Chapter 104
Chapter 104
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 104
Chapter Title: Wolf's Egg (2)
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Hyun-soo activated the Monarch's Command and marveled at its effect.
‘For now, all I can do is lift and stop nearby objects.’
But he believed that as time passed and he grew accustomed to it, he would be able to utilize it over a much wider range.
At the sound of the door opening, Hyun-soo turned his head and gave a small smile when he saw Nel.
For some reason, however, Nel stared at him for a long moment before giving a relieved smile.
“It seems the recreation of your coat went splendidly. You feel much stronger than before.”
That was to be expected.
When Hyun-soo killed Jack with the Tiger Blade, he was in the 180s, and now he was in the 220s.
“Congratulations on becoming a noble.”
“It’s all thanks to the guild members.”
Nel got to the point.
“A Baronet is a noble, but it’s only on par with a knight. Even so, the advantages of being a noble are clear.”
Hyun-soo listened intently.
“Because you’re a noble, you can obtain things that normal users can’t. First, you can secure a territory and become a Lord. Second, even without a territory, you can command personal soldiers.”
Hearing this, Hyun-soo’s heart began to race.
‘Become a Lord?’
Hyun-soo had met several Lords.
He recalled Bance, the lord of the smallest beginner zone.
Even though it was just a beginner zone, he had thousands of subjects under his command.
The thought of ruling over such subjects.
Of course, that wasn’t possible for him right now.
“The best part about becoming a Lord is that you can collect taxes every month.”
Hyun-soo was once again struck by how amazing it was to be a noble, even if he was just a Baronet.
Then, remembering the reality of being a knight-class Baronet, he asked.
“Have there been any cases of a Baronet becoming a Lord?”
“…There have been. Maybe one in a hundred?”
Right, Hyun-soo had been getting way ahead of himself.
“Usually, you receive it after performing a deed worthy of recognition from the kingdom and its people. It would be easier to just raise your title.”
A question popped into Hyun-soo’s mind.
“How do we compare to Hwarang, the number one guild in our country?”
Nel’s expression turned bitter.
“Like a lion and a newborn puppy.”
It was a harsh thing to say, but she had to be clear.
“Our Gwangmyeong is composed of a small, elite group. The best in their respective fields. The problem is that the number one guild, Hwarang, has too many high-rankers. About 25% of our country’s high-rankers belong to that one guild.”
It was enough to make one groan.
“Furthermore, their guild master holds the title of Count, one of only two in the country, and already possesses two territories. They have over 500 guild members and command a force of over 1,000 soldiers.”
Hyeon's Smithy was growing in secret precisely so they could withstand and ultimately win any future conflicts.
Hyun-soo realized his power was still insufficient to protect what he had.
‘We’d probably lose even to a guild in the top 20.’
But Nel smiled faintly.
“Still, there’s one thing I can guarantee. Globally, there are over a thousand Viscounts, Counts, and Marquises combined. But Gwangmyeong is likely the first to rise so quickly and possess such strong forces.”
The first.
Come to think of it, Hyun-soo had started three years later than those who began right when Ares opened.
“You’re an incredible person, Guild Master.”
Hyun-soo gave a small smile at Nel’s words.
“Then we’ll just have to close that gap from now on.”
In the end, it was just a matter of time.
‘One day, I’ll grow strong enough to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the Hwarang guild.’
Soon, Nel revealed the reason she had come to see Hyun-soo.
“You probably received a kingdom quest when you became a Baronet. The one called ‘Subjugation Captain.’”
Hyun-soo checked the quest he had received upon becoming a Baronet.
[Kingdom Quest: Subjugation Captain]
Grade: A
Requirement: Baronet
Reward: 3 soldiers.
Penalty for Failure: Title revoked.
Description: Go to Arahan Territory, located on the farthest border of the Goyard Kingdom. Meet its commander, Philip.
It was an impressive quest, even to Hyun-soo.
‘A quest that gives me three soldiers.’
This was the same Hyun-soo who had won Bella’s heart just a few days ago.
‘Of course, users are important too.’
But he also needed soldiers, knights, or other capable NPCs.
“It might only be three soldiers, but I’ve heard their class is determined by your performance.”
Not all soldiers were created equal.
“One of them might even have the potential to become a knight.”
Those three would surely become stalwart defenders of the smithy.
“Plus, it gives a decent amount of experience, and performing a great service opens up the possibility of becoming a higher-ranking noble.”
Nel gave an awkward laugh.
Hyun-soo nodded, and something suddenly occurred to him.
He took an egg out of his inventory.
It was the wolf’s egg he’d gotten from hunting the Ash Wolf.
The reason he took it out was this:
[The ??? is pleased.]
[It may hatch before the season is over.]
This notification had appeared the moment Hyun-soo became a Baronet.
The egg was pleased? What was it pleased about?
“Do you happen to know anything about an egg like this?”
“It’s a pet egg. One moment.”
Nel inspected it.
(Wolf’s Egg)
Grade: ???
Type: ???
Description: A wolf’s egg once held by the Ash Wolf, the third child of Fenrir. It is unknown what kind of wolf will emerge, or when it will hatch.
Nel was surprised.
“An egg that belonged to the third child of Fenrir?”
“Yes.”
Fenrir was one of the eight great monsters, said to be as strong as, or even stronger than, the continent’s ten legends.
“You might get an Epic-grade pet. If it’s good enough, you could even designate it as a guardian.”
A guardian was an animal or monster that symbolized a guild, a kingdom, or, on a grander scale, a faith.
As for the egg reacting to him, even Nel looked puzzled.
Nel said she would look into it and left, while Hyun-soo departed immediately for Arahan Territory.
***
[The Wolf’s Egg begins preparing to hatch in user Kang Hyun-soo’s care.]
Pureum Co., CEO’s Office.
CEO Lee Se-jin wore an intrigued expression as he read the notification that had appeared only to him.
Just like before the God of Blacksmiths appeared. This was information known only to CEO Lee Se-jin and a very select few.
The egg held by the Ash Wolf.
At first glance, one might predict that an Ash Wolf pup would be born.
But that wasn’t the case at all.
‘A common wolf, far inferior to the Ash Wolf, could be born.’
A common wolf was level 15.
‘Or a wolf so strong that the Ash Wolf couldn’t compare might be born.’
Yes, the design philosophy behind that egg was special.
‘The moment it begins preparing to hatch, the egg starts to feed on the achievements of its keeper.’
The egg hatches on its own after a certain amount of time.
However, this also varied depending on the conditions.
If its keeper had no title, or no followers, a common wolf would be born.
But what kind of beings were Fenrir and his children?
They were kings of their own territories, at the very least, and Fenrir was the king of all wolves.
‘How could a king serve an ordinary user?’
That was why, if a certain amount of time passed and the keeper still had no title or followers, an insignificant wolf would emerge.
But the moment Hyun-soo obtained a title, that changed.
The being inside the egg now had reason to hold some expectations.
And now that it was preparing to hatch, it would literally feed on the achievements Hyun-soo accumulated as a commander, a noble, or a knight.
[Current Nourishment: 0%.]
The type of wolf would be determined by the nourishment level. Simply having a title didn’t guarantee a good wolf.
At 30% nourishment, a semi-boss-grade wolf.
At 50% nourishment, a boss-grade wolf.
At 80% nourishment, a legendary wolf would be born.
Lee Se-jin stood up.
On the wall of his office was a map of the Ares servers, both domestic and global.
In the entire world, a total of thirteen legendary monsters had been designated as guardians.
Figurines of legendary monsters were placed over various countries.
‘Just how far will the wolf’s egg go…?’
Lee Se-jin felt his heart pound as he looked at the figurines of the legendary monsters.
Two figurines were the most splendid and magnificent of all.
They were figurines of the Four Divine Beasts.
One figurine was placed right on the Church of Ares.
The Divine Beast, Phoenix.
Another figurine was placed on the Church of Calamity.
The Divine Beast, Hydra.
That was it. Just those two.
‘It’s a foolish thought.’
Lee Se-jin gave a bitter smile.
The creature that emerged from that egg would indeed change depending on the nourishment level.
The nourishment he would have to accumulate over time.
In truth, even at 100%, a Divine Beast might not appear.
The odds were so astronomical that Lee Se-jin decided to push the thought aside.
Still, he couldn't help but imagine.
‘A Divine Wolf Beast.’
The thought of its roar was truly magnificent.
***
Arahan Territory was located in the northern region of the Goyard Kingdom, a land teeming with monsters.
A place where endless subjugations took place every day.
And this Arahan Territory had something special.
It was a mission where newly-minted knights would lead soldiers on subjugations.
There were other tasks for knights as well, and the place also served as a training ground for soldiers.
The commander-in-chief here, Philip, glanced at Marquis Lükburg, who was chattering noisily beside him.
“That whelp Hyun-soo will be here soon. I’ll say it again, the man is cunning and far less impressive than he seems.”
This Arahan Territory was also the place where Marquis Lükburg and his nobles had been demoted to.
“Be careful, or you might lose all your soldiers.”
“Understood.”
Philip nodded.
He agreed with Marquis Lükburg to some extent.
Commander Philip was a cold and intimidating man, but he had another side to him.
His people were the most precious thing to him.
‘A knight who is an outlander…’
He disliked outlanders who had just received their titles. He had lost many soldiers because of them.
‘A blacksmith… and his level is…’
The average level of outlanders who received a knight’s title was around 290. But this one was said to be much lower.
‘Soldiers led by a blacksmith knight have to go on a subjugation.’
Who was he trying to get killed?
The soldiers were also afraid. They feared being assigned to him and sent to their deaths.
The royal family had only provided his personal details, nothing specific.
Instead, it was Lükburg who had filled him in.
“His becoming a noble was a farce. He conspired with the Saintess and the Holy Knights to pretend he’d saved the king and us. He never even proved his martial prowess there. He’s just a blacksmith, after all.”
All the nobles said they had never once seen his strength.
“I understand perfectly.”
Philip nodded and started walking.
He had to prepare for the impending monster invasion.
He watched the soldiers bustling about.
They were moving supplies in preparation for battle.
Just then, a small cannonball rolled out of a crate, and his brow furrowed.
The cannonball was glowing red-hot.
‘A… defective one?’
That cannonball was ammunition for a siege weapon called a Magma Cannon.
The moment it exploded, it would engulf a 10-meter radius.
The problem was that the crate the soldiers were moving contained over ten cannonballs.
In other words, if that one went off, it would trigger a chain reaction, and everyone would die.
Philip tried to shout urgently.
‘Everyone, get back!!!!!’
These were his men.
For better or worse, they were his soldiers.
Dozens of those soldiers were about to be killed in an explosion they wouldn’t even see coming.
Just then, a soldier moving the cannonballs noticed the red-hot sphere.
“H-Hieeeek…!”
The cannonball, like water in a boiling kettle, was finally about to explode.
Fwooo…
With that initial sound, dozens of fragments scattered as intense flames erupted in an explosion.
Vwoooom—!
But then, something strange happened.
The explosive flames were contained by an unknown force.
The shrapnel, which should have scattered into hundreds of pieces, condensed and gathered in one spot.
Then, it shot rapidly up into the sky.
Philip’s gaze followed it upward.
And there, high in the sky.
KABOOOOOM—!
It detonated completely, releasing a plume of hazy smoke.
Philip, clutching his chest in relief, soon saw a man walking through the smoke.
The man, wearing a coat and walking as if nothing had happened, patted the shoulder of the soldier who had been in front of the cannonball.
“You all right?”
“Yes…! Thank you for saving me. But, who are you?”
The man spotted Philip and said.
“Baronet Hyun-soo. I’ve come to see the commander.”