! Of course, I¡¯ll go if Dad asks!¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mention it!¡± After that conversation, Kim Hyunwoo patted Shadra¡¯s head, who was subtly clinging to him, and then immediately called for Elena, concluding his preparations. ¡°Alright, then let¡¯s depart right away.¡± Kim Hyunwoo, after handling the minimum necessary administrative work, immediately set off for the Tesnoka territory with Elena, Shadra, the required items, and ten Apprentice Knights in tow. It took about five days for Kim Hyunwoo to reach the Tesnoka territory. Originally, it was supposed to take a bit longer, but thanks to Shadra summoning golems to carry and run with the carriage halfway through, they were able to shorten the time more than expected. Thanks to that, Kim Hyunwoo, who arrived quite directly at the Tesnoka territory, could see that the territory was in worse condition than he had anticipated. ¡®¡­It¡¯s a mess.¡¯ The Tesnoka territory that Kim Hyunwoo saw seemed to show at first nce that a war was taking ce here. Immediately at the outer walls, there wasn¡¯t a single ce that was intact everywhere, and part of the wall hadpletely copsed, just as she had said. They had hastily conducted repairs, but it was essentially no different from being breached. Moreover, the hollow eyes of the soldiers seemed to tell the current situation of the Tesnoka territory, and Kim Hyunwoo looked on. ¡°Lord¡­!¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a long time.¡± He was able to meet Rania, the Lord of the Tesnoka territory, who ran out to greet them even before they headed to the Lord¡¯s castle. ¡°Thank you for considering my unreasonable request.¡± Rania immediately bowed her head. ¡°Not at all. Territories near each other should help out.¡± ¡®It¡¯s not like I¡¯m not receiving a reward, after all.¡¯ Rania smiled and tried to take Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s hand once again, but then, ¡°Hello?¡± Before Rania¡¯s hand could touch Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s, Shadra¡¯s greeting came at an exquisite timing, causing Rania to nod her head with a slightly bewildered expression. ¡°Hello, how are you?¡± Seeing Rania asking with an expression of ¡®Who is this?¡¯, Kim Hyunwoo promptly introduced her. ¡°Yes, please take good care of me?¡± At Shadra¡¯s words, standing subtly in front of Kim Hyunwoo and greeting him, Rania replied with an awkward smile, ¡°Yes, I too ask for your good care.¡± After the brief greetings, Kim Hyunwoo immediately headed to the Lord of Tesnoka¡¯s castle, where he could get a more detailed briefing from Rania than what he had heard before. ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that Landaron¡¯s soldiers will arrive here in about three days?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°That should be enough time.¡± ¡°Do you think so?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Seeing Rania nod firmly to his words, Kim Hyunwoo nodded as if he thought it wasn¡¯t bad and then continued, ¡°I will now exin the n to you.¡± He began to exin the n to Rania. After about ten minutes, having heard all of Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s n, Rania asked, ¡°¡­You can stop them like that?¡± She asked with a dazed expression. ¡°Yes. It will work.¡± Rania nodded as if she understood, seeing Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s confident response. ¡°I understand. Then, I¡¯ll trust in you, My Lord.¡± ¡°Thank you for your trust.¡± ¡°No need for thanks. If we are to be married, we must trust each other.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Kim Hyunwoo looked bewildered for a moment at the words that suddenly came from Rania¡¯s mouth. ¡°¡­What?¡± When Rania responded in kind, Kim Hyunwoo, after a moment of contemtion, said, ¡°Ah¡­¡± Realizing he had arrived without discussing the matter of another form ofpensation, he was about to speak to Rania, but then, ¡°Dad? What¡¯s this- what are you saying now?¡± Shadra¡¯s voice came chillingly, Crunch-! ¡°My Lord¡­?¡± With the sound of something crunching and Elena¡¯s voice, Kim Hyunwoo instinctively felt cold sweat running down. Chapter 111: Reinforcements Office (3) For a moment, the temperature inside the office seemed to drop by 10 degrees Celsius, causing a chilling sensation, but Kim Hyunwoo couldn¡¯t understand why he felt like he was being ripped off. However, he clearly realized one fact. That if this situation continued for long, it wouldn¡¯t be good. ¡°I was actually about to speak a little about that matter.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Therefore, Kim Hyunwoo immediately began to speak, directly addressing Rania, who soon wore a puzzled expression. And then, ¡°Resources, you say?¡± ¡°Yes. I thought perhaps the Duchess of Tesnoka would prefer this over marriage.¡± ¡°Certainly, that seems better¡­¡± What Kim Hyunwoo proposed to Rania was the purchase of resources. A proposal to buy resources from the Tesnoka territory at virtually cost price. ¡®Actually, I initially thought it would be better to just take arge amount of resources at once.¡¯ Naturally, receiving resources without spending any money would be ideal, but that was a short-sighted thought. After all, Lartania would need a tremendous amount of resources to consume for its future growth. Therefore, Kim Hyunwoo made a proposal to Rania to purchase resources at a price close to cost rather than receiving them for free once. ¡°Of course, we need to agree on a timeline, and honestly, discussions about suchpensation are better left until after the work ispleted, but somehow we¡¯re talking about it now.¡± ¡°Anyway, since I brought this up rather suddenly, and you, the Duchess, need time to consider, you can give us your answer after this matter is concluded.¡± Kim Hyunwoo, who spoke with an awkward smile, immediately stood up after finishing his words. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll start the preparations right away.¡± Before Rania could say anything, Kim Hyunwoo, who had already stood up, quickly exited the office. And then. ¡°Dad.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not something you decided on btedly, is it?¡± ¡°What is?¡± ¡°The talk about marriage.¡± At Shadra¡¯s words, Kim Hyunwoo spoke with a smile. ¡°Of course, I had no intention of getting married now in the first ce.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°At that, the Duchess seems to have an awkward smile.¡± Elena quickly came in right after Shadra¡¯s defense. ¡°Awkward? I never had such thoughts in the first ce.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°For that, you spoke too hastily.¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s really not like that.¡± Kim Hyunwoo, sweating coldly, turned his gaze slightly to look at Shadra and Elena, who were staring at him intently. ¡®No, you two weren¡¯t close.¡¯ At least, during the past five daysing to the Tesnoka territory, the rtionship between Shadra and Elena didn¡¯t seem good. After all, during the somewhat long journey of five days, Elena and Shadra didn¡¯t exchange even a single word. But what about now? A sigh was all Kim Hyunwoo could muster, not understanding why he found himself in this situation, seeing them attacking as if they were soul duos filling the void of usibility. Landaron had be king. He killed the king of Norba Kingdom, usurped the throne, and although with the help of demons, he was in the process of subjugating most of the territories belonging to the kingdom, nearly achievingplete sess. At this point, only eight territories remained for Landaron to subjugate, and the subjugation would bepleted once the ¡®Tesnoka territory¡¯, the center of that faction, was taken down. Thus, by toppling and subjugating Tesnoka, Landaron would be able to sessfully ascend to the throne as king. However, despite such a situation, Landaron¡¯s mood could not be said to be good. The reason was that the Tesnoka territory, which should have been falling apart by now, had yet to do so. In truth, there would be no reason for Landaron to be this urgent if there was time, but unfortunately, as long as the holy kingdom existed, Landaron needed to stabilize the kingdom as quickly as possible. From the moment the holy kingdom arrived, Landaron could no longer afford to spend time recovering the territories. Realizing this, Duke Landaron had deployed most of the troops he could mobilize right away to the Tesnoka territory. After all, once the Tesnoka territory fell, the other territories belonging to that faction would naturally copse as well. Because of the monsters. ¡°Tsk.¡± In truth, Tesnoka should have fallen long ago if things had gone as originally nned. However, the reason the Tesnoka territory had not been subjugated yet was because Landaron was currently unable to use monsters, one of his leading forces. Certainly, over the past month, Landaron had extracted tens of thousands of monsters from a ¡®gate¡¯ located beneath the Lord¡¯s castle, and these tens of thousands of monsters could definitely be considered his greatest force. Yet, he had not been able to use monsters even once during thest month. That was because two heroes, who appeared from somewhere, killed all the monsters as soon as they were brought out for war. Thanks to that, Landaron had to subjugate the territories bearing a tremendous consumption of troops without the monsters, and furthermore- ¡°¡­¡­¡± -Despite bing a king, he found himself having to be cautious. He had to be wary of Kelva, who was sitting next to him, looking very displeased. A few weeks ago, Kelva, who had materialized to kill the two heroes obstructing the subjugation of the territories, faced forced death and since then, had suffered significant losses. Not only did he waste time by gathering the monsters then, but he also permanently lost his power, and after materializing, he was killed by that hero along with the monsters. In essence, having been killed twice by the same hero, his mood was understandably not good. Landaron had no choice but to be mindful of Kelva¡¯s mood despite his own displeasure. Kelva, Crack! would let out a light sigh, but every time he remembered that moment, his anger seemed to re up, breaking the armrest of the chair he was sitting in, which was the eighth in a row he had destroyed. This was because he had heard it at the moment Kelva was killed, if it were immediate death, perhaps he wouldn¡¯t know, the sight of the hero shouting, ¡°Infamy Potion again¡­!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± In the demon world, where Kelva could not be ignored by anyone, he felt genuine shame and thus true anger for being mocked as an Infamy Potion by mere heroes. Yet, despite this, the reason he could note forward any further was likewise because of a greater cause. If he acted rashly here, everything ahead could be entangled, so these days, he restrained his boiling intent to kill as much as possible, letting out an unknowable number of sighs before asking, ¡°Have you sent the personnel?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°You know, right? This time, it must seed without fail.¡± At Kelva¡¯s words, Duke Landaron nodded in agreement. ¡°I¡¯m aware of that. If we don¡¯t take them down this time, the holy kingdom wille. To ensure a definitive oue, I¡¯ve sent eight heroes and over ten thousand soldiers. Even among those, 2,000 have received the power of demons.¡± Landaron continued, ¡°Furthermore, the walls of the Tesnoka territory have already fallen. No matter how quickly they rebuild, they won¡¯t be able to subdue a magical barrier that quickly.¡± ¡°I hope things proceed as expected.¡± Upon hearing this, Kelva nodded and then spoke, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s a bit unsettling without the monsters, but we¡¯ve already expended over twenty thousand troops on the Tesnoka territory, so it should go as expected. And-¡± With that, Landaron looked towards where the Tesnoka territory was and smiled slyly, ¡°Themander leading the troops right now is a hero I quite cherish. He¡¯ll probably do well.¡± Muttering so, he erased any sign of anxiousness with a faint smile. Under Landaron¡¯smand, a hero known by the nickname ¡®The Invader¡¯, Areidros, looked at the Tesnoka territory with a confident expression. The Tesnoka territory he was looking at was a mess. Immediately, he saw that the territory was littered with crudely patched-up broken walls, and the soldiers on the walls all looked this way with grim expressions, making it clear there was no need to divide his forces. In other words, in terms of morale, they were no match. Moreover, as far as Areidros was aware, the number of soldiers remaining in the Tesnoka territory didn¡¯t even reach 5,000. In contrast, the troops led by Areidros numbered over ten thousand, and among them were a few who alone could significantly sway the course of battle, including heroes with titles and those who had received the power of demons. Even if Areidros wasn¡¯t confident in his own abilities, anymander in this situation would inevitably feel confident. After all, even without any special strategy, a mere shout of ¡°Attack¡± from Areidros would suffice for the mages¡¯ magic to shatter the broken walls and for his forces to enter and upy Tesnoka. Therefore, with a smile, Areidros immediately led his more than ten thousand soldiers forward, using the mages¡¯rge-scale magic to attack the crudely patched-up walls. Boom! Seeing the walls crumble helplessly with just onerge-scale magic attack, likely due to the absence of magical defenses, Areidros chuckled and without hesitation dered, ¡°Attack.¡± Whoosh! As soon as Areidros opened his mouth, the soldiers, each with a confident smile, began to rush towards the location of the broken walls. Simrly, the wyvern riders they had prepared in advance took to the skies. Dozens of mages fired spells towards the empty walls where the Dispel was not maintained. The Tesnoka territory was instantly plunged into crisis at the start of the war. Looking at this, Areidros, who was smiling, ¡°¡­?¡± suddenly saw a giant golem appear in front of the walls. Looking at the very solid-looking iron golem that seemed impossible to damage by any ordinary means being formed from the broken walls, he- ¡°¡­Hmm?¡± -nced around as if watching the soldiers pushing towards the walls and smirked. With a puzzled expression, Areidros looked at the man ¨C no, at Kim Hyunwoo ¨C as he took something out from his bosom. A small button. And then. Pressed it- The moment Kim Hyunwoo pressed the button- Boom!!!! The once calm ground began to burst open. Chapter 112: Reinforcements Office (3) As the ground before Areidros bursts open, soldiers are flung in all directions. It was not just that. The ces where soldiers had been pulling siege cannons just moments ago, and where others had been stringing their bows in front of them, ¡­explosions were urring everywhere there were soldiers, right now. ¡°What in the-!¡± The chilling screams of soldiers flung in all directions fill the air as dozens of siege weapons are destroyed in an instant. A situation that urred in the blink of an eye. ¡®Is this magic¡­!?¡¯ Areidros frowned in thought but soon shook his head. The Dispel magic was still in effect, after all. Thus, Areidros panicked for a moment, but ¡°All forces-! Form ranks!!¡± He soon shouted thismand through clenched teeth. At the same time, even in a state of panic, the soldiers began to form ranks as if their bodies had reacted on their own. Although it was not a good situation as the front line that had charged in just a moment had beenpletely destroyed, having already gone through numerous battlefields as amander, he began to calmly assess the situation. No, to be precise, he tried to assess the situation. ¡°¡­!¡± Before the Iron Golem tried to throw something huge at him. The something thrown by the Iron Golem flies towards Areidros in an instant. An eerily precise throw for something called a golem. Inside his coat, he calmly sidestepped and tore up several Shield scrolls he had. ¡°Ugh!¡± Soon, Areidros managed to save his life by bouncing off the stone thrown by the golem using the Shield thatsted only a few seconds. However, while Areidros was briefly smiling at his own survival, he soon saw that the something thrown by the golem was glowing blue. Immediately after, he was engulfed by a bright white light. Kwaahhhhhhhhhh-!!!!! A huge explosion urred. ¡°Sigh.¡± As soon as he confirmed that themander had flown away, Kim Hyunwoo, who was atop the golem, was able to sigh in relief as he wiped away the cold sweat that had been pouring out. Looking down immediately, he saw soldiers getting tangled up and repelled by the Iron Golem as soon as they lost theirmander, and stragglers beginning to flee the battlefield already. Seeing them all fleeing in terror just like before, Kim Hyunwoo thought, ¡®The mines worked well.¡¯ What Kim Hyunwoo had made this time were mines created from power engines in the workshop. He detached power engines from the workshop in the Tesnoka territory, mmed in the medium Magic Stones he had prepared in advance, and buried them all underground near the walls. Of course, the mines were not just buried. Naturally, mines from the medieval era couldn¡¯t be detonated by stepping on them. They had to be remotely activated. Therefore, Kim Hyun-woo asked Shadra to create a scroll that could remotely operate the power source of the buried power engine, and then detonated all the mines in the surrounding area in a chain by pressing the button when the soldiers arrived. He knew that the power engines would explode upon receiving a strong impact. ¡®It was fortunate that I could press it just before entering the Dispel range.¡¯ If, by any chance, the mines that were to start the chain explosion had not detonated upon entering the Dispel range, it would have been a very difficult situation, so Kim Hyunwoo sighed in relief as if reassured. In fact, he had been tense until the end of themander. Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s n had many variables. If themander had attempted to attack from all directions, Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s operation would have achieved only a minor sess. However, despite knowing these risks, he deliberately nted mines in front of the broken walls because he believed themanders would becent. The situation in the Tesnoka territory was such that nomander could afford to becent. The Tesnoka territory¡¯s walls had been breached after numerous battles, and the number of soldiers had significantly decreased. Above all, only six of the many heroes remained. In other words, anyone could see the clear weakness in Tesnoka, and the hastily repaired walls that Kim Hyunwoo saw would have further inducedcency in themanders. Hastily making repairs to the walls was almost the same as indirectly revealing the state of the territory. Anyway, through these several factors, Kim Hyunwoo knew that themander would becent, and right after causing panic among the soldiers by detonating the mines, he immediately targeted themander. Even though the soldiers in the front lines were dealt with, there were too many from Landaron. If themander who had been gathering soldiers had quickly assessed the situation and charged again, it would have been quite troublesome. However, Kim Hyunwoo had made several power engines in advance to ensure that such an event wouldn¡¯t happen, and he seeded in throwing them precisely at the enemymander. As a result, the soldiers, having lost theirmander and attacked by something they couldn¡¯t understand, fell into panic and were fleeing. ¡®¡­I didn¡¯t know Dispel could be so helpful.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo thought this as he looked at the thousands of bodies piled up in less than 30 minutes of fighting. If there had been no Dispel magic andrge-scale magic could cause significant damage in war, the response to such a situation would have been swift. ¡®But I killed themander first to prevent that response.¡¯ In fact, themander of Landaron¡¯s army would originally have been in a safe ce,pletely out of reach of long-range attacks. The only reason he could be killed was because of the existence of the Iron Golem. Kim Hyunwoo sighed in relief, as the operation could have failed had even one thing gone wrong, ¡°¡­¡­¡± but Rania, the Lord of Tesnoka, who was watching from a distance as an army of over 10,000 was instantly decimated, wore a look of shock. ¡°¡­This can¡¯t be happening.¡± Honestly, Rania was quite disappointed when she first heard Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s n, though she didn¡¯t show it. She had asked for Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s help because she wanted him to use the same thing he had used in the Lartania territory when it was invaded by the demon army. Of course, Rania was fully aware that she was being selfish. Asking him to use a very powerful weapon, which could effectively protect Lartania and for which the enemies had no data, on another territory¡¯s affairs was an unreasonable request. Yet, Rania had hoped he would use it. At least, in her opinion, the Tesnoka territory was certain to be lost in the next war. Therefore, she dared to resent Kim Hyunwoo, who showed a logical ¨C no, rather, an unimaginably kind ¨C favor. Of course, such feelings also brought about self-disappointment and self-loathing. But at this moment, ¡°¡­¡­¡± Rania found herself looking up at Kim Hyunwoo without realizing it. He was standing on the shoulder of the Iron Golem created by the Master of the Blue Tower, casually looking around at the soldiers of Landaron fleeing. Kim Hyunwoo, who had been scanning the ground with calm eyes as if this was the expected oue, soon turned his gaze to Rania, who was watching him, and gave a light nod in acknowledgment. Seeing him confidently push forward with a n she thought was absurd, executing it wlessly without a single mistake- ¡°¡­¡­¡± At the same time, seeing him reveal, without hesitation, what could effectively be considered his trump card, something he had never shown before, to save her territory and, by extension, Rania herself, she found herself looking at Kim Hyunwoo with a face faintly flushed with a weak blush. A day after sessfully executing the n to perfection, Kim Hyunwoo prepared to return to Lartania after hearing Roman¡¯s report that, except for about 2,000 stragglers, the forces had beenpletely disintegrated. The ten thousand soldiers had undoubtedly posed a threat to Rania, but it was judged that the current Tesnoka territory could sufficiently defend against the remaining 2,000 soldiers. Therefore, having quickly finished his preparations, Kim Hyunwoo had a meeting with Rania before departing for Lartania. ¡°Thank you very much.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m to receive fairpensation, after all.¡± Kim Hyunwoo responded to Rania, who bowed her head in gratitude. Indeed, it wasn¡¯t just lip service; he had received a promise ofpensation from Rania that exceeded his expectations. Originally, what he wanted was the right to purchase resources at cost for about half a year. He had been promised the right to buy resources from the territory at cost for over five years, along with a one-time provision of a tremendous amount of resources for free. From Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s perspective, this was not a loss but rather a gain. Of course, Rania would have been doomed without Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s intervention, but since it was quite a significant benefit, he too bowed in gratitude. ¡°Once this is over, I¡¯lle to thank you in person.¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing.¡± ¡°Ah, or you coulde to me. In fact, if you do, I¡¯ll prepare an even bigger thank-you and a gift.¡± Rania, with a smile, subtly tried to take Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s hand. However, Elena, noticing Rania¡¯s actions before Shadra could even react, stepped forward. ¡°We shall do so.¡± She bowed shortly in greeting. But, despite clearly being obstructed, with a swift motion- Rania grabbed Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s other hand and closed the distance between them. And then, ¡°It will definitely be a very big gift.¡± She spoke almost in a whisper. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The atmosphere cooled down. ¡°You understand, don¡¯t you?¡± Shadra, who had been smiling, stiffened, and Elena sent a cold gaze toward Rania, but she, as if she had no care for her surroundings, pressed Kim Hyunwoo for an answer. ¡°¡­Ah, yes.¡± With that involuntary response from a bewildered Kim Hyunwoo, he left the Tesnoka territory. Chapter 113: Hero King (1) Kim Hyunwoo, who sessfully blocked the soldiers of Landaron, was able to arrive in Lartania after about five days. ¡°Hoo¡­¡± Kim Hyunwooes straight to the office upon arriving in Lartania and sighs. Kim Hyunwoo, who had essentially finished his work and was returning from Tesnoka territory, felt lighter rather than burdened, but to be honest, he felt quite ufortable over the past five days. No, more precisely, it was not physical difort but mental difort he felt. Right away, during the five days returning, he had heard enough from Elena and Shadra about how cunning Rania, the Lord of Tesnoka, was. By arriving in Lartania, Kim Hyunwoo, who could escape from their admonitions of never going to her alone, was sighing in relief around this time. ¡°My Lord.¡± As soon as he crossed the walls of Lartania, a trainee knight approached him as if waiting and began to speak, to which Kim Hyunwoo nodded and replied, then he said, ¡°It seems that the leader of Tienus Merchant Group wishes to see you, My Lord. What should we do?¡± ¡°The Tienus Merchant Group?¡± ¡°Yes. It seems they arrived three days ago and have been waiting to meet you.¡± Kim Hyunwoo pondered for a moment upon the trainee knight¡¯s words. ¡®I¡¯m a bit tired now.¡¯ Tired from the journey taking more than five days to Lartania, but considering their good rtionship and the fact that the head of the Merchant Group had already waited for three days, Kim Hyunwoo nodded as if to say he understood. ¡°Tell the head of the Merchant Group that they cane to see me right now.¡± ¡°Yes, understood.¡± After responding, the trainee knight turned to leave immediately, and Kim Hyunwoo then headed towards the Lord¡¯s castle. A little time passed after that. ¡°How are you, My Lord?¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡± Kim Hyunwoo saw Adria greeting him lightly. And then. ¡°¡­So, who is this person next to you?¡± ¡°Hello? I¡¯m Shadra, Master of the Blue Tower.¡± She was also able to greet Shadra. During the meeting with Adria, Shadra¡¯s interruption briefly cast an odd atmosphere over the room, but soon, Kim Hyunwoo could hear why she hade. ¡°Twenty Skeleton scrolls?¡± ¡°Yes. In fact, there aren¡¯t many necromancers, and even fewer can make scrolls, so I thought it would be hard to find, but somehow I managed to procure them.¡± ¡°That¡¯s indeed good news.¡± Upon hearing this, Kim Hyunwoo found himself blurting out such a response without realizing it. This was because, despite being a recent development, the Magnifying sses produced nearly ten thousand a day had finally begun to sell out. This meant that due to the influx of new mercenaries, the demand had increased, and the existing supply couldn¡¯t catch up as before, which allowed Kim Hyunwoo to speak with a smile. Not long after promising to buy all the scrolls Adria had brought, they were having a light conversation. ¡°Ah, speaking of which, I have a gift for you.¡± ¡°A gift?¡± At Adria¡¯s words, Kim Hyunwoo looked puzzled, but she smiled, took a scroll out from her bosom, and handed it to him. ¡°¡­What¡¯s this?¡± Kim Hyunwoo, looking puzzled as he received the scroll. Adria smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s a Teleportation scroll.¡± ¡°¡­A Teleportation scroll?¡± ¡°Yes, I heard about the recent demon invasion. If you ever find yourself in danger, you can use that scroll to escape from a critical situation.¡± ¡°¡­Isn¡¯t this expensive?¡± At Adria¡¯s words, Kim Hyunwoo couldn¡¯t help but ask such a question. This was because, while he wasn¡¯t sure about other fantasy novels or games, in the world of Arteil at least, Teleportation scrolls were outrageously priced. However, in response to Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s question, Adria gave a slight smile and said, ¡°I¡¯d appreciate it if you epted it as a token of my feelings. I always gain a lot from our transactions, so I¡¯m quite good at negotiating myself.¡± ¡°Even so, this is¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I have someone I know, so I didn¡¯t have to spend that much gold on it.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll gratefully ept it.¡± After seeing Kim Hyunwoo bow his head in deep gratitude, Adria let out a satisfiedugh, and it wasn¡¯t long before they resumed their conversation. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll be taking my leave now.¡± ¡°Ah, understood.¡± After Adria bowed her head and finished speaking, she left, and Kim Hyunwoo let out a satisfied sigh. ¡°¡­?¡± Suddenly, he remembered Shadra¡¯s presence and felt puzzled. This was because Shadra always liked to interject and join conversations with anyone. However, during the conversation with Adria, except for when she introduced herself, Shadra had remained silent from beginning to end, which made Kim Hyunwoo turn his gaze with a puzzled look. ¡°¡­?¡± Soon, he saw. Instead of her usual innocent expression, Shadra was sweating profusely with a face filled with terror. And then, ¡°What, what¡¯s wrong? Are you okay?¡± Upon seeing Shadra¡¯s sudden change, Kim Hyunwoo, with a puzzled look, opened his mouth, and she turned her neck towards him, creaking like a broken doll, ¡°Ah, Dad¡­¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°That, that person ¨C a dragon?¡± She blurted out. ¡°Dragon¡­?¡± To Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s bewildered question, ¡°I-I don¡¯t like that person¡­¡± Shadra, trembling, clung to Kim Hyunwoo. And just as Kim Hyunwoo began to care for Shadra¡¯s suddenly broken mental state, outside, Adria was sitting in the office chair, letting out a genuine sigh, appearing exhausted. ¡°¡­Sigh-¡± Adria sighed as if exhausted. Despite having talked to Kim Hyunwoo for just around 20 minutes, the reason for her excessive tiredness was indeed because of the Crimson Dragon. No, to be more precise, it wasn¡¯t because of the dragon, but because of Shadra, the Master of the Blue Tower, who was beside Kim Hyunwoo. Right away, as if intending to provoke her while she was talking with Kim Hyunwoo, Shadra tried to hug him from behind. Of course, Adria wasn¡¯t mentally shaken by just that. However, the Crimson Dragon, witnessing the situation along with Adria, as soon as Shadra took that action, [ImgoingtokillherImgoingtokillherImgoingtokillherImgoingtokillherImgoingtokillherImgoingtokillherImgoingtokillherImgoingtokillherImgoingtokillherImgoingtokillher-!!!] Truly, it began to curse Shadra with all the murderous intent it could muster. The Master of the Blue Tower, with enough magical talent to hold a position in the Mage Tower, eventually noticed the Dragon¡¯s curse. Because of this, Adria had to converse with Kim Hyunwoo, who noticed nothing, while witnessing Shadra trembling in real-time under the Dragon¡¯s curse for about 15 minutes. ¡°Ah, that was tough.¡± Therefore, Adria sighed, her body drained of strength, but soon thought, ¡°¡­At least I¡¯ve delivered everything I needed to.¡± Adria recalled the Teleportation scroll she had handed over. The scroll, made even by deceiving the Crimson Dragon that created it, contained coordinates ensuring her guardian¡¯s absolute victory should Kim Hyunwoo fall into peril. ¡­No, in fact, it was a scroll that would activate after a certain time, regardless of danger. ¡®I should have told the Dragon by now.¡¯ Adria¡¯s original n was to do this first and then tell the Dragon. She judged this to be the only way the dragon, unable to roam outside and possessing a rather grim personality, could win in this battle. ¡­Furthermore, she concluded this was the only way to protect one¡¯s mind from being influenced. However, [I¡¯m going to kill, that magician- I¡¯lllllllkillher¡­] Her guardian was continuously mumbling dark curses. ¡°¡­I hope it turns out well.¡± Adria sighed deeply, like a middle manager, mumbling almost without realizing it. At the peak of the demon world, under a purple sky, facing the grotesque corpses of demons, the First Legion Commander, the Hero King, was looking at the site filled with demon corpses. No ¨C more precisely, because of the Fifth Legion Commander, Noxius, who was climbing up towards the peak. Certainly, a Legion Commander, who not only should not be touched by anyone in the demon world but also should be bowed to, appeared to be in a dire state physically. His arms and legs were gone, vanished to who knows where, and there was a huge hole in his abdomen. ¡°Cough-!¡± Noxius, coughing up blood. ¡°¡­Just a mere elf¡­!¡± Looking at her with dull eyes, unemotionally, Noxius spat out a curse filled with anger, but she, ¡°Please go back. I do not wish to kill anyone.¡± Ignoring Noxius¡¯s words as if they never mattered, she turned around and sat down at the peak. ¡°Ha- Just because you¡¯re at the peak doesn¡¯t mean your high-and-mighty master in the higher dimension can find you-¡± Noxius, seemingly irritated by the Hero King, clenched his teeth and was about to speak with a scoffing expression, The next moment. Noxius had to stop talking. The Hero King, who had been so impassive a moment ago, with her back to him, was now holding Noxius by the throat. ¡°No more, no talking.¡± Into the pitch-ck walls. ¡°Before I tear you limb from limb, demon or not.¡± Numbly, she muttered. Chapter 114: Hero King (2) As she let the Fifth Legion Commander Noxius fall off the cliff, the Hero King felt dark emotions creeping up her heart, troubling her mind, and sat down again at the peak. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Her bleary eyes looked up at the sky. The sky was purple. It was not the clear blue sky and starry night she had seen in the Middle Realm, but a strange and eerie purple sky. While staring nkly at it, the Hero King felt the dark emotions, stirred up by Noxius¡¯s remarks, begin to unravel memories of the past. ¡°¡­Ah.¡± The Hero King let out a soft sigh, thinking, that she wanted to stop thinking. But once she started, the torrent of emotions pulled forth memories of the past, despite her reason¡¯s attempts to stop them. The first memory that came to her was of the first time she met him. At that time, the Hero King was, in fact, nothingpared to the reputation her title suggested. She had been chosen by the world to be a hero but could do nothing properly, having even lessbat ability than an average hero. ¡­No, to be blunt, she was even less skilled than a mercenary. After all, despite being a hero, she couldn¡¯t fight as well as a mercenary. In other words, she was useless. A useless person, despite being a hero. A pitiful person who had to live day by day, despite being a hero. Of course, she lived in hope that her talenty not inbat but elsewhere, yet regrettably, she was unable to find any talent. Even as a cksmith. Even as a mage. Even working with books. Even cooking. Whether as a carpenter, hunter, scout, merchant, alchemist ¨C whatever she tried, she couldn¡¯t find any talent befitting a hero. As if she never had such talent from the beginning. And so, as she despaired upon realizing she had no talent in anything, she found her ray of hope in him. Living a life even mercenaries would scorn, so much that she was ignored in any territory she went to, he said to the Hero King, that she had talent. Ironically, before she met him, a few lords had told her the same thing several times. Lords who wanted her as a decorative essory or to serve them at night. Thus, she didn¡¯t believe those words, but her doubt vanished in less than three hours. After all, the lord who told her she had talent had awakened the talent she hadn¡¯t been able to find until then, in just three hours. The talent to extract several times more efficiency from artifacts of a certain grade or higher, those with special magic or skills stored within. It all started from there. From then on, a useless person became a hero recognized by everyone. ¡­More than just bing a hero, she became a great hero whom everyone had to acknowledge. It all happened after he discovered her talent. ¡°¡­Sigh.¡± She was happy. She became more than a hero, a great hero, earned the title of ¡®Hero King¡¯, and became strong enough to stand against any powerful being on the Continent. ¡­However, that became a problem. At some point, she felt an unfairness. Ironically, she felt this unfairness towards the one who had found her talent as the Hero King and nurtured her until then. There were many heroes around him. There were as many as four heroes who could sit at the ¡°Round Table¡± like her, and the lord was always busy taking care of them. Of course, that didn¡¯t mean the lord didn¡¯t take care of her. Rather, he took care of her just like the other heroes. However, the problem was that he took care of her ¡®just the same¡¯ as the other heroes, which made her feel unjustified. Of course, there was nothing actually unfair about the lord¡¯s actions. In fact, the Hero King knew it was rational. Yet, despite this, she felt the unfairness and anger. At least, she wanted to be someone special to the lord. Someone particrly more special than the other heroes. Therefore, she had openly shown her dissatisfaction. When he gave gifts, she always demanded something more expensive than what the other heroes received. When he spent time with other heroes, she insisted on spending twice as much time with him. Of course, he showed a troubled expression, but in the Hero King¡¯s mind, desiring to be more special than the other heroes, this was rather taken as a positive signal. Eventually, seeing him troubled yet showing her extra consideration, the Hero King thought she was being treated as someone special. ¡­Yes, until he left. ¡°¡­Sigh.¡± The Hero King, with her bleary eyes, gazed at the purple sky and then nkly stared at the old cigarette pack she took out from her bosom. The Hero King, who had learned to smoke from mercenaries during her period of uselessness, nkly looked at thest cigarette in the pack and then lit it with an artifact she took out from the subspace. With the sound of it catching fire, the cigarette burned with the Hero King¡¯s breath and scattered a pungent mint aroma around the peak. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Thinking back, she initially couldn¡¯t believe it. She thought he would never leave her. But as time passed, watching her territory slowly decline, she finally realized that he had truly left. And at the moment she realized that fact, she understood what she had done. She realized how foolish her actions had been. ¡­How absurdly she had behaved towards him. Regret, remorse, and sorrow enveloped her. But she could do nothing. By the time she realized it, it was already toote. And after realizing this and wasting a year in the swamp of regret, the Hero King set a goal. To find the lord who had left, once again. To seek out the lord and ask for his forgiveness. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The Hero King, with her goal set, traveled around the Continent gathering numerous pieces of information and came to realize one fact. That the Lord of Lartania, whom the Hero King was searching for, was one of the ¡®stars¡¯ from a higher dimension, descended from the sky. Upon realizing this, the Hero King couldn¡¯t help but despair, yet she did not give up and searched even more for a way. For her, he had be an indispensable being, a realization that dawned on her from the moment he was gone. And a yearter, from one of the artifacts she possessed, she received a proposal from the Demon King. A proposal toe to the demon world, a higher dimension much closer to the ce with more ¡®stars¡¯ than this Continent. Upon hearing this proposal, she epted the Demon King¡¯s offer without hesitation. At the very least, she wanted to get closer to where he was. To get closer, perhaps to reach the dimension known as the ¡®star¡¯ where he was, hoping that the demon world might contain clues about him. Naturally, after heading to the demon world, her body was no longer that of an ordinary elf. Her body, eroded by demonic energy, definitely became stronger, but as a consequence, it also became weaker in some aspects, and she could no longer return to the Middle Realm without manifesting herself. But even so, it was okay. No matter how much her body soaked in demonic energy and turned into that of a demon¡¯s, it wasn¡¯t that important to her; after all, what the Hero King deemed important was meeting him again. To meet him again and apologize. ¡°Sigh-¡± The Hero King exhaled with her bleary eyes. A pungent mint aroma spread out. She had been in the demon world for seven years. And for seven years, she couldn¡¯t find a way to cross over to that purple sky. The only thing the Hero King found uponing here was this ce, called ¡®the peak¡¯ by the demons, closest to the purple sky. No other clues existed. Nothing. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The Hero King looked at the cigarette. The cigarette had already burned halfway through, and with one more puff, it would be finished. ¡°¡­Sigh.¡± Looking at it, the Hero King suddenly recalled a memory from the past. Before she found her talent and became a great hero. Specifically, the conversation they had when he had given her the title of ¡®Hero King¡¯. ¡°Isn¡¯t ¡®Hero King¡¯ a bit much? I¡¯m not the strongest among heroes, and I like cigarettes, just like those low-quality mercenaries.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. You deserve it. And I think it¡¯s quite alright that you smoke.¡± ¡°¡­Really? The smell of cigarettes is quite strong, though.¡± ¡°It is strong.¡± ¡°¡­Are you teasing me on purpose?¡± ¡°Not at all, it¡¯s strong but that makes you easy to find. You¡¯re the only one in the Lord¡¯s castle who smokes mint cigarettes.¡± ¡°Feels like a scolding.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not. If anything, it¡¯s good because it makes you easy to find wherever you are. You know, on your body¡­¡± ¡°¡­Sorry for being a heavy smoker.¡± ¡°I said it¡¯s because you¡¯re easy to find. Isn¡¯t that good for you? Just smoke, and I¡¯ll easily find you. Smoke when you miss me, and I¡¯lle running.¡± ¡°Wow. Another strange dictionary¡­ Namu, Wiki or something like that, right? Please, stop following what¡¯s in there. It¡¯s really cringeworthy.¡± ¡°¡­Merilda liked it, though.¡± ¡°She likes it because she¡¯s Merilda.¡± A very short, aimless conversation they had while looking at the developing territory. A conversation shared when they could still smile at each other without any shadows between them. ¡°Sigh-¡± Recalling that, the Hero King exhaled once more, and the mint aroma spread in all directions. And then. ¡°¡­You said you¡¯de if I smoked.¡± Drop- ¡°You said to smoke when I miss you¡­¡± Murmuring softly while gazing at the sky, the Hero King quietly buried her face in her knees. ¡°¡­Liar.¡± ¡­Tears flowed from her bleary eyes. Chapter 115: Hero King (3) Norba Kingdom¡¯s Lord¡¯s Castle. ¡°Please, save me! Please save me! I- please! I didn¡¯t know this would happen-¡± Thunk-! ¡°Choke-!¡± The reporting soldier, looking at the ck de embedded in his neck with disbelief, died on the spot. Thud-! The corpse fell backward, and servants quickly moved to remove the body. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Kelva, watching this, twirled the ck de in his hand with magic before looking at Landaron and speaking. ¡°¡­What happened with the mission?¡± Kelva, who killed the returning soldier without properly listening to his report of failing to take over Tesnoka territory, asked, and Landaron answered his question. After listening for a while, Kelvaughed incredulously before speaking. ¡°¡­So, this time, that outsider interfered, you mean.¡± ¡°Yes, I heard they dealt with it using magic that even Dispel couldn¡¯t properly counter.¡± ¡°Phew-¡± At Landaron¡¯s words, Kelva let out a deep sigh. If they can¡¯t destroy Tesnoka territory under the current circumstances, it would disrupt their future ns. ¡®No, it won¡¯t be disrupted. It¡¯ll just be dyed.¡¯ Kelva tried to regain hisposure amidst the anger and irritation flooding his mind, attempting to think rationally. He knew well that no proper judgment could be made in an emotional state. And after pondering multiple times and sighing, Kelva said, ¡°Damn it all!¡± Boom! After blowing away an entire wall of the Lord¡¯s castle, he was finally able to sit down on a sofa. ¡°¡­Let¡¯s end the subjugation here for now.¡± At the voice full of anger from Kelva, Landaron responded, ¡°We will do so, but what will we do going forward? The Holy Kingdom will arrive soon.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°¡­If the Holy Kingdom arrives while we haven¡¯t subjugated all the territories, it seems it will be difficult to stop them.¡± ¡°It will be difficult, but not impossible to stop. If we dy the n, it¡¯s entirely feasible.¡± Crack-! ¡°If we dy, that is.¡± For a moment, the First Legion Commander crossed Kelva¡¯s mind. If he could bring her here now, most of the current problems could be immediately solved. The first divisionmander he knew was strong enough to do such things with ease. But paradoxically, for that reason, Kelva erased the thought of the first divisionmander. Because if someone with such absurd strength were to learn the truth, it would be a significant problem. Therefore, ¡°¡­Let¡¯s keep our heads down for a while.¡± With eyes full of anger and a deep sigh, Kelva- ¡°For a while, that is.¡± -shut his mouth. About a week after the Norba Kingdom effectively finished its final attack to subjugate Tesnoka territory. Territory: Lartania Territory Development Level: 3580 Territory Residents: [Humans: 20,133] ¨COwned Buildings¨C [Lord's Castle LV2¡ü >>> Upgrading 0%] [Walls LV3 >>> Upgrading 0%] [Residential Area LV5¡ü] [cksmith LV5] [Barracks LV5] [Tavern LV3 >>> Upgrading 0%] [Market LV3¡ü >>> Upgrading 0%] [Lumber Mill LV3¡ü >>> Upgrading 3%] [Restaurant LV3 >>> Upgrading 0%] [Leatherworking Shop LV3¡ü >>> Upgrading 5%] [Stone Mason LV3¡ü >>> Upgrading 0%] [Trading Post LV2 >>> Upgrading 3%] [Secondary Walls LV3] [Inn LV3¡ü >>> Upgrading 3%] [Administrative District LV3 >>> Upgrading 1%] [Paved Roads LV1] ¨CExternal Buildings¨C [Mercenary Guild LV0 (Under Construction)] [Mage Tower Branch LV1¡ü] [cksmith Guild Branch LV1¡ü] ¨CMilitary Forces¨C -Regr Soldiers: 1000 -Guards 200 -Apprentice Knights 200 Kim Hyunwoo looked at the notification window full of upgrades with a satisfied expression and smiled. ¡®Lord Rania is quite generous.¡¯ The reason Kim Hyunwoo could upgrade like this all at once was purely because of Rania, the Lord of Tesnoka. When Kim Hyunwoo returned to Lartania and reset the Labyrinth Package, the resources sent through the dwarf were more than he had ever seen before. ¡°I wonder how they could afford to send so much help when the Tesnoka territory needs recuperation itself. Maybe it¡¯s because the territory is sorge that this amount of help doesn¡¯t phase them.¡± Kim Hyunwoo checked the development status of his territory with a smile, knowing that the resources were plentiful enough not to drop before all the buildings in the territory were upgraded to Level 5. ¡°The Territory Development Level is 3580¡­¡± The rapid growth of Lartania began after they thwarted the demon army sent by Landaron, acting as a catalyst. The poption of the territory, which was in thete ten thousands, has now exceeded twenty thousand, and the territory¡¯s development level has surpassed 3500. Moreover, it is said that the number of mercenaries, currently at thirty thousand, continues to increase endlessly as of today. However, more important than the increasing number of mercenaries at this point was the development level of the territory. This is because once the development level of the territory exceeds 4000, second-tier buildings can finally be constructed. Therefore, Kim Hyunwoo, watching the gradually increasing development level of the territory, soon turned his gaze to look outside the Lord¡¯s castle. Despite the poption outside the Lord¡¯s castle exceeding twenty thousand, only mercenaries were visible. The reason was the Magnifying sses. Certainly, the production of Magnifying sses has been increasing thanks to the Skeleton scrolls brought by Adria, who visited the Lartania territory a week ago, but the demand has also increased. The mercenaries are still waiting for Magnifying sses. So, after looking for a while at the line of mercenaries standing to the north of the Lord¡¯s castle, Kim Hyunwoo turned his gaze once again, this time to the resources window. [Red Stones: 30] [Blue Stones: 232] [Gold Coins: 385,422] [Magic Stones: 124,325] [Lowest-grade Magic Stones: 124,325] [Low-grade Magic Stones: 138,231] [Intermediate Magic Stones: 9,732] ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Even after setting aside the 250,000 Magic Stones that disappeared a few days ago when he opened the Labyrinth Package, the number of Magic Stones was increasing rapidly. ¡°If I cause a Labyrinth Break right now, I could obtain about 7,000 Red Stones.¡± Of course, it¡¯s only because he hasn¡¯t used any Low-grade Magic Stones that he has amassed that amount, but for Kim Hyunwoo, how the Magic Stones are being collected is not what¡¯s important. After all, the reason he¡¯s collecting Red Stones in the first ce is to buy a Proposal Ring. ¡°At this rate, it seems like I could easily reach 7,500 Stones and possibly collect 10,000 Stones before the month ends?¡± Therefore, with those thoughts, Kim Hyunwoo smiled as he watched his warehouse fill up steadily. Merilda returned after finishing her work. ¡­More precisely, it would be more urate to say she returned with a sense of disappointment because no more monsters from the demon world were appearing to be ughtered. Thanks to them being firmly locked up, as if Norba Kingdom would not engage in any more wars, she returned to a hill near Lartania. ¡°¡­Gerta?¡± ¡°Boss, it¡¯s been a long time.¡± As Merilda returned, looking at an artifact that was nowpletely dyed in a deep blood color, she saw Gerta, one of the Four Kings, whom she had not seen until now. ¡°Gram and Ryu talked so much about the Boss changing that I came to see, and it really has changed.¡± Gerta, who looked surprisingly refined for a beastman, pped her hands with her goat-like eyes wide in surprise at Merilda andughed; Giral then spoke. ¡°The group has not been brought here initially, Boss. They have settled in a forest a few days away from here.¡± ¡°I told you to manage the group on your own¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you know that there¡¯s no one else but the Boss to lead the Red Eyes?¡± In response to Merilda¡¯s annoyed remark, Giral began to report to her about what had happened so far. Starting from the ¡®n¡¯ they had prepared when Shadra appearedst time to the affairs of the Lordter on. And then. ¡°¡­That gloomy Dragon gave the Master a Teleportation scroll, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Giral nodded at Merilda¡¯s words. ¡°So, I have a good idea,¡± Gerta, who had been quietly listening, said. ¡°¡­A good idea?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s a good idea.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Gerta immediately began to exin. ¡°First, the Teleportation scroll received by the Lord of Lartania has coordinates written on it.¡± ¡°¡­Coordinates?¡± ¡°Yes. In other words, if you tear that scroll, the user of the scroll will be transported to a space predetermined by the scroll.¡± ¡°So?¡± ¡°My guess is, if other heroes are in the same situation as the Boss, the ce with these arbitrary coordinates is likely where that dragon is. In other words, the dragon who gave that scroll intends to create a situation where the Lord can be summoned to her location in case of danger, as if to be saved.¡± Merilda muttered, ¡°Huh,¡± in response to Gerta¡¯s words. ¡°That sounds like something a gloomy dragon would think of.¡± ¡°But this method is subtly effective. As you know, Boss, when there¡¯s nowhere to rely on and suddenly there is, sentient beings naturally tend to depend on it¡­ In short, it¡¯s clever.¡± Gerta tapped her own head, and Merilda responded. ¡°So, I roughly get what that gloomy dragon is trying to do¡­but what¡¯s your good idea?¡± ¡°It¡¯s simple. We change the coordinates the gloomy dragon has written.¡± ¡°The coordinates?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s impossible for ordinary people to change the coordinates written on the scroll, but for someone with sufficient magical aptitude like me, it¡¯s easy. In other words, if you, Merilda, just bring me that scroll.¡± ¡°¡­Change the coordinates?¡± ¡°Yes, then if anything dangerous happens to the Lord of Lartania, you, Merilda, could be the one to save him.¡± Gerta¡¯s words. Upon hearing that, Merilda unconsciously envisioned such a future for a moment. Her own figure appearing after tearing the scroll, having lost everything. Her own figure gently caring for her Master, who is in despair. Her own figure naturally returning to the territory with him, solving various issues, and helping to rebuild the Master¡¯s territory. The figure of the Master, having received help in every aspect, bing dependent on her. ¡°¡­Oh.¡± Merilda, having thought of those scenes in what could be called a moment, unknowingly let out an exmation. ¡°Let¡¯s do it right away.¡± Merilda¡¯s red eyes shone. At the same time. ¡°¡­Master, Ruin says it seems entirely possible to change the coordinates.¡± ¡°Is that so? Then- we must do it right away.¡± Rin also smiled, her purple eyes shing within the darkness. ¡­A greedy smile hung on both their lips. Chapter 116: Hero King (4) Peace hade to the Tesnoka territory. After the battle Kim Hyunwoo participated in, the soldiers weren¡¯tpletely annihted but scattered after losing theirmander, and they no longer came to the Tesnoka territory. Instead, most of them became migrants after discarding their weapons and armor, while a few became looters and dispersed. Moreover, perhaps Landaron also found it difficult to move any further; locking the castle gates brought a somewhat uneasy peace to the Norba Kingdom. During that brief period of peace, the Tesnoka territory quickly recovered from the damages. And when the territory had swiftly mended, returning not entirely but sufficiently to its former state, ¡°I greet the emissary of the Holy Kingdom.¡± ¡°I greet the noble soul that has not sumbed to evil.¡± Rania was able to meet the person from the Holy Kingdom who hade to the Tesnoka territory. Seeing the blonde woman who bowed her head, wearing the pure white robes symbolizing sanctity, followed by a procession of pdins who appeared several timesrger than an average person, Rania asked, ¡°Could we go inside first to discuss matters in detail?¡± And she soon ushered the emissary of the Holy Kingdom and a pdin to her office to thoroughly exin what had happened so far. And. ¡°¡­The emergence of demons is quite troublesome, not to mention there are humans who have epted the power of demons.¡± Having heard all of Rania¡¯s story, she erased her gentle expression and murmured with a grave look. Agreeing with her, Rania nodded and responded. ¡°I think so too. If the Lord of Lartania hadn¡¯t helped us, I wonder what would have happened¡­¡± And. Pause. The emissary, who had been following the conversation until a moment ago, looked at Rania with a somewhat surprised expression. ¡°Did you, by any chance, say Lartania?¡± She asked, and Rania nodded in response. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right¡­? ¡­Why do you ask?¡± Rania answered with a slightly awkward feeling to the emissary¡¯s reaction, who then seemed to stare at her nkly for a while before. ¡°Excuse me for asking, but didn¡¯t the Lartania territory decline and disappear a few years after its lord vanished ten years ago?¡± Asked the emissary of the Holy Kingdom. At that moment, Rania wondered how these people, who lived on a remote ind in the eastern part of the continent and never appeared except when demons appeared, knew about Lartania, but she soon answered. ¡°That¡¯s correct, but the Lord of Lartania has recently returned.¡± ¡°¡­Returned?¡± ¡°Yes. After the Lord of Lartania returned, the territory was revived. Of course, it¡¯s not as it was ten years ago, but it¡¯s recovering at a very fast pace.¡± The emissary made a slightly dazed expression at Rania¡¯s answer. Rania, seeing the blue eyes momentarily containing a mix of emotions, looked puzzled. ¡°May I ask just one more thing?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Is the name of the Lord of Lartania who has now returned, Kim Hyunwoo?¡± She nodded. And. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Rania could see. The once gentle-looking emissary¡¯s lips now bloomed into a bright smile. And. ¡°¡­That¡¯s indeed good news, isn¡¯t it, Mn?¡± ¡°Indeed. Who would have thought he would return? Congrattions, Saintess.¡± Following their exchange, Rania, momentarily stunned, unwittingly widened her eyes. It was because an incredible name had just sprung from the mouth of the pdin. The term ¡®Saintess¡¯, a title in the Holy Kingdom considered higher even than the Pope¡¯s, effectively equivalent to a ¡®king¡¯ in terms of status within a kingdom. Therefore. ¡°Saintess?¡± ¡°Oh, I apologize for not introducing myself properly.¡± As Rania opened her mouth with a puzzled expression, the emissary of the Holy Kingdom, no, the Saintess, smiled back at her. ¡°I am Amelin, the 7th Saintess of the Holy Kingdom, also known as the Seeker permitted by the Heavens.¡± She introduced herself. Late at night, while Kim Hyunwoo was asleep. A being infiltrated the airspace above Lartania. An alert appeared before Kim Hyunwoo, but the cold weather recently made him burrow deeper into his warm nkets, pulling him further into a deep slumber, independent of the alert. In other words, he continued to sleep without checking the alert. While Kim Hyunwoo was asleep, Merilda, who had arrived at the Lord¡¯s castle in an instant, entered the castle without hesitation. Soon, she reached the office in the Lord¡¯s castle, where nobody else was present. ¡°Sigh-¡± Merilda let out a very light sigh and turned the doorknob as it was. And. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± She saw. Rin, who had arrived earlier than her, was trying to pick up a Teleportation scroll ced on the desk of the office. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± There was a momentary pause. Merilda¡¯s gaze shifted from Rin to the scroll, and conversely, Rin¡¯s gaze moved from Merilda to the scroll. And. Swoosh-! Their silent struggle began. Merilda¡¯s hand swiftly swatted Rin¡¯s hand, which was about to grab the Teleportation scroll. The scroll floated in the air, freed from Rin¡¯s grasp. Not missing that moment, Merilda immediately jumped lightly, trying to grab the scroll. ¡°Nu-uh-!?¡± As if it were futile, Rin grabbed Merilda¡¯s tail and pulled her back, then dashed towards the scroll. ¡°Ugh!¡± Merilda, grimacing in pain, grabbed Rin¡¯s leg. They started a silent battle within the Lord¡¯s castle. After a short amount of time had passed. ¡°Let go of this!¡± ¡°You let go first¡­!¡± Merilda and Rin were ring at each other, each grabbing the other¡¯s hair. ¡°I said let go!?¡± ¡°I told you to let go first!¡± The two argued in very soft voices, in case Kim Hyunwoo might hear them. However, Merilda and Rin were determined not to let go of each other¡¯s hair, gripping firmly. Eventually, after having held onto each other¡¯s hair for a while, they¡­ ¡°¡­Let¡¯s call a truce.¡± ¡°A truce?¡± ¡°Yes, on the count of three, we¡¯ll both let go of each other¡¯s hair, got it? Then we can calmly discuss this.¡± It seemed like a change was about to happen due to Merilda epting Rin¡¯s suggestion, but- ¡°One.¡± ¡°Two.¡± ¡°Three-! Aaagh-¡± As if they had never intended to let go, Merilda and Rin pulled each other¡¯s hair even harder. They red at each other, ¡°Eugh-!¡± And with a let-it-be attitude, they threw themselves towards the Teleportation scroll on the floor, still clutching each other¡¯s hair. Thinking they each had grabbed the scroll, Merilda and Rin moved their hands without hesitation, Rip-! ¡°Ah.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± The Teleportation scroll was torn. ¡°Dragon Lord, the Lord of Lartania will be moving to your location soon.¡± The Crimson Dragon thought it was going to faint when it first heard Adria¡¯s words. That was because, when Adria first asked the Crimson Dragon to make this scroll, it was purely intended to be used in case their Master was in danger. In other words, the Crimson Dragon couldn¡¯t even imagine that Adria had tampered with the Teleportation scroll so that their Master would end up inside itsir within two weeks. But since Adria had already handed over the Teleportation scroll in front of the Crimson Dragon, making it impossible to back out, she immediately began preparations. The dragon quickly covered all the pictures stered on their¡¯s walls with magic, then started decorating the cold, cave-like scenery with various magics and treasures. Furthermore, Adria had been advising the dragon for about two weeks on what to say and how to apologize when facing Kim Hyunwoo, going so far as to analyze his possible reactions like data to create a guide(?) on how to respond based on his actions. As a result. About a weekter, their hadpletely transformed. The pictures of Kim Hyunwoo that had been stered all over the room were all covered up, and instead, an interior that anyone could see was quite stable and peaceful had been created. Moreover, thinking it might lose its speech, the dragon made an additional contract this time for Adria to be able to see its situation. In other words, all preparations werepleted. Therefore, with a heart half full of fear and half full of excitement, the dragon felt her heart pounding as she looked at the space where Kim Hyunwoo would appear. Soon, after some time had passed. Wooong-! Seeing the clearly visible waves of magical power. ¡°Oh, he¡¯sing¡­!¡± [Uh¡­it¡¯s not time yet, is it?] The dragon and Adria exchanged conflicting opinions as they looked at the spot, and the next moment, she could see. ¡°Ah.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± [Ah.] Merilda and Rin, appearing from the Teleportation scroll, holding each other¡¯s hair. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡­The dragon¡¯s heart was shattered. Chapter 117: Proposal Ring (1) The Crimson Dragon was not yet ready. To be precise, she was not yet ready to meet Kim Hyunwoo. In fact, when Adria asked what preparation was needed for a meeting, she couldn¡¯t say a word, but at least the Crimson Dragon¡¯s heart was not ready. If anything, she felt she would freeze on the spot if she encountered Kim Hyunwoo right then. However, that didn¡¯t mean the Crimson Dragon disliked the opportunity Adria had created for her. Clearly, it was not that the Crimson Dragon didn¡¯t want to meet Kim Hyunwoo; she just wasn¡¯t ready yet. In other words, despite being upset and bewildered by Adria¡¯s sudden action, the Crimson Dragon actually had her own expectations about the current situation. In the end, even though the Crimson Dragon feared standing before Kim Hyunwoo with a sad face, the fact that she liked him remained unchanged. Therefore, she had put in a lot of effort over the past two weeks since Adria had informed her of this fact. Having done so¡­ ¡°¡­¡­¡± The gaze of the Crimson Dragon and the entangled looks between Merilda and Rin, who were grabbing each other¡¯s necks, becameplexly intertwined. [¡­Ah, I can somewhat guess.] At the same time, hearing Adria¡¯s sigh-filled voice in her head, the Crimson Dragon looked at them with a look of contempt. ¡°¡­Aren¡¯t they just outright thieves??¡± Rin and Merilda seemed slightly startled by the words dripping with overt annoyance and disappointment, but soon they too spoke with furrowed brows. ¡°Then what about you!?¡± ¡°Why me!?¡± ¡°Did you deliberately set the coordinates here?! Pretending to save the Master just to show off!¡± ¡°Right! You were thinking the same thing, what!!¡± ¡°I, at least, have never sneaked into the Master¡¯s house like you have! You guys just sneaked in and took that scroll, didn¡¯t you!?¡± Just three minutes ago, the dragon was tearfully upset about not being able to meet Kim Hyunwoo, as if it were the regret of a lifetime not meeting him. Whoosh-! Angered, the magically concealed surroundings and interior began to disappear in an instant. Soon after the magic-concealed interior vanished, Merilda and Rin were momentarily dazed as they saw the photos that the Crimson Dragon had stered all over the room. Seeing this, Adria hit her forehead as if she had a headache. ¡®¡­This was not at all what I intended.¡¯ Upon reflection, this was Adria¡¯s fault. After all, Adria was somewhat aware that Merilda and Rin were always watching over the Lartania territory. Even in her absence, he was watched over by their subordinates or disciples. ¡­Honestly, she hadn¡¯t assumed they would secretly steal the scroll just because they saw it. Seeing them slightly trembling under the overwhelming presence of Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s photos stered all around, Adria felt a bit awkward and thought to herself. ¡®¡­They seem to think this is a bit too much as well.¡¯ Honestly, Adria herself had felt overwhelmingly dominated by Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s photos on several asions, so she looked at Merilda and Rin with a sense of understanding. ¡°¡­Oh¡± ¡°Wow¡­¡± [?] Soon, as Adria noticed a peculiar blush on the faces of Merilda and Rin, whose gazes had been trembling, she wore a momentarily dazed expression. ¡°Could I have just one of these?¡± ¡°Me too, just one-¡± ¡°Stop talking nonsense!!!!¡± Shortly after, as the voices burst from Merilda and Rin, Adria was reminded of one fact anew. ¡­Including her own guardian, Rin and Merilda were not exactly normal. About three weeks after the Teleportation scroll disappeared from Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s office. ¡°Sigh.¡± Kim Hyunwoo, still unaware of the disappearance of the Teleportation scroll, had spent thest three weeks delightfully watching the city grow almost daily as part of his routine. Territory: Lartania Territory Development Level: 3980 Territory Residents: [Humans: 23,146] ¨COwned Buildings¨C [Lord's Castle LV2¡ü >>> (Upgrading 99%) Paused] [Walls LV4¡ü >>> Upgrading 0%] [Residential Area LV5¡ü] [Forge LV5] [Barracks LV5] [Tavern LV5¡ü] [Market LV5¡ü] [Wood Processing nt LV5¡ü] [Restaurant LV5¡ü] [Leather Processing nt LV5¡ü] [Stone Processing nt LV4¡ü >>> Upgrading 77%] [Trading Post LV4 >>> Upgrading 44%] [Secondary Walls LV4] [Inn LV4¡ü >>> Upgrading 72%] [Administrative District LV5] [Paved Roads LV2¡ü >>> Upgrading 72%] ¨CExternal Buildings¨C [Mercenary Guild LV0 (Under Construction)] [Mage Tower Branch LV1¡ü] [cksmith Guild Branch LV1¡ü] ¨COwned Forces¨C -Regr soldiers: 1000 -Guards: 200 -Apprentice Knights: 200 ¡°Indeed, with so many people, the rate of growth is no joke.¡± Looking over the balcony, the Lartania territory now had the clear and definite appearance of a rather bustling territory, at least in a fantasy world. The Market built inside the territory was now showing buildings between two to three stories tall, especially along the central streets, making it look evenrger. The Walls had also grown muchrger than before. Additionally, perhaps due to the increase in territory residents, the residential area had clearly expanded towards the secondary walls, with many houses now visible at a nce. The Administrative District behind the Lord¡¯s castle had grown sorge that it was visible from the right end of the balcony. Looking at the territory, which had practically transformed into something out of a perfect fantasy novel, Kim Hyunwoo unwittingly smiled with satisfaction and thought. ¡°Indeed, with enough manpower, development happens in an instant as long as the resources are avable.¡± In fact, three weeks is certainly a long time, but it wasn¡¯t long enough to develop the buildings to this extent. Yet, the reason Kim Hyunwoo could develop all the buildings in such a short time was precisely because of the manpower. Unlike before, the sheer number of people that gathered as soon as an announcement was made had changed, allowing Kim Hyunwoo to achieve tremendous development over about three weeks. Having looked at the developed state of the territory, Kim Hyunwoo soon turned his gaze with a satisfied expression to look at the resources window. ¡°This is it.¡± [Lowest-grade Magic Stones: 304,325] [Low-grade Magic Stones: 208,231] [Mid-grade Magic Stones: 21,732] In truth, the reason for his satisfied smile was not only the development of the territory but more so because of the Magic Stones. After all, the Magic Stones he had collected over a few weeks had made it possible for Kim Hyunwoo to buy a Proposal Ring. ¡°If I convert just the Lowest-grade Magic Stones to Red Stones, that¡¯s 9000 Stones, and if I can convert all the Low-grade Stones, that¡¯s 9200 stones¡­so the total money I have now is 18,200 Red Stones.¡± In other words, Kim Hyunwoo was smiling because, if he converted all the Stones right now, he could essentially buy the Proposal Ring immediately. However, despite having gathered all the Magic Stones avable, the reason Kim Hyunwoo was hesitant to use them was due to one concern. ¡°¡­Should I initiate a lower Labyrinth Break?¡± In fact, initiating a lowest-grade Labyrinth Break at this point wouldn¡¯t be a problem since there are so many people in the dungeon that it¡¯s likely to be cleared without any issue, but a lower Labyrinth Break was a bit worrying. That¡¯s because, from a lower Labyrinth Break onwards, monsters that are somewhat troublesome for the current mercenaries to catch start to appear more frequently. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± So, Kim Hyunwoo, after pondering for a while, said, ¡°¡­Ah.¡± He let out a low exmation as if he had thought of something. After a bit of time, ¡°¡­The 7th tier?¡± ¡°Yes. There will be mercenaries hunting there as well, so if it seems like monsters are swarming, help them out.¡± ¡°Wha- Of course, I have to listen if Dad asks.¡± Kim Hyunwoo, having called Elena and Shadra, asked them along with the Apprentice Knights to go down to the 7th tier. After a certain amount of time, ¡®Now, with all the minimum safety measures in ce, shall we start immediately?¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo, heading underground, immediately began to initiate a Labyrinth Break. And then, after about five hours, having finished all the lower Labyrinth Breaks and confirming Elena and Shadra¡¯s return, Kim Hyunwoo spent about a day initiating Labyrinth Breaks. After initiating all the Labyrinth Breaks with the collected Magic Stones, [Red Stones: 18,230] [Blue Stones: 232] [Gold Coins: 225,422] [Magic Stones: 884] ¡°Finally¡­!¡± Kim Hyunwoo, looking at over 18,000 Red Stones for the first time since he came into this world, smiled unwittingly. Kim Hyunwoo immediately opened the cash window. [Would you like to purchase the Proposal Ring? Y/N] He pressed the ¡®Y¡¯ button on the notification window that appeared before him. And then, [The 'Blue Merchant' will visit your territory to deliver the artifact!] [Remaining time: 2 days 23 hours 59 minutes 59 seconds] Chapter 118: Proposal Ring (2) [The 'Blue Merchant' will visit your territory to deliver the artifact!] [Remaining time: 2 days 23 hours 59 minutes 59 seconds] As soon as he purchased the proposal ring, the Red Stones rapidly depleted to only 9,200 left, but Kim Hyunwoo felt a thrilling sensation. ¡®Can I finally find out¡­!¡¯ The reason was that he might finally find out why he was dropped into this world. Even if he couldn¡¯t find out the truth, the thought of obtaining clues like now made him smile, Kim Hyunwoo thought. ¡®Now that I think about it¡­it¡¯s not ringing?¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo felt puzzled by the quiet state of the territory, considering that buying a Proposal Ring would usually trigger fanfares and spread rumors throughout the town about the Lord intending to use a magical ring. [The Blue Merchant will prepare a special gift for you, the buyer of the proposal ring.] At the notification that seemed to answer his thoughts, Kim Hyunwoo sighed softly. Actually, he thought it would be better if fanfares like that did not ring out. But knowing it was toote since he had already bought the Proposal Ring, Kim Hyunwoo shrugged slightly. ¡°So, in three days¡­¡± He murmured this with an expectant expression. Bang-! ¡°Dad!¡± ¡°¡­Shadra?¡± Kim Hyunwoo looked bewildered as Shadra suddenly burst through the office door, but she smiled and said, ¡°I made what Dad mentioned!¡± ¡°Did my friende?¡± In the basement of the cksmith Guild branch. Kim Hyunwoo walked towards where River was cheerfully smiling, and she held out a ck cube to him as if she had been waiting for him. ¡°Is this the fuel?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± River nodded at Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s words and looked at Shadra as she spoke. ¡°To be honest, there are still various improvements to be made, but with that thing made by the Master of the Blue Tower, it¡¯s possible tounch a missile.¡± ¡°How about it? I¡¯m amazing, right?¡± Kim Hyunwoo looked at the cube with a nk expression as Shadra proudly puffed up her chest. Of course, he didn¡¯t really understand how this cube was made. However, the reason he was so surprised was that Shadra had produced the fuel much faster than Kim Hyunwoo had originally thought possible. ¡®I never thought the fuel would actually be made in the first ce.¡¯ Actually, even after telling Shadra about the fuel and hearing her say she would try it, Kim Hyunwoo honestly didn¡¯t think it would be made. Of course, Kim Hyunwoo didn¡¯t know much about science, but he knew that developing something like next generation fuel would be extremely difficult. ¡°¡­So, with this, I canunch a missile like I talked about ten years ago?¡± As Kim Hyunwoo stared nkly at the cube and asked, River pondered for a moment before responding. ¡°Um, to be honest, it¡¯s possible even now.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°¡­If you use up all the Gold Coins in Lartania?¡± At River¡¯s words, Kim Hyunwoo momentarily looked stunned before speaking. ¡°¡­Our territory, we should have a considerable amount of Gold Coins saved, right?¡± ¡°I know because you told me, friend. But with the current state, it might be difficult to even make one with that amount?¡± At River¡¯s words, Kim Hyunwoo unwittingly opened his mouth in surprise. ¡°¡­Even if we invest all the Gold Coins in Lartania now, which would be over 300,000, it¡¯s still not enough? Even though the missile has already been made?¡± ¡°Like I said to you, friend, the missile itself is not the problem. The cost to make the missile isn¡¯t that high. It¡¯s just that the fuel¡¯s price is¡­quite something.¡± ¡°How much is this fuel?¡± When Kim Hyunwoo asked, this time Shadra replied with a slightly awkward expression. ¡°¡­About 30,000 Gold Coins each?¡± ¡°Thirty thousand, Gold Coins?¡± Kim Hyunwoo inadvertently gasped, and Shadra exined with a resigned expression. ¡°It can¡¯t be helped since it¡¯s the first time, right, Dad? I¡¯m not all-powerful. Instead, you should praise me for making this in less than two months?¡± ¡°Of course, I know.¡± Kim Hyunwoo, gently stroking Shadra¡¯s head as she spoke with a hint of dissatisfaction, asked River, ¡°How much fuel is needed tounch the missile?¡± ¡°Um, of course, it depends on how far you want tounch it at this point. But even at the shortest distance, you need at least ten.¡± ¡°¡­Ten of them, 300,000 Gold Coins?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve seeded in making it, so if we adjust the mixture here and there, we might be able to reduce the cost to 20,000 Gold Coins per unit, Dad? Of course, it will take some time.¡± Kim Hyunwoo, feeling pleased by her response as she shook her head slightly under his touch, said, ¡°Then please try a little harder.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry!¡± With a confident smile, Shadra said she would immediately try a new mixture and dashed out of the cksmith Guild. Watching Shadra leave, Kim Hyunwoo was about to move when. ¡°Um, friend.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± At the sound of River¡¯s voice, Kim Hyunwoo turned his head. ¡°Well, um¡­ I worked hard too, you know.¡± Seeing River nce away with her reddish eyes as if expecting something, Kim Hyunwoo, understanding, gave a knowing look and then. Tap-! ¡°Thank you for your hard work, River. If there¡¯s anything you want, let me know. I¡¯ll do what I can to amodate it.¡± He said this while cing his hand on River¡¯s shoulder. The thought that he might have promised too much of a reward briefly crossed his mind, but Kim Hyunwoo quickly dismissed it. After all, upon reflection, it was essentially because of River that Kim Hyunwoo was able to decimate the demon army and effectively demonstrate his power to the other surrounding territories. Considering that, he thought it was actuallyte to offer a reward, so Kim Hyunwoo spoke up. At Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s words, River asked with a slightly surprised expression, ¡°Anything I want?¡± ¡°¡­Well, within reason.¡± Upon Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s answer, River became very serious, pondered for a while, and then asked, ¡°Can I, um, take some time to think about this?¡± ¡°Of course. Tell me whenever you¡¯re ready.¡± ¡°Ah, got it¡­!¡± River¡¯s behavior suggested she had received a very important opportunity. ¡®¡­What is she going to ask for?¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo pondered her actions for a moment but then nodded lightly and stepped outside the Guild. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Certainly, the streets, which had been scarcely popted until the Guild was established, were now bustling with people as he began walking towards the Lord¡¯s castle. Thus, three days had passed since Shadra began improving the proper missile fuel they had discovered. Of course, there had been no significant updates from Shadra over those three days. The territory was running peacefully, and notably, the first ever Mercenary Guild in Lartania was finally nearingpletion? However, despite such peace, the reason Kim Hyunwoo was aimlessly pacing his office without getting any work done was because of a notification. [The 'Blue Merchant' will visit your territory to deliver the artifact!] [Remaining time: 0 days 0 hours 0 minutes 22 seconds] Because the Blue Merchant, who hase to deliver the Proposal Ring, will arrive in just over 20 seconds. Therefore, Kim Hyunwoo was eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Blue Merchant. [The Blue Merchant has arrived at the territory!] As soon as it hit 0 seconds, a newly updated notification made Kim Hyunwoo smile immediately. Baam-paraparaparabam-!! He involuntarily turned his gaze towards the source of the loud fanfareing from afar. ¡°¡­Huh?¡± Kim Hyunwoo could soon see. From afar, through the outer castle gate, a blue carriage fitting for the Blue Merchant leading about a dozen more carriages as they entered. However, Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s hesitation wasn¡¯t because he saw the blue carriage. The blue carriage certainly looked antique and integrated with various magical engineering, but it wasn¡¯t particrly eye-catching. Yet, the reason Kim Hyunwoo was dumbstruck looking at the blue carriage was because of what was hung upon it. The reason was the giant signboard on it,rge enough that even Kim Hyunwoo could see it if he squinted. A huge signboard on which was written, [Congrattions on the Lord¡¯s Marriage!] ¡°¡­Ah.¡± Kim Hyunwoo suddenly felt dizzy. Chapter 119: Proposal Ring (3) A carriage approaching the Lord¡¯s castle with a huge sign on it that reads, ¡°Congrattions on the Lord¡¯s Marriage!¡± Seeing the mercenaries and citizens looking at the carriage with bewildered faces, Kim Hyunwoo shuddered with immense embarrassment, but it was a situation where he couldn¡¯t just jump out immediately. After all, if he ran out to take down that sign right away, the already focused attention on him would surely intensify. ¡®¡­I¡¯m pretty sure there was nothing like that.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo looked at the sign with a stunned expression and thought about the past ten years, but he never saw any information about the Blue Merchanting with a sign like that. ¡®¡­Actually, since it was a top-view perspective, whether he brought a sign or not, it wouldn¡¯t have been visible.¡¯ Still, he had thought it would only be a fanfare, but seeing such a sign openly disyed made him feel like his insides were twisting. Especially seeing the territory¡¯s residents and mercenaries staring intently at the sign. So, Kim Hyunwoo twisted his body until the blue carriage arrived at the Lord¡¯s castle. Not long after that. Kim Hyunwoo was able to meet the Blue Merchant who came to the office. ¡°Nice to meet you, Lord of Lartania.¡± The Blue Merchant¡¯s greeting was very simr to how Kim Hyunwoo had seen her in the game. She is wearing a somewhat tight outfit underneath the blue robe, simr to that of a thief. With her short hair and an outfit that, put kindly, is distinctive and, less kindly, seems to mix elements of various professions, she smiles her uniquely bright smile before sitting down in front of Kim Hyunwoo. ¡°First of all, congrattions on your marriage.¡± Kim Hyunwoo, looking at the Blue Merchant who sat down in front of him as if she had been waiting to say this, responded. ¡°¡­I have no ns for marriage yet.¡± ¡°What? But you bought a Proposal Ring?¡± ¡°¡­That was solely to meet you.¡± The Blue Merchant made a slightly strange face at Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s words, but soon nodded, seemingly fully understanding what he meant. ¡°Sure, the Proposal Ring is the cheapest option¡­ But wouldn¡¯t it be better to save up a bit more and buy something better?¡± ¡°¡­But anything useful costs over 20,000 Stones.¡± In fact, Kim Hyunwoo had seriously considered several times whether it would be better to buy something other than the Proposal Ring. But the reason he specifically bought the Proposal Ring was because any better and somewhat useful item would invariably cost more than 20,000 Stones. Moreover, it was clear that collecting 20,000 Stones would take more than a month, so Kim Hyunwoo simply bought the Proposal Ring. ¡°Well, that is true.¡± There was a look from the Blue Merchant, as if contemting something, then she nodded as if she understood and began to speak. ¡°Since you said you specifically wanted to meet me¡­let¡¯s have a talk not just as a merchant and a lord, but from the perspective of a messenger and a foreigner.¡± Snap! With that, the Blue Merchant snapped her thumb and middle finger together. And then. Whooosh-! The space that was clearly an office just a moment ago began to transform into a meadow. A meadow bathed in the light of a blue moon. ¡°¡­What?¡± Kim Hyunwoo, taken aback. However, the Blue Merchant nonchntly waved her hand and spoke. ¡°It¡¯s just a private space. Honestly, as long as I¡¯m around, there¡¯s no worry about sound leaking out, but borrowing this space for a while ensures that no information will leak.¡± The Blue Merchant said this and fiddled with the armrest of the wooden chair she had been sitting on, which was now dyed a bright white, as if she liked the change, and then spoke. ¡°Now that the space is all set up, let¡¯s get down to a real conversation. Hmm, what should we start with? Oh, do you have any questions?¡± ¡°Questions?¡± ¡°Yes, anything.¡± At the Blue Merchant¡¯s words, Kim Hyunwoo pondered. He wasn¡¯t pondering because he had no questions, but because he had too many. And, after much deliberation, the first question that came out of Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s mouth was- ¡°¡­Who sent me here?¡± -This was it. In truth, there were mountains of other questions he wanted to ask, but he asked this one first simply because it was what he was most curious about. After all, Kim Hyunwoo still wondered why he hade to this ce. Considering it, it had already been ten years since Kim Hyunwoo had stopped ying Arteil. Sure, he had been a ranker, but not number one. Had he criticized Arteil? ¡­It would be a lie to say he hadn¡¯t criticized it, but to his knowledge, there were plenty of yers who had been far more critical of the game than he had. In other words, experiencing such a strange phenomenon worthy of a novel, Kim Hyunwoo wasn¡¯t particrly unusual in any respect. So, that led Kim Hyunwoo to ask his question. At that question, the Blue Merchant seemed to ponder. ¡°Hmm, I can somewhat guess what kind of answer you¡¯re expecting.¡± ¡°¡­Is that so?¡± ¡°Yes. You might be thinking some transcendental being summoned you for some reason, but unfortunately, that¡¯s not the case.¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s not?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s not. Rather, the reason you were brought to this world¡­isrgely your own fault, in many ways.¡± With a meaningful smile, she said that. Loriel, who is a disciple of Rin and could also be considered the de facto leader of the Five Swords of Cn, fundamentally has a personality that doesn¡¯t experience much change in emotions. This allowed her to take on the leadership role among the somewhat rough personalities of the other Swords of Cn and, in fact, to act as one of the closest to their master. ¡­Of course, recently, all Loriel had been doing was monitoring what was happening in Lartania and reporting back to Rin. Loriel had never really had anyints while carrying out that mission. After all, the n being executed to assist their master was already being handled by colleagues in the Cn Kingdom, and although this task was initially somewhat boring, it became quite alright once she had someone to talk to. In other words, one could say that Loriel¡¯s mission was veryfortable, but on the other hand, it could also be described as extremely boring. However. ¡°¡­¡­¡± At this moment, Loriel¡¯s pupils were trembling uncontrobly. Even more so than when Rin hadn¡¯t returned from Lartania after identally tearing a Teleportation scroll while fighting with Merilda. ¡°¡­Is that really what I just read?¡± Loriel muttered involuntarily. Loriel, who is usually always calm, trembled slightly in her voice, unlike her usual state. No wonder, since Loriel¡¯s eyes were seeing letters that were unbelievable to her. ¡­A signboard congratting the marriage of the Lord of Lartania. Thus, Loriel couldn¡¯t help but tremble in her voice without realizing it. ¡°¡­I can see it clearly as well.¡± Giral, who had been yawning wide with boredom just moments before, was now sweating coldly as if feeling the gravity of the situation, looking at those letters. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± After confirming with their own eyes that the characters they saw were indeed true, Loriel and Giral did not say a word to each other. They just stared nkly at the signboard. Wondering if they understood correctly, they looked back at it several times just to be sure. And then. ¡°¡­We¡¯re screwed.¡± Giral¡¯s low voice hit Loriel¡¯s ears. ¡°¡­Right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°¡­If the Master finds out about this¡­¡± Loriel involuntarily made a dizzy expression. It¡¯s hard to say, but she holds great respect and affection for her Master. But what if the Master were to see this situation? ¡°¡­Ah.¡± The mere thought made Loriel dizzy, and as she staggered and looked to the side, she saw Giral, possibly having simr thoughts, covered in cold sweat and deeply pondering. And then. ¡°¡­What should we do?¡± ¡°First of all, somehow¡­¡± After a long period of pondering, Loriel and Giral started to wonder how they could possibly conceal this. Both Giral and Loriel knew it was wrong to lie, as they had been instructed to report on the situation in the territory. Despite this, they both judged that it might be better to hide the situation, considering what would happen if it were to be revealed. Just as they opened their mouths to urgently coordinate their story, ¡°I¡¯m back!¡± ¡°You¡¯re back¡­but what are the two of you doing?¡± ¡°¡­Ah.¡± Loriel and Giral let out sighs with looks of utter astonishment. ¡°Look at this, Giral!¡± Merilda, seemingly unaware of their situation and quite excited, approached Giral and held something out to him. ¡°Look, it¡¯s a picture of the Master!¡± Merilda said with a smile, as if she had obtained something very good. ¡­In fact, she had snatched one or two pictures after the Crimson Dragon refused to give them up until the end¡­ But the point was that she got the pictures, so she boasted with a very satisfied expression. ¡°¡­Huh?¡± Merilda ended up seeing the scene behind Giral, who was making an awkward expression. The signboard celebrating the marriage of the Lord. ¡°¡­Eh?¡± ¡­The two pictures that Merilda had snatched from the Crimson Dragon fluttered powerlessly to the ground from her hand. Chapter 120: Proposal Ring (4) ¡°Yes, no. Rather, the reason you were called to this world¡­in many ways, it¡¯srgely your fault.¡± At the Blue Merchant¡¯s cryptic words, Kim Hyunwoo said, ¡°Because of me?¡± ¡°Yes. Um- Actually, I¡¯d like to tell you more, but it¡¯s beyond my authority, so it¡¯s a bit difficult to say more.¡± ¡°Yes¡­? Authority?¡± ¡°I told you earlier, didn¡¯t I? I¡¯m merely a messenger, meaning the information I can provide you with is already determined. Unfortunately.¡± ¡°¡­Can¡¯t you just tell me?¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to, but I regret that I cannot.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Kim Hyunwoo thought, why tell me to ask anything if it¡¯s going to be like this¡­but he refocused as the Blue Merchant continued speaking. ¡°Well, I can still give you a clear answer on this. The one who summoned you was not the one who gave me orders.¡± ¡°You know who it is, but you have no intention of telling me¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to tell you, but that I can¡¯t. However, a hint is that the person who summoned you is, in many ways, entangled with you. Perhaps more than you think.¡± The Blue Merchant said so, cleared her throat briefly, and continued. ¡°Now, within the limits of what you¡¯re curious about, I¡¯ve spoken as I wished, so I¡¯ll give you a bit of the story I have to tell.¡± ¡°¡­For reference, what is this story you¡¯re going to tell?¡± With a suspicious expression, Kim Hyunwoo asked, to which the Blue Merchant replied with a smile, ¡°Of course, it¡¯s not a story without interest. In fact, it¡¯s something you might be even more curious about. It¡¯s about the purpose.¡± ¡°¡­Purpose, you mean what- I need to do something here- is that the kind of story?¡± ¡°Yes, exactly. It¡¯s something we¡¯d like you to do. If you do, there¡¯ll be a significant reward in return.¡± The Blue Merchant looked at Kim Hyunwoo, pondering where to begin the story, tapping on the white chair several times. Suddenly, looking at her, Kim Hyunwoo, driven by curiosity, asked, ¡°Do I have the right to refuse?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°The right to refuse. I was wondering if it¡¯s mandatory.¡± At Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s question, the Blue Merchant seemed to ponder for a moment before speaking, ¡°No? It¡¯s not exactly mandatory. However-¡± ¡°However?¡± ¡°Even if there is a right to refuse, it¡¯s something that must be done regardless. If not done, the end won¡¯t be very good.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Ah, just to rify, this is not a threat. Really. My point is, regardless of how you react to this story, you will be involved in that major event.¡± After saying this, the Blue Merchant seemed to have organized her thoughts and began speaking, ¡°Let¡¯s start with this. Are you familiar with demons?¡± ¡°¡­Well, I might not know much, but I am aware of their existence.¡± At Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s words, the Blue Merchant spoke as if pleased, ¡°Then it will be quite easy to exin. What we¡¯d like to ask of you is to protect this world from demons and other high-dimensional beings.¡± ¡°High-dimensional beings¡­?¡± ¡°Yes, to put it simply, the demons. It might sound a bit funny, but humans in this world don¡¯t have the power to stop beings like demons from higher dimensions.¡± ¡°¡­But aren¡¯t there heroes?¡± Kim Hyunwoo asked, recalling those chosen by the ¡®world¡¯ in the setting of Arteil, and the Blue Merchant shook her head. ¡°Heroes are definitely strong. But that strength is limited to beings in the Middle Realm. The number of heroes who can stand against demons, beings from a higher dimension, can be counted on one hand.¡± ¡°So, are you asking me to stop those higher-dimensional beings?¡± ¡°Yes, it might be hard to say, but you could be considered an even higher-dimensional being than the demons and other celestial beings.¡± At the Blue Merchant¡¯s words, Kim Hyunwoo looked bewildered, so she paused to think and then started a metaphor. ¡°¡­To exin a bit, let¡¯s use the metaphor of a tower.¡± ¡°A tower?¡± ¡°Yes, a tower. This tower has an absolutew: the power one possesses varies ording to their level in the hierarchy. Simply put, the higher you are in the tower, the stronger the power you hold.¡± The Blue Merchant continued, ¡°If we consider this world as the first floor of the tower, demons, celestial beings, and quite troublesome friends are on the second floor. And you, an extraterrestrial being currently in this ce, are-¡± ¡°¡­On the third floor?¡± ¡°That¡¯s it. I¡¯m d you catch on quickly.¡± Kim Hyunwoo, making a peculiar expression at the Blue Merchant¡¯s nod of approval, then spoke, ¡°So, to summarize, I was coincidentally summoned by a hero I know, and being a higher-dimensional being, you¡¯re asking me to stop entities attempting to invade this world¡­ Can it be summarized like this?¡± ¡°Correct. But naturally, it¡¯s not without reward. If you sessfully protect this world, you will be granted a ¡®wish¡¯.¡± ¡°¡­A wish?¡± ¡°Yes, a wish that must be granted, no matter how absurd or oundish it may seem¡­ No, in fact, you would be granted a power of inevitability.¡± ¡°And if I fail to protect it¡­.¡± ¡°It would be regrettable to all, but you would likely lose your life. However, one thing is certain: it would be an unavoidable consequence rather than a penalty we impose. After all, no one would leave you be.¡± After saying this, the Blue Merchant stood up with a smile. ¡°¡­?¡± Kim Hyunwoo made a bewildered face at her suddenly standing up in the middle of the conversation. But the Blue Merchant, ¡°Well, then, that¡¯s all I had to say.¡± announced the end of her story. ¡°¡­What? Wait, you¡¯re just going to leave it at that?¡± Kim Hyunwoo wore an incredulous expression. ¡°It might seem abrupt, but from here onwards, you need to hear from the Red Merchant. I¡¯m only permitted to tell you this much.¡± ¡°¡­Does that make any sense?¡± ¡°Please understand, I find it frustrating too, but given our circumstances, there¡¯s no helping it. If I say more, ¡®restraining force¡¯ will activate. However, one thing I can say for certain is this.¡± The Blue Merchant said earnestly, ¡°This task, it¡¯s something that only you can carry out. That much is certain.¡± With those final words, she snapped her fingers, turning the world from a blue night back to the original office, ¡°Ahem, well then, please take this.¡± ¡°¡­What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°Why do you look so puzzled? It¡¯s the item you ordered.¡± At the Blue Merchant¡¯s words, Kim Hyunwoo uttered an ¡°Ah¡±, and took the somewhat nd-looking ring from inside the small box. ¡°Now that I¡¯ve given you everything, I¡¯ll be going. Please hear the rest from the Red Merchant.¡± As she began to disappear into a blue light before Kim Hyunwoo could even ask, he urgently called out, ¡°Wait! But you said this is something only I can do, how does that make any sense!? What power do I supposedly have!?¡± Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s incredulous question. However, the Blue Merchant, staring intently at him, said, ¡°No? Think about it. You possess a power that no one else has.¡± Saying so, she gradually began to disappear. ¡°Ah.¡± When about half of her body had disappeared, she let out a low exmation and said, ¡°I think I can give you this much of a hint.¡± With a slight smile, she added, ¡°Think again about the number of heroes at the Round Table.¡± With those words, she vanishedpletely. And then, ¡°¡­Wait, what is this-¡± Before Kim Hyunwoo could fully process the words left by the Blue Merchant, he found himself repeating herst words without realizing, ¡°¡­The number of heroes at the Round Table?¡± Kim Hyunwoo tilted his head in confusion. The Round Table was akin to a group name he had given to the heroes he primarily used while managing Lartania ten years ago, consisting of a total of five members. The Beast King. The Absolute Ruler of Darkness. The Crimson Dragon. The Hero King. And then¡­ ¡°¡­Huh?¡± Kim Hyunwoo felt a moment of alienation and tilted his head, puzzled. ¡®¡­Were there four?¡¯ He frowned slightly. However, Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s confusion didn¡¯tst long. Creeeak-! That¡¯s because he turned his gaze toward the sound of the office door opening, which was different from the usual. There, ¡°My Lord¡­?¡± was Elena. ¡°¡­I think I saw something strange¡­ Could you, perhaps, exin it to me?¡± Holding a pair of axes in her hands, as if she hade from training. Chapter 121: Legitimate Visits (1) Before Kim Hyunwoo could even think, Elena, who had kicked the door open and entered, stood in front of him with very confused emotions. Right then, there was a ring ced inside a small box on his desk. A Proposal Ring that reflected everything like a mirror. Upon seeing it, Elena felt an overwhelming, sticky emotion without even realizing it. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Of course, Kim Hyunwoo said nothing. Elena didn¡¯t know who that Proposal Ring was for. However, that made Elena feel a deep sense of despair. At least, she could easily guess that Kim Hyunwoo would not use that item on her. Of course, the rtionship between Elena and Kim Hyunwoo was not that bad. In fact, among the heroes in Lartania right now, Kim Hyunwoo was spending the most time with Elena. Excluding the time she spent training, Elena was almost always helping Kim Hyunwoo with administration or reporting to him. However, despite this, the fact that she and Kim Hyunwoo had not be that close made Elena feel an upsurge of sticky emotions. Of course, she knew that this behavior was wrong. However, upon seeing the sign, Elena couldn¡¯t help but feel an irresistible urge to run up to it without even realizing it. However, ¡°Are you worried about what¡¯s outside? Don¡¯t mind that. It¡¯s not about the ring; it¡¯s about the merchant who brought this ring.¡± Following that, Elena asked without realizing, ¡°¡­The merchant¡­?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°¡­What do you mean?¡± Elena looked puzzled, unable to understand. Although she knew it was strange for her to be curious about this, her growing curiosity had already led her to ask. ¡°So what happened is-¡± Kim Hyunwoo exined to Elena a usible reason for buying the Proposal Ring. Of course, he couldn¡¯t talk about the quest, so he said he bought the ring to meet with the Blue Merchant. ¡°-That¡¯s how it happened. After all, there aren¡¯t many ways to meet the Blue Merchant.¡± ¡°I see.¡± After Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s awkward exnation, Elena nodded as if she finally understood, speaking with a bit of embarrassment. ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry, seeing that suddenly made me a bit anxious, so I rushed to ask.¡± ¡°I guess that could happen¡­¡± Kim Hyunwoo, understanding her words, sighed and responded while Elena slightly turned her gaze away. Elena, ncing at him, then looked at the small box and spoke. ¡°But¡­may I ask just one thing?¡± ¡°Hmm? What is it?¡± ¡°Well, even though you said you bought it to meet the Blue Merchant, you did buy a Proposal Ring, right?¡± Kim Hyunwoo nodded at Elena, who asked, recalling what he had said. ¡°Well¡­when you get down to it, yes.¡± ¡°So, are you nning to use the Proposal Ring?¡± Elena asked, squinting her eyes slightly, and after a moment of consideration, Kim Hyunwoo answered. ¡°¡­Well, I did buy it after all, so I suppose I should use it? This ring did cost quite a bit, after all.¡± Even the cheapest item sold by the Blue Merchant involved 10,000 Red Stones, so it would be a waste not to use it. ¡°Then, who are you nning to use it on?¡± Elena asked, following Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s words. In fact, Elena had been pondering whether to ask that question. Because the thought that maybe it was time to stop asking questions had been growing in her mind. But contrary to her rational thought, her emotions made her blurt out what was on her mind, and although Elena btedly made a regretful expression, Kim Hyunwoo spoke leisurely, as if he hadn¡¯t felt much. ¡°Um¡­I haven¡¯t decided yet.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°But well¡­I n to use it within about half a year.¡± ¡°What!? Within half a year?¡± ¡°¡­Huh? Why are you so surprised?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s just¡­don¡¯t you have someone in mind¡­or not?¡± Kim Hyunwoo nodded at Elena¡¯s question, who was thinking of Shadra and the other heroes within Lartania¡¯s territory that came to mind. ¡°Well, there isn¡¯t anyone, right?¡± ¡°Then how do you n to use it¡­?¡± Kim Hyunwoo pondered upon Elena¡¯s question. ¡®Truthfully, I don¡¯t really want to use the magic ring, if I¡¯m being honest.¡¯ He knew that depending on how the Proposal Ring was used, it could be a significant power in Lartania. And he could actually use it right now. ¡®Considering Elena¡¯s affection is at Level 4, if I develop the rtionship well, I could use the Proposal Ring¡­¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo nced at Elena. Her expression grew serious, as if she was deeply pondering something. Seeing that, Kim Hyunwoo sighed shortly, thinking, ¡®As expected¡¯. ¡®It¡¯s difficult to use it on a hero in such a situation, after all.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo was not recruiting any more heroes, having already recruited Elena and Lani. The reason was that no hero who visited the tavern after Lani had caught Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s fancy. Of course, he could recruit and discard heroes, but that was not Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s style; he preferred to choose heroes to develop and nurture, leading to this endless waiting. Thus, in the current situation with only one hero, if Kim Hyunwoo were to give the Proposal Ring to Elena after carefully nning, there would be no side effects from the magic. However, the reason Kim Hyunwoo decisively chose not to use the ring was because of the situation. ¡®¡­Ultimately, the point is to block all those, including demons, who invade the middle world, which means it¡¯s essential to bring in other heroes besides Elena.¡¯ Even if Elena is bound to be strongerter, numbers hold an absolute advantage in any world. And to strengthen the recruited heroes, it is imperative to increase their affection. From his position, needing to raise affection for this and that hero, the Proposal Ring became something that should not be used. After all, the Proposal Ring could only restrict Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s actions and cause discord among the heroes. And if he were to give a Proposal Ring to everyone whose affection he raises, he knew well the kind of situation that would create. Moreover, this Proposal Ring also had an expiration date. Of course, he was aware of Arteil¡¯s setting that a special power binds the lord and the hero, but the setting that this ¡®special power¡¯ evaporates if not used within half a year made the Proposal Ring effectively a time-limited item. This meant, Kim Hyunwoo had to use the ring within half a year. ¡®¡­Well, might as well use it reluctantly.¡¯ Therefore, holding the ring, Kim Hyunwoo shrugged his shoulders slightly and answered, then asked, ¡°Ah, by the way, is the carriage still outside?¡± ¡°What? Oh, the carriage? Yes, it should still be there.¡± Kim Hyunwoo, seeing Elena respond a beatte as if deep in thought, covered his eyes with an embarrassed expression. ¡°¡­Somehow, I thought it would still be there.¡± ¡°¡­Should I get rid of it?¡± ¡°Yes, take the carriage to the Lord¡¯s castle warehouse, and remove the sign to dispose of it.¡± Elena nodded in understanding and left the office, following Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s answer, who sighed deeply while covering his eyes. ¡°¡­Half a year¡­¡± Elena, murmuring to herself unknowingly, ¡°¡­What are you doing here?¡± ¡°Hmm-hmm-¡± ¡°I have some business to attend to.¡± As soon as she left the office, Elena instinctively realized, seeing Shadra and River waiting as if they had been expecting her. That River and Shadra present here had overheard her conversation with Kim Hyunwoo. And, ¡®Half a year-¡¯ ¡®Half a year¡­¡¯ ¡®Half a year¡­¡¯ The realization that everyone here had unified their goal, all because of ¡°half a year¡±. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Thus, when Elena, River, and Shadra began to exchange tense nces, starting a subtle battle of nerves, outside of Lartania¡¯s domain, ¡°¡­Half a year?¡± ¡°Half a year¡­¡± Rin and Merilda were looking down at the territory with expressions mixed with equal parts gloom and hope. More precisely, they were staring intently at the Ring on the desk of the Lord¡¯s office that Kim Hyunwoo had yet to put away. Half a year. It was a time frame that could be considered long, but also short. However, Merilda and Rin did not attribute any particr meaning to the time frame of half a year themselves. That¡¯s because there were only two things that were important to Merilda and Rin right away. One was that Kim Hyunwoo had bought a Proposal Ring. The other was that Merilda and Rin truly wanted to be the owner of that Ring. Thus, in the current situation, Merilda and Rin were not so much reflecting on the half-year time frame as they were seeking the fastest way to reach their predetermined goal. After all, they had no other options from the beginning. That¡¯s why. ¡°Loriel.¡± ¡°Yes, Master.¡± ¡°Is everything we talked aboutst time prepared?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then, let¡¯s proceed right away.¡± ¡°I will prepare as instructed.¡± ¡°Giral.¡± ¡°What is it, Boss?¡± ¡°Do you remember what we decided to dost time?¡± ¡°¡­Ah, the thing Ryu suggested?¡± ¡°Yes, let¡¯s do that.¡± ¡°¡­That?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s do it.¡± ¡°¡­Understood.¡± Merilda and Rin steeled their resolve. ¡­While looking at the Ring. Chapter 122: Legitimate Visits (2) Malon. He was the leader of the Apprentice Knights affiliated with Lartania and a person who held the most loyalty to the Lord. Of course, Kim Hyunwoo didn¡¯t particrly take care of Malon, but the reason for his full-hearted loyalty was because of the opportunity he had created. After all, Kim Hyunwoo had given Malon, who was of a certain age and had only faint possibilities left, being nothing more than an ordinary soldier, the blessing to be a ¡®knight¡¯. Not only that, but there was no knight in Lartania who did not feel loyalty to Kim Hyunwoo. Essentially, being a ¡®knight¡¯, even though far from being a ¡®hero¡¯, definitely means acquiring the power to surpass an ¡®ordinary person¡¯. Anyway, Malon, who held deep loyalty to Kim Hyunwoo, had recently been witnessing strange events around the territory, more precisely around the Lord. ¡­More precisely, he was tantly witnessing odd fights among the heroes circling around Kim Hyunwoo. Of course, those fights naturally did not mean physical battles. To be more precise, it was right to see them as verbal arguments. ¡°You changed your hairstyle? Wouldn¡¯t it be better to stick with the original one? It doesn¡¯t feel that different anyway.¡± ¡°Is that so? But isn¡¯t changing it up in various ways better for a change of mood rather than sticking to one style because it¡¯s voluminous?¡± ¡°I see. Well, in truth¡­you might not see much effect despite the effort, right? It could be hard on you for nothing.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I thought it¡¯s better than not being able to change because of voluminous hair.¡± In front of Malon, who was voluntarily standing guard at the entrance of the Lord¡¯s castle, Elena and Shadra were exchanging words with smiles on their faces. The smiles maintained their unchangingughter. ¡­However, their eyes were notughing. ¡°Since you came to see the Lord, wouldn¡¯t it be better toe on another day?¡± ¡°Dad said it¡¯s okay toe whenever I have time, so it shouldn¡¯t matter, right?¡± ¡°Is that so? Ah,e to think of it, Shadra, you have a feeling like a real daughter, so it might be okay for you. I¡¯m envious.¡± Elena, smiling and without hesitation, stabs with a verbal dagger. However, seeing Shadra immediately counterattack after momentarily stopping at her words, Malon couldn¡¯t help but sigh without realizing it. Lately, whenever he was on guard duty, the women circling around the Lord would engage in such nerve-wracking confrontations whenever they met. And that¡¯s not all. Since the sign saying ¡®Congrattions on the Lord¡¯s Marriage¡¯ appeared once, Elena, River, and Shadra had been oddly dressing up every time they entered the Lord¡¯s castle. Elena, for instance, had starteding in neat uniforms, frequently changing her hairstyle unlike before. River, the head of the cksmith Guild, wore not her usual cksmith attire but strangely fluttery dresses. Shadra had been entering and leaving the Lord¡¯s castle in outfits that were oddly revealing. Furthermore, recently, they had been strangely bribing the guards to meticulously check who came and went and subtly interfered if someone else entered first, thus engaging in checks and bnces. ¡°¡­The Lord¡¯s abilities are certainly remarkable but¡­even taking that into ount¡­it¡¯s aplete mess.¡± Malon was still watching the two of them stabbing each other with verbal daggers at the entrance of the Lord¡¯s castle, thinking just that. While Malon was watching the heroes¡¯ breathtaking dagger-stabbing for the umpteenth time. Three days after the Blue Merchant visited Lartania, Kim Hyunwoo, as usual, was going about his work and had organized his tasks into three categories. ¡®Finding a way to meet the Red Merchant, slowly selecting a hero that had been postponed, and thinking about the fifth one.¡¯ In fact, the first task, finding a way to meet the Red Merchant, was not that difficult. Just as buying goods with a Red Stone would summon the Blue Merchant, the Red Merchant would alsoe to deliver goods if the purchase price of an item reached a certain amount. The only problem here was that the goods sold by the Red Merchant were event materials, but this issue was quickly resolved. Unlike the time when ying Arteil, where goods were not sold without an event, the current Red Merchant seemed to sell items ording to the date, even without a specific event situation. [Surprise Reveal in 82 Days!] Upon clicking the event tab, Kim Hyunwoo saw the notification and thought. ¡®In 82 days, I should have gathered a decent amount of Red Stones, so I¡¯ll have some leeway.¡¯ With that thought, Kim Hyunwoo closed the cash window and picked up the report Elena had left behind a little while ago to check it. ¡®Again, no useful heroes this time?¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo clicked his tongue and put down the report. What Elena had left behind was a list of heroes who had stopped by the tavern that day. Since Kim Hyunwoo could only view the abilities of heroes who entered the tavern by name, instead of going to check every time the notification popped up dozens of times a day, he had instructed Elena to investigate only the heroes who came into the tavern. As a result, he couldfortably view the abilities of the heroes who entered the tavern, but unfortunately, he had not found any heroes. ¡®They say the first step is crucial, but how can this be so disastrously bad?¡¯ In fact, since the arrival of the Blue Merchant, Kim Hyunwoo had been considering epting heroes with significantly lowered standards by anyone¡¯s thoughts. Yet, despite Lartania¡¯s territory having grown significantly and buildings reaching up to Level 5, only heroes who did not meet Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s standards wereing and going to the tavern. Because of this, even after about three days and checking around thirty heroes, Kim Hyunwoo had not been able to find a single hero. ¡°Sigh¡­¡± Therefore, swallowing his breath unconsciously with a worried expression, Kim Hyunwoo soon shook his head. ¡®Let¡¯s not be anxious.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo was fully aware that being anxious would not make any difference. After all, his anxiousness wouldn¡¯t bring in any heroes worth raising, and selecting talentless heroes in his nervousness wouldn¡¯t be of any help either. So, setting that thought aside quietly, he soon recalled thest task to be done. ¡°¡­The fifth hero¡­¡± The fifth hero. In fact, from Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s standpoint, this part remained strangely peculiar. The heroes Kim Hyunwoo remembered were clearly four. Beast King. Absolute Ruler of Darkness. Crimson Dragon. Hero King. Of course, there was the Necromancer of the Blue Forest, who died due to Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s mistake while going through the Labyrinth, but Kim Hyunwoo instinctively knew. That the Necromancer of the Blue Forest was not the answer to this contradictory memory. After all, the Necromancer of the Blue Forest had retired too quickly. Meaning, he was a figure before Kim Hyunwoo had perfectly formed the Round Table. However, despite being certain of that, Kim Hyunwoo had no clue about the fifth hero. Even if something came to mind, it was really vague, and naturally, when counting the heroes of the Round Table, he thought of the fifth one. This natural yet peculiar sense of dissonance had been sinking Kim Hyunwoo into a swamp of thoughttely, but he only received answers of ignorance even when asking Loriel. ¡°¡­Hmm.¡± After pondering for a while, Kim Hyunwoo eventually organized his thoughts and let out a light sigh. Kim Hyunwoo instinctively realized that in order to recall this contradictory memory, he needed a catalyst rather than thinking about it alone. ¡®¡­First, I should focus more on summoning the Red Merchant and the development of the territory.¡¯ Therefore, instead of worrying about the fifth, Kim Hyunwoo decided to focus more on summoning the Red Merchant and on the development of the territory, especially on summoning the Red Merchant. And then, about five days had passed. Territory: Lartania Territory Development Level: 4180 [Detailed development is possible!] Territory Residents: [Humans: 29,108] ¨COwned Buildings¨C [Lord's Castle LV2 >>> Upgrading 99%] [Paused] [Wall LV5¡ü] [Residential District LV5] [cksmith LV5] [Barracks LV5] [Tavern LV5] [Market LV5] [Lumber Mill LV5] [Restaurant LV5] [Leather Workshop LV5] [Stone Workshop LV5] [Trading Post LV5] [Secondary Wall LV5] [Inn LV5¡ü] [Administrative District LV5] [Paved Road LV4¡ü] ¨CExternal Buildings¨C [Mercenary Guild LV0 (Under Construction)] [Mage Tower Branch LV1¡ü] [cksmith Guild Branch LV1¡ü] ¨COwned Troops¨C -Regr Soldiers: 1000 -Guards: 200 -Apprentice Knights: 200 At the point where, unbeknownst to Kim Hyunwoo, all buildings except the paved roads had reached Level 5, and the Territory Development Level had exceeded 4000, allowing the construction of second-tier buildings. ¡°¡­How should I proceed with the second-tier development?¡± Kim Hyunwoo, who was earnestly pondering how to carry out the second-tier development. [The 'King of Cn Kingdom' has visited the territory] ¡°¡­Huh?¡± He couldn¡¯t help but react to the sudden notification that appeared before his eyes. That was because the notification that suddenly popped up in front of Kim Hyunwoo seemed quite out of the blue to him. ¡®Why the King of Cn Kingdom¡­?¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo had seen the King of Cn Kingdom before and had certainly received some favor, but it was strange for her to appear out of nowhere in this situation, raising questions. However, a new notification soon popped up, leaving him with many hooks over his head. Especially since this happened right after the notification of the visit from the King of Cn Kingdom. A ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î hero 'Absolute Ruler of Darkness' has entered the territory. ¡°¡­??¡± It was because a name he knew very well had appeared before his eyes. Chapter 123: Legitimate Visits (3) King Sasha Cn of the Cn Kingdom and the Absolute Ruler of Darkness had been treating each other as business partners for quite some time. King Sasha Cn used the Absolute Ruler of Darkness as a sword. The Absolute Ruler of Darkness used Sasha Cn for the purpose of conveniently gathering gifts. Of course, to call them perfectly equal business partners would be misleading, as the Absolute Ruler of Darkness unterally supported Sasha Cn, and although Sasha was aware of this fact, it does not change that their business rtionship has been maintained for a long time. In such a business rtionship, Sasha Cn had never seen the Absolute Ruler of Darkness properly express any emotions. As a business partner, her face was always expressionless. Whether something special happened leading to a good oue or an unexpected setback causedplications, the Absolute Ruler of Darkness was essentially emotionless. Thus, Sasha Cn had never once thought that the Absolute Ruler of Darkness would show any other emotion in front of her. However. ¡°¡­Hoo-hoo-¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Upon entering Lartania, Sasha Cn looked at the Absolute Ruler of Darkness, who was taking deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself down as if she had inhaled too much air. Her face was flushed even though she had not yet met the Lord or had a conversation, and her ears, which would not turn red even in the cold northern regions, were so red they could be mistaken for persimmons rather than ears. Furthermore, her lips showed brief confusion, alternating between smiles and sadness, and perhaps due to such rapid changes in emotion, her eyes were moist. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Seeing this, Sasha unwittingly opened her mouth. After all, she had never seen the Absolute Ruler of Darkness in such a state before. Indeed, it was hard to believe that someone capable of destroying a territory¡¯s walls with a single strike could show such a cute expression. Thus, as she gazed at her dazedly, she soon sighed lightly upon seeing the approaching Lord¡¯s castle. Of course, the reason she came here was not because she wanted to, but rather to amodate the request of her business partner. In other words, there must be nock in handling affairs. ¡®¡­Meeting the Lord of Lartania is not so nerve-wracking.¡¯ Because it was the request of the Absolute Ruler of Darkness, Sasha, feeling a bit tense, steeled her will and entered the Lord¡¯s castle. Upon seeing Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s face after a while, Sasha naturally put on a mask and smiled. At least at this moment, Sasha Cn had to wear a smile to faithfully carry out her request. She had to, but- ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Lo-.¡± ¡°Eh-¡± ¡°-rd¡­¡± -Sasha Cn felt her mask slip slightly at the cute hup sounding from beside her as soon as she saw the Lord of Lartania. Initially, Kim Hyunwoo found the situation quite confusing. That was because he thought the situation itself was very unusual. However, after a little while, Kim Hyunwoo could understand why the Absolute Ruler of Darkness and Sasha Cn hade to Lartania together. ¡°¡­So, you¡¯re saying she¡¯s the great hero who built up the Cn Kingdom.¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± Seeing Sasha speak with a smile, Kim Hyunwoo looked at the Absolute Ruler of Darkness. Kim Hyunwoo, who sneakily nced at her as she subtly turned her gaze away, unable to make proper eye contact, soon asked. ¡°I get that part, but¡­¡± Without explicitly saying ¡®So what?¡¯, Kim Hyunwoo looked at Sasha. Up to now, Kim Hyunwoo had gathered two pieces of information from the conversation. One was that the Absolute Ruler of Darkness had helped the Cn Kingdom. The other was that the Absolute Ruler of Darkness no longer needed to stay in the shadows and would reveal herself publicly. And from those two pieces of information, Kim Hyunwoo couldn¡¯t find a connection to Lartania. Therefore, seeing his puzzled expression, Sasha spoke with a natural smile. ¡°I was about to get to the main point, if that¡¯s alright with you?¡± ¡°Yes, sure¡­¡± ¡°As the Lord of Lartania is of course aware, the Kingdom of Norba is currently upied by demons. To be more precise, they are the minions and demons of the dirty demons. As a result, instability within the Cn Kingdom has increased significantly.¡± Upon hearing Sasha¡¯s words, Kim Hyunwoo nodded while asking, ¡°¡­Has dissatisfaction risen to such an extent? As far as I know, the Cn Kingdom has not suffered significant damage yet.¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct. The Cn Kingdom has not yet suffered any damage. But, as you know, Lord, unease does not necessarily arise only after an event has urred, right?¡± At Sasha¡¯s words, Kim Hyunwoo nodded in agreement. Indeed, as she said, unease does not arise only after a misfortune has urred. ¡°Of course, as I mentioned to you, Lord, the immediate unease has significantly diminished since the Absolute Ruler of Darkness has decided toe into the light publicly. However, that¡¯s only really around the Kingdom¡¯s territory itself; it¡¯s not the case for the surrounding territories, especially the outskirts.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯vee to make a proposal regarding this matter.¡± ¡°¡­A proposal?¡± At Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s question, Sasha spoke as if she had been waiting for it. ¡°From what I know, Lord, you¡¯ve stopped the demon armies twice withrge-scale magic that Dispels could not affect.¡± ¡°¡­Perhaps, is this about providing the technology for that Dispel-proofrge-scale magic?¡± Kim Hyunwoo stared intently at Sasha, ready to reject her immediately if she confirmed that was what she meant. After all, for him, it might not matter if it was aboutndmines, but missiles absolutely should not be known to other territories. However, contrary to Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s thoughts, Sasha continued speaking. ¡°¡­If you could do that, I would be truly grateful, but of course, I have no intention of making such an unreasonable request.¡± ¡°Then¡­?¡± ¡°Could you perhaps pretend to provide the technology? To be precise, what we need is just the appearance of it.¡± ¡°¡­Appearance, you say?¡± ¡°Yes. Plus, if a bit of technical ability that could usibly simte it were included, that would be ideal.¡± At Sasha¡¯s words, Kim Hyunwoo immediately realized why she was making such a request. ¡°So, you literally just want to alleviate the unease.¡± ¡°Exactly. As you know, Lord, with the people of the Holy Kingdom having arrived, it¡¯s unlikely the demons will advance towards the Cn Kingdom. You can see it as a means to alleviate the anxiety of the Lord and the territory¡¯s people.¡± At Sasha¡¯s concluding words, Kim Hyunwoo nodded without realizing it. After all, for Kim Hyunwoo, a method that involvedunching primitively without using ¡®appearances¡¯ or fuel wasn¡¯t a big loss. ¡°If I can do at least that much¡­¡± After pondering for a while, Kim Hyunwoo subtly hinted at wantingpensation, prompting Sasha to speak. ¡°From what I understand, there aren¡¯t many heroes in Lartania currently, is that correct?¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡± Upon hearing Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s confirmation, Sasha sighed softly as if she had passed something over, then continued. ¡°So, I was thinking, if it¡¯s alright with you, perhaps we could offer some support by providing a few heroes.¡± ¡°¡­If you were to provide heroes¡­?¡± ¡°Of course, we won¡¯t just be providing heroes. Naturally, we n to supply the resources needed by the Lartania territory within reasonable bounds. And-¡± ¡°We also intend to support this territory with the Absolute Ruler of Darkness herself, not just any heroes. How does that sound?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± At Sasha¡¯s words, Kim Hyunwoo turned his gaze discreetly to look at the Absolute Ruler of Darkness. ¡°Uh-¡± Making an odd noise as she looked at Kim Hyunwoo, the Absolute Ruler of Darkness attempted to turn her gaze away but then- ¡°Eh-¡± -made another curious (?) noise and fixed her head straight before speaking. ¡°Didn¡¯t I say this before? That¡­with my infamy being too great, it wouldn¡¯t be eptable¡­? But, if I were to stay in Lartania while being affiliated with the Cn Kingdom, wouldn¡¯t that be alright?¡± She said, ¡°If it happens like this, wouldn¡¯t it mean that the territory wouldn¡¯t necessarily be tarnished by my infamy? I can contribute a lot, be it in battle or other various tasks, as you know I¡¯m quite capable, aren¡¯t I?¡± She stated. ¡°I¡¯ve been good at this and that for a while- even cooking, I¡¯m quite skilled. Moreover, with my darkness, I can protect the Lord¡¯s castle without any gaps, and cooking too, ah, did I mention that already¡­?¡± ¡°¡­Absolute Ruler of Darkness?¡± Initially hesitant to speak, but as time passed and she became more exposed to Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s gaze, Rin began to ramble, causing Sasha to wear a puzzled expression. To anyone looking, Rin¡¯s appearance did not seem very reassuring. However, naturally, Sasha couldn¡¯t outrightly silence the Absolute Ruler of Darkness. ¡°Um, so? That is- if you just ask, I can do it all! Yes, that¡¯s right. Um- surprisingly, there¡¯s nothing I can¡¯t do¡­!¡± Sasha looked at the rambling Absolute Ruler of Darkness with an expression as if to say, oh no. Kim Hyunwoo, observing the Absolute Ruler of Darkness, made a peculiar expression and then spoke. ¡°¡­Well, it sounds good, but¡­¡± ¡°Is, is that so!?¡± The Absolute Ruler of Darkness spoke with a bright smile, as if she had found enlightenment. ¡°¡­Just to say something you might not know¡­even if not a hero affiliated with us, staying in the territory for a long time¡­ inevitably increases unease.¡± ¡°¡­Eh?¡± However, Kim Hyunwoo, who had smiled somewhat awkwardly, mentioned this. In a forest about two days away from the Lartania territory, there was someone with red eyes. ¡°Me, meow¡­like this?¡± ¡°¡­Boss, cat beastfolk hold their fists rather thinly. That¡¯s¡­if you throw it like that, it¡¯s a punch, you know¡­?¡± ¡°¡­Ugh.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s try again. Curl your hand thinly. Meow.¡± ¡°¡­Me, meow¡­¡± A curious event was unfolding. Chapter 124: Legitimate Visits (4) The Absolute Ruler of Darkness is clearly an asymmetrical force. Of course, I haven¡¯t seen her power in Arteil yet, but considering the power Merilda has demonstrated, and that their stats were simr in the game, it was only right to think she hadparable strength. She, too, like Merilda, is a 5.5-star character unseen in the game. However. ¡°So, I appreciate the offer, but it seems difficult to ept the support of the Absolute Ruler of Darkness.¡± No matter how certain an asymmetrical force she was, Kim Hyunwoo had no choice but to refuse the support of the Absolute Ruler of Darkness. And for good reason. [New Territory Influx Rate: -285%] The notification window in front of Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s eyes showed how epting the Absolute Ruler of Darkness would create a highly risky situation. ¡®Receiving support from the Absolute Ruler of Darkness in this situation is a bad move.¡¯ There were indeed many advantages to epting the Absolute Ruler of Darkness. Her strength, enough to be called an asymmetrical force, would surely be a great help now that the demons have descended upon the continent. However, that was the only issue. While there is one advantage to recruiting the Absolute Ruler of Darkness, the disadvantages are overwhelmingly many. As soon as she enters the territory, the Influx Rate would naturally drop to negative, and instead of new residents, there would be a natural exodus. Moreover, if the residents¡¯ anxiousness increases even slightly, there could be a massive exodus, affecting even the mercenaries not yet listed in the territory window. In other words, the moment Lartania embraces the Absolute Ruler of Darkness, the territory paradoxically declines. To put it simply, it would be like bing Kim Jong-un with a nuclear weapon. ¡®That won¡¯t do.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo had no desire to be Kim Jong-un with a nuclear weapon, so he spoke to her. ¡°¡­As you know, her infamy is still a bit too much for our territory to handle.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Sasha, noticing the stony expression of the Absolute Ruler of Darkness, said. Kim Hyunwoo, looking at her, spoke. ¡°However, that doesn¡¯t mean I intend to reject your offer.¡± ¡°¡­Then?¡± ¡°If the Cn Kingdom supports resources as reasonably as you said, I am willing to ept the offer. Ah, and if you could allow me to speak to the Absolute Ruler of Darkness as part of that support, that would be ideal.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± At Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s words, Sasha¡¯s eyes sparkled as she looked at the previously rigid Absolute Ruler of Darkness. Seeing her head nodding as if motorized, Sasha responded. ¡°Yes, if that¡¯s eptable to you¡­let¡¯s proceed that way.¡± After a brief proposal and eptance, Kim Hyunwoo was able to speak with the Absolute Ruler of Darkness alone. ¡°¡­¡­¡± And because of that, the Absolute Ruler of Darkness¡¯s mind was constantly spinning in an overloaded state. ¡®Wh-what should I do? Why did he arrange a one-on-one conversation with me? Could it be that? No, no, I shouldn¡¯t think like that. First of all, I haven¡¯t properly apologized yet-¡¯ Rin, trying not to show it, but her ears were red, and her pupils were trembling. ¡®Calm down, calm down. Somehow-¡¯ She took a deep breath, trying to calm her overloaded mind. She knew very well that without Sasha to back her up, she couldn¡¯t afford to mess up this conversation. Thus, the Absolute Ruler of Darkness took several deep breaths. ¡°Hmm¡­it¡¯s been a while?¡± ¡°Ah, um, it¡¯s been a while- urk.¡± Trying to answer Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s words, she bit her tongue, and Rin¡¯s forcibly calmed mind started to lose control and overload again. ¡°¡­Is it a bit awkward since we¡¯re meeting after a long time?¡± ¡°No, no! It¡¯s not like that!¡± Rin responded impulsively to Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s words. Her vigor was so overwhelming that even Kim Hyunwoo flinched for a moment, but he nodded and spoke. ¡°Well, if that¡¯s the case¡­no need to be so formal, treat me like you used to.¡± ¡°Like old times, you say? But-¡± ¡°¡­But?¡± ¡°That¡­we haven¡¯t finished talking yet¡­like¡­about forgiving me or something.¡± As if the overload from a moment ago was a lie, Rin¡¯s tension dropped rapidly, and she bowed her head as she spoke. ¡°Forgiveness? For what part?¡± ¡°¡­Ah? Um, ah¡­so¡­there are some parts, right? Like-¡± ¡°Oh, the part where you said you didn¡¯te to see me first?¡± ¡°That, or something like that-¡± Seeing Rin, who was rolling her eyes incessantly as if very ufortable, Kim Hyunwoo waved his hand and spoke. ¡°I told youst time, you don¡¯t need to feel sorry about that. I told you, it¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°But, still-¡± ¡°I mean it sincerely, it¡¯s not sarcastic or anything.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Of course, why would I lie about that? I¡¯ve never been angry at you.¡± ¡°But, still-¡± Eventually, just as she was about to ask, ¡®Didn¡¯t you leave because of me?¡¯ Rin felt a lump in her throat. Of course, through the conversation with Kim Hyunwoo, Rin had already realized to some extent that he wasn¡¯t angry or sarcastic towards her. However, the reason she couldn¡¯t say thosest words was that she was still afraid even after all the conversation. Rather, now that she knew he wasn¡¯t angry, she didn¡¯t want to bring it up and risk seeing even a 1% chance of him getting angry. So, Rin kept her mouth shut. ¡°Actually, I¡¯m kind of d.¡± ¡°¡­d?¡± ¡°Right? Last time, we met too suddenly and didn¡¯t get to talk. Actually, I wanted to talk like this once. I have some concerns, too.¡± ¡°Concerns!?¡± At Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s words, Rin felt her mouth twitch involuntarily. ¡®No, this won¡¯t do¡­!¡¯ Feeling her lips curl up madly at just one word from Kim Hyunwoo, Rin desperately tried to suppress it. ¡°Well, it¡¯s been a long time since we¡¯ve been alone like this.¡± At Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s words, Rin¡¯s lips curled up uncontrobly. At least the words from his mouth indicated a very important fact to her, that ¡®Kim Hyunwoo really isn¡¯t particrly angry at her¡¯. Furthermore, interpreting his words, she realized that he had some degree of affection for her. So, Rin no longer hid her curling lips. ¡°Well, actually, there¡¯s something I wanted to ask.¡± ¡°Yes, ask me anything! I can answer anything!¡± At Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s question, Rin involuntarily answered with a big smile. No, she was even fantasizing with a smile. Suddenly, Kim Hyunwoo talks about a ring, something that wouldn¡¯te up in reality, but her overloaded mind was already riding the fantasy train. And. ¡°Hey Rin.¡± ¡°Yes, why?¡± ¡°Among the heroes of the Round Table. Was there a fifth one?¡± ¡°¡­Fifth?¡± At Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s words, Rin felt her fantasy traine to a halt, but she quickly adjusted her expression and spoke. ¡°Yes, the fifth. Was there one?¡± At Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s question, Rin shook her head. ¡°There were only four heroes of the Round Table.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Kim Hyunwoo tilted his head, seemingly unsure, then nodded and spoke. ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°No, you said you had concerns?¡± Rin was flustered. But Kim Hyunwoo merely said, ¡°This is my concern.¡± ¡°Then the talk is¡­?¡± ¡°It is also about this. Anyway, thanks for talking. I was curious about this. See you next time.¡± He finished with a smile. And 30 minutester. ¡°¡­Hing.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Sasha couldn¡¯t help but make a strange expression as she watched the dejected Absolute Ruler of Darkness making a cute sound, copsing into the carriage. Thus, when the Absolute Ruler of Darkness left Lartania. ¡°¡­What?¡± Kim Hyunwoo felt a strange sense of doubt. It was partly about the fifth hero, but more precisely, it was the doubt he felt during his conversation with the Absolute Ruler of Darkness. No, to be more precise, it was a sense of incongruity. A very strange incongruity. ¡®I¡¯m sure there were more things I wanted to ask. Why¡­did I respond like that?¡¯ He wasn¡¯t being controlled, but something ¨C rather, he thought himself overly calm. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Kim Hyunwoo frowned. And. [Meet the Red Merchant.] ¡°¡­?¡± As if lying in wait, a notification window appeared in front of Kim Hyunwoo. Chapter 125: Uh??? (1) [Meet the Red Merchant.] As Kim Hyunwoo was contemting, a notification window appeared as if it had been waiting, causing him to make a strange expression. ¡°Loria.¡± [Yes, My Lord.] ¡°Did you put up this notification window?¡± [No, My Lord. I manage most of the notification windows, but as I mentioned before, there are areas of notifications that I cannot manage] ¡°¡­Hmm.¡± Hearing Loria¡¯s words, Kim Hyunwoo made a strange expression. Meeting the Red Merchant was one of Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s goals, and the notification to meet the Red Merchant after meeting the Blue Merchant had already appeared long ago. In other words, there was no reason for this notification window to suddenly appear. ¡®¡­Is it a coincidence?¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo stared at the notification window. The notification window did not disappear. It was simply obstructing his view. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Kim Hyunwoo unconsciously shook his head slightly. At least to Kim Hyunwoo, the appearance of this notification window seemed too contrived to be a coincidence. ¡®¡­Red Merchant.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo instinctively realized. That he could find out something additional by meeting with the Red Merchant. Moreover, he felt that he could understand even more than he normally thought. ¡®I must be thoroughly prepared to buy anything if the tab opens.¡¯ With that thought, Kim Hyunwoo quietly strengthened his resolve. The day after the Absolute Ruler of Darkness left. Kim Hyunwoo opened the Detailed Development window that he hadn¡¯t opened before. [The Detailed Development window is unlocked as the Territory Development Level exceeds 4000.] As it was his first time opening the Detailed Development window, three lists appeared before Kim Hyunwoo along with the notification window. [Magical Engineering Research Institute] [Merchant Association] [Battle Sanctuary] ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The list looked quite in for a Detailed Development window. However, the Detailed Development window was most important in this aspect. The future direction of Lartania would be determined by which of these three options he chose. ¡°The Merchant Association is the most convenient¡­¡± Muttered Kim Hyunwoo. Honestly, the most appealing option among the three for him was the Merchant Association. The Merchant Association was the building Kim Hyunwoo chose when he yed Arteil ten years ago. ¡®It¡¯s good, but¡­¡¯ However, the reason Kim Hyunwoo didn¡¯t choose the Merchant Association despite his thoughts was because of the difference between ten years ago and now. As the name suggests, the Merchant Association was essentially focused on trade for territory development. Naturally, all the detailed buildings were rted to trade, and choosing the Merchant Association would provide various benefits in trade. Moreover, having developed the territory with the Merchant Association ten years ago, Kim Hyunwoo knew exactly how to efficiently develop it, ensuring fast development. Unfortunately, the current Lartania territory was not trade-focused. ¡®In fact, the current Lartania territory is a perfect domestic market with mercenaries involved.¡¯ In short, the Merchant Association did not fit the current development form of the Lartania territory. In other words, it was only good in terms of efficiency and stability that Kim Hyunwoo had already developed once, with no other advantages. So naturally, Kim Hyunwoo excluded the Merchant Association and looked at the remaining two buildings. [Magical Engineering Research Institute] [Battle Sanctuary] ¡°¡­Hmm.¡± Kim Hyunwoo didn¡¯t know in detail, but he knew that the Magical Engineering Research Institute and Battle Sanctuary were specialized in ¡®development¡¯ and ¡®war¡¯ respectively. In the case of the Magical Engineering Research Institute, the territory itself would be a money-eating hippo, but it would give the territory various advantages, resulting in very stable territory growth. Moreover, the more the tech was upgraded, the more the weapons that suited the ¡®development¡¯ tech would make yers scream, but they were known to have amazing performance. In fact, the Magical Engineering Research Institute was simr to science tech, and the Battle Sanctuary was tech rted tobat, as the name suggests. ¡®¡­They were definitely fanatics.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo recalled the word he cursed at the yers who chose the Battle Sanctuary ten years ago and unconsciously frowned. The Battle Sanctuary tech literally encouraged invasion and looting, and all the benefits from the buildings were rted to that. As a result, yers who chose the Battle Sanctuary tech were the only ones in Arteil, where rtionships were important, who ignored rtionships and destroyed surrounding territories, looting merchant groups. Even Kim Hyunwoo, who was teching up with the Merchant Association, had been beaten by yers with Battle Sanctuary tech several times, so he couldn¡¯t help but frown. But only for a moment. Looking at the detailed development, Kim Hyunwoo finally decided to build the ¡®Magical Engineering Research Institute¡¯. At least he thought that what the current Lartania territory needed was not the Merchant Association, but something to quell the anxiousness of the territory residents, which could fluctuate due to mercenaries or various factors. ¡®Additionally, the weapons thate out as the tech is upgraded will surely be useful.¡¯ With that thought, Kim Hyunwoo pressed the Magical Engineering Research Institute with his index finger. [You have chosen the Magical Engineering Research Institute!] [The Detailed Development window for the Magical Engineering Research Institute is open.] [The building 'Magical Development District' is essible.] [The building 'Magical Arsenal' is essible.] [The building 'Magical Administrative Computing' is essible.] [The building 'Magical-] [The building-] .... ... .. . Territory: Lartania Territory Development Level: 4212 [Detailed Development is possible!] Territory Residents: [Humans: 29,817] ¨CSecondary Buildings¨C [Magical Engineering Research Institute (Under Construction 0%)] ¨COwned Buildings¨C [Lord's Castle LV2 >>> Upgrading 99% (Paused)] [City Wall LV5¡ü] [Residential District LV5] [cksmith LV5] [Barracks LV5] [Tavern LV5] [Market LV5] [Wood Processing nt LV5] [Restaurant LV5] [Leather Processing nt LV5] [Stone Processing nt LV5] [Trading Post LV5] [Secondary City Wall LV5] [Inn LV5¡ü] [Administrative District LV5] [Paved Road LV4¡ü] ¨CExternal Buildings¨C [Mercenary Guild LV0 (Under Construction)] [Mage Tower Branch LV1¡ü] [cksmith Guild Branch LV1¡ü] ¨COwned Forces¨C -Common Soldiers: 1000 -Guards: 200 -Apprentice Knights: 200 Kim Hyunwoo was smiling satisfactorily as he watched the notifications flow out. A ¡ï¡ï¡ï Hero 'Golden Witch' has entered the territory. [The Tienus Merchant Group has arrived in the territory!] He immediately saw such a notification. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Merchant Group leader¡­?¡± About 30 minutester, Kim Hyunwoo, seeing Adria¡¯s face again after a long time, smiled and greeted her, but unconsciously stopped speaking. For good reason. ¡°¡­No, are you okay?¡± At least, Adria¡¯s expression standing in front of Kim Hyunwoo didn¡¯t look good. Dark circles under her eyes suggested she hadn¡¯t slept for a long time, and her bright eyes had lost their luster. Moreover, Adria, who had never shown a disheveled appearance even when meeting Kim Hyunwoo, now looked scruffy, as if she had fought on a battlefield. Seeing her staggering as if she might copse at any moment, Kim Hyunwoo made a worried expression. Adria made a very awkward smile, somewhere between a sneer and a smile, and spoke. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m fine, Lord. But- I heard an interesting rumor.¡± ¡°¡­Yes, a rumor?¡± ¡°Yes. Uh-¡± ¡°No, let¡¯s talk tomorrow. You should rest today¡­¡± Kim Hyunwoo spoke as he saw Adria holding her head. But©\ ¡°No. I can¡¯t!¡± She widened her eyes as if absolutely not allowing it. Thud-! ¡°¡­?!¡± Then she grabbed Kim Hyunwoo by the shoulders. ¡°Lord, are you getting married?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not getting married, right? Right?¡± ¡°¡­???¡± ¡°Please, can you tell me it¡¯s not true?¡± Mumbling curses as if spilling malicious curses nonstop from within, she even shed tears as she spoke. At that point. At the base of the Red Eyes. ¡°Hmm- Boss, I think this is all set?¡± ¡°¡­Do I really have to do this?¡± ¡°Of course, I told you, didn¡¯t I? First, you have to calmly check how much the Lord likes you.¡± ¡°¡­Even so¡­¡± ¡°Boss, listen carefully. This is a necessary task. We can only execute the n after roughly understanding how much the Lord likes you. Didn¡¯t I tell you?¡± ¡°¡­Got it.¡± ¡°Okay, then hurry up. We¡¯ll be supporting you hard from behind.¡± ¡°Okay¡­!¡± Merilda, with a slightly flushed face, strengthened her resolve and began to walk towards the Lartania territory. Chapter 126: Uh??? (2) Undoubtedly, Adria was going through painful days. Of course, it hadn¡¯t been very long since those painful days began. In terms of days, it had only been about five days? However, even though it was only five days, which might not be a long time for merchants traveling far and wide, Adria experienced hell during those days. More precisely, since the rumor that ¡®the Lord of Lartania is getting married¡¯ reached the Merchant Group. Since then, Adria had to endure the mutterings of the Crimson Dragon, who continuously cursed the person marrying the Lord of Lartania almost 24 hours a day, making the expression ¡®day in and day out¡¯ seem like an understatement. Moreover, the asional screams and the incessant whining of the Crimson Dragon, holding onto her, quickly broke even the iron-willed Adria. Adria finally came to the Lartania domain to confirm the truth of the rumor. And. ¡°Of course, right? You¡¯re not getting married, are you!?¡± ¡°¡­As I¡¯ve repeatedly said, I bought the Proposal Ring because I had to, by chance.¡± Unlike Adria, who looked very relieved by his words, Kim Hyunwoo looked at her with a very strange expression. For good reason, because from Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s perspective, who didn¡¯t know the context, Adria¡¯s question in her emaciated state made him imagine all sorts of strange things. So, seeing Adria genuinely relieved, he cautiously asked, ¡°¡­But, why are you curious about that¡­?¡± ¡°Yes? Ah¡­¡± Adria, who had been looking relieved, then puzzled, suddenly made an expression as if realizing how she must have appeared to Kim Hyunwoo. ¡°No, it¡¯s just¡­ Ah,e to think of it, are you not going to use the Proposal Ring then?¡± In the end, she changed the subject, unable to find a suitable response. It was an awkward change of topic, obvious to anyone. However, seeing the troubled look in Adria¡¯s eyes, Kim Hyunwoo decided to go along with her. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t n to use it right away. There¡¯s no one special around, anyway.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Still, I n to use it within six months.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°No, didn¡¯t you just say there was no one special?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right?¡± ¡°¡­Then why is there a six-month limit?¡± Kim Hyunwoo, wondering if he had heard a simr story somewhere before, answered her question. ¡°Because it would be a waste not to use it. This Ring is quite expensive.¡± ¡°Oh¡­oh¡­¡± Adria, whose expression suddenly soured, quickly spoke. ¡°Should I sell that Ring for you? As you said, it would sell for a high price.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Kim Hyunwoo, who wondered if he had mentioned the Ring¡¯s performance, shook his head. ¡°No, there¡¯s no need for you to worry about it that much.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really want to sell the Ring.¡± Of course, the Ring wasn¡¯t immediately useful, but selling it was truly out of the question. If selling the Ring could get him a Red Stone, he would dly do so, but at this point, selling the Ring would only yield Gold Coins. In other words, entrusting Adria with selling the Ring now would only be worthwhile if it brought in millions of Gold Coins, so he had no intention of selling it. ¡®Besides, if necessary, I have a ce to use it.¡¯ Thinking that, Kim Hyunwoo declined Adria¡¯s offer politely. Adria, ¡°Ah¡­¡± with a very thoughtful expression, and a slight hint of resentment in her eyes, nced at Kim Hyunwoo once. ¡°¡­I understand. Then, I¡¯ll just- I¡¯m very tired today, so I¡¯ll rest for now.¡± With those words, she turned and walked away without looking back. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Watching her leave the office in silence, Kim Hyunwoo fell into strange thoughts. ¡®¡­Does she like me?¡¯ Of course, Kim Hyunwoo wasn¡¯t the kind of person who was seriously full of himself. However, Kim Hyunwoo was sure that any man would think so after seeing Adria¡¯s behavior a moment ago. Adria¡¯s current behavior was enough to make Kim Hyunwoo misunderstand. But seeing Adria¡¯s behavior directly, Kim Hyunwoo was lost in strange thoughts. ¡®¡­Still, it¡¯s a bit strange?¡¯ Of course, everyone has hidden sides, but Kim Hyunwoo thought he knew himself quite well. And the original Kim Hyunwoo he knew would have easily had his heart rate exceed 200 beats per minute by now. In the first ce, being single until his mid-20s, he would have been ecstatic if a woman extended her hand to him. Moreover, Adria, the head of the Merchant Group, was objectively and subjectively pretty. If Adria had been born with that face in the real world, Kim Hyunwoo could bet she would have be a celebrity. However, even though Adria, with her stunning looks, showed signs of interest whether it was a misunderstanding or not, Kim Hyunwoo felt no emotional disturbance. It wasn¡¯t just that there were no ripples; it was as calm as a mirror-likeke. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Therefore, Kim Hyunwoo felt something was strange. Adria was in despair. No, actually, when she first heard from Kim Hyunwoo, it wasn¡¯t a desperate situation. But the moment Kim Hyunwoo said he would use the Proposal Ring within six months, her despair started again. [Of course, the Lord would have such a person. He wouldn¡¯t be interested in someone like me in the first ce. He must have erased me from his memorypletely, not even leaving a fragment, but still-] Adria felt like she was going insane from the incessant voice of the Crimson Dragon echoing in her head. In the past, when they had a one-sided contract, Adria could subtly sever the connection if the Crimson Dragon acted weird, but now the contract was mutual, so she couldn¡¯t do that. Thus, Adria, who was suffering, thought, ¡®I can¡¯t take it anymore¡­!¡¯ Finally, her patience ran out. Of course, just because her patience ran out didn¡¯t mean her loyalty to the Crimson Dragon had waned. No matter how much the Crimson Dragon tormented and mentally tortured her, the Crimson Dragon was her benefactor who saved her life. Therefore, instead of hating the Crimson Dragon, Adria decided to end the root of this situation. ¡°Dragon Lord, pull yourself together and listen to me properly.¡± [I¡¯m anyway-] ¡°From now on, quickly decorate the house likest time.¡± [¡­Why?] The Crimson Dragon¡¯s question. However, Adria, without answering her question, took out a scroll from the office desk. It was a Teleportation scroll she had prepared in advance to replenish the one used up because of Merilda and Rin. Taking it out, Adria¡¯s two eyes burned red. ¡°Dragon Lord, please use some magic.¡± [Uh, what kind of magic?] ¡°Any magic that can hide my presence, use all of it.¡± Adria spoke firmly. ¡°Today, I will bring the Lord before you.¡± With those words, Adria opened the door without hesitation. Late at night, the only people in the Lord¡¯s castle were a few guards and Elena and Lani, who lived in the castle. Most of the guards were stationed on the first floor, and Elena and Lani also used rooms on the second floor, so the only one using the third floor, where the office was, was Kim Hyunwoo. Originally, that is. ¡°Hoo-¡± Merilda entered the room with a tense expression and looked at Kim Hyunwoo. He was sound asleep. Seeing him, Merilda rolled her eyes restlessly. ¡®Boss, remember. This is not just a meaningless task; it¡¯s a very important process. The timeline of the n depends on how well this process goes. Seriously.¡¯ Recalling Ryu¡¯s words, Merilda sighed deeply several times, then began to wake Kim Hyunwoo very carefully. And. ¡°Hmm¡­huh?¡± When he blinked his eyes open at the sensation of being shaken, ¡°¡­Huh?¡± Kim Hyunwoo saw Merilda, who had climbed onto the bed, along with a notification window stating that an unknown hero had visited. Her silver hair gleamed in the moonlight. Her red eyes, contrasting with her hair, shone like rubies under her dark circles. ¡°What¡­?¡± Caught off guard by the sudden situation, Kim Hyunwoo looked bewildered, but Merilda swallowed slightly and curved her lips into a smile. She clenched one fist lightly. And. ¡°Me,o-¡± At that moment, as Merilda was about to say the line she had practiced for days, ¡°Gak-!?¡± Merilda¡¯s head was thrown back. Her hair floated as if something invisible had grabbed it. And. ¡°What are you doing, you frustrated beast¡­!?¡± From behind Merilda, the owner of the hand grabbing her hair began to appear. Chapter 127: Uh??? (3) Kim Hyunwoo, having woken up less than 30 seconds ago, began to think. ¡®Is this a dream?¡¯ He reassessed the situation. Right now, on his bed, Merilda, who had been looking at him with a tender expression just moments ago, was being yanked backward by her hair by Adria. Adria was frowning, looking very angry. In a situation that couldn¡¯t possibly happen in the reality Kim Hyunwoo knew, he was momentarily brain-dead, staring nkly at the scene before he slowly sorted it out. ¡®So¡­Merilda, who shouldn¡¯t be here, was suddenly trying to do something on my bed, and Adria is angrily trying to stop her¡­¡¯ ¡­Was that a proper summary of the situation? Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s bewildered expressionsted only a moment. ¡°Let go-!¡± Merilda flung away Adria¡¯s hand that was grabbing her hair, her expression looking very urgent. ¡°Hey, meow-!¡± She looked at Kim Hyunwoo, who was standing there with a nk expression. Kim Hyunwoo, whose face had turned red as if this situation was very embarrassing, looked at her with pitifully trembling eyes. ¡®So¡­Merilda, who shouldn¡¯t be here, suddenly pushed Adria, who was grabbing her hair, far away, then climbed on top of me and is pretending to be a cat¡­¡¯ It only confirmed that what he was seeing was indeed a dream, so he spoke while lying there nkly. ¡°Merilda.¡± ¡°Uh¡­yes?¡± ¡°You¡¯re a wolf.¡± ¡°Oh¡­oh?? Ah¡­that¡¯s true. But, if I do this, the reaction¡­huh? Huh?? This isn¡¯t it?¡± Merilda was confused by Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s bewildered question. However. ¡°I think Merilda suits being a wolf.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± At Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s next words, Merilda looked momentarily nk, so he smiled and spoke- ¡°Merilda, you¡¯re definitely more of a wolf than a cat¡­but pretending to be a cat is cute. Seeing it in reality is quite¡­cute¡­¡± -He suddenly closed his eyes and fell asleep. ¡°¡­????¡± Merilda, flustered by Kim Hyunwoo suddenly falling asleep afterplimenting her. However. ¡°¡­!¡± Merilda soon realized why Kim Hyunwoo had suddenly fallen asleep and turned to look at Adria. Adria, or rather the Crimson Dragon who had taken control over her, had used magic to put Kim Hyunwoo to sleep. ¡°You¡­!¡± At that, Merilda, who had been wagging her tail unconsciously, stopped and red at Adria with hostile eyes, but Adria also frowned and red back at her. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°What do you mean? I just stopped a beast trying to do something weird to the Lord¡­!?¡± Merilda, growling and ring at each other, lunged at the Crimson Dragon. ¡°¡­!¡± In that instant, Merilda saw it. Adria subtly smiling as if she had been waiting for this moment. At the same time, Merilda realized. That it was Adria herself, and not the Crimson Dragon, controlling Adria¡¯s body. Seeing that, Merilda felt a surge of anxiousness. ¡°¡­!¡± Sure enough, just as Merilda got close, Adria disappeared as if she had never been there. Teleportation magic. Realizing that, Merilda instinctively turned and saw Adria by Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s bed. ¡°I can finally be free¡­!¡± Seeing the scroll in Adria¡¯s hand, Merilda realized she had been tricked and reached out. But Adria¡¯s hand was already tearing the scroll. Watching this, Merilda gritted her teeth, using her tail to propel herself instead of her legs, which hadn¡¯t yet touched the ground, and lunged at Adria. Thud-! ¡°Ah!?¡± ¡°No way¡­!¡± She grabbed Adria and fell to the side of the bed. Before their bodies could even hit the ground, the scroll activated, leaving no one in Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s room. And. ¡°¡­This happened the same wayst time, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Ryu, watching from the hills of Lartania, was answered by Giral. ¡°The timing is really bad. How does this situation keep happening?¡± ¡°Indeed. It will take some time toe back again.¡± Sighing deeply, Giral turned his gaze and asked. ¡°So, did you gather the data well? ¡­Honestly, I feel like we were disturbed from the start and couldn¡¯t gather it properly.¡± ¡°¡­I honestly can¡¯t deny that.¡± Indeed, as Giral said, Ryu hadn¡¯t been able to gather data. Because the arrogant merchant group leader interfered before Merilda could even execute the n. But despite that, Ryu smiled and spoke. ¡°Still, this much is good enough.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Yes. Despite everything, thanks to the Boss¡¯s hard work, we¡¯ve gathered very important data.¡± ¡°Enough to execute the n?¡± ¡°Of course¡­ It may not be extremely urate, but from what the Lord of Lartania said to the Boss, it seems enough to proceed.¡± ¡°¡­So the hard work wasn¡¯t in vain.¡± ¡°Exactly. It might even be the best key. Although the n I devised is a bit aggressive, its sess rate is outstanding.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been curious sincest time, what exactly is that n?¡± Giral asked, looking curious. At his question, Ryu grinned. ¡°It¡¯s a method well-used among us rabbit beastfolk.¡± With those words, Ryu turned around and started heading back to the base of the Red Eyes, saying, ¡°Let¡¯s wait until the Bosses.¡± Giral watched Ryu intently, then shrugged and followed. The next day. Kim Hyunwoo, waking up casually, suddenly felt the scenes fromst night passing through his mind and thought. ¡®Was it¡­not a dream?¡¯ The situation itself was certainly very dreamlike, but the reason Kim Hyunwoo had some doubts was that the scenes remained very vivid in his memory. ¡®The situation felt like a dream¡­¡¯ The scenes he had seen were so vividly imprinted that, while pondering with a strange expression, Kim Hyunwoo thought he should ask Adria. ¡°Ah.¡± Kim Hyunwoo soon opened his mouth as if realizing something. ¡°Loria.¡± [Yes, My Lord.] ¡°Were you awakest night, by any chance?¡± [As you know, I don¡¯t have a concept of sleep, Lord. I can rest briefly, though...] ¡°Then was there anything strangest night?¡± Kim Hyunwoo asked immediately after hearing Loria¡¯s words. He decided to ask Loria, who always helped manage the territory, rather than asking Adria, assuming she would have seen the situationst night. Loria was silent for a moment, then asked. [...What kind of strange thing?] ¡°¡­So, didn¡¯t Merilda and Adria visit?¡± [You mean the Beast King and the head of the Merchant Group?] ¡°Yes.¡± [...At least while I was managing the territoryst night, there were no intruders in the Lord¡¯s castle.] ¡°¡­Really?¡± [Yes. It seems you had such a dream. You did toss and turn a bit while sleeping yesterday.] ¡°Ah, I had a rather strange dream.¡± Hearing Loria¡¯s words, Kim Hyunwoo nodded but didn¡¯t lose his puzzled expression. Of course, Loria had said so, and Kim Hyunwoo himself thought the situation was very surreal and strange, but it still felt oddly realistic. But after a moment. ¡®Well, it must have been a dream.¡¯ Thinking that, Kim Hyunwoo shrugged, ending his thoughts. Soon after arriving at the office, Kim Hyunwoo met a woman who came instead of Adria. ¡°¡­You said the Merchant Group leader is a bit sick?¡± ¡°Yes, she has been overworked for the past few days, so she¡¯s not feeling well. It seems it will be difficult to meet her today, so I came instead.¡± Kim Hyunwoo nodded at the secretary¡¯s words. Thinking back, she didn¡¯t look very well even when they met yesterday. ¡°¡­Then¡­¡± ¡°Ah, she should recover in a day or two, so I was thinking of visiting again then. Is that alright?¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± With Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s words, the secretary bowed politely and left the office. The next day. [Mercenary Guild LV1 has beenpleted.] Kim Hyunwoo heard the news that the Mercenary Guild, the first external building started in Lartania but thest to bepleted, had been finished. Not long after, Kim Hyunwoo was able to meet. ¡°Nice to meet you. I am Loton, a high-ranking officer of the Imperial Mercenary Guild.¡± ¡°Yes, nice to meet you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m also pleased to meet you, but first, I think we need to discuss this matter, so I¡¯d like to get straight to the point.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be straightforward. We¡¯d like to assist with the Labyrinth project in Lartania. Is that possible?¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± ¡­A mercenary was saying crazy things. Chapter 128: Uh??? (4) ¡°¡­You want to help with the Labyrinth project?¡± ¡°Yes, as you said, we want to help with the Labyrinth project. The Lartania territory needs quite a lot of troops, right? For example, the expanded rest area to the second tier¡­the forces needed for security.¡± ¡°Lartania doesn¡¯t particrly need external help.¡± Kim Hyunwoo responded impassively to Loton¡¯s words. At least he knew what intention Loton had in making such a suggestion. ¡°Hmm, is that so?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± At Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s nod, Loton nodded to himself a few times before sitting in front of him and speaking. ¡°Lord, think about it carefully. Do you really not need the power of our Mercenary Guild? It¡¯s a bit presumptuous to say, but we are verypetent.¡± ¡°In what way?¡± ¡°In any way. Especially in handling mercenaries.¡± Loton said with a smile. ¡°Our Mercenary Guild can do a lot. We can make the mercenaries move as you wish, or we can make themzy.¡± ¡°¡­Aren¡¯t you being too tant?¡± At the tant threat, Kim Hyunwoo let out a chuckle. Loton, maintaining his sly smile, continued. ¡°It sounds as if I¡¯m threatening you, Lord.¡± ¡°It does seem like that.¡± ¡°Of course not, I¡¯m merely making a constructive suggestion. How could I possibly threaten the Lord of Lartania, who has many achievements?¡± Kim Hyunwoo let out a hollowugh at the sight of Loton¡¯s sly smile. ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Heh¡­let¡¯s hear it. How much do you want?¡± ¡°Ten percent, no more, no less. How about exactly 10%?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you think that¡¯s too much?¡± ¡°No, of course, it¡¯s a significant amount. But Lord, if you make such a contract with us, we will fully support you.¡± ¡°What happens if I refuse?¡± Smiling, Kim Hyunwoo asked. Loton, smiling back, answered, ¡°If you refuse, nothing will happen.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Yes, nothing at all. It¡¯s just that¡­managing the mercenaries might be a bit difficult.¡± At Loton¡¯s words, Kim Hyunwoo looked at him with an incredulous expression. ¡®Look at this bastard?¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo felt an urge to split Loton¡¯s slyly smiling face right then and there. If it were before, it would have been impossible, but now, thanks to consistently eating Lani¡¯s food, he had physical abilitiesparable to at least a one-star hero. It would be easy to get up right now and smash his face, but that would be ast resort. ¡®What should I do?¡¯ At least, this issue was very troublesome from Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s perspective. To put it simply, what Loton was saying was that if he wasn¡¯t allowed to leech off the Lartania domain, he would destroy the public order within the territory. Of course, the current public order in Lartania was very good, despite tens of thousands of mercenaries entering. But if the Mercenary Guild decided to cause trouble while disguised as mercenaries, the situation would undoubtedly worsen. Even if it started on a small scale, as the saying goes, a single loach can muddy the whole pond, and once trouble begins, it often snowballs. Of course, in this case, increasing the punishment for troublesome mercenaries could reduce the problem, but it would undoubtedly cause the steadily increasing number of mercenaries to hesitate. On the other hand, if he maintained the average level of punishment, the happiness and public order of the residents would be ruined. In short, it was a very troublesome issue for Kim Hyunwoo. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Of course, this matter wasn¡¯t an enormous problem in itself. Ultimately, to avoid being swayed by Loton, he just needed to increase the punishment for the mercenaries. Since the mercenaries had already tasted the money they could earn from the Labyrinth, they wouldn¡¯t turn their backs on him. However, the reason Kim Hyunwoo was hesitating was the growth loss that would ur from significantly increasing the punishment. Currently, Lartania had tens of thousands of mercenaries, and more were pouring in every moment. In other words, the number of potential tax-paying mercenaries was increasing much faster than the residents. From Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s perspective, he wanted to avoid any reduction in the influx of potential tax-paying mercenaries. Therefore, while Kim Hyunwoo was deep in thought, heard, ¡°First, you must have a lot to think about today, so I wille back tomorrow.¡± Loton, bowing his head and smiling slyly, left his seat as Kim Hyunwoo watched. ¡°What a headache¡­¡± Just as Kim Hyunwoo made a dumbfounded expression while watching Loton, ¡°Lord, M hase to see you.¡± He heard that M hade to see him. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry, Lord. It¡¯s all my fault.¡± As soon as she saw Kim Hyunwoo, M bowed her head deeply, and Kim Hyunwoo spoke. ¡°¡­Can you exin the situation to me?¡± ¡°¡­Well, the truth is, I don¡¯t get along well with the Imperial faction of the Mercenary Guild.¡± Kim Hyunwoo listened attentively as M sighed deeply before continuing her exnation. After a while, having listened to all of M¡¯s words, Kim Hyunwoo remained silent for a moment, organizing his thoughts before speaking. ¡°So, to summarize, the Mercenary Guild originally had two factions?¡± ¡°Yes. I was with the Mercenary Guild on the Norba side.¡± At M¡¯s answer, Kim Hyunwoo briefly summarized the situation. The situation itself wasn¡¯t too difficult to understand. In short, the Mercenary Guild was originally divided into two factions. M¡¯s faction waspletely defeated a few years ago, and the Imperial faction took over everything. Now, they¡¯re trying to get rid of M as well. ¡°¡­So that man too.¡± ¡°¡­Yes, at first they deliberately didn¡¯t supply the materials to preventpletion, and now that I¡¯vepleted the Guild, they¡¯re trying to take my position as Guild leader.¡± ¡°¡­No matter what, it¡¯s a guild. Can they act so unreasonably? There should be some justification.¡± ¡°¡­Within the Imperial Mercenary Guild, they value justification, but not for me. I was originally from a different faction. Moreover¡­the leader of the Norba faction¡­was my father.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Hearing that, Kim Hyunwoo could infer the situation more precisely. Why the Mercenary Guild was harassing M more. And why M couldn¡¯t easily shake off the Mercenary Guild. Therefore, Kim Hyunwoo, who had been contemting, started thinking deeply. After a while, ¡°I understand.¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m really sorry. I will take responsibility somehow¡­¡± ¡°No, there¡¯s no need for that.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± ¡°Just focus on training the soldiers well, M. I¡¯ll handle this.¡± Kim Hyunwoo spoke, smiling at M. He seemed to have thought of something, and with a confident smile, he touched his chin. At that moment, Loton, leaving the Lord¡¯s castle in Lartania, thought with a sly smile. ¡®Think hard, no matter how much you think, you won¡¯t find a suitable answer.¡¯ He recalled Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s very troubled yet extremely irritated expression and twisted his lips into a smile. Unlike the other foolish lords, the Lord of Lartania seemed to have caught his meaning very precisely. ¡®Well, that¡¯s probably why he was able to rebuild Lartania from its half-destroyed state to this point.¡¯ Loton looked at the streets of Lartania. Lartania, which he had heard was in ruins, had be a massive territory. At least the central square could bepared to that of a great territory within the Empire, so Loton nodded and smiled. He knew that no matter how capable the Lord was, he wouldn¡¯t be able to refuse his proposal. ¡®I¡¯ll suck you dry,¡¯ Loton muttered with a smile, and as he entered the Mercenary Guild and sat in the office that would soon be his, ¡°¡­?¡± Loton saw something strange. A glowing white mass in front of him. Just as he began to question the mass, there came a blinding sh! The glowing mass quickly grew in size and engulfed Loton. In the next moment, ¡°¡­Huh?¡± What Loton saw was not the office of the Mercenary Guild, ¡°Hello, heretic?¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± But the face of a girl with eyes shining like gold. Chapter 129: Uh??? (5) Tomorrow was definitely going to be a pretty good day for Loton. Not only would it be the day he could take over the Mercenary Guild that M had forcibly established, but it would also be the day he secured a contract to legally extort money from the Lord of Lartania. Of course, even though he wouldn¡¯t be able to take all the money made in Lartania after taking M¡¯s position, the fact that his status within the Guild would rise significantly was almost certain, and that made Loton smile. A high-ranking position in the Mercenary Guild on this Continent was valuable enough just by its title. Therefore, after finishing his conversation with Kim Hyunwoo, Loton returned to the Mercenary Guild, looking forward to tomorrow, and soon saw a flickering white light. And then he was summoned to this ce. ¡­Summoned to this ce. Glug-glug-glug-! He was submerged in water. ¡°Glub-! Glub-!¡± Loton iled his entire body, desperately trying to escape from the water, but his efforts were futile. His body was tightly bound with ropes in the first ce. ¡°Gasp-! Grrrk!¡± So, when Loton could do nothing but twist his body as his breath was running out, he was pulled out of the water. ¡°Cough! Haa-! Haa!¡± Loton gasped for breath as soon as he emerged from the water. Fear was evident in his eyes, and his gaze was fixed on the saintess with golden eyes staring at him. ¡°Why, why are you doing this to me! Why me!¡± Loton¡¯s face, filled with genuine injustice, questioned as if he truly didn¡¯t understand. A face that truly did not understand why he was suffering like this. ¡°I am not a demon or anything! You are mistaken! I am human!¡± He desperately imed his innocence. Loton hadn¡¯t heard a word during his torture, but he was a body that had rolled around in the Guild for decades. Knowing who the beings in front of him were, he shouted to im his innocence, but the girl with golden eyes who stared at him said, ¡°Yes, I know.¡± ¡°What¡­did you say?¡± ¡°I know. Man Loton. I know you are human. Sir Mn beside me is also well aware of it.¡± ¡°Then why¡­! I have never colluded with demons!¡± ¡°I know that too!¡± ¡°Then why!¡± With a look filled with genuine anger and injustice, Loton stared at her, Amelin. ¡°I received an order.¡± Amelin answered. ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°It¡¯s exactly as I said, Loton. We received an order from the Heavens. An order to purify your evil heart.¡± ¡°That¡¯s nonsense¡­!¡± Loton frowned, trying to speak against Amelin¡¯s words. But. ¡°¡­Did you just dismiss God¡¯smand as nonsense?¡± Flinch! As she red at Loton with eyes filled with anger, he couldn¡¯t say anything and just shut his mouth. Amelin, looking at Loton and smiling again, approached him and spoke. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You will not die.¡± ¡°God is very merciful.¡± ¡°If you can realize what you did wrong today and correct it, today¡¯s repentance will be enough.¡± ¡°What, what exactly-¡± ¡°That¡¯s something you have to think about, Loton. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll help you remember.¡± Ssh! With Amelin¡¯s words, Loton was shoved into the stream. Amelin, looking at him, spoke. ¡°The water knows the answer, so ask it.¡± She said this with a smile. The n in Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s mind wasn¡¯t actually that great. In the end, following his n would inevitably make him somewhat hostile to the Mercenary Guild. However, Kim Hyunwoo calcted that the n was good enough to put Loton in a tough spot and leave M indebted, so he intended to execute it today. He intended to execute it, but. ¡°¡­So, you came this morning and found this situation?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± At M¡¯s answer, Kim Hyunwoo looked at Loton. His appearance didn¡¯t seem particrly different. The scars on his limbs were the same, and he didn¡¯t look like he had been disheveled or tortured somewhere. Likewise, there were no suspicious marks on his face. But clearly. ¡°I was wrong¡­ I thought about everything wrong. Everything!¡± Kim Hyunwoo looked bewildered as Loton grabbed his pants and begged for forgiveness without any prelude. ¡°¡­No, what exactly did you do wrong all of a sudden?¡± ¡°I was wrong about everything. I am a sinner! I repented! I repented!¡± ¡°Hey, can you hear me?¡± ¡°Yes, I can¡­!¡± ¡°¡­Did anything happen yesterday?¡± ¡°Nothing happened, I swear to the Heavens, nothing happened!¡± Loton, with a very firm expression, insisted that nothing had happened yesterday, further increasing Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s doubts. That was because the Loton he saw yesterday was not the type to speak like this, as he had fully realized from their conversation. No, the very idea of anyone changing like this overnight was absurd, so with a confused expression, Kim Hyunwoo opened his mouth to ask, ¡°Loria.¡± [Yes, My Lord.] ¡°Did anything happen to Loton yesterday?¡± [I didn¡¯t check the Mercenary Guild, but nothing significant happened within the territory.] ¡°¡­I thought so.¡± [Yes. If something had happened, I would have reported it immediately.] At her words, Kim Hyunwoo nodded slightly, then looked at M with a questioning expression, but she too wore a confused expression. ¡®What the hell is this.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo could only look at him with a strange expression. And about 30 minutester, ¡°I, I don¡¯t need anything¡­ Then, I¡¯ll be going!¡± Loton, who hade to entrench himself in the Mercenary Guild, fled from Lartania¡¯s domain, rendering the n Kim Hyunwoo had thought out useless in an instant. ¡®Well, it was a n where I would take a loss too, so not using it is much better.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo looked north, where Loton had hastily departed, with a slightly confused expression. ¡°Um, thank you.¡± M, who had been with him until a moment ago, expressed her gratitude. She bowed deeply, her eyes slightly red, seemingly quite moved by the situation. She seemed to mistakenly believe that Kim Hyunwoo had done something, but he hadn¡¯t done anything. Before he could even act, Loton, who had been plotting to leech off Lartania until yesterday, had gone mad. ¡°¡­¡­¡± So, while contemting this part, Kim Hyunwoo replied, ¡°¡­It¡¯s nothing.¡± Although he felt a slight pang of conscience, he thought that saying ¡®Huh? I didn¡¯t do anything¡¯ in this situation would look odd, so he nodded naturally and answered M. At that moment, Amelin, who had been watching Loton leave Lartania, stretched with a refreshed expression and said, ¡°Hmm- This should be handled well, right? Sir Mn?¡± ¡°It seems to be well handled, Saintess.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s go back. The demons are still rampaging, causing trouble.¡± Amelin immediately turned around. Mn spoke. ¡°¡­Is it okay not to visit Lartania, Saintess?¡± ¡°Hmm- I¡¯d love to visit, but¡­¡± Amelin, who had turned around, looked at the distant Lartania territory and spoke with a smile. ¡°Well- It would be a bit odd to visit when he hasn¡¯t even shown himself yet, right?¡± ¡°Indeed, that¡¯s true. The Saintess is right.¡± ¡°So, we¡¯ll see himter. We can visit after he¡¯s revealed himself.¡± With those words, Amelin smiled and turned away from Lartania. ¡°But I am a bit curious about when he will reveal himself.¡± With that, Amelin and Mn started walking towards Norba again. And as time passed, about three weekster, [The Red Merchant¡¯s shop has opened!] A notification window appeared in front of Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s eyes. Chapter 130: Red Merchant (1) The Norba Kingdom has spent thest few months with its gates shut and gathering its strength. Of course, the Holy Kingdom couldn¡¯t just stand by and let the demons entrenched in the Norba Kingdom gather strength, so they had to fend off attacks from the Holy Knights sent from the Holy Kingdom. As a result, the Norba Kingdom had to cede back eight territories they had initially conquered to thebined attacks from the Holy Kingdom and the Tesnoka territory. Humans alone were no match for the demons, but the divine power wielded by the Holy Kingdom was the one thing that the demons, who could otherwise rampage freely in the Middle Realm, had to be cautious of. Despite the Holy Kingdom steadily reiming the Norba Kingdom¡¯s territories, the kingdom where Landaron and Kelva resided remained tightly sealed and silent. Within the heart of the Norba Kingdom¡­ ¡°Hoo-¡± Kelva let out a deep sigh as he looked around. The interior of the kingdom had be so devastated that it was questionable whether it could still be called a ¡®kingdom¡¯. No signs of civilization were visible anymore; instead, there were only dark red, pulsating, vein-like structures. And beneath those vein-like structures were what appeared to be human corpses, being drained of something each time the veins pulsed. And then, ¡°¡­¡­¡± Standing at the center of the Norba Kingdom¡¯s citadel, the one responsible for this devastation, Kelva wore a stern expression. ¡°¡­Have we gathered all the strength now?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± He could soon see Landaron, who wore an unpleasant expression. ¡°This should be more than enough; we can summon at least three Legion Commanders.¡± ¡°That¡¯s quite fortunate, considering all the subjects I need to govern have been drained.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Landaron, humans can always be replenished.¡± ¡°I trust you.¡± Landaron, watching humans being drained like livestock by the dark red veins, nodded emotionlessly and asked, ¡°So, are we about to break the seal soon?¡± ¡°Yes, we¡¯ve gathered all the strength, so all that¡¯s left is to act. Killing those troublesome ones who wield that power should be easy, so don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s do that. Then I should prepare to arm the soldiers as well.¡± ¡°Yes, it won¡¯t take long now. At most, it will be a few days. When the timees, we¡¯ll summon the Legion Commanders, sweep away those Holy Kingdom bastards, and kill the enemy.¡± Kelva muttered quietly. Landaron, who had been watching him, nodded quietly. ¡°I hope this time we seed.¡± He muttered. ¡°Yes. It¡¯s not far off.¡± Kelva, watching Landaron turn and head back to the citadel, stared silently ahead, more precisely at the pulsating dark red veins, and murmured quietly. ¡°Truly.¡± As soon as the Red Merchant¡¯s shop opened, Kim Hyunwoo immediately essed the shop window and saw a single item listed under the event tab. [Unknown Item] [7,500 Stones] ¡°What¡¯s this¡­¡± Kim Hyunwoo, seeing the cash item listed in the event tab, mumbled in disbelief and scrolled through it, hoping for more information, but nothing else appeared. In other words, the only item the Red Merchant was selling was this ¡®Unknown Item¡¯. ¡®I figured I¡¯d have to spend money again this time, but¡­this seems a bit too much, doesn¡¯t it?¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo made a perplexed expression. Of course, the Proposal Ring he bought for 10,000 Stones wasn¡¯t exactly necessary for him at the moment, but the idea of spending money equivalent to extending the Labyrinth Package by a month on an unknown item made him feel resistant. However, [Attention! 1 minute left to purchase!] ¡°¡­This is crazy.¡± As Kim Hyunwoo was contemting, a notification window appeared in front of him, and he sighed involuntarily as he purchased the unknown item. [The ¡®Red Merchant¡¯ will visit your territory to deliver the artifact!] [Time remaining: 1 day 23 hours 59 minutes 59 seconds] The Red Stones deducted quickly from his ount, and a message appeared in front of Kim Hyunwoo. At the same time, he saw the event tab closepletely. Kim Hyunwoo briefly wondered if he had wasted his money on something useless but quickly shook his head. ¡®I had to spend it to uncover the secret anyway¡­¡¯ He sighed, shrugged, and thought. ¡®Well, it was three days for the Blue Merchant, but this time it¡¯s two days.¡¯ As he watched the countdown timer start from the moment he bought the item, Kim Hyunwoo recalled the previous notification. ¡®It did say to meet the Red Merchant.¡¯ When Kim Hyunwoo was pondering this, thinking about the notification, he suddenly seemed to remember something and opened the territory window. Territory: Lartania Territory Development Level: 4512 [Detailed Development is possible!] Territory Residents: [Humans: 33,817] ¨CSecondary Buildings¨C [Magical Engineering Research Institute (Under Construction 95%)] ¨COwned Buildings¨C [Lord¡¯s Castle LV3¡ü] [City Walls LV5] [Residential Area LV5] [cksmith LV5] [Barracks LV5] [Tavern LV5] [Market LV5] [Wood Processing nt LV5] [Restaurant LV5] [Leather Processing nt LV5] [Stone Processing nt LV5] [Trading Post LV5] [Secondary Walls LV5] [Inn LV5] [Administrative District LV5] [Paved Roads LV5¡ü] ¨CExternal Buildings¨C [Mercenary Guild LV1] [Mage Tower Branch LV1] [cksmith Guild Branch LV1] ¨COwned Forces¨C -Regr Soldiers: 1,000 -Guards: 200 -Apprentice Knights: 200 Looking at the territory window that appeared in front of him, Kim Hyunwoo made an exasperated face. ¡®It¡¯s still not finished.¡¯ The reason was that the Magical Engineering Research Institute, which had started construction a month ago, was still notpleted. He knew that constructing the Magical Engineering Research Institute required an absurd amount ofbor and resources, but despite focusing all manpower on it without upgrading any other buildings, it still wasn¡¯tpleted, leaving him speechless. ¡®It did take a long time in the original game, but this is a bit much¡­though, considering its size, I guess it makes sense.¡¯ Looking at the notification stuck at 95%, Kim Hyunwoo turned his gaze outside. Just beyond the eastern outer walls was the ¡®Magical Engineering Research Institute¡¯, which was visibly muchrger than any other building. Seeing the enormous structure, which made the people working on it look like ants, Kim Hyunwoo sighed, thinking it would probably be finished by tomorrow or the day after. ¡®I hope I see the Red Merchant soon.¡¯ As he watched the countdown timer floating in his field of vision, he couldn¡¯t help but think. Merilda returned to the Red Eyes with a very tired expression after almost a month. Of course, the distance from the Crimson Dragon¡¯sir, where she had been teleported, to here could have been covered in three days if Merilda wanted to, but the reason it took so long was because of battles. That¡¯s right. Merilda had fought battles inside the Crimson Dragon¡¯sir. Not just for a day or two, but for over a week¡­! Having thwarted the Crimson Dragon¡¯s ns twice, she was furious, and on top of that, Merilda had the audacity to run off with her precious photo collection, leading the dragon to genuinely try to kill her, resulting in a very painful week for Merilda. ¡­Well, the cause of that painful week was Merilda herself, though. Anyway, after escaping the week-long battle, exhausted, she also dealt with some rumors that could tarnish her reputation, which took about a month in total. When Merilda finally arrived at the Red Eyes, she greeted the Four Heavenly Kings and heard their words. ¡°First of all, it¡¯s been a month, but congrattions, Boss. I think we can execute the n.¡± ¡°R-really? But I don¡¯t think I did it properly¡­¡± ¡°You may not have done it perfectly, but we got all the results we wanted the moment you meowed. So, it doesn¡¯t really matter that you didn¡¯t do it right.¡± ¡°R-really? What did you get?¡± ¡°The reaction of the Lord of Lartania.¡± ¡°¡­Reaction?¡± ¡°Yes. This n hinges on the Lord¡¯s reaction and how to proceed, but fortunately, his reaction was good. So, we can execute the n. Congrattions, Boss.¡± Merilda couldn¡¯t help but brighten at Ryu¡¯s words. ¡°But what¡¯s the n? You said you¡¯d tell me after seeing his reaction.¡± But she soon asked with a curious expression. Ryu smiled warmly at Merilda¡¯s question and pulled a small bottle from her pocket. And then. ¡°Mate.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± ¡°Mate like crazy.¡± Merilda froze. Chapter 131: Red Merchant (2) ¡°So¡­what did you say?¡± Merilda stood frozen, dumbfounded, wondering if she had misheard. ¡°Mate like crazy.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± At Ryu¡¯s continuing words, Merilda unconsciously opened her mouth and spoke. ¡°Th-The¡­what?¡± ¡°Ohe on, Boss, you know what I mean. Mate, mate. M-A-T-E.¡± As if thinking Merilda didn¡¯t understand, Ryu carefully pronounced each letter in front of her face. Merilda then spoke. ¡°That¡¯s the n?¡± ¡°This is the n?¡± ¡°This is really a solid n?¡± ¡°Of course?¡± Merilda seriously contemted grabbing the rabbit ears in front of her and spinning them around a few times, but Ryu spoke with a serious expression. ¡°Boss, do you think I¡¯m talking nonsense?¡± ¡°¡­Then do you really think this is a proper strategy!?¡± Merilda spoke as if it was absurd, but Ryu nodded as if it was perfectly obvious. ¡°Of course, this strategy will work incredibly well, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°Based on what?! What if the Lord ends up hating me because of this n?!¡± As Merilda yelled, Ryu shook her head as if Merilda didn¡¯t understand and spoke. ¡°Boss, what are you talking about? There isn¡¯t a male that dislikes mating.¡± ¡°But, but it could be unpleasant with someone they dislike!¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. That¡¯s why you went yourself to check it out, right?¡± ¡°What¡­? That was the reason!?¡± ¡°Exactly?¡± At Merilda¡¯s words, Ryu nodded repeatedly and began to exin. ¡°Okay, listen up, Boss. Males do like mating, but as you said, they can dislike it if it¡¯s with a female they don¡¯t like¡­ Generally, they do like it, but there are cases where they don¡¯t.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°In fact, if forced to mate in such cases, it can strain the rtionship, as you know. You get that, right?¡± ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Huh? Why don¡¯t you know?¡± Ryu asked, genuinely curious. But Merilda had been separated from the beast tribe and had a rough life from a young age, growing up in Lartania as she got older, so she surprisingly didn¡¯t know much about the physiology of the beast tribe. However, before she could exin, Ryu nodded as if she understood and continued speaking. ¡°¡­Well, it¡¯s not that important. Anyway! In the end, from the Boss¡¯s standpoint, who doesn¡¯t want to be hated by the Lord of Lartania, it¡¯s right to approach cautiously, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°¡­Right.¡± ¡°So I taught you a secret technique, and you used it on the Lord. How did the Lord of Lartania react?¡± ¡°¡­The Lord¡¯s reaction?¡± Merilda recalled that time. The Crimson Dragon had suddenly interrupted, so she couldn¡¯t fully gauge his reaction, but as far as she could tell, there was no particrly negative feeling. ¡°There didn¡¯t seem to be any negative feelings.¡± ¡°That¡¯s it!¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s enough?¡± ¡°Of course, it¡¯s more than enough. Boss, think about it. If you were sleeping and someone you disliked appeared right above you, how would you react?¡± ¡°I¡¯d rip their head off.¡± ¡°¡­People usually don¡¯t rip heads off, but they¡¯d frown, right? In other words, a negative emotion woulde out.¡± ¡°So?¡± ¡°But how did the Lord of Lartania react? Both we and you saw it. He seemed a bit surprised, but there was no negative feeling.¡± ¡°¡­Oh? Now that you mention it, that seems right¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s not just that it seems right, it is right.¡± ¡­In reality, Kim Hyunwoo had fallen back to sleep before fully processing any emotions, so he only showed surprise, but that wasn¡¯t important to Ryu. ¡°Anyway, we confirmed that the Lord of Lartania doesn¡¯t have any ill feelings towards you. So?¡± ¡°He doesn¡¯t dislike me?¡± ¡°That¡¯s it! So if you ask a male like that to mate?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Ugh.¡± Ryu saw Merilda¡¯s face turning red from her leading questions and spoke. ¡°Of course! There are males who refuse to mate even in such situations, usually saying something about keeping their integrity. But!¡± She held up a very small vial in her hand and spoke. ¡°With this, you can forget those worries.¡± ¡°This is?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Shayu¡¯s Spring Water. Just one drop in the mouth, and the male will go into beast mode for the day.¡± ¡°It¡¯s that powerful?¡± ¡°Yes, it works on females too¡­but you won¡¯t need it¡­ Oh, actually, it might be fine if you use it too.¡± ¡°M-me?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ryu dropped some of Shayu¡¯s Spring Water onto Merilda¡¯s hand and spoke. ¡°Just one drop, and even a female goes into full heat. If you don¡¯t feel confident in front of the Lord, just drink it and pounce.¡± At Ryu¡¯s words, Merilda looked at the Shayu¡¯s Spring Water on her hand with aplicated expression and spoke. ¡°¡­I thought it was a bit more usible n.¡± ¡°Boss, don¡¯t you think this is really usible?¡± ¡°¡­It looks risky.¡± ¡°It¡¯s risky, but the return is certain. Once you mate, the bond will inevitably be closer. Even if your hearts don¡¯t connect, mixing bodies, biting, licking, and swallowing saliva will naturally bring you closer. And.¡± Ryu spoke assertively. ¡°If you keep hesitating like this, it wouldn¡¯t be surprising if someone else takes him away.¡± Merilda froze at her words. But Ryu continued speaking, even as she saw Merilda¡¯s reaction. ¡°Obviously, others are targeting the Lord of Lartania too, right? If you hadn¡¯t intervened with that merchant, who knows what might have happened.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± ¡°In other words, you¡¯re not in a position to be picky. It¡¯s overwhelmingly advantageous to mark your territory first.¡± At Ryu¡¯s words, Merilda pondered seriously for a moment, then nodded. ¡°You¡¯re definitely right.¡± Ryu smiled brightly at her positive response. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s make a n right away. This time, we¡¯ll make sure those two can¡¯t interfere.¡± She began preparing to draft the n. A few dayster. [The Red Merchant ising to the territory to deliver the artifact!] [Time remaining: 0 days 0 hours 3 minutes 59 seconds] As the Magical Engineering Research Institute reached 99%pletion and the Red Merchant was about to arrive, Kim Hyunwoo was receiving a report from Elena. ¡°-I think we should recruit new soldiers because security has been declining recently.¡± Elena, wearing a different long ponytail today, finished her report and made a suggestion. Kim Hyunwoo responded. ¡°¡­Has it gotten that bad?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not noticeable yet, but recently, reports of fights among mercenaries have been increasing. As the territory grows, it seems like our personnel can¡¯t cover everything.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­that¡¯s definitely a problem.¡± In fact, this could be solved by making all 1,000 soldiers into guards. Guards provide additional security bonuses. However, the reason Kim Hyunwoo didn¡¯t make all 1,000 soldiers into guards is that different types of troops were gradually needed. ¡®No matter how much we advance in technology, we still need a minimum amount of troops.¡¯ Currently, Lartania appears to be a territory of about 30,000 people, but including the mercenaries wandering within the territory, it has be a massive territory exceeding 80,000 people. Since the establishment of the Mercenary Guild, various mercenary groups have started settling in Lartania, rapidly filling the emptynds on the outskirts. In other words, as the territory grows rapidly, a minimum number of troops, excluding guards, is absolutely necessary. ¡®Well, if more mercenaries settle here, we might be able to use them as soldiers.¡¯ However, to suppress any mercenaries that might cause trouble, a significant number of soldiers, like scouts or enforcers, rather than guards, are essential. ¡°Hmm¡­I¡¯ll need to think about this.¡± After telling Elena that he would consider this issue, Kim Hyunwoo discussed a few more matters. ¡°You¡¯re wearing a ponytail today?¡± ¡°You mentioned that you like ponytail hairstyles, so I tried it. How do you like it?¡± ¡°I think it suits you well.¡± As he answered Elena, who was covering her mouth with the report file, [The Red Merchant has arrived in the territory!] A notification appeared before Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s eyes. Chapter 132: Red Merchant (3) It has been about a month since the Absolute Ruler of Darkness appeared in the Kingdom of Cn and met with Kim Hyunwoo. The Kingdom was thrilled by the existence of the master who trained the Five Swords of Cn, and her strength greatly reduced the anxiousness of the citizens of the Kingdom of Cn. Is that all? The agreement made by the Absolute Ruler of Darkness and Sasha with the territory of Lartania was well-received among the territories belonging to the Kingdom of Cn. Although the agreement made by Sasha and the Absolute Ruler of Darkness was merely a superficial imitation, it was enough to reduce the anxiousness of the trembling territorial citizens. Basically, when the anxiousness level of the territorial citizens rises, even a small disturbance can drastically lower thebor rate, so the lords of the Kingdom of Cn dly epted the proposal, even if it was just a superficial imitation. Of course, from the perspective of the lords, although the anxiousness of the territorial citizens was relieved, the fundamental anxiousness was not resolved, but still, most of the lords did notin about it. Most of their anxiousness stemmed from the demons rooted in the Kingdom of Norba, but the demons rooted in the Kingdom of Norba were currently fighting against the Holy Kingdom. In other words, most of the lords in the outskirts of the Kingdom of Cn believed without a doubt that the Holy Kingdom would drive out the demons, so the current atmosphere in the Kingdom was not bad. Moreover, the Absolute Ruler of Darkness, known as one of the Five Swords of Cn, had shown several times her ability to easily deal with hundreds of monsters and demons approaching the Kingdom of Cn, whichpletely lowered the Kingdom¡¯s anxiousness level. And Rin was. ¡°¡­Ugh¡­¡± She sighed anxiously while looking at the stone in her hand. The stone that measures infamy, which Rin was holding, had now be significantly lighter than the blood-red color and was now showing a clear pink hue. In other words, Rin¡¯s infamy was gradually decreasing. Very slowly, but surely. However, despite seeing her infamy decreasing, Rin felt anxious because she knew she was under a time constraint. ¡®Now about 4 months¡­¡¯ Four months¡­ No, in order to beg for forgiveness and at least develop her rtionship with Kim Hyunwoo to the minimum, she knew she had to return at least a month earlier, so the Absolute Ruler of Darkness was working hard to reduce her infamy. ¡®This is still difficult.¡¯ No matter how much the Absolute Ruler of Darkness saved people and killed demons to erase her infamy, the deeply ingrained infamy showed no sign of decreasing. So, at the point of her concern. ¡°Master.¡± ¡°You¡¯vee.¡± ¡°Yes, Master.¡± Loriel entered. Seeing the artifact that measures infamy in Rin¡¯s hand glowing with a clear pink hue, she spoke. ¡°¡­It has indeed turned a clear pink. Congrattions.¡± ¡°It¡¯s good that my infamy has decreased, but it¡¯s still too slow.¡± The Absolute Ruler of Darkness sighed. Loriel, who was quietly watching her, spoke. ¡°I too think that part is a bit slow.¡± ¡°You think so too?¡± ¡°To execute the n you have in mind, it certainly seems that way.¡± Rin sighed at Loriel¡¯s words. Loriel, looking at her, continued speaking. ¡°So, how about trying this? Would you listen to my n?¡± ¡°¡­A n, you say?¡± ¡°Yes, as you know, the reason I came here today is for the regr report on the territory of Lartania.¡± When Rin did not say anything and just looked at Loriel, she continued. ¡°As I have continued to observe the territory of Lartania over the past month, it is clear that the heroes within the territory are trying to woo the Lord of Lartania.¡± ¡°¡­That was expected.¡± The Absolute Ruler of Darkness frowned slightly. However, Loriel did not stop speaking. ¡°The hero named Elena, who is currently affiliated with Lartania, sometimes holds the Lord¡¯s hand under the pretext of there being many people during the territory tour.¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± ¡°Simrly, the cksmith developing new weapons in the territory of Lartania seduces the Lord with very revealing clothes that a cksmith would never normally wear in the basement of the forge.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­!¡± ¡°The Master of the Blue Tower openly visits Kim Hyunwoo and has secret conversations with him for hours, subtly pressing her chest against his back.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± Rin looked at Loriel with a face full of anger, confusion, and injustice. However. ¡°But the important thing here is that the Lord of Lartania has not been swayed by any hero¡¯s advances.¡± At her continuing words, Rin¡¯s face brightened. No, she looked beyond just brightened; she looked very happy. ¡°¡­Hmm.¡± For a moment, the Absolute Ruler of Darkness hastilyposed herself, thinking it might be unseemly, but a faint smile lingered on her lips. ¡°¡­¡­¡± And Loriel, who was quietly watching her, continued speaking. ¡°Anyway, here¡¯s the main point. From my observations of the Lord of Lartania, it seems that he is excessively indifferent to rtionships between the sexes.¡± ¡°¡­Excessively indifferent?¡± ¡°Yes. To be more precise, it would be urate to say he is beyond indifferent; he shows no interest. In fact, he responds to any hero¡¯s advances withplete indifference.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Indeed.¡± ¡°In other words, I think the Lord of Lartania is not interested in rtionships between the sexes. Whether it¡¯s intentional or something innate, that¡¯s the impression.¡± ¡°¡­So?¡± In response to the Absolute Ruler of Darkness¡¯s question, Loriel answered. ¡°In my opinion, if you want to approach the Lord now, it would be better to break through that with a somewhat excessive method.¡± ¡°A somewhat excessive method, you say¡­?¡± At Rin¡¯s words, Loriel paused as if considering. ¡°Excuse me for a moment.¡± She approached the Absolute Ruler of Darkness and began to whisper something in her ear. Soon, hearing those words, Rin, with a momentarily nk expression, blushed deeply and spoke. ¡°Wh-what?! Are you seriously suggesting that?!¡± Seeing the greatly shocked expression of the Absolute Ruler of Darkness, Loriel spoke calmly. ¡°The subject is a bit unusual, but it¡¯s you who has to do it, Master, not me.¡± ¡°But still, this is¡­!¡± ¡°Master, please listen. If things continue like this, I assure you, nothing will be to your advantage.¡± ¡°¡­Ugh.¡± Rin couldn¡¯t respond to those words. Because Rin herself was also fully aware of that fact to some extent. So, after a period of silence, ¡°¡­Do you think it will bring about change?¡± ¡°I believe it will be a significant improvementpared to now.¡± Listening to Loriel¡¯s words, Rin nodded silently. [The Red Merchant has arrived in the territory!] Shortly after the notification appeared, Kim Hyunwoo saw the Red Merchant entering through the office door. ¡°Nice to meet you, Lord.¡± Unlike the Blue Merchant, the Red Merchant bowed slightly more respectfully. Her attire was simr to the Blue Merchant¡¯s, only differing in color. The cone hat on her head and the red robe she wore, along with thefortable clothes visible underneath, were all the same. ¡°I feel the same way. I¡¯ve been eager to meet you.¡± After confirming this, Kim Hyunwoo nodded briefly and spoke, and the Red Merchant smiled faintly and soon sat in front of him to talk. ¡°Is that so? Well, it¡¯s natural that the Blue Merchant would have told you I was next, so I guess you were looking forward to meeting me.¡± ¡°That too, but there¡¯s another reason.¡± ¡°Another reason?¡± ¡°Yes. Actually-¡± Kim Hyunwoo spoke without hesitation about what had happened before. He talked about the contradictions he felt and the mysterious question that arose when the notification to meet the Red Merchant appeared before him. ¡°-That¡¯s roughly what happened.¡± After hearing everything, she made a slightly curious expression but soon nodded as if she understood something- ¡°Hmm- From what you¡¯ve told me, I¡¯m not sure why that notification appeared, but its instructions seem fairly clear.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Yes, in fact, part of what I came to tell you this time includes that. Well, there are other aspects too, but¡­¡± She muttered and smiled subtly. Chapter 133: Red Merchant (4) ¡°Then I will listen attentively.¡± As Kim Hyunwoo naturally spoke while looking at the Red Merchant sitting in front of him, she responded with a faint smile. ¡°You don¡¯t have to listen attentively. You will have a lot of questions anyway.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Yes, so before I exin, what would you like to hear first?¡± ¡°What do you mean by¡­?¡± ¡°I am asking if you would prefer to hear about the contradictions the Lord heard or the story I have to tell.¡± Unlike the Blue Merchant, the Red Merchant asked in a polite tone, making Kim Hyunwoo pause and think for a moment before asking. ¡°¡­If I choose one, will I not be able to hear the other properly?¡± ¡°No? That¡¯s not the case, but why do you ask¡­?¡± ¡°Well¡­the Blue Merchant started talking and then just left.¡± As Kim Hyunwoo spoke with a slightly awkward smile, the Red Merchant had a nk expression for a moment before smiling as if she understood what he meant. ¡°Well- It might sound funnying from me, but the reason the Blue Merchant couldn¡¯t tell you more is literally due to restraint, so please understand.¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯ve heard that before, but what exactly is ¡®restraint¡¯?¡± Filled with curiosity, Kim Hyunwoo asked, and she immediately answered. ¡°It includes the literal meaning of the word. It¡¯s exactly what it sounds like¡­but exining this part doesn¡¯t seem like something I should be doing right now.¡± As if she was asking him to choose between the two things she had mentioned earlier, the Red Merchant stared intently at Kim Hyunwoo, prompting him to speak. ¡°Then I¡¯d like to hear the story you need to tell first.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Answering Kim Hyunwoo, the Red Merchant seemed to organize her thoughts for a moment before speaking. ¡°First, can you tell me how much the Blue Merchant told you?¡± ¡°¡­If it¡¯s about what the Blue Merchant said¡­they told me a bit about the demons and celestials invading this continent¡­and to stop other races as well.¡± ¡°Did they also tell you about the reward?¡± ¡°Yes, I heard that we could receive the Wish of Inevitability.¡± Hearing that, the Red Merchant nodded and replied. ¡°It seems the Blue Merchant told you everything they needed to, so there¡¯s no need for additional exnations. Let¡¯s get straight to the point.¡± With those words, she immediately started talking. ¡°Today, I will inform you of the purpose of the continent invasion.¡± ¡°¡­The purpose?¡± ¡°Yes, the purpose. It might be sudden, but do you have any guesses as to why high-ranking demons from another dimension are trying to invade the Middle Realm?¡± In response to the Red merchant¡¯s question, Kim Hyunwoo answered. ¡°I might be wrong, but¡­is it for world conquest?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­their actions might seem somewhat simr to that, but world conquest is not their actual goal.¡± ¡°Then¡­?¡± ¡°The reason these high-dimensional demons are invading this dimension is to resurrect the Demon King.¡± ¡°¡­Resurrect the Demon King?¡± Feeling like something incredible had just been said casually, Kim Hyunwoo asked again, and the Red Merchant nodded. ¡°Yes, their goal is to resurrect the Demon King. By the way, the celestials aim to resurrect the Sage God, and the reasons for the others are more or less the same.¡± ¡°¡­In other words, they are invading the continent to resurrect their leaders?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. The Demon King of the demons and the Sage God of the celestials only have their souls left; their bodies are gone.¡± ¡°And the method to resurrect their bodies is only possible in this Middle Realm, right?¡± ¡°Setting, is a somewhat vague term, but you¡¯re right. These high-dimensional beings need this Middle Realm to create bodies. Should I exin why? It is a bitplicated.¡± ¡°¡­Is it veryplicated?¡± ¡°To understand the basics, you need to know about the Law of Karma Preservation and the paradox and corrtion between magic and karma. Should I exin?¡± As soon as he heard the first sentence, Kim Hyunwoo quickly decided and spoke. ¡°¡­I think understanding this much is good enough.¡± ¡°An excellent choice. Honestly, knowing these details won¡¯t help. Just understanding their goal is enough.¡± Watching the Red Merchant smile awkwardly, as if exining everything would be difficult, Kim Hyunwoo asked. ¡°Then I guess, the next step is¡­¡± ¡°You should listen to the Mysterious Merchant.¡± ¡°¡­It seems like you¡¯ve told me everything by now, so why not just reveal everything?¡± ¡°I would like to, but as you know, it¡¯s a matter of restraint, so even if I want to, I can¡¯t.¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s really disappointing.¡± Seeing Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s genuinely disappointed expression, the Red Merchant shrugged and answered. ¡°But don¡¯t be too disappointed, I still have more to tell you.¡± Saying so, she stared intently at Kim Hyunwoo and spoke. ¡°But before I tell you more, can I hear a bit more of a detailed story from you?¡± ¡°A detailed story?¡± ¡°Well¡­specifically, it might sound strange, but I want to hear more about when you felt contradictions.¡± Nodding, Kim Hyunwoo began to carefully exin the times he felt emotionally conflicted. After listening for a while, the Red Merchant nodded several times and then spoke. ¡°After hearing your story, it seems that¡¯s correct.¡± ¡°That?¡± ¡°First, let me tell you, it is very natural for you to feel contradictions. It¡¯s not strange.¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s not strange?¡± ¡°Yes, because you are limited from thinking properly in the first ce.¡± She told Kim Hyunwoo this. Conference room of the Purple Dwarf Star. Seeing nine out of the ten chairs filled, Second Legion Commander Beor Darkheart looked around and spoke. ¡°The agenda is simple, nothing more to discuss. We will selectmanders to advance to the Middle Realm immediately. There will be two.¡± As Beor Darkheart spoke, a question immediately arose from the slightly murmuring conference room. ¡°Two? Not one?¡± The first to ask was Agares, who had returned from the Middle Realm before. Nodding at his question, Beor answered. ¡°Yes, this time, it will be two, not one.¡± ¡°¡­Are they partial manifestations, not full?¡± ¡°No, full manifestations.¡± ¡°¡­Full manifestations, and two can go to the Middle Realm at once?¡± ¡°Yes, honestly, I couldn¡¯t believe it, but Kelva prepared an enormous amount of sacrifices, so it¡¯s possible.¡± At Beor¡¯s words, the entire conference room buzzed. ¡°I will go.¡± ¡°Me! Me!!¡± In an instant, they all started moring to go. Of course, because Agares had suffered in the Middle Realm, themanders were aware that there were dangerous beings there. For themanders, death in the Middle Realm meant the permanent loss of power. However, the reason themanders could raise their hands without hesitation was because twomanders could go down this time. The issue of onemander going down versus two waspletely different from the start. ¡°This time, I¡¯ll go down and clean it up. I¡¯ll kill all those great heroes Agares couldn¡¯t handle and wipe the outsider out as well!¡± ¡°Bullshit, I¡¯ll go! If I spread my gue, those guys will all die without lifting a finger. The outsider and the territory he established¡­ Lartania, was it? I can wipe it out in a month.¡± Thus, themanders raised their hands to go down to the Middle Realm. ¡°Watch your words-¡± Just as Beor was about to frown and speak to themanders who were talking recklessly. ¡°¡­!¡± In an instant, everyone fell silent. The Seventh Commander, who had just raised his hand and vowed to kill the outsider, closed his mouth. The Ninth Legion Commander, who had just said he would spread a gue and devastate Lartania, began to sweat. nk-! A metallic sound was heard. nk-! The metallic sound got closer. nk-! It could be heard. And finally, after the metallic sound stopped. ¡°Just now, say that again.¡± Beor involuntarily let out a deep sigh and closed his eyes. It was because, now, where he was looking. ¡°Lartania what?¡± The Hero King was staring at him with chilling eyes. Chapter 134: Red Merchant (5) ¡°Lartania what?¡± At the quiet mumbling of the Hero King, the noisy conference room fell silent like a dead mouse. It was because all themanders there knew that the Hero King must never hear anything about Lartania. No, it was strange not to know in the first ce. All themanders here had heard the story from the Demon King they worshiped. Therefore, themanders here fully realized how bad this situation was. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Beor also sighed briefly, seeing the Hero King standing at the conference room door. It was because Beor had never imagined this scene in the first ce. As far as he could remember, the Hero King had never attended a meeting since being specially appointed by the Demon King and bing the First Legion Commander. Therefore, he wondered why the Hero King, who had never shown up to a meeting before, was here now. ¡°Sigh-¡± He soon erased his doubt. At this point, questions were no longer important. What mattered was how to handle this situation. ¡®The First Legion Commander shouldn¡¯t have known about this. No- even if they knew, it shouldn¡¯t have been now.¡¯ Looking around at themanders who were all frowning, Beor sighed and spoke. ¡°It¡¯s your first time attending a meeting.¡± ¡°Forget that. Exin about Lartania.¡± Seeing the Hero King ask without any trace of emotion, Beor thought about what to do next. As far as he could tell, things had already gone awry from the moment she found out the truth. With the Hero King, the key to resurrecting the Demon King, there were two options. Persuasion, or suppression. But Beor coldly excluded the possibility of the former. Once she heard the word ¡®Lartania¡¯ and understood the context of the meeting, persuading her was meaningless. Then there was only one option left. ¡°¡­It is as it sounds. We were talking about the Lartania territory.¡± ¡°So why suddenly bring it up in this conference room-¡± ¡°Because the Lord of Lartania, the ¡®outsider¡¯, has returned.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± Emotion appeared in the Hero King¡¯s eyes, which had shown no trace of it just moments before. A torrent of emotions anyone could easily sense. And then- Boom-! At that moment, when the Hero King¡¯s judgment faltered, themanders instantly unleashed their magic and rushed to subdue her. The Third and Eighth Legion Commanders grabbed her arms. The Fourth and Fifth Legion Commanders grabbed her legs. The Fourth and Seventh Legion Commanders sealed her powers with their magic. That wasn¡¯t all. The Tenth Legion Commander, who was still there,yered dozens of spells on the already subdued Hero King¡¯s body to restrain her. It all happened in an instant. However, despite being subdued so quickly, the Hero King didn¡¯t even nce at the restraints and just stared intently at Beor, as if nothing had happened. ¡°The outsider¡­ he has, returned?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°In the Middle Realm?¡± ¡°Correct. And this meeting is to decide whichmanders will manifest in the middle realm to kill the outsider and achieve our goal.¡± Beor, who had been slightly tense moments before, regained hisposure as he spoke. The reason was the sight of the hundreds of spellsyered on her body and the appearance of themanders. No matter how powerful the Hero King was, the eightmanders also had enough strength to be called extraordinary. In other words, Beor judged that the Hero King could do nothing more and spoke with a rxed expression. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The Hero King, hearing Beor¡¯s words, said nothing and just looked at him with eyes full of swirling emotions. And as Beor looked at her, he began to speak. ¡°Hero King, I regret to say you will not manifest on the surface. You are an important key-¡± He couldn¡¯t finish his sentence and could only stare nkly at the Hero King. It was because. ¡°Ha-ha-¡± Despite being subdued by all themanders in the conference room and still being restrained in real-time, the Hero King¡¯s lips curled into a deep smile. As if truly she was enjoying it. As if truly happy, the Hero King smiled broadly andughed on the spot. As if the gazes of themanders around didn¡¯t matter, sheughed until tears flowed. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Themanders fell silent. Beor also stopped speaking and fell silent. What they felt was mild confusion. At least, they couldn¡¯t understand why the Hero King¡¯s smile wasing out in this situation. But. Boom-!!! The next moment, with a sound of something exploding in their ears, themanders all turned their heads at once. They could see it. The body of the Eighth Legion Commander, who had been holding her right arm moments ago, was being flung through the wall. And the hundreds of spells that had beenyered on the Hero King moments ago were being torn apart like paper and disappearing. Realizing this, themanders felt a chill run through their bodies, and they involuntarily shivered. ¡°Finally, I can seek forgiveness¡­¡± Beor could see it. ¡°Finally-¡± The Hero King, wrapped in intense joy,ughing with her mouth wide open. ¡°Yes, you are limited from thinking that way in the first ce.¡± ¡°¡­Limit?¡± At Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s question, the Red Merchant nodded and then seemed to realize something. ¡°Oh, just to rify, we have no connection to your limit.¡± ¡°No connection¡­ Does that mean no rtion at all?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. The reason I can check your condition in detail is because of my extraordinary eyes, not because I¡¯m rted to the limit ced on you.¡± After saying that, the Red Merchant asked Kim Hyunwoo. ¡°¡­Then what exactly is the limit ced on me?¡± ¡°Hmm, strictly speaking, it¡¯s not really a limit. I¡¯m just exining it this way to make it easier to understand.¡± ¡°Then¡­?¡± At Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s question, the Red Merchant thought for a moment and then spoke. ¡°¡­Well¡­ honestly, I¡¯m not sure if this is the right way to put it, but it feels like a restriction on certain emotions.¡± ¡°A restriction on certain emotions¡­?¡± ¡°Yes. To be more precise, it seems like a restriction on ¡®affection¡¯, as if trying to prevent you from feeling that way from the beginning¡­¡± As the Red Merchant tilted her head in curiosity, Kim Hyunwoo spoke. ¡°So, you mean there¡¯s a limit on my ability to feel affection?¡± ¡°More precisely, it¡¯s not so much a restriction as a redirection¡­it might seem like a restriction, but technically, it¡¯s a bit different.¡± ¡°¡­Then who on earth?¡± ¡°Of course, I don¡¯t know that. I can only guess that the hero who brought you here might have taken such measures.¡± ¡°¡­The hero who brought me here¡­¡± At that moment, Kim Hyunwoo recalled the fifth thing the Blue Merchant had mentioned but then shook his head slightly and spoke. ¡°Then is there any way to remove this limit?¡± Of course, this limit hadn¡¯t caused Kim Hyunwoo any significant harm so far, but it was still somewhat unpleasant, so he asked the question. The Red Merchant immediately replied. ¡°There isn¡¯t a way right now. If it were something simpler, maybe, but this limit seems sturdier than expected. Messing with it carelessly might subject you to danger.¡± ¡°¡­Is that so?¡± Kim Hyunwoo looked slightly disappointed. But the Red Merchant spoke with a faint smile. ¡°Well, even so, there¡¯s no need to worry too much. The item I brought this time will help with your current condition.¡± ¡°The item you brought this time¡­?¡± At Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s words, the Red Merchant nodded and ced a box in front of his office. ¡°You purchased an item to meet me, did you not?¡± ¡°Ah.¡± As the Red Merchant continued, Kim Hyunwoo recalled purchasing the ¡®unknown item¡¯ and let out a low exmation. ¡°That item will likely help a lot in removing the limit ced on you.¡± The Red Merchant smiled and spoke. Chapter 135: Red Merchant (6) ¡°Then, I have delivered everything I need to, so I¡¯ll take my leave. The next part of the story-¡± ¡°Is the Mysterious Merchant, right?¡± ¡°Yes. Please listen to the Mysterious Merchant.¡± The Red Merchant said this, waved her hand once, smiled, and spoke. ¡°Then I¡¯ll be going now.¡± ¡°You¡¯re quite busy.¡± ¡°There¡¯s not much to do here anyway. And- it seems someone is quite ufortable.¡± As the Red Merchant gave a strange smile and nced upward, Kim Hyunwoo looked up with her in curiosity, but no one was there. ¡°¡­?¡± Kim Hyunwoo had a puzzled expression, but the Red Merchant lowered her head to look at him. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s meet again if there¡¯s a chance.¡± With that, she turned around, snapped her fingers lightly, and disappeared into red dust. ¡°¡­She disappeared just like the Blue Merchant.¡± Kim Hyunwoo, who made that remark while watching the Red Merchant, soon looked at the box she had given him. It wasn¡¯t veryrge, the item Kim Hyunwoo had bought for 7,500 Gold Coins, which could be a clue to removing the limit on his mind. Kim Hyunwoo, who had been staring at it, hesitated no longer and tore off the wrapping to reveal the contents. ¡°¡­What¡¯s this?¡± He soon found a very strange-looking red orb inside the box. Kim Hyunwoo picked up the red orb and examined it closely. The red orb was not veryrge. It was red but highly transparent, allowing clear visibility of the other side, and at first nce, its small size made it look like a candy. ¡°¡­It doesn¡¯t taste good.¡± Thinking it might be candy, he licked the red orb, but finding no taste, Kim Hyunwoo, with a puzzled expression, realized that the item¡¯s description window did not appear and spoke. ¡°Loria, is this the type of orb that doesn¡¯t show an item window?¡± Loria, who was rarely silent at Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s question, answered. [I was trying to disy the window...but since it's an item not in the database, some text is corrupted, so I haven't disyed it yet, My Lord] ¡°¡­Can you show me the corrupted part for now?¡± [Yes, understood] At Loria¡¯s words, a notification window appeared before Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s eyes. Red Item (The text has been corrupted and is unable to be properly disyed) Grade: ???? Attack Power: ???? Specialty: Remove (½â³ý) Description: An item created by the Red Merchant. By collecting the items below, the orb's properties can be used. (The text has been corrupted and is unable to be properly disyed) The items required to use the red item are as follows: Fenrir's Fang Yggdrasil's Branch Eldra's Warmth ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Seeing some of the text corrupted in the notification window, as Loria had said, Kim Hyunwoo sighed lightly but shrugged and spoke. ¡°At least the important parts aren¡¯t corrupted, so that¡¯s good.¡± [I tried my best with the important parts, My Lord] ¡°Thank you.¡± Kim Hyunwoo, responding to Loria¡¯s words, confirmed the items needed to use the orb. ¡®Fenrir¡¯s Fang, Yggdrasil¡¯s Branch, Eldra¡¯s Warmth¡­¡¯ Each name was grand, but seeing the required items, Kim Hyunwoo wasn¡¯t particrly surprised. It was because he had already collected those materials several times before. ¡®The names are just grand, but they are obtainable items.¡¯ Thinking about how to gather the materials, Kim Hyunwoo also pondered the story the Red Merchant had told him. More specifically, he thought about the limit ced on him. ¡®¡­What could it be.¡¯ Honestly, Kim Hyunwoo didn¡¯t understand why such a limit was ced on him or why someone would do that. He couldn¡¯t think of any reason why someone would ce such a limit on him. After pondering for a while, Kim Hyunwoo shrugged lightly and brushed off those thoughts. He would find the answers by listening to the Mysterious Merchant¡¯s next story. ¡®¡­Since the Mysterious Merchant is thest one, he won¡¯t just give a partial exnation again.¡¯ Moreover, since he now had a way to remove the limit ced on him, he decided to prioritize gathering the materials. In the Norba Kingdom. Standing alone in the ce that could no longer be called a kingdom, filled only with dark red pulsations, Kelva frowned slightly. No, it wasn¡¯t just Kelva. Landaron, who had sacrificed all the citizens of the Norba Kingdom along with him, also approached Kelva with a frown. ¡°Kelva, what on earth is going on?¡± Landaron soon asked him. ¡°I don¡¯t know either.¡± ¡°¡­The appointed time has long passed, Kelva. If we dy any longer, other territories will start falling one by one.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°¡­Then why are you hesitating?¡± As if frustrated, Landaron frowned and asked, while Kelva sighed deeply and spoke. ¡°As I said, we paused because we couldn¡¯t establish propermunication with them.¡± ¡°¡­Why can¡¯t wemunicate?¡± ¡°If I knew, I would have dealt with it already.¡± Even as he answered Landaron, Kelva frowned. ording to the original n, twomanders should have descended to the Middle Realm three days ago, wiped out the Holy Knights from the Holy Kingdom, and gone to kill the outsider. But strangely,munication with the demon realm had been cut off since three days ago. Completely, with nomunication at all. ¡®¡­Of course, we can still operate under these circumstances.¡¯ Of course, not being able tomunicate with the demon realm doesn¡¯t prevent the summoning ritual. Even if it causes some damage, opening the demon realm¡¯s door can bring forth themanders without any problem. But the reason Landaron hadn¡¯t done that yet was a subtle, underlying sense of unease. As far as Kelva could tell, there was no reason whymunication with the demon realm should be impossible. The only timemunication might fail is if the magic between dimensions is temporarily twisted, but otherwise, it should always work. In other words, the only reasonmunication wouldn¡¯t work when the dimensional magic isn¡¯t twisted is if something had happened in the demon realm. But there were too many strange points to be certain. At least as Kelva thought, there was no reason for a problem severe enough to disruptmunication in the demon realm. The order in the demon realm was clearly established, and with everyone sharing the same dream, there was no sudden outbreak of conflict. ¡®¡­The First Legion Commander is there, but.¡¯ Even if the First Legion Commander caused trouble upon discovering the truth in the Middle Realm, it wouldn¡¯t disruptmunication. No matter how strong she was, she couldn¡¯t handle all themanders alone. Therefore, Kelva, who was still contemting various issues. ¡°Tsk.¡± Eventually, he had to make a decision. ¡°Stay back, Landaron. Let¡¯s proceed with the ritual.¡± ¡°¡­Didmunication get through?¡± ¡°No, but there¡¯s no point in dying any longer.¡± In the end, Kelva decided to open the demon realm¡¯s door despite theck ofmunication. Waiting indefinitely formunication was not viable given the current state of the Norba Kingdom, and the sacrifices he had forcibly gathered would be harder to control over time. So, Kelva quickly decided and activated the magic circle drawn beneath his feet. Wooooooong-! Soon, with a huge resonating sound, the magic circle covering the entire eastern area of the Norba Kingdom began to glow and greedily pull in the pulsating veins. Crunch- Crunch, Crackle! Sounds of breaking and grinding could be heard as the flesh being sucked into the magic circle began to spew dark red blood. The dark red blood flowed into the gaps of the glowing magic circle, starting to stain it red. And finally. Creak-creak-creak-!!! As if forcing open a door that wouldn¡¯t budge, a red line began to open with a chilling sound, and Kelva could see themanders¡¯ conference room for the first time in a while. ¡°¡­!¡± Kelva, at the same time, couldn¡¯t help but open his mouth in surprise. Inside, where his gazended. ¡°¡­It finally opened?¡± The Hero King, covered in purple bloodstains, was staring at Kelva with a chilling smile. Chapter 136: I Didnt Even Touch It (1) Kelva stared nkly into the open dimensional door. What he saw was a conference room filled with purple bloodstains, with what appeared to be the arms and legs ofmanders rolling around without concern. A woman at the center of the round table in the conference room was drenched in purple blood, holding a cigarette, and wearing a chilling smile. ¡°It¡¯s finally opened¡­?¡± The low mumble of the Hero King. Seeing the faint smile and eyes filled with madness, Kelva organized his confused thoughts and easily found the missing piece for whymunication had been impossible up till now. ¡°This crazy¡­¡± Realizing it, Kelva couldn¡¯t help but curse. The picture that formed instantly in his mind made him curse without realizing it. ¡®All themanders?¡¯ Of course, themanders of the demon realm don¡¯t die just because they are killed. They don¡¯t vanish if they die in the Middle Realm, nor do they vanish if they die in battle in the demon realm. They simply lose power and undergo a revival process; in the end, theye back to life. But even considering that, the scene before his eyes was unbelievable. The situation looked like the First Legion Commander, the Hero King, had annihted all the othermanders. Of course, the Hero King¡¯s condition was not normal. Although her limbs were intact, her entire body was covered with serious wounds, and broken artifacts littered the conference room and all around her. Moreover, it seemed she had used all her magic, as there was no lingering sense of her usual dark energy and magic. In other words, the Hero King had used up all her power source to subdue themanders. But even so, the scene before Kelva was extremely irrational, and for a while, Kelva couldn¡¯t think at all. ¡°Gasp!¡± He btedly regained his senses and immediately tried to sever the offerings and close the door. ng-! ¡°¡­!?¡± The dimensional door that had opened by his will did not close by his will. With a startled expression, Kelva looked at the dimensional door and realized that something resembling one of the Hero King¡¯s artifacts was wedged in between. Soon, the Hero King, covered in wounds, began to step through the dimensional door. ¡°Damn it-!¡± Seeing this, Kelva tried in any way to close the dimensional door and prevent the Hero King from crossing, but his efforts- Crack-! ¡°Gah!¡± -were instantly blocked by a giant rod shot from inside the dimensional door. With that, ¡°¡­Finally¡­!¡± the Hero King stepped through the dimensional door from the demon realm to the present world. ¡°Ha.¡± At that moment, Kelva frowned deeply, thinking everything had gonepletely wrong. No, things had actually gone wrong before now. Though he hadn¡¯t seen it himself, the reason she, who had wanted to ascend to a higher dimension and became a demon following his will, descended to the Middle Realm was likely because she had heard about Lartania in the demon realm. ¡°He has returned, hasn¡¯t he?¡± As if confirming Kelva¡¯s guess, the Hero King asked him as soon as she stepped through the dimensional door. Kelva sighed and spoke as she casually asked about Lartania, despite her terrible wounds. ¡°¡­Now doesn¡¯t seem like the time to ask me that carelessly.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Do you think I¡¯ll answer your question easily? No- Do you think you can get to Lartania in the first ce?¡± With those words, Kelva began to absorb all the remaining power of the sacrificial magic circle. Crackle-! The unprecedented power, drawing in everything around and turning them into dust again, was roughly pulling towards Kelva. With that, Kelva¡¯s appearance began to change from a typical human to that of the othermanders. Kelva continued speaking. ¡°Hero King, you will never make it to the territory of Lartania, nor will you meet the outsider.¡± ¡°What makes you so sure?¡± ¡°You unterally broke your contract with him. You abandoned your duty. Do you think we demons- no, the demon realm ¨C will let that slide?¡± Kelva¡¯s body continued to transform into that of amander. His arms and legs began to change into those of a beast. The horns on his head grew extremely long. ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous, Hero King, you will be annihted here.¡± And what revealed itself- ¡°His confidant working from the shadows, given the title of ¡®Zero¡¯ Commander by him, I will kill you.¡± Zero Commander Kelva. Who, without owning any legion, worked solely as the Dark Lord¡¯s confidant from the shadows, now stood before the Hero King, with his true power unleashed. ¡°Do you think you can defeat me?¡± The Hero King¡¯s single remark. To anyone else, it would sound extremely arrogant, but Kelva took it as a clear threat. In reality, she had killed all themanders in the conference room and stepped into the Middle Realm. However, despite the threat, Kelva spoke with a smile. ¡°If you were in your original state, I wouldn¡¯t be able to win. But look at your body now. Do you think I would lose to someone so severely injured that it¡¯s hard for you to even fight? And I know that many of the artifacts you boast about are no longer with you, having seen the broken artifacts in the conference room. Is that all? The magic power in your body is almost gone, and it¡¯s still draining even now. It must be due to the severe injuries. If left as is, it will likely leave permanent damage.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± As the Hero King remained silent and listened, Kelva continued to speak. ¡°Of course, you don¡¯t need to worry about permanent damage, Hero King. You, who betrayed your trust, will die here, leaving only your abilities behind.¡± ¡°¡­I don¡¯t think you can continue your ns just by me leaving my abilities.¡± Kelva momentarily stopped at the Hero King¡¯s sharp words. Her words were true. Once the Hero King knew that the Lord of Lartania had returned, the n was already messed up, but Kelva, by using all the sacrifices to kill the Hero King in the Middle Realm, ended the demon realm¡¯s n. In other words, the ns the demons had worked hard on until now had no chance of revival. They were left with nothing but permanent loss of power and no other gains. But even so, Kelva smiled. Even though the Hero King¡¯s words were true. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, using your corpse should provide a foundation to start again. And if I can capture and kill the outsider, sacrifices can easily be increased.¡± He judged that there was still a way out. So Kelva smiled wickedly, looking at the Hero King, who was full of wounds. The Hero King, ¡°¡­Kill the outsider¡­¡± muttering softly and then- Gasp-! With a chilling gaze that made even Kelva momentarily intimidated- ¡°Try it, if you can.¡± -muttered that. A few days after the Red Merchant¡¯s departure. Territory:Lartania Territory Development Level: 4812 Territory Poption: [Humans: 35,817] ¨CSecondary Buildings¨C [Magical Engineering Research Institute] ¨COwned Buildings¨C [Lord''s Castle LV3¡ü] [City Wall LV5] [Residential District LV5] [cksmith LV5] [Barracks LV5] [Tavern LV5] [Market LV5] [Wood Processing nt LV5] [Restaurant LV5] [Leather Processing nt LV5] [Stone Processing nt LV5] [Trade Post LV5] [Secondary City Wall LV5] [Inn LV5] [Administrative District LV5] [Paved Road LV5] ¨CExternal Buildings¨C [Mercenary Guild LV1] [Mage Tower Branch LV1] [cksmith Guild Branch LV1] ¨COwned Forces¨C -Regr Soldiers: 1,000 -Swordsmen: 500 -Guards: 700 -Apprentice Knights: 200 The Magical Engineering Research Institute has beenpleted. ¡°¡­It¡¯s beyond expectations.¡± Kim Hyunwoo gaped slightly as he looked at the Magical Engineering Research Institute built outside the city wall. As if showing that it was on a different level, the Magical Engineering Research Institute stood above the city wall, giving Kim Hyunwoo a sense of intimidation. From the Lord¡¯s castle, he could overlook most buildings, but this was the first building he had to look up to. ¡®Well, if I level up the Lord¡¯s castle, I can look down on it again¡­¡¯ To build that giant building, he had used up most of the Gold Coins he had umted in the territory. ¡®Plus, I¡¯ve recruited more soldiers, so the maintenance costs have increased.¡¯ While Kim Hyunwoo was thinking about the newly increased forces, in the Red Eyes, ¡°Giral.¡± ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°Take this.¡± ¡°¡­This is the Shayu Spring Water that you gave to the Bossst time, why are you giving it to me?¡± ¡°Use it for that person, Loriel or whatever?¡± ¡°Yeah, there is such a person?¡± ¡°You get along well, right?¡± ¡°¡­If you divide it into good and bad, well- It¡¯s on the good side.¡± ¡°Then that¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Can you use that to mate with that person?¡± ¡°¡­What kind of nonsense are you spouting all of a sudden?¡± Giral was hearing iprehensible words from Ryu. Chapter 137: I Didnt Even Touch It (2) Giral looked at Ryu with an expression that seemed to say, ¡°What nonsense is this crazy woman spouting?¡±, but she spoke with utmost seriousness. ¡°Listen carefully, Giral. This is quite an important issue.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense.¡± ¡°It¡¯s true, I swear.¡± ¡°¡­Damn.¡± Giral showed a very dissatisfied expression at Ryu¡¯s words. But her eyes looked so sincere. ¡°¡­Let¡¯s hear it then.¡± Still maintaining a displeased expression, Giral spoke. In response, Ryu cleared her throat and began to speak. ¡°I think you, Giral, are well aware of this issue.¡± ¡°What issue?¡± ¡°Interference from others.¡± ¡°Interference?¡± ¡°Yes, to be precise, we were interruptedst time too. And the time before that. Well, back then, it was the Boss who was interfering, but anyway.¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s true.¡± Giral nodded at Ryu¡¯s words. Indeed, Merilda had made many efforts to appeal to the Lord of Lartania, even if in less than respectable ways. The problem was that every time she tried hard to appeal, there were always interrupters. Giral, being fully aware of this fact, nodded, and Ryu continued. ¡°In my opinion, if the Boss wants to change her rtionship with the Lord of Lartania, whether to kill or keep it, avoiding interference is more important.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± As Giral nodded as if it made sense, Ryu continued. ¡°And surprisingly, avoiding interference isn¡¯t that difficult. For example, the dragon attached to the Tienus Merchant Group can be avoided by acting when the group isn¡¯t around.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t there heroes in Lartania as well?¡± ¡°We can align the heroes¡¯ schedules too. The Master of the Blue Tower will be away next week for a Mage Tower meeting, and the cksmith has been staying underground in the Guildtely. Even if theye out, they¡¯ll probably use some tricks.¡± ¡°What about the one stuck to the Lord like glue?¡± ¡°I¡¯m nning to have the subordinates cause a smallmotion near Lartania. Of course, there should be no unnecessary casualties. Something the Boss might be worried about could happen.¡± Giral showed an impressed expression at Ryu¡¯s words. ¡°Impressive.¡± ¡°What is?¡± ¡°¡­Were you always this smart?¡± In Giral¡¯s mind, Ryu was just a female revealing her attraction to men, so he looked at her with a curious expression. ¡°In these matters, I have to be smart. It¡¯s about someone¡¯s love life.¡± ¡°¡­Shouldn¡¯t your love life be more important than the Boss¡¯s love life?¡± ¡°I still haven¡¯t found a male that I like. Ahem- Anyway, to get back to the main point, we can block all interferers during the operation. The problem is¡­her subordinate.¡± ¡°Loriel¡­¡± ¡°Yes, her.¡± Ryu continued. ¡°Of course, she hasn¡¯t defended or interfered so far. She¡¯s been strictly an observer. But¡­¡± ¡°She¡¯s extremely loyal to the womanpeting with the Boss, right?¡± ¡°Exactly. So far, she¡¯s been an observer, but if our Boss really tries to win¡­ She might participate directly.¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s not certain yet, is it?¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. But it¡¯s not entirely out of the question, is it?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Giral fell silent at Ryu¡¯s words. Indeed, thinking about it, Ryu¡¯s words were correct. At least Giral, who asionally¡­no, quite often these days, talked with her, knew very well how much affection Loriel had for her master. ¡°That may be¡­true, but¡­¡± ¡°So, topletely eliminate any potential interferers, Giral, you need to show some strength.¡± ¡°¡­It seems better to just fight.¡± ¡°Fighting would be strange, wouldn¡¯t it? And more importantly, it would make noise. If something happens near Lartania at that time, the operation would be over.¡± ¡°Then-¡± ¡°Mating is the only option.¡± ¡°¡­Can¡¯t you just talk somewhere else?¡± ¡°Like they would listen. Mating is just cleaner, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°No¡­ Isn¡¯t that too barbaric?¡± Ryu gave a sour expression at Giral¡¯s words. ¡°Really, it¡¯s as crazy as you said.¡± Ryu, wearing a slightly disdainful expression, suddenly tilted her head as if something seemed strange, then with a look of realization, eximed, ¡°Ah!¡± with a shocked face. ¡°¡­Don¡¯t tell me you like him just because you exchanged a few words with that human?¡± ¡°I- Absolutely not!¡± ¡°Wow¡­ Is this for real?¡± ¡°No!¡± Giral hurriedly denied it. Ryu looked a bit suspicious but then shrugged as if understanding. ¡°Anyway, please think about this. If we can handle that woman, we can execute the n perfectly without any interference. I¡¯ll go talk to the Boss.¡± With those words, she left. ¡°¡­Hmm¡­¡± Giral¡¯s heavy sigh continued as he looked at the Shayu Spring Water. ¡°Well, I¡¯m off!¡± ¡°Take care.¡± ¡°Yeah! Oh, and you said the Fang of Fenrir, right? You can look forward to it; it¡¯s in the Mage Tower.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t overdo it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to overdo it.¡± With a very confident smile, Shadra hugged Kim Hyunwoo tightly from behind, looking a bit secretive. ¡°How could I not overdo it when my dad asked for it?¡± She whispered in his ear. ¡°That makes it a bit burdensome.¡± ¡°Really? Then you can grant me another wish next time.¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t even asked for the wish I promisedst time, and you need another?¡± ¡°Of course I do!¡± ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll grant any wish within my power.¡± ¡°Really?!¡± Immediately after hearing those words, Shadra ran towards the office door with quick steps. ¡°Then I¡¯ll definitely get it! Stay well while I¡¯m gone!¡± ¡°Take care.¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± With those words, she opened the office door and disappeared. And then. ¡°Ha-¡± Kim Hyunwoo let out a light sigh and fell into a strange thought. ¡®¡­Lately, it feels like everyone is hitting on me.¡¯ To say he hadn¡¯t noticed until now would be a lie, but Kim Hyunwoo hadn¡¯t really given it much thought. He only began to consider the possibility that they might be hitting on him after bing aware of the limit ced on his mind. But even being conscious of it, he didn¡¯t feel any particr emotions about it, which he found curious. ¡®¡­Normally, knowing something like this would make me excited and want to brag about it.¡¯ Of course, given Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s personality, he wouldn¡¯t actually brag, but he should have felt happy and excited. He¡¯s a lifelong bachelor. But unlike an average bachelor, even with them hitting on him, he maintained perfectposure, which he found curious. It didn¡¯t seem particrly strange, yet it felt strange. But thinking like that was only momentary. ¡®This is something to think about after lifting the limit.¡¯ With that thought, he opened the troop window. ¨COwned Forces¨C -Regr Soldiers: 1,000 -Swordsmen: 500 -Guards: 700 -Apprentice Knights: 200 With the new soldiers recruited due to the creation of the Magical Engineering Research Institute, Lartania¡¯s army now totalled 2,400 soldiers. Considering the residents, it was an appropriate amount, but if including the mercenaries gathered in Lartania, it felt a bit insufficient. However, increasing the number of soldiers was not an immediate necessity. Kim Hyunwoo needed to spend most of the money he had umted for the development of the territory again. ¡®¡­I need to build secondary structures starting with the Magical Engineering Research Institute.¡¯ Additionally, the creation of the Magical Engineering Research Institute seemed to unexpectedly aid in missile development, requiring extra expenses, so he needed to save as much as possible. In other words, the current number of soldiers was very reasonable from Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s perspective. ¡®Well, now is the time to think about how to earn more money rather than increasing soldiers.¡¯ In fact, the current Lartania territory was earning an enormous amount of gold. If it were another lord, they could livevishly without doing anything else. But from Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s perspective, who roughly knew what would happen in this world through the Blue and Red Merchants, he needed much more money than now. The current Lartania territory still wasn¡¯t fully grown. ¡®¡­The demons are one thing, but to stop the uing celestials or another, growth is still needed.¡¯ So Kim Hyunwoo was thinking of business items to earn more money. A few dayster, when the Tienus Merchant Group arrived in Lartania again, ¡°¡­Yes? So-¡± Kim Hyunwoo heard a very strange rumor from Adria. ¡°The demons self-destructed?¡± The rumor that the demons have self-destructed in the Middle Realm. Chapter 138: I Didnt Even Touch It (3) ¡°¡­So, it¡¯s a rumor? Is that what you¡¯re saying?¡± ¡°Strictly speaking, it is a rumor, but it came from a fairly reliable source.¡± At Adria¡¯s words, Kim Hyunwoo raised an eyebrow and spoke. ¡°So, they really self-destructed?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not irrevocable evidence, but the war, which had been quite bnced, has significantly tilted towards the Holy Kingdom. Moreover, the monsters havepletely disappeared.¡± ¡°The monsters¡­?¡± At Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s question, Adria nodded and continued. ¡°As you know from facing them several times, Norba Kingdom¡¯s basic strategy was overwhelming numbers with their monsters. But those have disappeared.¡± ¡°¡­That would certainly put the demon side at a great disadvantage.¡± ¡°Not just a disadvantage. Right now, Lord of Tesnoka is reiming territories in Norba Kingdom one by one. The recovery rate has already exceeded 50%.¡± Listening to Adria¡¯s words, Kim Hyunwoo nodded. After hearing her, he could roughly predict how the current situation was unfolding. However, Kim Hyunwoo couldn¡¯t shake off his doubts due to what he had heard from the Red Merchant and the Blue Merchant. ¡®¡­No matter how I think about it, self-destruction seems strange.¡¯ At least as far as Kim Hyunwoo knew, the demons had a goal of resurrecting the Demon King. Moreover, the Blue and Red Merchants had listed them as one of the three races whose invasion he had to stop. They even offered him a wish as a condition. So the idea of such a race simply self-destructing seemed odd, and Kim Hyunwoo asked with a puzzled expression. ¡°Is there any other news besides that?¡± Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s question. Adria seemed to ponder for a moment, then nodded and began to share one or two of the rumors circting. As Kim Hyunwoo silently listened to Adria¡¯s story. ¡°Ah.¡± Adria, as if suddenly remembering something, let out a low exmation and spoke. ¡°Come to think of it, there¡¯s another peculiar rumor about the demons.¡± ¡°A peculiar rumor¡­?¡± ¡°I heard that the demon stronghold in Norba Kingdom is shrouded by something ck.¡± ¡°¡­Something ck?¡± ¡°Yes, they say it¡¯s something like a pulsating egg.¡± ¡°That sounds extremely dangerous¡­¡± When Kim Hyunwoo showed a slightly concerned expression, Adria smiled lightly and spoke. ¡°I thought so at first too, but ording to the wizard who went to investigate the ck sphere, it¡¯s not particrly dangerous.¡± ¡°¡­Really?¡± ¡°Yes. They say it seems to be a powerful binding spell¡­ It has no chance of breaking anytime soon, and that¡¯s the reason why people think the demons self-destructed.¡± Seeing Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s puzzled expression, Adria continued to exin. ¡°They say the demons are inside that binding spell.¡± ¡°Inside the binding spell¡­demons?¡± ¡°Yes. So people think the demons self-destructed for some reason. Besides, the demons naturally return to the demon realm over time.¡± Kim Hyunwoo nodded, wearing a curious expression at Adria¡¯s words. It indeed seemed like the demons had self-destructed amongst themselves after hearing her exnation. ¡®¡­If that¡¯s the case, it¡¯s actually great for me.¡¯ With that thought, Kim Hyunwoo shrugged and spoke to Adria. ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s very good news.¡± ¡°Right? It¡¯s tough to conduct business when the demons are rampaging. I¡¯m looking forward to things getting easier once Norba Kingdom stabilizes.¡± Nodding with a very satisfied expression, Adria continued talking with Kim Hyunwoo about various matters before he got to the main point. ¡°By the way, there¡¯s something I¡¯d like to ask.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m looking for an item called the Yggdrasil¡¯s Branch and another called Eldra¡¯s Warmth. Do you happen to have them?¡± After pondering for a moment at his question, Adria spoke. ¡°Hmm¡­ I can get both Yggdrasil¡¯s Branch and Eldra¡¯s Warmth, but I don¡¯t have them right now.¡± At Adria¡¯s words, Kim Hyunwoo showed a slightly disappointed expression but soon spoke. ¡°Then, could you possibly bring them the next time youe?¡± Of course, Kim Hyunwoo knew how to obtain those two materials, but it would take a long time if he did it himself, so he asked her for the favor. ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be too difficult. But, given the nature of the materials-¡± ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll pay ordingly, so don¡¯t worry.¡± At Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s words, Adria nodded and spoke. ¡°By the way, why are you suddenly looking for Yggdrasil¡¯s Branch and Eldra¡¯s Warmth? As far as I know, those are used in magical potions¡­¡± Adria cautiously asked, subtly gauging whether this was a probing question. Listening to her, Kim Hyunwoo pondered for a moment and then spoke lightly. ¡°It seems like a simple spell is cast on me, so I¡¯m trying to dispel it.¡± ¡°¡­A spell?¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing serious. It¡¯s just that the materials needed to dispel it are those I mentioned.¡± Adria stared at him for a moment at his words. ¡°¡­?¡± When the gazested a bit longer, making him feel puzzled, Adria looked away and spoke. ¡°Excuse me, it¡¯s just a bit fascinating to hear that a spell is cast on you.¡± With an awkwardugh, Adria stood up and spoke. ¡°Anyway, since you¡¯ve mentioned it, I¡¯ll bring those materials the next time I visit. It shouldn¡¯t take too long.¡± ¡°If it doesn¡¯t take long, when do you think?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ About three weeks? I have other territories to visit, so it might be around then.¡± ¡°That¡¯s pretty quick. Then I¡¯ll leave it to you.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± The very next day, after Adria had left the Lartania territory. Kim Hyunwoo began to manage the territory as usual. In fact, Kim Hyunwoo hadn¡¯t been spending much time managing the territorytely. Of course, this didn¡¯t mean that Kim Hyunwoo had neglected the territory. In fact, Lartania was running smoothly even at this moment. However, as the administrative district started functioning properly, most of the paperwork was automated, except for very important tasks, so Kim Hyunwoo was thinking of a new business item. The ¡®Jewel System¡¯. ¡®This will definitely make money.¡¯ The jewel system in Arteil refers to refining jewels with specific potions and inserting them into weapons to enhance them. That¡¯s really all there is to it. There¡¯s no otherplicated exnation. But even so, people go crazy over the jewel system. The reason is that the performance of the weapon increases significantly with each sessful enhancement. Especially for artifact weapons, each enhancement significantly changes their level. Moreover, this jewel enhancement doesn¡¯t break the weapon if it fails. Does the enhancement level drop? No, it doesn¡¯t. Does it cost a lot to enhance? No, it doesn¡¯t. In fact, the cost of enhancement changes with the grade of the weapon, but ultimately it¡¯s about 1 Gold Coin per attempt. Additionally, the maximum enhancement level for Arteil¡¯s weapons is 7 stars. So, you can stop at 7 sessful enhancements. This seems like a very generous system, but since Arteil¡¯s business model was created by money-hungry devils, there was a trash condition attached. That is, the probability of weapon enhancement is absurdly low. To the point where you wonder if it¡¯s even possible. However, once an enhancement seeds, the weapon¡¯s performance skyrockets, so people go crazy for it. ¡­Besides, yers could easily gather about 50,000 Gold Coins in a single day if they yed properly. ¡­The problem was that even investing 50,000 Gold Coins often wouldn¡¯t get a single weapon 3 enhancements. Anyway, as Kim Hyunwoo was racking his brain to introduce the new enhancement system. On a hill in Lartania. ¡°¡­Today is the decisive day. Boss, keep your head straight.¡± ¡°¡­Hoo- Hoo-¡± Merilda was preparing for the battle. Chapter 139: Pro...gress? (1) ¡°But, you know.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it too early? I mean, we don¡¯t even know what the Lord is thinking yet, and, well, isn¡¯t it too soon to be doing this or that?¡± As Merilda began babbling nonsensically, not knowing what she was saying, Ryu looked at her with a slightly cold expression and sighed deeply before speaking. ¡°Boss, do you want to back out now aftering this far?¡± ¡°No, I mean, I¡¯m not avoiding it, but being a bit more cautious-¡± ¡°Cautious or not, there¡¯s no other way if not now. Look, the Master of the Blue Tower is away, and the Tienus Merchant Group won¡¯t being back. Right? Am I wrong?¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s correct, but-¡± ¡°All we need to do now is deal with the blue-haired hero beside the Lord. Sure, there¡¯s also a cksmith, but we don¡¯t need to worry about her.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true, but-¡± ¡°And Giral is working hard to stop the disciple of the Absolute Ruler of Darkness. Honestly, we might never get a better opportunity than this.¡± Merilda fell silent at Ryu¡¯s words. She had nothing to say. To be honest, Ryu was right. Despite clearly understanding that fact, Merilda was still anxious because she had no idea how Kim Hyunwoo would react. Merilda had always wanted to share affection with Kim Hyunwoo and develop a deeper rtionship, but she had never even gotten close to it. Moreover, it wasn¡¯t as if Merilda hadn¡¯t tried to court Kim Hyunwoo 10 years ago. Back then, she had constantly courted Kim Hyunwoo, but he never genuinely epted her advances. ¡­In reality, he was afraid that using magic wrongly might ruin the territory, so he couldn¡¯t ept her advances. Anyway, unaware of that fact, Merilda hesitated, worried that Kim Hyunwoo might despise her because of what happened. ¡°Boss.¡± ¡°¡­Yeah.¡± ¡°Boss, remember this if nothing else. You can¡¯t keep circling around in fear. We¡¯ve been doing this for almost a year, and nothing has progressed.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true¡­¡± ¡°Of course, the others are also afraid of how their rtionships might change, just like you. But eventually, someone has to make the first move.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°If the Lord dislikes it, then that¡¯s one thing. But if someone else makes the first move and seeds, you¡¯ll definitely regret it. Truly.¡± Ryu looked directly at Merilda as she spoke. ¡°Boss, make up your mind. Whether you remain like this or take a risk and get hated, it¡¯s the same.¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s not really the same.¡± ¡°No, if you keep circling around forever, it is the same.¡± At Ryu¡¯s firm words, Merilda licked her dry lips a few times and then nodded as if she agreed. ¡°¡­You¡¯re right.¡± With a look of determination she looked at the walls of Lartania. ¡°Yes! That¡¯s it.¡± Seeing Merilda like that, Ryu gave a bright smile and struck a fighting pose. And then. ¡®¡­It¡¯s basically forcing her, but seeing her fighting like that feels strange.¡¯ Watching quietly, Gerta, one of the Four Kings of Red Eyes, observed the two with a peculiar expression. And after some time had passed and it turned to dusk. ¡°Sigh¡­¡± Giral, who sighed deeply, arrived at the usual spot on the hill where he watched the Lord¡¯s castle and let out a light sigh. In the end, he epted the Spring Water Ryu gave him to help the Boss, but honestly, Giral had no intention of using it. It¡¯s a lie to say that Giral had no human feelings for Loriel, but he knew very well that they weren¡¯t close enough to use something like this recklessly. Of course, this kind of thing is hard to use recklessly in any rtionship. ¡­Anyway, that¡¯s why Giral headed to the hill, thinking to persuade (?) Loriel to look away for a moment. ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡± Soon, Giral could see Loriel standing in her usual spot. No, ¡°¡­What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°No, no¡­I was just thinking about something else for a moment.¡± He could see that Loriel looked very suspicious. Seeing Giral, Loriel¡¯s very nervous and flustered appearance was enough to bring back Giral¡¯s cool rationality, even as he was thinking of how to persuade her. Just as Giral was about to speak. ¡°Wait a moment¡­!¡± ¡°¡­!?¡± Loriel grabbed Giral¡¯s hand and started dragging him down the hill. Giral was very confused by the sudden situation. Wondering why she was doing this, he couldn¡¯t help but think that things were unexpectedly going well, as he followed her down the hill. ¡°¡­?¡± Once they were down the hill, Giral could see it. A small pink vial was visible inside her pocket. ¡°Huh?¡± Seeing the vial, Giral couldn¡¯t help but make a questioning sound. That was because, anyone could see that the vial in her pocket was filled with Shayu¡¯s Spring Water. Half-empty, the vial of Spring Water sloshed as Giral, staring nkly at it, raised his eyes to look at Loriel¡¯s face. ¡®It¡¯s normal.¡¯ Her face was normal. A face that couldn¡¯t possibly appear if she had drunk even a little bit of Shayu¡¯s Spring Water. If she had already used it, he thought, it was unlikely. Shayu¡¯s Spring Water made by the Beastfolk vaporizespletely within three days of opening. Therefore, if there¡¯s still Spring Water left in the vial, it means someone used it recently, thought Giral, who had a questioning expression. ¡®The very nervous expression when she first saw me, the urgent reason for pulling me down the hill, and the half-empty vial of Spring Water¡­!¡¯ Soon, he reached the truth. ¡°Damn-!¡± Thinking he¡¯d been tricked, he frowned and tried to shake her hand off. Pop-! ¡°Mm!?¡± The next moment, Giral realized that the vial was in his mouth. It was the Shayu¡¯s Spring Water that had been in Loriel¡¯s possession. Gulp-! Instinctively swallowing the Spring Water that quickly filled his mouth, Giral felt a sudden chill and looked at her. ¡°¡­It seems you will have to y with me a little.¡± Loriel looked at Giral with a resolute gaze. At the moment Giral fell victim to Loriel¡­ After the lights went out in Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s room, Merilda let out a deep sigh and realized one thing as she was about to enter Lartania. It was that the window of Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s ce was covered in something ck. Realizing that, she instinctively thought she was toote, widened her eyes, and dashed out. At that moment. ¡°¡­Hmm?¡± Now that it was fully winter, Kim Hyunwoo, who had fallen asleep wrapped in a thick nket, felt a strange heaviness on his stomach and woke up. ¡°¡­Huh?¡± Soon, Kim Hyunwoo saw Rin, quite unexpectedly. Rin, looking at him with moist eyes and a lovely expression. Kim Hyunwoo blinked several times, unable to process the situation, as he looked up at her with a nk expression. ¡°Are you awake?¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m awake, but why are you here all of a sudden?¡± ¡°Of course. I came because I wanted to see you.¡± ¡°Because you wanted to see me¡­?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± With the continuous conversation and Rin¡¯s actions, pressing her body close to his, Kim Hyunwoo realized this wasn¡¯t a dream. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Realizing that, Kim Hyunwoo stared nkly at Rin, feeling confused. As he felt a sweet fragrance emanating from her body, causing his head to spin, he looked at Rin with a slightly confused expression. But Rin, already clinging to Kim Hyunwoo, gently stroked his cheek with her right hand. Like handling something precious, she teased his cheek several times before slowly lowering her face towards him and closing her eyes. ¡°¡­!?¡± She immediately leaned in and pressed her lips on his. And then. ¡°Mm!?¡± A small, delicate tongue began to enter Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s mouth. Chapter 140: Pro...gress? (2) Merilda¡¯s resolve wavered precariously several times even as the sun slowly set. No matter how shocking the stories Ryu told her were, allowing Merilda to strengthen her resolve, such thoughts eventually crept into her mind. ¡®What if this makes Kim Hyunwoo hate me?¡¯ she thought. But in reality, Merilda was well aware that if she didn¡¯t act now, nothing would change. ¡­And more importantly, she knew very clearly that she wasn¡¯t the only one targeting Kim Hyunwoo, so she forced herself to steady her wavering resolve and waited. She waited¡­ ¡°Eek¡­!¡± As soon as she saw something ck in the room where Kim Hyunwoo was, Merilda moved without a second thought and darted toward it. She knew very well whose ck haze that was. So Merilda, who had rushed straight in, tried to pierce through the dark haze flowing out of the window and enter the inside immediately. ¡°¡­!¡± As soon as Merilda darted toward the window, she felt a moment of regret, and as if waiting for this, the dark haze spread widely and she tried to pull her body back. ¡°Ugh!¡± -Her body, which had already gained momentum, shot straight into the dark haze, and the haze, which had been formless until a moment ago, instantly converged and bound Merilda¡¯s body. It all happened in an instant. As she frowned, realizing she had been caught, Merilda immediately tried to move her body to escape the ck haze. Shwoosh-! ¡°¡­!¡± But as if waiting for Merilda to move from the start, something tore in front of her, and a giant rope sprang out, subduing her body. ¡®Magic scroll¡­!¡¯ Merilda realized the power of the scroll was so strong that she couldn¡¯t break free immediately. Rin, no- the Absolute Ruler of Darkness, had made a clear decision. Shwoosh! As if to affirm Merilda¡¯s thoughts, five more magic scrolls sprang out and tore through the dark haze,pletely binding her body. Woooong-! ¡°Such misfortune¡­!¡± Merilda involuntarily uttered those words as she saw the scroll, which unlike the others, emitted a blue light and began to draw a magic circle as soon as it tore. Of course, she knew very well what the blue resonating magic scroll in front of her was. ¡®Teleportation scroll!¡¯ Of course, it wasn¡¯t the good Teleportation scroll that Adria had given to Kim Hyunwoo with ulterior motives, but a scroll that took about 10 seconds to activate. Merilda gritted her teeth and suddenly looked down. Beneath where the Teleportation scroll was activating, the scene inside the window, not yet concealed by the dark haze. ¡°¡­!¡± And the moment she saw that, Merilda couldn¡¯t help but freeze. Because what she was seeing was Rin passionately kissing Kim Hyunwoo, straddling him. So in that moment, something snapped in Merilda¡¯s mind- Snap! ¡°This damn-¡± Ignoring the damage to her body, she broke the binding magic all at once and reached out with a fierce expression. Woooong-! ¡°No-!!!!!!!!¡± Merilda¡¯s tearful shout was cut off and shepletely disappeared from the spot due to the Teleportation scroll. And then. ¡°Churup-uhm¡­hahup-¡± The kiss continued. Kim Hyunwoo looked at Rin with a puzzled expression, unsure of how to judge the situation. No, he couldn¡¯t help but look at her. Since his face was very close to Rin¡¯s to begin with. ¡°Haa-chup-¡± It was an erotic sound that tickled Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s ears, and a small tongue was tirelessly exploring his mouth. Their tongues intertwined. Kim Hyunwoo, btedlying to his senses, tried to pull his body back, but unfortunately, there was no space to escape. After all, he was lying down and Rin was on top of him. Of course, he could have pushed her off, as she was much smaller than him, but unfortunately, that was impossible. Rin was a 5.5-star hero. Although Kim Hyunwoo had been eating Lani¡¯s food and had nearly reached the abilities of a 2-star hero, he still couldn¡¯t ovee Rin¡¯s strength. ¡°Ugh¡­hmm¡­¡± Kim Hyunwoo could only ept Rin¡¯s kiss. The smacking sounds of kisses whispered into his ears, stimting his hearing repeatedly. But despite the situation, Kim Hyunwoo felt a very strange sensation. Normally, he would have already been fully prepared for such a situation. And not only that, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to think so calmly in this situation. A woman as beautiful as to make Kim Hyunwoo marvel was sitting on his stomach, expressing affection so intensely that even hearing it sent shivers down his spine. He seriously wondered how many men could endure such a situation, but funnily enough, Kim Hyunwoo himself was enduring it. No, the expression ¡°enduring¡± was meaningless because Kim Hyunwoo felt no emotion in this situation. ¡­As if he couldn¡¯t feel any emotion in this regard. ¡®It¡¯s quite a shock.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo thought so. He had been aware several times that there was some limit in his mind, but it was the first time he had felt it in such an extreme situation, so it was quite a shock. Even thinking about it calmly, it was a situation where anyone would naturally have a physiological reaction, but he had none. Thus, this fact gave Kim Hyunwoo a fresh shock, and he tried to calmly think about why Rin was sitting on his stomach and kissing him, but he soon stopped thinking. To make some deductions, he needed some information, but at least for Kim Hyunwoo now, he had no clue why Rin created this situation. So Kim Hyunwoo, who was looking at Rin, who was kissing him so intensely that she was gasping for breath. ¡°Haa-haa ?¡± Soon, she finished the kiss, and a thin silver line broke off. He looked at Rin, who was looking at him lovingly. Kim Hyunwoo spoke. ¡°Rin¡­?¡± ¡°Why, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°¡­I want to ask you what¡¯s going on here.¡± Kim Hyunwoo asked Rin, who was showing a very seductive look, while lying down. Rin, with a face full of blush and an endlessly seductive expression, brought her face closer to him. ¡°Of course, isn¡¯t it obvious?¡± ¡°Obvious¡­?¡± ¡°Honestly, it¡¯s too embarrassing, so I hope you don¡¯t ask anymore¡­and-¡± Smooch. ¡°Doesn¡¯t this answer it?¡± Rin briefly touched her lips to Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s already glistening lips, then slowly began to lower her hand, which had been caressing his cheek, with ascivious smile. Her hand started to slowly move down from his corbone, past his chest and abdomen. ¡°Uh, wait-¡± Kim Hyunwoo hurriedly tried to stop her, but her hand, emboldened and more emboldened by Shayu¡¯s Spring Water, went down without hesitation. The next moment. ¡°¡­Huh?¡± Rin muttered nkly. As if something was wrong. Her hand moved down briefly, as if something was amiss. But the more she moved her hand, the clearer the information became in her mind. That Kim Hyunwoo had no physiological reaction at all. The moment it dawned on him, Rin stared at Kim Hyun-woo¡¯s expression. His expression was calm. As if he wasn¡¯t feeling any particr emotion in this situation, with an endlessly indifferent expression. No- ¡°Uh¡­you see? I have a bit of an issue¡­¡± -he spoke with an awkward smile, as if it was a bit troublesome, but his words didn¡¯t reach her ears. From the beginning, only two pieces of information were swirling in her mind. Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s indifferent, yet somewhat troubled expression. The physiological reaction that didn¡¯te. Havingbined those two pieces of information in her mind, ¡°¡­Ah.¡± She just broke down. Chapter 141: Pro鈥?ress? (3) As the leader of the Eastern n Alliance and the lord of the Callogram territory, Durandor asked with a puzzled expression that anyone would notice. ¡°The demons¡­have self-destructed?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°¡­And they didn¡¯t lose to the Holy Kingdom?¡± As he asked with a very confused expression, the informant bowed his head and spoke. ¡°It¡¯s true that they were being pushed back by the Holy Kingdom, but they didn¡¯t lose to them. They self-destructed due to an internal conflict among the demons.¡± ¡°¡­That doesn¡¯t make any sense.¡± Durandor tilted his head as if it waspletely iprehensible. However, knowing that the informant was not lying, he pondered for a while. ¡°For now, let¡¯s keep it that way. From now on, keep an eye on Lartania.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Immediately after Durandor¡¯s words, the informant disappeared, and Durandor stroked his chin with a very subtle expression. ¡®No matter how much I think about it, I can¡¯t understand it¡­¡¯ At least from what Durandor knew, it made no sense for the demon world, which shared the same goals as him, to self-destruct in such a way. He tilted his head and let out a deep, ufortable sigh. ¡®If the demons self-destruct, I¡¯ll have to redraw the n.¡¯ Durandor sincerely regretted the demons¡¯ self-destruction. After all, demons were always needed in a significant part of the perfect n he had devised. ¡®¡­I never expected that they wouldn¡¯t even achieve a quarter of what I anticipated.¡¯ Durandor clicked his tongue in disappointment and sighed. He seemed to be pondering something for a while before eventually shaking his head as if there was no other choice. Since the foolish demons had self-destructed, it had be difficult to include them in the n anymore. ¡°¡­It can¡¯t be helped.¡± So, muttering quietly, Durandor picked up the blue orb ced on his desk. Looking at the blue orb that was clearly emitting a holy light, Durandor immediately lifted it and infused it with magical power. Soon, the orb glowed brightly, and an angelic figure appeared before him. [Oh, Archangel, what brings you here?] The sacred appearance made Durandor instinctively kneel upon seeing the angelic figure. ¡°Oh, Overseeing Judge, there is a problem.¡± Durandor slightly bowed his head as he began to speak. [What is the problem?] ¡°The demons have self-destructed before they could evenplete their tasks, far ahead of schedule.¡± [That is¡­something unexpected.] ¡°Indeed. So, oh Overseeing Judge, I believe I must act on my own.¡± [You seek permission, I see.] ¡°Yes. How could I lead the Heavenly Army without the Judge¡¯s permission?¡± Durandor¡¯s words. The Judge stared at him intently. [Oh, Archangel, I shall grant your request. Lead the Heavenly Army andy the foundation necessary for ¡®His¡¯ resurrection.] With those words, the Judge vanished in a bright light. Finally, when the bright light from the blue orb naturally faded. ¡°¡­Now that I have permission, it¡¯s time to act.¡± Durandor, the Archangel, stood up with a smile. Right after the Teleportation scroll was activated, Merilda found herself in a deste in, but she quickly realized where she was. ¡®The border of the Cn Kingdom.¡¯ She hadnded in a ce somewhat far from the Lartania territory, a ce that would take at least five hours to reach even if she ran at full speed. Merilda stood in stunned silence. ¡°This, this this this-!!¡± With her face flushed red and an extremely angry expression, she started sprinting towards Lartania with all her might. Of course, she knew. She knew that even if she started running now, she wouldn¡¯t reach in time to stop the Absolute Ruler of Darkness from messing around. But despite that, she ran because her blood was boiling, and tears were welling up in her red eyes. ¡®That bastard¡­!!¡¯ Kwagagagagagak-!! Everything around her was being torn apart due to her sprinting, but she didn¡¯t care at all in her current state. There was only one thing on her mind at that moment. The scene she saw just before being teleported away by the scroll ¨C Rin and Kim Hyunwoo passionately kissing. Euddeuddeuddeuk! Thinking about it made Merilda unconsciously grit her teeth. She gritted her teeth so hard that blood started to seep out, and tears flowed from her bloodshot eyes. Along with that, Merilda regretted. ¡®If I had just steeled my resolve a little sooner¡­!¡¯ Of course, it was true that the time Ryu had arranged was the best one, but if she had gathered her resolve just a little earlier, this might not have happened. Five days? No. If she had steeled herself just one hour earlier ¨C no, even just one minute earlier ¨C this situation would never have happened. Merilda was furious with herself. She was angry at herself for always ending up in situations where she had regrets. So angry that she wanted to punch herself in the face. But Merilda knew all too well that now was not the time for that. Even though she had already been outpaced, she had no intention of giving up entirely. So she ran towards the Lartania territory with all her might. About four hourster. ¡°Huh-! Huh-!¡± Merilda, after running with all her strength, finally arrived near the Lartania territory. However, by the time she arrived, the sun was already shining over the hill. ¡°¡­Ha.¡± Seeing that, Merilda let out augh of disbelief and regret as she arrived at the outskirts near Lartania. ¡°¡­?¡± Merilda could see Rin. She was sitting in the forest near Lartania, looking as if everything had lost its meaning. Seeing that Rin¡¯s eyes were already swollen red like a rabbit¡¯s, and tears were still flowing, Merilda felt her previously downcast mood rise to the top of her head. Because the moment she saw that, Merilda instinctively realized. That Rin and Kim Hyunwoo did not end up together¡­! Realizing that, the heat that had risen throughout Merilda¡¯s body instantly cooled, and she felt as refreshed as if she had just drunk a soda. Unlike five hours ago, she now praised herself without restraint. ¡®It was right to wait. If I had followed Ryuu¡¯s words and just rushed in, I would have been screwed. Staying calm was definitely the right choice!!¡¯ With such thoughts, Merilda reached Rin with a triumphant expression and smirked as she spoke. ¡°Looks like it didn¡¯t go well, huh?¡± Merilda spoke with a confident, smug smile. But Rin did not respond. She just stared nkly at the ground. ¡°¡­?¡± Seeing her like that, Merilda felt a slight doubt, but she opened her mouth again to tease Rin, who had sent her far away with the Teleportation scroll. ¡°Your Master really hates you, doesn¡¯t he? I knew it. Who told you to go in there and barge in like that, huh?¡± Merilda, seemingly having already forgotten that she had the same n five hours ago, spoke with a mocking smile in front of Rin. In response, Rin nkly looked up at Merilda. There was nothing in her eyes. She wasn¡¯t annoyed by Merilda¡¯s teasing, nor was she angry or plotting something else. She just stared nkly up at Merilda. And then. Jureuk- She started crying. ¡°Wha, what?¡± Merilda, who had been smiling mockingly until a moment ago, was now quite flustered, though she tried not to show it, seeing this side of Rin for the first time. ¡°Hey¡­hey?¡± Merilda called out to Rin with a slightly bewildered expression, but by then, Rin was already crying silently, burying her head in her knees with a clearly sorrowful expression. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Seeing Rin sob quietly without making a sound, Merilda wiped the mocking smile off her face and wore an incredibly dumbfounded expression. Because, thinking about it, wasn¡¯t she the one who should be crying right now? But despite that thought, Merilda quietly stared at the silently crying Rin and let out a small sigh. ¡°Well, cheer up¡­¡± She muttered softly. In reality, no matter how much Merilda and Rin would tear at each other whenever they met, the only bond older than that was with her Lord. So, after saying those words, Merilda scratched her head and returned to where Ryu should be. ¡­Feeling deep down that it was indeed a good thing she had waited. Chapter 142: Pro鈥?ress? (4) ¡°Loria, about yesterday¡­it wasn¡¯t a dream, right?¡± [If you''re talking about the Absolute Ruler of Darkness invading the territory, then it wasn''t a dream] Upon hearing Loria¡¯s words, Kim Hyunwoo made a very peculiar expression. Of course, he clearly understood that what happened yesterday was real, but no matter how much he thought about it, the situation was just too strange. ¡®And thest part¡­ended with quite a misunderstanding.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo recalled the scene he witnessedst night. Right after confirming that his ¡®bodily function¡¯ (?) had not manifested, he had a shocked expression as if he realized something, and then he saw Rin run away. ¡®¡­It seems like she really misunderstood something.¡¯ Of course, he couldn¡¯t precisely figure out how she misunderstood, but it was obvious to anyone that she had definitely misunderstood something. ¡®But trying to clear up the misunderstanding¡­the situation feels a bit odd.¡¯ Actually, clearing up the misunderstanding with the Absolute Ruler of Darkness would have been surprisingly easy. If only the person involved hadn¡¯t run away yesterday, they could have had a proper conversation and enough time to exin this mental issue. Even now, there was a way to clear up the misunderstanding. Since she was originally affiliated with the Cn Kingdom, he could visit the Cn Kingdom and talk to her to resolve the misunderstanding. The problem was whether he should really go there to resolve the misunderstanding. If this was a very significant misunderstanding, Kim Hyunwoo would have seriously considered it. But the misunderstanding between Rin and Kim Hyunwoo was too subtle to warrant going all the way to the Cn Kingdom to clear it up. ¡®¡­Going to the Cn Kingdom to exin my bodily function issue, that seems a bit much, doesn¡¯t it.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo imagined it. Going to the Cn Kingdom and carefully exining to the Absolute Ruler of Darkness why his bodily function didn¡¯t manifest when she secretly visited him at night a few days ago. ¡°¡­As I thought.¡± In the end, Kim Hyunwoo concluded that not doing anything would be much better for both Rin and himself. He soon recalled what she had said. [Isn¡¯t that obvious?] [Obvious¡­ thing?] [To be honest, it¡¯s too embarrassing, so I¡¯d prefer if you didn¡¯t ask anymore¡­and-] [Doesn¡¯t this answer your question?] When Kim Hyunwoo asked the question, the sight of the Absolute Ruler of Darkness blushing as she spoke made her look like a girl in love, no matter who it was that saw it. In other words, just by those words alone, it seemed like the Absolute Ruler of Darkness liked him. However, instead of believing those words outright, Kim Hyunwoo still had some doubts about whether Rin genuinely liked him. The reason was the heart-shaped pupils in Rin¡¯s eyes. ¡®That¡¯s definitely an effect that appears when someone is under a Charm spell.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo knew that the red heart shapes in Rin¡¯s eyes was an external factor that appeared when someone was under the influence of a Charm effect. And when under a Charm effect, one can be attracted to the opposite sex, even if it¡¯s not someone they actually like. ¡­Of course, he had no idea why Rin, who should have been in the Cn Kingdom, ended up in such a charmed state and came all the way to the Lord¡¯s castle. ¡®Rin liking me¡­as for that part¡­I don¡¯t know.¡¯ In fact, if Kim Hyunwoo had removed his limit, he would probably have been so happy that he would do three consecutive somersaults on his office desk right there and then, but the current him didn¡¯t feel much of anything. It felt more like he was listening to someone else¡¯s experience that he wasn¡¯t interested in, rather than his own feelings. ¡®Well, this part will be resolved soon enough.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo shrugged lightly, thinking that the problem would be resolved once Adria and Shadra returned. After all, this issue would be fully understood the moment his limit was removed. ¡°Hoo-¡± With a light sigh, Kim Hyunwoo decided to focus on something else and looked at his resource window. [Red Stones: 5,200] [Blue Stones: 232] [Gold Coins: 395,422] [Magic Stones: 382,222] In the resource window Kim Hyunwoo was looking at, aside from the Blue Stones, the Gold Coins and Magic Stones were fluctuating in real time. The problem was that while the Magic Stones were rapidly increasing, the Gold Coins were no longer rising as sharply as before and were slowly declining. Of course, this phenomenon could be seen as a good thing. Basically, most of Lartania¡¯s Gold Coins were currently being used to exchange for Magic Stones. Since Kim Hyunwoo had postponed the construction of additional buildings after thepletion of the Magical Engineering Institute. In other words, the decline in Gold Coins was purely due to the overwhelming increase in the number of mercenaries, causing the demand for Magic Stones to surpass the supply of Gold Coins. This meant that Lartania was growing well as a Labyrinth City, but since it was also a time when the territory¡¯s development needed to be advanced, it wasn¡¯t a particrly positive sign. ¡®¡­In other words, it¡¯s about time to introduce the Enhancement system.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo murmured to himself and then smiled lightly as he spoke. ¡°Loria.¡± [Yes, My Lord] ¡°Are the items being made well in the basement?¡± [Yes, the Skeleton Scrolls provided additionally by the Tienus Merchant Group are doing their job] ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡± [Are you thinking of starting soon?] At Loria¡¯s question, Kim Hyunwoo nodded and replied. ¡°It¡¯s about time to start. Plus, it¡¯s time to start developing too¡­and I¡¯ll think about using the Red Stones elsewhere.¡± Kim Hyunwoo smiled as he looked at the gathered Red Stones. Norba Kingdom. Or rather, what was once the Norba Kingdom. Except for the outer perimeter of the crumbling castle walls, only a ck membrane remained, and no one was there. Even the Holy Kingdom had left, knowing that the ck membrane was a binding formation that even they couldn¡¯t touch, one that wouldst for over ten years. The lords of Norba, led by Rania of the Tesnoka territory, who were recovering their lost territories, had no interest in the current state of the Norba Kingdom. Thus, inside the ck membrane where no one remained. ¡°Hoo¡­ Hoo¡­¡± The Hero King was quietly breathing. Although the sun was shining brightly outside the ck membrane, inside, everything appeared hazy, as if a sandstorm had arisen. The sun, which warmly illuminated all things in the world, appeared as a foreboding red light, signaling doom within the ck membrane, at least to the Hero King¡¯s eyes. In such a ce, she was struggling to breathe alone. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Her body was not in a normal state. After using more power than necessary to kill the legionmander, her battle with Kelva had resulted in the permanent loss of most of her strength, leaving her body in a state weakened beyond imagination. ¡°Kkugh-¡± In fact, it was almost a miracle that she hadn¡¯t died yet. While her limbs were still intact, the inside of her body was in a terrible state from killing Kelva. Yet, the reason she couldn¡¯t easily let go of life was because of Kelva¡¯sst words. ¡®Do you think I¡¯d let you see the Outsider?! No way! Even if I have to lose some of my power, I¡¯ll make sure you never see the Outsider!!¡¯ Those words were not pleasant for her to hear. In the end, Kelva had disappeared from the Middle Realm after trapping her in this binding formation with those words. Yet, she didn¡¯t find Kelva¡¯s words entirely bad. After all, his words hinted to the Hero King that he had indeed returned to this ce. For the Hero King, the fact that she had a reason to live despite the constant, horrific pain was more than enough. In fact, Kelva¡¯s single statement had breathed new life into her. Just like now. ¡°Hoo¡­!¡± The Hero King pulled out one of the five remaining weapons from her personal space, a dagger. The dagger was called ¡°Gourmand¡¯s Feast¡±, an artifact that had the ability to convert shed magic into mana and deliver it to the user. But naturally, Gourmand¡¯s Feast came with a penalty. The penalty was the user¡¯s pain. The mana absorbed by Gourmand¡¯s Feast could certainly be reused, but the pain felt during absorption was so immense that it negated the benefits. Some heroes had even died from shock due to mishandling Gourmand¡¯s Feast. But the Hero King did not hesitate to plunge the dagger into the binding formation. And that wasn¡¯t enough ¨C she amplified the dagger¡¯s power more than tenfold with her own ability. She judged that this was the only way to quickly absorb even a portion of Kelva¡¯s overwhelming mana to heal her body and destroy the binding formation. ¡°Kkaaaaaaaah-!¡± The moment she drove the dagger into the binding formation, the Hero King let out a scream, overwhelmed by unimaginable pain. Though she suppressed the penalty with her ability, the amplified effects still brought about excruciating pain. Yet, she did not stop absorbing the mana. No, she gritted her teeth and held the dagger even tighter. She had no intention of staying in this ce for ten years. She would recover her body quickly. Escape from this ce. She had to meet him. Definitely. She had to meet him. ¡°Absolutely¡­¡± The Hero King stared straight ahead with bloodshot eyes, and then shut her eyes tightly. Chapter 143: Pro鈥?ress? (5) The Mage Tower Branch in Lartania. Unlike when Shadra first arrived, the interior of the Mage Tower Branch in Lartania was now filled with various magical equipment and items. Perhaps even more than what was sold at the Mage Tower itself. The reason was the mercenaries. Unlike other territories, Lartania had an overwhelminglyrge number of mercenaries, which created a high demand for scrolls and various equipment made by wizards. Thus, following thew of supply and demand, the Mage Tower Branch in Lartania was selling a much wider variety of magical items and scrolls than the Mage Tower itself. Additionally, recently, there had been a significant increase in the sale of magical materials. Normally, even in ces with many mercenaries, magic scrolls and equipment would sell well, but magical materials were rarely sold. Magical materials were primarily in demand by wizards, not mercenaries. However, the reason the Mage Tower Branch was sellingrge quantities of magical materials was that the few wizard mercenaries in existence had all gathered in Lartania. If there was only one wizard among the many mercenaries, they wouldn¡¯t bother selling perishable reagents at the branch. But in Lartania, the concentration of wizard mercenaries was so high that the Mage Tower was selling magical materials as well. As a result, not only mercenary wizards, but also independent wizards who studied magic alone were flocking to Lartania to buy materials from the branch. And Shadra, the branch leader of Lartania¡¯s Mage Tower and Master of the Blue Tower, ¡°Finally arrived¡­¡± arrived at the Lartania territory with a slightly tired expression. She should have arrived a few days earlier, but the meeting regarding the demons took longer than expected, causing her to be dyed by several days. But Shadra, who was showing a slightly tired expression, soon changed her expression and smiled. It was because she had obtained something from this trip to the Mage Tower. ¡°Heheh-¡± Shadra smiled as she fiddled with a small wooden box in her possession. Inside that small box was the item Kim Hyunwoo had requested. ¡®I had to work hard to get this.¡¯ As she recalled the hardships she endured to obtain the item in this small box, Shadra smiled at the thought of telling Kim Hyunwoo about it and receiving praise. ¡®Dad won¡¯t notice if I don¡¯t show it-¡¯ Shadra smiled and lightly shook her head from side to side, humming to herself. ¡®Only one left now?¡¯ She recalled Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s words. Kim Hyunwoo had already promised her twice that he would grant any wish. ¡®Now there¡¯s only one wish left¡­¡¯ Shadra, recalling what Kim Hyunwoo said ten years ago, looked forward to fulfilling thatst wish as she walked. ¡°¡­?¡± After quickly unpacking at the Mage Tower Branch and heading straight to Kim Hyunwoo, Shadra suddenly stopped as she entered the first floor of the branch. The reason was that people were huddled together on the first floor, where the counters were. Shadra, watching this, tilted her head in curiosity and walked over to where the people were gathered. Soon, Shadra saw something. ¡°Please, please, let it go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!¡± ¡°It has to work this time!!!!¡± ¡°Pleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleaseplease-¡± ¡°I spent all my sry, it has to work, pleasepleaseplease!!! Oh Heavens, oh Gods, oh Divine Beings, oh Spirits of the Earth!!!!¡± The wizards were shouting things that didn¡¯t suit those who sought the truths of the world. In the middle of them stood her assistant, holding her weapon, a white spellbook, in one hand and something resembling a hammer in the other, with a very serious expression. And then. ¡°Gandaaat-!!!!¡± With his powerful shout, the hammer came down on the white spellbook. Paaaat-! Soon, a bright light burst forth-! Pseok-! The hammer shattered. ¡°Aaaaah!!!¡± Her assistant twisted and started thrashing about, while the wizards collectively let out groans of disappointment. ¡°¡­What¡¯s this?¡± Seeing this, Shadra muttered with a puzzled expression, and one of the wizards, noticing her return, quickly bowed. ¡°Tower Master, you¡¯ve returned?¡± ¡°Yes, but what¡¯s going on here?¡± At Shadra¡¯s curious question, the wizard immediately exined. ¡°It¡¯s the Hammer of Enhancement.¡± ¡°¡­Hammer of Enhancement?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s a new artifact that the Lord of Lartania released, along with the Magnifying ss-¡± The wizard began to briefly summarize the current situation for Shadra. The Lord of Lartania had started selling an artifact called the Hammer of Enhancement, which could strengthen any weapon, along with the Magnifying ss a few days ago. The sess rate of the Hammer of Enhancement was extremely low, but when it seeded, the performance of the weapon increased to an unbelievable degree. As a result, all the mercenaries in Lartania were buying the Hammer of Enhancement to strengthen their weapons. ¡°Hmm-¡± Shadra made an intrigued expression but soon spoke with a peculiar look. ¡°It¡¯s certainly interesting¡­but does it really make them that strong to be so obsessed?¡± Shadra asked with a somewhat confused expression. The wizard was about to exin something. ¡°This¡­you should see it for yourself.¡± Muttering that, the wizard called over Shadra¡¯s assistant, who was in despair on the other side. ¡°Shalon! The Tower Master has returned!¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Noticing Shadra¡¯s arrival btedly due to her deep despair, Shalon quickly collected herself and hurriedly approached, bowing her head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Tower Master. I was a bit preupied.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, that happens.¡± ¡°Shalon, please exin the effects of the Hammer of Enhancement¡­!¡± ¡°Ah.¡± As soon as the Hammer of Enhancement was mentioned, Shalon¡¯s eyes lit up, and she began exining. ¡°¡­So, if you seed in enhancing the weapon just three times, it bes powerful enough to surpass circles?¡± ¡°Yes! It¡¯s true! I¡¯ll show you!¡± Nodding with eyes filled with a mix of regret and joy, Shalon immediately began preparing a spell, and Shadra, who had been watching with a disinterested expression, ¡°¡­!¡± soon looked at Shalon with a shocked expression. In reality, Shalon¡¯s magic was clearly no different from a 4th-circle spell, but the power and magical force had distinctly surpassed the 4th-circle. Seeing Shadra¡¯s shocked expression, Shalon stopped her spell. ¡°Look at this, Tower Master! I¡¯ve only seeded three times, and now I can use the power of the 5th-circle¡­! If the Lord¡¯s weapon seeds in just three enhancements, it could reach the 8th-circle!?¡± She spoke with shining eyes. ¡°¡­If it seeds three times, 8th Circle¡­?¡± Shadra unconsciously muttered as she looked at her weapon. ¡°If it seeds three times¡­¡± Her eyes were tinged with a strange greed. The Hammer of Enhancement was selling exceptionally well. Not just at a sessful level, but to an unbelievable extent. ¡°It¡¯s already sold out?¡± [Yes, My Lord] ¡°¡­That¡¯s not easy.¡± Before Kim Hyunwoo started selling the Hammer of Enhancement, he had already made over 500,000 hammers. The Hammer of Enhancement was being sold for 1 Gold Coin, but the cost to produce each hammer was only around 15 Silver Coins, making it feasible to have such stock. But in just a few days, all the Hammers of Enhancement had sold out. ¡®¡­I didn¡¯t even properly advertise it.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo realized anew just how powerful the Enhancement magic was. ¡®Well¡­I did expect it to sell well to some extent, but¡­¡¯ Of course, in a fantasy world, and especially in this Labyrinth City, power was an extremely important factor. This Labyrinth City had a structure simr to a game, where the higher your strength, the more wealth you could earn. However, increasing one¡¯s strength in this world was not easy. Unlike in games where leveling up increases your stats, in this world, unless you became a hero, only your pure experience could increase your strength. He turned his gaze outside the Lord¡¯s castle. Outside the Lord¡¯s castle, the line of mercenaries waiting to buy the Hammer of Enhancement extended all the way to the outer edge of the second wall. ¡®I didn¡¯t think it would be to this extent.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo absentmindedly watched the mercenaries while turning his gaze to the resource window. [Red Stone: 5,200] [Blue Stone: 232] [Gold Coins: 865,422] [Magic Stones: 442,222] ¡®¡­I won¡¯t have to worry about the territory¡¯s development.¡¯ Seeing the absurd amount of money umtedpared to the 300,000 Gold Coins he had just a few days ago, Kim Hyunwoo thought to himself. ¡°I should reassign about ten of the skeletons making Magnifying sses to start making more Hammers.¡± Muttering that, he smiled faintly. An empire in the Southern part of the Continent. Inside the Imperial Pce of Lar, a territory more prosperous than any other andrger than any kingdom. A woman, sitting in a chair far too luxurious for amoner, yawned out of boredom. ¡°Hmm¡­so the Mercenary Guild requested something from another lord¡­is that right?¡± ¡°Yes, you instructed us to report everything rted to Lartania¡­¡± As the secretary spoke cautiously, the woman, still wearing a bored expression, nodded and replied. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s hear it.¡± ¡°To summarize¡­there¡¯s been a request to apply political pressure on the Lartania territory. The report says they were wronged.¡± ¡°Wronged¡­¡± She pondered for a moment, then let out a chuckle. ¡°Interesting.¡± ¡°¡­What should we do?¡± ¡°Bring the person involved to me. Let¡¯s see their face.¡± Saying that, she wiped her bored expression away and twisted one corner of her mouth into a smirk. ¡°¡­The face of someone daring to spout such nonsense against Lartania in the empire I rule.¡± Chapter 144 Territory: Lartania Territory Development Level: 5012 Territory Residents: [Humans: 39,244] ¨CSecondary Buildings¨C [Magical Engineering Research Institute] -Subordinate Buildings- [Engineering Power nt (Under Construction 10%)] [Magical Engineering Weapons Research Institute (Under Construction 0%)] [Magical Engineering Refinery (Under Construction 5%)] ¨COwned Buildings¨C [Lord''s Castle LV4 (Under Construction 0%)] [Castle Wall LV5] [Residential District LV5] [cksmith LV5] [Barracks LV5] [Tavern LV5] [Market LV5] [Lumber Mill LV5] [Restaurant LV5] [Leather Processing nt LV5] [Stone Processing nt LV5] [Trading Post LV5] [Second Castle Wall LV5] [Inn LV5] [Administrative District LV5] [Paved Roads LV5] ¨CExternal Buildings¨C [Mercenary Guild LV1] [Mage Tower Branch LV1] [cksmith Guild Branch LV1] ¨CMilitary Forces¨C -Regr Soldiers: 1,000 -Swordsmen: 500 -Guards: 700 -Apprentice Knights: 200 Kim Hyunwoo nced at the notification window that appeared before him and then looked out at thendscape of the territory. Around the Magical Engineering Research Institute, smaller but still significantlyrger buildingspared to others were being constructed in sequence. With Lartania¡¯s poption nearing 40,000, the territory was now more crowded with people than with opennd. ¡®¡­Maybe it¡¯s because of the people waiting for the Hammer of Enhancement.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo lowered his gaze, looking at the cheering and shouting mercenaries, and then shrugged as he checked the resource window. After constructing three of the subordinate buildings, the 900,000 Gold Coins he had initially were quickly reduced to about 200,000. ¡®If I had the resources, I wouldn¡¯t have needed to spend this much¡­¡¯ To ensure rapid growth, Lartania had been importing most of its resources from outside, leading to a significant consumption of Gold Coins. Practically, all resource-consuming aspects were being reced by Gold Coins. Of course, despite that, Kim Hyunwoo didn¡¯t feel it was a waste. From the start, spending Gold Coins for the rapid development of the territory was only natural. In fact, even at this moment, the Gold Coins earned from the Hammer of Enhancement easily offset the amount spent on Magic Stones. ¡®Even now, everything sells out as soon as it¡¯s produced, so if I had more Skeleton Scrolls, I could make even more money.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo felt a bit of regret but decided not to dwell on it. After all, Skeleton Scrolls weren¡¯t something he could just get on demand, and Adria had already said she would procure more. ¡°Hmm ¨C about two weeks, I guess.¡± Just as Kim Hyunwoo was roughly estimating when Adria would return, ¡°Dad!¡± Shadra arrived. ¡°You¡¯re here?¡± Kim Hyunwoo greeted her with a weing smile. But. ¡°¡­Shadra?¡± Kim Hyunwoo soon looked at her with a slightly puzzled expression. The reason being that Shadra was holding a veryrge bag in her hands. Whether or not she noticed his expression, Shadra approached him with a lively smile, gave him a tight hug, and then, ¡°Here! This is what you asked for.¡± She immediately took out a small wooden box from her possession and handed it to Kim Hyunwoo. ¡°This is-¡± ¡°It¡¯s the Fang of Fenrir you asked for.¡± At Shadra¡¯s words, Kim Hyunwoo immediately opened the box, revealing a giant fang about the size of a dagger. ???Fang of Fenrir??? Grade: ?? ¡óThe fang of the ancient beast Fenrir. ¡óWhen made into a weapon, it strongly carries the property of poison. Even when used as a material, if the poison is notpletely removed, there is a risk of ruining the entire material, so it must be used cautiously. As he looked at the fang, a notification window appeared. ¡°I really have to repay you for this.¡± Looking at it, Kim Hyunwoo spoke with a smile. Seeing Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s smile, Shadra beamed with pride, puffing out her chest and letting out a ¡®Huh-huh!¡¯ sound as she spoke. ¡°You know, this was really tough to get? It belonged to the Great Mage Laran?¡± ¡°¡­Then wasn¡¯t that a bit too much?¡± ¡°Of course it was!¡± ¡°I feel a bit guilty now.¡± ¡°If you feel guilty, you should treat me better, right?¡± As Kim Hyunwoo looked at Shadra, who was now full of confidence, he chuckled and nodded. ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll treat you well.¡± ¡°Then¡­instead of a wish, can you grant me a favor?¡± Suddenly, she gave a sly smile and spoke. ¡°A favor instead of a wish?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°What kind of favor?¡± ¡°Well-¡± In response to Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s question, Shadra subtly lifted the bag she had brought, ced it on the office desk, and opened it. And then. ¡°¡­This is.¡± Seeing the bag filled with what seemed like thousands of Gold Coins, Kim Hyunwoo looked momentarily bewildered, and Shadra©\ ¡°Dad, can you let me buy the Hammer of Enhancement first?¡± -spoke to Kim Hyunwoo in a voice now filled with a strange greed. And he- ¡°Oh.¡± -let out a peculiar sigh. Loton, a member of the Mercenary Guild and one of its officers, couldn¡¯t understand the current situation. After all, he was currently in the Imperial Pce of the Empire. ¡°Is it you? The one who imed to have been treated unfairly in Lartania.¡± ¡°Yes. Th-that¡¯s correct.¡± Because he was facing the Emperor of the Empire, someone he would never ordinarily meet. ¡®Why on earth am I meeting with the Emperor¡­?¡¯ Loton was confused. There was no reason for him to meet the Emperor. All he had done was, upon returning to the Mercenary Guild in the Empire, ask a lord he was friendly with to put pressure on the Lord of Lartania. So, he couldn¡¯t understand why he was meeting the Emperor. ¡°Then, let¡¯s hear what you have to say.¡± ¡°Y-yes?¡± ¡°You said you were treated unfairly by the Lord of Lartania? I asked you to tell me what unfair treatment you received.¡± At the Emperor¡¯s words, Loton desperately tried to figure out how this story had reached her ears and what her intentions were in asking about Lartania. And then. ¡®¡­Could it be?¡¯ A certain thought crossed Loton¡¯s mind. Perhaps, the Emperor was targeting the Labyrinth City. From the empire¡¯s perspective, Lartania was a very small domain. But the Labyrinth in Lartania, which endlessly produced Magic Stones, was an asset the Empire would certainly covet. And if Loton¡¯s suspicions were correct, and the Emperor was indeed targeting the Labyrinth City, it would make sense why he had been summoned here. Because it would provide a legitimate excuse to target Lartania for mistreating an Imperial subject, and if this was a performance to set the stage, it wasn¡¯t hard to understand. So. ¡°Hmm-hmm-¡± Loton subtly nced at the Emperor looking down at him, cleared his throat, and began to speak. ¡°If I were to exin exactly what happened-¡± As Loton spoke before the Emperor, he quickly thought through and removed any unnecessary details from his exnation. However, he still spoke only the truth. He had proposed to the Lord of Lartania to assist with the Labyrinth business. After making the proposal, he was tortured all day by the Holy Knights waiting outside the city. The next day, the Lord¡¯s soldiers came to the Mercenary Guild and expelled him. Of course, it would have sounded better to say he was tortured by the Lord¡¯s soldiers, but he didn¡¯t lie about that part. He was fully aware that a lie, if not skillfully woven into the truth, would inevitably be exposed. So. ¡°¡­So, in the end, I was tortured and humiliated by the Lord before being expelled¡­!¡± Loton finished his story, telling it to the Emperor. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The Emperor, who was wearing a peculiar expression, looked down at Loton and spoke. ¡°If what you say is true, then the torture was carried out by the Holy Knights, wasn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Y-yes, but¡­¡± ¡°Then that wasn¡¯t something done by the Lord of Lartania, was it?¡± Loton realized that the conversation wasn¡¯t going the way he had expected, and though slightly flustered, he continued without showing it. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t think it was the Holy Knights who tortured me.¡± ¡°Then?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not certain, but I believe they were the Lord of Lartania¡¯s soldiers. Logically, the Joly Knights had no reason to torture me. Besides-¡± Loton sighed briefly and continued, acting as if the memory made him shiver in anger. ¡°-I think the Lord of Lartania is truly wicked and cruel. It was clear to anyone that he disguised his men as Holy Knights to torture me, so no one would suspect him.¡± ¡°¡­But you have no evidence?¡± The Emperor¡¯s words. Loton spoke with a slightly frustrated tone. ¡°I don¡¯t have concrete evidence, but I believe the circumstances clearly point to him¡­! At that time, the only person with a reason to torture me was the Lord of Lartania¡­!¡± With those words, silence fell over the Imperial court. And that silence©\ Pisik-! Was broken by the Emperor¡¯sughter, who had maintained a bored expression until then. ¡°¡­?¡± Loton stared nkly at the smiling Emperor. ¡°I see¡­ So, in the end, your conclusion is that, without any evidence, you use the Lord of Lartania¡­no-¡± As he watched the Emperor¡¯s expression slowly harden. ¡°-insulting my dear friend.¡± Loton realized that something had gone terribly wrong. Chapter 145: Lifting The Curse (1) A little whileter. After Loton, who had been spouting insults about Lartania, was dragged away by other knights. ¡°Whew-¡± A low sigh escaped the Emperor of the Empire as the question from a knight assisting her reached her ears. ¡°Are you not nning to visit Lartania?¡± ¡°Lartania, you say.¡± The Emperor muttered with a peculiar expression, absentmindedly stroking her chin. For a while, she pondered something seriously, her expression inscrutable, making it impossible to discern her thoughts, before she finally replied. ¡°I¡¯m not nning to visit, and I won¡¯t summon them either.¡± ¡°¡­Is that so?¡± The knight responded in a tone that suggested he didn¡¯t fully understand, and the Emperor replied, ¡°Yes, there¡¯s no point in visiting an ally who doesn¡¯t need help. Besides, we¡¯re not really in a position to help right now anyway.¡± The knight nodded firmly, as if he instantly understood her intent. Indeed, as she said, the Empire wasn¡¯t in a position to help anyone at the moment. ¡°I have misspoken.¡± The Emperor briefly looked at the knight who had bowed his head. ¡°¡­I hope our ally continues to grow well.¡± She murmured softly, her peculiar expression reced by a gentle smile. Even after exining the dangers of the Hammer of Enhancement and its absurdly low sess rate to Shadra, who still refused to give up, Kim Hyunwoo reluctantly handed her the Hammer. He realized that the heroes within the territory needed some education about the Hammer, so he gathered them. Thus, five heroes stood before Kim Hyunwoo. Elena, Lani, Shadra, River, M. But as soon as he saw the five heroes, Kim Hyunwoo quickly figured out which ones needed to be educated about the Hammer of Enhancement. First, he sent Lani back, who, with a bit of cream on her cheek as if she had been making cream buns, tilted her head in confusion, not knowing why she had been summoned. Likewise, he sent River back, who also seemed unsure why she had been called, though her eyes showed a subtle mix of curiosity and expectation. That left three. ¡°¡­I¡¯m here to talk about the Hammer of Enhancement¡­¡± As soon as Kim Hyunwoo began speaking, the heroes immediately reacted. Elena subtly averted her gaze and began fiddling with her pigtails nervously. Shadra, who had been begging to buy the Hammer of Enhancement just moments ago, now wore a sullen expression. M, who had fully taken on the role of Mercenary Guild branch leader and was still diligently training the soldiers, looked embarrassed for a moment, then quickly cleared her throat and corrected her expression. ¡°¡­Is there anyone here who hasn¡¯t bought the Hammer of Enhancement?¡± Kim Hyunwoo asked cautiously. As expected, no one spoke up, and Kim Hyunwoo began his exnation. He talked about the appallingly low sess rate of the Hammer of Enhancement and how enhancement could be a fleeting dream. ¡°But, it¡­does make you stronger, right?¡± As soon as Elena asked this after his exnation, Kim Hyunwoo nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right. Just to be clear, I¡¯m not calling you out or trying to criticize you for this.¡± From Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s perspective, there was no reason to stop the heroes from using their own means to enhance theirbat power. Nevertheless, Kim Hyunwoo had gathered the heroes to at least make sure they understood the minimal chances of sess with the Hammer of Enhancement. Additionally. ¡°From now on, if you want to buy the Hammer of Enhancement,e talk to me. I¡¯ll give it to the heroes of Lartania at cost.¡± Even Kim Hyunwoo had no intention of overcharging the heroes of Lartania, so he made this announcement. ¡°Then I¡¯ll take ten thousand right away-!¡± ¡°But the limit is one thousand per person. Maybe more if production increases, but not for now.¡± Kim Hyunwoo ended his speech, curbing Shadra¡¯s enthusiasm. And about two weeks after Kim Hyunwoo had dealt with the Hammer of Enhancement situation. A ¡ï¡ï¡ï hero, 'Golden Witch' has entered the territory. [The Tienus Merchant Group has arrived in the territory!] Adria had arrived in the territory. About an hour after the notification window appeared before Kim Hyunwoo, he met Adria, who came to his office holding two wooden boxes. ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡± ¡°Indeed. I wanted to stop by earlier, but it took longer than expected to procure the items you requested.¡± Adria said this as she handed the two wooden boxes to Kim Hyunwoo. ¡°This is-¡± ¡°It¡¯s the items you mentioned. Yggdrasil¡¯s Branch and Eldra¡¯s Warmth.¡± At her words, Kim Hyunwoo nodded in gratitude to Adria and then carefully opened the box. Yggdrasil's Branch Grade: ?? ¡è A branch from Yggdrasil, known as the World Tree ¡è While the Continent does not have a World Tree, branches like these can asionally be obtained from monsters that cross over from other worlds Eldra's Warmth Grade: ?? ¡è A crystal containing the warmth of Eldra, a being from another world ¡è The crystal continuously emits a faint warmth and will remain intact unless subjected to a special process A notification window appeared as soon as the box was opened. Kim Hyunwoo read the notification and, after confirming the presence of the ornate branch and small gemstone, closed the box and spoke. ¡°These were hard to get, so thank you for obtaining them so quickly.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. Besides, I¡¯ll be charging the full price-¡± Adria said this with a bright smile, and Kim Hyunwoo nodded as if it was only natural. ¡°Of course. I¡¯ll definitely pay, so just let me know the amount.¡± After hearing the price from Adria, Kim Hyunwoo decided to pay it without any haggling and soon engaged in some light conversation with her. ¡°By the way, where exactly do you n to use these items you acquired?¡± This conversation arose during their chat. ¡°You mean the branch and the crystal?¡± ¡°Yes,st time I heard you were going to use them to break a curse, but as far as I know, neither of these materials are directly rted to curses.¡± Adria said this with a slightugh, asking if she had delved too deeply, but Kim Hyunwoo waved his hand dismissively. ¡°No, since you acquired the items for me, I can at least tell you this much.¡± He exined what kind of curse he intended to break with the materials he had acquired. ¡°So, it¡¯s a curse rted to¡­love, is that right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. I didn¡¯t know either, but they told me I had such a curse.¡± ¡°Is there really such a curse?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure about the details either, but it seems like it exists. In fact, I¡¯ve definitely felt it a few times recently.¡± As Kim Hyunwoo spoke, Adria seemed about to make a serious expression, but then she realized something and nodded several times as she spoke. ¡°Indeed¡­that makes sense.¡± ¡°Sorry?¡± ¡°Oh, no, I just thought of something suddenly.¡± Adria said this with a somewhat awkwardugh and then asked. ¡°My Lord, when do you n to break that curse?¡± ¡°¡­Well, since I¡¯ve gathered all the materials, I n to try breaking it today. There¡¯s no reason to dy now that everything¡¯s ready.¡± ¡°I see¡­today, huh¡­¡± At Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s words, Adria nodded with a meaningful expression. At that moment. ¡°¡­!¡± Giral, who had been eavesdropping as usual from outside Lartania¡¯s hill, couldn¡¯t help but widen his eyes in shock at the mention of a curse he was hearing about for the first time. Until now, whenever he met with merchants, a barrier had always been erected to prevent anyone outside from knowing what was going on inside, so this was truly the first time he was hearing such information. Stunned by the revtion, Giral immediately started running towards where the Red Eyes were to deliver this news. Some time ago. ¡°¡­!¡± Since that incident with Giral, she had be very awkward around him and had been watching the Lord of Lartania¡¯s castle from apletely different location, when suddenly, Loriel¡¯s nk expression shifted. ¡®Wait, if that¡¯s the case-!¡¯ She quickly realized something. She realized that her Master, who had been depressed and staring nkly at the ground ever since that day, now had a new opportunity. So, without hesitation, she left the area. When no one was left on the hill overlooking Lartania. In what was once the Norba Kingdom ¨C now just a gruesome barrier, no longer worthy of being called a kingdom. ¡°Finally-¡± The Hero King, having endured terrible pain and consumed all the barriers, began to move towards Lartania territory with determined eyes. , A little whileter. After Loton, who had been spouting insults about Lartania, was dragged away by other knights. ¡°Whew-¡± A low sigh escaped the Emperor of the Empire as the question from a knight assisting her reached her ears. ¡°Are you not nning to visit Lartania?¡± ¡°Lartania, you say.¡± The Emperor muttered with a peculiar expression, absentmindedly stroking her chin. For a while, she pondered something seriously, her expression inscrutable, making it impossible to discern her thoughts, before she finally replied. ¡°I¡¯m not nning to visit, and I won¡¯t summon them either.¡± ¡°¡­Is that so?¡± The knight responded in a tone that suggested he didn¡¯t fully understand, and the Emperor replied, ¡°Yes, there¡¯s no point in visiting an ally who doesn¡¯t need help. Besides, we¡¯re not really in a position to help right now anyway.¡± The knight nodded firmly, as if he instantly understood her intent. Indeed, as she said, the Empire wasn¡¯t in a position to help anyone at the moment. ¡°I have misspoken.¡± The Emperor briefly looked at the knight who had bowed his head. ¡°¡­I hope our ally continues to grow well.¡± She murmured softly, her peculiar expression reced by a gentle smile. Even after exining the dangers of the Hammer of Enhancement and its absurdly low sess rate to Shadra, who still refused to give up, Kim Hyunwoo reluctantly handed her the Hammer. He realized that the heroes within the territory needed some education about the Hammer, so he gathered them. Thus, five heroes stood before Kim Hyunwoo. Elena, Lani, Shadra, River, M. But as soon as he saw the five heroes, Kim Hyunwoo quickly figured out which ones needed to be educated about the Hammer of Enhancement. First, he sent Lani back, who, with a bit of cream on her cheek as if she had been making cream buns, tilted her head in confusion, not knowing why she had been summoned. Likewise, he sent River back, who also seemed unsure why she had been called, though her eyes showed a subtle mix of curiosity and expectation. That left three. ¡°¡­I¡¯m here to talk about the Hammer of Enhancement¡­¡± As soon as Kim Hyunwoo began speaking, the heroes immediately reacted. Elena subtly averted her gaze and began fiddling with her pigtails nervously. Shadra, who had been begging to buy the Hammer of Enhancement just moments ago, now wore a sullen expression. M, who had fully taken on the role of Mercenary Guild branch leader and was still diligently training the soldiers, looked embarrassed for a moment, then quickly cleared her throat and corrected her expression. ¡°¡­Is there anyone here who hasn¡¯t bought the Hammer of Enhancement?¡± Kim Hyunwoo asked cautiously. As expected, no one spoke up, and Kim Hyunwoo began his exnation. He talked about the appallingly low sess rate of the Hammer of Enhancement and how enhancement could be a fleeting dream. ¡°But, it¡­does make you stronger, right?¡± As soon as Elena asked this after his exnation, Kim Hyunwoo nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right. Just to be clear, I¡¯m not calling you out or trying to criticize you for this.¡± From Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s perspective, there was no reason to stop the heroes from using their own means to enhance theirbat power. Nevertheless, Kim Hyunwoo had gathered the heroes to at least make sure they understood the minimal chances of sess with the Hammer of Enhancement. Additionally. ¡°From now on, if you want to buy the Hammer of Enhancement,e talk to me. I¡¯ll give it to the heroes of Lartania at cost.¡± Even Kim Hyunwoo had no intention of overcharging the heroes of Lartania, so he made this announcement. ¡°Then I¡¯ll take ten thousand right away-!¡± ¡°But the limit is one thousand per person. Maybe more if production increases, but not for now.¡± Kim Hyunwoo ended his speech, curbing Shadra¡¯s enthusiasm. And about two weeks after Kim Hyunwoo had dealt with the Hammer of Enhancement situation. A ¡ï¡ï¡ï hero, 'Golden Witch' has entered the territory. [The Tienus Merchant Group has arrived in the territory!] Adria had arrived in the territory. About an hour after the notification window appeared before Kim Hyunwoo, he met Adria, who came to his office holding two wooden boxes. ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡± ¡°Indeed. I wanted to stop by earlier, but it took longer than expected to procure the items you requested.¡± Adria said this as she handed the two wooden boxes to Kim Hyunwoo. ¡°This is-¡± ¡°It¡¯s the items you mentioned. Yggdrasil¡¯s Branch and Eldra¡¯s Warmth.¡± At her words, Kim Hyunwoo nodded in gratitude to Adria and then carefully opened the box. Yggdrasil's Branch Grade: ?? ¡è A branch from Yggdrasil, known as the World Tree ¡è While the Continent does not have a World Tree, branches like these can asionally be obtained from monsters that cross over from other worlds Eldra's Warmth Grade: ?? ¡è A crystal containing the warmth of Eldra, a being from another world ¡è The crystal continuously emits a faint warmth and will remain intact unless subjected to a special process A notification window appeared as soon as the box was opened. Kim Hyunwoo read the notification and, after confirming the presence of the ornate branch and small gemstone, closed the box and spoke. ¡°These were hard to get, so thank you for obtaining them so quickly.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. Besides, I¡¯ll be charging the full price-¡± Adria said this with a bright smile, and Kim Hyunwoo nodded as if it was only natural. ¡°Of course. I¡¯ll definitely pay, so just let me know the amount.¡± After hearing the price from Adria, Kim Hyunwoo decided to pay it without any haggling and soon engaged in some light conversation with her. ¡°By the way, where exactly do you n to use these items you acquired?¡± This conversation arose during their chat. ¡°You mean the branch and the crystal?¡± ¡°Yes,st time I heard you were going to use them to break a curse, but as far as I know, neither of these materials are directly rted to curses.¡± Adria said this with a slightugh, asking if she had delved too deeply, but Kim Hyunwoo waved his hand dismissively. ¡°No, since you acquired the items for me, I can at least tell you this much.¡± He exined what kind of curse he intended to break with the materials he had acquired. ¡°So, it¡¯s a curse rted to¡­love, is that right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. I didn¡¯t know either, but they told me I had such a curse.¡± ¡°Is there really such a curse?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure about the details either, but it seems like it exists. In fact, I¡¯ve definitely felt it a few times recently.¡± As Kim Hyunwoo spoke, Adria seemed about to make a serious expression, but then she realized something and nodded several times as she spoke. ¡°Indeed¡­that makes sense.¡± ¡°Sorry?¡± ¡°Oh, no, I just thought of something suddenly.¡± Adria said this with a somewhat awkwardugh and then asked. ¡°My Lord, when do you n to break that curse?¡± ¡°¡­Well, since I¡¯ve gathered all the materials, I n to try breaking it today. There¡¯s no reason to dy now that everything¡¯s ready.¡± ¡°I see¡­today, huh¡­¡± At Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s words, Adria nodded with a meaningful expression. At that moment. ¡°¡­!¡± Giral, who had been eavesdropping as usual from outside Lartania¡¯s hill, couldn¡¯t help but widen his eyes in shock at the mention of a curse he was hearing about for the first time. Until now, whenever he met with merchants, a barrier had always been erected to prevent anyone outside from knowing what was going on inside, so this was truly the first time he was hearing such information. Stunned by the revtion, Giral immediately started running towards where the Red Eyes were to deliver this news. Some time ago. ¡°¡­!¡± Since that incident with Giral, she had be very awkward around him and had been watching the Lord of Lartania¡¯s castle from apletely different location, when suddenly, Loriel¡¯s nk expression shifted. ¡®Wait, if that¡¯s the case-!¡¯ She quickly realized something. She realized that her Master, who had been depressed and staring nkly at the ground ever since that day, now had a new opportunity. So, without hesitation, she left the area. When no one was left on the hill overlooking Lartania. In what was once the Norba Kingdom ¨C now just a gruesome barrier, no longer worthy of being called a kingdom. ¡°Finally-¡± The Hero King, having endured terrible pain and consumed all the barriers, began to move towards Lartania territory with determined eyes. Chapter 146: Lifting The Curse (2) The outskirts of Lartania. Loriel opened the door to the log cabin without hesitation and saw her Master, who had been kneeling and sobbing for over three weeks. The Absolute Ruler of Darkness, looking haggard from not eating for days, hugged her knees, a sight that pained Loriel¡¯s heart, but there was nothing she could do. After being effectively rejected by the Lord of Lartania, the Absolute Ruler of Darkness seemed to have given up on everything, doing nothing at all. That was why Loriel had hurriedly built this log cabin for her, who hadn¡¯t moved at all. ¡°Master, I have good news.¡± ¡°¡­I don¡¯t need it.¡± The Absolute Ruler of Darkness turned her gaze away as if she no longer needed anything. But Loriel had no intention of backing down and immediately spoke up. ¡°I¡¯ve found out why the Lord of Lartania rejected you.¡± ¡°A reason, a reason¡­¡± The Absolute Ruler of Darkness, hugging her knees, let out a low sigh and spoke. ¡°Of course, there¡¯s a reason ¨C it¡¯s because I¡¯m not attractive enough. What¡¯s the reason? I¡¯m useless; I shouldn¡¯t have existed in the first ce-¡± As she spoke, the Absolute Ruler of Darkness began to sink slowly into despair. ¡°No, Master. The Lord of Lartania is under a curse.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± However, as Loriel continued, the expression of the Absolute Ruler of Darkness, who had been sinking into despair, changed for a moment before she returned to her mncholic state. ¡°That can¡¯t be. When I checked, there was no curse on him.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not doubting you, Master, but I heard the Lord of Lartania say it himself.¡± ¡°You heard him say it?¡± The Absolute Ruler of Darkness finally turned her gaze towards Loriel, who nodded firmly and began to recount, one by one, the conversation between Adria and Kim Hyunwoo she had overheard. And then. ¡°¡­¡­¡± After listening to the story, the Absolute Ruler of Darkness said, ¡°¡­Is that true?¡± ¡°Master, I have never lied to you.¡± The Absolute Ruler of Darkness stared at her for a moment and then nodded as if acknowledging her words. ¡°That¡¯s right, I know.¡± ¡°I also heard that the Lord of Lartania ns to make and drink the potion today. So you¡¯ll be able to see the truth of what I said by the end of the day.¡± Loriel continued. The Absolute Ruler of Darkness nodded as if she understood and then stood up. ¡°¡­Then let¡¯s go and see.¡± With a small glimmer of hope, she began to walk with Loriel towards the hill overlooking the Lord of Lartania¡¯s castle. At that moment, at the Red Eyes¡¯ location. ¡°A curse?¡± ¡°I heard it clearly, Boss. He definitely mentioned a curse.¡± ¡°¡­Wow, I¡¯ve always thought the Lord of Lartania¡¯s reactions were strange, but if there¡¯s a curse, that makes perfect sense.¡± At Giral¡¯s words, Ryu nodded with great interest. ¡°I heard he¡¯s nning to take the potion today.¡± ¡°Then-¡± ¡°¡­This is a perfect opportunity¡­ Although, considering what¡¯s happened before, it might be wise to confirm things a bit before jumping in.¡± At Ryu¡¯s words, Merilda decided there was no need to say anything more and stopped thinking about how to seduce Kim Hyunwoo using other methods. She stood up. ¡°¡­Let¡¯s go and check it out.¡± Like the Absolute Ruler of Darkness, she headed towards Lartania. After some time had passed, Adria, who had been pondering something seriously, left the Lord¡¯s castle, saying she would return tomorrow. Kim Hyunwoo decided not to dy any further and pulled out the red orb from his pocket in his office. Red Item (The text has been corrupted and will not disy correctly) Grade: ???? Attack Power: ???? Special Attribute: Dispel Description: An item made by the Red Merchant. If the items below are collected, the orb''s special attribute can be activated. (The text has been corrupted and will not disy correctly) The items required to use the red orb are as follows: Fang of Fenrir [o] Yggdrasil''s Branch [o] Eldra''s Warmth [o] Would you like to use the item? (Y/N) Kim Hyun-woo sighed in relief when he saw that a previously unseen notification window appeared, along with an exnation that appeared as soon as he took out the red orb. ¡®I was worried I might have to brew another potion or something, which would have been a hassle, but thankfully that¡¯s not the case.¡¯ In the game, there was actually a special building for brewing potions, so Kim Hyunwoo had been concerned about that aspect, but he felt relieved as he pressed the ¡®Y¡¯ button. As soon as he pressed the button. Wooong¡ª! The red orb, which had been motionless in Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s hand until just now, began to tremble and resonate. At the same time, the red orb floated off Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s hand and into the air, causing the items that had been in the box to slowly rise toward the orb. Soon, the items gathered near the red orb began to blend together, as if imitating the orb¡¯s material. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Kim Hyunwoo watched in fascination as the items merged, resembling a giant slimeing together. After a certain amount of time had passed. The orb, now about the size of Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s fist after consuming all the materials, floated in the air for a while before suddenly falling onto the office desk, where it began to take shape. And then. ¡°¡­Huh?¡± A potion inside a ss bottle was created. Potion of Removal Grade: ?? Description: A potion that reverses any condition, special constitution, or illness in a human, returning them to their original state. Once consumed, it cannot be undone, and all inherent traits of the person who ingested it will disappear As soon as the Potion was created, a notification appeared, and Kim Hyunwoo picked up the Potion with a curious expression. The Potion had a purple hue, but instead of being murky, it was surprisingly clear. As Kim Hyunwoo looked at it, he thought. ¡®This feels like something straight out of a game.¡¯ In fact, Kim Hyunwoo had expected the red orb tobine into a candy, but seeing it turn into a ss bottle made him think that way. Pop¡ª! Without much hesitation, he popped the cork and sniffed the Potion. ¡®It doesn¡¯t smell like anything.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo found it strange that the Potion waspletely odorless, but that didn¡¯t stop him from drinking it in one go without hesitation. ¡°Mmm¡­¡± The Potion tasted like water with a slight tang. A taste that wasn¡¯t particrly pleasant or unpleasant. ¡°¡­What the?¡± Since he didn¡¯t feel anything else, Kim Hyunwoo tilted his head in confusion. ¡®It doesn¡¯t seem like anything has changed.¡¯ He had expected something to change, given the emotional limit he had, but there was no noticeable difference, so he checked his status window just in case. ¡®Nothing seems to have changed in the status window either.¡¯ Since nothing had changed in the status window either. ¡®Is this a scam? No¡­ The description was clear, so it can¡¯t be a scam.¡¯ Just as Kim Hyunwoo began to have doubts. ¡°My Lord, are you in there?¡± ¡°Come in.¡± Hearing Elena¡¯s voice from the door, Kim Hyunwoo put the box aside and replied. ¡°I came to discuss the Labyrinth strategy you mentionedst time.¡± ¡°Ah, right. It¡¯s about time we continue the Labyrinth exploration. We should at least clear up to the 10th tier.¡± ¡°Yes, you mentioned thatst time too.¡± Even as he spoke with Elena, who had entered his office, Kim Hyunwoo still didn¡¯t feel like anything had significantly changed. ¡°So, you¡¯re saying the Boss on the 9th floor will be a bit too difficult for you to handle alone.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, this part-¡­is.¡± Until Elena, who usually had a stoic demeanor, leaned towards the Lord in what was almost a casual flirtation. ¡°¡­!¡± Kim Hyunwoo felt a sudden rush of heat as a soft sensation pressed against his back, causing him to freeze. Whether it was his body or anything else. And in that moment, he realized. That the Potion of Removal he had just taken was working far better than expected. And. ¡°My Lord¡­?¡± He could see that the expression Elena wore as she looked at him with concern held far more meaning than just worry. , The outskirts of Lartania. Loriel opened the door to the log cabin without hesitation and saw her Master, who had been kneeling and sobbing for over three weeks. The Absolute Ruler of Darkness, looking haggard from not eating for days, hugged her knees, a sight that pained Loriel¡¯s heart, but there was nothing she could do. After being effectively rejected by the Lord of Lartania, the Absolute Ruler of Darkness seemed to have given up on everything, doing nothing at all. That was why Loriel had hurriedly built this log cabin for her, who hadn¡¯t moved at all. ¡°Master, I have good news.¡± ¡°¡­I don¡¯t need it.¡± The Absolute Ruler of Darkness turned her gaze away as if she no longer needed anything. But Loriel had no intention of backing down and immediately spoke up. ¡°I¡¯ve found out why the Lord of Lartania rejected you.¡± ¡°A reason, a reason¡­¡± The Absolute Ruler of Darkness, hugging her knees, let out a low sigh and spoke. ¡°Of course, there¡¯s a reason ¨C it¡¯s because I¡¯m not attractive enough. What¡¯s the reason? I¡¯m useless; I shouldn¡¯t have existed in the first ce-¡± As she spoke, the Absolute Ruler of Darkness began to sink slowly into despair. ¡°No, Master. The Lord of Lartania is under a curse.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± However, as Loriel continued, the expression of the Absolute Ruler of Darkness, who had been sinking into despair, changed for a moment before she returned to her mncholic state. ¡°That can¡¯t be. When I checked, there was no curse on him.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not doubting you, Master, but I heard the Lord of Lartania say it himself.¡± ¡°You heard him say it?¡± The Absolute Ruler of Darkness finally turned her gaze towards Loriel, who nodded firmly and began to recount, one by one, the conversation between Adria and Kim Hyunwoo she had overheard. And then. ¡°¡­¡­¡± After listening to the story, the Absolute Ruler of Darkness said, ¡°¡­Is that true?¡± ¡°Master, I have never lied to you.¡± The Absolute Ruler of Darkness stared at her for a moment and then nodded as if acknowledging her words. ¡°That¡¯s right, I know.¡± ¡°I also heard that the Lord of Lartania ns to make and drink the potion today. So you¡¯ll be able to see the truth of what I said by the end of the day.¡± Loriel continued. The Absolute Ruler of Darkness nodded as if she understood and then stood up. ¡°¡­Then let¡¯s go and see.¡± With a small glimmer of hope, she began to walk with Loriel towards the hill overlooking the Lord of Lartania¡¯s castle. At that moment, at the Red Eyes¡¯ location. ¡°A curse?¡± ¡°I heard it clearly, Boss. He definitely mentioned a curse.¡± ¡°¡­Wow, I¡¯ve always thought the Lord of Lartania¡¯s reactions were strange, but if there¡¯s a curse, that makes perfect sense.¡± At Giral¡¯s words, Ryu nodded with great interest. ¡°I heard he¡¯s nning to take the potion today.¡± ¡°Then-¡± ¡°¡­This is a perfect opportunity¡­ Although, considering what¡¯s happened before, it might be wise to confirm things a bit before jumping in.¡± At Ryu¡¯s words, Merilda decided there was no need to say anything more and stopped thinking about how to seduce Kim Hyunwoo using other methods. She stood up. ¡°¡­Let¡¯s go and check it out.¡± Like the Absolute Ruler of Darkness, she headed towards Lartania. After some time had passed, Adria, who had been pondering something seriously, left the Lord¡¯s castle, saying she would return tomorrow. Kim Hyunwoo decided not to dy any further and pulled out the red orb from his pocket in his office. Red Item (The text has been corrupted and will not disy correctly) Grade: ???? Attack Power: ???? Special Attribute: Dispel Description: An item made by the Red Merchant. If the items below are collected, the orb''s special attribute can be activated. (The text has been corrupted and will not disy correctly) The items required to use the red orb are as follows: Fang of Fenrir [o] Yggdrasil''s Branch [o] Eldra''s Warmth [o] Would you like to use the item? (Y/N) Kim Hyun-woo sighed in relief when he saw that a previously unseen notification window appeared, along with an exnation that appeared as soon as he took out the red orb. ¡®I was worried I might have to brew another potion or something, which would have been a hassle, but thankfully that¡¯s not the case.¡¯ In the game, there was actually a special building for brewing potions, so Kim Hyunwoo had been concerned about that aspect, but he felt relieved as he pressed the ¡®Y¡¯ button. As soon as he pressed the button. Wooong¡ª! The red orb, which had been motionless in Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s hand until just now, began to tremble and resonate. At the same time, the red orb floated off Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s hand and into the air, causing the items that had been in the box to slowly rise toward the orb. Soon, the items gathered near the red orb began to blend together, as if imitating the orb¡¯s material. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Kim Hyunwoo watched in fascination as the items merged, resembling a giant slimeing together. After a certain amount of time had passed. The orb, now about the size of Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s fist after consuming all the materials, floated in the air for a while before suddenly falling onto the office desk, where it began to take shape. And then. ¡°¡­Huh?¡± A potion inside a ss bottle was created. Potion of Removal Grade: ?? Description: A potion that reverses any condition, special constitution, or illness in a human, returning them to their original state. Once consumed, it cannot be undone, and all inherent traits of the person who ingested it will disappear As soon as the Potion was created, a notification appeared, and Kim Hyunwoo picked up the Potion with a curious expression. The Potion had a purple hue, but instead of being murky, it was surprisingly clear. As Kim Hyunwoo looked at it, he thought. ¡®This feels like something straight out of a game.¡¯ In fact, Kim Hyunwoo had expected the red orb tobine into a candy, but seeing it turn into a ss bottle made him think that way. Pop¡ª! Without much hesitation, he popped the cork and sniffed the Potion. ¡®It doesn¡¯t smell like anything.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo found it strange that the Potion waspletely odorless, but that didn¡¯t stop him from drinking it in one go without hesitation. ¡°Mmm¡­¡± The Potion tasted like water with a slight tang. A taste that wasn¡¯t particrly pleasant or unpleasant. ¡°¡­What the?¡± Since he didn¡¯t feel anything else, Kim Hyunwoo tilted his head in confusion. ¡®It doesn¡¯t seem like anything has changed.¡¯ He had expected something to change, given the emotional limit he had, but there was no noticeable difference, so he checked his status window just in case. ¡®Nothing seems to have changed in the status window either.¡¯ Since nothing had changed in the status window either. ¡®Is this a scam? No¡­ The description was clear, so it can¡¯t be a scam.¡¯ Just as Kim Hyunwoo began to have doubts. ¡°My Lord, are you in there?¡± ¡°Come in.¡± Hearing Elena¡¯s voice from the door, Kim Hyunwoo put the box aside and replied. ¡°I came to discuss the Labyrinth strategy you mentionedst time.¡± ¡°Ah, right. It¡¯s about time we continue the Labyrinth exploration. We should at least clear up to the 10th tier.¡± ¡°Yes, you mentioned thatst time too.¡± Even as he spoke with Elena, who had entered his office, Kim Hyunwoo still didn¡¯t feel like anything had significantly changed. ¡°So, you¡¯re saying the Boss on the 9th floor will be a bit too difficult for you to handle alone.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, this part-¡­is.¡± Until Elena, who usually had a stoic demeanor, leaned towards the Lord in what was almost a casual flirtation. ¡°¡­!¡± Kim Hyunwoo felt a sudden rush of heat as a soft sensation pressed against his back, causing him to freeze. Whether it was his body or anything else. And in that moment, he realized. That the Potion of Removal he had just taken was working far better than expected. And. ¡°My Lord¡­?¡± He could see that the expression Elena wore as she looked at him with concern held far more meaning than just worry. Chapter 147: Lifting The Curse (3) It was as usual for Elena. She woke up early in the morning and did her usual training. After having her ordinary breakfast, she took on her morning guard duty. In the afternoon, she helped M train the soldiers and did some additional training herself. In thete evening, she came to see the Lord, using what Kim Hyunwoo had said previously as an excuse. The point here is that her day was no different from any other day. Even when she spoke with Kim Hyunwoo, nothing seemed different. She interacted with him as usual, trying to appeal to him in the same way, even though he remained as indifferent as ever, making her wonder if he even saw her as a woman. It should have been like that. ¡°My Lord¡­?¡± ¡°Uh, yes?¡± ¡®Why is he reacting like this?¡¯ Elena looked at Kim Hyunwoo seriously. To her, Kim Hyunwoo was showing some very unusual reactions. Whenever Elena subtly leaned closer as she usually did, Kim Hyunwoo would flinch, and his words would freeze momentarily when talking about the Labyrinth. His movements became stiff like a wooden doll. As if he was actually paying attention to her. However, his reactions only made Elena more puzzled. Just yesterday, no matter how openly she tried to appeal to him, he hadn¡¯t noticed at all. Instead, he had smiled that infuriatingly calm smile, showing no emotional response. Even today was the same. So, when Kim Hyunwoo suddenly started reacting differently, Elena felt a brief confusion. ¡®I don¡¯t know why the Lord is acting like this, but this is my chance¡­!¡¯ Amidst the confusion, she instinctively realized this was her chance and pressed her body closer to Kim Hyunwoo. ¡°¡­!¡± As expected, his hands trembled even more violently than before. Feeling the heat radiating from his body, hotter than usual, Elena started thinking about what to do next, as she had never gone this far before. But her body acted on its own, following ns she had made long ago. At that moment. ¡°¡­That woman¡­!¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to¡­!¡± Merilda and Rin, who hade to check on Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s condition after hearing from their subordinates, watched in real-time as Elena flirted with him. They had been ring at each other and exchanging light insults just moments ago, but they were now pressed together, peeking into the Lord¡¯s castle, ready to barge in. ¡°Boss, if you go out now, you¡¯ll look ridiculous, so stop.¡± ¡°Master, today is just for observation.¡± With Giral and Loriel¡¯s responses, Merilda and Rin ground their teeth in frustration, their faces twisting into annoyed expressions as they reluctantly kept quiet. However, Rin, despite her pout, wore a somewhat happy smile. The scene before her, of Kim Hyunwoo struggling under a woman¡¯s advances, was something the Absolute Ruler of Darkness had never seen or been informed of. Of course, even recalling that, the Absolute Ruler of Darkness¡¯s smile soon faded. After all, though Kim Hyunwoo was showing this new side of himself, it was only in response to Elena. They hadn¡¯t yet seen how he would react to others. In other words, while they had some hope, it wasn¡¯t certain. So, Rin and Merilda watched from the hill with increasingly anxious expressions. Soon, Giral and Loriel, who had been watching Merilda and Rin, exchanged nces before quickly looking away from each other. In the past, neither Giral nor Loriel would have avoided each other¡¯s gaze. Instead, they would have looked into each other¡¯s eyes, feeling a strange sense of kinship. But then, a few weeks ago. After they had both taken advantage of the Spring Water¡¯s effects, staying close together until noon, things had be extremely awkward between Loriel and Giral. More precisely, their rtionship had been at a standstill since that day. The reason was obvious: neither Loriel nor Giral had talked to each other about it. They both knew that the awkwardness wasn¡¯t due to feelings of difort or hatred or any other negative emotions. But they also knew that if they spoke up now, their rtionship would undergo a significant change. So, they avoided looking at each other. They simply turned their gazes elsewhere, each thinking about the other. ¡­Ignoring the difort they felt about taking their rtionship any further. As Merilda and Rin watched Elena from the hill, nearby, Adria, who had also been watching Elena and Kim Hyunwoo, [What do I do, what do I do, what do I do, what do I do, what do I do-] Looked at the dragon, who had frozen upon seeing Elena, and sighed as she spoke. ¡°Please calm down, Your Dragonship.¡± [B-but, this looks like a very very very dangerous situation-] ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You can really calm down. Just looking at how the Lord is reacting to a hero he never seemed interested in, it¡¯s clear there was a mental limit in ce. But just because that limit is gone doesn¡¯t mean the Lord will easily fall for a woman¡¯s temptation-¡± Adria said this as she looked at Kim Hyunwoo. Through the window, she could see Kim Hyunwoo moving like a wooden puppet. He was trying to hide it, but she could see his stiffened face. ¡°-Probably not.¡± [Really, do you think so?] ¡°O-of course.¡± As Adria said this, she quickly began to think. She began to seriously wonder if she had made a mistake. After all, there were still several months left until the dragon¡¯s seal would be lifted. ¡®¡­Should I have dyed delivering the materials?¡¯ Adria regretted it briefly but then shook her head as if there was nothing she could do about it. She had only learned about the restriction today, and the situation had already unfolded. Now, she needed to figure out how to deal with it. So, after thinking it over for a while, ¡®¡­If it¡¯se to this, there¡¯s only that method left.¡¯ She began to formte a n in her mind as she descended to the ground. ¡°In any case, Your Dragonship, don¡¯t worry and just focus on refining your resolve.¡± The next day, after Elena couldn¡¯t muster the courage to go further, having never progressed beyond the first step of getting physically close to him, Kim Hyunwoo woke up, washed up as usual, and sat in his office. Then, he absentmindedly thought about what had happened yesterday. No, not just yesterday ¨C he calmly recalled everything that had happened up until now. It seemed to take about 10 to 20 minutes. And then he thought nkly. ¡®¡­Is this for real? Or am I just imagining things?¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo recalled all the behaviors the heroes had shown him so far. Starting from Elena, then River, and even Shadra. He thought that if he hadn¡¯t noticed by now, he must have been an idiot, given how much they had been flirting with him. ¡®Let¡¯s just stay calm.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo tried to stay calm and objectively review the situation. And he came to a cold, hard conclusion. ¡®¡­No matter how I think about it, it seems like they¡¯reing on to me.¡¯ Next, the question of ¡®Why?¡¯ naturally crossed his mind, but only briefly. ¡®Stay calm.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo quickly calmed himself. ¡®I can¡¯t let myself be swayed.¡¯ In fact, this situation was almost too good to be true for Kim Hyunwoo. For someone like him, who had lived his life without any romantic experience, this situation ¨C having so many women interested in him ¨C was something he had only dreamed of. But just because a dreamlike situation had appeared before him didn¡¯t mean he should be ensnared by it. Kim Hyunwoo knew how devastating rtionships could be in this game called Arteil. So, despite feeling great about regaining his emotions, he thought coldly. ¡®¡­I absolutely can¡¯t let myself be easily swayed by this.¡¯ He thought. ¡°Dad!¡± Squeeze~ ¡®I absolutely can¡¯t let myself be easily swayed by-¡¯ He thought. ¡°Mate! Look at this, this wing part ¨C how about making it like this? Give me your hand, so if you think of it like a drawing, you connect this part here-¡± ¡®I absolutely can¡¯t let myself-¡¯ He thought, ¡°My Lord, I have something to report regarding security this time. Yes, it¡¯s about this part.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Three days after Kim Hyunwoo had coldly resolved to focus on the growth of his territory, ¡®¡­A little bit should be okay, right?¡¯ His resolve began to waver. And at the moment when Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s resolve began to waver, ¡°Finally, I can meet him.¡± The Hero King arrived at Lartania, now flourishing and thriving. , It was as usual for Elena. She woke up early in the morning and did her usual training. After having her ordinary breakfast, she took on her morning guard duty. In the afternoon, she helped M train the soldiers and did some additional training herself. In thete evening, she came to see the Lord, using what Kim Hyunwoo had said previously as an excuse. The point here is that her day was no different from any other day. Even when she spoke with Kim Hyunwoo, nothing seemed different. She interacted with him as usual, trying to appeal to him in the same way, even though he remained as indifferent as ever, making her wonder if he even saw her as a woman. It should have been like that. ¡°My Lord¡­?¡± ¡°Uh, yes?¡± ¡®Why is he reacting like this?¡¯ Elena looked at Kim Hyunwoo seriously. To her, Kim Hyunwoo was showing some very unusual reactions. Whenever Elena subtly leaned closer as she usually did, Kim Hyunwoo would flinch, and his words would freeze momentarily when talking about the Labyrinth. His movements became stiff like a wooden doll. As if he was actually paying attention to her. However, his reactions only made Elena more puzzled. Just yesterday, no matter how openly she tried to appeal to him, he hadn¡¯t noticed at all. Instead, he had smiled that infuriatingly calm smile, showing no emotional response. Even today was the same. So, when Kim Hyunwoo suddenly started reacting differently, Elena felt a brief confusion. ¡®I don¡¯t know why the Lord is acting like this, but this is my chance¡­!¡¯ Amidst the confusion, she instinctively realized this was her chance and pressed her body closer to Kim Hyunwoo. ¡°¡­!¡± As expected, his hands trembled even more violently than before. Feeling the heat radiating from his body, hotter than usual, Elena started thinking about what to do next, as she had never gone this far before. But her body acted on its own, following ns she had made long ago. At that moment. ¡°¡­That woman¡­!¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to¡­!¡± Merilda and Rin, who hade to check on Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s condition after hearing from their subordinates, watched in real-time as Elena flirted with him. They had been ring at each other and exchanging light insults just moments ago, but they were now pressed together, peeking into the Lord¡¯s castle, ready to barge in. ¡°Boss, if you go out now, you¡¯ll look ridiculous, so stop.¡± ¡°Master, today is just for observation.¡± With Giral and Loriel¡¯s responses, Merilda and Rin ground their teeth in frustration, their faces twisting into annoyed expressions as they reluctantly kept quiet. However, Rin, despite her pout, wore a somewhat happy smile. The scene before her, of Kim Hyunwoo struggling under a woman¡¯s advances, was something the Absolute Ruler of Darkness had never seen or been informed of. Of course, even recalling that, the Absolute Ruler of Darkness¡¯s smile soon faded. After all, though Kim Hyunwoo was showing this new side of himself, it was only in response to Elena. They hadn¡¯t yet seen how he would react to others. In other words, while they had some hope, it wasn¡¯t certain. So, Rin and Merilda watched from the hill with increasingly anxious expressions. Soon, Giral and Loriel, who had been watching Merilda and Rin, exchanged nces before quickly looking away from each other. In the past, neither Giral nor Loriel would have avoided each other¡¯s gaze. Instead, they would have looked into each other¡¯s eyes, feeling a strange sense of kinship. But then, a few weeks ago. After they had both taken advantage of the Spring Water¡¯s effects, staying close together until noon, things had be extremely awkward between Loriel and Giral. More precisely, their rtionship had been at a standstill since that day. The reason was obvious: neither Loriel nor Giral had talked to each other about it. They both knew that the awkwardness wasn¡¯t due to feelings of difort or hatred or any other negative emotions. But they also knew that if they spoke up now, their rtionship would undergo a significant change. So, they avoided looking at each other. They simply turned their gazes elsewhere, each thinking about the other. ¡­Ignoring the difort they felt about taking their rtionship any further. As Merilda and Rin watched Elena from the hill, nearby, Adria, who had also been watching Elena and Kim Hyunwoo, [What do I do, what do I do, what do I do, what do I do, what do I do-] Looked at the dragon, who had frozen upon seeing Elena, and sighed as she spoke. ¡°Please calm down, Your Dragonship.¡± [B-but, this looks like a very very very dangerous situation-] ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You can really calm down. Just looking at how the Lord is reacting to a hero he never seemed interested in, it¡¯s clear there was a mental limit in ce. But just because that limit is gone doesn¡¯t mean the Lord will easily fall for a woman¡¯s temptation-¡± Adria said this as she looked at Kim Hyunwoo. Through the window, she could see Kim Hyunwoo moving like a wooden puppet. He was trying to hide it, but she could see his stiffened face. ¡°-Probably not.¡± [Really, do you think so?] ¡°O-of course.¡± As Adria said this, she quickly began to think. She began to seriously wonder if she had made a mistake. After all, there were still several months left until the dragon¡¯s seal would be lifted. ¡®¡­Should I have dyed delivering the materials?¡¯ Adria regretted it briefly but then shook her head as if there was nothing she could do about it. She had only learned about the restriction today, and the situation had already unfolded. Now, she needed to figure out how to deal with it. So, after thinking it over for a while, ¡®¡­If it¡¯se to this, there¡¯s only that method left.¡¯ She began to formte a n in her mind as she descended to the ground. ¡°In any case, Your Dragonship, don¡¯t worry and just focus on refining your resolve.¡± The next day, after Elena couldn¡¯t muster the courage to go further, having never progressed beyond the first step of getting physically close to him, Kim Hyunwoo woke up, washed up as usual, and sat in his office. Then, he absentmindedly thought about what had happened yesterday. No, not just yesterday ¨C he calmly recalled everything that had happened up until now. It seemed to take about 10 to 20 minutes. And then he thought nkly. ¡®¡­Is this for real? Or am I just imagining things?¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo recalled all the behaviors the heroes had shown him so far. Starting from Elena, then River, and even Shadra. He thought that if he hadn¡¯t noticed by now, he must have been an idiot, given how much they had been flirting with him. ¡®Let¡¯s just stay calm.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo tried to stay calm and objectively review the situation. And he came to a cold, hard conclusion. ¡®¡­No matter how I think about it, it seems like they¡¯reing on to me.¡¯ Next, the question of ¡®Why?¡¯ naturally crossed his mind, but only briefly. ¡®Stay calm.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo quickly calmed himself. ¡®I can¡¯t let myself be swayed.¡¯ In fact, this situation was almost too good to be true for Kim Hyunwoo. For someone like him, who had lived his life without any romantic experience, this situation ¨C having so many women interested in him ¨C was something he had only dreamed of. But just because a dreamlike situation had appeared before him didn¡¯t mean he should be ensnared by it. Kim Hyunwoo knew how devastating rtionships could be in this game called Arteil. So, despite feeling great about regaining his emotions, he thought coldly. ¡®¡­I absolutely can¡¯t let myself be easily swayed by this.¡¯ He thought. ¡°Dad!¡± Squeeze~ ¡®I absolutely can¡¯t let myself be easily swayed by-¡¯ He thought. ¡°Mate! Look at this, this wing part ¨C how about making it like this? Give me your hand, so if you think of it like a drawing, you connect this part here-¡± ¡®I absolutely can¡¯t let myself-¡¯ He thought, ¡°My Lord, I have something to report regarding security this time. Yes, it¡¯s about this part.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Three days after Kim Hyunwoo had coldly resolved to focus on the growth of his territory, ¡®¡­A little bit should be okay, right?¡¯ His resolve began to waver. And at the moment when Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s resolve began to waver, ¡°Finally, I can meet him.¡± The Hero King arrived at Lartania, now flourishing and thriving. Chapter 148: Lifting The Curse (4) Before entering Arteil, Kim Hyunwoo was single all his life. It wasn¡¯t that there was something wrong with him, but rather that the field he worked in had very few women. ¡­In any case, the point is that Kim Hyunwoo had very little experience with the opposite sex, and as a result, he had been struggling every day since consuming the Potion. To the point where he wondered if maybe it would have been better not to have drunk the Potion at all. And in that situation, after drinking the Potion, Kim Hyunwoo realized something else ¨C his perception of the former heroes. ¡®¡­It definitely feels different before and after drinking the Potion.¡¯ When Kim Hyunwoo first entered Arteil and met Merilda, the hero he raised, he didn¡¯t feel any special emotions. If he felt anything, it was gratitude that Merilda defeated monsters and a bit of awe, but that was it; he didn¡¯t feel anything else, even afterward. In other words, he wasn¡¯t particrly interested in what his former heroes were doing. But what about now? ¡®¡­I¡¯d like to meet them again.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo found himself curious about the former heroes of Lartania. Unlike before, when he felt nothing even when a hero appeared before him, now he was interested in the heroes he had raised. And there was also curiosity. ¡®¡­What exactly did Merilda and Rin do to gain such a notorious reputation?¡¯ He realized that the limit in his mind wasn¡¯t just about affection as he found himself curious about things that he hadn¡¯t been interested in or wanted to know about before. Simply thinking of it as a limit on affection didn¡¯t make sense, because the emotions he felt when thinking about Lartania¡¯s former heroes had changed. ¡®Which hero put such a restriction on me¡­¡¯ So Kim Hyunwoo pondered why someone would ce such a restriction on him. No, he thought even further ¨C about which hero had summoned him to this world. Although the Potion had lifted the limit, the question of the fifth hero remained as unclear as before. However, it wasn¡¯tpletely erased; instead, his memory created a strange contradiction. Kim Hyunwoo tried to think about the fifth hero as much as possible, but nothing came to mind. As if his mind was refusing to remember. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± So, after pondering for a while, A ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î Hero, ¡®Hero King,¡¯ has entered the territory. ¡°¡­???¡± Seeing the notification suddenly appear, he couldn¡¯t help but make a puzzled expression. For about three days after Kim Hyunwoo drank the Potion of Removal, Merilda, Rin, and Adria, who visited him whenever they had the chance, observed his reactions carefully. And today, on the third day, they came to a stark conclusion. The conclusion was that Kim Hyunwoo wasn¡¯t just reacting to Elena in that way ¨C he was reacting that way to all women. And as soon as they reached that conclusion, Merilda, Rin, and Adria began to eye each other. But amusingly, what they were eyeing each other for wasn¡¯t about who would be the first to approach Kim Hyunwoo. Rather, Merilda, Rin, and Adria were trying to push the opportunity onto each other. Instead of thinking about who could sessfully approach him without interference, ¡°Hmm ¨C so it seems the Master was really under a restriction. How about you go first?¡± ¡°No, I have something to prepare. How about you go first?¡± ¡°I also have something to prepare. Hey, gloomy dragon. Why don¡¯t you go? You always sing about wanting to see the Master. Now¡¯s your chance.¡± ¡°I still can¡¯t leave thisir.¡± ¡°Couldn¡¯t you just use that Teleportation scroll fromst time?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t make those anymore. Do you know how hard it is to make those scrolls that you guys destroyed?¡± -They were all trying to push the task of approaching Kim Hyunwoo onto someone else. Of course, their affection for Kim Hyunwoo hasn¡¯t faded. If anything, it had only grown stronger over the past ten years. Yet the reason they were subtly trying to push the responsibility onto each other was because of their fear. They had clearly recognized, over the course of three days of observation, that Kim Hyunwoo had been under a restriction. But Rin had already had a bad experience a few weeks ago. Merilda knew that she could easily have been in that same position. And the Crimson Dragon also knew, through Rin and Merilda¡¯s petty squabbles over the past few days, what had happened to Rin a few weeks ago. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The three heroes were all eyeing each other cautiously. It was at that moment. ¡°¡­Huh?¡± As they were eyeing each other, Merilda turned her head towards the Lartania territory. And then, ¡°¡­Why now, of all times?¡± Shortly after that, they realized that the Hero King had entered Lartania and looked towards the territory in surprise. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The three of them, now watching the territory with serious expressions, couldn¡¯t help but be puzzled. And that was because the Hero King they saw from afar looked very different from the one they knew. ¡°¡­Dark energy?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t tell if it¡¯s emanating from her or seeping out, but it¡¯s definitely there¡­¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like she¡¯s be a demon, though¡­¡± Although the dark energy was subtle, it was strong enough to be clearly detected by the three of them, causing them to feel both curious and a bit tense. The dark energy emanating from the Hero King was faint, but the fact that it was inside her at all suggested it might be rted to the demons who had targeted Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s life. However. Soon, the three heroes watching the Hero King began to rx. The reason was that they all saw the Hero King¡¯s expression. An expression filled with desperation and hope more than anything else. So instead of feeling tense around the Hero King, they decided to watch how Kim Hyunwoo would react to her. When they thought about it, the Hero King was a great candidate to gauge Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s reaction without risk. Although the three were too afraid to approach Kim Hyunwoo for fear of being rejected, they knew that if one of them made a move, the others would feel anxious. But the Hero King heading to the Lord¡¯s castle? If the Hero King were in a normal condition, they might have been nervous too. No, they probably would have even tried to interfere. They had no idea where the Hero King had been or what she had been doing, and if she had just been hiding somewhere and then reappeared, they thought she might have been immediately epted by Kim Hyunwoo. But the Hero King now? Dark energy was emanating from her body. Of course, they didn¡¯t know if the dark energy was just a lingering effect from being in the demon realm, or if she had actually be a demon. But the point was that the Hero King had dark energy within her, and that it would definitely negatively affect Lartania. In other words, there was a clear reason not to ept her into Lartania. In that brief moment, the three heroes realized they could observe Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s reaction without any real threat, so they naturally fell silent and focused on the Hero King. Soon they saw it. The Hero King arriving in front of the Lord¡¯s castle, and Kim Hyunwoo standing outside, looking at her. ¡°¡­¡­¡± At that moment, the heroes held their breath. And they heightened their hearing to catch the conversation happening in front of the castle. And then, ¡°Charyll¡­?¡± Kim Hyunwoo called out the Hero King¡¯s name. ¡°¡­Lord?¡± She looked at him with an expression of disbelief, then her face went nk for a moment. ¡°You¡¯ve reallye back¡­truly.¡± With that one sentence, as if she were truly relieved¡­ She copsed. ¡°¡­?¡± The three heroes were confused by the Hero King¡¯s sudden copse, but then they realized that her physical condition wasn¡¯t great. And as soon as she copsed, Kim Hyunwoo rushed to check her condition, then carried her into the castle. They watched as the Hero King was carried inside without even having a proper conversation. ¡°Honestly, her condition wasn¡¯t great, but it wasn¡¯t bad enough for her to copse as soon as she confirmed the Master¡¯s presence¡­¡± They all shared the same suspicion as Merilda¡¯s muttered question. ¡°Wait, could it be on purpose?¡± And then, as if realizing something, their jaws dropped in shock. Chapter 149: Return (1) In truth, unlike what Merilda, Rin, and the Crimson Dragon thought, the Hero King had genuinely fainted. It made sense because the Hero King had not let her guard down for even a moment since the legionmanders in the Demon Realm began discussing Lartania. Even after wiping out themanders, she ignored the deep fatigue that weighed her body down and kept herself focused until Kelva opened the portal to return to her original world. After crossing over to the Middle Realm, she endured weeks of excruciating pain to break through the seal that Kelva had erected to hinder her after their battle. In such a state, unable to fully recover her strength, she immediately returned to Lartania to confirm the Lord¡¯s return, so it was only natural that she couldn¡¯t hold out. It was about five hourster that Kim Hyunwoo could talk to the Hero King again. As Kim Hyunwoo quietly watched the sunset over the mountains, he turned his gaze to the Hero King, whose skin had be slightly duller. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Neither of them spoke. They simply maintained silence in the quiet office. ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡± It was Kim Hyunwoo who first broke the silence. ¡°Yes, it¡­has been.¡± Watching the Hero King ¨C or rather, Charyll ¨C awkwardly respond, Kim Hyunwoo became even more certain. He realized that his emotional limits had even blocked his thoughts about his previous heroes. Until now, he had never felt anything beyond mild dness when meeting Merilda and Rin, but seeing Charyll brought many thoughts to his mind. He felt joy at seeing the hero he had raised himself standing before him. At the same time, he felt annoyance remembering how much money she had drained from him during his school days. As countless emotions swirled within him, Kim Hyunwoo quietly watched her. ¡°¡­How have you been these past ten years?¡± He soon asked. The Hero King looked at Kim Hyunwoo with slightly trembling eyes, then seemed to ponder for a moment. ¡°For the first year after you left, I didn¡¯t believe it.¡± She began her story calmly. It was a rather long story. Charyll¡¯s story continued until the sun dipped below the mountains and night fell. And when night fully settled in and moonlight softly illuminated the office terrace, ¡°¡­That¡¯s how it was.¡± The Hero King finished her story. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Kim Hyunwoo was at a loss for words. It was because the story that came out of the Hero King¡¯s mouth was heavier than he had expected. ¡®¡­She went to the Demon Realm because of me¡­¡¯ As he listened to the Hero King¡¯s story, Kim Hyunwoo felt a strange sense of guilt. Of course, Kim Hyunwoo knew well enough that he didn¡¯t need to feel guilty about the Hero King¡¯s story. After all, Charyll had gone to the Demon Realm of her own volition. But even though it was her choice, the fact that it was driven by her desire to meet Kim Hyunwoo filled him with guilt, more than anyone else might feel. If Kim Hyunwoo hadn¡¯t left so suddenly, she wouldn¡¯t have gone to the Demon Realm and suffered so much. ¡°¡­¡­¡± With his heart feeling strangely heavy, Kim Hyunwoo¡­ ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡­Soon saw Charyll bow her head, having just shared her story of the past ten years. And before Kim Hyunwoo could say anything, she continued. ¡°I knew, I knew you were struggling, Lord. I knew it was hard for you to prepare our gifts, and to put up with ourints.¡± Charyll¡¯s voice trembled. ¡°But still, I¡­I ignored you. I even ckmailed you for gifts better than the other heroes and interfered with your work just to spend more time with you.¡± Her trembling voice was thick with tears. ¡°I was¡­foolish¡­ Even though I knew how much you cared about me, I still wanted to keep being reassured.¡± Tears streamed down from her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­really, really sorry¡­ Please forgive me¡­just once¡­ Sob.¡± And she begged for forgiveness. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The sound of the Hero King sobbing reached Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s ears. Plop¡ª The sound of her tears falling seemed to echo louder. In that situation, Kim Hyunwoo kept his mouth shut. ¡°¡­¡­¡± It was true that Kim Hyunwoo quit the game because of the heroes¡¯ excessive demands. At the time, he was still young, and the heroes¡¯ demands were unreasonably excessive, their ckmail enough to cool his affection for Arteil and the heroes he had invested so much in. So eventually, he quit the game. But even though he quit, this was not the oue he had wished for. At least for him, there were times when he cursed at the heroes who demanded gifts and felt annoyed, but he never wanted them to go through such hardships. No matter how much heined, in the end, they were heroes he had poured his love into. He never wanted them to live each day in terrible pain. With a heavy heart, Kim Hyunwoo looked at the weeping Charyll and quietly began to speak. ¡°Sigh¡ª¡± He sighed lightly and smiled as he spoke. ¡°You don¡¯t need to ask for forgiveness.¡± ¡°¡­What-¡± ¡°Charyll, you didn¡¯t do anything wrong¡­ Well, it was a bit annoying when you asked for gifts, but-¡± ¡°I knew it-¡± Seeing Charyll on the verge of tears again, Kim Hyunwoo quickly added, ¡°Wait, I told you, right? It was just a little annoying, but it doesn¡¯t mean you need to ask for forgiveness. I really mean it.¡± ¡°So¡­will you take me back?¡± Charyll looked at Kim Hyunwoo with eyes reddened like a rabbit¡¯s. And then. [Would you like to offer recruitment to the ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î Hero ''Hero King''? Y/N] [¡ùCaution: This hero is a demon, and recruiting them may cause hostile territories and nations to arise] [¡ùCaution: She is a demon!] [¡ùYou may be a public enemy of the Continent if you ept a demon!] As the familiar window appeared, Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s vision filled with notification windows. Unlike the notifications for Merilda and Rin, this one ominously warned that recruiting a demon could cause hostile territories and nations to form. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s hand hesitated for a moment, but only briefly, before he moved it. He knew how foolish this action was even as he moved his hand. If he epted her at this moment, it was clear that Lartania would suffer greatly. But despite knowing this, Kim Hyunwoo didn¡¯t stop his finger from moving toward the ¡®Y¡¯ button. [Norba Kingdom Rtionship: ¨C111] [Kn Kingdom Rtionship: ¨C333] [Eastern Alliance n Rtionship: ¨C233] [Sertoa Territory Rtionship: ¨C442] [Hancia Territory Rtionship: ¨C552] [Altronia Territory Rtionship: ¨C661] [Kamia Territory Rtionship: ¨C772] [Ebroa Territory Rtionship: ¨C334] [Chelba Territory Rtionship: ¨C552] [Anderm Territory Rtionship: ¨C723] [Kehm Territory Rtionship: ¨C921] ... ... .. . ¡­And as if to stop Kim Hyunwoo from making that decision, a new notification window appeared before his eyes. A notification window that seemed to warn him against making a wrong choice. But Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s finger didn¡¯t hesitate. Another notification window appeared before him. ¡ùCaution: If you recruit the ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î Hero ¡®Hero King¡¯, the notoriety of the ¡®Demon¡¯ race will cause disadvantages in attracting new residents to your territory If your Territory Development Level is high enough, you can neutralize the notoriety of the recruited hero. [Demon¡¯s Notoriety: 2,748,738] [Lartania Territory Development Level: 5,072] Current Territory Influx Rate: 42% New Territory Influx Rate: -123,475% It was as if the notifications were now clearly trying to stop him from pressing the button. But even as he took in all the words on the notifications with his eyes, Kim Hyunwoo didn¡¯t stop his finger from moving toward the ¡®Y¡¯ button. In fact, he moved toward the ¡®Y¡¯ button even faster than before. And then. ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll take you back.¡± As Kim Hyunwoo muttered, his finger pressed the ¡®Y¡¯ button. [You have recruited the ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î Hero ¡®Hero King¡¯ to Lartania territory!] A notification window popped up before his eyes. [Ah] ¡°¡­!¡± In Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s ear¡­ [What a pity. If only you''d held out a little longer, it would have all been over. How truly unfortunate] Loria¡¯s voice echoed. Chapter 150: Return (2) [What a pity, if I had dyed it just a little longer, it would have all been over. Truly unfortunate] As Loria¡¯s voice clearly echoed in his ears, the world came to a halt. The world stopped as if someone had pressed the ESC button in a game, pausing everything. The Hero King, who had been smiling at him in disbelief, froze like a statue, and everyone outside the terrace also came to a stop. [Ah- really. Should I have just forced it to stop in the middle?] Loria¡¯s voice continued to be heard. As if she was unaffected by this frozen world. [Well, if I had forced it to stop, you would have noticed... In the end, this was bound to happen the moment you met the merchant and got the elixir~] She muttered to herself as if ming her mistake, but at the same time, consoling herself, as if there was nothing she could have done. Kim Hyunwoo, the only one aware of this frozen world, was about to say, ¡®What-¡¯ Crack-! In front of Kim Hyunwoo, the world began to crack. To be more precise, the space in front of Kim Hyunwoo began to shatter as if a rift had formed. Snap-! Soon, as the world shattered, a slender hand emerged from the abyss within, grabbing onto the broken fragments and starting to crawl out. And then. ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s really unfortunate.¡± The girl who had been repeating how unfortunate it was appeared in front of Kim Hyunwoo. With blonde pigtails, but with pastel blue hair underneath, she repeated the word ¡®unfortunate¡¯ out of habit, yet her face was smiling. A mischievous smile characteristic of a young girl. ¡°You-¡± Kim Hyunwoo opened his mouth involuntarily, then looked surprised at himself. Unlike before, this time his body was still frozen, but he could speak. ¡°Who am I? You know, right? I¡¯m Loria? The one who¡¯s been helping you all this time. Oh, strictly speaking, maybe not helping? Just messing around whenever the notification window popped up.¡± Seeing her chuckle and smile, Kim Hyunwoo spoke. ¡°What are you?¡± ¡°I said, I¡¯m Loria.¡± ¡°¡­You know that¡¯s not what I meant.¡± She smiled as if finding Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s hardened expression amusing, tilting her head several times as if contemting something before shrugging lightly and answering. ¡°Well, since you¡¯ve figured it out, let me exin ¨C I¡¯m someone who really wants you dead. Ah~ What a shame. If I had control from the moment you first arrived and sent that letter, I could have killed you without all this hassle. But I gave you a bit too much leeway- Well-¡± Loria spoke while looking at Kim Hyunwoo. ¡°If I hadn¡¯t given in, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to summon you anyway, so I guess it doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Kim Hyunwoo was focusing on her words, trying to piece together the current situation from the clues she provided. However. ¡°Well, even so, I¡¯ve done everything I needed to by dragging it out this long.¡± She smiled as ifpletely satisfied with the current situation. ¡°It was a bit close, but I managed to drag it out as much as possible, and I¡¯ve finished all my preparations. Plus, I¡¯ve gotten a pretty decent body.¡± With those words, she raised her hand and grabbed the empty air. Crack-! The world began to shatter like a lie. Kim Hyunwoo felt a strange sense of overwhelm, as if the entire world was breaking apart, but the girl who caused all this did so with a mischievous smile. ¡°Since it¡¯s a contract, I won¡¯t kill you. Though, technically, I can¡¯t.¡± With those final words. ¡°Well then, see you next time.¡± Loria pushed her body into the fissure she had shattered open. As soon as Loria, who had been speaking just moments ago, disappeared into the empty abyss. Whoosh-! ¡°¡­!¡± Kim Hyunwoo heard the Hero King¡¯s voice, who was now hugging him tightly, crying with gratitude. Shortly after that. Kim Hyunwoo, seeing that the Hero King was still unsteady and not fully recovered, gave her the room she used to stay in and instructed her to rest. Soon after the Hero King left the office, Kim Hyunwoo called out her name. ¡°¡­Loria.¡± Of course, there was no answer. ¡°Estate window.¡± Territory: Lartania Territory Development Level: 5012 Poption: [Humans: 39,244] ¨CSecondary Buildings¨C [Magical Engineering Research Institute] ¨CSub-buildings¨C ?? [Magical Engineering Power nt (Under Construction 10%)] ?? [Magical Engineering Weapons Research Institute (Under Construction 0%)] ?? [Magical Engineering Refinery (Under Construction 5%)] ¨COwned Buildings¨C [Lord¡¯s Castle LV4] (Under Construction 0%)] [City Wall LV5] [Residential District LV5] [cksmith LV5] [Barracks LV5] [Tavern LV5] [Market LV5] [Lumber Mill LV5] [Restaurant LV5] [Tannery LV5] [Stone Processing Facility LV5] [Trading Post LV5] [Secondary City Wall LV5] [Inn LV5] [Administrative District LV5] [Paved Road LV5] ¨CExternal Buildings¨C [Mercenary Guild LV1] [Wizard¡¯s Tower Branch LV1] [cksmith Guild Branch LV1] ¨COwned Forces¨C ? Common Soldiers: 1,000 ? Swordsmen: 500 ? Guards: 700 ? Apprentice Knights: 200 He spoke, just in case, and the territory window immediately appeared. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Kim Hyunwoo stared at the territory window for a while, then closed it, calmly recalling what Loria had said earlier. In fact, it wasn¡¯t too difficult to make a deduction. If Kim Hyunwoo had listened to Loria¡¯s story without any prior information, he would have been dumbfounded, but he had already heard some things from the Blue Merchant and the Red Merchant. ¡®I¡¯m not sure which side Loria is on, but it seems like it¡¯s connected to that story.¡¯ However, the reason Kim Hyunwoo continued to ponder was that there were still some unresolved questions from what she had said. ¡°Control and contract, a contract¡­¡± Kim Hyunwoo muttered to himself. Loria had brought up the contract several times while speaking to him, expressing regret. What exactly was that contract? After pondering for a while, Kim Hyunwoo let out a deep sigh, realizing that he needed more information to make further progress. So instead of continuing his deductions, he began to think about the territory penalty that appears when recruiting a hero. ¡®Was the territory penalty something Loria deliberately disyed to stall for time?¡¯ In Arteil, there had always been territory penalties based on a hero¡¯s disposition or rtionships, so Kim Hyunwoo had firmly believed in the territory penalties that appeared before him. But what if those territory penalties were something Loria manipted to appear? What if there were no real issues with epting a hero? ¡®This is something I need to verify.¡¯ After a moment of thought, Kim Hyunwoo stood up without hesitation. ¡­This was a problem he could experiment with. Unlike when they first watched the Hero King with a calm heart, Merilda and Rin were gradually bing anxious about how Kim Hyunwoo was treating her. ¡°¡­¡­¡± It was because the Hero King had entered the Lord¡¯s castle and hadn¡¯te out even after a very long time. Merilda and Rin, who had assumed that Charyll, the Hero King, would be in a simr situation as themselves by now, were getting increasingly nervous as Charyll remained inside for such a long time. At that moment. ¡°¡­!¡± The Hero King emerged from Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s room. At the same time, seeing Charyll crying, Merilda and Rin let out a sigh of relief, even though their formerpanion was sobbing bitterly. ¡°Phew-¡± ¡°Hah¡­¡± ¡°Right, of course, that wouldn¡¯t happen¡­ If even I couldn¡¯t, how could a demon¡­?¡± They thought, their expressions finally rxing as if a burden had been lifted. ¡°¡­¡­¡± However, Giral and Loriel, who were watching Merilda and Rin, had somewhat ambiguous expressions, but in the end, after seeing Charyll cry, the two nervously sat back down, relieved. ¡°¡­Still, shouldn¡¯t wefort her since she¡¯s crying?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Just as Merilda and Rin were hiding their dark feelings while talking. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Their conversation suddenly stopped. The reason was that Charyll wasn¡¯t moving towards the exit of the Lord¡¯s castle. ¡°¡­??¡± So the two, feeling puzzled, soon realized that Charyll was heading not to her original room but to another ce, and after a little time passed. ¡°Uh¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­?¡± ¡°¡­¡­????????¡± Merilda and Rin could see it. The Hero King wasn¡¯t leaving the Lord¡¯s castle but was entering a room on the third floor, used by heroes. At that moment, seeing this, Merilda and Rin¡¯s minds shattered, leaving them with nk expressions. ¡°Th-this¡­this is ridiculous¡­¡± ¡°This is impossible¡­this¡­¡± At some point, tears began to well up in her eyes. ¡°¡­Master? There¡¯s a message from the King.¡± Loriel, who had been quiet until a moment ago, noticed the resonance of the red magic orb and spoke quietly. But seeing that Rin was not responding at all, Loriel had no choice but to pick up the magic orb to inform them of her Master¡¯s absence. [¡­Loriel?] ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Is the Absolute Ruler of Darkness there by any chance?¡± ¡°My Master is currently unable to take any messages.¡± ¡°R-really? That¡¯s a big problem.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the issue?¡± ¡°It seems the Lord of Lartania wishes to meet the Absolute Ruler of Darkness.¡± ¡°Really!?¡± At Sasha¡¯s words, Ein, who had been crying just a moment ago, quickly shoved her face into the magic orb. [Ah, yes¡­if possible, they would like to meet you soon.] Sasha spoke with a flustered expression. In response, Rin, as if forgetting that she had been crying just a moment ago, began to smile. ¡°He¡­heehee¡­hehe¡­¡± ¡°Bo-Boss¡­?¡± Merilda was shattered. Chapter 151: Return (3) Pakkin! Unlike Merilda, who shattered with a cracking sound, the Absolute Ruler of Darkness¡¯s mind was swirling withplex emotions. That was because, while she was very pleased with the news that Kim Hyunwoo had summoned her, she had no idea what would be discussed. ¡­Of course, the Absolute Ruler of Darkness had certain expectations. It would be a lie to say there were none. After all, Rin had just witnessed the Hero King being epted by Kim Hyunwoo right in front of her eyes. So, while there were definitely expectations, Rin also felt a bit scared about meeting Kim Hyunwoo. After all, just a few weeks ago, Rin had been coldly rejected by him. Of course, she now knew that it was due to external factors like the prohibition, but that didn¡¯t mean the impact from that time waspletely gone, so she spoke to Sasha with eyes that held a mix of joy, confusion, slight fear, and hope. ¡°Tell him we can go right now, immediately!¡± [Ah, um¡­I¡¯ve already mentioned that the Absolute Ruler of Darkness is in the Cn Kingdom¡­ Shall I say that we¡¯re nearby and can head there immediately?] ¡°Y-yes, do that-! Ah, no, wait¡­ Is that not right¡­?¡± Seeing Rin speak so hastily that she bit her tongue and then be confused, Loriel let out a light sigh and spoke. ¡°Master, how about we say we¡¯re coincidentally nearby but wait a day before proceeding?¡± ¡°Yes, let¡¯s do that.¡± At Loriel¡¯s words, Rin, who had been thinking with a confused mind, nodded. ¡°Then first-¡± Seeing her, Loriel thought for a moment and began to devise a scenario that would seem natural at the present moment. Around that time. ¡°He¡­ Hehe¡­ Huh¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°He¡­ Hehe¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Giral looked sorrowfully at his Boss, who had shattered pitifully before he could do anything. With teary eyes and a forlorn expression, Merilda, who was staring at the Lord¡¯s castle, looked exactly like a puppy that had been abandoned by its master. But there wasn¡¯t much Giral could do for her right now, so he began to speak, trying to take care of the broken-hearted Merilda. ¡°¡­Boss, it might be best to pull yourself together and think calmly for now.¡± ¡°He¡­ Hehe¡­ Hrk¡­¡± Of course, even if Giral spoke in care of her, Merilda¡¯s shattered heart would not heal¡­ And at that moment. Adria, who had earlier confirmed the Hero King entering the Lord¡¯s castle with Merilda and Rin, and also verified her being epted as a hero of Lartania¡¯s territory, remained silent. More precisely. [I-I want to go-] [No, you can¡¯t, Dragon Lord, you still have a few months left.] [I want to go I want to go I want to go I want to go I want to go I want to go I want to go I want to go I want to go I want to go I want to go I want to go I want to go I want to go I want to go I want to go I want to go I want to go I want to go I want to go I want to go I want to go I want to go I want to go I want to go I want to go I want to go I want to go-] ¡°¡­¡­¡± Internally, she was desperately trying to calm down the Crimson Dragon. ¡°Dragon Lord, didn¡¯t you say just watching from a distance was finest time¡­!?¡± Adria¡¯s words. [I want to go I want to go I want to go I want to go I want to go I want to go I want to go I want to go I want to go I want to go I want to go I want to go I want to go I want to go I want to go I want to go-] But it seemed the Crimson Dragon wasn¡¯t listening to her anymore, and she let out a deep sigh. And while Loriel, Giral, and Adria were busy taking care of their superiors. On the eastern side of the Continent, in the Eastern n Alliance- ¡°Is everything ready?¡± ¡°Everything is finished.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± -Durandor, hearing his secretary¡¯s report, smiled as he got up from his seat and moved towards the terrace. As he moved toward the terrace, the scenery below was so mystical that anyone who believed in the divine would naturally be awestruck. For right outside the terrace where Durandor was looking, there were angels filling the sky. More precisely, an army of angels was stationed in Durandor¡¯s territory. With holy wings on their backs, the angels scattered sacred light, as if to prove to the world that they had been chosen by the divine. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Durandor, watching them, soon spoke with a slight smile. ¡°What about the army, excluding the angels?¡± ¡°They are also ready. As soon as you give the order, they will move out.¡± The secretary spoke while bowing his head. Nodding in satisfaction at his secretary¡¯s response, Durandor turned his gaze back to the terrace, watching the angels flying in the sky. ¡°Then, let¡¯s move out immediately.¡± He said those words with a faint smile. ¡°All of this is solely for one being-¡± He quietly muttered those words. And the next day. The angels began to fly towards the Lartania domain. ¡°Whew-¡± Rin looked at the Lord¡¯s castle with a tense expression. She had entered the Lord¡¯s castle quite a few times before, but she had never been formally (?) invited like this, so she was extremely nervous, repeatedly taking deep breaths to steel her resolve. After about 30 minutes of strangely circling near the Lord¡¯s castle, trying to muster up her resolve, she finally stepped inside with a determined look. ¡°You¡¯ve arrived?¡± ¡°Ah, um¡­ Yes, I happened to be nearby¡­¡± The moment she met Kim Hyunwoo, Rin bit her tongue, and immediately ran to the terrace, seriously contemting whether she should just die. ¡°First, have a seat.¡± But Kim Hyunwoo, as if to show consideration, didn¡¯t mention anything about her biting her tongue and naturally offered her a seat. ¡°Ah, yes, I¡¯ll sit.¡± Grateful for Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s consideration, Rin sat down. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Once seated, neither of them spoke. Rin was constantly gauging Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s reactions, memorizing the manual she had prepared with Loriel on how to respond to anything he might say. Kim Hyunwoo, on the other hand, seemed to be deeply contemting something, repeatedly humming as he thought. And, in that situation, the first to speak was. ¡°Hmm hmm-¡± It was Kim Hyunwoo. He cleared his throat awkwardly, as if he were about to say something difficult, and looked at Rin as he spoke. ¡°Actually, before we get into the reason I called you today, there¡¯s something else I wanted to talk about. I¡¯ve been thinking about it for a while, and I think it¡¯s better to discuss it first.¡± ¡°What, what is it?¡± Seeing Rin¡¯s slightly tense expression, Kim Hyunwoo made a subtle sound, then cleared his throat as if topose himself. ¡°Well, remember that time? When you came to see me at night.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± The Absolute Ruler of Darkness froze the moment those words came out of Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s mouth. It was understandable, as that night had been a traumatic experience for Rin. ¡°Th-that¡­¡± Of course, she had prepared some half-baked excuses with Loriel just in case this came up, but when she tried to voice them, she felt her breath catch, and her mind went nk. However. ¡°¡­The reason that didn¡¯t happen that night was really because of the prohibition, so please don¡¯t misunderstand.¡± At Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s following words, Rin momentarily had a nk expression. ¡°I figured it might bother you, so I wanted to say that.¡± Even before the prohibition was lifted, Kim Hyunwoo had known why Rin hade to him that night and had an idea of why she had run (?) away at the end. And because he was fully aware that the situation could have been traumatic for her, he wanted to address that part properly before getting into the main topic. So, even though this conversation might seem a bit random and embarrassing, he had brought it up. The Absolute Ruler of Darkness, who had been listening to those words. ¡°Th-then, could I perhaps-¡± ¡°Perhaps¡­?¡± ¡°Could I¡­confirm it?¡± She unconsciously blurted out those words. ¡°Confirm¡­?¡± Seeing Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s bewildered expression, Rin realized she had made yet another absurd mistake. The Absolute Ruler of Darkness tried to open her mouth to quickly take back what she had said. ¡°¡­¡­¡± But she soon shut her mouth tightly. She knew very well that it was absurd to say she wanted to confirm it. But, funnily enough, even though she knew it was absurd, she really wanted to confirm it. That night, Rin had indeed experienced no physical reactions (?) and had suffered a significant trauma while looking at Kim Hyunwoo. Therefore. ¡°If¡­if it¡¯s okay¡­I would like¡­ to confirm it¡­¡± The Absolute Ruler of Darkness, blushing, turned her head slightly and spoke, while Kim Hyunwoo made a very awkward expression. ¡°If¡­you want to¡­¡± Eventually, he muttered as if he couldn¡¯t help it, with an extremely troubled look. Chapter 152: Return (4) Surprisingly, the confirmation (?) was over quickly. ¡°De-definitely¡­that¡¯s true.¡± Seeing Rin¡¯s face turn so red that she even stuttered, Kim Hyunwoo cleared his throat awkwardly and spoke. ¡°I told you¡­¡± He tried to maintain hisposure, but as someone who had never spent time with a woman, it was a very stimting (?) experience, so Kim Hyunwoo remained silent for a while. ¡°Hmm hmm-¡± It took him a little time, but thankfully, he was able to regain hisposure and speak. ¡°First, I¡¯ve said everything I wanted to, so I¡¯d like to get to the main point. Is that okay?¡± ¡°Of-of course!¡± Seeing Rin nodding vigorously at his words, Kim Hyunwoo wondered where he should start. ¡°¡­First, I think I need to exin the situation before talking about this part.¡± With that, he began to exin the current situation to Rin, step by step. He started with how he was under a prohibition, and then moved on to how he met all the previous heroes of Lartania, only for absurdly high infamy points to prevent him from recruiting them. As he began recounting everything, Rin, who had been tense at first, gradually adopted a serious expression as she listened to Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s story. ¡°¡­So, with Loria gone, I called you to see if penalties would still apply.¡± ¡°Indeed, I understand what¡¯s going on now.¡± After some time had passed, and Kim Hyunwoo had finished exining everything about Loria, Rin nodded in understanding as he exined why he had called her. [¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î Would you like to offer recruitment to the hero ''Absolute Ruler of Darkness''? Y/N] A notification window popped up in front of Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s eyes. [¡ùNote: epting this hero into your territory may result in hostile territories, guilds, or nations] [Norba Kingdom Affinity: -12] [Eastern n Alliance Affinity: -23] [Mage Tower Affinity: -17] [Tesnoka Territory Affinity: -18] [Mn Territory Affinity: -22] [Hyran Territory Affinity: -28] [Ron Territory Affinity: -15] [Bloa Territory Affinity: -31] [Shtia Territory Affinity: -13] [Mandia Territory Affinity: -22] [Mihn Territory Affinity: -14] .... ... .. . [M Alliance Affinity: -11] Notification windows scrolled in front of him. But what appeared was simply a notification about territory rtions. Unlike before, there were no messages about Rin¡¯s identity being revealed, leading to a drop in territory influx, or other heroes turning hostile toward her. The notification window in front of Kim Hyunwoo was simply showing the territory rtionship, nothing more. He tried scrolling the window up or down, just in case, but seeing no movement, Kim Hyunwoo realized that Loria had indeed tampered with the notifications. ¡°Thanks for helping me confirm¡­?¡± Just as Kim Hyunwoo, having finished confirming, smiled and spoke. He saw it. Rin was staring at him with a look of great expectation on her face. Kim Hyunwoo, seeing her slightly overwhelming look of expectation, was momentarily taken aback but soon understood what she wanted. ¡°¡­Would you like to return to Lartania?¡± With one sentence from Kim Hyunwoo. Rin spoke with eyes that sparkled like a six-year-old receiving a Christmas present. ¡°I-is that really okay?¡± Her voice sounded both very joyful and somewhat pitiful. As if she couldn¡¯t believe the situation, she asked, and Kim Hyunwoo replied with a smile. ¡°Of course.¡± In fact, from Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s perspective, there was no reason not to ept Rin if she wanted to return to Lartania. Loria had made it tantly clear that she was plotting something before disappearing, and Kim Hyunwoo needed strength to counter her schemes. In such a situation, Rin¡¯s return was something Kim Hyunwoo would dly wee. Moreover, when Kim Hyunwoo had first rejected her recruitment offer, he had heard that Rin, like the Hero King, had suffered greatly. In short, from Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s perspective, he was willing to ept her, even if it meant some level of damage. So, Kim Hyunwoo gave that answer. ¡°Oh, bute to think of it¡­ Are you currently affiliated with the Cn Kingdom?¡± Remembering that she hade with Sasha, Kim Hyunwoo asked, and Rin, looking horrified, waved her hands. ¡°No, absolutely not! I was only helping the Cn Kingdom temporarily to gather some gifts; I¡¯m not affiliated with them!¡± ¡°Ah, I see.¡± Seeing her on the verge of tears, looking truly wronged, Kim Hyunwoo, somewhat flustered, answered and pressed the ¡®Y¡¯ button. [¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î You have recruited the hero ''Absolute Ruler of Darkness'' into the Lartania Territory!] As the second hero of the Round Table returned. The tears on Rin¡¯s face, which had been there moments ago, were reced with a beaming smile. After recruiting Rin into Lartania, Kim Hyunwoo sent her back to her room and began to ponder alone. ¡®What is Loria aiming for?¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo recalled Loria¡¯s face. Then, naturally, the words she had said came to mind one by one, and the first thing that came to mind was this: She had said that she had already stalled for enough time. ¡®I don¡¯t understand what that means.¡¯ In fact, given the circumstances, Kim Hyunwoo had a good idea of what Loria was after. If he carefully recalled what she had said, it was clear that Loria¡¯s goal was to prevent him from re-recruiting the heroes of the Round Table. But what he still couldn¡¯t understand was why she had said she had stalled for enough time. ¡®¡­Once the heroes are recruited, that¡¯s it. Or is there something else?¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo pondered. ¡®Or does it mean I won¡¯t have enough time to gather the other heroes properly? ¡­That could be one interpretation, but so far, all the heroes I¡¯ve met have liked me. Hmm¡­¡¯ After much contemtion, Kim Hyunwoo reached a conclusion. ¡®¡­Well, she seemed satisfied that she had stalled enough¡­ So it seems my job is to gather the heroes. Preferably, all of the Round Table heroes.¡¯ He concluded, but¡­ ¡®¡­I wonder where they all are.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo pondered. He hadn¡¯t seen the Crimson Dragon even once since he arrived here, and as for Merilda, although he sometimes met her at the Lord¡¯s castle (?), he had never had a proper conversation with her. ¡®I guess there¡¯s nothing I can do about the Crimson Dragon not showing up¡­ Should I ask the next time Merildaes to the castle?¡¯ While pondering, Kim Hyunwoo suddenly went ¡°Hmm?¡± as he thought of something. ¡®¡­Now that I think about it, didn¡¯t Adria say she was protected by the dragon? ¡­Though the Crimson Dragon is a half-human, half-dragon.¡¯ After thinking for a moment, Kim Hyunwoo called a guard to summon Adria without hesitation. He thought that it wouldn¡¯t hurt to ask her at least once. To be honest, Loriel didn¡¯t really have much hope that things would go smoothly just because Rin had entered the Lord¡¯s castle. Maybe if something had gone well before, it would be different, but so far, nothing had gone smoothly when it came to the Lord of Lartania. So, when Loriel met Rin this time without any particr expectations, she couldn¡¯t help but widen her eyes in surprise. The reason was that, despite the conversation not being very long, Rin had sessfully returned to Lartania. At first, Loriel stared in disbelief. ¡°Congrattions, Master¡­!¡± With a truly heartwarming expression, she said this to Rin with a smile. ¡°¡­Master?¡± ¡°Ah, yes? Ah, right, that¡¯s true-¡± But Rin, who should have been happier than anyone else, muttered with little reaction, despite Loriel¡¯s excitement. ¡°¡­?¡± As Loriel made a puzzled expression, Rin, who had been spacing out as if entranced, suddenly stretched out her thumb and ring finger and looked at her hand with a very subtle expression several times. ¡°¡­??¡± Ignoring Loriel¡¯s confused expression, Rin continued to look at her hand, tilting her head. ¡°I-I think it was about this much¡­¡± Muttering as if groping for something, she soon brought her elongated fingers to her lower abdomen. Her hand pressed against the tight-fitting clothes. And then. Realizing that her thumb and ring finger could connect her lower abdomen to her crotch, Rin muttered with a clearly reddened face. ¡°Ah, it didn¡¯t seem like it would fit¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Loriel, upon realizing what Rin was talking about, looked at her with a speechless expression. Chapter 153: Return (5) Loriel began to seriously wonder how a simple celebration of her Master¡¯s return had turned into this situation. ¡®We were definitely celebrating Master¡¯s return together¡­ Then Master suddenly lost focus and stretched out her fingers¡­¡¯ Realizing why she was thinking about this, Loriel first responded to Rin¡¯s words. ¡°¡­So, that¡¯s how big it is.¡± ¡°Y-yes, that¡¯s right. B-but isn¡¯t this abnormallyrge?¡± Seeing Rin look dizzy while staring at her own hand, Loriel too wore a simrly dizzy expression. After all, before this conversation started, Loriel had heard from Rin about what had happened. ¡®Whether it¡¯s asking to touch it because you can¡¯t believe it, or actually letting someone touch it¡­¡¯ After briefly thinking that neither is normal, she spoke to Rin, who seemed to be starting a new worry (?) even though her long-held wishes had been fulfilled. ¡°¡­It is big, indeed.¡± Loriel, who was reluctantly made aware of Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s size (?), mumbled with a slightly sour expression. ¡°But even so¡­it shouldn¡¯t cause any problems.¡± ¡°R-really?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°It¡¯s this big, though?¡± Seeing Lin¡¯s expression, which seemed to ask, ¡®Is that really true?¡¯, Loriel responded. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Simr things fit too.¡± ¡°It f-fits?¡± ¡°Yes. It fits.¡± ¡°Th-then, how do you know that?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Loriel, who had been speaking well, suddenly closed her mouth. It was because she couldn¡¯t bring herself to say, ¡®I know because I¡¯ve seen and experienced it firsthand¡¯, in response to Rin¡¯s question. Besides, Loriel thought that Rin might be exaggerating a bit. After all, the size Rin had mentioned wasrger than what Loriel had recently learned about another species. ¡®¡­Could humans be bigger than beastfolk?¡¯ Turning her gaze elsewhere, Loriel cleared her throat unnecessarily and looked off into the distance as she spoke. ¡°Ah, anyway¡­it fits.¡± ¡°I-I see¡­¡± Seeing Rin¡¯sck of further questioning, as if she had asked out of pure curiosity without the intent to probe further, Loriel cleared her throat and spoke. ¡°But Master, what should we do now?¡± ¡°What part are you referring to?¡± ¡°Now that you¡¯re no longer in the Cn Kingdom, we don¡¯t have any reason to stay there either.¡± Loriel had been active under the name ¡°Five Swords of Cn¡±, but the only reason she was in the Cn Kingdom was because of Rin. The same was true for the other heroes. The cumbersome title ¡°Five Swords of Cn¡± was merely a convenience for carrying out tasks within the Cn Kingdom, and they had no emotional attachment to the Kingdom. So when Loriel asked, Rin, who had been confused just moments before, quickly calmed her expression and began to think seriously. ¡°¡­First, gather everyone and collect their opinions. You all always follow me, but your opinions might differ.¡± She soon said those words. ¡°Understood.¡± With that, Loriel bowed her head and left the room. In the depths of the abyss. Loria was walking in that ce, where one couldn¡¯t tell up from down, in pitch-ck darkness. With a yful smile on her lips, she walked through the empty abyss and soon arrived at a massive door. Despite the ce being seemingly empty, the massive door, with a huge tree engraved on it, appeared as if it had been waiting for her when she stopped. When Loria lightly ced her hand on the door. Rumble¡­! The massive door began to open with a loud rumble, as if resonating with her touch. And beyond the opened door, there was nothing. Just like the abyss she had walked through, there was nothing visible but endless ckness, with nothing special in sight. Yet, despite that, Loria stepped into the dark mire without hesitation, as if this was the correct path. Crack! As soon as she entered, a cracking sound echoed, and the abyss before her began to slowly disappear. As if it had always been meant to happen, the darkness receded, revealing the chamber beyond the door. There was nothing in that chamber. All that remained were the floors, which had been shattered and cracked over thousands of years, and the round table on it. And the man in massive armor sitting on it. Loria approached with a smile. The armored man did not move. However. [Why have you awakened me from my long slumber?] He simply opened his mouth and spoke, to which Loria responded with a smile. ¡°I thought we could make a deal.¡± [It¡¯s the first time a ragtag like you has asked for a deal.] ¡°Don¡¯t be so prickly. This is a very good offer for you too. In fact, it¡¯s an offer you¡¯re sure to ept.¡± [¡­¡­] The armored man looked up at Loria without a word. As if to hear what her proposal was. At the same time, he grasped the sword beside the round table. A clear expression of intent to attack if he didn¡¯t like what Loria was about to say. But even in the face of that, Loria remainedpletely unfazed, smiling leisurely. ¡°I¡¯ll let you out. From this ce.¡± [What?] ¡°You won¡¯t ask how, right? With your eyes, you can see exactly how I¡¯ll get you out of here.¡± The armored man did not respond. Indeed, his eyes could see exactly how Loria nned to release him. Therefore. [¡­What is your goal?] The man quietly asked. ¡°I¡¯d rather keep that hidden. But I promise you, I¡¯m not going to use you as a pawn. What I want is simr to your goal, but different.¡± With that, Loria gave her answer. ¡°So you just need to go back out and achieve your goal. The Kingdom of the Otherworld.¡± Smiling, she made that proposal. The next day. Kim Hyunwoo, who had stayed here for several days, summoned Adria, who had also been staying here for quite some time. ¡°You look especially tired today.¡± ¡°Haha¡­ I¡¯ve been busy with work. So I¡¯ve ended up staying in Lartania a bit longer.¡± ¡°Feel free to stay as long as you like.¡± A simple greeting. Although, in truth, Adria didn¡¯t look very well¡­ As Kim Hyunwoo thought that, he looked at Adria, who then asked. ¡°So, what brings you to call me today?¡± At Adria¡¯s question, Kim Hyunwoo hesitated for a moment before speaking. ¡°Actually, I wanted to ask¡­ The one who protects the Tienus Merchant Group is a Red Dragon, right?¡± ¡°Ah, yes. That¡¯s correct, but why do you ask¡­?¡± At Adria¡¯s question, Kim Hyunwoo took a moment to gather his thoughts before speaking. ¡°I think I mentioned it to you once before. Do you remember? There was a half-human, half-dragon hero in Lartania.¡± ¡°Yes? Ah, yes, that¡¯s right.¡± Adria, who had a slightly dazed expression at Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s words, quickly responded. Kim Hyunwoo felt a bit puzzled by her reaction but continued speaking. ¡°If it¡¯s not too much trouble, could you ask that Dragon, your guardian, about the half-human, half-dragon? Although I¡¯m not sure how your guardian might feel about a half-dragon, since she¡¯s a full Dragon.¡± At Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s words, Adria had a dazed expression for a moment before quickly regaining herposure, clearing her throat as she replied. ¡°Uh¡­um, it¡¯s not a difficult request. My Guardian isn¡¯t as overbearing as other Dragons. But- may I ask why you¡¯re looking for Her?¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s just that if I could meet him again, there¡¯s a lot I¡¯d like to discuss.¡± Kim Hyunwoo paused after saying that, thinking for a moment before speaking again. ¡°To be more blunt, I¡¯m thinking of offering to re-recruit her.¡± ¡°Re-recruitment?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s a bitplicated to exin everything, so I might not be able to tell you the full story, but that¡¯s the situation, and I¡¯m trying to find her quickly.¡± ¡°I-I see. Ah, understood. I¡¯ll ask Her right away.¡± Seeing Adria¡¯s bright smile mixed with a confused expression, Kim Hyunwoo nodded and spoke as if something had juste to mind. ¡°Oh, and.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t something I¡¯d ask your guardian, but rather you personally. Do you happen to know anything about the Beast King?¡± ¡°The Beast¡­King?¡± And then. ¡°Yes, she was also affiliated with the Lartania territory, so I¡¯m trying to re-recruit her and find out where she-¡± Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s sentence was cut off. It was because, before he could finish- Crash!!! Merilda crashed through the window and rolled into the office. ¡°¡­?¡± Chapter 154: Raid...? (1) While pondering what to do about the situation, he felt a sense of emptiness as he watched Merilda suddenly charge in without thinking. Crash!!! ¡­She didn¡¯t even use the open terrace door but instead broke through the window. Seeing this, Ryu involuntarily closed her eyes, feeling dizzy. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Naturally, Giral, who was watching from the side, felt the same way. Of course, both Giral and Ryu had been listening to Kim Hyunwoo from a distance. They heard him talking about gathering all the former heroes of Lartania and asking about Merilda¡¯s whereabouts, though they didn¡¯t know why. To be precise, before he could even ask where Merilda was, she had already broken through the window and entered, leaving no time for proper conversation. In this situation, the two could only shut their eyes tightly. Of course, they weren¡¯t the only ones feeling bewildered. ¡°¡­Merilda?¡± Kim Hyunwoo, who had been talking, also looked at Merilda in shock as she crashed through the window. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Adria, who knew Merilda was on the other side of the hill, also couldn¡¯t have imagined she would break through the window just as her name was mentioned, especially before the conversation had even ended. And above all. ¡°¡­Master! I-I¡¯m here¡­now.¡± Unable to hold back, she broke through the window, but as soon as she realized what she had done, her face turned pale with embarrassment, leaving Merilda equally flustered. Ironically, the culprit behind all this, Merilda, felt her mind go nk as she saw Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s dumbfounded expression. ¡°Uh, ah, I mean, it¡¯s just-¡± She began to ramble incoherently, then realized she had just broken through the window. ¡°Uh, uh, I¡¯m sorry, Master¡­I was in such a hurry that I made a mistake, yes.¡± She then lifted the cross-shaped window frame that had remained intact despite the ss shattering, carefully cing it back where she had broken it. ¡­Of course, trying to fix the cross-shaped window frame was pointless, and even if she managed to reattach it, the shattered ss made it ineffective. However, in her panic, she diligently tried to fit the frame back in ce. Thud-! Crack-! As soon as she let go of the frame after setting it in ce, it fell right through the window. Kim Hyunwoo and Adria could only watch in disbelief. And then. ¡°S-sorry¡­Master, please don¡¯t abandon me¡­¡± ¡°Uh, uh¡­?¡± ¡­Merilda suddenly began crying in a panic, so Kim Hyunwoo had to force his mind to start working again. In the end, Kim Hyunwoo quickly sent Adria away and spent a long time calming down Merilda, who was crying uncontrobly by the broken window. ¡°¡­Are you feeling better now?¡± ¡°Thank you, Master¡­I¡¯m okay now.¡± Kim Hyunwoo, noticing that Merilda¡¯s face had turned red as she realized what she had done, sat down awkwardly in front of her. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Silence. Kim Hyunwoo felt a strange sense that meetings with the former heroes of Lartania always seemed to end up like this. He looked at Merilda, whose face was now bright red, and thought absentmindedly. ¡®She¡¯s pretty.¡¯ Merilda was indeed beautiful. Ten years ago, Kim Hyunwoo might have lost in the gacha, but he had chosen this hero because of her looks, which perfectly matched his tastes. As he recalled this, Kim Hyunwoo also remembered just how powerful the restrictions ced on him had been. ¡°Um, Master.¡± Merilda spoke. ¡°Yes, go ahead.¡± Kim Hyunwoo spokefortably. Merilda hesitated for a moment, ncing around nervously, then spoke. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± ¡°For what?¡± ¡°For breaking the window¡­¡± Kim Hyunwoo noticed how her ears drooped as she nced at the window, clearly disheartened, and he wondered if she had always had this personality. [The ''Beast King'' is angry because you did not give her a gift!] [The ''Beast King'' scoffs because you did not give her a gift] [The ''Beast King'' is angry because you did not give her a gift!] [The ''Beast King'' scoffs because you did not give her a gift] [The ''Beast King'' is angry because you did not give her a gift!] [The ''Beast King'' scoffs because you did not give her a gift] .... ... .. ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ Although he had never actually spoken with her, he recalled the notifications that constantly tormented him in the game, reminding him that her personality was anything but weak. So he spoke. ¡°It¡¯s no big deal. We can just rece the window.¡± ¡°R-really¡­?¡± Though her mood seemed to improve a bit, Kim Hyunwoo noticed her ears hadn¡¯t perked up yet and wondered where to start. ¡®Originally, I nned to bring up the recruitment topic as soon as I met Merilda.¡¯ But at that moment, Merilda looked utterly defeated. In other words, it didn¡¯t seem like the right time to discuss recruitment, so Kim Hyunwoo hesitated. ¡°Um, Master¡­¡± ¡°Yes, what is it?¡± ¡°I heard you were looking for me¡­¡± ¡°Oh, now that you mention it¡­¡± Kim Hyunwoo thought for a moment, then asked curiously. ¡°How did you know?¡± ¡°Ah, well¡­you see¡­¡± Merilda nced around nervously. ¡°Speak freely. I¡¯m not going to do anything.¡± Kim Hyunwoo, feeling sorry for her as her ears drooped, spoke, and she nced around with her red eyes before speaking. ¡°I heard it¡­from outside.¡± ¡°¡­From outside¡­?¡± ¡°Over there, on the hill¡­¡± Kim Hyunwoo followed Merilda¡¯s gaze and saw the cliff that overlooked the territory from the hill. ¡°You heard it from there?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°You have good ears.¡± Kim Hyunwoomented, impressed. ¡°So you just happened to overhear it while passing by?¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not it.¡± ¡°Then?¡± ¡°¡­I was up there.¡± ¡°You were there? When?¡± Merilda hesitated, her red eyes darting around, before stammering out a response. ¡°I-it¡¯s been¡­over half a year now¡­¡± ¡°¡­Huh?¡± ¡°No, actually¡­if you calcte it exactly, it¡¯s been about nine months¡­¡± Kim Hyunwoo calmly calcted the months in his head and then stared nkly. After all, nine months was exactly how long it had been since he first fell into the world of Arteil. ¡°¡­So from the very beginning?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°Why?¡± Kim Hyunwoo asked, unable to understand. After all, there was no reason for Merilda to sit up there for nine months watching Lartania. Even if her feelings were the same as before, sitting there for nine months would have been incredibly difficult. Seeing Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s puzzled expression, Merilda cautiously continued. ¡°¡­I wanted toe back¡­but I couldn¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°So¡­¡± As she spoke, Merilda suddenly grabbed Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s hand. ¡°M-Master¡­! Please take me back¡­just once more¡­! Okay? I¡¯ve grown up now, I won¡¯t ask for gifts anymore¡­!¡± She began to speak. ¡°Even on my birthday, I don¡¯t need a gift¡­! Just being by your side is enough for me¡­!¡± She continued. ¡°I won¡¯t say anything if you give gifts to other heroes¡­! I won¡¯t even show it¡­! So, okay¡­? Just once¡­¡± She kept pleading. ¡°Can¡¯t you take me back, just this once?¡± Tears had welled up in Merilda¡¯s eyes, which had seemed calm moments before. Her ears were folded back, and her tail drooped, reflecting her feelings. Seeing her like this, Kim Hyunwoo felt his guilt multiply several times over and involuntarily closed his eyes, feeling dizzy. It was the same with Charyll; Kim Hyunwoo had never wanted them to suffer like this. At the same time, Kim Hyunwoo realized that he had been thinking of this world from an overly omniscient perspective. And he realized that this sense was slowly fading as he re-recruited the former heroes one by one. Therefore. [¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î Would you like to offer recruitment to the hero ''Beast King''? Y/N] ¡°¡­Don¡¯t worry, even if I can¡¯t always give you gifts, I¡¯ll make sure to get you something on your birthday.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± With those words, Kim Hyunwoo epted her into the Lartania territory. As he smiled at Merilda, whose expression had brightened and was now wagging her tail like a happy puppy, Kim Hyunwoo asked, ¡°Oh, by the way, Merilda. Do you know where the Crimson Dragon is?¡± ¡°I know!¡± ¡°Really? Where?¡± ¡°Adria?¡± ¡°Adria? ¡­The leader of the Tienus Merchant Group? The one who was here earlier?¡± ¡°Yes! That dragon is sharing a body with that woman!¡± ¡°¡­???¡± Soon, Kim Hyunwoo couldn¡¯t help but make a puzzled expression. Chapter 155: Raid...? (2) Kim Hyunwoo, wearing a nk expression, asked again. ¡°¡­So you¡¯re saying the merchant leader and the dragon are sharing a body?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, Master!¡± Kim Hyunwoo, with a puzzled expression, asked again to confirm, seeing Merilda¡¯s cheerful response. ¡°¡­Are you sure?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure!¡± As Merilda confidently answered, Kim Hyunwoo felt a mild confusion and several questions began to arise in his mind. He wondered why she hadn¡¯t bothered to tell him about this earlier. ¡®¡­Could it be that she doesn¡¯t particrly want to be re-recruited?¡¯ Thinking to himself, Kim Hyunwoo soon came to a tentative conclusion. After all, while Merilda, Rin, and Charyll wanted to return to Lartania, not all heroes would feel the same way. In fact, Kim Hyunwoo found it surprising that so many heroes had wanted to return. Therefore. ¡®So, this is¡­a rejection?¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo clicked his tongue in disappointment. Although his conversation with Adria hadn¡¯t concluded properly, if they were sharing a body, then the Crimson Dragon would have heard everything Kim Hyunwoo said. The fact that the dragon showed no particr reaction after hearing everything suggested that the dragon was either uninterested or against returning to Lartania. Kim Hyunwoo thought about this. ¡®I still want to talk it out, though.¡¯ ¡°Lord!¡± He was about to start another line of thought when Elena burst through the door, interrupting him. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Kim Hyunwoo asked as Elena, who had hurried inside, began to speak. However, she soon froze in the position she entered with a very ambiguous expression, leaving Kim Hyunwoo to tilt his head in confusion as he wondered why she was reacting that way. ¡°Ah.¡± He realized that the situation was a bit awkward. Merilda had ignored the intact chair across from her and was instead kneeling in front of Kim Hyunwoo with her face resting on his thigh. Kim Hyunwoo gently pushed Merilda¡¯s face away and gestured for her to speak. Elena, clearing her throat nervously, began to speak with a somewhat urgent expression. ¡°The Allied n has sent an army¡­!¡± ¡°¡­The Allied n, suddenly¡­?¡± ¡°Yes¡­!¡± Kim Hyunwoo frowned slightly at Elena¡¯s words. After all, there had been no interaction between the Eastern n Alliance and Lartania. In other words, there was no reason for them to be hostile toward each other. This left Kim Hyunwoo puzzled as to why the Allied n would suddenlyunch an attack at this time. ¡°¡­And the n¡¯s army includes angels.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Elena¡¯s follow-up made it easy for him to guess why the n was suddenly advancing on Lartania. ¡°How many are there?¡± ¡°There are at least a thousand angels.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Kim Hyunwoo involuntarily nodded at Elena¡¯s words. ¡®Angels are definitely troublesome.¡¯ When Kim Hyunwoo yed Arteil, there was a special event where he could use angels as troops, and the angels hemanded were nothing short of unbeatable. ¡®¡­Even basic angels could use holy power to create sword energy and could cast up to 3rd-circle spells.¡¯ In Arteil, angels were arguably the strongest troops avable. However, despite knowing how formidable angels were, Kim Hyunwoo didn¡¯t seem particrly concerned. If he had heard this news a few days ago, he might have been deeply troubled, but not now. Because the heroes had returned to Lartania. The heroes he had spent years of his life raising ¨C three of them, in fact. On top of that, these heroes had exceeded five stars, reaching an unprecedented 5.5-star level, which Kim Hyunwoo had already experienced upon entering Arteil. ¡®¡­But can three heroes handle that many angels and an entire army? Plus, Charyll doesn¡¯t seem to be in good health.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo, who had been unfazed, started to show a hint of concern. However. ¡°Master.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Kim Hyunwoo stopped thinking when Merilda, who had been kneeling in front of him moments ago, called out. ¡°Shall I take care of them all?¡± ¡°¡­There are more than I expected. Can you handle it?¡± ¡°If you order it, absolutely.¡± After hearing Merilda¡¯s confident words, Kim Hyunwoo hesitated briefly. ¡°¡­Just don¡¯t overdo it.¡± He said, and Merilda nodded with a bright smile, reassured by Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s concern. ¡°Yes!¡± The angel Erniel, who descended from the heavens to heed the celestialmand and punish those who would obstruct the birth of the Holy One, looked down at the army on the ground. Unlike the thousand-strong angelic force, the Allied n¡¯s army, numbering around ten thousand, was advancing with such intensity that any nearby lord or mercenary would feel overwhelmed just by looking at them. The overwhelming numbers advancing on Lartania were enough to cause significant pressure. But to Erniel, who was flying above the army, the soldiers below seemed insignificant. ¡®Why has the Holy One ordered us to wage this great war with such beings¡­?¡¯ Erniel wore a dissatisfied expression. She wasn¡¯t the only one. None of the angels flying above the army seemed to be pleased with this decision, all wearing simr expressions of discontent. From their perspective, it was enough for the angels alone to wage this great war. Of course, none of the angels disagreed with Durandor¡¯s assessment that Lartania¡¯s forces might be stronger than expected, but their dissatisfaction remained. Angels focus more on the significance of the battle than on the power bnce or justification. Thus, Erniel, the leader of the angels, held her own grievances about the situation, but she continued to advance with the army, knowing that the decision could not be overturned. Soon, as they neared Lartania, ¡°¡­?¡± Erniel saw them ¨C three figures standing in the army¡¯s path, with less than half a day left until they reached Lartania. In fact, Erniel had noticed them earlier but hadn¡¯t thought they were blocking the path. After all, three people couldn¡¯t possibly block an army of this size. But as the angels and the army approached, the three figures stood up and took their positions, and Erniel realized that they were indeed there to block the army¡¯s advance. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Erniel stared at them. Although they had risen from their positions, their expressions were unusually calm. They looked so ordinary that one might question whether they were really there to stop the army. Moreover, seeing them press their thumbs and index fingers to their lower abdomens with serious expressions would make anyone suppress augh. Even among the angels, some seemed to share Erniel¡¯s thoughts, as mockingughter echoed oddly with hints of anger. Soon after the angels noticed them, the army also spotted the three figures. A moment ago, those who had been pressing their fingers to their lower abdomens with serious expressions all turned to face the army. In the next moment, the beastfolk, whose face had been flushed as if drunk, stepped forward. And then. -Ahrang (Starving Wolf) As that small voice echoed in Erniel¡¯s ear, ¡°¡­?¡± A hole appeared in the center of the army. ¡°What¡­?¡± Erniel, unable to fullyprehend what had just happened, stared nkly at the ground while the screams of the army filled the air. ¡®What just happened?¡¯ Still wearing a confused expression, Erniel looked bewildered. However. ¡°L-Lady Erniel! Up above¡­!¡± When she snapped out of it at the sound of another angel¡¯s scream, ¡°¡­!¡± Erniel saw it. A massive sword, suspended in the air, aimed directly at the angels. ¡°Ah-¡± Only then did Erniel realize something had gone terribly wrong, and she gaped in shock. Boom-! The falling giant sword swept through the angels. Chapter 156: Raid...? (3) Erniel couldn¡¯t believe her eyes as the massive sword fell from the sky, but she quickly thought about how to deal with it and made a decision. ¡°Everyone, evade!¡± If they could block the absurdlyrge sword falling from the sky, the ground forces might avoid significant damage. But the problem was that the angels would need to use abined spell to block the falling sword, leaving them vulnerable to the enemy. And Erniel prioritized the lives of angels over humans. Ka-ga-ga-ga-ga-k! As soon as she gave the order, the angels scattered in all directions as if waiting for it. Erniel broke out in a cold sweat as she watched the sword continue to fall toward the angels below. The ground was filled with the unending screams of humans. ¡°What is this-¡± In such a situation, Erniel couldn¡¯t help but mutter. She also knew that Lartania possessed some level of unpredictable power. After all, it was because of that unpredictable power that the Holy One had asked the heavens to send 1,000 angels to the ground. But what she saw before her eyes was too close to a catastrophe to be dismissed as merely ¡®unpredictable power¡¯, so she frowned. In the next moment. ¡°¡­!¡± Erniel saw it. In that split second she hadn¡¯t noticed, a ck-haired girl holding a sword appeared before her, floating in midair. And then. ¡°So, you¡¯re the leader.¡± With those words. Crack! Erniel¡¯s consciousness was abruptly severed. After some time had passed, her consciousness, which had been forcibly submerged, resurfaced. ¡°Ugh-!¡± She winced in pain from the sharp ache in her head as she forced her eyes open. ¡°¡­Huh?¡± In the next moment, she could see it. A hellish scene spread out on the once-empty meadow. On one side, the bodies of the soldiers who had marched with the angels were piled up like a mountain, and the ground was soaked with their blood. Around these soldiersy the angels who had descended from the heavens with her, all fallen and dead on the ground. All with their wings broken. And in the middle of this hellish scene. ¡°Is it over now?¡± ¡°It¡¯s over.¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s finished.¡± They were standing there. ¡°So, it¡¯s over, so hand over the sword.¡± ¡°Why should I?¡± ¡°Huh? Because that sword is mine, obviously!¡± ¡°You¡¯re petty. Didn¡¯t I tell you? That¡¯s no artifact.¡± ¡°That¡¯s your problem, not mine.¡± ¡°Hmph, you broke all the stuff the Lord bought and then regretfully gathered the pieces, and now you¡¯re showing off.¡± ¡°¡­Are you done talking?¡± ¡°Fight here if you want, I¡¯m going to see the Master.¡± In the midst of this hell they had created, engaging in what could never be called a peaceful conversation, Erniel stared at them with a nk expression. At that moment. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°¡­!¡± As if sensing Erniel¡¯s gaze, Merilda, who had been speaking moments ago, turned to look at her. ¡°What the ¨C you¡¯re still alive? ¡­See, you can¡¯t even finish the job properly.¡± ¡°It was a mistake, just a mistake!¡± With a sigh, Merilda spoke, and Rin, blushing slightly, retorted, staring at her with an annoyed expression before drawing a sword from the shadows and approaching Erniel without hesitation. As Rin calmly approached to take her life, Erniel frowned but made no move. She had already realized. That at this point, no matter what she did, she couldn¡¯t avoid death or even escape from them. ¡°¡­You have no respect for life.¡± Realizing this, Erniel didn¡¯t beg for her life but instead spoke those words to Rin. ¡°What?¡± Seeing Rin frown as if she didn¡¯t understand, Erniel continued. ¡°I¡¯m saying you have no respect for life.¡± ¡°What, are you saying we should spare those who came to attack Him?¡± Merilda, hearing those words, wore an incredulous expression, but Erniel began to speak- ¡°No, that¡¯s not what I¡¯m saying.¡± ¡°Then what?¡± ¡°¡­At the very least, I¡¯m saying you should feel the weight of the lives you¡¯ve taken-¡± Thud! -She couldn¡¯t finish. Because Merilda, who had been standing far away just moments ago, had suddenly appeared and driven the sword Rin was about to draw into Erniel¡¯s heart instead. And then. ¡°You¡¯re noisy.¡± Erniel saw it ¨C the red, uncaring gaze fixed on her. ¡°Guh-¡± Seeing the utterck of guilt or concern in her eyes as she took life, Erniel spoke. ¡°¡­Don¡¯t think this ends with us. Now that we know of your existence, the Archangel will descend here.¡± Erniel dered this as if pronouncing a judgment. But Merilda listened indifferently to her words. ¡°Archangel or whatever, I don¡¯t care. What¡¯s important is whether or not you threaten the Master¡¯s life. And if anyone dares to-¡± Merilda¡¯s red eyes gleamed menacingly as she spoke. ¡°-They will die by my hand.¡± And with that, Erniel saw the two heroes behind Merilda staring at her. ¡°Even if it¡¯s a god.¡± And she let go of her consciousness. In the past, when ying Arteil, heroes were essential not only inbyrinths but also in wars. After all, the main content of Arteil wasbyrinths and wars. And in Arteil¡¯s war content, it was the heroes who ultimately determined the oue of battles. Heroes in Arteil possessed the power to crush overwhelming numbers with their sheer strength alone. But that didn¡¯t mean all of Arteil¡¯s war content was just about hero battles. After all, there were certainly strong units in the game, even if weaker than heroes, and plenty of items existed to weaken the power of heroes. Additionally, no matter how powerful a hero was, it was still challenging to deal with overwhelming numbers, so honestly, he was a bit worried. He had been worried, but¡­ ¡°¡­You dealt with them all?¡± ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Seeing Merilda wagging her tail enthusiastically with a ¡®Didn¡¯t I do well!?¡¯ expression, Kim Hyunwoo spoke with a curious look. ¡°¡­Are you okay?¡± ¡°Not a scratch!¡± Merilda proudly twirled around to show off her unharmed body. Indeed, Kim Hyunwoo couldn¡¯t spot any injuries, and he was once again reminded of how incredible a 5.5-star hero was. Seeing her eagerly perked ears, he patted her head. ¡°?¡± As soon as he started patting her head, her expression rxed, and she wagged her tail slightly. Kim Hyunwoo then turned his gaze to Rin and Charyll standing beside her. ¡°Thank you both for your hard work.¡± ¡°We only did what was necessary.¡± ¡°Same here.¡± Nodding as if it was obvious, they both subtly shifted their gaze to Merilda. More precisely, they nced at Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s hand on Merilda¡¯s head and then subtly looked at him. It was an overt expression, obvious to anyone. If he were still under the restraint, he might not have noticed such a simple gesture, but now that the restraint was gone, Kim Hyunwoo smiled and patted their heads. As if they had been waiting for it, Rin and Charyll weed his touch, and Kim Hyunwoo reminisced about the past. ¡®¡­I¡¯m pretty sure none of the heroes liked having their heads patted, except for Merilda.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo thought back to how, in Arteil, Rin had always shown clear dislike when head pats were dispensed, yet here she was, relishing his touch. After stopping the angels¡¯ advance in just a few hours, Kim Hyunwoo, a few hourster. ¡°Hmm-hmm, hello, Lord.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± He had another chance to meet Adria, who hadn¡¯t yet left the Lord¡¯s castle. ¡°I came because you said you had something to tell me.¡± Adria cautiously sat down and asked as she looked at Kim Hyunwoo. Since it was indeed Kim Hyunwoo who had invited Adria to the castle today, he nodded and said, ¡°¡­Yes, I wanted to convey something to the Crimson Dragon, so I took the liberty of asking you here. Is that alright?¡± He got straight to the point without hesitation. ¡°What? The Crimson Dragon-¡± ¡°I heard it from Merilda.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Hearing this, Adria fell silent. Chapter 157: Reorganization (1) At Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s words, Adria froze, and a silence fell between them. The silencested for a few seconds. But after a short pause, Adria sighed softly and began to speak. ¡°I hadn¡¯t considered that.¡± ¡°Was it too sudden?¡± At Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s question, Adria shook her head. ¡°No, it¡¯s not that. I was just trying to figure out where to start exining this.¡± After saying that, she fell into deep thought for a while, and after some time had passed, ¡°¡­Well, since it¡¯se to this, let me start by exining why I referred to the Guardian as someone other than the Crimson Dragon.¡± With that, Adria began to recount the events from the very beginning, and after listening for a long time, Kim Hyunwoo, ¡°So, that¡¯s how it happened.¡± nodded as if he finally understood the situation after hearing Adria¡¯s exnation. ¡°I see¡­ In a way, I¡¯m relieved.¡± ¡°Why is that?¡± ¡°I was wondering if the reason the dragon wasn¡¯t showing itself was because it didn¡¯t want to join the territory.¡± At his words, Adria momentarily looked nk before giving a dryugh. ¡°If that were the case, I wouldn¡¯t have had to show you those disgraceful moments multiple times.¡± ¡°What?¡± Kim Hyunwoo tilted his head, not understanding at first, but then he remembered the times Adria had looked unwell. He recalled how she usually seemed fine, but sometimes she looked very unwell, and now he realized the truth. ¡°¡­It seems like you¡¯ve been through a lot.¡± ¡°I neither confirm or deny that.¡± ¡°Oh, I heard that two people are sharing the same body. So, is the dragon aware of what¡¯s happening now?¡± Adria nodded at Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s question. ¡°Yes, would you like me to switch?¡± ¡°Uh¡­yes, if possible, please.¡± Adria closed her eyes after hearing his request. And after a short moment, ¡°¡­Master?¡± ¡°¡­!¡± Kim Hyunwoo realized that the person in front of him was no longer Adria but the Crimson Dragon. He didn¡¯t need to try to recognize that it was the dragon. The moment she switched from Adria to the dragon, despite sharing the same body, the atmosphere around her changed so dramatically that it was almost unbelievable. Her once sharp eyes were now half-closed, flickering like a candle in the wind, and her previously straight posture was now slightly hunched. Her lips, once firmly closed, now mumbled restlessly, and her hands were naturally sped together in front of her. ¡°¡­Rhien?¡± Seeing this, Kim Hyunwoo couldn¡¯t help but murmur. At that, the Crimson Dragon ¨C no, Rhien ¨C smiled brightly and stood up, hugging Kim Hyunwoo tightly. ¡°I missed you, Master!¡± As soon as he called her name, Rhien immediately embraced him. Even though Kim Hyunwoo now had the strength of a 2-star hero thanks to food, Rhien¡¯s tight hug made him gasp in surprise. ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡± Kim Hyunwoo gently patted her back as she hugged him tightly, and then he looked down at Rhien, who was gazing up at him with teary eyes. ¡°How have you been?¡± He began with a greeting and then listened to Rhien¡¯s story. From her aimless wandering after Kim Hyunwoo disappeared to meeting the Dragon Lord and undergoing the ritual to be a dragon. After hearing her entire story, Kim Hyunwoo felt his guilt weigh heavier upon learning that she, too, had chosen to be a dragon just to meet him. On the other hand, he also felt a growing curiosity. ¡®Why go to such lengths for me¡­?¡¯ Whenever he had recruited heroes in the past, the situation was always so desperate that he couldn¡¯t ask, but he had always been oddly curious about this. Of course, Kim Hyunwoo wasn¡¯t so clueless that he didn¡¯t understand their feelings for him. But even considering that, he couldn¡¯t understand why they would still show him such deep affection after he had been gone for ten years. ¡°Rhien.¡± ¡°Yes, Master¡­!¡± Kim Hyunwoo asked Rhien, who was smiling brightly for a change. ¡°This might be a strange question, but why did you wait for me and¡­search for me so desperately?¡± ¡°Because you¡¯re my Master.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± That wasn¡¯t the answer he was looking for, but Rhien looked at him as if no further exnation was needed. ¡°I see.¡± Kim Hyunwoo couldn¡¯t help but smile as he stroked her hair. ¡°W-well, while you were gone, I did a lot of research. It was on magic that transcends dimensions-¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± He listened to Rhien¡¯s story. ¡°So, as it went on, I ended up like this-¡± He kept listening. ¡°So, I formted equations for dimensional magic and cross-verified theories-¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Kim Hyunwoo suddenly recalled what his daily life with Rhien had been like ten years ago. And then. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Meanwhile, Adria watched as Rhien clung to Kim Hyunwoo, chatting away. ¡®¡­My body¡­¡¯ She let out a quiet sigh and had no choice but to listen to Rhien¡¯s stories with Kim Hyunwoo for over five hours. ¡°¡­What did you say?¡± When Durandor asked with a bewildered expression, the secretary seemed troubled before bowing his head and replying. ¡°The legion¡­has been annihted.¡± ¡°¡­The legion was annihted?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°¡­Even the angels?¡± ¡°Not a single angel has returned.¡± ¡°Ha.¡± Durandor let out a disbelieving chuckle at the secretary¡¯s words, then grabbed his throbbing head and remained still for a moment. ¡°Leave me for now.¡± After dismissing the secretary, he immediately ced his hand on the blue orb in his office. And at that moment. ¡°Hello-¡± ¡°¡­!¡± As soon as he heard the voice behind him, Durandor felt a chill run down his spine and quickly extended his hand. Vroom-! As soon as he extended his hand, a sword of light materialized in Durandor¡¯s grip. Durandor immediately swung the sword. ¡°Aren¡¯t you swinging that a bit too recklessly?¡± The sword in his hand came to an abrupt halt right in front of Loria, who had appeared behind him. ¡°¡­!¡± Durandor¡¯s face twisted in shock, but then he recognized the aura emanating from her. ¡°The Abyss¡­!¡± ¡°You¡¯re well-informed.¡± ¡°What brings you here?¡± Durandor asked, his eyes wide, tension never leaving him. But despite his serious tone, she continued to speak with a light smile. ¡°What else? I came to make you a good offer.¡± ¡°¡­You think we¡¯ll believe the words of the Abyss?¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you consider it if listening to the Abyss could bring back the one you revere so much?¡± ¡°¡­How can we trust that?¡± ¡°Whether you believe it or not doesn¡¯t really matter. I¡¯m not here to take anything from you, just to offer you power. All you have to do is listen and ept.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Durandor continued to look at her with suspicion. But. ¡°Don¡¯t be so suspicious. After all, our goals align. You need to kill the ¡®Outsider¡¯ too, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°So let¡¯s cooperate until then. Right now, the Outsider is too much for you to handle alone, isn¡¯t it? You should¡¯ve killed it when I had it cornered, but some idiot failed to do so.¡± ¡°That¡¯s really unfortunate.¡± Loria muttered. ¡°So what do you say? Form an alliance until we kill the Outsider?¡± She then smiled again and made her offer to Durandor. The next day. Having received the promise that even Rhien would join after bing a dragon, Kim Hyunwoo could now consider that all the Round Table heroes in his mind had effectively joined him. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The heroes affiliated with Lartania gathered in one ce. The former heroes of Lartania: Merilda, Rin, and Charyll. And the current heroes of Lartania: Elena, River, and Shadra. ¡°¡­?¡± Even Lani, who seemed puzzled by the strange atmosphere, tilted her head. They all gathered in one ce, eyeing each other strangely. It was understandable, considering that while they wererades under the same banner, they were also clear rivals. Whether they were the original heroes of Lartania or the newly returned ones, their goal had always been the same. To earn Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s affection. And to be the other half of the Kim Hyunwoo they adored. ¡°¡­¡± To achieve that goal, they all began an invisible race. ¡°This here, can you read it?¡± ¡°Hmm-¡± Around that time, thinking Rhien might know ancientnguages well, Kim Hyunwoo showed her a blue bone with some inscriptions. ¡°Yes, I can read it, Master!¡± ¡°What does it say?¡± ¡°It says¡­ ¡®Amateur, amateur!¡¯¡± ¡°¡­?¡± Kim Hyunwoo could only stare nkly for a moment at the interpretation of the inscription on the blue bone. Chapter 158: Reorganization (2) With more than six heroes now affiliated with Lartania, a separate resting room was provided, allowing the heroes to gather there. ¡°Congrattions?¡± After a long period of silence, it was Shadra who first broke the ice. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I¡¯m talking about your return to Lartania. From what I¡¯ve heard, it¡¯s something you really wanted.¡± In fact, Elena, along with River and Shadra, had gathered a rough idea of what had happened over the past few days from the rumors spread by the maids and staff in the Lord¡¯s castle. ¡°You couldn¡¯t return for such a long time, but now you have.¡± Rin, understanding Shadra¡¯s ¡®congrattory¡¯ words immediately, smiled back as she spoke. ¡°I was just about to express my gratitude as well.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve done an excellent job supporting him in our absence, haven¡¯t you?¡± ¡°And I¡¯m still doing a great job supporting him now.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll support him even better.¡± ¡°A lot has changed between ten years ago and now.¡± Their smiles persisted as they continued their verbal dueling. Of course, neither Shadra nor Rin had any intention of suddenly drawing weapons and escting the situation. They both knew that the first to lose their temper and draw a weapon would lose, and they also knew that Kim Hyunwoo would despise such a situation. ¡°You¡¯ve been talking like a child since thest time we met, haven¡¯t you?¡± ¡°And you¡¯re so¡­serene. Must be because you¡¯re ten years older.¡± ¡­They didn¡¯t draw weapons, but the verbal jabs were sharp and precise. Of course, not all the heroes were engaged in this tense exchange. Merilda, for example, was more focused on eavesdropping on Kim Hyunwoo upstairs, even as Rin and Shadra exchanged words. Charyll, on the other hand, seemed to find the fight meaningless and silently fiddled with an unlit cigarette in her pocket. ¡­It had been a week since the cigarette came into her possession, but because Kim Hyunwoo had personally bought it, she hadn¡¯t dared to open the pack. Elena was nervously watching the tension unfold, while River, whose role didn¡¯t ovep with the others, sighed in relief. ¡°Everyone, do you have any favorite foods?¡± And Lani, who hadn¡¯t grasped the situation, was busy asking the new heroes about their favorite dishes. While the heroes were getting to know each other better around the round table¡­ ¡°So¡­what?¡± ¡°It says ¡®Amateur, amateur!¡¯ here, Master.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Kim Hyunwoo stared nkly at the inscription on the blue bone, then pointed to another bone. ¡°What does this one say?¡± ¡°This one says ¡®Pathetic amateur¡¯.¡± ¡°And the way you stretched out the ¡®pathetic¡¯ part-¡± ¡°That¡¯s exactly how it¡¯s written.¡± Kim Hyunwoo sighed, feeling let down by Rhien¡¯s interpretation. He had thought that the symbols left after each floor, like clues from defeating bosses, would hold some significant message, but it turned out to be nothing. ¡®¡­Considering the necromancer¡¯s personality¡­ It¡¯s not that surprising, though.¡¯ Thinking about the necromancer¡¯s personality, Kim Hyunwoo chuckled and said, ¡°Got it. Thanks for telling me, Rhien.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± As Rhien giggled and swayed from side to side, Kim Hyunwoo patted her on the head- ¡®¡­Now that all the heroes are back, I should prioritize clearing the Labyrinth as quickly as possible.¡¯ -he thought to himself before speaking. ¡°Please bring Rin and Merilda here.¡± About five dayster. ¡°Territory window.¡± Territory: Lartania Territory Development Level: 5623 Territory Residents: [Humans: 44,244] [Beastfolk: 1,082] ¨CSecondary Buildings¨C [Magical Engineering Research Institute] ¨CSubordinate Buildings¨C ?? [Magical Engineering Power nt (Under Construction 72%)] ?? [Magical Engineering Weapons Research Institute (Under Construction 42%)] ?? [Magical Engineering Refinery (Under Construction 55%)] ¨COwned Buildings¨C [Lord''s Castle LV4 (Under Construction 54%)] [Walls LV5] [Residential District LV5] [cksmith LV5] [Barracks LV5] [Tavern LV5] [Market LV5] [Wood Processing nt LV5] [Restaurant LV5] [Leather Processing nt LV5] [Stone Processing nt LV5] [Trade Post LV5] [Secondary Wall LV5] [Inn LV5] [Administrative District LV5] [Paved Roads LV5] ¨CExternal Buildings¨C [Mercenary Guild LV1] [Mage Tower Branch LV1] [cksmith Guild Branch LV1] ¨COwned Forces¨C ? Regr Soldiers: 1,000 ? Swordsmen: 500 ? Guards: 700 ? Knight Apprentices: 200 ? Beastfolk: 1,082 Kim Hyunwoo scanned the territory window and, seeing the inclusion of the beastfolk, felt reassured. ¡®I thought the beastfolk would be included in the territory. I¡¯m d it worked out as nned.¡¯ Over the past five days, Kim Hyunwoo had summoned Merilda and Rin to absorb their respective groups into Lartania, significantly bolstering the territory¡¯s military strength. In the past five days, Lartania had sessfully recruited over a thousand beastfolk and nine 4-star heroes. ¡®The Five Swords of Cn and the Red-Eyes¡¯ Four Heavenly Kings¡­¡¯ For Kim Hyunwoo, who previouslycked any 4-star heroes, the increase in heroes was a wee change. The more heroes there are, the stronger the territory¡¯s military power bes. ¡®The only thing I was worried about was public order.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo looked out over the northwest side of the territory from the terrace. ¡®Public order hasn¡¯t declined as much as I expected.¡¯ Opposite the Magical Engineering Research Institute that was under construction, a residential area was being built. When Kim Hyunwoo first epted the beastfolk at Merilda¡¯s request, he was quite concerned that it might trigger issues with public order. In the world of Arteil, beastfolk couldn¡¯t be epted as citizens, and they were described as being fierce and driven more by instinct than reason. However, contrary to Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s concerns, the beastfolk had integrated into the territory without any significant issues, aside from a few minor incidents at the beginning. In fact, they were doing quite well as part of the security forces. As a result, Lartania¡¯s public order, which had recently been unstable, was rapidly improving, and the territory was growing steadily. ¡®I think it¡¯s about time to erect the third wall.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo was thinking that it wouldn¡¯t be long before he could expand the wall to include Lartania¡¯s original territory. ¡°Master!¡± ¡°Merilda?¡± Merilda entered the Lord¡¯s terrace. Shended softly, like a cat, and approached with her tail wagging. ¡°I finished everything you asked me to do!¡± Her tail wagged as if asking for praise. Kim Hyunwoo, remembering he had asked her to help move materials to a nearby building, naturally patted her on the head. ¡°Hehe¡­?¡± Merilda wagged her tail, holding onto the hem of Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s clothes. Seeing how happy she looked, Kim Hyunwoo couldn¡¯t help but smile. She subtly rubbed her body against him, testing the waters. He stiffened. Kim Hyunwoo flinched involuntarily. ¡­It wasn¡¯t surprising, given that he had been getting a lot of attention from the heroestely, but the frequency had increased recently, making things a bit awkward. Specifically, it was bing a physical issue. ¡®This is¡­¡¯ Recently, Merilda had been intentionally pressing herself against him when she rubbed against him, prompting Kim Hyunwoo to instinctively pull his hips back. Vrrr¡ª! At the sound of a clear vibration from his office desk, Kim Hyunwoo spoke. ¡°Hold on a second, Merilda.¡± ¡°Oh, okay¡­¡± Merilda made a disappointed face. Her drooping tail tugged at his heart, but the vibrating desk meant there was an iing message from outside, so he quickly sat down and opened a drawer. ¡®This is¡­¡¯ He realized it was a message from the King of the Cn Kingdom. Without hesitation, Kim Hyunwoo activated the magic orb. [Hello, Lord.] ¡°Hello, Your Majesty.¡± As soon as Sasha¡¯s face appeared in the magic orb, he greeted her naturally. [To be direct, could you help me with something¡­?] Kim Hyunwoo tilted his head at Sasha¡¯s words, then he noticed her condition. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± She looked extremely haggard, as if she hadn¡¯t slept for days. And then¡­ [Could you lend me¡­the Five Swords of Cn¡­?] Her words trailed off. ¡°Oh.¡± Kim Hyunwoo let out a low exmation. Chapter 159: Reorganization (3) For Sasha Cn, the King of the Cn Kingdom, the disappearance of the Five Swords of Cn was indeed a significant event, but not an insurmountable one. She was fully aware that the Five Swords of Cn could disappear once the Absolute Ruler of Darkness left, and she had made adequate preparations for such a scenario. However, there was one thing Sasha had not anticipated, despite all her efforts to prepare for the disappearance of the Five Swords of Cn. ¡°You mean you were betrayed?¡± [Yes¡­] And that was betrayal. After hearing the story, Kim Hyunwoo realized that Sasha had been betrayed the moment the Five Swords of Cn left the kingdom. And not by other nobles, but by the very hunting dogs she had trained so diligently. [¡­Of course, I know how shameless it is to ask this of you, My Lord. But could you help me just this once? I promise the reward will be more than generous.] Kim Hyunwoo hesitated slightly at Sasha¡¯s desperate plea. After all, it was a situation that was difficult to me on Kim Hyunwoo entirely. However, the benefits of resolving this issue seemed significant. ¡°¡­Could you tell me more about the situation?¡± Kim Hyunwoo decided to hear Sasha out, and after taking the time to listen to her entire story¡­ ¡°I¡¯ll need to discuss it with the heroes, but I¡¯ll consider it favorably.¡± Having calcted everything in his mind, Kim Hyunwoo smiled as he spoke. Immediately after his conversation with Sasha, Kim Hyunwoo called in Rin and the Five Swords of Cn to exin the situation and ask for their opinions. ¡°Given the situation, do you think it¡¯s possible?¡± ¡°Handling that much is not difficult.¡± Rin nodded without hesitation, and so did the Five Swords behind her. ¡°Then I¡¯ll leave it to you.¡± ¡°Understood. Should we depart immediately?¡± ¡°It seems they want help as soon as possible, so it¡¯s best to leave right away, don¡¯t you think?¡± Rin nodded slightly in agreement and nced behind her. A nod. The Five Swords of Cn, who had given a small nod, quickly disappeared from the spot. ¡°Thanks, Rin. You¡¯ve saved me some trouble.¡± ¡°Hm, hmhm¡­ It¡¯s only natural to do what¡¯s necessary.¡± As Kim Hyunwoo smiled, Rin blushed slightly and then cautiously continued. ¡°Um, if it¡¯s okay¡­ Can I ask for one¡­no, two favors?¡± ¡°A favor? Well, as long as it¡¯s something I can do.¡± Kim Hyunwoo nodded, and after hesitating for a moment, Rin spoke up, ncing at him cautiously. ¡°Do you remember the disciple I mentioned earlier?¡± ¡°The one you mentioned earlier¡­? Ah, you mean Loriel?¡± Rin nodded at Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s question. ¡°Yes. If it¡¯s possible, could you have Loriel and the beastman named Giral work together?¡± ¡°¡­Giral? You mean one of the Four Heavenly Kings?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no reason not to, but¡­why?¡± When Kim Hyunwoo asked out of curiosity, Rin scratched her cheek, looking slightly embarrassed. ¡°I heard from the other disciples that Loriel has been sighing a lottely when looking at Giral. In a¡­romantic sense, I mean.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Kim Hyunwoo quickly understood the gist of the request and nodded. ¡°Well, that¡¯s doable. Don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°Thank you¡­!¡± ¡°And the next favor?¡± ¡°Um¡­so¡­¡± As she hesitated, Rin lowered her head slightly and asked softly. ¡°Could you¡­pet me too?¡± ¡°Pet you? On the head?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Seeing Rin shyly avoid his gaze, Kim Hyunwoo remembered that she didn¡¯t particrly like having her head petted ten years ago, which made him curious. ¡°Well¡­okay.¡± Kim Hyunwoo nodded and began to pet Rin¡¯s head. ¡°Hm¡­hmhm, it¡¯s a bit ufortable like this. May I sit next to you?¡± ¡°Oh? Sure.¡± When Rin, who had been sitting across from him, made the request, Kim Hyunwoo nodded, and Rin moved her chair closer to him, resuming the petting session. And then¡­ ¡°¡­¡­¡± As Rin¡¯s body slowly pressed closer to him, Kim Hyunwoo realized¡­ Ah, this was all a build-up. As he felt the softness pressing against his arm, Kim Hyunwoo blushed slightly and nced at Rin, who was watching him closely. ¡®¡­This is tough.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo knew exactly why Rin was acting this way. It was impossible not to know. But even so, he pretended not to notice, like an enlightened sage, because he knew this was a situation where he needed to exercise restraint. ¡®If I lose control here, it¡¯ll be utter chaos.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo was well aware of the fate of those who had indulged in the power of charm in Arteil. He had seen too many territories destroyed because their rulers couldn¡¯t manage their affairs after getting involved with various women. Of course, there were yers who thought they could handle everything if they managed things properly after getting involved with multiple women, but they all disappeared after a few months. They had tried to manage everything, but their territories were destroyed, and they quit Arteil. Therefore¡­ ¡®At the very least, I can¡¯t waver until Loria¡¯s n is fully uncovered.¡¯ In this situation, which was no longer a game but reality, he was trying to endure, but his patience was starting to wear thintely. In the game, he could brush off certain things as mere descriptions, but Arteil was no longer just a game ¨C it was reality. For Kim Hyunwoo, who had no dating experience, it was hard to endure when heroes, clearly chosen to his taste, pressed their chests against him, wrapped their tails around his waist, or yed with his fingers. ¡­It was very difficult to endure. ¡®Can I hold out¡­¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo muttered to himself and let out a hollowugh. He realized he didn¡¯t have much time left. But¡­ ¡®I¡¯ll hold out as long as I can-¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo tried to withstand their advances by thinking of Loria¡¯s face. ¡°¡­Huh.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± At Rin¡¯s small gasp, Kim Hyunwoo looked down, feeling puzzled. ¡°¡­Oh.¡± He let out a small exmation. His body was responding more to instinct than reason. ¡­Kim Hyunwoo swallowed as he realized Rin was now looking at him like a predator. That evening. ¡®Territory development can wait until after helping the Cn Kingdom, so I have three main tasks.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo sat in his office, looking at a list of tasks he needed to tackle. Eastern n Alliance. Rescue the Necromancer of the Blue Forest. Uncover Loria¡¯s conspiracy. ¡®These are the three things I need to address right away.¡¯ Rescuing the Necromancer of the Blue Forest could be done immediately. In the past, it might have been difficult, but now all the heroes of Lartania had returned, and they were much stronger than before. So Kim Hyunwoo nned to schedule the rescue around the time the Labyrinth Package ended. ¡®It¡¯s manageable before the 20th floor, but after that, if the mobs start reviving, even the heroes will struggle.¡¯ So, the n for rescuing the Necromancer was set, leaving two other tasks, with the most important being the Eastern n Alliance. ¡®¡­What should I do about them?¡¯ While the heroes had easily repelled their attack without any damage, the fact that they were attacked still remained. Moreover, Kim Hyunwoo suspected this attack wouldn¡¯t be thest. The fact that there were angels in the army heading for Lartania meant that the Eastern n Alliance and the Celestial Tribe were working together. ¡®¡­Should I just crush them?¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo considered this but knew that wiping out the Eastern n Alliance wouldn¡¯t be easy. After all, he didn¡¯t fully know the Alliance¡¯s strength. ¡®If all the heroes go, there shouldn¡¯t be any problem.¡¯ The problem was that if all the heroes left, Lartania would be left vulnerable to a surprise attack. ¡®But I can¡¯t just send one or two since I don¡¯t know the full extent of the enemy¡¯s strength.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo continued to ponder. Since the Celestial Tribe was involved, the Eastern n Alliance was clearly an enemy. ¡°Hmm-¡± As Kim Hyunwoo was deep in thought¡­ ¡°¡­Huh?¡± [A ¡®Mysterious Merchant¡¯ is arriving at your territory to deliver an artifact!] [Time remaining: 60 days, 23 hours, 59 minutes, and 59 seconds] He couldn¡¯t help but look puzzled as the sudden notification appeared in front of him. Chapter 160: Reorganization (4) A few dayster. [A ''Mysterious Merchant'' is arriving at your territory to deliver an artifact!] [Time remaining: 57 days, 12 hours, 59 minutes, 59 seconds] Kim Hyunwoo made a strange expression as he saw the arrival date of the Mysterious Merchant. This time, it was understandable because the notification window had popped up out of nowhere when Kim Hyunwoo hadn¡¯t done anything in particr. ¡®It¡¯s nice that I can meet him without doing anything¡­ But it would have been better if he came a little sooner.¡¯ As Kim Hyunwoo was watching the numbers decrease day by day, he heard a knock and turned his head. ¡°It¡¯s me,rade!¡± There was River, still smiling brightly as always. ¡°What¡¯s up, River?¡± As Kim Hyunwoo looked at River who entered the office, River grinned widely. ¡°It¡¯s done! The missile!¡± ¡°¡­Really? Didn¡¯t you say it would take longerst time?¡± ¡°Yeah, but after making it with Shadra, the speed has increased, and you invested a lot in the budget too, didn¡¯t you? So we were able to speed things up. Come quickly! I¡¯ll show you right now.¡± River immediately approached Kim Hyunwoo, grabbed his arm tightly, and pulled him up with strength. Soon, they arrived at the underground section of the cksmith Guild. ¡°¡­Oh.¡± Kim Hyunwoo couldn¡¯t help but be amazed as he looked at the missile, which was remarkably simr to what hemonly knew. ¡°Oh, Dad, you¡¯re here!?¡± ¡°Shadra.¡± Kim Hyunwoo greeted Shadra, who was smiling brightly as soon as he arrived, and then looked at the missile and spoke. ¡°Is it finished?¡± ¡°Yep! We haven¡¯t tested it in full scale yet, but theoretically, it should work perfectly! If we invest a little more in fuel, it could even reach the Eastern n Alliance from here!¡± ¡°To the Eastern n Alliance?¡± ¡°Yeah! It should even hit the target precisely.¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s developed more than I expected.¡± Kim Hyunwoo had a bewildered expression. He had expected some progress with the missile, but he hadn¡¯t thought they would be able to use it to this extent. ¡®¡­I thought at best, it would be able tounch a bit farther.¡¯ With that thought, Kim Hyunwoo continued to ask. ¡°¡­So if we load the warhead now andunch it, you¡¯re saying it will reach the Eastern n Alliance?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. But in that case, the fuel¡­oh, we¡¯ll need this much.¡± Kim Hyunwoo received the paper Shadra handed him, and after thinking for a moment, he clicked his tongue. ¡®We need 20,000 Red Stones just for the fuel?¡¯ Of course,tely, Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s finances have be very solid, so firing one missile wouldn¡¯t be too much of a burden. But 20,000 Red Stones for one missile still seemed psychologically overwhelming. ¡®¡­But.¡¯ That was just thinking from the perspective of using a lot of Red Stones, but realistically, 20,000 Red Stones wasn¡¯t a huge expense. If they sessfullyunch the missile and it flies directly to the Eastern n Alliance, Kim Hyunwoo would be able to deal massive damage without any harm to himself. With that in mind, Kim Hyunwoo, who had been pondering, said: ¡°Shadra.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°How long will it take to make it reach the Eastern n Alliance? And how long to manufacture the warhead?¡± He quickly asked Shadra. ¡°Hmm¡­ If we consider the time to make everything andunch it¡­about a week?¡± ¡°Go ahead and make it then. I¡¯ll provide all the support you need.¡± Kim Hyunwoo responded to Shadra¡¯s answer with that decision. After telling Shadra and River to make the missile properly, Kim Hyunwoo returned to his office and continued his work. ¡°Whew.¡± He let out a tired sigh and gazed at thepletely dark night sky, lost in thought. ¡®There¡¯s more work than I thought.¡¯ At first, there wasn¡¯t much to do, but once the domain started operating in full swing, the work started piling up. That was because, as Lartania began to be properly established, mercenary groups started expressing interest in forming their own guilds within the domain. And that wasn¡¯t all. While administrative tasks were being handled diligently, the major decisions all required Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s approval, leaving him with hardly any time to resttely. That¡¯s why, as Kim Hyunwoo was staring nkly at the dark night, he stretched his stiff body, stood up, and headed to his bedroom. After quickly washing up, he copsed onto his bed. ¡°Whew.¡± Kim Hyunwoo let out a light sigh and closed his eyes. However- ¡°Master¡­?¡± At the sound of a voice, Kim Hyunwoo opened his eyes. ¡°¡­Merilda?¡± He saw Merilda sitting by the open window. ¡°What¡¯s going on all of a sudden?¡± ¡°Huh? Oh, nothing really¡­¡± ¡°Then?¡± Merilda, curling her ears slightly and tail around her belly, brought the pillow she was holding forward and spoke. ¡°¡­Can I sleep with you? It¡¯s been a while.¡± Kim Hyunwoo paused, closed his mouth, and thought as Merilda covered her face slightly with the pillow. ¡®Sure, we¡¯ve slept together in Arteil, but now¡­it¡¯s a bit¡­¡¯ Back then, it was just a game, so he didn¡¯t think much about it, but now, Kim Hyunwoo couldn¡¯t help but feel different from back then. ¡°That¡¯s a bit¡­¡± As Kim Hyunwoo awkwardly replied, Merilda gave a sheepish smile and said: ¡°S-sorry, Master¡­ I guess I got a bit too clingy¡­¡± Her smile was awkward, but her tail drooped, and her ears tilted backward. ¡°I¡¯ll go to bed, goodnight, Master¡­!¡± Anyone could see that she was trying to express ¡®I¡¯m so sad¡¯ with her entire body while still forcing herself to sound cheerful. ¡°¡­Let¡¯s sleep together.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you say no?¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a while, so it should be fine.¡± Kim Hyunwoo reluctantly gave in, and Merilda¡¯s drooped ears perked up as she quickly approached him. A little whileter. ¡°?¡± Kim Hyunwoo found himself lying next to Merilda, who was hugging his right arm tightly, rubbing her face against him, and wrapping her tail around his body. ¡°It feels nice to be lying next to you again.¡± ¡°¡­Really?¡± Kim Hyunwoo swallowed the words ¡®I¡¯m dying here¡¯ and instead had a casual conversation with Merilda after a long time. After some time had passed and it waste into the night. ¡°Shall we get some sleep now?¡± Kim Hyunwoo patted the chattering Merilda once and then closed his eyes. ¡­But then. ¡°¡­Merilda?¡± ¡°Yes, Master?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to sleep?¡± ¡°I will.¡± ¡°Then why aren¡¯t you closing your eyes?¡± ¡°I want to watch you until you fall asleep.¡± Kim Hyunwoo felt a strange sense of pressure as Merilda kept looking at him with her eyes wide open. ¡°You see my face all the time, though?¡± ¡°I want to see your sleeping face.¡± ¡°Really? Why?¡± When Kim Hyunwoo asked, Merilda suddenly didn¡¯t answer and looked down slightly. As her face gradually turned red, Kim Hyunwoo had a puzzled expression. ¡°¡­Do you want to know?¡± As Merilda lifted her gaze slightly, Kim Hyunwoo instinctively realized something. If he nodded his head here, he knew he would be sucked into an irresistible flow, purely on instinct. That¡¯s why. ¡°¡­Ahem, I¡¯ll hear it next time. Goodnight then?¡± Kim Hyunwoo naturally changed the subject, smiled, and tried to close his eyes. ¡°Uh¡­!¡± But Kim Hyunwoo had no choice but to open his eyes again. The reason was that Merilda¡¯s lips were pressed against his. Merilda, clearly trying hard, shut her eyes tightly as she awkwardly initiated a kiss, parting her lips and slipping her tongue into Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s mouth. ¡°¡­!¡± Startled by her own action of inserting her tongue, Merilda¡¯s eyes flew wide open. As their eyes met, her already flushed face turned an even deeper red, clearly embarrassed by the moment. ¡°Churrrp-¡± Yet, she showed no intention of stopping, clinging to Kim Hyunwoo even more and deepening the kiss. After continuing the kiss for a while, ¡°Haa¡­haa¡­¡± Due to herck of experience, she struggled to breathe properly, panting heavily as she gazed at Kim Hyunwoo with teary eyes. ¡°¡­When I watch you sleep, it makes me feel like I¡¯m your wife, and it makes me happy.¡± She said, and at her words, Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s heart pounded wildly. Merilda then ran her hand across his face, looking unsure as she darted her eyes around. ¡°By any chance, right now-¡± She lowered her head slightly and then lifted her red eyes slowly. ¡°Do you¡­feel the same way¡­?¡± She asked that way. Chapter 161: Reveal (1) Eastern n Alliance Office. ¡°¡­This.¡± ¡°I told you, you¡¯ll only be receiving.¡± Durandor stared at the ck gemstones Loria had given him in his office. These weren¡¯t just ordinary ck stones; they shimmered ominously, emanating a dangerous aura. ¡°¡­Is this Void?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Huh.¡± Durandor let out a hollowugh as he picked up one of the stones scattered across his desk. The Void. Durandor absentmindedly gazed at the Void, a power from the Abyss that erases everything it touches, a twisted, malevolent force from another realm. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be going.¡± ¡°¡­There¡¯s really no price for this?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve told you several times~ You¡¯ll only be receiving from me.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Durandor gave Loria a disbelieving look, but she just smiled nonchntly as if it didn¡¯t bother her at all. ¡°Whether you believe it or not doesn¡¯t really matter, but make sure you use it well. I don¡¯t have much of it myself. You do know how to use it, don¡¯t you?¡± With those words, Loria vanished as if she had nothing more to say. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Durandor frowned slightly as he looked at the Void stones scattered below his desk after Loria disappeared. ¡®What is she thinking?¡¯ Although Durandor had epted Loria¡¯s offer, he still couldn¡¯t understand why she was helping the Celestials to this extent. ¡®And with the Void too.¡¯ Durandor looked down at the Void stones scattered on the floor. There were at least dozens of Void stones, which Durandor knew were frequently used by beings from the otherworld and were a source of their power. In other words, having these stones meant one could use the power of the otherworld beings, albeit in a limited way. Of course, since the power was contained in the gemstones, it couldn¡¯t be used freely, but transferring that power to a weapon was still entirely possible. In short, if the Celestials weren¡¯t destroyed, Loria¡¯s actions would ultimately give them extra strength for future battles. Once the Outsider was gone, the Celestials and the beings of the otherworld would have to fight for control of the Middle Realm, leaving Durandor perplexed as to why Loria was helping them. ¡®¡­Well, whatever. For now, I¡¯ll y along.¡¯ Gripping the Void stone tightly, Durandor made his decision and grabbed the blue stone as well. After lifting the restriction, Kim Hyunwoo became fully aware of the emotions that all the heroes of Lartania held toward him. However, just because he understood those emotions didn¡¯t mean he intended to ept them as they were. In fact, it was quite the opposite. No matter how tantly the heroes of Lartania expressed their feelings, Kim Hyunwoo had no intention of reacting to them. The reason was obvious: before entering Arteil, there were many yers who had failed by acting that way. But more than that, Kim Hyunwoo knew too well the dangers of such personal rtionships. Of course, he hadn¡¯t thought there would be problems from the beginning. If Kim Hyunwoo had simply epted the heroes¡¯ feelings without ignoring or avoiding them, things might not have seemed bad at first. In fact, if he actively managed the situation between the heroes, it could have turned out decently. However, the problem was that this was only the case at the beginning. No matter how much Kim Hyunwoo tried to share his affection equally among all the heroes, it was impossible, and that would inevitably lead to discord. Once discord began, no matter how hard Kim Hyunwoo tried, he wouldn¡¯t be able to control it. After all, he couldn¡¯t control the hearts of the heroes. Of course, he could choose to marry one of the heroes and free himself from this situation, but that wasn¡¯t what Kim Hyunwoo wanted either. With Loria¡¯s schemes and the Celestials preparing to attack Lartania, losing any of the recently returned heroes was not a good idea at this time. In short, from Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s perspective, maintaining the current situation was the best choice to preserve Lartania¡¯s strength. Whether it was while ying the game Arteil, Or after entering Arteil itself. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Kim Hyunwoo looked at Merilda. Her red eyes, illuminated by the moonlight, gazed at Kim Hyunwoo. Her face was flushed, contrasting with her pale skin, and her lips twitched between relief and anxiety. Her hands, gently folded near her chest, were waiting for his response. As he looked at her, Kim Hyunwoo could hear the sound of his own heart beating. His heart was pounding so wildly, he couldn¡¯t remember if it had ever raced like this before. It was urging him to reach out to her right away. It was signaling him repeatedly to kiss her, touch her, and act on his instincts. But what kept Kim Hyunwoo from moving was a single thread of rationality. His reason fiercely reminded him that if he took action now, things would never go back to the way they were before, and that¡¯s what was holding him back. ¡°I¡­¡± Kim Hyunwoo tried to speak but instinctively closed his mouth again. In just a few seconds, his mind raced, questioning whether it was right to say what he was about to say. And then. ¡°¡­Mi-¡± Just as Kim Hyunwoo was about to say something, desperately holding on to thatst thread of rationality, Merilda gently ced her finger on his lips. Kim Hyunwoo looked at her in surprise. But Merilda had already moved closer to his face. ¡°I know, Master¡­ It¡¯s hard for you to talk about this right now, isn¡¯t it?¡± She spoke softly as she wrapped her tail gently around Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s waist. ¡°You don¡¯t have to give me an answer, Master.¡± Chup- Merilda¡¯s lips covered Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s once again. Unlike her earlier tense kiss, this time Merilda explored Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s mouth slowly and leisurely. ¡°Haa¡­¡± She pulled away again, looking into Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s eyes. Her gaze was filled with undeniable affection. ¡°You know, Master, no matter what happens today, we¡¯ll still be the same.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way we¡¯ll stay the same¡­¡± Kim Hyunwoo spoke in denial. ¡°No, we will stay the same. Master, we¡¯ll remain the same¡­ We¡¯ll still have our rtionship. I don¡¯t want to see you suffer.¡± But Merilda answered with unwavering eyes. ¡°So, let¡¯s do this. ¡­Master, you have to take good care of your pet, don¡¯t you?¡° Merilda took Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s hand and ced it on her chest, then gently touched his face. ¡°I¡¯m in heat today¡­so I¡¯d like you to relieve it, Master.¡± After saying that. ¡°¡­Meow ?¡± She looked up at Kim Hyunwoo and murmured softly. And then. Kim Hyunwoo couldn¡¯t hold back any longer. The next morning. ¡°¡­Ugh¡­¡± Kim Hyunwoo woke up feeling like all the energy had been drained from his body. He felt utterly exhausted and, in a daze, started recalling the events of the previous night, like a device loading up data. ¡°Oh.¡± After a moment, once he fully recalled everything that had happened the night before, Kim Hyunwoo turned his head to the side. ¡°You¡¯re awake, Master?¡± There, Merilda was looking at him with eyes full of pure happiness. ¡°¡­Merilda.¡± ¡°Yes, Master.¡± ¡°¡­You seem lively. You stayed up until dawnst night.¡± ¡°That much is nothing for me¡­!¡± Merilda smiled and hugged Kim Hyunwoo as he woke up. ¡­Her tail naturally wrapped around his waist, just like when she was asking for somethingst night. Then, looking at Kim Hyunwoo, who had a guilty expression, Merilda spoke. ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much, Master. You just helped satisfy my needs, right? Our rtionship hasn¡¯t changed.¡± Merilda yfully bit Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s corbone and spoke with loving eyes. ¡°So, I¡¯ll try a little harder. I¡¯ll make my way into your heart.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Kim Hyunwoo, who had been looking at her with aplex mix of emotions, was about to speak. Bang¡ª! Unfortunately, Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s words were interrupted by the sudden entrance of a person- ¡°Ahem, don¡¯t misunderstand. I just came to check because you weren¡¯t in the office and it¡¯s sote.¡± ¡°Why have you been making such useless excuses since earlier?¡± ¡°¡­As I¡¯ve mentioned before, I¡¯m in charge of assisting the Lord, so I could have juste to check myself¡­¡± Not just one, but three people had opened the door ¨C Rin, the Hero King, and Elena. -And, because of them, Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s words werepletely cut off. ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± ¡°Wha¡­?¡± ¡°?¡± Rin, the Hero King, and Elena, who hade to check on Kim Hyunwoo because he hadn¡¯t reported to the office on time, were frozen in ce as they took in the scene. Chapter 162: Reveal (2) A few hours away from Lartania. ¡°Wow, we finished earlier than I thought.¡± ¡°Yeah, right~¡± ¡°Honestly, I was worried it might drag on again, but they surrendered the moment we arrived¡­ I wonder how they even managed to start a coup.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± The Five Swords of Cn had justpleted their mission and were leisurely making their way back to Lartania. ¡°Loriel, don¡¯t you think so too?¡± ¡°Hmm, well, there¡¯s definitely some truth to that.¡± Loriel nodded in agreement with the other Swords. As they said, the suppression of the rebellion in the Cn Kingdom, which they thought might take longer, ended more easily and quickly than expected. As soon as the Five Swords of Cn arrived, the rebels scattered and fell apart, leaving them only to capture the instigator. Thanks to that, the Five Swords finished their mission within days and were now chatting idly as they returned to Lartania. At that moment, Rin seemed to recall something and spoke up. ¡°Oh, by the way, Loriel.¡± ¡°¡­What is it?¡± ¡°I was wondering what happened with that Beastman.¡± ¡°Huh? What are you talking about all of a sudden? Beastman?¡± Loriel tilted her head, confused by the question, but Rin grinned as if she already knew everything. ¡°Did you really think we wouldn¡¯t notice? You and that Red-Eyed King were exchanging such sweet looks. You never even make eye contact with us, let alone that.¡± ¡°That was purely coincidence-¡± ¡°Coincidentally making eye contact dozens of times while on duty together?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± As Loriel red at Rin silently, she raised both hands, as if to say she wasn¡¯t teasing. ¡°Sorry if I upset you, but seriously, isn¡¯t there something going on? You¡¯re never like this.¡± ¡°¡­Don¡¯t worry about it. There¡¯s nothing significant going on. And instead of focusing on me, we should be more concerned about Master.¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯ve got a point.¡± Rin nodded in agreement, and so did the rest of the Five Swords, acknowledging her point. In fact, just as Loriel said, the Five Swords had a request to make of Kim Hyunwoo upon returning, who had promised them any reward they wanted as long as it wasn¡¯t too excessive. ¡°Indeed, if Master doesn¡¯t arrange things in that way, he¡¯s the type who can¡¯t act on his own.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ It¡¯d be great if he could just figure it out.¡± ¡°I agree with that.¡± ¡°But what can we do? He¡¯s our Master, after all.¡± ¡°He definitely needs our help.¡± The Five Swords each murmured about the request they would make to Kim Hyunwoo as they returned. ¡°Well, for now, let¡¯s hurry back. We need to report the current situation quickly, and since Master and the other heroes have been brought into Lartania, it¡¯s best if we make this request as soon as possible.¡± With Loriel¡¯s words, the Five Swords quickened their pace toward Lartania. A few hourster, the Five Swords arrived earlier than expected. ¡°¡­Master?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Even though Rin had been recruited into Lartania, she was sitting crouched on the ground, looking devastated. ¡°¡­Ah.¡± Seeing this, Loriel instinctively realized that Master had missed something important. That afternoon. ¡°We¡¯ve sessfully handled the coup in the Cn Kingdom. The King said she would contact you directly.¡± Kim Hyunwoo spoke as he received the report from the Five Swords who hadpleted their mission. ¡°You¡¯ve all done well.¡± ¡°No, as we mentioned, the situation was easier than expected.¡± Loriel spoke as their representative. ¡°But still, work is work. So, is there anything you all want? I¡¯ll do my best to fulfill your wishes, as long as it¡¯s not too much.¡± Kim Hyunwoo nodded as he asked. Loriel subtly nced at the other Swords, exchanging looks with them. ¡°¡­?¡± Something suspicious in their movements. However, Kim Hyunwoo silently waited to hear what Loriel had to say. After a brief moment. ¡°If possible, could we count all five of our requests as one?¡± ¡°¡­Even so, if it¡¯s too difficult a request, I might not be able to grant it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that difficult of a request.¡± Something about Loriel¡¯s words made Kim Hyunwoo feel uneasy, but he responded. ¡°¡­Let me hear it first.¡± ¡°Then, may we speak privately for a moment?¡± ¡°That serious¡­? Well¡­okay.¡± Kim Hyunwoo reluctantly nodded, and Loriel signaled the other Swords, who quickly bowed their heads and left the room. Now, it was just the two of them in the room. Kim Hyunwoo instinctively realized that Loriel¡¯s request was something serious and looked at her with a tense expression. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll get straight to the point.¡± Loriel sighed deeply, as if steeling herself. ¡°¡­Could you share affection with Master¡­?¡± She said it seriously, though her face turned red slightly. Not long after the Lord of Lartania, Kim Hyunwoo, spent a night with Merilda, the news spread much faster than he had intended. It spread so quickly that byte afternoon, all the heroes in Lartania had already learned that Kim Hyunwoo had spent his first night with someone. One of the people who had confirmed the rumors firsthand, Elena, felt as though her world had crumbled as she went about her duties. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Of course, Elena was well aware that many heroes had their eyes on Kim Hyunwoo. However, despite the many heroes pursuing him, Kim Hyunwoo had always been meticulous about maintaining boundaries, never allowing his rtionships with them to go beyond a certain point. Perhaps that was why Elena had felt so reassured. She believed that because the Lord treated all heroes equally, no one would progress further with him even if she let her guard down a little. That belief had left her filled with deep regret and a sense of defeat. And in that state, ¡°Oh, here you are.¡± ¡°¡­Shadra?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me, Shadra. Can we talk for a bit?¡± ¡°Talk about what¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s about Dad, so follow me.¡± Shadra showed up and, without exnation, started pulling Elena along. Before long, they arrived at the office of the Mage Tower branch. ¡°¡­River?¡± Seeing River, who also looked like her world had copsed, Elena stood there, bewildered. ¡°Please, take a seat.¡± Following Shadra¡¯s instruction, Elena sat next to River. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s skip the small talk and get straight to the point.¡± Finally, Shadra began to get to the main topic. ¡°I think we all know what this is about. Dad slept with that Beastfolk who just returned.¡± Shadra¡¯s face was calm, but there wasn¡¯t a trace of humor in her serious expression as she continued. ¡°And I have no intention of giving up.¡± ¡°¡­What do you mean by ¡®not giving up¡¯?¡± ¡°I mean exactly what I said. Polygamy is legal on this Continent. Just because Dad slept with someone doesn¡¯t mean I have any reason to give up.¡± As if the very idea of giving up was absurd, Shadra dered with confidence, looking at Elena and River. ¡°So, to get to the point, I¡¯m proposing an alliance.¡± ¡°¡­An alliance?¡± ¡°Yes, an alliance. As you know, each of us heroes has our own strengths, but it¡¯s hard topete individually. That beastfolk has the backing of the Four Kings, and the half-demon has the support of the Five Swords¡­ Even though the Hero King doesn¡¯t have much support.¡± Shadra continued to exin. ¡°So, we should band together. Now that the first one is settled, the important thing is how quickly we can be Dad¡¯s women.¡± ¡°¡­What if the Lord has no intention of epting anyone other than that beastfolk?¡± ¡°If Dad says that, will you give up?¡± Shadra countered Elena¡¯s question with one of her own. ¡°¡­I¡­¡± As Elena hesitated, Shadra confidently dered: ¡°I have no intention of giving up, no matter what. Even if the sky falls and the earth shatters, I¡¯ll marry Dad. And we¡¯ll have a sticky mating too.¡± ¡°Sti-sticky mating¡­?¡± River responded, looking dizzy from Shadra¡¯s blunt words. ¡°And what if the Lord doesn¡¯t like it?¡± Elena asked hesitantly. ¡°He¡¯ll never hate it. I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s just me, but if we¡¯re together, we¡¯ll figure something out.¡± Shadra gave a confident smile. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m proposing this alliance. So, what will you do?¡± That¡¯s what she said. Elena and River, who had been listening, ¡°¡­Alright.¡± ¡°Me, me too¡­¡± nodded in agreement to Shadra¡¯s proposal. ¡°Good. Then let¡¯s start nning right away.¡± And the three began plotting. Chapter 163: Reveal (3) Kim Hyunwoo stared at Loriel with a frozen expression, his mind briefly stopping as he saw the serious look on her face. ¡°¡­What did you say?¡± ¡°I mean¡­ I¡¯d like you to have sex with her.¡± Kim Hyunwoo quickly realized that he hadn¡¯t misunderstood, and as he closed his eyes, trying to figure out where the conversation went wrong, he finally spoke. ¡°First of all, you don¡¯t need to exin it like that. I know exactly what you¡¯re asking.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Hearing Loriel¡¯s calm response, Kim Hyunwoo let out a light sigh and continued. ¡°¡­So, what¡¯s the reason for making this request out of the blue?¡± At Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s question, Loriel remained silent for a moment before finally speaking. ¡°As you may have guessed, my Master is deeply fond of you.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± That much was obvious to Kim Hyunwoo. Rin¡¯s actions so far had clearly shown her feelings to anyone who cared to look. ¡°But my Master is far too timid. No matter how much affection she harbors, she can¡¯t express it properly.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re asking me to do this?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Sorry, but I can¡¯t grant that request.¡± Kim Hyunwoo responded firmly to Loriel¡¯s nod. ¡°¡­It may be a bit rude to ask this, but may I ask a question?¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Loriel asked, her expression neutral but tinged with curiosity. ¡°I know it sounds odd to say this, but my Master¡¯s appearance is objectively outstanding. She possesses all the qualities one would expect from a woman.¡± ¡®Why would you reject someone like my Master, who has no apparent ws?¡¯ Loriel¡¯s question seemed to imply, and Kim Hyunwoo fell silent for a moment. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Naturally, Kim Hyunwoo wasn¡¯t the type of man to refuse something that was served on a silver tter. However, the reason he hadn¡¯t responded to Rin¡¯s feelings so far was his fear that their precarious rtionship might shatter. ¡®¡­I guess it doesn¡¯t matter now that I¡¯ve already slept with Merilda.¡¯ Of course, Merilda had told Kim Hyunwoo. That what happened between them wouldn¡¯t change their current rtionship. In fact, though some time had passed since then, she hadn¡¯t acted any differently. Still, Kim Hyunwoo instinctively realized that once he had slept with Merilda, whether he liked it or not, the unchanged rtionships he had worked so hard to maintain were beginning to shift. In other words, given the circumstances, granting Loriel¡¯s request wouldn¡¯t be such a big deal. However, even so- ¡°My answer remains the same.¡± Kim Hyunwoo repeated his answer. ¡°Loriel, I understand your concern for your master. I¡¯m sure from your perspective, this situation must have been troubling.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°But have you considered that by forcing this kind of rtionship from the outside, you might actually hurt Rin?¡± ¡°Is that so¡­¡± ¡°This is the sort of thing Rin herself needs to address, not something that should be brought up by someone else.¡± Kim Hyunwoo spoke as Loriel seemed to reflect for a moment before finally nodding in agreement. ¡°I understand.¡± ¡°Oh, and my offer still stands ¨C if there¡¯s anything reasonable you want, just ask, and I¡¯ll see what I can do. Tell the other heroes as well.¡± At Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s words, Loriel nodded, turned around, and left the office. ¡°Haa-¡± Watching her leave, Kim Hyunwoo let out a sigh. ¡°I really don¡¯t know anymore¡­¡± Resting his chin on his hand, he muttered to himself without realizing it. Giral, the Red-Eyed King and a recent addition to Lartania, had been feeling the changes in Merilda acutely. ¡°Giral.¡± ¡°What is it, Boss?¡± ¡°This part seems wrong.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ You¡¯re right. My bad.¡± ¡°No worries. Just do better next time.¡± With a cool smile, she lightly patted his shoulder and left him with a ¡°Keep it up¡± before heading off to check on the Beastfolk residences being built. Giral stood there, absentmindedly recalling the past. He remembered the old Merilda, who would ruthlessly crush any hint of rebellion with brute force, responding coldly to anything that arose among the Red Eyes. Giral tried to reconcile the old Merilda with the current one but ended up shaking his head without realizing it. It was impossible for anyone to match the Merilda of the past with the one she had be ¨C they were worlds apart. Of course, Giral wasn¡¯t the only one who had noticed these changes. ¡°The Boss is really glowing these days.¡± Ryu, who had been walking around inspecting the residences, suddenly joined them and made thement, to which Gram, who was also apanying them, let out augh. ¡°She¡¯s fully be a female now. Tsk tsk-¡± ¡°Should I tell the Boss you said that?¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with being a female?¡± Ryu red at Gram, who quickly changed his tone as usual, then looked at Merilda walking in the distance. ¡°For sure, ever since she mated, the Boss has be prettier.¡± ¡°¡­Does mating really make someone prettier?¡± ¡°Of course. Females always be more beautiful when they¡¯re loved. Can¡¯t you see how her eyes sparkle?¡± Following Ryu¡¯s words, Giral and Gram looked over to see Merilda¡¯s eyes shimmering in a way they hadn¡¯t before. ¡°¡­You¡¯re right.¡± ¡°If you look closely, even her skin looks better, and her fur seems shinier-¡± ¡°Right?¡± As Gram and Giral exchanged remarks about Merilda¡¯s appearance, Ryu continued the conversation. She smiled as she watched Merilda¡¯s tail wag happily, seemingly reflecting her good mood. ¡°Wow~ Honestly, I never thought the Boss would be the first to sleep with the Lord¡ª¡± ¡°That was unexpected for me too.¡± ¡°Wait, wasn¡¯t it Ryu who came up with the whole ¡®first night¡¯ n in the first ce?¡± When Giral said this, Ryu shook her head. ¡°No, it wasn¡¯t.¡± ¡°¡­Then the Boss did it all on her own?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­not exactly. She came to ask me for advice, so I told her to go all-in with sincerity.¡± ¡°Sincerity¡­huh¡­¡± Giral murmured, pausing slightly at Ryu¡¯s words. Around that time, Merilda, as she walked, nced toward the Lord¡¯s castle. Inside the office, she could clearly see Kim Hyunwoo sitting at his desk, engaged in conversation through a magic orb. ¡°?¡± Merilda stood still for a moment, gazing lovingly at him, her cheeks turning pink with embarrassment as she thought. ¡®He said to wait, so I shouldn¡¯t just go, right?¡¯ ¡®But I really want to see him¡­¡¯ ¡®Should I sneak in today just to see his face?¡¯ ¡®¡­But I want to sleep with him again.¡¯ Merilda¡¯s mind was filled with thoughts as she stared at Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s face. Along with those thoughts, she felt incredibly grateful to her past self for gathering the courage to act the day before. Of course, there was still some lingering soreness from yesterday¡¯s events, but had she not taken that step, she would have never realized just how bright the world could be. ¡®If I visit him again today¡­ Will he ept me?¡¯ Swaying, swaying- ? Her tail swayed with anticipation. While Merilda was thinking about Kim Hyunwoo like that, he was having a conversation with Sasha via the magic orb. [There aren¡¯t enough words to express how grateful I am. Thank you so much.] ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing. I was just doing my job in exchange forpensation.¡± At Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s response, Sasha smiled and replied. [Don¡¯t worry about thepensation. I¡¯ve already sent the goods today, so they should arrive soon.] ¡°You didn¡¯t have to rush, but thank you. By the way, are you okay? I heard the coup caused you a lot of damage.¡± At Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s words, Sasha gave a bitter smile and replied. [To be honest, we suffered a bit more damage than expected. As you know, the person who led the coup was someone I spent a lot of time grooming to take over after the Five Swords of Cn left. Because of that, we sustained more damage.] ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry to hear that.¡± [No, it¡¯s my fault for not seeing it sooner. What¡¯s most needed in my position is insight, and I used mine poorly, so who else could be to me?] Sasha smiled again as she spoke. [Anyway, I¡¯ll make sure to deliver thepensation steadily over the next six months, so don¡¯t worry.] ¡°Thank you.¡± By the time Kim Hyunwoo received the promisedpensation and finished the conversation, on the lower floor of the Lord¡¯s castle, more precisely, in the heroes¡¯ quarters in Lartania, ¡°Is¡­is that really true?¡± ¡°Yes, Master. I asked him myself.¡± Loriel, ¡°If you go and ask him yourself, he¡¯ll do it.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± was saying this to Rin, whose face had turned bright red. Chapter 164: Reveal (4) The Absolute Ruler of Darkness, listening to Loriel¡¯s words, looked surprised and then spoke. ¡°What do you mean-¡± ¡°It¡¯s true, Master. If you go and ask directly, he¡¯ll do it.¡± Rin looked at Loriel with confusion for a moment, her eyes reflecting the firmness in Loriel¡¯s, before she finally spoke. ¡°Where did you even get such information-¡± ¡°From the Lord, of course.¡± ¡°From him!?¡± Rin¡¯s expression grew even more confused, and realizing her exnation was insufficient, Loriel cleared her throat and calmly began exining the events fromst time. After hearing Loriel¡¯s exnation, Rin- ¡°So¡­you¡¯re saying he really said that?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± As Loriel nodded, Rin remained silent, seemingly deep in thought, before speaking again. ¡°Loriel.¡± ¡°Yes, Master.¡± ¡°I know you care for me, as I¡¯ve said before.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°But I¡¯d rather you not go that far.¡± A simple statement with nothing further exined. Yet Loriel easily understood what she meant and lowered her head. ¡°¡­I didn¡¯t think things through, Master.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s my fault for worrying you by showing such a poor side of myself.¡± Rin smiled bitterly. Looking at her, Loriel thought how Rin was usually soposed, yet she changed so much when it came to the Lord of Lartania. Then, she asked. ¡°So, what will you do?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I¡¯m asking if you¡¯ll confront the Lord with your feelings.¡± At Loriel¡¯s words, Rin fell silent, thinking back to the brief moment she saw Merilda earlier that afternoon. More specifically, she recalled their conversation. ¡­Though to be honest, it hadn¡¯t been much of a conversation. [You sly little wildcat-!] That one sentence she had growled through clenched teeth when Merilda had sauntered into the Round Table. [I just told the Master how I felt.] Merilda had responded with a casual yet overwhelmingly happy smile. And then- [Oh, and by the way, the Master¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s bigger than you said.] [¡­!?] [It seems the Master wasn¡¯t giving his all when he was with you.] As expected, with that additional information and the remark that scratched at her insides, Rin hadpletely crumbled. ¡®¡­That wildcat¡­!¡¯ As soon as Rin recalled that moment, she gritted her teeth again. It was hard to believe that the same woman who, just a few months ago, had stood with her watching Kim Hyunwoo from afar, had now been in his arms before her. ¡°Ugh-¡± The more she thought about it, the more it felt like tears of blood might flow. Rin forced herself to hold back the emotions welling up, taking long, deep breaths to calm herself. ¡°You asked what I will do?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°There is only one path left, of course.¡± Soon, Rin, ¡°I¡¯ll tell him how I truly feel. At this point, that¡¯s the only path left.¡± with her eyes wide open, she began preparing to confess her true feelings. ¡°¡­Loriel.¡± ¡°Yes, Master.¡± ¡°Could you¡­possibly prepare¡­that and¡­that?¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be difficult right away, but if you give me a day or two, I can manage.¡± ¡°Then, can you make sure it¡¯s ready?¡± ¡°If it¡¯s your will, I¡¯ll make the impossible happen.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± They began making somewhat¡­excessive preparations. ¡®He wasn¡¯t giving his all when he was with me?! We¡¯ll see about that¡­!¡¯ With teeth gritting. Another day passed. Kim Hyunwoo gazed at the steadily piling resources Sasha had sent as payment for resolving the coup in the Cn Kingdom, a blissful smile spreading across his face. ¡®This is unreal.¡¯ The sheer quantity of materials delivered by the dwarves was enough to leave Kim Hyunwoo ck-jawed. If he were to pile up the materials from the Cn Kingdom, it would form a mountainparable in size to the Magical Engineering Research Institute. Looking at the resources with satisfaction, Kim Hyunwoo immediately opened the territory window and began upgrading all the buildings he had nned in advance. Territory: Lartania Territory Development Level: 5855 Territory Residents: [Humans: 49,244] [Beastfolk: 1,082] ¨CSecondary Buildings¨C [Magical Engineering Research Institute] ¨CSubordinate Buildings¨C ?? [Magical Engineering Power nt ¡ü] ?? [Magical Engineering Weapons Research Institute ¡ü] ?? [Magical Engineering Refinery (Under Construction 88%)] ¨COwned Buildings¨C [Lord¡¯s Castle LV4 (Under Construction 99%)] [Outer Walls LV5] [Residential District LV5 >>> Upgrading 0%] [cksmith LV5 >>> Upgrading 0%] [Barracks LV5 >>> Upgrading 0%] [Tavern LV5 >>> Upgrading 0%] [Marketce LV5] [Wood Processing nt LV5 >>> Upgrading 0%] [Restaurant LV5] [Leather Processing nt LV5 >>> Upgrading 0%] [Stone Processing nt LV5 >>> Upgrading 0%] [Trade Center LV5 >>> Upgrading 0%] [Secondary Walls LV5] [Inn LV5 >>> Upgrading 0%] [Administrative District LV5 >>> Upgrading 0%] [Paved Roads LV5] [Tertiary Walls (Under Construction 0%)] ¨CExternal Buildings¨C [Mercenary Guild LV1] [Mage Tower Branch LV1] [cksmith Guild Branch LV1] ¨COwned Forces¨C ? Regr Soldiers: 1,000 ? Swordsmen: 500 ? Guards: 700 ? Apprentice Knights: 200 ? Beastfolk: 1,082 ¡°Wow¡­¡± Seeing more than half of the territory window filled with upgrades in progress, and realizing that there were still plenty of resources left even after initiating all those upgrades, Kim Hyunwoo smiled. ¡®Is this the power of a kingdom¡­?¡¯ More urately, Sasha had likely confiscated all the resources from the territory that had attempted the coup, but that detail didn¡¯t matter much to Kim Hyunwoo, who silently praised Sasha. ¡®Normally, the resource consumption skyrockets from Level 5 onward, but there¡¯s still so much left. Just how much did she send me?¡¯ After a brief calction, Kim Hyunwoo realized that with the resources Sasha had provided, he could potentially upgrade almost all the buildings to Level 7, given enough time. Inside, he was silently cheering with joy. A little whileter¡­ After upgrading every building he could think of, Kim Hyunwoo recalled what River had said earlier. He began heading towards the cksmith Guild but paused as he passed the newly built structures beside the Magical Engineering Research Institute. ¡®¡­It feels out of ce.¡¯ As he walked towards the cksmith Guild, Kim Hyunwoo noticed the Magical Engineering Weapons Research Institute and the Magical Engineering Refinery built in front of the Magical Engineering Research Center. The two buildings,pleted just yesterday, looked strikingly simr to modern factories, which left an impression on Kim Hyunwoo. Shrugging, he continued toward the cksmith Guild. Not long after, Kim Hyunwoo arrived at the cksmith Guild, where he saw River and Shadra. He saw them, but¡­ ¡°River?¡± ¡°Oh, oh! You¡¯re here!?¡± Kim Hyunwoo asked, slightly bewildered, seeing River standing there somewhat awkwardly. ¡­To be precise, River was wearing a very flowy dress. ¡°Well, I¡¯m here¡­but your outfit today is¡­a bit unusual?¡± ¡°Unusual!? Does it look weird?!¡± River seemed a bit flustered, so Kim Hyunwoo shook his head as he replied. ¡°No, it¡¯s not weird. It¡¯s just that you usually wear your regr clothes. Didn¡¯t you say before that everything else feels ufortable?¡± ¡°Ah, yeah~ I did say that, but I thought I¡¯d try this for a little change of pace.¡± As she nced away and said this, Kim Hyunwoo stared nkly for a moment, thinking to himself. ¡®Could it be¡­ River too?¡¯ For a brief moment, Kim Hyunwoo entertained the thought but quickly shook his head. ¡®No, don¡¯t get ahead of yourself. Thinking River might like me too¡­that¡¯s just too weird. She¡¯s way more obsessed with cksmithing than she is with me¡­¡¯ With all these ridiculous situationstely, he was starting to feel like he was developing a sort of delusion of grandeur. Shaking off the thought, Kim Hyunwoo spoke. ¡°As a change of pace, it works. It suits you.¡± ¡°Really¡­?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± At his response, River let out a small giggle before eximing ¡°Ah!¡± and spoke again. ¡°Come here! This is the finished product!¡± With those words, River pointed to a spot. ¡°That?¡± As Kim Hyunwoo looked in the direction she was pointing, he saw a missile slightlyrger than the one she had shown him before. ¡°Yeah! If you want, we canunch it right now!¡± ¡°So, that will strike the Eastern n Alliance directly?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯ll probably turn them to dust.¡± Without hesitation, Kim Hyunwoo replied to River. ¡°Then let¡¯sunch it right away.¡± Chapter 165: Reveal (5) After making her resolve, Loriel left the room and immediately went to where the Five Swords were, opening her mouth to speak. ¡°We need to get the items right now.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°¡­Something like¡­this.¡± When Loriel spoke quietly, they all went, ¡°Oh¡±, murmuring in astonishment as they discussed it. ¡°Does the type matter?¡± ¡°We should probably get something that suits the asion, right?¡± ¡°It¡¯s likely that Lartania would have something like that. Back then, maybe not, but now it¡¯s developed so much.¡± As the Five Swords nodded in agreement, Loriel nodded back. ¡°Let¡¯s split up and start looking right away. Just in case it¡¯s not here, I¡¯m thinking of visiting other territories too.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s do it.¡± With those words, Loriel turned and started moving. As they watched her for a while, Ruin spoke. ¡°Well, shall we get started too?¡± ¡°Sure, but¡­by the way.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°While we¡¯re at it, should we get something for Loriel too?¡± After hearing one of the Five Swords¡¯ suggestions, Ruin paused, looking a bit dazed. ¡°That¡¯s not a bad idea.¡± Nodding in agreement, the Five Swords immediately sprang into action. To find ¡®that¡¯. ¡°¡­Wait, right now?¡± ¡°Right now.¡± When River asked as if to confirm, Kim Hyunwoo answered without hesitation. Of course, it wasn¡¯t that Kim Hyunwoo thoughtlessly suggestedunching the missile immediately. He could easily imagine what the state of the territory would be like after the missile struck. Even though he could predict the aftermath, Kim Hyunwoo didn¡¯t hesitate in his decision. ¡®There¡¯s no reason to bother with useless morality.¡¯ The Eastern n Alliance would not bow down even if Lartania showed them the missile. In fact, they would likely escte their attacks. The demons¡¯ and celestials¡¯ ultimate goal ¨C more precisely, the goal of those trying to achieve something in this world ¨C was the destruction of the world. In short, showing a missile to those with such goals offered no chance for negotiation. From their perspective, he was someone they absolutely had to kill. Kim Hyunwoo wasn¡¯t slow to grasp the situation, nor was he naive enough to hesitate whenunching a missile while holding onto useless morality. ¡®It¡¯s best to wipe them out before they¡¯re fully prepared for battle.¡¯ Although Lartania¡¯s strength had been reinforced by the return of its heroes, Kim Hyunwoo still didn¡¯t know the full extent of the celestials¡¯ power. What if the celestials¡¯ strength was simr to that of the heroes? Even if their strength wasn¡¯t the same, there was still a chance that the heroes could be gravely injured or killed in battle against the celestials. And to Kim Hyunwoo,unching the missile seemed the better optionpared to risking such chances. What mattered most to him were Lartania and the heroes who had returned to his territory. Therefore, ¡°I¡¯m asking. Or will it take more time tounch?¡± When Kim Hyunwoo asked, River thought for a moment before shaking her head. ¡°No, it won¡¯t take long. We just need to make some basic preparations, but there isn¡¯t much to do.¡± She smiled and answered. ¡°Got it, just wait a moment¡­! We¡¯ll need Shadra tounch, though¡­!¡± With that, River told him to wait a moment before running off somewhere. A little whileter, ¡°Hello, Dad¡­¡± ¡°Shadra¡­huh? You¡¯re not wearing your usual clothes today?¡± Kim Hyunwoo noticed that Shadra, looking a bit moodier than usual, was wearing tight ck leather clothes instead of her usual wizard-like robes. ¡°Yeah, just a simple change of mood?¡± Shadra spoke, ncing at River with a slightly displeased expression but quickly brushed it off and continued. ¡°Are you nning tounch it right now?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Got it. If you¡¯re not changing the target, the preparations won¡¯t take long. It¡¯s still aimed at the Eastern n Alliance, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± At Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s confirmation, Shadra nodded slightly, raised her staff ¨C despite the leather outfit ¨C and began chanting an incantation. And then. Wooooooong-! The missile in the underground of the cksmith Guild began to resonate. The office of the Eastern n Alliance. ¡°So, they gave this to you?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± There, Durandor and three angels were staring at the Void stones held in the palms of their hands. ¡°¡­It¡¯s unmistakably the Void, without a doubt.¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s not an illusion.¡± ¡°It¡¯s certainly the same force that defiled Him.¡± The three angels sitting across from Durandor were cherubim, part of the second tier directly under the orders of the archangels. The angels, named Sim, Par, and Curian, each wore expressions of amazement as they looked at the Void, then turned to face Durandor. ¡°Was there any other deal besides this?¡± In response to the question from Sim, the leader of the cherubim, Durandor shook his head and replied. ¡°There was none. The Abyss merely said that we share the same objective for the time being.¡± ¡°The same objective¡­ You mean dealing with the Outsider?¡± ¡°Yes, they said we should cooperate until the Outsider is dealt with.¡± At Durandor¡¯s words, Sim fell silent for a moment, thinking, then spoke. ¡°Do you believe that?¡± ¡°Not at all, but as you can see, the power the Void gave us is real.¡± As Durandor said this, he suddenly conjured a sword of light in his hand. Woooooong-! The sword emitted a sharp resonance, glowing with divine light. In that state, Durandor crushed the ck gem in his hand with force. Crack-! Crackle-! The power from the shattered gem began to seep into the sword of light in Durandor¡¯s hand. As the once-ck light infused the sword, turning it into a grayish hue, the cherubim expressed their astonishment. Durandor extended the now-gray sword and spoke. ¡°¡­This is truly the power of the Void. The same force that defiled and brought down our Lord.¡± As Durandor dismissed the sword of light, the gem he had crushed just moments ago, which had turned to dust, slowly reformed, as if time were reversing. Par, observing this,mented. ¡°¡­It¡¯s definitely the power of the Void.¡± ¡°Is it truly alright to use this?¡± Curian asked with a serious expression. But Sim, after silently observing the situation for a moment, replied. ¡°¡­But surely, with the power of the Void, dealing with Lartania wouldn¡¯t be difficult.¡± ¡°Exactly. Unfortunately, it seems the heroes protecting the Outsider have gathered in Lartania. Thanks to the demons¡¯ failure, the situation has be troublesome. But with this Void power¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯ll be able to handle them with ease, then.¡± ¡°You all know, don¡¯t you? The Void erases anything it touches, as if it never existed. That includes even our Lord. If we wield such power, no matter how strong the heroes of the mortal realm are, we can deal with them.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Sim nodded in agreement and began to speak- ¡°¡­Then, we¡¯ll get permission from the Archangel soon and ¨C shall we prepare for another holy war¡­?¡± But he couldn¡¯t finish his sentence. Because. ¡°¡­What is that?¡± Sim suddenly mumbled, his expression dazed. Seeing Sim¡¯s dazed face, Durandor and the other two cherubim turned their heads in confusion. ¡°¡­?¡± They saw something flying through the sky, creating a straight white trail that divided the blue sky. ¡°¡­What is that?¡± ¡°What is it?¡± The angels wore puzzled expressions. But a momentter, ¡°¡­Huh?¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°That¡­doesn¡¯t it seem like it¡¯s heading this way?¡± Sim, still staring at the object soaring through the sky, made thisment. The other two angels observed it carefully and nodded. ¡°Certainly¡­¡± ¡°It does seem like it-¡± As the two angels spoke in agreement- ¡°-But?¡± They suddenly realized that the object in the sky was now flying directly toward the terrace. ¡°¡­!¡± The moment Durandor realized this and tried to act- KABOOOOOM-!!!!!! The angels were engulfed in a brilliant white light. Chapter 166: Reveal (6) ¡°Uwa-!¡± As he resurfaced from sleep, Durandor let out an undignified scream as he opened his eyes. The first thing he saw upon awakening was a multicolored sky. Durandor was well-acquainted with that sky. ¡°Awake, are you?¡± As he nkly gazed at the sky, a voice reached his ears, and he turned his gaze. There sat Sim, wearing a troubled expression. ¡°¡­What happened?¡± ¡°How? You know as well as I do.¡± At Sim¡¯s words, Durandor looked at the sky with a dazed expression. The sky bore the multicolored hues of Heaven, his homnd. ¡°¡­Am I dead?¡± ¡°Yes. Ridiculous, isn¡¯t it?¡± At Durandor¡¯s murmured disbelief, Sim let out a deep sigh and looked off to the side, sharing in the absurdity. Nearby, two other cherubim, Par and Curian, were staring nkly at the sky, just like them. ¡°¡­It¡¯s only been three days since we received our power and ¡®were born¡¯, and yet we¡¯ve died like this. How can we face the Archangels¡­?¡± Sim closed his eyes tightly, his face twisted with torment at the thought. Still unable to grasp the situation, Durandor continued staring at the sky and opened his mouth to speak. ¡°¡­What in the world hit us?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know either. The only guess I have is that massive thing that appeared at thest moment and struck us.¡± At Sim¡¯s words, Durandor finally recalled thest moment. He remembered something cleaving the sky in two before crashing into the fortress, ending everything in an instant. ¡®What on earth was that-¡¯ Durandor furrowed his brow, still unable to understand, but soon stood up and spoke. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Go where?¡± ¡°To report to the Archangels, of course. And then we should receive permission for another ¡®birth¡¯ and return to prepare again on the mortal ne.¡± Durandor¡¯s words. But Sim didn¡¯t move and just stared at him before speaking. ¡°¡­I see. You¡¯ve just woken up, so you haven¡¯t fully grasped the situation yet.¡± ¡°¡­? What do you mean?¡± Sim didn¡¯t bother answering. Instead, he began gathering divine power before Durandor. Wuuuuung-! As the divine power resonated, it quickly expanded with Sim¡¯s movement, projecting a scene before them. An emptynd, with nothing but a massive crater. ¡°¡­What is this?¡± Durandor looked at Sim with a puzzled expression, then nced around the empty field a few more times. ¡°¡­?¡± Soon, Durandor spotted the remnants of a few buildings scattered across the emptynd. A momentter, his expression turned to shock. ¡°¡­Could this be¡­my territory?¡± ¡°Yes, your territory. The one you came down to the mortal world and built seven years ago.¡± ¡°That¡¯s insane-¡± Durandor swore without realizing it, his mouth agape. Thendscape before him was utterly barren. The only thing that indicated this was once his domain was the distant standing wall. ¡°¡­¡­¡± He gazed at the emptynd that was once his domain with a hollow expression. ¡°¡­Let¡¯s go back and report to the Archangels first.¡± For a long time, Durandor stared nkly at what was once his territory, his face devoid of emotion. ¡°¡­Let¡¯s do that.¡± With heavy steps, he began to move. Meanwhile, Kim Hyunwoo, who hadunched a missile directly at the Eastern n Alliance, soon assessed the situation there through Shadra¡¯s familiar and magic. ¡°¡­Wow.¡± Durandor¡¯s domain, which could essentially be called the Eastern n Alliance¡¯s main base, hadpletely vanished, leaving behind only traces of what it once was. Not just gone, but utterly obliterated. ¡®¡­I didn¡¯t think it would be this much.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo thought as he looked at the missile that had fallen. Of course, he had been told by Shadra and River that this missile would be stronger than the previous one, so he had somewhat expected it to be more powerful. But even so, he hadn¡¯t expected it to be this devastating. ¡®¡­I didn¡¯t think an entire territory could be wiped out with a single missile.¡¯ Of course, the number of Red Stones Kim Hyunwoo had invested was ridiculous. Just the number of Red Stones used to blow up the Eastern n Alliance exceeded 20,000, not to mention the additional Stones required to make the warheads. However, even considering all that, he hadn¡¯t expected a single shot to turn the territory into a mere memory of what it once was. Kim Hyunwoo couldn¡¯t help but feel a sense of awe. ¡°This is a real sess.¡± ¡°Truly!¡± Beside him, Shadra and River, who had poured their energy into making the missile, exchanged smiles, pleased that their hard work hadn¡¯t been in vain. ¡°Good job, both of you.¡± Kim Hyunwoo praised the two. Although destroying the Eastern n Alliance¡¯s main domain was significant, it was just one territory in the bigger picture. Still, there was no doubt those two had aplished something huge. ¡°If either of you wants something, just let me know.¡± ¡°Something we want-¡± ¡°Well¡­?¡± As soon as he said that, the two stopped looking at each other and, with their smiles fading, spoke up. ¡°¡­?¡± The unusual atmosphere made Kim Hyunwoo feel slightly taken aback, but he quickly forced an awkward smile and said, ¡°Uh, you know, right? It has to be something within my means. If it¡¯s beyond my abilities, I won¡¯t be able to make it happen.¡± ¡°Hmm, something within your means, huh?¡± ¡°Hey, what exactly are the limits of that?¡± As they followed up with their question, they looked curious. ¡°Well¡­ I haven¡¯t exactly set any limits¡­just as long as it¡¯s something within my ability to handle, I suppose¡­¡± When Kim Hyunwoo answered after thinking for a moment, the two exchanged meaningful nces. ¡°That¡¯ll be enough!¡± ¡°Dad, we would never ask for anything impossible!¡± ¡°¡­Oh, okay¡­?¡± With satisfied nods, they concluded the conversation. After the Eastern n Alliance was blown away¡­ With about a week left until the Labyrinth Package ended, Kim Hyunwoo began thinking about how to capture the Necromancer of the Blue Forest. ¡°Master.¡± ¡°Oh, Merilda.¡± ¡°I came to report.¡± Rather than entering through the office door, Merilda appeared over the terrace, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Rustle, rustle. Wagging her tail, Merilda approached Kim Hyunwoo with a smile that clearly showed she was in a good mood. She began reporting on the issues that arose while the beastkin were building their residential district. ¡°And this-¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± At some point, Kim Hyunwoo realized that Merilda had snuggled up next to him. He felt her gently wagging tail wrap around his shoulders and waist in the most natural way, and he looked at her. Recently, every time Merilda came to report, she would either wrap him with her tail like this or engage in subtle flirting. For example, ¡°Master, pet me.¡± After her report, she would sit down on the ground, as if waiting, and demand to be petted by Kim Hyunwoo. ¡°Hmm-¡± And once he started petting her, she would rest her face on his thigh. Rustle, rustle- ¡°?¡± As he petted her for a while, she would wag her tail, letting out soft, excited sighs while gazing at him ¨C a scene that had be all toomon. And then- Bite. For some reason, just as the petting session was about to end, she would give his thigh a soft bite before standing up. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Kim Hyunwoo wasn¡¯t sure what Merilda thought of it, but honestly, her actions always made his heart race in an endearing way. Perhaps ever since that day, he had thought he needed to strengthen his mental fortitude, but every time, it unraveled instantly. And while Merilda was racing ahead on her own, on the floor directly below the office, where the heroes¡¯ quarters were located, ¡°¡­Did you bring it?¡± ¡°Yes, Master. I have brought it.¡± Loriel was handing a box to Rin. ¡°Is this it?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°¡­Hmph¡­¡± Rin discreetly opened the box, took a nce, and then, with her once stern expression now tinged with red, quickly closed it again. ¡°¡­It¡¯s stronger than I thought.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Anyway, good work.¡± At Rin¡¯s words, Loriel simply bowed her head once in acknowledgment. ¡°Then, when will you go?¡± She asked the question, and Rin, who had been staring at the box in her hand, seemed to ponder for a moment. ¡°¡­Three days from now.¡± Soon, she dered her decision. ¡°In three days, I will settle this.¡± Chapter 167: Competition (1) In the dark, empty abyss, Loria gazed at the deste clearing and muttered with a ridiculousugh. ¡°Completely useless. How can something be so worthless? How is this any different from the demons?¡± Her mouth smiled, but her brow furrowed in displeasure, as if she wasn¡¯t satisfied with the situation. She let out a sigh. ¡°If things keep going wrong like this~ Isn¡¯t it a bit too much?¡± Loria spoke as if talking to someone. But naturally, no response came from the empty abyss. All she could see was darkness, and the only sound she heard was the beating of her own heart. However, it seemed Loria didn¡¯t care for a response. She muttered and stared at the empty clearing for a while. ¡°Well, at least it¡¯s notpletely blocked off like the demons¡¯ side, so I can still have some hope¡­ As for this side-¡± She turned her gaze toward the back of the clearing. Sssskk¡ª As soon as Loria looked, a round table appeared as if it had always been there. But unlikest time, the knight who usually sat there alone was nowhere to be seen. ¡°Hmm¡ª¡± Loria, confirming with her own eyes that no one was at the table, walked over and sat down. And then, ¡°It seems to be going well, seeing as they¡¯ve already escaped ¡°here¡±. I guess I can have some expectations?¡± She murmured quietly, swinging her legs back and forth in her seat. ¡°Shall I wait for good news?¡± Three dayster. Territory: Lartania Territory Development Level: 6041 Territory Residents: [Humans: 51,244] [Beastfolk: 1,082] ©¥Secondary Buildings©¥ [Magical Engineering Research Institute] ¨CSubordinate Buildings¨C ?? [Magical Engineering Power nt] ?? [Magical Engineering Weapons Research Institute] ?? [Magical Engineering Refinery ¡ü] ©¥Owned Buildings©¥ [Lord¡¯s Castle LV4 (Under construction 99%)] [City Wall LV5] [Residential District LV6¡ü >>> Upgrading 0%] [cksmith LV6¡ü >>> Upgrading 0%] [Barracks LV6¡ü >>> Upgrading 0%] [Tavern LV6¡ü >>> Upgrading 0%] [Market LV5] [Wood Processing nt LV6¡ü >>> Upgrading 0%] [Restaurant LV5] [Leather Processing nt LV6¡ü >>> Upgrading 0%] [Stone Processing nt LV6¡ü >>> Upgrading 0%] [Trade Center LV6¡ü >>> Upgrading 0%] [Secondary Wall LV5] [Inn LV6¡ü >>> Upgrading 0%] [Administrative District LV5¡ü >>> Upgrading 0%] [Paved Road LV5] [Tertiary Wall (Under construction 55%)] ©¥External Buildings©¥ [Mercenary Guild LV1] [Mage Tower Branch LV1] [cksmith Guild Branch LV1] ©¥Owned Forces©¥ ? Regr Soldiers: 1,000 ? Swordsmen: 500 ? Guards: 700 ? Apprentice Knights: 200 ? Beastfolk: 1,084 ¡°Wow, that¡¯s really fast.¡± Kim Hyunwoo looked at the territory screen with a renewed sense of admiration. Currently, all the buildings in the territory screen are being upgraded again. And all this had happened in less than a week. ¡®This speed is ridiculous¡­ I didn¡¯t expect the construction speed to increase so much just because the beastfolk joined in.¡¯ The construction speed when the beastfolk joined in was astonishing, even enough to surprise Kim Hyunwoo. Of course, it wasn¡¯t solely because the beastfolk participated; the total number of workers had increased as the poption grew. But even so, this speed wouldn¡¯t have been possible without the beastfolk, and that¡¯s why he admired the territory screen. ¡®At this rate, if we just have enough resources, all the primary buildings could reach max level in half a year¡­?¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo looked at Lartania, deep in thought. Lartania was no longer just a flourishing territory; it now felt more like the capital of a kingdom due to its remarkable prosperity. Inside the first wall, rows of luxurious buildings had appeared, and the street vendors in the market had been reced by more permanent structures. Beyond that, even more high-end buildings were being erected past the second wall, and a new wall was under construction beyond the second. Of course, the perimeter the wall had to cover was so vast that it wasn¡¯t fully built yet, but even from afar, the third wall¡¯s height was visibly increasing day by day. ¡®Once the third wall isplete, we¡¯ll finally reim the entirety of our original territory.¡¯ Feeling sentimental, Kim Hyunwoo nced at the rapidly rising wall before returning to his tasks. After some time had passed. As the sky, once lit by the setting sun, was now fully shrouded in darkness, Kim Hyunwoo reviewed thetest reports from the heroes and organized the current situation. ¡®¡­There are only about four days left until I enter the Labyrinth, and as for the Eastern n Alliance¡­ There¡¯s still no response.¡¯ At that point, Kim Hyunwoo began to have doubts. ¡®I was sure there would be some kind of reaction¡­how strange.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo had fully expected some kind of response from the Eastern n Alliance. But ording to the information he received from Shadra, the Eastern n Alliance hadn¡¯t shown any reaction whatsoever. ¡®But it¡¯s awkward tounch an attack first.¡¯ If Kim Hyunwoo had enough military power, it might be different, but at present, the practical forces at his disposal in Lartania were limited, making an attack impossible. ¡®Maybe I should start training more soldiers?¡¯ Up until now, Kim Hyunwoo hadn¡¯t focused on training soldiers because Lartania had been running smoothly, just as he intended. Even setting aside the soldiers and heroes in Lartania, there were now many others who shared the desire to protect the city. They were the mercenaries who had settled in Lartania, the city of the Labyrinth. Unlike before, the mercenaries had now established guilds in the city and, unless it was a guaranteed loss, they would certainly strive to protect Lartania. ¡®And now that even 4-star mercenaries havee to Lartania and established guilds¡­¡¯ Just as Kim Hyunwoo intended, Lartania was bing a ce that was harder to mess with as time went on. Because anyone who wanted to mess with Lartania would also have to deal with the mercenaries. ¡®But there¡¯s no guarantee that the mercenaries will be enough to stop all the angels¡­¡¯ While Kim Hyunwoo was pondering, Knock knock! ¡°Come in.¡± At the quiet knock, Kim Hyunwoo tilted his head and called out. Soon, Rin opened the door and appeared. ¡°¡­Rin? What¡¯s the matter?¡± Rin looked at him with a thoughtful expression as Kim Hyunwoo asked with a curious gaze. ¡°Excuse me for a moment.¡± She then stepped forward, heading toward the terrace. And then, Click. Rin closed the terrace door that Kim Hyunwoo had left open and then drew the curtains. As Kim Hyunwoo watched Rin¡¯s sudden actions with a puzzled expression, he noticed something strange about her. ¡®¡­Why is she wearing a coat?¡¯ Rin looked different than usual. She usually wore a qipao, but now she was covered in a long coat that reached her ankles. It was a look that anyone would find suspicious. But despite her suspicious appearance, Rin diligently moved her body, heading toward the window to close it before drawing the curtains. ¡°¡­Um, Rin?¡± Ignoring Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s question, Rin went to thest open window, drew the curtains, and then sighed deeply as she looked at the window she had just covered. She then turned to face Kim Hyunwoo with a resolute expression. ¡°¡­??¡± Kim Hyunwoo was confused by the determined look on Rin¡¯s face. But she paid no mind to his confusion, standing in front of him and pulling something out of her pocket, which she ced on her head. Kim Hyunwoo could easily see what it was. ¡®¡­Cat ears?¡¯ What she had ced on her head was a pair of ck-striped cat ears. They were high-quality, fluffy ears, resembling those of a Norwegian forest cat. As Kim Hyunwoo stared nkly at them for a moment, he saw Rin, still with her determined expression, let go of her coat. Sssrrk¡ª The coat smoothly slipped off Rin¡¯s slender body. And what was revealed next¡­ Was Rin, wearing an extremely revealing outfit that barely covered the important areas. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Before Kim Hyunwoo could react to what had just happened, he heard- ¡°Me, ow-¡± The cute meow of a cat, strained with suppressed embarrassment, reached his ears. Chapter 168: Competition (2) The Lord¡¯s Castle of Lartania. At the end of the day, when all the work was done, the Five Swords of Cn gathered around the Round Table in the now quiet Lord¡¯s Castle. ¡°What¡¯s the situation?¡± ¡°¡­The Beast King has remained in the beastfolk¡¯s residential area all day, just as we were informed.¡± ¡°The Tower Master, the cksmith, and the Lord¡¯s secretary are currently discussing something in the Tower Master¡¯s room, but we can¡¯t hear them because of the magic barrier.¡± ¡°The Hero King is asleep.¡± ¡°Are you sure she¡¯s really asleep?¡± ¡°Yeah, it seems true that she fell asleep quickly because her body hasn¡¯t fully recovered.¡± Nodding at the reports from the Five Swords, Loriel continued. ¡°Ruin, there¡¯s no sign of the Tienus Merchant Group approaching Wagaak, right?¡± ¡°I went out far to check, and at least until tomorrow, there¡¯s no sign of the Merchant Group arriving. Besides, they just left a few days ago, didn¡¯t they?¡± As Ruin recalled that the Tienus Merchant Group had just left a few days ago, Loriel firmly shook her head. ¡°We must be prepared to control any situation, just in case.¡± Ruin, instead of giving a verbal reply, nodded a few times and spoke. ¡°That means we¡¯re done with everything we can handle externally for now.¡± ¡°Then all that remains is-¡± ¡°Whether our Master seeds or not¡­ That¡¯s the question.¡± At Loriel¡¯s murmuring, the Five Swords of Cn all nced upwards. They could have used their enhanced hearing to find out what was happening in the office, but they chose not to. Spying on their Master was something they should never do, and if Rin had cast a veil of darkness, they wouldn¡¯t be able to hear anything even with enhanced hearing. ¡°¡­I hope everything goes well.¡± After Loriel muttered this while staring upward, the others, who had also been looking up, nodded in agreement. From a young age, after suffering from injustice and being taken in by Rin, they had always known how she longed for the Lord of Lartania and hoped to be united with him. ¡°You can do it, Master¡­!¡± Thus, Loriel clenched her fist slightly as she muttered that final encouragement. ¡°Let¡¯s stay sharp until the very end, just in case.¡± ¡°Even if you hadn¡¯t said it, we would¡¯ve done that, so don¡¯t worry.¡± With that said, Loriel headed outside the Lord¡¯s Castle to intercept any unexpected variables. The Five Swords of Cn watched her leave, and as soon as they sensed Loriel¡¯s presence disappearing into the distance, they began to talk. ¡°¡­Master will do well, right?¡± ¡°If the Lord refuses at this point, then he¡¯s practically a eunuch.¡± ¡°¡­He¡¯s not a eunuch, since he¡¯s been with the beastfolk, right?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s say he¡¯s a eunuch in spirit.¡± Korrin, one of the Five Swords, shrugged at Ruin¡¯s words and responded. ¡°Did you bring ¡®that¡¯?¡± ¡°¡®That¡¯? Of course, don¡¯t worry. I even brought two extra, just in case. After Master¡¯s task is done, our leader will need to take over.¡± Ruin nodded in agreement at Korrin¡¯s words. ¡°Everything¡¯s going ording to n?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡± ¡°Me too.¡± Ruin and the Five Swords of Cn smiled quietly, thinking of another n that was unfolding. ¡°Me, ow¡ª¡± Kim Hyunwoo paused his thoughts for a moment as he looked at the cat- no, at Rin ¨C meowing cutely in front of him. Of course, the pause wasn¡¯t intentional. It just happened automatically as soon as he saw the scene before him. Rin, having done such an embarrassing act in front of Kim Hyunwoo, was just as frozen as he was. ¡°¡­¡­¡± And thus, silence descended. Rin, dressed in an outfit that could be described as vulgar ¨C no, even crude ¨C was frozen in ce. Kim Hyunwoo, staring at Rin¡¯s appearance, forced his brain to start working again. ¡­Even though he tried to think quickly, there were no words that immediately came to mind. Of course, Kim Hyunwoo fully understood what he should say in this situation. But understanding it and actually saying it were two different things, and he first had to resolve whether it was the right thing to say. Kim Hyunwoo knew exactly what Rin¡¯s intentions were, entering his office in such an embarrassing outfit. He had already spent the night with Merilda. Although rumors had spread, Merilda seemed to have kept her promise to Kim Hyunwoo and didn¡¯t talk much about that night. But regardless of that, the goal Kim Hyunwoo had originally set had already been shattered when he slept with Merilda. In short, in this situation, Kim Hyunwoo no longer had any reason to hold back. Yet despite this, Kim Hyunwoo hesitated, clinging to one lingering doubt. He was held back by the absurd hope that perhaps the situation with Merilda could still be considered a mistake, something he could move past. However, he knew that letting the silence stretch on would be a disservice to Rin, who had put in so much effort, so he forced himself to speak, thinking as quickly as he could. ¡°¡­It suits you well.¡± ¡°Th-thanks¡­ Me-¡± Rin, attempting to speak normally but quickly correcting herself with a meow, made Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s face turn red as he continued. ¡°Uh, but why suddenly a cat cosy instead of regr clothes?¡± Both Kim Hyunwoo and Rin knew that this question wasn¡¯t really asking, ¡®Why did youe to me in cosy?¡¯ in its simplest form. Just by looking at each other¡¯s faces, they both knew each other well enough to understand that much. At Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s question, Rin let out a soft ¡°Uhh-¡± sound, her face growing even redder, and then she answered. ¡°M-Merilda¡­provoked me.¡± The feeling of betrayal was so strong that Kim Hyunwoo almost muttered, ¡°Of course, that sounds like Merilda¡­¡± Kim Hyunwoo wasn¡¯t exactly sighing or feeling resentful, but the thought crossed his mind, though Rin continued speaking regardless. ¡°She said¡­it was smaller than what she¡¯d heard-¡± ¡°¡­Smaller than what she heard?¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Realizing she had said something she shouldn¡¯t have, Rin quickly shut her mouth. But soon, as if she instinctively understood it was toote, she gave up and nodded with a resigned expression, speaking again. Kim Hyunwoo, now fully aware that his size had been shared among the heroes, wore a baffled expression, unsure how to react, but he soon spoke up. ¡°Well, it¡¯s fine, I guess.¡± It wasn¡¯t really fine, but Kim Hyunwoo wasn¡¯t foolish enough to get angry in this situation. ¡°¡­¡­¡± However, the ensuing silence was inevitable. ¡°¡­¡­¡± As the heavy silence hung in the air, Kim Hyunwoo suddenly remembered his first night with Merilda. At least back then, there hadn¡¯t been this kind of awkward silence. As he pondered for a moment, Kim Hyunwoo soon realized that there was no sense of mood in this situation at all. In fact, it was almost impossible for any mood to form in this kind of situation. From Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s perspective, he had just been working when Rin suddenly barged in, sealed off all exits, and created this bizarre situation. As Kim Hyunwoo, already flustered, struggled even more with how to respond, Pop! he heard the sound of a bottle opening in front of him, and when he turned to look, he saw that Rin was drinking something from a ss vial. And then. Huff¡ªhuff¡ª As soon as she drank the potion, Rin¡¯s breathing became rough. ¡°Rin¡­ Rin?¡± Kim Hyunwoo, now slightly flustered, called out to her. But Rin didn¡¯t respond. Instead, she quickly straddled Kim Hyunwoo and pressed her lips against his. A soft smacking sound apanied their deep kiss as their tongues began exploring each other¡¯s mouths. Rin¡¯s tongue wandered messily around Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s tongue and teeth. Even Kim Hyunwoo, who had been startled by Rin¡¯s sudden change, felt his heart begin to race wildly, and his hands naturally moved to grasp her waist. Huff¡ªhuff¡ª After some time had passed, a thin silver thread connected their tongues for a brief moment before breaking apart. ¡°I heard everything.¡± Rin¡¯s voice broke the silence. ¡°What¡­?¡± ¡°I heard that if I asked for something, you would grant it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s-¡± Kim Hyunwoo recalled what he had said to Loriel and was about to respond, but Rin silenced him with another quick kiss on his lips. And then. ¡°There¡¯s no need for words. Just think of it as praising someone like me, who came here because I wanted to be loved by my Lord.¡± Rin, reading the emotions in his trembling eyes, began to gently nudge at Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s hesitation. ¡°It¡¯s just a unique form of praise, that¡¯s all ¨C a specialpliment for a hero who loves her Lord and is wearing a crude, crude outfit.¡± At the end of her words, it was Kim Hyunwoo who moved first. Chapter 169: Competition (3) Heaven. More precisely, it was the celestial realm, often called the Heaven of Celestials, where Durandor and three other archangels knelt before the Great Archangel who gazed down at them. Archangel Metatron, whose presence was so overwhelming that they weren¡¯t even permitted to lift their gaze unless given permission. He looked down at the four archangels and spoke. [You have failed.] A voice so overwhelming that even hearing it would drain a demon¡¯s magical energy reverberated among the angels. ¡°We are deeply sorry.¡± [O Angel of the Dawn, why is it that despite leading the angels to the Great Crusade, you have achieved nothing?] At Metatron¡¯s rebuke, Durandor lowered his head even further as he responded. ¡°I am sorry. Even if I had ten mouths, there is nothing I could say in my defense.¡± [Enough. I did not summon you to reproach you. I simply wish to know how one thousand angels who joined the Great Crusade were obliterated.] At Metatron¡¯s words, Durandor, still with his head bowed, began to carefully recount the events he had witnessed. [I see¡­] Metatron gave a slight nod, as if there was no need to hear more, and spoke again. [Angel of the Dawn, heed my words.] ¡°I am listening, O Great Archangel and Right Hand of the Divine One.¡± [From now on, you shall manifest every angel under yourmand to the earthly realm, and you shall lead them in the Crusade of all angels.] ¡°¡­!¡± Durandor and the other archangels, shocked, wore startled expressions. ¡°But if we do so, what if beings from other realms interfere-¡± Metatron¡¯s deration was tantamount to a full-on, all-out assault with no fallback, and they were startled into voicing their concerns. [There is no need for concern. If the Divine One reawakens, we will have nothing to fear, be it otherworldly beings or anything else. Do you, Angel of the Dawn, doubt the Divine One?] At Metatron¡¯s words, Durandor mmed his forehead into the ground as he spoke. ¡°Absolutely not!¡± [Then that is all.] Metatron spoke once more. [Listen well, all angels, including the Angel of the Dawn. We are preparing for the Great Crusade. Manifest every angel on the earthly realm and prepare for the battle. Ready yourselves.] The four archangels remained silent in response to Metatron¡¯s words. They simply spread their iconic wings wide and bowed their heads. Seeing this, Metatron turned his brilliant, light-like form away. [And I, too, shall descend to the earthly realm.] With those final words, Metatron vanishedpletely from among the archangels. Huff¡ªhuff¡­ As soon as Metatron disappeared, the four archangels exhaled heavily, as if they had coordinated it. Even for archangels as strong as they were, facing a Great Archangel in person and having even a brief conversation with one was exhausting. ¡­Such was the immense power and presence of an archangel. And because of that, ¡°If Lord Metatron descends to the earthly realm¡­¡± ¡°Then we need not worry about defeat in this Crusade.¡± With broad smiles on their faces, the archangels finished speaking. ¡°Everyone, prepare for the Great Crusade.¡± With Durandor¡¯s confident voice, a tremendous divine power spread throughout the celestial realm. ¡°¡­¡­¡± When Kim Hyunwoo opened his eyes, he saw a very familiar ceiling. Turning his head to the side, he noticed the familiar bedroom window. Staring absentmindedly at the sunlight streaming in through the window, he briefly wondered, ¡®Why am I here again?¡¯ After all, if he thought about it, the ce where he had fallen asleepst night was his office. ¡°¡­Ah.¡± As he absentmindedly recalled that, the memories of yesterday slowly came back to him. The awkward situation caused by Rin¡¯s sudden intrusion,pletely devoid of any mood. In that situation, Rin had expertly picked up on his hesitation and gently coaxed it away. After that, things yed out much like they had with Merilda. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Remembering how Rin had acted even more wildly than Merilda, Kim Hyunwoo turned his gaze to the ck hair next to him in bed. Seeing Rin, who appeared to be sleeping, Kim Hyunwoo instinctively reached out and gently stroked her hair. ¡°Heek¡ª!¡± ¡°¡­You weren¡¯t asleep?¡± Kim Hyunwoo, caught off guard by the sudden reaction, responded with surprise. Rin wriggled a bit before turning her body toward Kim Hyunwoo. Of course, she waspletely naked. ¡°Th-that is¡­ When I actually woke up, I felt too embarrassed.¡± Rin let out a soft whine, her face flushed red all the way to her ears as she hung her head low in front of Kim Hyunwoo. He couldn¡¯t help but think how cute she looked and gently patted her head. ¡°After being so wild yesterday?¡± ¡°W-well, yesterday I just borrowed a bit of help from something else¡­ Ugh, ugh¡­¡± As she said that, the memory of yesterday seemed to flood back, and her face turned dangerously red. Seeing this, Kim Hyunwoo gently patted her back, telling her to calm down. ¡°Calm down.¡± ¡°Ugh, ugh¡­¡± Unlike yesterday, Rin now had a timid and slightly gloomy expression. She kept her head down but subtly nced up at Kim Hyunwoo. ¡°Was¡­yesterday not good for you?¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t bad at all. In fact, physically, it was rather-¡± ¡°Ah, no, that¡¯s not what I meant-!¡± Rin quickly covered her face in embarrassment and looked away for a moment before meeting Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s gaze again. ¡°I mean, did you feel ufortable with the way I¡­requested affection like this?¡± ¡°Ah.¡± At those words, Kim Hyunwoo immediately understood why Rin was feeling anxious. It was true that yesterday, Rin had taken the lead in a rather aggressive manner. ¡°No, not at all.¡± ¡°R-really?¡± ¡°¡­Well, in the end, I enjoyed it too, so that¡¯s why things went the way they did.¡± Of course, it would be a lie to say he hadn¡¯t been swept up in the moment, but that didn¡¯t mean Kim Hyunwoo had done anything he didn¡¯t want to do. In the end, he had given in to his desires and indulged in Rin¡¯s body. ¡°So, you don¡¯t need to worry. I wasn¡¯t ufortable at all.¡± ¡°Oh, I see¡­¡± Rin¡¯s previously timid expression vanished, reced with a wide, relieved smile. Seeing this, Kim Hyunwoo smiled back before getting out of bed. ¡°Let¡¯s head out now. If we stay too long, people might get suspicious.¡± ¡°Ah, got it.¡± Rin got out of bed, only to see the messy state of the bed, and her face turned red again. Kim Hyunwoo, realizing the sun was already high in the sky, quickly went to the wardrobe and started getting dressed. But. ¡°My¡­Lord.¡± ¡°My Lord¡­?¡± Before Kim Hyunwoo could even wonder about Rin calling him by a term he¡¯d never heard her use before, he saw the shocked, pale look on her face. ¡°I¡­I don¡¯t have any clothes.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± At Rin¡¯s words, Kim Hyunwoo let out a low groan as he remembered yesterday. They had been in the office until the early hours of the morning, and for some crazy reason, they hade to the bedroompletely naked. ¡­And they hadn¡¯t exactly walked over. ¡°Huh?¡± As soon as he remembered that, Kim Hyunwoo realized the office was probably not in a normal state right now, and he broke into a cold sweat. ¡­The office was likely aplete mess. ¡®Calm down.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo took a deep breath, calmed down, and quickly assessed the situation. He handed Rin some spare clothes since she had nothing to wear. ¡°Put this on and quickly run back to your room, okay? Can you do that?¡± ¡°I-I can do that.¡± Although Kim Hyunwoo really wanted to apany Rin to her room and get her clothes, it would draw too much attention. Besides, he was seriously worried about the state of the office. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m heading to the office first. The state of the office-¡± ¡°Ah-¡± It seemed like Rin had just remembered the state of the office too, as her face reddened once more. After confirming that she was dressed, Kim Hyunwoo quickly left the room and headed straight to the office. Creak¡ª! When he hastily opened the office door, the scene inside was, of course, not ideal. The office was a chaotic mess, with signs ofst night¡¯s activities everywhere. The cat¡¯s ears Rin had been wearing were draped over a chair, and liquid from the bottle she had spilled was still wet on the floor near the desk. ¡°¡­¡­¡± If that was all he saw, Kim Hyunwoo might have breathed a sigh of relief. The fact that the office was in the same state as it had beenst night meant no one had entered yet. Unfortunately, there was one person in the office. ¡­Elena, who was standing in front of a mirror, holding up the crude cat cosy outfit that Rin had taken offst night and sizing it against her body. The moment their eyes met in the mirror. ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Kim Hyunwoo and Elena both let out a low groan in unison,pletely involuntarily. Chapter 170: Competition (4) Kim Hyunwoo and Elena¡¯s gazes intertwined in astonishment. One with a dazed, frozen expression. The other, gradually realizing a sense of shame and embarrassment. ¡°Th-this is¡ª!¡± Elena quickly stepped away from the mirror, hiding the cat costume behind her back, and began attempting to exin herself. ¡°I-I mean, I was wondering why this was lying around in the office?! So I picked it up, and before I knew it, I was holding it in both hands like this, Lord!¡± A desperate excuse. With just one sentence, she perfectly exined why she was holding the cat outfit like that, and Kim Hyunwoo awkwardlyughed and responded. ¡°Ah, I see.¡± He still wondered why she had been sizing it against her body in front of the mirror, but he decided not to ask. Seeing how her face was about to explode with embarrassment, he figured that asking might make her too embarrassed to face him for several days. ¡°First, can you hand that over?¡± ¡°Ah, yes.¡± At Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s words, Elena approached him, holding the outfit in both hands to give it to him. At that moment. ¡°My Lord, I wanted to talk about something- uh?¡± Kim Hyunwoo saw the face of the Hero King, who entered the room at the perfect moment. ¡°Oh¡­¡± Elena let out a low groan at that sight. Charyll looked at Elena, the outfit she was holding, and at Kim Hyunwoo, his face filled with confusion. ¡°S-sorry¡­ It seems like I came at the wrong time like an idiot.¡± She quickly turned to leave. ¡°Ah, no, it¡¯s not what you think! You don¡¯t have to leave!¡± Kim Hyunwoo immediately stopped Charyll from leaving and let out a deep sigh at the entangled situation. Shortly after, Elena gave her simple morning report and left, albeit moving more clumsily than usual. Watching her go, Kim Hyunwoo sighed again and turned to Charyll. ¡°So, what¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Ah, well¡­¡± At Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s question, the Hero King, who had been hanging her head with a red face, scratched her cheek awkwardly before speaking. ¡°Um, can I ask about something else first?¡± ¡°¡­Something else?¡± ¡°That thing I saw earlier¡­¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Hearing Charyll¡¯ question, Kim Hyunwoo felt his mind go nk. He hadn¡¯t even found a proper excuse for Elena, so he had simply postponed the exnation, promising to tell her during the next meeting. Of course, it wasn¡¯t as if the exnation was particrly difficult for Kim Hyunwoo. He could simply summarize what had happened the previous night into a few brief sentences, and the exnation would be done. The problem was that reducing it to just one or two lines wouldn¡¯t help Charyll or Elena understand the situation properly. As Kim Hyunwoo pondered this with an awkward expression, ¡°My¡­Lord! I¡¯vee to find my clothes-¡± Rin suddenly burst through the door. ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Fortunately, Kim Hyunwoo didn¡¯t need to offer any exnation. ¡­Though to be honest, it was a bit of an awkward kind of relief. After some time passed and Rin retrieved her clothes, the Hero King, with aplicated expression, finally got to the point. ¡°So, what you¡¯re saying is¡­you don¡¯t have any weapons?¡± ¡°Yes, as I mentionedst time, most of our weapons have already been used up. So, I was hoping that if Lartania had any spare weapons, we could have some¡­¡± Kim Hyunwoo nodded at Charyll¡¯s words. Unlike other heroes, Charyll was the type of hero who could only unleash her full power with artifacts. Without one, she couldn¡¯t exert her true strength. However, the problem was that Kim Hyunwoo didn¡¯t have any artifacts at the moment. ¡®And it¡¯s not easy to just go out and buy one right now.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo nced at his resource window. [Red Stones: 1,125] [Blue Stones: 125] [Gold Coins: 422,331] [Magic Stones: 382,421] After using arge number of Red Stones to wipe out the Eastern n Alliance, Lartania¡¯s resources were now quite depleted. ¡®If I exchange all the remaining Magic Stones, I could probably gather around 20,000 Red Stones.¡¯ Unfortunately, after buying the Labyrinth Package, there wouldn¡¯t be any artifacts he could afford with the remaining 10,000 Stones. ¡°Hmm¡­ It might be a bit difficult to give you an artifact right away.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try to get something from outside. The only thing I can get immediately is a Proposal Ring.¡± Kim Hyunwoo joked about the artifact he could get for around 10,000 Red Stones, a Proposal Ring, and Charyll, listening quietly, absentmindedly replied. ¡°That might¡­not be so bad.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Ah, no, no¡­!¡± Seeing the Hero King hastily correct herself, Kim Hyunwoo was confused at first but then let out a small ¡°Ah¡± as if he understood something. ¡°Now that I think about it, I do have something I can give you.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Seeing Charyll tilt her head in confusion, Kim Hyunwoo told her to wait and left the room to retrieve something. A short whileter, ¡°I¡¯ll look around for a new artifact, but in the meantime, why don¡¯t you use this?¡± ¡°This is¡­¡± The Hero King received a greatsword from Kim Hyunwoo. The fact that Kim Hyunwoo had spent the night with Rin spread rapidly once again throughout Lartania and soon reached the ears of the other heroes. And. ¡°Hmph~?¡± Thanks to that, a strange atmosphere had formed at the Round Table, the ce where the heroes often gathered. Rin, the center of the rumors, sat at the Table with a bright, smug smile on her face. Shadra and River, on the other hand, wore expressions soaked with a deep sense of defeat. Of course, the other heroes hadn¡¯t arrived yet, but everyone already present could be certain of one thing. No matter who arrived, this atmosphere would not disappear. Creak¡ª! As they were all lost in their thoughts, Merilda walked into the Round Table chamber. ¡°You¡¯ve arrived?¡± Rin, seeing Merildae in with her tail swaying as usual, spoke first. ¡°Yes.¡± Merilda answered calmly. Rin smiled triumphantly as she continued. ¡°You were wrong.¡± ¡°About what?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that during your time, he couldn¡¯t fully exert himself? Well, you¡¯re wrong! When I was with him, he was even bigger than when he was with you!¡± Rin, basking in her sense of victory, stood up from her seat, momentarily forgetting that other heroes were present as she boasted. Of course, she awkwardly sat back down after standing, but the victorious expression on her face did not fade. But. ¡°I see.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± Merilda¡¯s indifferent response caused a slight crack in Rin¡¯s smile. Merilda, watching her, instead smirked and replied. ¡°What? Did you think I would be jealous just because the Master slept with you?¡± Rin¡¯s expression froze in shock at Merilda¡¯s words, but Merilda continued speaking. ¡°In the end, it doesn¡¯t matter who the Master spends the night with. What matters is whether or not you¡¯ve been ¡®chosen¡¯.¡± ¡°¡­!?¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t been chosen, have you?¡± ¡°Grr¡ª!¡± At Merilda¡¯s words, Rin couldn¡¯t help but frown. It was true that both Merilda and Rin had taken a huge step forward with Kim Hyunwoo by spending the night with him, far ahead of the other heroes. But neither had been ¡°chosen¡±. And so, Rin frowned, feeling frustrated. ¡°Hmph.¡± But soon, she scoffed with a smirk. ¡°¡­?¡± This time, it was Rin who turned the tables, her expression shifting as she spoke. ¡°For someone who ims it doesn¡¯t matter that they haven¡¯t been chosen, your fur seems a bit too puffed up, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°¡­!?¡± At Rin¡¯s words, Merilda instinctively realized her tail had puffed up like it would when she felt threatened. She hurriedly grabbed it with both hands. ¡°Th-this is just because a bad thought crossed my mind, that¡¯s all!¡± ¡°Yeah, that ¡®bad thought¡¯ seems pretty obvious-¡± ¡°Shut up! The Master would never choose someone like you!¡± ¡°Hah?¡± As the two naturally slipped into their usual bickering, Shadra and River watched them with defeated expressions. At that moment. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Elena, who had been handling security duties outside instead of attending the Round Table meeting, ¡°Lady Elena? Is something wrong?¡± ¡°Oh, no. I was just lost in thought. Let¡¯s wrap up for today.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Elena nodded and watched the guards moving in the distance, recalling the rumors about Rin that had spread today and the outfit she had seen earlier in the morning. ¡°¡­¡­¡± To be honest, as Elena thought about that cat outfit ¨C one of the most vulgar she had ever seen- ¡®¡­So the Lord likes that kind of cosy¡­¡¯ With that thought, she gazed at the Lord¡¯s castle. Then, as if making a decision, she nced around and quietly began moving towards somece. ¡­Towards the underbelly of Lartania that had recently emerged. Chapter 171: Commander Of The Blue Forest (1) Lartania, despite being less than a year old, had grown into a very prosperous territory due to its unique identity as a Labyrinth City. Of course, since only a year had passed, the number of residents was not asrge as the capitals of other kingdoms or flourishing territories. However, Lartania had arger floating poptionpared to other territories, and the reason was the mercenaries. Thanks to the irresistible allure of the Labyrinth City for mercenaries, the number of mercenaries residing in Lartania now far exceeded the number of its residents. Because of therge number of mercenaries surpassing the residents, many shops had sprung up throughout Lartania. Starting with the basic shops needed by mercenaries, such as cksmiths and potion stores rted tobat, various other stores had appeared, including shops for misceneous goods and material shops selling items obtained from the Labyrinth. At the same time, other types of stores started to appear one by one, catering to more than just the mercenaries¡¯ needs. For example, shops that sold somewhat perverse potions or those that offered items for indulging in secret luxuries. In addition, many hobby-based stores appeared, not necessarily for essential items, but purely for personal enjoyment. Of course, many of these hobby-based stores catered to niche tastes, but the reason they thrived in Lartania was due to the fluidity of its poption. No matter how niche a hobby may be, with such arge floating poption, there would always be at least one or two people who enjoyed it, allowing these businesses to thrive. Sharian was one of the merchants who quickly abandoned her business in the Cn Kingdom to settle in Lartania, drawn by its bustling floating poption. To be more precise, she wasn¡¯t just a typical merchant, but a clothing seller who designed and made her own garments. However, despite being a clothing store, what made her shop unusual ¨C ording to those who frequented it ¨C was the fact that Sharian sold highly niche, adult-oriented clothing. And so, Sharian was now standing with a rather awkward expression, staring at the woman in front of her ¨C none other than Elena, Lartania¡¯s Captain of the Guard. ¡°¡­So you¡¯re not here for an inspection¡­but rather to buy something?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± At Elena¡¯s reply, Sharian began to seriously ponder why high-ranking individuals had been frequenting her shop, which was usually visited by mercenaries. ¡®Last time, one of the Five Swords of Cn came to buy something¡­and now the Captain of the Guard¡­?¡¯ Of course, she had noints about one of the Five Swords purchasing clothes. In fact, they had paid more cleanly than the mercenaries and even added a bonus on top. However, Sharian couldn¡¯t help but wonder why a woman, not a man, would purchase clothing that she herself found quite vulgar. Up until now, nearly all of her customers had been men who bought the clothes to ask women to wear them for special asions, not women buying them for themselves. ¡°¡­Do you not have any?¡± ¡°Oh, no! We have some.¡± Sharian quickly snapped out of her thoughts as Elena¡¯s words brought her back to the present. ¡®There¡¯s no need to question why they¡¯re buying. Just sell the clothes.¡¯ Equipping herself with a merchant¡¯s mindset, Sharian put on a purelymercial smile and began her sales pitch. ¡°Hmm, I understand. So, what specific type of clothing are you looking for?¡± ¡°What kind of clothing¡­?¡± ¡°Yes, as you can see, we have quite a variety of clothing here. If you tell me what you¡¯re looking for, I can select items that match your taste.¡± As Elena hesitated, Sharian added more to the conversation. ¡°Ah, if you¡¯re shopping for someone else, you can tell me their preferences, and I¡¯ll help you find something suitable for them.¡± Elena let out a small ¡°Ah¡± of realization before speaking. ¡°First of all, something¡­a little sexy would be good.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± ¡°Something¡­animal-themed might be good.¡± ¡°Okay, and?¡± ¡°The¡­smaller the fabric, the better¡­¡± As Elena¡¯s voice trailed off, Sharian nodded and thought to herself. ¡®Well, that¡¯s a pretty niche taste.¡¯ Of course, it was thanks to such niche tastes that she was able to keep her business afloat. ¡®I didn¡¯t think the Captain of the Guard would have a boyfriend.¡¯ Sharian thought about Elena¡¯s infamous nickname, ¡°Iron Blood¡±, known for delivering swift justice, as she pulled out some clothing that matched Elena¡¯s request. ¡°How about this?¡± ¡°This is¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s animal-themed, and as small as possible.¡± ¡°Why is this part¡­open?¡± ¡°It¡¯s designed that way.¡± ¡°Then what¡¯s the point of wearing¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s meant to cater to a specific¡­niche taste.¡± Seeing Elena¡¯s eyes trembling, Sharian grabbed another outfit. ¡°Shall I show you something else?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± About 20 minutes passed after that. Sigh¡­ Elena left the shop with a single outfit in her hands, and Sharian¡¯s store was temporarily sold out of a revealing bunny costume. While Elena was secretly purchasing that entric outfit, the Hero King ¨C Charyll ¨C was in her own room, deep in thought. ¡°¡­¡­¡± In truth, she had never imagined her rtionship with Kim Hyunwoo progressing beyond what it was now. To be precise, when she had sought him out for forgiveness in the demon realm, her goal had been to be forgiven and restore their past rtionship. In short, now that she had achieved her goal, the Hero King should have been happy. She should have been happy. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Unfortunately, the Hero King was not particrly happy right now. Of course, when Kim Hyunwoo had first epted her back, she had felt happiness. That had been the extent of her expectations. However, as word spread that Kim Hyunwoo had spent nights with other heroes, that happiness began to fade. Charyll had initially thought that being forgiven was the final goal, believing their broken rtionship would never progress beyond that. However, contrary to her thoughts, the other heroes¡¯ rtionships with Kim Hyunwoo were progressing far beyond what she had anticipated. It was as if the boundaries she had imagined held no meaning from the start. And so¡­ ¡®I want to¡­ I also want¡­¡¯ Before long, hope and longing began to fill the Hero King¡¯s eyes. A few days after Rin had spent the night with Kim Hyunwoo, there was just one day left before the Package expired, and the Labyrinth would fully reset. Sigh¡­ Territory: Lartania Territory Development Level: 6241 Territory Poption: [Humans: 51,244] [Beastfolk: 1,082] ©¥Secondary Buildings©¥ [Magical Engineering Research Institute] ¨CSubordinate Buildings¨C ?? [Magical Engineering Power nt] ?? [Magical Engineering Weapons Research Institute] ?? [Magical Engineering Refinery] ©¥Owned Buildings©¥ [Lord''s Castle LV4 (Under Construction 99%)] [City Walls LV5] [Residential District LV7¡ü >>> Upgrading 0%] [cksmith LV7¡ü >>> Upgrading 0%] [Barracks LV7¡ü >>> Upgrading 0%] [Tavern LV7¡ü >>> Upgrading 0%] [Market LV5] [Wood Processing nt LV7¡ü >>> Upgrading 0%] [Restaurant LV5] [Leather Processing nt LV7¡ü >>> Upgrading 0%] [Stone Processing nt LV6 >>> Upgrading 44%] [Trading Post LV6 >>> Upgrading 75%] [Secondary City Walls LV5] [Inn LV6 >>> Upgrading 34%] [Administrative District LV5 >>> Upgrading 66%] [Paved Roads LV5] [Tertiary City Walls (Under Construction 85%)] ©¥External Buildings©¥ [Mercenary Guild LV1] [Mage Tower Branch LV1] [cksmith Guild Branch LV1] ©¥Owned Forces©¥ ? Regr Soldiers: 1,000 ? Swordsmen: 500 ? Guards: 700 ? Apprentice Knights: 200 ? Beastfolk: 1,084 Kim Hyunwoo, seeing most of the buildings reaching Level 7 and progressing rapidly, had a satisfied expression while also letting out a sigh. The reason was due to the increasingly tant advances from the heroes recently. Since rumors had spread that he had already slept with two other heroes, the heroes were now pursuing Kim Hyunwoo without any hesitation. It felt as if they were betting on who would ¡°devour¡± Kim Hyunwoo first. And in such a situation, where Kim Hyunwoo had already ¡°fallen¡± twice, he was beginning to wonder if it might be better to just ept things. A ¡ï¡ï¡ï Hero ''Golden Witch'' has entered the territory. [The Tienus Merchant Group has arrived at the territory!] The Tienus Merchant Group returned to Lartania territory quite quickly this time. And then. [ImpossibleImpossibleImpossibleImpossibleImpossibleImpossibleImpossibleImpossibleImpossibleImpossibleImpossibleImpossibleImpossibleImpossibleImpossibleImpossibleImpossibleImpossibleImpossibleImpossibleImpossibleImpossibleImpossibleImpossibleImpossibleImpossible-!!!!!!!!!!!] ¡°¡­Save me¡­¡± Adria, upon returning to Lartania, began shedding the tears of a working professional as she watched the Crimson Dragon start wailing after hearing a few words from the spy she had nted. Chapter 172: Commander Of The Blue Forest (2) The next morning. Kim Hyunwoo looked at Adria. Adria looked back at Kim Hyunwoo. A deep resentment was evident in Adria¡¯s eyes. Kim Hyunwoo, guessing the reason, averted his gaze. ¡­That was the entirety of what had transpired in the three minutes since Kim Hyunwoo met Adria. ¡°Lord.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Last time, if I recall correctly, I heard something about¡­keeping things under control?¡± Kim Hyunwoo awkwardly smiled, knowing he didn¡¯t really need to answer her question, though her words seemed to demand an exnation. ¡°Isn¡¯t Rhien watching?¡± ¡°No. The Dragon is currently bedridden.¡± ¡°¡­I see.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°So, what happened?¡± Kim Hyunwoo answered Adria, who looked as if she had suffered terribly from Rhien before she fell ill. ¡°It just ended up that way somehow.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Adria stared at Kim Hyunwoo for a moment and then sighed. She knew from the start that she wasn¡¯t in a position to say anything to Kim Hyunwoo and, if anything, understood that he was showing consideration for her, who had been tormented by the dragon. Thus, having finished that conversation, Adria quickly brought up a different topic. ¡°First, I¡¯ve acquired more Skeleton Scrolls.¡± ¡°Ah, thank you.¡± ¡°No, it wasn¡¯t hard at all. It would¡¯ve been better if you¡¯d held out just a little longer.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± However, her resentment from being tormented by the Crimson Dragon since dawn hadn¡¯t vanished, so her response came out slightly bitter. Kim Hyunwoo replied to her nheless. ¡°¡­By the way, you¡¯re quite good at obtaining Skeleton Scrolls.¡± Adria decided to go along with Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s natural attempt to change the subject. ¡°These days, necromancers have started making scrolls more frequently than you¡¯d expect.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Yes, ever since Lartania started mass-producing Magic Stones, their prices have gradually been dropping, you know?¡± Kim Hyunwoo nodded in response to Adria¡¯s words. Indeed,pared to before, the price of Magic Stones had significantly decreased. Even though Lartania bought up most of the Magic Stones, it wasn¡¯t as if mercenaries didn¡¯t take them to other ces. Of course, that didn¡¯t mean Lartania was suffering any major losses. Even though the price of Magic Stones was slowly dropping, they were still a natural resource of this world, so their price wouldn¡¯t fall beyond a certain level. In fact, higher-grade Magic Stones were still maintaining their value. ¡®Actually, it would be helpful if the price of the lowest-grade Magic Stones dropped.¡¯ The lower the price of the lowest-grade Magic Stones that Lartania was buying, the cheaper Kim Hyunwoo could produce Red Stones. In any case, the falling prices weren¡¯t entirely a bad thing, so Kim Hyunwoo silently nodded and soon guessed the situation. ¡°So, as the price of Magic Stones drops, Skeletons powered by Magic Stones are being made again little by little, right?¡± ¡°Exactly. As you know, Skeletons are excellent workers as long as you have Magic Stones¡­ Though the price hasn¡¯t dropped low enough to mass-produce Skeletons yet.¡± Kim Hyunwoo nodded in agreement as they continued their conversation on various topics. ¡°My Lord, it¡¯s about time to begin.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Soon after, Elena entered and made a report, to which Kim Hyunwoo nodded. With the Labyrinth Package finished, a notice was given to the mercenaries to essentially block off the Labyrinth for about a day. Kim Hyunwoo looked at the three heroes ¨C Merilda, Rin, and Charyll ¨C who had gathered around the Round Table, and began to speak. ¡°As I¡¯ve mentioned before, today¡¯s goal is to conquer the Labyrinth.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°Me too!¡± ¡°I know.¡± Looking at the three heroes, each giving their own reply, Kim Hyunwoo continued speaking. ¡°The goal is the 28th Floor. But as you know, there¡¯s no need to push yourselves too hard. If you feel it¡¯s dangerous, pull out immediately. The Labyrinth can always be conqueredter. Got it?¡± The heroes nodded again at Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s words. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s begin.¡± After confirming that Merilda, Rin, and Charyll were heading into the Labyrinth, Kim Hyunwoo briefly thought to himself. ¡®As expected, it¡¯s probably impossible to reach the 28th Floor in one go, right?¡¯ Honestly, he wished the three of them could clear up to the 28th Floor, but Kim Hyunwoo knew very well that it was impossible. ¡®It¡¯s different from before.¡¯ Previously, heroes had been able to swiftly break through the Labyrinth not only because they were strong but because of Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s strategies. But now, Kim Hyunwoo couldn¡¯t provide strategies in real-time, and more importantly, there were fewer people tackling the Labyrinth. Back then, five heroes had gone down to conquer the Labyrinth, but now they were short by two. Therefore. ¡®It looks like I¡¯ll have to challenge the 28th Floor after Rhien returns¡­ Maybe they¡¯ll manage to reach the 21st or 22nd Floor today?¡¯ While Kim Hyunwoo was thinking this, he suddenly realized that the heroes currently inside weren¡¯t 5-star but 5.5-star heroes, and this thought struck him anew. ¡®Come to think of it, I haven¡¯t even checked their stats since I recruited them.¡¯ With that thought, Kim Hyunwoo looked at the heroes entering the Labyrinth in the distance and, for the first time in a while, opened up their stats. ¡°¡­???¡± Soon, Kim Hyunwoo couldn¡¯t help but look bewildered. Hero Name: Merilda Title: Beast King Star Rank: 5.5 stars ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î Affection Level: 5 ©¥Stats©¥ ???Strength: 142 ???Agility: 282 ???Intelligence: 88 ???Luck: 92 ???Magic Power: 150 ¡ùThe hero trusts you. And with good reason ¨C Merilda¡¯s stats, which he had opened as a test, were absurdly higher than he had imagined. ¡°¡­Agility of 282?¡± Kim Hyunwoo mumbled in disbelief, instinctively recalling Arteil¡¯s star ranking system. At the very least, he remembered that a hero needed a minimum stat total of 450 to reach 5 stars. But Merilda¡¯s current stats? Justbining her Strength and Agility alone brought her close to the level of a 5-star hero. If another yer saw Merilda¡¯s stats in the game, they¡¯d call itpletely overpowered. Thus, dumbfounded, Kim Hyunwoo stared at Merilda¡¯s stats and began adding them up one by one. ¡°Total stats: 754¡­?¡± Kim Hyunwoo recalled that Merilda¡¯s stat total had barely been over 500 ten years ago, and with his mouth agape, he immediately opened the stat windows for the other heroes. Hero Name: Rin Title: Absolute Ruler of Darkness Star Rank: 5.5 stars ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î Affection Level: 5 ©¥Stats©¥ ???Strength: 121 ???Agility: 230 ???Intelligence: 110 ???Luck: 42 ???Magic Power: 180 ¡ùThe hero trusts you. Hero Name: Charyll Title: Hero King Star Rank: 5.5 stars ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î Affection Level: 5 ©¥Stats©¥ ???Strength: 240 ???Agility: 259 ???Intelligence: 79 ???Luck: 180 ???Magic Power: 322 ¡ùThe hero trusts you. ¡°Crazy¡­¡± Kim Hyunwoo couldn¡¯t help but mutter a curse. Meanwhile, as the heroes entered the Labyrinth, Adria was seated in thergest carriage, which served as the office for the Tienus Merchant Group. [Adria¡­] ¡°I¡¯m listening, Rhien.¡± Hearing Rhien¡¯s voice in her head, Adria spoke with an expression that said she knew this wasing. [Sorry.] ¡°What?¡± Surprised by the unexpected apology instead of whining, Adria instinctively responded with a bewildered expression. [I¡¯m sorry? When I think about it, this isn¡¯t something you could control, but I think I made things too difficult for you.] Hearing Rhien¡¯s words, Adria suddenly felt an emotional surge. It felt as if she were finally being acknowledged for things that had gone unrecognized all this time. ¡°It¡¯s alright, Lord. I understand.¡± Feeling such emotions, Adria smiled quietly as she responded to Rhien. However, [Then, maybe¡­perhaps¡­since you said that, could you do me just one more favor?] ¡°Pardon¡­?¡± At Rhien¡¯s continued words, Adria instinctively realized she had given a wrong response somewhere. ¡°What¡­exactly do you mean?¡± Adria asked, her voice tinged with slight unease, and Rhien replied. [So, it¡¯ll still be about two months before I cane out, right?] ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± [Then, in the meantime, other women will devour the Master, won¡¯t they¡­?] ¡°¡­Devour, no, wait, where did you learn suchnguage all of a sudden¡­¡± [The book I was reading expressed it like that¡­ Anyway, won¡¯t that happen?] ¡°I suppose¡­it will?¡± [Then there¡¯s only one solution. I have to eat him before anyone else does, right?] ¡°That¡¯s true, but you¡¯re currently unable toe out- ¡­Oh.¡± At that moment, Adria realized. She realized what Rhien was about to request. [¡­We¡¯re of one body and soul, aren¡¯t we?] As Rhien¡¯s voice grew increasingly eerie, Adria began to sweat coldly and screamed internally. Chapter 173: Commander Of The Blue Forest (3) Birth. It is the necessary process for angels to descend to the earth, and through this process, angels can manifest themselves on the mortal ne. However, the higher the rank of an angel, the more permanent power they must expend in this act of birth, which is why high-ranking angels avoid descending to the mortal realm if possible. Simply being born and descending to the earth means they must permanently expend their power. But at this moment. At the ce where the Eastern n Alliance was, countless angels were being ¡°born¡±. The number of angels descending on beams of light from the sky was in the thousands, and among them were angels descending on particrlyrge beams of light. Additionally. *Wooong-! * The four cherubim, who descended in the most divine and glorious manner among all the angels being born, came down on immense beams of light, but despite having manifested on earth, they did not move. They weren¡¯t the only ones. The thousands, even tens of thousands, of angels who descended to the earth were all born, yet none of them moved. They simply gazed at the sky. As if waiting for something, they remained silent. And then- Woooong-! The sky began to shine. With a great resonating sound, the sky began to glow, and white brilliance and beams of light emerged. ¡°So, they¡¯re reallying-¡± Just seeing the beams made Durandor break into a cold sweat, and lightning-like streaks exploded in all directions, quickly enveloping the surroundings. Within that light, the image of massive wings began to appear. Wooong-! The enormous wings consumed the divine lightning, absorbing the pure white radiance as they unfurled, and from the wings, the Great Archangel¡¯s body began to take shape. And at the final moment. Wooong-! As the divine power that had surged fiercely fully formed the Archangel¡¯s body, [Hear me, Sons of the One who has manifested on this earth.] The Archangel Metatron descended. Just by opening his mouth, he uttered a voice so sacred it could steal one¡¯s mind, and he gazed at the angels who were looking at him. [The time hase to cast down the one Outsider and raise the great one once more upon thisnd.] That was all he said. In ordance with Metatron¡¯s will, a giant magic circle began to form in front of him. [Follow, Sons of the One.] Merilda, Rin, and Charyll, who had entered the Labyrinth in the morning, emerged by the time the sun had set and full darkness had arrived. And Kim Hyunwoo. ¡°¡­You cleared all the way to the 28th Floor?¡± ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Seeing Merilda wagging her tail with an expression that seemed to say, ¡®Didn¡¯t I do well?!¡¯, Kim Hyunwoo stood there, mouth agape. Of course, when he had sent them into the Labyrinth and checked their stats, he had realized they had the potential, but the fact they had cleared everything in a single day left him a little stunned. Back in Arteil, it had taken Kim Hyunwoo quite a long time to clear up to the 28th Floor with his heroes ten years ago. So, with a dazed expression, Kim Hyunwoo naturally patted Merilda¡¯s head and spoke. ¡°Is anyone hurt?¡± ¡°None at all.¡± Rin responded immediately. Merilda, who had been about to answer first, frowned slightly and red at Rin, but Rin ignored her and continued speaking. ¡°As you can see, we¡¯re clean.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡± Kim Hyunwoo nodded again, suddenly curious about how the heroes had be so strong. Sure, ten years had passed, but considering how hero growth slows down to near impossibility after reaching 5 stars, the progress Merilda, Rin, and Charyll had made was abnormal. However. ¡°Oh, was the necromancer there? Did you find them?¡± Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s curiosity about the Necromancer of the Blue Forest was stronger than anything else, so he asked. This time, Charyll nodded and reached into her personal subspace. And then. Thud-! She pulled out arge, blue egg from her subspace. A massive egg, the size of a person. ¡°¡­Is this it?¡± ¡°Yes. When we reached the 28th Floor and defeated the Boss, we found this. It¡¯s more like a magical barrier than an actual egg, though¡­¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± After hearing Charyll¡¯s words and taking another look at the egg, Kim Hyunwoo realized that what was before him was more of a magical barrier than an actual egg. While the inside couldn¡¯t be seen, the external shell, which resembled an egg, clearly had a flow of magic that even Kim Hyunwoo could recognize. ¡°¡­Is it in some kind of sleep state?¡± Seeing no other signs of activity, Kim Hyunwoomented, and Rin nodded in agreement. ¡°It seems so. We tried a few things before bringing it here, but there was no reaction at all.¡± ¡°Any way to wake it up forcibly?¡± ¡°If we break the barrier, it¡¯ll probably wake up¡­ Should I try it?¡± As Merilda casually extended her ws and began gathering mana, Kim Hyunwoo lightly waved his hand to stop her. ¡°No, don¡¯t do that. It could be dangerous if we mess with it from the outside, right?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ That might be true. Usually, when something is this sealed off from outsidemunication, forcing it open could damage the inside.¡± Charyll nodded in agreement with Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s assessment. After staring at the egg for a while, Kim Hyunwoo said. ¡°¡­Anyway, good job, everyone. You worked hard.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s what Master wants, this is nothing.¡± Merilda, along with Rin and Charyll, responded while wagging her tail yfully. ¡°You all worked hard today, so rest up. And since you did a great job today, if you have any requests within my power, let me know next time.¡± With those words, Kim Hyunwoo sent the heroes away, who left with a hint of eagerness in their eyes. ¡®I found it, but in this state, there¡¯s no way I can ask it anything.¡¯ Soon, Kim Hyunwoo was left alone in his office, staring nkly at the blue barrier. On a whim, he spoke up. ¡°Aria?¡± Naturally, there was no response. Feeling a little embarrassed, Kim Hyunwoo scratched his head, his expression turning strange. ¡®¡­I guess I¡¯ll have to talk about this with Rhien tomorrow.¡¯ Noticing it was gettingte, Kim Hyunwoo sat back down at his desk to resume his work. Unbeknownst to him, the blue barrier was softly glowing when his eyes weren¡¯t on it. Dawn. As usual, Kim Hyunwoo finished his workte at night and was finally able to lie down and seek sleep at dawn. ¡°Ugh-¡± As soon as he closed his eyes, his mind began to sink into sleep, as it always did. Perhaps still affected by the night he spent with Rin a few days ago, Kim Hyunwoo felt his mind quickly descending into sleep. Just as he was about to drift off¡­ *Srrrk- * ¡°¡­!¡± Kim Hyunwoo couldn¡¯t help but frown as he felt something climb on top of his body. ¡®Is it Merilda? Or maybe Rin?¡¯ At the same time, Kim Hyunwoo began to seriously contemte whether or not to open his eyes in this situation. After all, if he opened his eyes now, there was a high chance that sleep would be over for him tonight. Of course, that might not happen, but the odds favored the first scenario far more. ¡®¡­I should have put something else as the condition instead of just offering to grant a request.¡¯ As Kim Hyunwoo mulled over this thought, Swwrrk-! He boldly realized that whatever had climbed on top of him was gently caressing his face, its hand slowly moving downward. ¡°¡­Who-¡± As Kim Hyunwoo felt the hand moving lower, past his chest and stomach, he quickly opened his eyes to stop it, only to be left bewildered. ¡°¡­Huh?¡± Because the person sitting on top of him wasn¡¯t Merilda or Rin. ¡°Hehe-¡± Before Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s dazed eyes appeared a woman with blonde and blue hair, harmoniously intertwined. Her lips were curved in a mischievous smile, and her eyes sparkled with intelligence. And Kim Hyunwoo knew exactly who she was. ¡°¡­Aria?¡± Kim Hyunwoo, still half-asleep, called the name of the girl sitting on top of him. And then, she. No- The Necromancer of the Blue Forest, with a bright smile, ¡°You lousy fool, I really missed you! So-¡± Squish-! ¡°¡­!?¡± Without giving him time to fully grasp the situation, she grabbed hold of Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s ¡°alter ego¡±. ¡°We should consummate our reunion, shouldn¡¯t we?¡± In a seductive voice, she whispered in Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s ear. ¡°You lousy fool ?¡± Chapter 174: Commander Of The Blue Forest (4) While Kim Hyunwoo was sleeping, the sudden appearance of Aria startled him, but what truly shocked him was her bold action of grabbing his member, leaving him frozen. ¡®I don¡¯t remember her being like this¡­?¡¯ Though he was still groggy from waking up, Kim Hyunwoo recalled the Aria he knew ten years ago. Because, as far as he remembered, the Aria he knew didn¡¯t have this kind of personality. ¡®No, her way of speaking is definitely the same as back then¡­¡¯ Whether ten years ago or now, she had always spoken in that condescending tone, as if it were her trademark. But that was only her manner of speaking. At times, her actions did reflect that attitude, but fundamentally, the Necromancer of the Blue Forest was not this bold. If anything, she was more on the timid side, or at least more ordinary, rather than being so audacious. ¡°¡­?¡± Thus, with a puzzled expression, Kim Hyunwoo suddenly realized that Aria, who was sitting on top of him with a seductive smile while doing something daring, had stopped as if frozen in ce. And then. ¡°¡­¡­¡± As Kim Hyunwoo regained more of his senses and looked closely, he noticed that Aria¡¯s face had turned bright red, causing him to wear a bemused expression. ¡°¡­You¡¯re the one who made the move, so why are you the one embarrassed?¡± ¡°Sh-shut up! You lousy fool!¡± Flustered by his remark, Aria responded, her face turning an even deeper shade of red. ¡­His reunion with the hero he had identally killed due to a mistake was lighter than he had anticipated. The next day. ¡°Did you sleep well?¡± ¡°You lousy fool! How dare you make me wait, what were you thinking?¡± ¡°I set this up as soon as I woke up¡­¡± Kim Hyunwoo had set aside time to talk with Aria. ¡°I¡¯ve already slept so much that I don¡¯t need any more sleep!¡± She smiled broadly, clearly in a good mood, and the eight blue bones floating around her quivered as if resonating with her emotions. Kim Hyunwoo pondered what to talk about first, then spoke. ¡°So, why did you show upst night? Don¡¯t tell me you woke up after we brought you here?¡± As he casually sat at his office desk, Kim Hyunwoo asked, and she responded. ¡°No? I was already awake. You didn¡¯t even notice? You lousy fool.¡± Aria sneered at him, and Kim Hyunwoo looked at her, confused. ¡°¡­You were awake?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you answer me?¡± ¡°Obviously, I wanted to surprise you!¡± At her bold deration, Kim Hyunwoo stared nkly at her. ¡°¡­So that¡¯s why you didn¡¯t answer?¡± ¡°Exactly! For a dramatic entrance!¡± Her words reminded Kim Hyunwoo once again of her rather young mental age. ¡®Even ten years ago, I got the sense during our conversations that she didn¡¯t have a very mature mindset.¡¯ Just exchanging a few words with her brought back memories of their past conversations, one by one, as they continued talking. ¡°¡­So, what happened?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°I mean after that time.¡± Aria quickly realized what Kim Hyunwoo was referring to and answered. ¡°It took about ten years, but I came back to life.¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s it?¡± ¡°That¡¯s it.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Her overly simplistic summary of the past ten years left Kim Hyunwoo momentarily dumbfounded. ¡°¡­Can you exin a bit more?¡± ¡°There¡¯s really not much to say. But since you¡¯re asking, you lousy fool-¡± Nodding, Aria began summarizing the events of the past ten years for him. After hearing her full story, Kim Hyunwoo briefly summarized the situation. ¡°¡­So, to sum it up: you died on the 28th Floor, but at thest moment, you managed to push your soul into a book, so you didn¡¯t fully die. Is that right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Then you worked to reconstruct your body on the 28th Floor after that.¡± ¡°As I mentioned, it took about ten years. Reconstructing a body in ten years is really tough, you know?¡± With an expression that seemed to say, ¡®I¡¯m amazing!¡¯, Aria spoke, and Kim Hyunwoo nodded before responding. ¡°So, you don¡¯t know much about what¡¯s been happening above, right?¡± ¡°Hmm, unless you tell me, I wouldn¡¯t know. All I know is that after I died, the Labyrinth closed, and it reopened recently.¡± Kim Hyunwoo wondered how to exin everything that had happened up until now, then briefly filled Aria in on the events. After listening quietly for a while, Aria finally spoke. ¡°So, you came back to Lartania a year ago, lousy fool?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°You disappeared for ten years without even thinking about saving me!?¡± Kim Hyunwoo, feeling awkward, exined in response to her usatory tone. ¡°Things just ended up that way. I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s not like I didn¡¯t think about saving you. I just thought you were dead, so I was gathering materials.¡± ¡°Hmph-¡± Aria made a very dissatisfied face, but then spoke as if there was no helping it. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll forgive you this much. You can¡¯t do anything without me, you lousy fool. And besides, I¡¯m still alive and well, aren¡¯t I?¡± With that strange smile on her face again, Kim Hyunwoo spoke. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Of course you should be grateful that I came back!¡± As he smiled at Aria, Kim Hyunwoo suddenly remembered something and spoke. ¡°Oh,e to think of it, there¡¯s something I wanted to ask.¡± ¡°Hmm? What is it?¡± ¡°You, uh, climbing into my bedst night ¨C why did you do that all of a sudden?¡± To be honest, that had been puzzling Kim Hyunwoo since yesterday. The Aria he sawst night waspletely different from the Aria he remembered. However. ¡°Ahem, ahem¡­ I¡¯m going to go greet the other heroes now!¡± ¡°¡­?¡± The moment Kim Hyunwoo brought it up, Aria raised her hand as if she had been waiting for it, and quickly fled. ¡°¡­??¡± Kim Hyunwoo stared nkly at the door Aria had just left through, a bewildered expression on his face. The Round Table. ¡°Hey, idiots?¡± Merilda, Rin, and Charyll saw Aria smirking at them, waving her hand casually. ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡± ¡°It has.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± Though they often growled at each other¡¯s mocking words, the heroes nodded without reacting to Aria¡¯s taunts. After all, Merilda and the other heroes had heard Aria¡¯s snide remarks so many times over the past ten years that they had bepletely numb to them. So, they looked at her with the same disinterested gaze one might give a stone on the side of the road, prompting Aria to speak with a sullen expression. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t like that your reactions are the same as that lousy fool¡¯s.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no reason for it to please you. And are you still calling the Master a lousy fool?¡± ¡°A lousy fool is a lousy fool¡­??¡­Wait, what do you mean by ¡®Master¡¯?¡± Smiling slyly as she spoke, Aria suddenly realized something was off and asked. ¡°Master is Master, what else would it mean?¡± Rin smiled subtly as she answered. At that, Aria, who had been wearing a dazed expression, suddenly turned beet red. ¡°What? What? Whaaat???¡± As if not understanding the situation at all, her mouth fell open. Seeing Aria¡¯s reaction, Rin shed her characteristic victorious smile. ¡°Anyone would think the Master chose you.¡± But Merilda¡¯s words from the side caused a crack to form in Rin¡¯s expression. ¡°What?¡± Rin turned sharply to look at Merilda. ¡°I said, it sounds like you think he chose you.¡± ¡°If it wasn¡¯t a choice, what was it then?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it a bit much to call it a choice after one night of reward? The Master was just indulging you, that¡¯s all.¡± ¡°Ugh.¡± Rin scowled at Merilda¡¯s remark. ¡°A re-reward? One-night y? What?? Lousy fool??? My lousy fool¡­?¡± Alongside Rin, Aria began muttering like a heartbroken heroine, tears welling up in her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s the same for you, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°It is, but still.¡± ¡°And yet-¡± ¡°But I¡¯m different.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°The Master was 2 centimeters bigger with me than he was with you.¡± As if Aria didn¡¯t even exist anymore, Merilda and Rin continued exchanging words. ¡°My, my lousy fool-¡± Within just five minutes of entering the Round Table room, Aria left once again. In that ce. ¡°So, that¡¯s just because of the condition that day-¡± ¡°That¡¯s just because you couldn¡¯t make the Master¡¯s condition better.¡± Merilda and Rin were passionately discussing Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s size, and- ¡°¡­There¡­2 centimeters more?¡± Charyll stood there, muttering in shock. And then. ¡°Have sex with me too!!!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± While receiving his morning report from Elena, Kim Hyunwoo found himself in a dizzying situation as Aria, who had returned in less than ten minutes, clung to his arm, crying. Chapter 175: Commander Of The Blue Forest (5) A situation where a beautiful woman begs for intimacy is, for a man, something like a dreame true. But. ¡°Me too! Me too, please!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± For Kim Hyunwoo, faced with this so-called dream situation, the only emotions he felt were bewilderment and dizziness. There were two reasons why he felt dizzy. First, Aria was clinging to his arm in the office. And there were many staff members frequently passing by this office. No matter how widespread the rumors of his first nights with Merilda and Rin were, this current situation was still embarrassing for Kim Hyunwoo. And second, right in front of him, Elena, who had been diligently giving her morning report, was now watching the scene with the same bewildered expression. Thus, with his eyes tightly shut, Kim Hyunwoo had to soothe the whining Aria, who was clinging to his right arm, for about 30 minutes. And then. ¡°Alright, how about we continue thister, and for now, could you step outside for a bit?¡± ¡°¡­Okay.¡± Seeing Kim Hyunwoo desperately persuading Aria, Elena thought to herself. ¡®¡­Is this really a hero with the power of a grand hero?¡¯ Just a moment ago, Kim Hyunwoo had told her that Aria possessed power on par with the previous heroes of Lartania. Watching her now, Elena couldn¡¯t help but give a t, unimpressed look at Aria. A little time passed. ¡°Sorry about that, I ended up keeping you waiting a bit.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± After finally managing to calm Aria and send her out of the office, Kim Hyunwoo apologized, and Elena shook her head in response. ¡°But, is she really one of Lartania¡¯s former heroes¡­?¡± ¡°Yeah, she is. Even though shees across like that¡­¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± With a peculiar expression, Kim Hyunwoo looked at the door Aria had exited, then gave an awkward smile and asked Elena to continue the report. Elena promptly resumed the morning briefing. A little whileter. ¡°Nothing too concerning, then. Keep up the good work today.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± After delivering her full report, Elena bowed her head and was about to turn away but then stopped and looked at him. ¡°¡­? What¡¯s up?¡± Kim Hyunwoo tilted his head slightly in confusion, and Elena hesitated, considering asking how he had managed to persuade Aria. ¡­More precisely, she wanted to ask if he had promised to give Aria what she wanted in order to persuade her. After a brief hesitation, Elena seemed to make up her mind, clearing her throat. ¡°By any chance-¡± Just as she was about to ask. Bang bang bang-! Before she could finish, the loud noise from the door interrupted her. Before Kim Hyunwoo could even call for the person to enter, Malon, the leader of the knights, burst through the door and bowed deeply in front of a bewildered Kim Hyunwoo. ¡°My apologies, My Lord! Please forgive my rudeness.¡± Hearing Malon¡¯s words, Kim Hyunwoo waved his hand dismissively, though still confused. ¡°No, it¡¯s fine, but is there a problem?¡± And then. ¡°Right now, north of Lartania, an enormous number of angels¡­!¡± ¡°Angels¡­?¡± As Malon gave his report with a very grave expression, Kim Hyunwoo frowned deeply. ¡°¡­Hah.¡± After hearing Malon¡¯s report, Kim Hyunwoo immediately headed towards the northern wall under construction, and soon let out a hollowugh. Before him, an immense number of angels, easily in the tens of thousands, were pouring out of a white light in real-time. Moreover, what filled Kim Hyunwoo with a sense of crisis was the enormous angel with colossal wings and a massive body standing at the center of the angelic horde, even though there was a significant distance between them and Lartania. ¡®What¡­is that?¡¯ Of course, Kim Hyunwoo had no idea what that enormous angel was. Yet, even without knowing exactly what it was, Kim Hyunwoo instinctively felt it. That angel was no ordinary being. And then. Wooooong-!! As the massive light to the north of Lartania faded. [Oh Fallen Star of this World, I am Metatron, the angel who stands at the right hand of the One, enforcing His justice.] The enormous angel leading the army of angels spoke, staring directly at where Kim Hyunwoo stood. ¡°Ugh-¡± Just hearing that dignified and solemn voice made Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s head feel foggy, causing him to frown. ¡®That¡¯s ridiculous.¡¯ It¡¯s not that teleportation magic didn¡¯t exist in this world of Arteil, but as far as he knew, there was norge-scale magic capable of moving such an absurdly massive number of beings at once. That¡¯s why, up until now, Kim Hyunwoo had always been able to receive information about enemy forces days before they reached Lartania, giving him time to prepare countermeasures and defeat them. Even when the Eastern n Alliance sent their army. But now, with the angelic army appearing via teleportation, Kim Hyunwoo was ill-prepared and was forced to confront them head-on. [Oh Fallen Star of this World, you must enter eternal rest for the birth of the One.] [Therefore, follow the Great Will, enter peaceful rest, and celebrate His birth with joy as you enter eternal slumber. That is the only thing you can do now.] As Kim Hyunwoo frowned, Metatron continued his speech as if making a promation. Watching the angel, Kim Hyunwoo turned to look at the other heroes standing atop the wall and asked. ¡°¡­Merilda.¡± ¡°Yes, Master.¡± ¡°Can you handle this?¡± Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s question. Merilda wagged her tail as if contemting, then said, ¡°I think it¡¯s possible, Master.¡± ¡°¡­Really?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I too think it¡¯s possible, My Lord. But the problem is those angels¡­¡± Rin frowned as she looked at the tightly clustered angels surrounding the enormous one. ¡°¡­Honestly, stopping all of that seems impossible.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do it if the Mastermands it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a matter of doing or not doing, it¡¯s about what¡¯s possible and impossible. I could crush that arrogant angel who wants to kill the Master, but defending against all of them is impossible.¡± ¡°I agree¡­ If we had a few more artifacts, maybe, but as things stand¡­ It seems difficult to protect the people here¡­ Though that¡¯s assuming we¡¯re fighting on our own, of course.¡± At Charyll¡¯s words, Merilda and Rin exchanged puzzled looks before speaking. ¡°Oh, right, there¡¯s her.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true, if it¡¯s Aria, it might be possible.¡± As if they had forgotten about her existence, Merilda and Rin spoke. ¡°Wait a moment.¡± Merilda quickly disappeared after saying that, only to return less than 30 secondster with a very sullen-looking Aria in tow. ¡°Hmph¡­¡± Aria pouted like a child, making a sulky sound. At the same time. ¡°My Lord, it would be best if you returned to the Lord¡¯s castle first.¡± ¡°¡­Can you manage this?¡± ¡°Of course. I¡¯ll take you there first.¡± Rin immediately embraced Kim Hyunwoo and disappeared from the spot. ¡°¡­I was going to do that.¡± Watching Rin disappear at just the right moment, Merilda frowned slightly but sighed as if epting the situation. ¡°Aria. Get up.¡± ¡°¡­Hmph, traitor.¡± Turning her head sharply, Aria responded to Merilda¡¯s words. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Until just now, Elena had been watching the situation with a dumbfounded expression. Despite the fact that a ridiculous number of angels were marching towards Lartania to attack, Aria was still sulking and turning her head away from Merilda. ¡®Why do they trust someone like her¡­?¡¯ That was the thought that crossed Elena¡¯s mind. Seeing the pout still stered across Aria¡¯s face, Elena was about to speak up, unable to contain herself any longer. ¡°That enormous angel said it¡¯s going to kill the Master.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± ¡°¡­!¡± Elena felt a chill run down her spine. ¡°¡­What did you say?¡± ¡°That enormous angel dered that it¡¯s going to kill the Master.¡± Merilda¡¯s words were simple and to the point. But with just that one sentence, the childish pout and sulk that had dominated Aria¡¯s face vanished, reced by a nk expression. No more pouting. No more sulking. No more whining. Not a hint of timidity. There was nothing. Just, nothingness. And the moment that empty gaze reached the angels marching in the distance. Crack-! ¡°¡­!¡± The blue bones revolving around her body began to multiply. Crrrrrack¡ª!!! Like bones giving birth to more bones, the blue structures spread rapidly, taking the form of massive wings, just like the angels¡¯. Screeeech!!! The bones from those wings quickly spread beyond the walls and into the entirety of Lartania. And then. Ting- With a book and censer now in Aria¡¯s hands, her clothing began transforming into blue sacred robes, while the blue smoke from the censer spread. And then. ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö-!!!!!!!!!!!! The wraiths began walking out of the mist. Monsters, soldiers, citizens, knights, bandits, dragons ¨C ©¤ all the things that had once been living beings. [Oh, Great Princess¡ª] [Oh, Great Princess¡ª] [Oh, Great Princess¡ª] [Oh, Great Princess of the Blue Forest, El Rasian Aria.] They appeared, calling her name. [Oh, King of the Dead¡ª] To heed themand of the King of the Dead. And then. ¡°Absolutely not.¡± The march of the dead had begun. Chapter 176: Mutations (1) Durandor, who appeared before Lartania without even the time to prepare through the power of the Great Archangel Metatron, was confident of victory. The tens of thousands of soldiers and angels he had sent before had been blocked by the heroes with Lartania¡¯s abnormal strength, but now the situation was different from back then. This time, they had the Archangel Metatron on their side. Not only could he teleport tens of thousands of angels by himself, but his presence ¨C having fought more than sevenmanders during the Divine-Demon War and having never lost ¨C could not even bepared to the forces Durandor had prepared. Furthermore, under the guidance of the great Metatron, there were angels participating in the Great Crusade to resurrect their lord, so he never thought he would lose this battle. ¡­That is, until a moment ago. ¡°This is-!¡± Durandor widened his eyes as he stared at the wraiths emerging from the blue smoke. Each one, shrouded in thick malevolent energy, was walking towards the angels under themand of the hero standing atop the fortress wall. Of course, angels generally do not fear wraiths. After all, the divine power they wield is specialized for dealing with the dead, and even the lowest-ranking angels could inflict fatal damage on the undead with their divine power. But despite knowing this, the reason the angels¡¯ expressions were growing worse was- ¡°This is absurd-¡± It was because of the sheer number of undead crawling out of the blue mist. The massive army reached the angels in an instant, leaving even the faces of the great crusading angels frozen in shock. A massive bone dragon emerged from the wave of undead and began the full-scale battle by crushing the body of a lower-ranked angel in half with a single bite. Tens of thousands of angels unleashed divine power towards the undead. ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö-!!!! The undead let out agonizing screams as they melted away. But no matter how much the angels fired their divine power, killing the undead, more continued to emerge from the blue mist, which concealed everything. As if the gates to Hell itself had been linked to this ce. And then, all the gazes of the cherubim, who had been watching, turned to where Aria stood atop the fortress, holding the censer. In that instant, the angels all charged toward her. They realized that unless the woman creating this army of undead was killed, this situation would never end. However, ¡°That won¡¯t happen.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± Four cherubim who had been rushing towards Aria were blocked by a single stroke from Rin¡¯s sword. [¡­!] Likewise, the angels who had been gathering divine power tounch at Aria were scattered in an instant when a giant sword fell upon Metatron from above. As Archangel Metatron quickly raised his hand to block the falling sword, ¡°Arang.¡± Kwajijik-! [Kraak-!?] Merilda¡¯s attack instantly ripped one of Metatron¡¯s six pairs of wings apart. Metatron, screaming in pain, gritted his teeth and red at Merilda, attempting to catch her, but- [Grr-!] Because of the giant sword falling from the sky, he was forced to let Merilda, who had torn through his wing, escape. [These creatures of the Middle Realm¡­!] Metatron, clearly enraged, growled and gathered divine power in both hands before unleashing it explosively. Kwakwakwakwakwa-! The divine power spread out like a shotgun, shredding the undead in all directions. [Tsk-!] Even though the undead were dying in droves, Metatron frowned. Because his true target wasn¡¯t the undead but the two heroes currently attacking him. [¡­¡­] Metatronnded on one side of the fortress wall and saw Merilda, who was waiting for an opening, and thought. ¡®¡­Is that truly a hero of the Middle Realm?¡¯ Metatron, as the proxy of their Lord, had fought in countless wars, including battles against humans. And in Metatron¡¯s memory, battles with humans were never impressive. No matter how great they were, humans were still humans and could never defeat the superior angels. Even after hearing about the emergence of ¡®heroes¡¯ following their Lord¡¯s fall into the void, Metatron¡¯s belief that ¡®humans are weak¡¯ never changed. After all, the heroes of this world, as reported by Durandor, were weaker than themanders of the demons. But at this moment, Metatron was feeling something strange. The reason was that the strength of the heroes he was currently facing exceeded that of the demonmanders he had fought before. ¡®Am I mistaken?¡¯ For a moment, such thoughts crossed Metatron¡¯s mind, but he quickly shook his head. While he had indeed used a lot of divine power for teleportation, he hadn¡¯t used so much that his intuition would be off. Thus, Metatron could only frown as he gazed at the heroes staring him down. Kwaaang-!! Kim Hyunwoo, having returned to the Lord¡¯s castle thanks to Rin, unconsciously stuck out his tongue at the sight of the enormous battle unfolding in the distance. Watching Metatron¡¯s fifth wing being blown off, even from a distance, Kim Hyunwoo thought with a peculiar expression. ¡®¡­Surprisingly, I don¡¯t feel a sense of crisis.¡¯ In fact, when the angels first arrived, Kim Hyunwoo had felt that perhaps today would be Lartania¡¯sst day. But how was the situation now? ¡®¡­We¡¯re winning too easily.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo looked at the giant angel in the distance. The being who introduced himself as Metatron had abilities that far surpassed the realm of a 5-star hero, at least in Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s eyes. The divine power exploding from one hand, and the continuously forming divine spears above his head, obliterated the surrounding hills with each strike. And that wasn¡¯t all; a divine spear that had barely grazed the fortress wall earlier hadpletely shattered it. In other words, Metatron was as powerful as his appearance suggested. ¡­Enough to surely surpass a 5-star hero¡¯s abilities. Yet despite that strength, Metatron was being pushed back by the heroes. ¡®Is it because of numbers¡­?¡¯ After thinking for a moment, Kim Hyunwoo shook his head. Of course, numbers were helpful to a certain extent, but in this world, overwhelming force could offset numerical advantages. In other words, the fact that the heroes were winning meant they had enough force to face Metatron, who far surpassed a 5-star level of strength, even without the advantage of numbers. ¡®¡­They¡¯re at a 5.5-star level, but that shouldn¡¯t be enough.¡¯ That¡¯s why, as he marveled at the heroes¡¯ ridiculous strength, Kim Hyunwoo, with a curious expression, once again opened the hero stats screen he had seenst time. Hero Name: Merilda Title: Beast King Star Rating: 5.5 Stars ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î Affection: Level 5 ©¥Stats©¥ ???Strength: 142 ???Agility: 282 ???Intelligence: 88 ???Luck: 92 ???Magic Power: 150 ¡ùThe hero trusts you. Hero Name: Rin Title: Absolute Ruler of Darkness Star Rating: 5.5 Stars ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î Affection: Level 5 ©¥Stats©¥ ???Strength: 121 ???Agility: 230 ???Intelligence: 110 ???Luck: 42 ???Magic Power: 180 ¡ùThe hero trusts you. Hero Name: Charyll Title: Hero King Star Rating: 5.5 Stars ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î Affection: Level 5 ©¥Stats©¥ ???Strength: 240 ???Agility: 259 ???Intelligence: 79 ???Luck: 180 ???Magic Power: 322 ¡ùThe hero trusts you. ¡°¡­Ah.¡± He realized one thing. Something that was so obvious, he hadn¡¯t considered it until now. ¡°¡­Affection Bonus.¡± In Arteil, there is a system called the Affection Bonus. The higher the Affection level, the greater the bonus to the hero¡¯s stats. And at Affection Level 5, the bonus is 50%. ¡°Ah.¡± The moment he realized that, Kim Hyunwoo suddenly understood the heroes¡¯ strength. The heroes, with their absurd 5.5-star abilities, receive additional stat bonuses based on their star count. That bonus is as much as 70%. And now, with the Affection system activated in Lartania, they receive an additional 50% bonus. In other words, the heroes¡¯ current bonus has increased from 70% to 120%. ¡®Merilda¡¯s total stats are 754¡­ If I add the 120% bonus, her current total stats are.¡¯ Kwaaaang-!!!! ¡°¡­1658?¡± Kim Hyunwoo muttered quietly as he watched Metatron¡¯s body m into the ground in the distance. Chapter 177: Mutations (2) As the enormous body of Archangel Metatron crashed to the ground, the screams of the angels echoed out. KWA-AAAAANG-!! At the same time a giant sword pierced Metatron¡¯s heart, his form began to transform into light. And then. [So it is, huh- this is the Outsider¡¯s-] Looking at Merilda, who had impaled him to the ground, Metatron muttered quietly, as if he understood, but also with a frown that suggested it was unreasonable. Thus, just like when he first appeared, Metatron transformed into pure white light and vanished from the spot. And then. ¡°Ugh- AAAAAH!!¡± The usual massacre of the dead began. Of course, even though Metatron had vanished, the power of the angels did not disappear along with him. In fact, Metatron had not truly been destroyed. For an angel born in this Middle Realm, death merely resulted in a permanent loss of power, while their body would return to heaven. Yet, despite all angels knowing this, they could not maintain their reason. For them, the defeat of the strongest angel, Metatron, was equivalent to concluding that victory in this war was impossible. Thus, the battle, which had been at a standstill until now, began to tilt sharply from the moment Metatron fell. Not long after, Lartania was able to im victory over the angelic army. The Abyss. ¡°Wow- really useless.¡± Loria, who had been watching the battle in Lartania from the empty darkness, shook her head with a look of disdain. ¡°I thought at least one hero would be able to inflict a fatal wound¡­ Why is he so weak?¡­ No, in this case, it is not Metatron but Kim Hyunwoo who¡¯s the problem?¡± Muttering to herself and tilting her head as if contemting something, Loria soon thought she had reached a conclusion. ¡®At this level, even sharing power wouldn¡¯t have changed anything.¡¯ As Loria was lost in such thoughts, staring nkly outside. [How long do you n to stay like this?] At the voice that echoed from the abyss where no one should be, Loria smiled and turned her gaze. ¡°Hmm? What is it?¡± [It¡¯s as I said, I asked how long do you n to stay like this.] ¡°If you say it like that, it sounds like I¡¯m just cking off, right? I¡¯m working in my own way too!¡± The armored man standing behind her replied. [Is that really work?] ¡°It is work, isn¡¯t it? Gathering intel on the enemy¡¯s strength is very important work.¡± [So your goal is to kill the Outsider, then.] ¡°That¡¯s right, but doesn¡¯t that apply to you too?¡± The man said nothing in response, silently gazing at her. As if trying to read her intentions. And then. [¡­I just can¡¯t understand, no matter how I think about it.] ¡°What part?¡± [What on earth is your reason for teaming up with us? No matter how I think about it, with the power that you possess, you could at least handle that visible territory¡­] ¡°Up to that-¡± Loria interrupted the man¡¯s words. As the armored man felt doubt and looked ahead. [¡­!] He looked at Loria with a slightly surprised expression. This was understandable, as Loria¡¯s form right before the man¡¯s eyes was quite twisted. One half of her beautiful face was scrunched up without mercy, while the other half wore an expression like, ¡®Ah, I¡¯ve really messed up¡¯. Simrly, her body was twisted at an angle that a normal human should not be able to achieve, unlike how it had been just moments ago. Then, as the man stopped speaking, Loria confirmed her body was starting to return to its natural form and opened her mouth. ¡°I didn¡¯t intend to show you this, but I think this is enough of an answer. What do you think?¡± [¡­¡­] ¡°Unfortunately, it¡¯s this kind of contract.¡± [So that¡¯s why you teamed up with us?] ¡°I told you, right? We share the same goal, so let¡¯s help each other out.¡± As she said this, Loria stood up from where she had been sitting idly in the abyss. ¡°Alright, then this conversation is over. The angels have ultimately perished, so we need to move too.¡± [If it¡¯s preparation, then it¡¯s done.] ¡°That¡¯s a relief. Then let¡¯s start right away.¡± She smiled. ¡°I¡¯m talking about the dimensional transformation of the Middle Realm.¡± With those words, Loria, whose smile seemed to hint at a bit of madness, turned and began walking out of the dark abyss. ¡°And I¡¯ll bring you some additional weapons to deal with those annoying things stuck to the Outsider-¡± With that said, Loriapletely disappeared into the dark abyss. On the night when the angelic army that invaded Lartania copsed under the heroes¡¯ correction rate of 120%. ¡°Good job, everyone.¡± ¡°This is nothing, Master.¡± ¡°It¡¯s really nothing.¡± ¡°If only we had artifacts, we could have done better.¡± ¡°Hah! This is a piece of cake!¡± Seeing the heroes responding in their own ways, Kim Hyunwoo smiled. ¡°No, it¡¯s quite impressive that you managed to hold off that sudden army to this extent. I can¡¯t thank you enough.¡± Kim Hyunwoo felt truly grateful to the heroes, not just in words. If they hadn¡¯t been in Lartania, this angelic attack would have led to the demise of both Lartania and Kim Hyunwoo. Thus, smiling as he spoke, Kim Hyunwoo looked around at them. ¡°First of all, you must be tired today, so take a rest. I know it sounds like a hollow promise since I¡¯ve already asked the three of you for something, but if you have any requests,e to me. I¡¯ll grant anything.¡± -After finishing his speech, he rewarded the heroes in his own way. And then. The four heroes who left Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s office casually returned to their rooms. ¡°Wait a moment.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°¡­?¡± At Merilda¡¯s words, they turned to look at her. ¡°Let¡¯s set the order.¡± Following Merilda¡¯s words, Charyll spoke up. ¡°What order are you talking about?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t pretend not to know. Everyone here knows how to make requests, right?¡± ¡°Even if you don¡¯t, I¡¯m going to use it for sex!¡± ¡°We will too.¡± ¡°Ehh?¡± At Merilda¡¯s words, Aria, seemingly confused, boldly shouted and showed a flustered expression. Seeing her, Merilda wore a slightly pitying expression before turning to Charyll and speaking. ¡°You¡¯re going to use it too, right? For ¡®that¡¯.¡± ¡°Pardon? That, I mean-¡± Charyll blushed at the overly direct words. However. ¡°Isn¡¯t that right?¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s true, but¡­¡± As Charyll eventually nodded in agreement, Merilda nced at them and said. ¡°If we¡¯re going to do it anyway, wouldn¡¯t it be better to arrange the order so we don¡¯t ovep?¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s not an incorrect statement, I suppose. Though it¡¯s not my preference.¡± In response to Rin, Merilda replied, ¡°I don¡¯t like it either. But it doesn¡¯t matter. After all, I will be first.¡± ¡°¡­What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°I¡¯m speaking literally. No matter how much the Master shares feelings with others, the winner will be me. So it doesn¡¯t matter for now.¡± ¡°¡®Huh?¡¯¡± The trio, taken aback by Merilda¡¯s overflowing confidence, spoke incredulously. ¡°What kind of nonsensical talk is that?!¡± ¡°Yeah, what ridiculous nonsense¡­!¡± ¡°That¡¯s not nonsense.¡± ¡°Do you have any evidence!?¡± ¡°No? But I have confidence in captivating the Master. After all, the Master-¡± Swaying- ¡°He likes tails, doesn¡¯t he?¡± ¡°¡­Cough.¡± ¡°Ugh.¡± As Merilda gently swayed her tail, Rin and Charyll reacted. With a subtle smile as if to say, ¡®You¡¯ve never experienced this, have you?¡¯ they wore expressions as if they had encountered an ambush. Especially Rin, who had entered in cosy, was more displeased as she was somewhat aware of Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s preferences¡­ However. ¡°Hmph, I can do well with the Master even without that.¡± Rin tried to rebut her statement in any way possible. ¡°¡­I haven¡¯t, yet.¡± ¡°I, me too¡­¡± The other two, having never done it before, sank into silence. ¡­After a while. Eventually, the four heroes gathered at the Round Table began to determine the order. However- ¡°You go first.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m fine with doing itter, so you go.¡± ¡°Me first?! ¡­Ah, no, I¡¯ll do itter.¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m fine with someone else going first too.¡± -None of them were eager to im the front. Of course, they all had the strong desire to enjoy their rtionship with the one they truly loved first, but unfortunately, the four gathered here were aware of the existence of the Proposal Ring, which had a deadline, due to thements made during Rin and Merilda¡¯s earlier quarrel. The one and only Proposal Ring of Kim Hyunwoo. And knowing that the time limit was now drawing near, this opportunity given to them was not merely a chance to fulfill their desires. For them, this opportunity was essentially thest chance to appeal to Kim Hyunwoo before the Proposal Ring was used. Furthermore, for them, who were unsure whether this Proposal Ring would be the first or thest, it was truly a one-time opportunity. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Including Aria, who usually didn¡¯t think too much, and even Merilda, who had been exuding confidence, was deep in thought. ¡­The order was not decided until after dawn¡­ Chapter 178: Mutations (3) The day after defeating the angelic army. ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± In what was an unexpectedly calm day after the arrival of the angelic army yesterday, Kim Hyunwoo received a report from Elena and discovered several surprising facts. ¡°¡­The damage to the territory isn¡¯t as severe as I expected?¡± Of course, the battle with the angels took ce outside the borders of Lartania, but that didn¡¯t mean there was no damage at all. After all, there were Metatron¡¯s spear and various divine spells from the angels that flew into Lartania. However, having witnessed buildings being destroyed in real time yesterday, Kim Hyunwoo was surprised that the damage to the territory was not as extensive as he thought. ¡°The tertiary wall has been damaged, but not excessively.¡± ¡°From my assessment, that really was about the extent of the damage.¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s a good thing.¡± Nodding in response to Elena¡¯s words, Kim Hyunwoo continued. ¡°Other than that, it seems there were no casualties either¡­¡± Kim Hyunwoo muttered in amazement as he nced through the report. ¡°At this level, it¡¯s absurd, isn¡¯t it?¡± With a satisfied expression, Kim Hyunwoo nodded and opened the territory window. Territory: Lartania Territory Development Level: 6619 Territory Residents: [Humans: 55,244] [Beastfolk: 1,082] ¨CSecondary Buildings¨C [Magical Engineering Research Institute] -Subordinate Buildings- ?? [Magical Engineering Power nt] ?? [Magical Engineering Weapons Research Institute] ?? [Magical Engineering Refinery] ¨COwned Buildings¨C [Lord''s Castle LV4] (Under Construction 99%)] [Wall LV5] [Residential Area LV8¡ü] [cksmith LV8¡ü] [Barracks LV8¡ü] [Tavern LV8] [Market LV5] [Lumber Mill LV7¡ü >>> Upgrading 44%] [Restaurant LV5] [Leather Workshop LV7¡ü >>> Upgrading 32%] [Stone Workshop LV6 >>> Upgrading 92%] [Trade Post LV7¡ü] [Secondary Wall LV5] [Inn LV7¡ü] [Administrative District LV5 >>> Upgrading 86%] [Paved Road LV5] [Tertiary Wall (Under Construction 66%¡ý)] ¨CExternal Buildings¨C [Mercenary Guild LV1] [Mage Tower Branch LV1] [cksmith Guild Branch LV1] ¨COwned Forces¨C ? Regr Soldiers: 1,000 ? Swordsmen: 500 ? Guards: 700 ? Apprentice Knights: 200 ? Beastfolk: 1,084 As he looked at the buildings, most of which had risen above Level 7 to Level 8, Kim Hyunwoo began to feel a sense of nostalgia for the old Lartania territory. With the buildings having risen to this level, it was clear that the territory was starting to resemble what he had seen in the game. ¡°The percentage of the Tertiary Wall has indeed dropped as expected, but it doesn¡¯t look like it has fallen at all considering a war urred.¡± After pondering such thoughts and checking the territory¡¯s status for a while, Kim Hyunwoo nodded and spoke. ¡°First of all, since there were indeed casualties, let¡¯spensate the reasonable people fairly. As for the resources needed to build the tertiary wall¡­ Do we need more?¡± ¡°No, from what I¡¯ve checked, we should be able to build the tertiary wall with the resources currently in the territory. However, we might need resources to invest in other buildings.¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s true; we¡¯re starting to run low.¡± Based on the enormous resources received from the Cn Kingdom, the territory had risen several levels almost instantly, but naturally, such growth couldn¡¯t be sustained indefinitely. ¡®Moreover, from now on, the resources we receive for investment will increase, and we¡¯ll need to build other secondary structures. Continuing to grow like this will be challenging.¡¯ After pondering for a while, Kim Hyunwoo saw Elena bowing her head to get back to work and began to organize his thoughts. ¡®¡­Everything I¡¯ve been worried about so far seems to be going smoothly without any issues.¡¯ If he were to summarize, he had been concerned about three major aspects. The first was the invasion of the demons and the celestials. The second was his worry about the recruitment process of the former heroes. And thest, third concern was the development of the territory. However, contrary to his worries, the celestials and demons had already vanished almost instantly, and the former heroes of Lartania had been recruited far more easily than he had anticipated. ¡®¡­Well, to be honest, I didn¡¯t worry too much about this part after the restrictions were lifted.¡¯ Excluding that, thest remaining concern was the development of the territory, which was currently thriving both in terms of levels and in the original Labyrinth city that Kim Hyunwoo had established. In other words, everything was going well. Yet, despite that, Kim Hyunwoo could not easily let his guard down, and the reason was Loria. ¡®¡­Could it be that this is what she had prepared?¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo recalled her words for a moment but soon shook his head. At least in his judgment, it felt instinctive that this was not something she had prepared. Moreover. ¡®¡­Even though I¡¯ve stopped two races, there¡¯s still one more race left.¡¯ As Kim Hyunwoo thought of the otherworld mentioned by the Blue and Red Merchants, he suddenly recalled the Mysterious Merchant and checked the notification window. [The Mysterious Merchant ising to the territory to deliver artifacts!] [Remaining Time: 28 days 17 hours 29 minutes 13 seconds] ¡°¡­?¡± And he felt puzzled. ¡°Is it already down to 28 days?¡± Staring nkly at the dwindling remaining time, Kim Hyunwoo soon frowned. ¡®¡­It hasn¡¯t even been a month since thest notification popped up, has it?¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo calcted the dates and, noticing the discrepancy in the notification window, disyed a slightly tense expression. Having already been toyed with by the system window before, he began to suspect that it might be Loria¡¯s doing. However, there was no way to confirm that. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Kim Hyunwoo could only silently stare at the notification window of the Mysterious Merchant that was descending for a while. That afternoon. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Elena, having finished all her tasks for the day, brought out the ¡®clothes¡¯ she had purchasedst time and, blushing deeply, gently set them down. ¡®This doesn¡¯t seem right.¡¯ Thoughts floated in her mind. ¡°Sigh-¡± Recently, Elena had been sighing a lot. The reason was, of course, because of Kim Hyunwoo, whom she had developed feelings for, but to be fair, it wasn¡¯t the only reason. The reason for her stress was that she was beginning to feel left behind. ¡®¡­Shadra and River definitely mentioned they received the right to make ¡®requests¡¯ as well.¡¯ Of course, what Elena knew wasn¡¯t limited to that. She also knew that the former heroes of Lartania had received the right to make requests yesterday. ¡­And she suspected that she could guess where the heroes would use those requests. ¡°Hah¡­¡± Unfortunately, Elena had never received the right to make requests from Kim Hyunwoo. That said, she didn¡¯t fail to understand the situation. Unlike the other heroes who had clearly helped Kim Hyunwoo in various aspects, she hadn¡¯t been able to provide significant assistance. In fact, until recently, she had felt she was growing steadily and being helpful, but once the former heroes of Lartania joined, she hadn¡¯t been able to be a truly useful hero. She was a hero whose main strengthy in her physical power, which was quiteckingpared to the former heroes of Lartania. Of course, recently, she had naturally shifted towards handling administrative duties within the territory rather than purely focusing on her physical abilities, which had strengthened her in that area, but that was only in that regard and didn¡¯t qualify her for gaining the right to make requests from Kim Hyunwoo. It would be strange to give someone the right to make requests just for carrying out their regr tasks. In any case, fully aware of her situation, Elena felt she was being left behind in her usefulness and in her romantic interactions with Kim Hyunwoo, which led her to make a resolution for today. ¡®Is this really the right thing to do?¡¯ Yet, she hadn¡¯t made a final decision. The reason for her hesitation was Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s response. It was somewhat pathetic, but Elena hadn¡¯t developed any sort of romantic connection with Kim Hyunwoo. Even though Elena had expressed herself to some degree, she honestly didn¡¯t know if it had reached Kim Hyunwoo. And in such a situation, she wondered whether pushing through with this resolution would be helpful or not- ¡­More specifically, she couldn¡¯t imagine how Kim Hyunwoo would react. However, she knew all too well that if she remained paralyzed by fear and did nothing, nothing would happen at all. After all, there were so many heroes around Kim Hyunwoo targeting him. Therefore, after a while of deep thought, Elena concluded. ¡°¡­Let¡¯s do this.¡± Ultimately, she gathered her resolve. No matter how she thought about it, she felt it would be too pathetic to end without conveying her true feelings to Kim Hyunwoo out of fear. Thus, that night, Elena donned her battle attire and left her room just in time for Kim Hyunwoo to go to sleep. ¡°Phew-¡± As soon as she opened Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s door. ¡°Master! Please forgive me!¡± ¡°Ugh!?¡± Elena¡¯s eyes widened as she felt something prate her mouth. Gulp-! She swallowed it instinctively as she felt something flowing into her mouth. And then. ¡°¡­Huh?¡± Elena saw. Adria, panting heavily, wore a clearly flustered expression. And then. ¡°E-Elena?¡± The moment Elena heard her bewildered mumble. Thump thump thump-! Elena¡¯s heart began to race. And in that moment, Elena realized. ¡°¡­Ah.¡± That what she had drunk was the famous Shayu Spring Water. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The expressions of the two people in Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s room turned to shock. Chapter 179: Mutations (4) Northern Continent. Among this vast continent, it is said that the northern region is the most difficult for humans to inhabit, and there are no territories there. Of course, in the past, territories were established due to special resources found only in the north, but that was only for a short time. Territories that could not withstand the harsh cold of the north gradually disappeared, and now no territories exist there. What remains in the north now are only tribes. Tribe. Unlike territories, they are traditional and primitive societies that have been established in the north for a very long time, preserving their way of life, and they have adapted to survive the harsh cold unlike the territories. As they survived for such a long time, the unique and strong DNA of the northern people gave them resilient bodies capable of enduring the cold. And based on those strong bodies, the northern tribes thrived. Despite the harsh weather and rugged mountains, the northern tribes continued to grow, and recently, a Great Hero known as Snow Ghost Ram emerged, leading the various divided tribes to a grand unification. Perhaps, even if they turned their backs on the north, which they had long considered home, they gained enough strength to destroy everything in their path and take it as their new territory. And Snow Ghost Ram, the chief who unified the tribes and ruler of the great tribe ka Malkan, looked around with eyes filled with fury at the atrocities before him. What he saw before him was the stark white snow-covered mountains stained with red blood. Amidst the blood, the figures of the tribespeople could be seen. Men and women of all agesy dead within the blood, like ornaments. And then. [You are the strongest here.] At the sight of the man d in ck armor wielding something dark, responsible for the carnage, Snow Ghost Ram gripped the axe in his hand tightly and opened his mouth as if to chew the words. ¡°You, bastard¡­do you even know what you¡¯ve done?¡± A response suppressed by rage. The old Snow Ghost Ram would have charged at the sight instantly, but he held back his boiling rage and asked. He knew that rushing in to kill that knight wouldn¡¯t achieve anything. In other words, realizing that he needed to uncover the mastermind behind the knight, Snow Ghost Ram opened his mouth calmly despite the anger boiling within him. [I know. It¡¯s cleaning.] ¡°¡­What?¡± [Didn¡¯t I say? It¡¯s cleaning; there were vermin where I needed to settle, so I simply did the cleaning.] Unable to hold back any longer at the knight¡¯s words, Snow Ghost Ram exploded. KWA-AAAAAAANG-!!! The pure white snow erupted in all directions. That was not all. With just one leap, the ground that Snow Ghost Ram had stepped on exploded like a bomb and he reached the dark knight. The axe raised high, intent on splitting the knight¡¯s head, fell in an instant. ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö-!!!! With a deafening roar, the ground split apart. Kuguguguk-! The ground trembled, causing the umted snow to cascade down, piling up on everything the tribe had built, turning it into nothing. A cmity unleashed by a single attack. But. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Snow Ghost Ram realized that his attack had missed. It was understandable; his axe did not cleave the knight¡¯s body, but instead struck the ground. And at the same moment. ¡°Unbelievable¡­¡± Snow Ghost Ram realized. That he had been yed. [So you do know that you were hit. Imend you.] The knight¡¯s voice echoed in his ears. At the same time, as Snow Ghost Ram¡¯s vision split, his consciousness faded away. ¡­The Great Hero met his end in such a manner. With wounds on his face and a heart that looked as if they had been devoured by a ck hole. Thud-! As Snow Ghost Ram¡¯s body painted a new crimson stain on the pure white snow, the knight silently regarded him before throwing his dark, writhing sword onto the white snow. Thud- With no resistance, the ck sword embedded in the snow quickly began to spread its darkness all around. Kuguguguk-! Soon, from various ces in the white snow, ck energy began to pierce through the snowkes and shoot up into the sky. [This will be a great beginning.] And shortly after, when the ck energy shooting into the sky matched the number of tribespeople he had organized, ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö-!!!!!! With a bizarre sound, the residents of the otherworld awoke and began to rise through the white snow. Soon, the knight watched as the beings from the otherworld began to emerge. [I will announce the resurrection of Camelot here.] With that murmur. [I, Lancelot.] He watched the emerging beings from the otherworld with a faint smile. Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s daily routine was generally consistent, but he had been working overtime about once or twice a week recently. The reason was, of course, that his workload had increased. As the territory grewrger and took on the form of the Labyrinth City Kim Hyunwoo desired, the number of tasks he needed to personally oversee and decide upon increased, causing some days to be backed up. Today was one of those days. ¡°It would be nice to use an aide for this¡­¡± After handling all his workte into the night, Kim Hyunwoo seriously pondered his words but soon shook his head. He was already using an aide sufficiently, and he knew it was impossible to reduce his workload any further. Of course, if he threw the territory work to someone elsepletely, it might be different, but at least in his current state, he had no intention of doing so, so Kim Hyunwoo sighed lightly and headed for his room to rest, grabbing the doorknob. However, he did not turn it. The reason was the faint sound of breathinging from inside. ¡°¡­?¡± At that, Kim Hyunwoo briefly thought, ¡®Is this not my room?¡¯ but naturally, this was indeed his room. After all, the only room on the top floor of the Lord¡¯s castle was his. Thus, naturally feeling puzzled by the breathing sounds from the inside, Kim Hyunwoo opened the door. ¡°Hah-¡± ¡°Huh-¡± ¡°¡­????¡± In an instant, he witnessed a situation that left him dumbfounded. This was because Elena and Adria, familiar faces to Kim Hyunwoo, were on his bed, which should have been his sleeping space. Of course, it wasn¡¯t a situation that should have caused him to freeze up. However, the reason Kim Hyunwoo would describe it as freezing up was. ¡°Mmm¡­ Ugh.¡± Elena and Adria were kissing deeply, exploring each other¡¯s bodies. ¡®What the hell is happening?¡¯ In a situation where he couldn¡¯t understand a single aspect, Kim Hyunwoo, who rarely swore, was bewildered. ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°¡­Um, I¡¯m sorry!¡± Bang! With a strangely polite tone, he closed the door. He seriously considered whether this was not his room, but it still was. ¡®My room¡­ It is.¡¯ Kim Hyunwoo muttered as he looked at the scenery he saw every time he opened the door, beginning to deeply ponder why such a thing was happening inside. But- Bang-! ¡°Gah!¡± Before he could even start thinking about it, a hand that burst through the opened door grabbed him by the cor and pulled him into the room. ¡°Wha- what is this¡ª¡± Kim Hyunwoo tried to speak in a state of confusion, but his mouth wouldn¡¯t open. ¡°Mmph-!¡± The reason was that Elena¡¯s lips forcibly silenced him. Even holding Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s face to prevent him from escaping, she pushed her tongue into his mouth, exploring it freely. ¡°Phew-!¡± Soon, Kim Hyunwoo instinctively pulled his head back, trying to open his mouth to question the current situation. ¡°Slurp-!¡± Regrettably, his desire to speak was blocked by Adria¡¯s lips, preventing him from continuing. With a bewildered expression due to the rapid series of events, Kim Hyunwoo felt overwhelmed. In the midst of it all, the feeling of a thin tongue, different from Elena¡¯s, swirling in his mouth left him in utter shock. ¡°Wait¡ª¡± Unfortunately. ¡°No, I mean we¡ª¡± Really, regrettably. ¡°Shall we talk a bit? Yes!?¡± That night, Kim Hyunwoo couldn¡¯t utter a single word. No, beyond not being able to speak, he found himself in a strange situation where he was on the bed with his position changed when he regained his senses. ¡­At some point, he realized he was even excited. And so, the next morning. ¡°¡­Ah.¡± What Kim Hyunwoo recalled in a dry voice was. That when he was with the two of them, he could hardly keep his mouth shut, and that Elena was surprisingly strong in squats¡­ An utterly useless fact. Chapter 180: Mutations (5) When Adria first opened her eyes, only one thought came to mind. ¡®I¡¯m doomed.¡¯ Then, when she turned her gaze to Elena, who was sleeping soundly, and at the same time looked at Kim Hyunwoo, no words came to mind. Instead, a tide of shame and embarrassment washed over her, and she could only bury her face into the pillow with her eyes tightly shut, but soon she managed to collect herself and look at Kim Hyunwoo. She couldn¡¯t ignore the fact that their eyes had met. ¡°Hello?¡± Thus, as Adria spoke, she felt an overwhelming urge to hit herself on the head. Even if she greeted them with a fresh face as if nothing had happened yesterday, it wouldn¡¯t erase what had urred. ¡®How did things end up like this¡­?¡¯ Outwardly, Adria was smiling, but inside, she felt like crying. To add to the absurdity, she hadn¡¯t slept for days, having been tormented by Rhien, and now, caught in a web ofplex thoughts, she recalled yesterday, wondering if she was unhappy or happy at feeling so refreshed. Clearly, Adria¡¯s goal yesterday was not this. Originally, her objective was to feed Kim Hyunwoo the Shayu spring water and then immediately use the teleport scroll she had to send him to Rhien. Of course, Adria knew how much resentment and disrespect such an act could incur by proceeding without the other party¡¯s consent. As a merchant, one must be aware of the etiquette, even if they are not a noble. Moreover, one must be attuned to human psychology. In other words, she was aware that if she sent Kim Hyunwoo away in such a manner, there was a risk of incurring his ire. However, despite fully recognizing all those risks, the reason she feltpelled to act was solely because of Rhien. That¡¯s right. Since returning to Lartania, Adria hadn¡¯t slept at all thanks to Rhien¡­! Because of that, Adria had ultimately chosen to make an extreme decision to escape that crisis. However, unfortunately, because the date of Elena¡¯s execution coincided exactly, she ended up feeding Elena the Shayu Spring Water meant for Kim Hyunwoo. Having consumed the Shayu Spring Water, Elena then overwhelmed Adria. ¡­In fact, if it were just an overwhelming moment, there was a way to handle it. In reality, even though Adriacked strength, Rhien, who was mentally connected to her, could have easily separated them. However, unfortunately, at the moment Rhien was about to intervene to separate Elena, she ended up feeding the Shayu Spring Water lying on the ground to Adria. That was the end of it. The contract with Rhien was a spell that would break quickly if the mind became unstable, so from the moment Adria drank the Spring Water, Rhien could no longer interfere, leading to the current situation. ¡®¡­Ugh¡ª¡¯ Adria clenched her eyes shut and nced at Elena, who was blissfully unaware of everything. Elena was sleeping very soundly, her face serene. ¡®Why did she have to feed me the Spring Water¡­!¡¯ A sense of resentment began to bubble up within Adria, but she exhaled a deep sigh. Ironically, Adria, who had been forcibly injected with the Spring Water, was also in the position of having fed it to Elena. Thus. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Kim Hyunwoo and Adria could only exchange awkward nces until Elena awoke. Before long, after hearing the situation from Adria, Kim Hyunwoo wore a bewildered expression. ¡°¡­So that¡¯s how it turned out.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Kim Hyunwoo sincerely pondered how to respond. In fact, it would have been appropriate to be angry in this situation. However, knowing what kind of personality Rhien had, it was not easy to be mad at Adria. Moreover, even if it was an ident, they had shared a night together. ¡°Um¡­¡± Thus, while contemting, Kim Hyunwoo attempted to suggest that they treat this as an ident, but he soon realized that would sound even worse and kept silent. At that moment, Elena, who had been blushing without saying a single word except for a soft ¡°Ah¡±, seemed to make a decision and spoke. ¡°I, I didn¡¯t mind the three of us.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± At Elena¡¯s words, which would provoke thoughts of ¡®What do you mean, Elena?¡¯ from Kim Hyunwoo, he stared at her nkly. ¡°¡­I think it would have been better if it was just you and me, Lord.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Then, there was silence. After waiting for about 30 seconds without any further words from Elena, Kim Hyunwoo thought about what she wanted to convey, and soon he collected his thoughts to speak. ¡°First of all¡­what happened yesterday was clearly an ident, so¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m not an ident.¡± ¡°¡­I see.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Kim Hyunwoo thought briefly that there was no need for her to appeal so much, and then he spoke. ¡°¡­So, to be clear, Adria, it was an ident¡­ What do you want to do about it?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Quickly picking up on Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s words, Adria wore aplicated expression and seemed to contemte before speaking. ¡°¡­Can I think about it a bit?¡± ¡°Take your time.¡± Kim Hyunwoo allowed Adria to take her time, then turned his gaze to Elena. And then. ¡°I like you.¡± ¡°¡­Huh?¡± ¡°I like you.¡± In an instant, Kim Hyunwoo wore a dazed expression at Elena, who spoke as if she were a different person from the shy girl moments ago. ¡°¡­I¡¯m embarrassed too, but if I don¡¯t say it directly, you won¡¯t understand, Lord.¡± Before he could voice his thoughts that she should have known at least to some degree, Elena spoke. ¡°Didn¡¯t you enjoy yesterday?¡± ¡°¡­Huh? Yesterday?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°¡­It was nice.¡± ¡°If you choose me, every night can be even better. I¡¯m trying hard, you know¡ª¡± For a moment, Kim Hyunwoo was lost in thought about what she was trying hard at when he looked at her with a perplexed expression. ¡°Choose? What do you mean?¡± ¡°The Proposal Ring.¡± As if knowing that being shy in this situation was pointless, Elena confidently got to the point. At that, Kim Hyunwoo, who had been nk-faced, responded. ¡°¡­Come to think of it.¡± He recalled the existence of the Ring, which he had kept in his drawer andpletely forgotten about. ¡°Since the deadline is slowly approaching, I guess I need to use it soon¡­¡± With that thought, Kim Hyunwoo realized. ¡°¡­Hmm?¡± He began toprehend how the situation was unfolding. A littleter. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± After leaving Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s office with Elena, Adria sighed deeply and lowered her head. Of course, she would soon be tormented by Rhien¡¯s screams, but that was her problem; it didn¡¯t erase what she had done to Elena. ¡°It¡¯s okay. No, I actually feel a bit more grateful for this.¡± Elena replied to Adria¡¯s words. ¡°Yes¡­?¡± At Elena¡¯s response, Adria asked with a bewildered expression. ¡°Honestly, I was determined toe, but I didn¡¯t know how to talk to you, Merchant Leader. While this may not have been the best way to approach it, at least I expressed my feelings.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°And, it felt nice being the two of us.¡± ¡°¡­Huh? Yes??¡± ¡°I was a bit worried since it was my first time, but since we were together, I thought I¡¯d feel quite satisfied.¡± ¡°Ah, you meant it in that way.¡± ¡°Of course, it was nice just with the two of us.¡± ¡°Eh?¡­ Yes?¡± Adria asked with a bewildered expression. However, Elena did not respond to her. Instead. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll be going.¡± With a rxed smile that seemed to suggest relief, she slightly nodded to Adria and began to move to aplish what she had to do today. Standing in front of Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s office, Adria didn¡¯t notice. That her cheeks had flushed slightly. After that day. Elena and Adria returned to their daily routines as if nothing had happened. They didn¡¯t mention the events of that night to anyone. However, regrettably, the conversation about the Proposal Ring exchanged between Kim Hyunwoo and Elena that morning had already begun to spread through the servants. As a result, the heroes of Lartania began to keep a close watch on every move Kim Hyunwoo made. Among those heroes who were on high alert, they were divided into two groups. One group was those who had already been intimate with Kim Hyunwoo, while the other group had not. Those who had been intimate were also sensitive to the situation, but they felt much more rxed than those who had not. The group that had not been intimate was currently in a very anxious state. Among them. ¡®If I don¡¯t want to be left behind¡­ I have no choice but to do that¡­!¡¯ The Hero King began to devise a n with a very anxious expression. Chapter 181: Rumors (1) ¡°Hah¡­¡± In fact, so far, Charyll had felt immense satisfaction simply by returning to Lartania as Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s hero. This was because, after sending Kim Hyunwoo away, it had been her dream to return as his hero, just like ten years ago. ¡­Of course, she had dreams beyond that, but the reason she could be satisfied in this state was sadly because she had already formed a definite thought about one fact. The thought that ¡®broken rtionships cannot be mended¡¯. At least in Charyll¡¯s view, once a rtionship was strained, it could never return to its former state. No matter how much they tried to return to the past, a twisted rtionship shackled them with negativity and influenced those who sought to maintain it. Thus, Charyll did not dare to wish for anything more. Even when she heard that Merilda had spent the night with Kim Hyunwoo, a brief surge of jealousy had arisen but quickly subsided. After that, when she heard that Rin had also spent a night with him, something heavier stirred within her heart than it had with Merilda, but she still held back. No, it was amusing to say she had held back. Simply put, even as she watched the two heroes in front of her thriving contrary to her thoughts, she remained frozen by fear and did nothing. In fact, while she had made a decision watching the two heroes seed, she nned to act much more slowly than others. If she hadn¡¯t heard about the Proposal Ring. ¡°Hah¡­¡± Charyll sighed. In fact, the reason she, who had been hesitating until now, suddenly gathered her resolve to advance her rtionship with Kim Hyunwoo was that she had heard about the Ring. More specifically, it was the news that Kim Hyunwoo intended to use the Ring, which had little time left. Of course, Charyll had affection for him. Until now, she had hidden her feelings out of fear, but she was confident that her affection for him was unmatched in Lartania. After all, the reason she had ventured alone into the demon realm was to meet Kim Hyunwoo. Thus, she decided to confess her feelings to Kim Hyunwoo. Even if just thinking about it twisted her insides and led to gloomy thoughts, even if he didn¡¯t choose her, she wanted to at least be one of his many options. At least now, Charyll wanted to create a glimmer of hope for herself. ¡®So I¡¯ve made my decision¡­¡¯ Charyll wore aplicated expression. ¡®What should I do first?¡¯ It felt odd to say this, but the truth was, there was not a single person nearby who could help her. While she could talk to Merilda and Rin, they were not helpful when it came to Kim Hyunwoo. Asking the other heroes for help was not an option either, since she wasn¡¯t particrly close with them, so Charyll was trying to prepare using all the knowledge she had. ¡®This doesn¡¯t seem right¡­¡¯ Charyll made a strange face as she looked at what wasid out before her. In front of her were scented candles that would release a sweet aroma when lit, along with various decorative items. In the center, there was also a very elegant adult negligee that was quite eye-catching. But Charyll instinctively felt that this wascking in some significant way. Thus, after a while of contemtion, Charyll thought of something. ¡®Ah¡­¡¯ A sudden thought came to her mind. The thought of the vulgar cosy outfit that Rin had wornst time¡­ ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Charyll blushed deeply. No matter how much of a demon she was, she was still an elf. And not just any elf; she had been educated in a very proper sense of chastity. ¡­However, regardless of that, Charyll¡¯s body was already moving outside. Her desire to be an option for the Lord was that powerful. A week had passed since Adria and Elena spent their first night with Kim Hyunwoo. Nothing significant had urred during that time, and the issue that had worried Adria the most was gradually fading away as time passed. ¡®¡­I wonder how things regarding Rhien were resolved.¡¯ In fact, the only reason it could fade away was that Kim Hyunwoo hadn¡¯t had much interaction with Adriately, which meant he hadn¡¯t heard any recent news about Rhien. ¡®Should I consider no news to be good news¡­?¡¯ Knock knock¡ª As Kim Hyunwoo continued with that line of thought, a knock sounded. It was Elena who entered with a simple permission. ¡°My Lord, I have a report for you.¡± ¡°¡­Was there something to report today? And isn¡¯t it after work hours now?¡± As he spoke while watching the sun slowly set, ¡°Yes. I thought it would be better to handle things as theye.¡± Seeing Elena¡¯s bright smile, Kim Hyunwoo nodded awkwardly and began to listen to her report. ¡­Recently, the dynamics had changed slightly, as Elena and the other heroes had be more aggressive in their advances toward Kim Hyunwoo. For instance, Elena had increased her reports from once a day to as many as five times, consistently visiting him. Was that all? ¡°I¡¯ve finished the report¡­but you look really tired, My Lord.¡± ¡°Is that so? I haven¡¯t been sleeping welltely.¡± ¡°I see. You might not be able to sleep at all with me around.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Recently, she had begun making sexual innuendos. Of course, while her innuendos were not overly explicit, Elena¡¯s subtle winks and flushed face clearly indicated that she was making advances. Additionally, Rin had been frequentlying in to offer massages in the officetely. As for Merilda, she didn¡¯te by often, butst time she had suggested conducting an experiment to see if animals felt more secure beneath their owner¡¯s feet. ¡­And after that, Kim Hyunwoo had not been able to get up from his desk for about three hours. ¡®That was a close call.¡¯ At the time Merilda was at his desk, Elena and the necromancer of the Blue Forest, Aria, hade in to report and y with him, which made him break out in a cold sweat. Fortunately, he had managed to keep calm and act as if nothing was wrong, avoiding detection, but Merilda¡¯s strong advances had left him sweating even now. ¡°Ah, by the way, My Lord, have you heard about the strange rumors circtingtely?¡± Just as he was thinking that, he heard Elena¡¯s voice. ¡°Rumors? Are they about something inside Lartania?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not that. It¡¯s external rumors, but they seem a bit too significant to ignore.¡± ¡°Rumors we can¡¯t ignore?¡± When Kim Hyunwoo tilted his head in confusion, Elena continued. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve heard that the Great Northern Tribe has been destroyed.¡± ¡°¡­The Great Northern Tribe?¡± While it was true that he hadn¡¯t been aware of the Great Northern Tribe during his time in Arteil, he did know they possessed significant power. ¡°¡­Was it destroyed in a fight with another nation?¡± ¡°No, they say it was defeated by the ¡®ck ones¡¯.¡± ¡°¡­The ck ones?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve heard they¡¯re some kind of monster, and the problem is that these creatures have been moving south, destroying noble territories one by one.¡± ¡°That certainly sounds¡­like an anomaly.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve heard that already three territories have been destroyed, and this rumor has been circting widely among mercenaries.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Kim Hyunwoo nodded thoughtfully at Elena¡¯s words. Ding¡ª ¡°¡­Huh?¡± [The Mysterious Merchant has been detained.] He looked at the notification window that suddenly appeared before him. Just as Kim Hyunwoo was reading the notification window, In the office of the Mage Tower branch in Lartania, the current heroes, River and Shadra, who had first teamed up with Merilda on the night she spent with Kim Hyunwoo, were gathered. Normally, Elena should have been here too, but she had stoppeding since a week ago. She had already achieved her goal. However, both Shadra and River knew they couldn¡¯t exactly me her. After all, they had been the ones to start meeting secretly first. ¡­In the end, they had tried to proceed with ns excluding Elena, only to find themselves in a humorous situation where she had outmaneuvered them, but naturally, they did not give up. No, rather, they spent a considerable amount of time thoroughlypleting their ns. And then. ¡°¡­When shall we set the execution date?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s set it for three days from now.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± The execution date was set. Chapter 182: Rumors (2) [The Mysterious Merchant has been detained.] . . . [The Mysterious Merchant has been detained.] [The Mysterious Merchant has been detained.] [The Mysterious Merchant has been detained.] [The Mysterious Merchant has been detained.] [The Mysterious Merchant has been detained. Her secret letter will arrive in 10 days.] Kim Hyunwoo was momentarily startled by the notification window that filled his view, and then he looked closely at it and thought. ¡®¡­The Mysterious Merchant has been detained?¡¯ By whom? The thought shed through his mind, and instinctively, he envisioned Loria¡¯s face. ¡®No way¡­?¡¯ Doubt blossomed in his mind; although he had no way to confirm if Loria had actually done such a thing, he could think of no one else capable of such actions against merchants who had an air of transcendence. The way she had revealed her true self to him had seemed sufficiently transcendent. ¡®¡­A secret letter.¡¯ After seeing the description in thest of dozens of notification windows delivering such an important message, Kim Hyunwoo made a vague expression. He couldn¡¯t decide if he should feel relieved that the secret letter would arrive in ten days or unhappy that he wouldn¡¯t get to meet the Mysterious Merchant¡­ It was hard to decide. Thus, ¡°¡­My Lord?¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Kim Hyunwoo, who had been pondering with a serious expression until he heard Elena¡¯s voice, waved his hand as if to say it was fine and then spoke. ¡°Sorry, I just had something on my mind.¡± ¡°¡­You look more serious than usual for just thinking.¡± ¡°Did I look that bad?¡± ¡°Yes, it was brief, but still.¡± At Elena¡¯s affirmation, Kim Hyunwoo sighed and then seemed to ponder something. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte today, so please call for Merilda, Rin, Aria, and Charyll tomorrow.¡± After giving Elena that order, he continued to ponder for a while after she left. An abyss where nothing could be seen. ¡°Wow¡ªI tried really hard not to get caught, but here we are. What a shame.¡± In the pitch-ck void, a woman spoke with afortable smile. With her ck hair and dark eyes, she appeared quite ordinary no matter how you looked, aside from the fact that her beauty was somewhat different from that of the Blue or Red Merchants. The only notable feature was that her pupils were star-shaped, emitting a brilliant light, unlike the round pupils of others. And then. ¡°Surely, you didn¡¯t think you could pass through my territory without being detected?¡± In response to Loria blocking her path, the woman¡ªno, the ¡®Mysterious Merchant¡¯¡ªsmiled and replied, ¡°Honestly, I expected to be caught, but I didn¡¯t think it would happen so quickly. I thought I could evade for a while.¡± ¡°What does it feel like to have been caught so quickly without even attempting to evade?¡± ¡°Naturally, it doesn¡¯t feel good. Of all times, I didn¡¯t expect to be caught at thest moment when everything was going ording to n except for you.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s only natural since you entered my territory.¡± ¡°However, if I hadn¡¯t entered this area, you would have killed Kim Hyunwoo before I arrived. That¡¯s not something I desire.¡± Despite being wrapped in ck tendrils, the Mysterious Merchant expressed mild disappointment with a rxed demeanor, which made Loria smile. ¡°Too bad. The future where your ns will bepletely shattered is all that remains.¡± Loria spoke with a clear sense of victory in her smile. But. ¡°Hm, is that so?¡± ¡°Do you really think that won¡¯t happen?¡± ¡°Well¡­honestly, I think there¡¯s about a 20% chance of hope.¡± ¡°Why is that?¡± In response to the Mysterious Merchant¡¯s words, Loria asked in curiosity. ¡°Well, it¡¯s because of you.¡± She smirked. ¡°After all, no matter how hard you try, it¡¯ll still be iplete.¡± With those words from the Mysterious Merchant, Loria¡¯s previously smiling lips straightened out into a t line. ¡°Surely you didn¡¯t think that just putting on a fa?ade would make everything perfect? But then again, you are going to all this trouble just to create something you want.¡± The Mysterious Merchant began to speak incessantly, as if that were a turning point. However¡ª ¡°The effort you¡¯re putting in because of a mismatched fa?ade-¡± Thud¡ª! The ck tendrils enveloping the Mysterious Merchant¡¯s body quickly covered her entirely,pletely sealing her mouth. As Loria watched the Mysterious Merchant disappear as if seeping into the dark abyss, ¡°¡­Ugh-!¡± She frowned deeply, as if having received an unbearable insult. Her expression was reminiscent of someone provoked to anger. But after a while, as she regained herposure, Loria began to pace through the dark abyss once again. However, the smile that had always graced her lips had long since vanished. ¡°¡­I can be perfect. I will.¡± She muttered as if hypnotizing herself, walking down the dark path. And because of those words that irritated her by the Mysterious Merchant, she did not notice. That a letter imbued with a gentle light was disappearing into the darkness. The next day. Kim Hyunwoo spoke to the four heroes gathered in his office early in the morning. ¡°Thank you all for gathering. The reason I called you here today is¡­wait a minute. Why does everyone look so tense?¡± He paused mid-sentence, showing a somewhat flustered expression. This was because the heroes looking at him were wearing expressions that clearly said they were very tense. Merilda, with her tail swaying gently, wrapped it around her waist as if her spirit was wavering, repeatedly tilting her ears forward and back. Rin was putting her hand in and out of the darkness she usually carried around. Moreover, Aria was staring at Kim Hyunwoo with wide eyes, while Charyll made a sound resembling ¡°Gahhh¡±, one that, upon closer inspection, was quite audible. ¡°I¡¯m not, I¡¯m not tense, Master.¡± Feeling flustered, Merilda was the first to speak. ¡°I¡¯m not flustered at all, so feel free to speak!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not flustered at all either.¡± ¡°Me too.¡± He thought fleetingly that he had asked if they were tense, not if they were flustered¡­but given the situation, he felt it unlikely that they would answer even if he asked, so he simply posed another question. ¡°¡­The reason I gathered you here today is to ask about Loria.¡± ¡°Loria¡­?¡± ¡°Are you talking about someone named Loria?¡± ¡°¡­Who is that?¡± ¡°Whew, thank goodness¡ª¡± The four responded hurriedly, exhaling low sighs as if relieved by Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s words. In particr, Charyll looked genuinely relieved, cing a hand on her heart as he wondered what was so fortunate, but Kim Hyunwoo soon continued with his questioning. ¡°Does anyone remember or know anything about someone named Loria?¡± ¡°Master, is this someone we know?¡± ¡°¡­No, not really.¡± After that response, Kim Hyunwoo briefly pondered and then exined about Loria. He spoke about how she had been with him from the beginning, even revealing that she had shown unnecessary notification windows to deliberately dy the heroes¡¯ joining. Of course, he could not exin the notifications in detail, so he reced them with spoken descriptions. And then. ¡°¡­That bastard?¡± The first to react was Rin, muttering with a chilling expression. ¡°Is that why I couldn¡¯t return to Master because of that bastard¡­?¡± ¡°¡­Well, there were reasons due to the restrictions, but that bastard¡¯s influence yed a significant part.¡± ¡°Master.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°Where is that bastard now?¡± ¡°I called you to ask because I have no idea where she is and wondered if any of you might remember.¡± In response to Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s words, the four heroes stood there for a while as if digging through their memories, but soon all of them shook their heads in negation. ¡°¡­Sorry, Master, but it seems I don¡¯t have that name in my head.¡± ¡°Me neither, My Lord. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever met anyone like that.¡± ¡°I have no memory of her at all.¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m the same.¡± ¡°Really? Well¡­don¡¯t feel too bad; I expected that. She¡¯s quite a suspicious fellow.¡± After answering like that, Kim Hyunwoo suddenly spoke. ¡°By the way, what¡¯s with all the tension earlier?¡± ¡°Ah-¡± ¡°Well¡­um-¡± ¡°¡­Ahem¡­¡± The heroes began to exchange nces and hesitate at Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s words. But¡ª ¡°I came here thinking I was getting the Proposal Ring!¡± ¡°Ah.¡± At Aria¡¯s bold statement, the heroes let out a quiet gasp of surprise. ¡°¡­Oh, speaking of which, there was that Ring.¡± Kim Hyunwoo also let out a quiet sigh. Chapter 183: Rumors (3) With Aria¡¯s words, the office was instantly filled with silence. However, the heroes¡¯ gazes all turned to Kim Hyunwoo, and facing them directly, he thought, ¡®This is awkward.¡¯ He was thinking just that. He indeed had the Proposal Ring, and he was fully aware that its usage period was running out. However, despite this, Kim Hyunwoo felt awkward because he had no intention of using the Proposal Ring on the heroes before him, at least not now. No, to be precise, it would be more urate to say that hecked the confidence to do so. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Kim Hyunwoo had tried to hold back from getting too close to the heroes so far. ¡­Ultimately, he had failed and formed a somewhat deep rtionship with the heroes, but still, that principle had not changed. If someone were to say, ¡®What nonsense, you¡¯ve already messed everything up¡¯, Kim Hyunwoo would have a hard time answering, yet he remained skeptical about giving the Proposal Ring to a hero due to the changes it would bring to their rtionship. Of course, he would deepen his rtionship with the hero who received the ring, and he didn¡¯t deny that. But what about those who did not receive the Proposal Ring? ¡®¡­That¡¯s risky.¡¯ As soon as he had that thought, he could clearly envision how the heroes in front of him would react. For him, it was a mix of gratitude andplexity, yet all the heroes standing there were showing him unconditional affection. However, it was precisely because of this that Kim Hyunwoo could not use the Proposal Ring. ¡­Of course, it wasn¡¯t because he was afraid of no longer being loved by the heroes that he hesitated. While he might say that, Kim Hyunwoo didn¡¯t consider himself to have such a garbage mindset. Rather, he believed that if there were no feelings involved, it would be better to resolve the rtionship quickly in any way possible. Despite holding such thoughts, the reason Kim Hyunwoo had not yet provided any answers among the heroes was that this rtionship was not purely based on such aspects. Currently, Kim Hyunwoo still had things he needed to do. Furthermore, he had yet to grasp what kind of conspiracy Loria was plotting, and to resolve those issues, he would need the strength of the heroes. If he gave the Proposal Ring, the individual who received it would gain additional stat boosts and be even stronger, but the other heroes would likely have their stats decreased. The moment he gave the Proposal Ring, their affection levels would drop by several stages. For that reason. ¡°¡­Hmmm.¡± Kim Hyunwoo seemed to ponder deeply about what to do with this situation before speaking. ¡°The Ring¡­ I¡¯m still thinking about it a bit.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± Seeing the heroes¡¯ eyes widen at his words, Kim Hyunwoo let out a bitter smile. It seemed necessary to think carefully about this matter as well. Inside the Abyss. The Mysterious Merchant, engulfed in darkness by Loria¡¯s power, was surrounded by pitch-ck shadows just like before. However, there was one difference from before. [So, what will you do now?] [Haah¡ªI¡¯ve told you, you can¡¯t move in the Abyss. Seriously.] Right in front of the bound Mysterious Merchant, a red butterfly and a blue butterfly fluttered around. ¡°I never thought I would be helpless like this~ Honestly, who knew that guy would be so strong?¡± [That¡¯s what I¡¯ve been saying, right? That guy is so obsessed that he¡¯s been picking up scraps everywhere, so he¡¯s ridiculously strong here!] [If you were anyone less than a Mysterious Merchant, you¡¯d be gone by now.] The Mysterious Merchant responded with a wry smile to the Blue and Red Merchants watching her. [So, what will you do now? You¡¯re bound and can¡¯t move.] As the Red Merchant asked, the Mysterious Merchant replied. ¡°Hmm, well¡ªI sent a letter, and I hope it reaches its destination. I wonder if it will.¡± [How long will it take?] ¡°About ten days?¡± [Ten days¡­?] [¡­Isn¡¯t that a bit tight?] ¡°¡­Is ten days tight? I don¡¯t think so.¡± The Mysterious Merchant spoke in response to the words of the Blue and Red Merchants. However¡ª [¡­Loria has already summoned the discarded creatures of the other realm into the Middle Realm.] ¡°What?¡± Upon hearing the Red Merchant¡¯s words, the Mysterious Merchant showed a look of surprise for the first time. ¡°¡­When?¡± [It seems to have been a while. They¡¯ve already consumed the North and are heading toward Lartania. Plus, they¡¯re recreating their allies that were disposed of, so things aren¡¯t looking good.] ¡°How long will it take for them to arrive in Lartania?¡± The Red Merchant pondered at the Mysterious Merchant¡¯s question before responding. [¡­Two weeks¡­possibly ten days at the earliest.] ¡°This is a really bad situation.¡± The Mysterious Merchant¡¯s expression became serious at the Red Merchant¡¯s words, but after a moment, ¡°Well, there¡¯s nothing that can be done about it.¡± [Can you really say that so casually? This world might be destroyed if you¡¯re not careful!] The Blue Merchant spoke as if she couldn¡¯tprehend the situation. However. ¡°You¡¯re misunderstanding something. I¡¯m not that rxed either! I¡¯m thinking about what to do right now!¡± [You don¡¯t seem to be taking this seriously at all!] ¡°Worrying excessively when we can¡¯t do anything is pointless.¡± The Mysterious Merchant spoke and fell silent, as if deep in thought, before taking a deep breath. ¡°Well, wouldn¡¯t it be okay to just leave it as is?¡± [¡­Huh? What do you mean by that?] ¡°I¡¯m saying that literally. I think it might be fine to leave it like this because, in the end, what I need to tell Kim Hyunwoo is just informational and not about transferring power.¡± [That¡¯s true, but won¡¯t they need the information to act?] ¡°That¡¯s true, but ultimately I can¡¯t deliver it.¡± [¡­¡­] The Red Merchant was about to say that this was just passing the responsibility on to Kim Hyunwoo, but- ¡°Well, to be honest, I think the creatures of the other realm might actually help.¡± [Huh?¡­All of a sudden?] ¡°Yeah. Well- we¡¯ve run out of options.¡± The Blue Merchant could only remain silent at the Mysterious Merchant¡¯s words. ¡°Let¡¯s just keep an eye on things.¡± That night. ¡°Haah-¡± Kim Hyunwoo sighed deeply as he returned to his room. Although he didn¡¯t have much work today, the reason he was tired was due to what had happened that morning. ¡®¡­The ring, the Ring¡­the Ring.¡¯ Although he was already aware of the issue, the thought began to gnaw at himte into the night after Aria brought it up, prompting him to make a decision. ¡­In fact, he already had what he considered the best answer in his mind. If it seeded, it would be a very good way to ensure that the heroes¡¯ affection would not decrease and that no one would be unhappy. However, the problem was that this approach could only work as a personal thought of Kim Hyunwoo, which is why he had been pondering it all day. ¡®¡­Is it really not viable? No¡ªmaybe it¡¯s better to at least bring it up once¡­ But if that makes their affection drop instead¡­ I can¡¯t predict how the rtionships will shift among the heroes.¡¯ Lost in thought, Kim Hyunwoo arrived at his room, opened the door without hesitation, and stepped inside. ¡°¡­Huh?¡± He soon saw. ¡°Oh, hello¡­¡± ¡°Uh¡­Charyll?¡± Charyll was inside Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s room. ¡­In fact, the situation of having heroes inside his room wasn¡¯t surprising at all, as he had experienced it many times before. However, what surprised Kim Hyunwoo was the outfit Charyll was wearing. ¡­To be frank, the outfit Charyll was wearing wasn¡¯t the kind that would make Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s mind go nk like what Rin or Elena wore. Nheless, the reason his gaze could only go that way was that Charyll¡¯s outfit was very peculiar. ¡°¡­What is that outfit?¡± Charyll was wearing a negligee. Moreover, it was so sheer that it would probably reveal her skinpletely if she stood in front of the terrace. If that were all, Kim Hyunwoo wouldn¡¯t have asked about the outfit, but he couldn¡¯t help but inquire because Charyll was also wearing armor on her arms and legs. ¡­It resembled the typical female armor from Korean online games, with half armor on her arms and legs while the rest of her body waspletely exposed. Kim Hyunwoo, having seen such appearances in online games before, realized how strikingly contradictory and alluring such a depiction was in real life. ¡°¡­I heard that guys like this kind of thing¡­¡± Hearing Charyll¡¯s words, he realized that she hade to his room under the same assumptions as the other heroes. Chapter 184: Rumors (4) Northeast of the Continent. Instead of the frigid cold, the area was filled with a somewhat cool chill flowing through the ins, home to Kalpa, one of the Eastern Alliance ns. ¡­No, it was more urate to say that it was now merely one of the former territories. Just a day ago, Kalpa had warm campfires lit in every home, but now, it no longer existed. Instead of the warm campfires, countless ck pirs rose from the ruins that had once been Kalpa. From these ck pirs, beings from another realm emerged without exception. ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö-!!! The appearances of the otherworldly beings were simply endless ck. Some had elongated arms, others had long legs, while some had abnormallyrge bodies or heads. Yet, themonality among these various forms was that they were all pitch ck. If they had faces, one wouldn¡¯t be able to tell where their eyes, nose, and mouth were located. They felt alien, as if they were entities that had never existed in this world, feeding on the corpses of the dead to manifest themselves on the continent. The ck Knight, Lancelot, gazed at the scene before him, then turned his attention forward. There, he saw the body of the Ice Giant, split in half and preserved in a state of death, soaked in ckness. And behind the Ice Gianty a mountain of corpses. Piled high, it rose to the point where it even blocked the moonlight. [¡­This is exhausting.] Lancelot muttered as he gazed at the massive mound of corpses. Considering he had plundered five different domains to gather this many corpses, it was enough to make him feel exhausted. That mound of corpses was indeed that tall. But from Lancelot¡¯s perspective, that choice was unavoidable. For the ritual, such a number of corpses was absolutely necessary. Thud-! Lancelot drew his sword and threw it just like before. However, this time, the sword plunged into the body of the Ice Giant rather than the cold ground. Thud¡ª The sword sank naturally into the heart as if water were seeping in, quickly burying itself more than halfway. Gulp-! As the de lodged beneath the sword sank deeper, a viscous, tar-like ck substance flowed from the Ice Giant¡¯s eyes, nose, and mouth, moving toward the pile of corpses behind it. And then. Crunch-! The devouring began. The ck substance that emerged from the Ice Giant began to devour the stacked corpses with a chilling sound. The ck substance bore no visible teeth. Yet, the eerie sounds continued to echo. Gradually, as time passed, the mound of corpses began to diminish. As the face of the ck Knight was exposed to the moonlight, and his body finally emerged from the shadows of the corpses- Crunch-! The ck substance devouring the corpses beneath the ground quickly expanded, swallowing the bodies it had pulled into its mouth and starting to chew. Crunch-! Squelch! Munch! With gluttonous sounds, the writhing ck mass quickly burrowed into the ground and began to seep into the Ice Giant¡¯s body. Swoosh-! The Ice Giant¡¯s body burst apart. Like a bomb, it exploded, sttering ck blood onto Lancelot¡¯s body. Yet, he focused on the events unfolding before him, seemingly unfazed. Soon, where the Ice Giant had stood moments before, something began to wriggle and take form, revealing itself. ¡°¡­¡­¡± It was a woman with gray skin, resembling that of a corpse. The armor she wore was excessively peculiar. The lower body was intact. The upper body was the same. However, it was notplete. There was no shoulder armor, and simrly, the lower armor that covered her thighs was absent. It looked as if it were a game character missing a few pieces of equipment. There were many other oddities as well. The sword she held in her hand appeared iplete to anyone who looked at it. Though it looked like a two-handed sword, the ornate designs along the de had suddenly ceased, and the sword itself was missing about half its length. It was not broken. It was clearly a two-handed sword, yet half of the de she held was simply absent. As if it had been designed that way from the start. Lastly, a small circr hole on her right shoulder trembled slightly. [¡­¡­] She opened her deep grayish-white eyes. [You have arrived, My King, Arthur.] Lancelot smiled as he spoke. And then. [Lancelot.] [Yes, My King.] [What is it that I must do?] [Your task is to erase the Outsider and restore the great Knights of the Round Table to this Continent.] [¡­The Knights of the Round Table.] [That is correct. You must restore the Knights of the Round Table who follow you.] The being from another realm began to move toward Lartania. ¡°¡­I think you might know the reason I¡¯m here.¡± At Charyll¡¯s words, Kim Hyunwoo nodded but then hesitated. He momentarily wondered if it was appropriate to nod here. Regardless, she stepped forward toward Kim Hyunwoo. Approaching with a ttering sound, Charyll revealed her face illuminated by the moonlight to Kim Hyunwoo. ¡°How do I look, um¡­?¡± Seeing her blushing as she spoke, Kim Hyunwoo replied. ¡°You look beautiful.¡± Charyll was beautiful enough that Kim Hyunwoo feltpelled to say it sincerely. Even Kim Hyunwoo, who had never felt his heart race in such a calm situation, could feel it thumping a little now. Feeling this, Kim Hyunwoo chuckled inwardly at his ownck of self-restraint, but it was only for a moment. ¡°I was really worried. What if it didn¡¯t suit me? But at least I thought this was the best option.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Silence. But Charyll continued to speak. ¡°I think you might have guessed this, but I love you, My Lord.¡± Kim Hyunwoo was clearly aware of this fact. Although he knew that the affection disyed in the stats didn¡¯t necessarily express love, he could tell how the heroes felt about him just by observing their actions. No matter how inexperienced Kim Hyunwoo was¡ªno, even if he was newly experienced¡ªhe had enough insight to recognize that. ¡°I know.¡± ¡°I figured you would.¡± Charyll chuckled softly at Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s words and cautiously looked into his eyes. She gently nestled into his chest. She leaned her body against Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s chest. ¡°Honestly, I had a lot of thoughts on my way here. It was scary to express my feelings this way.¡± Even without Charyll saying it, Kim Hyunwoo understood how much effort she had put into this. Even now, as she leaned against him, Charyll was trembling slightly. ¡°But I couldn¡¯t bear to keep my feelings to myself. So I came here, even at the risk of being rejected.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Kim Hyunwoo said nothing, but Charyll continued to share her thoughts. ¡°I knew you were worried about something. While I don¡¯t know the specifics, I could tell you were contemting our rtionship.¡± Charyll lifted her gaze and gently pressed her lips against Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s. It wasn¡¯t an adult kiss where tongues intertwined like with the other heroes. It was merely a light peck, something even a child could do. However, that alone brought small tears to Charyll¡¯s eyes. Kim Hyunwoo couldn¡¯t tell whether the tears were from joy or a resolve of some sort. ¡°But I hope you can set aside your worries for this moment.¡± ¡°I¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m not asking for anything from you, My Lord. I just want to be a ¡®possibility¡¯.¡± ¡°¡­Possibility?¡± ¡°Spending this night with you won¡¯t change who I am. But if I do, at least I¡¯ll exist as a ¡®possibility¡¯¡­the possibility of receiving your ring.¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s already true.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not true now. Even if it were¡ª¡± Charyll looked up at Kim Hyunwoo. ¡°¡ªTo be honest, it¡¯s a bit unfair right now. And to be frank, the possibility might just be an excuse.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°Now that I¡¯m here, I realize the possibility is just an excuse; I just want to receive your love, My Lord. I don¡¯t want to fall behind the other heroes.¡± She smiled softly. And then. ¡°I guess people don¡¯t change. But I¡¯ll do my best, so¡­at least this time, will you indulge my childishness a bit?¡± Once again, Charyll pressed her lips against his. ¡°¡­?¡± The second kiss was deeper than any kiss from the other heroes. Chapter 185: Divergence (1) ¡°¡­¡­¡± Kim Hyunwoo opened his eyes at dawn. Turning his gaze, he saw Charyll sleeping beside him, breathing softly. He stared at her for a moment, then suddenly realized that he was enjoying a luxury he didn¡¯t deserve. If he had remained in the modern world, he wouldn¡¯t even have been able to talk to such attractive women, let alone share feelings. ¡°Well, that doesn¡¯t meaning to Arteil was good.¡± As he pondered briefly, he gazed at the sleeping Charyll and recalled what she had said the previous day. ¡°The possibility¡­¡± Possibility. Kim Hyunwoo understood the emotions Charyll had, as well as her intentions for spending the night with him, and the same went for the other heroes. In fact, there were more heroes who had spent the night with him than those who hadn¡¯t. Excluding the Five Swords of Cn and the Four Heavenly Kings brought by the Red-eyed ones, there were a total of nine heroes in Arteil with whom Kim Hyunwoo had established a rtionship, and he had already spent the night with five of them. He had also been with Adria, who was not yet in the territory. He briefly chuckled at the realization that the promises he had made while epting the heroes of Lartania had long since flown away. ¡°¡­Are you awake?¡± ¡°Ah, yes.¡± Charyll spoke in a slightly hoarse voice, and despite that, her tone was still sweet. It was as if honey had been smeared on her voice¡ªa more urate description, one could say. Softly¡ª Charyll looked at Kim Hyunwoo with a nk expression for a moment, then approached him with a light smile and leaned her head against his chest. ¡°It¡¯s been my dream to be like this with you since 10 years ago¡­ It¡¯s wonderful.¡± ¡°¡­Is that so?¡± ¡°Yes. Truly.¡± Amidst their conversation, Charyll nestled closer, rubbing her head against him, and after a brief smile, she looked up at Kim Hyunwoo and asked. ¡°But it seems you have some worries.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not quite a worry.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re worried about me, don¡¯t be. As I mentioned, I just wanted to gain the same possibility as the other heroes.¡± Charyll fiddled with Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s hand. ¡°I can assure you that even if you choose another hero, I won¡¯t leave your side.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Really. No matter which hero you choose, what I cherish most won¡¯t change. It hasn¡¯t changed in the past, it doesn¡¯t change now¡­and.¡± She pecked him lightly. ¡°And it won¡¯t change in the future; it will remain forever.¡± After giving Kim Hyunwoo a brief kiss, Charyll smiled serenely. As the rising sun began to shine over the terrace, it illuminated Charyll. Once again, she looked more beautiful than he could have imagined. Kim Hyunwoo was thinking about what to do with the Proposal Ring. Specifically, he had just decided on a rough outline for how to organize his rtionships with the heroes after his encounter with Charyll. Unfortunately, the problem that arose while he was trying to rify his thoughts stopped him in his tracks. ¡°¡­The ck beings¡­?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± At Elena¡¯s report, Kim Hyunwoo sighed and, as if organizing his thoughts, spoke up. ¡°So, the ck beings are advancing towards Lartania?¡± ¡°Yes, the ones I mentionedst time are destroying all the territories in the Eastern region as they move down.¡± ¡°How long will it take for them to reach here?¡± ¡°¡­Based on rumors, it¡¯s estimated to be about¡­8 days. But this isn¡¯t certain either.¡± ¡°Why?¡± At Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s question, Elena paused before responding. ¡°ording to the rumors, the speed at which the ck beings move changes drastically from day to day.¡± As Elena spoke, she ced a map on Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s desk. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a map I brought to exin things.¡± Elena continued, pointing to the Northern region on the map. ¡°No one has urately measured the time it takes to travel from here to the Northeastern region, nor has any rumor spread that far, but it¡¯s different from here.¡± ¡°The distance from the territory called Colliam to Paldan is estimated to take about 3 days at best. If we consider the movement of an army, it would take about 5 days. However, the ck beings attacked Colliam and reached Paldan in just one day.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re saying they¡¯re inexplicably fast?¡± ¡°No. Instead, they attacked several territories after Colliam, then dealt with Matteo territory and headed towards Balkan. Normally, it should take about 2 days to reach Balkan territory, but this time it took more than 10 days.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re saying their marching speed is all over the ce?¡± ¡°Yes. So based on rough estimates, I don¡¯t think we can be sure when they¡¯ll reach here.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± As Kim Hyunwoo pondered, Elena continued. ¡°And there¡¯s one more thing I¡¯d like to mention.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°¡­There¡¯s a wizard who ims to have seen the ck beings and wants to sell information for money. What should we do?¡± ¡°How much are they asking?¡± ¡°About 50 Gold Coins.¡± ¡°¡­Fifty Gold Coins.¡± While it wasn¡¯t arge sum for Lartania, which spent and earned thousands of Gold Coins a day, it was still a significant amount for an individual. ¡°¡­First, bring that person to me.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± A momentter, Elena returned with a wizard who appeared to be a mercenary. He wore a tattered robe that suggested he had been a mercenary for a long time, but despite the worn clothing, his eyes gleamed sharply. ¡°Greetings, Lord of Lartania. I am the wizard Gert.¡± ¡°¡­Nice to meet you, Gert.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get straight to the point. I offered 50 Gold Coins for information, so you should provide me with something of equal value.¡± As he spoke, he pulled an old crystal ball from his cloak. ¡°What is this¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a wizard who earns a living by selling information, so this is a vision to lend credibility to my words.¡± As Gert spoke, he began channeling magic into the crystal ball. Soon, the crystal ball disyed a dark night scene, showing countless ck beings moving about. Some were slithering. Some walked on two legs. Others moved on four legs, all heading somewhere. The crystal ball soon flickered and cut off. ¡°This is an event captured by my familiar. This should prove that I¡¯m not spinning tales, what do you think?¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s quite trustworthy.¡± At Kim Hyunwoo¡¯s nod, Gert smiled in satisfaction and began to provide information about the ck beings one by one. He started with the story of the ck knight, who seemed to be the leader of the ck beings, and continued with how they multiplied. ¡°¡­After ughtering everyone in a territory, they throw a sword, and a ck pir rises. After that, ck beings are born, feeding on the corpses¡­ Am I correct?¡± ¡°Exactly right. I¡¯ve never seen anything like it before, but the ck beings are indeed born in that manner.¡± ¡°¡­Did you observe their speed of movement?¡± ¡°I was just about to mention that. When I observed them, they sometimes moved along the ground, and at other times, they traveled through some kind of ck portal.¡± ¡°¡­A ck portal?¡± ¡°Yes. However, I¡¯m not sure when exactly they use it, as the rules are too ambiguous, but they can instantly reach other territories through the ck portal.¡± The more Kim Hyunwoo heard Gert¡¯s words, the more he found himself wrapped in strange doubts. He had some confidence in the concept of the ¡°other world¡± as described by the merchants, but at least the one he was hearing about felt quite different from what he imagined. ¡®¡­The other world I was thinking of was the disasters I witnessed in Arteil.¡¯ The details Gert was providing about the beings of the other world werepletely unrted to what Kim Hyunwoo understood about it. The onlymonality might be that they emerge unexpectedly through a portal. Thus, pondering this, Kim Hyunwoo soon asked. ¡°So, you mentioned that the ck knight and a woman following him seem to be the leaders. Do you have any information about that woman?¡± In response to a question that recalled Gert¡¯s earlier words, he answered with an ambiguous expression. ¡°¡­I only know their names. The man¡¯s name is Lancelot, and the woman¡¯s name is Arthur¡­ At least that¡¯s what I heard.¡± ¡°¡­What did you say?¡± Upon hearing those words, Kim Hyunwoo couldn¡¯t help but exim. And it was understandable. ¡°¡­Are you sure it¡¯s Arthur?¡± ¡°From the short exchanges I overheard, they called each other by those names.¡± In Arteil, ¡®Arthur¡¯ was. ¡®¡­The Continental Raid Boss, Arthur of ck and White¡­¡¯ She was known as the worst raid boss in Arteil.