Chapter 117
Chapter 117
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 117
Chapter Title: The Last Knight (4)
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‘This… this crazy bastard…!’
Changcheon, who had been sitting in his chair, saw the look in Prak’s eyes as he gave a silent bow.
‘Thank you for everything, Your Majesty.’
From that gesture, he knew what Prak intended to do.
Extreme Spear.
A secret spear technique that could only be used by one chosen by Ben.
It drastically amplified all of one's power, culminating in an explosive release of that energy.
The problem was that the current Prak was not ready for it; using it recklessly would mean certain death.
‘No, why would he do something so foolish…?’
Ben’s eyes wavered.
Watching him turn away after the bow, he recalled his own words.
‘You must win. Fight with the resolve to throw away your life!’
He had urged him time and again.
That they could not afford to lose this small war.
That dozens of blacksmiths had toiled for him alone, and that he himself had been waiting for this day.
*Grip—*
Clutching the chair, Ben knew this was his own doing.
*Crash, crackle, shatter, squelch!*
A series of destructive sounds followed. Yes, Prak would win.
He would win, even in death, and bring him this glory.
Ben couldn’t stop him.
This was his only disciple, determined to show him victory even if it cost him his life.
And he was trying to honor the words that he, the king, had spoken.
But while he pretended to be calm, his whole body trembled intermittently.
‘At times he was arrogant, at others impudent, and sometimes he did such foolish things I wanted to smack him one.’
But where else could he find such a loyal subject? One who would burn away his own life to offer him victory!
Such a cherished disciple. Now, on the verge of losing him, he finally understood.
I treasured that boy.
And he knew.
‘The only one who could save him now… was the man named Hyeon.’
Changcheon knew.
Gauging power was an effortless task for him.
He could tell at a glance.
Hyeon would lose, and he wouldn't be able to stop the rampaging boy.
“Break, you damn blacksmith!”
He didn't take his eyes off his disciple for a second, determined to witness his final moments.
It was a truly cruel victory.
A victory gained by losing the Praham Kingdom's most precious talent.
Yes, Ben had given up.
But one person had not.
*Chrrrrk—*
“H-How is that even possible?”
“N-No way…”
The Praham camp. The Goyad camp.
Cries of astonishment erupted from both sides.
Ben found himself rising to his feet.
‘H-How…?’
That telekinesis was just an ordinary power.
In a flash, the man had pulled the fasteners from the seams at the center of the plate armor.
Finally.
*Kiiieeeek—!*
A great dragon erupted from his sword and struck Prak.
His body crumpled horrifically, absorbing the immense impact.
And as Hyeon fell with him, a single phrase escaped his lips.
“Though I may break.”
Even if the sword in his hand were to break in battle.
The spirit to win, no matter what!
Ben had given up, but he had not, even at the very last moment.
He was falling.
Ben, now on his feet, fixed his gaze on the man's face.
And behind this man named Hyun-soo, he saw a presence so immense that even he could hardly fathom it.
*Thud—*
As he slammed into the ground, Ben acknowledged it.
‘...Yes.’
Now he understood why Barad had put him forward.
Of course, he didn't know everything about him.
But Ben knew what he had to do now.
Shoving his chair back, the king of a nation took a step forward.
***
*Craaash—!*
A groan escaped Hyun-soo's lips as he lay smashed into the ground.
“Keuk!”
*Thump.*
Then, the battered body of Prak crashed to the earth.
*Thud.*
In that moment.
“W-Woooooah!”
A thunderous roar erupted from the Goyad camp, while a less perceptive person in the Praham Kingdom's ranks commented.
“Incredible. To think the Goyad Kingdom had a knight like that.”
“Isn't he a blacksmith, not a knight? He just disassembled his armor.”
“Maybe he's both?”
Amidst their chatter, the notification Hyun-soo had been waiting for finally arrived.
[Sudden Quest: Ben's Disciple - Complete]
[Completed with a phenomenal result.]
The sudden quest, "Ben's Disciple," was a step up from the previous one, "The Last Knight."
As a result, the rewards were significantly greater.
This reward in particular was impressive.
‘Experience gain equivalent to hunting a mob.’
Hyun-soo was hopeful.
Prak was a named NPC.
Though his level was low, his potential for growth was immense.
‘What if it applies boss-level experience?’
Just then.
[You have gained 290,572 experience.]
Hyun-soo was astounded.
It was an enormous amount of experience.
[You have leveled up.]
[You have leveled up.]
[You have leveled up.]
[You have leveled up.]
[You have leveled up…]
He leveled up 18 times in an instant, reaching level 276.
For most users, the experience required to level up increases exponentially.
Gaining over 15 levels past level 250 was truly incredible.
[You have gained 29% Kingdom Contribution.]
‘29%?’
Even the kingdom quests completed by nobles typically only awarded an average of 8%, or 16% at most.
Getting 29% showed just how significant Hyun-soo's contribution to the Goyad Kingdom was.
And this contribution was essential for his next promotion in rank.
There was another, more curious notification.
[The Wolf's Egg is responding.]
[Nutrient Rate has increased by 20%.]
[Congratulations. The Nutrient Rate has exceeded 50%.]
Congratulations.
A meaningful word.
It meant something beneficial had happened for Hyun-soo, but he couldn't guess what.
[The Wolf's Egg is overjoyed.]
[It says you did a great job.]
[Since you did such a great job, the Wolf's Egg asks you to pet it.]
As usual, the little guy had no sense of timing.
‘Not now... I feel like I'm dying.’
Hyun-soo didn't even have the strength to lift a finger.
[The Wolf's Egg becomes sullen.]
Sullen egg?
Hyun-soo looked bewildered.
Just then, a notification completely unrelated to the quest reward appeared.
[In a situation where no one could predict victory, you refused to give up and overcame the odds multiple times using your own methods.]
This wasn't the first time.
Until now, Hyun-soo had faced countless situations where defeat seemed inevitable.
The Lord of Death in the Cassel Territory.
The Super Rookie's Stone Golem.
Calamity Jack and the Giant King.
And now, today.
[Your ability to overcome them was thanks to your indomitable will.]
Hyun-soo's heart pounded.
The will to never lose.
It felt as if the system itself was acknowledging this spirit.
[A title created just for you is being bestowed.]
“...!?”
Hyun-soo looked shocked.
Titles are divided into two types.
Multiple Titles.
These can be obtained by any user who achieves the corresponding feat.
Unique Titles.
These can only be obtained by the single most outstanding user.
The commonality between them is that they are pre-existing titles, awarded upon reaching a certain milestone.
But this title was different.
It was a title created solely for Hyun-soo.
[You have acquired the title: Though I May Break.]
The system—that is, the supercomputer Ares—is always watching every user.
The mindset Hyun-soo had conceived while looking at the Smelting Sword had manifested as a title.
With a trembling heart, Hyun-soo checked its details.
(Though I May Break)
Personal Title
Grade: S
Special Abilities:
·In a desperate moment, there is a 5% chance to be guided toward a way to overcome the crisis.
·In a desperate moment, if you display an unyielding will and are deemed worthy, all stats temporarily increase by 2-15% and skill damage by 1-15%.
·In a desperate moment, if you are judged to have overcome the crisis with your own pure strength, you will acquire a Legendary Stat: ???.
·Something special may occur.
It was another S-grade title, following Sovereign's Grace.
S-grade titles were a special power that even high-rankers rarely possessed.
‘Acquire a Legendary Stat when overcoming a desperate crisis with my own pure strength...?’
A Legendary Stat.
It would likely be the most powerful stat in existence.
Hyun-soo didn't have much information on it either, and for now, it was simply displayed as '???' without any details.
And what Hyun-soo was most excited about was the line, "Something special may occur."
Whenever this phrase appeared, it had always resulted in something beneficial for him.
‘Ugh, my body is a wreck, but this is great.’
Even though he was smashed into the ground without the strength to even lift a finger.
But the most important notification was yet to come.
After the cheers from the Goyad Kingdom had died down.
“What's going to happen?”
“In the end, didn't we win the duel? That guy can't fight anymore.”
The small war was a tournament.
You didn't get to recover before proceeding to the next match.
Yes, this was what Hyun-soo regretted most.
Even though Hyun-soo had defeated Changcheon's heir, the Goyad Kingdom had still lost.
Just then.
In the Praham Kingdom's camp.
Thousands of soldiers, hundreds of knights, and the kingdom's highest nobles parted to make way for an old man walking with his hands clasped behind his back.
Those standing near him didn't even dare to breathe.
It was a testament to his standing in the Praham Kingdom.
And Ben was someone who could offer Hyun-soo limitless possibilities.
The king of a kingdom twice the size of Goyad.
A land befitting a nation of blacksmiths, filled with rare materials.
However, his expression was not pleasant. With a cold look, he glanced down at Prak, who was twitching beside Hyun-soo.
“Worthless boy.”
But in that instant, Hyun-soo sensed the love-hate relationship in his voice.
Silence.
As Changcheon Ben stepped into the center, both the Goyad and Praham camps fell silent.
The Praham Kingdom waited in anticipation.
‘We've won.’
Yes, they had every right to say so.
But soon, Changcheon Ben's gaze fell upon Hyun-soo beside him.
He too was a complete wreck, unable to move.
He watched him for a long while.
Then, he spoke.
“...We lost.”
[You have won the heart of Changcheon Ben.]
A single phrase, delivered with a faint, bitter smile.
Hyun-soo looked stunned.
“Although by the official rules, it is our victory, our kingdom's greatest knight has been defeated.”
It was half an excuse.
But it was also true.
The kingdom's greatest knight had been defeated.
And it meant that Changcheon Ben had taken a step back from seizing the initiative for peace, while Barad had taken a step forward.
Barad was impressed.
‘Changcheon isn't normally like this.’
He was a cantankerous old man who would have desperately insisted on their unconditional victory and rubbed Goyad's defeat in their faces.
Barad's heart raced.
The fallen Hyeon and Ben looking down at him as he spoke.
A sense of anticipation for what might happen between the two.
Barad let out a small smile. With this, the small war would end warmly with a victory for Goyad…
“I'll be taking this one.”
“???”
Changcheon Ben then slung Prak over his right shoulder and Hyun-soo over his left.
“We'll handle the negotiations by letter.”
And the moment he kicked off the ground—
*Whoooosh—!*
he vanished from the spot in less than a second.
Barad wore a bewildered expression.
He had, in fact, already decided to send Hyun-soo to the Praham Kingdom for a while.
But the way it happened…
“Your Majesty, isn't this basically a kidnapping?”
“???”
Something was off.
Meanwhile, Hyun-soo, perhaps the first user ever to be kidnapped (?), knew that Ben was running like a madman because of Prak.
He was moving so fast that it was impossible to stay conscious.
Hyun-soo, who desperately needed mental recovery as well, briefly lost consciousness.
[You have entered the Praham Kingdom.]
And then.
“Rest.”
Contrary to his words, Hyun-soo was unceremoniously tossed into a room, and the door was slammed shut.
*Clatter-bang—*
Hyun-soo's consciousness faded again.
‘Was I really just kidnapped…?’
The notification had clearly said he'd won the king's heart, but something felt wrong.
This wasn't how he'd envisioned seeing a new world.
But through his hazy consciousness, he heard an unfamiliar notification.
[...You have witnessed...]
[...You have witnessed...]
He felt a sense of wonder at the notifications, which chimed at regular intervals.
And just thirty minutes later.
Hyun-soo's eyes shot open.
‘Th-This is…’
He was overcome with a fiery sense of joy.
The place he had been thrown into.
It contained something that Hyun-soo, the blacksmith, needed most—something he had hoped to find in the wider world.
[You have witnessed a legendary material: the Small World Tree.]
It was the finest material for crafting bows and spears.