Lord (1)
Hyun-soo could never forget Ballus Territory.
When he first visited, it had been on the brink of ruin.
In fact, some nobles had argued it should simply be abolished.
Having seen it for himself, Hyun-soo understood why.
The territory had been thoroughly exploited by Examiner Books, and Lord Brelin had been reduced to a puppet.
But after Hyun-soo arrived, everything changed.
Once hailed as the blacksmiths' domain but now in decline, its smiths had absorbed his teachings, produced masterpieces, and begun crafting far superior goods.
And by a stroke of luck, a streamer with a million subscribers had visited, drawing a flood of customers.
Truth be told, it would be a lie to say Hyun-soo felt no affection for the place.
His own hands had guided its blacksmiths to growth, after all.
But he had resigned himself to the fact that there was nothing more he could do.
Then Barad spoke those words.
"I shall grant Ballus Territory to Viscount Hyun-soo."
They set Hyun-soo's heart pounding wildly.
There was a reason every guild master ultimately craved territory.
'Securing taxes means infinite funding.'
Barad soon continued.
"However, it requires Lord Brelin's approval. It's a necessary procedure. If she refuses, we'll have to consider another territory."
Barad was no tyrant.
With Brelin still firmly in place, he couldn't just arbitrarily replace her because Hyun-soo seemed better suited.
'Fair enough.'
Hyun-soo fully understood.
Suddenly, he recalled his meeting with Brelin before leaving Ballus Territory.
'Become a noble. I believe you have that power. And when you've risen high, return to Ballus Territory. Depending on what kind of noble you've become, I'll share a stake in the territory with you.'
Back then, Hyun-soo had been a mere commoner, just a few months ago.
And after her offer, a quest had appeared.
Noble
📍 Grade: S
📍 Restriction: Those to whom Brelin has conveyed her will
📍 Reward: Territory stake
📍 Penalty on Failure: Affinity with Brelin drops to minimum
📍 Description: Lord Brelin of Ballus Territory has unwavering faith in you. Rise to meet that faith and return to this land.
A wave of emotion washed over him.
Back when he'd received this quest, Hyun-soo had wondered when he might become a noble.
And as the description noted, it offered not lordship, but a stake in the territory.
The final line left a deep impression.
'Rise to meet that faith and return to this land.'
Now, he was returning as a completely different man.
"I have great expectations of you."
"Thank you, Your Highness."
After bowing to Barad, Hyun-soo glanced around.
The other nobles watched him with expressions brimming with anticipation.
Soon, he bowed once more to Barad and left the audience chamber.
'Let's see...'
Upon becoming a viscount, a flood of notifications had rung in Hyun-soo's ears.
But in his shock—and Barad's presence—he hadn't fully registered them all.
Now, he checked them.
A viscount may designate a crest to represent themselves.
The designated crest can be applied to guild members, territory residents, soldiers, and knights.
'Oh...?'
He imagined how cool it would look on soldiers and knights.
The Viscount title felt rather ceremonial, but it wasn't bad.
For now, he planned to leave the prisoners in the capital.
He had a stop to make before Ballus Territory, and it wasn't yet officially his land.
As he exited the palace, Hyun-soo halted.
The wolf egg reacts.
'Oh?'
The wolf egg seemed to feed on nourishment from Hyun-soo's accomplishments.
This negotiation had likely provided another boost.
Wondering how much it had gained, Hyun-soo awaited the notification.
***
The virtual reality game Ares was served in over a hundred countries.
With a third of the global population playing, calling it a second world was no exaggeration.
Each country had branches that even Lee Se-jin couldn't touch.
And now, Lee Se-jin's face darkened during the video chat.
The chat included branch leaders from the top thirty countries by Ares market share.
Lee Se-jin represented the Korean server.
US branch leader John spoke from his screen.
"The Korean server will face off against China. I'm looking forward to the prowess of those once-called gaming powerhouses."
Lee Se-jin nearly let out a groan.
Currently, all world servers were separated as different continents.
Like Earth itself.
Just as one vast Earth held over a hundred nations.
Players craved endless content, and servers yearned to explore more worlds.
Thus, Ares would eventually undergo server integration.
But before that, they needed content to thrill users.
That was the Continental War.
This content revolved around one nation invading another.
It involved only stable nations among Ares' dozens of countries.
The war would feature dozens of countries, with Korea drawn against China by computer lottery.
Details remained hazy, so the exact format was undecided.
One certainty: NPCs wouldn't participate; only a fixed number of users per side.
'At least it's divided into attackers and defenders.'
China, as attackers, would invade; Korea, as defenders, would hold.
Defenders usually held the advantage, so extras were added.
'For fairness, attackers get 10% more players.'
China's player count would exceed Korea's by 10%.
"We'll discuss the Continental War in more detail later."
The timing wasn't set.
Soonest: one or two months. Latest: six months to a year.
Ending the video chat, Lee Se-jin sighed.
'Can Korean players handle it?'
As representative, he stood for fairness.
But he was Korean too.
The power gap between Chinese and Korean players was vast.
'Not because our people lack skill.'
Population.
Only selected numbers could join.
China's elites would dominate.
Korea's top 100 couldn't match China's, with its twentyfold population.
'A handful of the absolute strongest could shift the tide.'
True power worked that way.
Even among knights, Goyad's Bella could fell twenty others.
An overwhelmingly strong figure changed everything.
Then, one user came to mind.
'Not yet. Far from enough.'
To Lee Se-jin, he might rank barely in the global top 100 high-rankers.
'But if he grows steadily in the remaining time?'
And if...
'He becomes the world's first user legend?'
Master Craftsman Hyun.
It might change everything—that faint hope stirred.
But it was just a small wish.
Hyun-soo needed one more legend to qualify for the challenge.
Qualification alone; another trial awaited.
Lee Se-jin set aside his expectations.
Then.
The wolf egg completes nourishment absorption.
Lee Se-jin frowned in confusion.
The absorption period had days left.
'No way...!?'
Busy with Continental War plotting, he'd overlooked User Hyun-soo.
First, he checked the negotiation achievement.
User Hyun-soo achieves 227% negotiation prowess.
"What...?"
This was impossible territory.
Skill.
Luck.
Serendipity.
Maximally grateful hearts.
A miraculous convergence yielding this phenomenal result.
The wolf egg's nourishment reaches 112%.
Lee Se-jin swallowed dryly.
80% yielded a Fenrir-level legendary wolf.
At 80%—no, beyond 100%—a divine beast might emerge.
Truly unknown.
Ares supercomputer decided.
Lee Se-jin rubbed his dry face.
'What will Ares choose?'
Ares usually aligned with him—90% match.
He awaited its decision.
'If as I think, Ares will...'
Supercomputer Ares attempts to designate the wolf egg's contents as a legendary monster.
'As expected...'
Similar thinking.
'A user controlling a divine beast personally is too much...'
Even Fenrir, a legendary wolf, reached level 400s.
A divine beast surpassed it.
A level 290 user taming immeasurable power?
'It might burden Hyun-soo instead.'
Regrettable for him, but unavoidable.
Then.
Supercomputer Ares reverses its decision.
"...?"
Lee Se-jin looked puzzled.
He rarely saw such cases.
Noting the prior notice said "attempts to designate."
'Why?'
Why reverse?
'What are you planning, Ares?'
Hyun-soo couldn't control a divine beast anyway.
Why change?
The reason soon appeared.
The third divine beast selects User Hyun-soo.
Lee Se-jin gasped in shock.
'A divine beast chooses a user!?'
One divine beast outvalued five legendary monsters.
Such a being chose a user?
'Because Hyun-soo is the Blacksmith of God?'
No, he soon realized.
'That phenomenal negotiation...'
Hyun-soo achieved the impossible, witnessed by the egg.
But how would Ares resolve this?
Ares finds a new solution.
The third divine beast will hatch as a growth-type divine beast.
Growth-type divine beasts grow alongside their master.
"Such a method exists. Perhaps the most ideal."
Abandoning full maturity preconceptions felt brilliant.
Not-yet-legend Hyun-soo meeting a mere hatchling divine beast.
Lee Se-jin smiled faintly.
'User Hyun-soo steps closer to being the Continental War's wildcard.'
And his greatest curiosity:
'When will it hatch?'
***
The wolf egg's nourishment reaches 112%.
'This is huge, right?'
Hyun-soo knew exceeding 100% always meant something amazing.
He expected the egg to cheekily demand petting, as usual.
But no.
The wolf egg expresses gratitude for being held in your arms.
The wolf egg cherishes you.
Hyun-soo unwittingly smiled.
He wondered what lay inside—and when it would emerge.
The wolf egg will hatch within 96 hours.
Crack—
A fissure appeared on the egg.