The Absolute Berserker's Ring
Freight grew even angrier at those words.
"Kuhk!"
But with his throat gripped tight, he couldn't budge an inch.
It was because Arthur's grip strength was so immense. He knew that even a slight squeeze would snap his neck like a chicken's.
Freight's face flushed red.
"P-Please, s-spare me..."
Tears welled up in Freight's eyes.
Drops fell steadily.
"If the territory war begins, I'll support you with everything I have, body and soul. So please..."
"Neither fish nor fowl."
Arthur clicked his tongue.
Stay strong all the way, or stay weak all the way. Pick one.
Straddling the line like this was worse than committing to either.
Crack!
Arthur twisted Freight's neck in one swift motion.
Freight's body went limp as his neck snapped.
Arthur slowly walked through the dark cave.
He shoved aside the massive boulder blocking the entrance, and light poured in.
Where the apprentice lords had died, stat runes littered the ground.
Arthur scooped them up without hesitation and absorbed them all.
Trying to absorb them mid-battle might have gotten him stabbed instead.
The monster hunting training would end soon.
You've hunted 10 more monsters. Probability Ring has been upgraded to Fantastic Rare.
Fantastic Rare!
Arthur's chest swelled with excitement.
How much had it changed, exactly!
Just as Arthur moved to check his Probability Ring—
His Lord Nurturing Device scattered golden light.
The Lord Nurturing Device marvels at your achievements.
One of the 14 Absolute Monarchs who created the Lord Nurturing Device, the Berserker Barok, bestows a reward upon you.
Probability Ring undergoes another transformation.
The Probability Ring slipped off Arthur's finger and floated lightly in the air.
The ring hovering in midair scattered golden light around it.
"The 14 Absolute Monarchs..."
He'd heard of the 14 Absolute Monarchs before.
The Lord Game Arthur was playing was currently in its second round.
There had been a first round.
He didn't know how the first round ended.
But he'd heard there were fourteen lords who reigned in absolute dominance.
These fourteen were all of different races, apparently.
What was certain was that those bearing the name Absolute Monarch possessed strength beyond even the most powerful lords known in this second round.
The first round had been a tale of extremes, he'd heard.
The Absolute Monarchs had seized most of the power, in fact.
That's why the second round had been balanced somewhat.
The Specialized Lord Nurturing Device.
It was astonishing that the Absolute Monarchs had created it.
'There's still so much unknown.'
Arthur gazed at the Probability Ring radiating intense light.
Soon, the golden glow gradually faded.
Letters engraved themselves on the ring.
'Barok.'
Those three characters.
The one called the Berserker.
The Probability Ring floated lightly toward Arthur.
When he extended his hand, it settled gently into his palm.
Fantastic Probability Ring has been upgraded to the Absolute Berserker's Ring.
"...!"
Arthur's face lit up in shock.
There were four known grades in total.
Yet here was something beyond Fantastic.
Absolute!
'Just what power does the Specialized Lord Nurturing Device hold...'
Would this have happened with a regular Lord Nurturing Device?
No, no.
Arthur had achieved accomplishments like this one today more than once or twice.
Regular devices had glowed and rewarded him before, but never to this extent.
Arthur swallowed hard.
He was dying to know the power of this Absolute Berserker's Ring!
Without hesitation, he checked the ring in his palm.
◈ Durability: 5,000/5,000
◈ Special Abilities:
◈ Total stat-based attack power +1%
◈ 20% chance for 1.7x critical damage
◈ Armor Break usable
◈ Description: The Probability Ring has been further enhanced by the blessing of Berserker Barok, one of the Absolute Monarchs.
"Gasp!"
Arthur gasped involuntarily.
A 1% boost to total attack power wasn't something to dismiss lightly.
The higher his attack power grew, the more potent it would become.
On top of that, one in five hits would unleash 1.7x critical damage.
And Armor Break.
A skill that consumed 40 MP to shatter an enemy's armor with 40% probability.
It had a 5-minute cooldown once used.
The greatest advantage of the Probability Ring, as Arthur saw it, was that it was a ring.
Some weapons had probability-based critical effects.
But no matter what weapon Arthur wielded, his attacks could crit.
Because it was a ring.
And right away, another reward notification chimed.
Emergency Quest: Eliminate 36 Enemies — COMPLETE
Scan
His cash reserves had grown substantially too.
Arthur promptly checked the two new skills he'd gained.
Leadership
Passive Skill
Grade: C
Level: 1
Proficiency: 0%
Description: Those whose total stats are less than 70% of yours will trust, follow, and obey you more deeply. However, it may not apply to those who already harbor resentment.
In simple terms, it boosted his appeal as a ruler.
Considering it was only Level 1, the effect would grow stronger as it leveled up.
Next, Scan.
Scan
Active Skill
Grade: B
Level: 1
Proficiency: 0%
MP Cost: 30
Description: Allows viewing basic status windows of those whose total stats are lower than yours.
"Hoo."
Scan looked like an incredible skill.
Know yourself and your enemy, and you'll win every battle.
A skill that let you truly know your foes.
Skills ranged from E-grade to S-grade.
Even a single S-grade skill gave a lord tremendous influence.
Announcement to all Apprentice Lords: Monster hunting training has ended. Repeating: Monster hunting training has ended. All personnel, return to the starting point. End of transmission.
The voice echoed across the Vice Plains from the speakers.
Apprentice lords who had banded together or hidden away began emerging one by one.
Arthur followed them while opening his status window.
His Strength, Agility, and Vitality had skyrocketed. With these stats, he could match a low-ranking knight.
Compared to other lords' combat prowess, it was overwhelming.
Satisfied, Arthur moved along with the other apprentice lords.
'Arthur must have held up well, right?'
Orwen and the other instructors stood with hands behind their backs at the original starting point for the apprentice lords.
In front of them was Chief Instructor Valrock.
Monster hunting training was a crucial part of the camp, where quite a few apprentice lords died.
But it also spurred their growth, so all 200 instructors and the chief instructor came out to greet them.
As the apprentice lords appeared one by one, the instructors sensed something off.
"Why are there so few?"
"It's barely half the usual number."
Normally, about 40 died in monster hunting training.
But now, there were only around 100 visible.
Something had definitely happened.
"All instructors, attention!"
At the chief instructor's shout, every instructor snapped from at-ease to attention.
"Salute the apprentice lords!"
The instructors silently raised their right fists to their left chests.
'Dear me. What happened in there?'
Chief Instructor Valrock had noticed it too, like the others.
The apprentice lords must have fought fiercely.
The worst inside were goblins, maybe twin-boar at strongest.
Then, a boy trudged right up to Chief Instructor Valrock.
Valrock's brow furrowed.
'Covered in blood. That young boy...'
A low groan escaped.
Orwen simply reported that the boy Arthur had achieved top marks across the board.
She added nothing else.
But Valrock didn't reprimand her for it.
Linked NPCs were special, protected entities.
And every group had its standout apprentice lord.
He didn't harbor major doubts.
He was just surprised it was such a young boy.
"Chief Instructor, I have a report."
"What is it?"
Arthur, standing before Valrock, spoke up.
"One of the instructors committed foul play."
"Foul play?"
Valrock's brow furrowed at the words.
Foul play was punished strictly by the rules.
The offender lost their instructor position and went to the penal prison.
"Yes. A man named Freight received prior information from an instructor. Things like, 'Kill apprentice lords and stat runes drop.'"
"...Who was Freight's supervising instructor?"
Kaiser, standing behind, bit his lip hard.
They said you came back half-mad from the penal prison.
And 10 years was no short time.
"Th-This is slander! Orwen and I have bad blood. She must have ordered her apprentice lord to frame me."
"Pfft!"
Orwen let out an involuntary laugh.
Valrock's brow furrowed deeper.
"Do you have solid proof, Apprentice Arthur?"
"Of course."
Arthur nodded.
"Before dying, Freight told me he'd received buff potions too. 'Instructor-exclusive buff potions,' he said."
Valrock nodded.
He glanced at Instructor Kaiser.
"Kaiser. Explain yourself. Instructor-exclusive buff potions are issued only to us, and apprentice lords shouldn't even know about them. Why does this boy know?"
"W-Well, Orwen must have given some to the boy, right? Haha."
Kaiser forced an awkward laugh.
At that, Orwen smiled faintly and rummaged in her pocket.
"I still have all five potions issued to me for this training."
Five potions dangled from her hand.
Kaiser's mouth clamped shut.
"I-I used all of mine this time..."
"Silence!"
The chief instructor's voice boomed with force.
He was only piling more guilt with his nonsense.
The chief instructor began piecing together what had happened inside.
The apprentice lord Freight must have taken the potions, grown stronger, and led a bunch of others.
Killing many in the process.
"Still trying to weasel out!"