Shattering the Invincible Barrier
That was the end of it.
Arthur didn't speak to Dayden again.
He just silently pummeled him.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Operators had higher HP by nature.
"Kiek! E-every hit hurts more! S-stop!"
Dayden was realizing it fully.
Each time the boy struck him, the pain intensified.
Arthur kept beating him relentlessly.
Then he grabbed the back of Dayden's neck and dragged him kicking and screaming to the barrier.
"Drink your operator potion."
Dayden had been planning to anyway.
The agony felt like death was imminent.
Gulp, gulp.
Dayden's arm trembled violently as he desperately chugged the operator potion.
His HP filled up in an instant, and his wounds healed rapidly.
Bam! Bam!
"Still not enough."
Arthur tested the barrier and shrugged.
But his expression said something else entirely: 'Good. I can keep going.'
'A devil...!'
That's how it looked in Dayden's eyes.
But if Arthur had read his thoughts, he would've said it was too early to call him a devil yet.
Dayden had done something unforgivable.
Arthur hadn't killed him yet only because he needed a punching bag.
"You shouldn't defy the Lord."
"Y-yeah."
For the first time, the soldiers felt sorry for a goblin.
The moment Dayden's stamina recovered, Arthur started beating him again.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
"Kuhek! Kek! Kwek! Kk!"
And then made him drink another operator potion.
'248%.'
Arthur calculated the rapidly rising figure.
After another hundred or so hits?
Dayden clung to his leg and begged.
"Kirek! P-please, stooop!"
Arthur kicked him away with full force.
Of course, without a word, he kept pounding.
Dayden was a mess of tears and snot.
Soon, Arthur stood before the barrier again.
323%.
He clenched his fist tight and swung with all his might.
Kwaaang!
The impact was so massive it shook the entire cave.
Arthur didn't stop, hammering the barrier relentlessly.
Kwaang!
Kwaaang!
Kwaaang!
'Kirek... N-no way...'
Dayden couldn't believe it.
The barrier he'd believed unbreakable.
Crack!
Cracks spread like spiderwebs.
Arthur gritted his teeth, pulled his arm back fully,
and unleashed a punch with every ounce of power.
Kwaaaang!
Shatter!
The barrier exploded into fragments.
'H-how can someone in Lord Protection Period...'
Shock upon shock.
Arthur slowly approached the ice and placed his hand on it.
Like magic, the ice encasing Aris began melting at rapid speed.
You have reached Aris, the final destination of the Hidden Dungeon.
The exit to the outside opens.
Hidden Dungeon Conquest Quest Completed.
◈ Durability: 13,000/13,000
◈ Mana Cost: 300
◈ Special Ability: Summon a mild storm within a 5km radius for 1 hour. Usable once per month.
Reward: 30,000 cash granted.
'Stormwinds...?'
Arthur didn't hesitate to check the Fan of Stormwinds from his Specialized Lord Nurturing Device.
'A disaster artifact.'
Disaster artifacts could literally unleash natural disasters.
There were said to be 77 such artifacts in the Monarch Game.
All 77 were exceptional.
Natural disasters were the realm of gods, beyond human control.
But a natural disaster wielded by human hands.
Even a mild storm would be immensely useful in war mode.
'If I enhance this artifact...'
A mild storm might become a raging one.
Arthur then opened the newly unlocked cash shop.
"...Gasp!"
Arthur swallowed hard.
And grinned with sheer joy.
'VIP-2 Level Membership Ticket!'
It sat at the very top.
One use cost a whopping 10,000 cash.
But it seemed worth every coin.
Activation lasted a full day.
It revealed all dungeons within 20km of the territory.
Level 1 allowed instant construction up to territory level 7, but nothing higher.
Level 2 bumped that to 12.
And there was more.
Activating VIP-2 unlocked something special: Random Boxes.
Random Boxes.
Stuff them with items and spin.
Outcomes depended on grades and luck—could be jackpots or junk.
'Gambling, pure and simple.'
Arthur got it immediately.
Gambling was now possible.
In games, you sometimes outgrew gear and sold the old stuff.
But Arthur could toss it into a Random Box instead.
And moreover.
'What if I boost my Luck stat first...?'
He knew of stat amplifiers—temporary boosts to one stat.
Max out Luck, spin the box, and big wins felt guaranteed.
Satisfied, Arthur noticed the ice had fully melted.
"Turn around!"
"Yes!"
At his command, all the soldiers turned.
Arthur smashed the remaining ice with his hand.
In the process, he caught Dayden sneaking away.
Creep, creep.
Dayden figured now or never.
'Kirek, I'll make you pay no matter what.'
Dayden wouldn't let Arthur off, even if it cost him his operator status.
But Arthur wasn't blind to that.
Squish!
Arthur's spear pierced Dayden's throat.
"K-killing... an operator..."
"If I hadn't broken that barrier, I'd have starved to death here with my soldiers."
Operator Dayden would sabotage Arthur however he could.
Arthur wasn't merciful enough to leave such a threat alive.
Squish!
Without hesitation, Arthur yanked the spear from Dayden's throat.
Only after the body crumpled did he wrap Aris in his silver-winged cloak and lift her.
"Let's head back."
"Yes!"
Finally, they began returning to the territory with the soldiers.
Where Aris had been, only Dayden remained—throat pierced.
Once Arthur and the soldiers exited, the dungeon would reset and vanish completely.
'Why hasn't the Lord returned yet?'
Gremori waited anxiously for Arthur.
It was well past time—he should've been back by now. Worry gnawed at her.
Then it happened.
The gate linked to the walls swung open.
"Fi-finally..."
The Lord was back!
As the gates parted, Gremori's tense face lit up.
But it slowly hardened.
'That woman...?'
He entered carrying a beautiful woman wrapped tightly in his silver-winged cloak.
"The Lord's back!"
"Waaaaah!"
With Penrus badly injured and sent to the summoning room, Arthur walked silently, cradling Aris.
The territory residents cheered wildly.
The soldiers walking behind raised clenched fists to the welcoming crowd, signaling victory.
Gremori bowed politely to Arthur.
"Welcome back."
Arthur nodded.
"Tell the residents, Gremori."
"Yes, my Lord."
"Every survivor—one per 500—to the clinic."
"Understood. But that woman..."
"Ah, long story."
Arthur just nodded vaguely.
'The Lord's plaything...?'
Or so Gremori thought, reaching out.
"I'll take her."
"No need."
But Arthur's response shattered Gremori's heart.
'N-not just a plaything?!'
Did he have feelings for her?
Her Lord?
My Lord?
Mine!
"...What's wrong?"
"N-nothing."
"I'm beat. Gonna rest in the castle. Gremori, watch over the soldiers and residents at the clinic."
"Yes."
Arthur headed to the castle.
Gremori scanned the soldiers.
"How was today?"
"The best."
"The Lord's so cool!"
"Sniff, incredible."
Gremori's jaw dropped.
As expected of our Lord.
'Winning their hearts on day one like this.'
The soldiers' faces brimmed with awe.
'Now that they're back, the loot should update in the territory status.'
Thinking that, Gremori opened the territory status—blinked, closed it.
'Must've misread.'
Opened it again—gasped.
'H-how is there this much food?'
They must've picked up dropped food, cargo, iron ore.
Yet it was at least ten times what normal lords got from hunts.
And not just that.
Gold piled up massively.
Plus Black Railtree Wood!
Superior cargo capacity showed in the status over regular Railtree.
Obtaining a new wood didn't consume it as a resource.
Switch from Proud Wood to Black Railtree, and all gathered wood became Black Railtree.
Meaning every future building in this territory would use it.
'Black Railtree is lucky to get even at territory level 12.'
Gremori marveled.
And kept marveling.
'Total territory EXP enough for level 5.'
That alone was huge.
'Territory attack and defense massively boosted. Which means...'
Gremori looked at the soldiers.
The Lord hadn't upgraded the castle, walls, or other structures yet.
Simple interpretation.
"You all... got stronger?"
"Yes."
"How'd you know?"
"The Lord powered us up!"
"Powered up?"
At Gremori's question, the soldiers recounted everything from the day.
Gremori could only admire.
'Is that even possible?'
Mystic buff potions for EXP gains, then taking them out for instant level-ups.
Each soldier Gremori checked had 1.4 times the combat power from deployment.
A thought resurfaced.
'Have I been assigned to an extraordinary Lord?'
At that moment—unknown to Gremori—an alert rang for Arthur.
Gremori Overwhelm Quest Completed.
And right then, Gremori began her fanatic loyalty.
Amazed by her Lord, yet her mind filled with thoughts of the mysterious beauty he'd carried in.
'Our Lord, my Lord...'
It seemed a different flavor of fanatic loyalty than Arthur had imagined—but loyalty nonetheless.