Golden Goblin (1)
-Fond. He's the shame of China.
After China's defeat in the Continental War.
The arrows of resentment were aimed at Fond, China's former number one ranker who had commanded them all.
China's people nodded in agreement.
Before the Continental War, Fond had held a press conference, exuding confidence without even considering the possibility of defeat.
And what was the result?
The plummeting pride of China's players.
Fond, for his part, burned with the desire to tear Hyun-soo apart.
Unaware that his own arrogant words had only fueled the public's rage, he made another public statement.
"After Server Integration, I'll make up for my mistakes. Hyun's Forge will vanish without a trace once integration is complete."
Someone asked:
Fond replied with utter conviction.
"That won't happen. If it does, I'll admit defeat fair and square."
Before setting out, Fond stood before 2,000 Chinese players and declared:
"It's obvious Hyun's Forge has fewer than 10 guild members. Ballus Territory's forces are small and mostly blacksmiths. Their new territory? The data proves it all."
These 2,000 Chinese players were special.
Fond, heir to the Sword Emperor, was a count-rank user and leader of China's largest guild.
He had selected only his elite forces, with half funded by resources from top Chinese players—high-rankers and renowned experts.
This was info only Fond could access in advance.
"Average territory: 3,000 residents, 400 soldiers. Even combining all of Hyun's Ballus Territory forces falls short of 600."
A massive gap compared to Fond's guildmates.
"Anyone who loses this is an idiot. We'll use this intel to raid Hyun's new base and crush it. We'll kill all soldiers, enslave the adults, and sell the kids at slave markets."
Unlike Sword Master Roman, Fond was brutally honest.
"We'll massacre them to soothe our rage and witness Hyun's despair together."
Some volunteers had joined precisely because Hyun-soo had humiliated China.
Fond's plan seemed flawless.
But the first button was already misaligned.
'Kabel fed me false info. Was he an imposter?'
The Endless Maze was mentally exhausting.
Fond and his elites wandered, growing wearier by the minute.
"Circling one spot 50 times? What the hell..."
Even return scrolls were unusable, and logging out just brought them back here.
After days of wandering—who knew how many?—they encountered a group larger than theirs.
Especially the young swordsman at the front, gripping his blade, left Fond rattled.
Sword Master Roman Lv.429
'A named NPC...?')
One of the rare named NPCs in an entire kingdom.
Even at equal levels, named NPCs overwhelmingly dominate players.
'And their numbers are double ours.'
Nearly 4,000, most estimated as knights.
'This many knights gathered in one place? Heading to a war?'
Fond's guildmates raised weapons, tensing up.
Meanwhile.
Roman was tense too. A knight asked:
"Who are they?"
"No idea, but they're not from the Asgan Continent. The gods connected all continents, as foretold..."
Sword Master Roman never trusted outsiders.
Just seeing their greedy, avaricious nature made his blood boil.
But he recalled his mission.
'I must achieve the great cause. Avoid needless clashes.'
No need to fight if unnecessary.
Right then.
Roman spotted a brilliant light in their center.
'Warp light?'
His eyes widened.
The figure emerging was none other than Viscount Hyun-soo.
Roman's teeth ground together.
"You crossed the distant seas to come here. I knew you'd show."
Because Hyun-soo shared a heated(?) embrace with their commander at the front.
***
The moment he saw Hyun-soo, Fond's teeth ground audibly. He assumed Hyun-soo had trapped them in the Endless Maze.
Yet Hyun-soo hugged him.
"You crossed the distant seas to come here. I knew you'd show."
Fond panicked. Watching Hyun-soo suddenly embrace him, he thought the guy had lost it.
"What the...?"
"Must've been tough getting here from so far."
Fond and the Chinese players were dumbfounded.
Pulling away, Hyun-soo gently straightened Fond's collar.
"I saw your statements too."
Hyun-soo knew Fond and Chinese players dominated the posts vowing to capture him.
Fond had especially boasted about dismantling his hard-built guild and turning his territories to ash.
"But here's the thing. See the Goyad Kingdom folks behind me?"
Fond's eyes bulged. He stepped back.
'No way...?'
Rumors swirled that Player Hyun-soo was Sword King Barad's disciple.
Had the Sword King sent an army for him?
Possible?
But the eyes glaring murderously(?) at him now confirmed it.
Those gazes screamed:
'It was those bastards?''We're screwed, damn it.''Daring to invade our Hyun-soo(?)'s turf?'
Fond swallowed dryly.
"Wish you'd turn back now?"
Fond had no intention of retreating.
He glanced at his guildmates.
They prepared skills with fierce auras. Hyun-soo turned away.
'I never lied.'
True.
He hadn't called them "my army."
He'd just asked if they were visible.
Then he approached Sword Master Roman, who trembled with murderous eyes.
Roman realized they'd crossed the continent.
'Outsiders, too.'
Having crossed seas, they were barbarians to Roman and the rebels.
'This many came to aid Hyun-soo? I was careless.'
Hyun-soo bowed to Roman.
Even as fellow viscounts, Roman outranked him.
"You really...?"
"As you see, they crossed the continent solely to meet me(?)."
Roman glanced back. They readied for battle, glaring death at him.
'Came here to meet Hyun-soo.'
'You're all dead.'
'It's do or die.'
Gulp—
But Roman had no retreat either.
Rebellion had begun; failing to kill Viscount Hyun-soo meant no turning back.
No place left for Sword Master Roman under the king's gaze.
"Kill them all, Viscount Hyun-soo. I'll make trophies of you both."
"Won't back down, huh? Understo—"
Before Hyun-soo finished.
A colossal pressure crushed Roman and the knights.
Turning, Hyun-soo saw a nine-headed hydra descending.
"KieeeEEEEEEK!"
"What the hell is that thing!?"
"This can't be real!"
The massive hydra emerging near Riu.
Hydra's Fury
Enemies before the legendary monster lose morale and halt.
Stunned for 2 seconds; poison fills the body, blood flows from eyes, ears, nose, and mouth.
With the hydra's majestic arrival, Roman and all knights froze, blood streaming from their bodies.
First Legend shines.
One legend cannot suppress another.
The hydra couldn't suppress Hyun-soo like before.
'Summoning the hydra starts the battle.'
Hyun-soo quickly retreated out of sight.
Kuwhaaaak—!
The hydra's poison breath slammed into them, igniting combat.
Hyun-soo smiled faintly at the sight.
'Barbarian vs. barbarian. Thanks, Kabel.'
Hyun-soo eyed 6,000 enemies total.
Their power defied common sense.
First, Sword Master Roman.
True to his swordsmanship lineage, he'd brought every knight from his clan.
Average knight level: 320.
But these subordinate knights far exceeded normals.
Averaging 370 with Roman—4,000 strong.
Yet Fond's 2,000 Chinese weren't pushovers.
'China's population is overwhelming, and these are elites.'
World rankers like Riu, Yongwol, and Wang Gang visible.
Mostly top 1% Chinese, averaging 380-410.
Individually, Chinese edged out.
But seeing them, Hyun-soo's lips curled wickedly.
'Heh heh, heh heh heh heh.''Uh heh heh heh heh!'
Hyun-soo figured they'd soon learn the truth.
But by then, massive casualties would mount—severely wounded everywhere, many half-dead.
Hyun-soo was certain.
Full strength vs. Atlas? 100% loss.
But battered, exhausted foes? Winnable.
And another reason for his grin.
'Nel's metaphor was spot on.'
***
"They'll become golden goblins."
"Golden goblin"—a term from an RPG 20 years ago.
"It means mobs that drop with one hit but give insane rewards. Perfect analogy, right?"
Nel rechecked the post-Server Integration notice.
Chapter 2: The King's Path Begins.
Territory wars and large-scale battles will erupt everywhere.
Victory in territory wars/large-scale battles grants Territory Contribution Points.
'Territory Contribution Shops' open in all territories.
Soldiers/knights participating gain EXP if they defeat equals or stronger foes.
Gold drops based on participants' strength.
However, if level gap exceeds 100 between participants, contribution/EXP drop rates plummet sharply.
To ascend the King's Path, wars were inevitable.
Purum Corp had added these systems post-integration to boost morale.
Nel arrived in a forest with Atlas's 4,000 troops.
Her heart raced.
'Insane...'
Unbelievable—and intriguing.
How much stronger would Atlas grow? How far would Player Hyun-soo's influence reach?
The forest she stood in?
The entrance to the Endless Maze.
'Let's go hunt 6,000 golden goblins.'
You have entered the Endless Maze.
Atlas's 4,000 army marched to forge new legends.
'Viscount Hyun-soo repelled 2,000 continental invaders!'
'Viscount Hyun-soo crushes rebellion, strides as king's heir!'
These legends would endure.
Atlas wouldn't lose even 100 warriors.
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