For You (3)
Hyun-soo had wept uncontrollably at the bank on the day he finally paid off his hospital bills, which had ballooned into the billions.
That day, he set a new goal for himself.
The small, shabby Hyun's Forge.
The people who had believed in him and followed him.
For them—and for himself—he dreamed of turning Gwangmyeong into the top guild in the country.
Of course, he knew it wouldn't be easy.
Guild ranking number one.
The guild master there held an earl's title, a rank shared by only two people in the entire country.
And now, Hyun-soo—having triggered a special story that maximized the rewards of "For You"—believed he might be able to close that gap.
Your story is more beautiful than anyone else's.
Hyun-soo pondered.
He didn't know the activation conditions for the "For You" story.
But wasn't this notification essentially Ares's supercomputer acknowledging him?
Soon, the reward notifications came crashing in.
You have consumed the grapes of the Small World Tree.
Experience gain and artifact drop rate increased by 50%.
You have defeated Red Dragon Squad Leader Kuhn.
Recently, Hyun-soo had gained massive experience from defeating Prak, the Heavenly successor.
But Prak had been in the midst of rapid growth, while Kuhn was essentially past his prime.
Yet Kuhn had been overwhelmingly stronger than Prak.
The experience from Prak had been about 290,000.
You have acquired 403,311 experience points.
Hyun-soo was stunned to see he'd leveled up 14 times in one go.
Jumping 14 levels in the 270s was nothing short of miraculous.
This shot him straight to level 290.
Level 300 isn't far now...
True high-level play began at 300.
But Hyun-soo was looking forward to something else even more.
Kingdom Quest: Prisoner Rescue — Complete
The quest he'd picked up on the way to the prisoner camp.
It was a negotiation quest with double rewards.
Numerous factors determined its negotiation degree: how many of the thousand prisoners he'd saved, how many Red Dragon Squad members he'd defeated.
Plus, the steady notifications of rising negotiation degree during the fights with the Red Dragon Squad had promised a comprehensive tally later.
Compiling negotiation degree.
918 out of 1,000 prisoners survived.
Red Dragon Squad annihilated.
Miraculous achievement.
Compiling negotiation degree.
Hyun-soo's current negotiation degree stood at 102%.
This figure would decide if he'd earn a noble title upon returning to the Goyad Kingdom.
Then—
Ah, not again...!?
Hyun-soo suddenly felt the world spin before his eyes.
He knew what this omen meant.
The precursor to the status ailment: fainting.
It was ridiculous—he hadn't even heard how much more negotiation degree he could gain.
But not today.
You have repeatedly pushed your body and mind to the absolute limit, reaching physical and mental exhaustion.
Acquired title: To the Limit.
"???"
In other words, a title for fainting too much.
The title To the Limit had clearly arisen from an absurd situation, but its effects were outstanding.
To the Limit
Fainting resisted.
Acquired 6 Willpower points.
The legendary stat Willpower.
This gave him a way to acquire more of this precious stat.
For once not fainting, Hyun-soo could hear the notifications.
Acquired 48% negotiation degree.
His prior negotiation degree had exceeded 100% at 102%, thanks to the Whirlwind Squad members.
Now it hit 150%.
But it wasn't over yet.
Your Quest: Victory Over Red Dragon Squad Leader Kuhn — Complete
This was the first time the "For You" story had activated.
Its reward had mentioned a "miraculous negotiation degree" increase.
Acquired 34% negotiation degree.
Hyun-soo's chest thrilled with excitement.
Total negotiation degree: 184%...
At this level, he could surely rise to the next noble rank.
But at that moment, Hyun-soo didn't yet know.
He would gain even more negotiation degree.
Anyway, assuming he'd claimed all the negotiation degree, Hyun-soo suddenly remembered something.
Squeezing out his last reserves of strength, he forced himself to stand.
And looked toward the group.
***
The thousand prisoners from the camp.
Leading them was Eden, the former vigilante captain.
When ambushed by the mysterious assassin group known as the Red Dragon Squad, Eden had thought they were all doomed to slaughter.
Even after the Whirlwind Squad wiped out over seventy assassins but collapsed from exhaustion, hope had slipped away again and again.
It wasn't just him.
All thousand prisoners felt the same.
When a hundred arrows rained down, or when Red Dragon Squad Leader Kuhn toyed with and brutalized the sub-baron Hyun-soo, hope was gone.
But he was different.
Krunch—
Splat!
Thud thud!
Squish!
Crack!
Krunch—
Splurt—!
Boom—!
With a body that could have dropped dead at any moment, he moved like a ghost in the blink of an eye.
Unlike them, who had abandoned hope, he never let go of his will to fight until the very end.
"Wh-why..."
Kahn stood beside him.
The wound-covered man flashed a faint smile.
"That's just how he is. He never gives up or backs down."
Eden had overheard the stories between the Whirlwind Squad and Hyun-soo.
The Whirlwind Squad were freaks who defied common sense.
Yet they harbored an insane loyalty to this noble named Hyun-soo.
"The brightest shining sun—that is my lord."
Eden's lips parted in awe.
Crash crash—
In the end, he had won.
Soon after, he collapsed to the ground.
Then he rose again and looked at them.
His once noble, antique brown coat was soaked in sweat, blood, and dirt.
The blood matting his hair had dried, leaving him filthy and ragged.
Yet the first thing he did upon rising was take them in with his eyes.
One by one, sweeping his gaze over them, he said,
"Thank goodness."
"...!"
Finally, he dropped to one knee and collapsed.
"Good thing I didn't faint this time. Help me up, Kahn."
The 918 Goyad Kingdom prisoners' respect for you soars sky-high.
And one fact Hyun-soo didn't know.
Negotiation degree increases apply until full return to the homeland.
In other words, this very situation counted too.
The Goyad Kingdom prisoners will never forget today's events and will endlessly spread tales of the negotiator.
Negotiation degree rising.
Negotiation degree rising.
And furthermore.
"Come to think of it, where'd those archers from earlier go?"
"N-no way... are they all dead?"
The prisoners looked around.
The forty-odd archers had vanished without a trace.
And Hyun-soo received a notification.
Your guild member Ian has annihilated the Red Hood Guild members.
Negotiation degree rising.
Even if it wasn't Hyun-soo's direct doing, just as the Whirlwind Squad's actions in Hell's Cradle had boosted his negotiation degree, this applied to him too.
And one elderly man arrived swiftly.
The old man came alone because it was faster than bringing attendants.
The old man, Ben of the Heavenly Spear, had assumed all the prisoners were dead.
But spotting the near-dead Hyun-soo, Ben smiled faintly.
"Ugh... Your Highness..."
Hyun-soo hadn't fainted, but he looked one step from death.
Ben knew why Hyun-soo had pushed this far.
He'd fought without retreating, as always.
"...Thank you. It's all thanks to you."
The Praam and Goyad Kingdoms had nearly shattered their eternal peace treaty over this incident.
Yet a single blacksmith and five soldiers had averted it.
And Ben was a key player in the negotiation degree.
Ben knew exactly how to repay him.
Negotiation degree rises dramatically.
Using his authority, he granted rewards.
Finally, the Whirlwind Squad and prisoners began their return to the homeland.
Aigoo, I'm beat.
Climbing into the carriage for the long journey home, Hyun-soo gave a wry smile.
This negotiation degree is utterly ridiculous...
Just from killing Red Dragon Squad Leader Kuhn, it had reached 184% total.
But various other factors had pushed it far beyond.
Suddenly, Hyun-soo recalled Ben's words before they parted.
'I'm curious how far you'll climb when you return home.'
For Hyun-soo, it was thrilling to anticipate.
What will this insane negotiation degree bring me?
Meanwhile.
You have annihilated the Red Hood Guild.
Ian, barely clinging to life, leaned against a hill and watched the departing group.
He wasn't one to step into the spotlight anyway—this suited him fine.
In this moment, Ian was overjoyed.
Now I can protect Gwangmyeong even better, as Lord Hyun-soo wished.
Thanks to the bow Hyun-soo had given him.
A few days later.
Hyun-soo met Ian.
In that short time, Ian heard many of Hyun-soo's stories.
As a former editor, Ian made him a promise.
Just one video.
Even though he was already part of Gwangmyeong, limiting it to one was due to personal circumstances he couldn't voice.
The Gwangmyeong members didn't pry.
Ian simply believed this one video would greatly help Hyun's Forge.
"This video will cause a massive stir later."
Having heard Hyun-soo's tales, Ian sensed something huge brewing.
People would cry "balance breaker" about Hyun-soo.
And they still wondered how he crafted such legends.
This video would dispel all doubts and elevate him higher.
And as an editor, Ian saw potential.
The subject's star quality.
Of course, Lord Hyun-soo has more than enough star potential.
But having potential and becoming a true star were worlds apart.
Ian had promised Gwangmyeong and Hyun-soo just one video.
But that could change anytime.
If I develop a desire to elevate Lord Hyun-soo...
Unless it reached that point, Ian had no wish to return to editing.
Yes, this was a little test.
To see if he'd stay in Gwangmyeong as just an archer—or as an archer and editor.
But Ian didn't expect much.
It was unreasonable to expect that from an ordinary person anyway.
"Just one sentence. Express your life in one sentence. This will be Hyun's Forge's first greeting to viewers."
Hyun-soo felt deeply embarrassed.
Ares had camera functions too. Sitting awkwardly in the chair.
"Cue."
At Ian's signal, he pondered briefly, expression distant.
Head bowed in thought.
Then he spoke.
Ian's heart raced at those words. Hyun-soo had gifted him a masterpiece.
Just like that, he was certain this single video would be his masterpiece.
It stirred the soul.
His chest trembled.
And in this moment, he resolved anew.
...I must keep making videos for Gwangmyeong.
Hyun-soo slowly raised his head and said,
"I wanted to live."