The Birth of the Star of Growth
Arthur furrowed his brow.
As the rebels broke through the orcs blocking the stairs with the help of Penrus, Bread, and Roden joining in, the path cleared in an instant.
"Let's go."
Arthur nodded as Cataloc extended his arm and pointed, then headed up.
Soon, they entered the lord's chamber.
The lord's chamber was where the throne resided.
Arthur and his forces pushed the orcs aside and stormed into the lord's chamber.
The doors burst open, revealing Kasha surrounded by orcs.
"Block him! Block that bastard, you worthless shits!"
"Grk, my lord. Please, maintain some dignity…."
"Shut up and block him!"
Kasha kicked one orc in the ass and bellowed at the orc's words.
With every step Arthur took, the orcs collapsed pathetically.
You have hunted 240 troops in Solo Conquest mode.
No more risks were arising.
Probably, no one who set this record had imagined anyone achieving an impenetrable record to this extent.
"Grk."
Still, the orcs were fiercely loyal. Knowing death awaited, they threw themselves forward with all their might to block the way.
The complete opposite.
"Aaaah, you idiots! Just block him for fuck's sake!"
Kasha was clutching his head and screaming.
Before long, Arthur and Kasha faced each other as he strode forward steadily.
"Ugh…."
Kasha, leaning against the wall, collapsed to the floor in terror, trembling.
Drip, drip, drip.
In the end, the bastard pissed himself.
"Your proxy threw bread at the heads of my territory's residents. What do you think about that?"
"P-Please spare me! Please… please spare me! Ah, how about this? We pool our HIP together for lord raiding. 6:4—no, I'll give you 8:2!"
He clung to Arthur's pant leg desperately.
Arthur furrowed his brow.
The orcs had clearly said it.
Maintain dignity.
As the lord leading them, die honorably even in death—that must have been their meaning.
Arthur glanced at a woman hiding behind a pillar.
Elena was stunned.
The cruel and terrifying Lord Kasha was begging like a frightened child before a single boy.
Arthur spoke again upon seeing her.
"Then let me rephrase. A middle-aged woman begged me to kill you. A resident of Arhan Territory, no less. And about the women you've killed and raped so far—what do you think of that?"
"9:1! No, 10:0! I'll give you everything. So please, spare my life…."
Shing.
Thud!
Roll.
Kasha's eyes bulged wide as his head separated from his body and hit the floor.
Arthur didn't hesitate.
'What a fool I am.'
He knew what these types were like, had seen plenty before—why expect anything different?
Kasha's body slumped lifelessly.
Arthur looked down with a blank gaze before turning away. Ahead stood the beautiful woman named Elena.
Arthur smiled softly.
"It's all over. Your mother's waiting, so hurry home."
At those words, tears welled up in Elena's eyes.
She bit her lip hard but sobbed uncontrollably.
"Thank you."
Leaving those words, Elena fled the castle swiftly. She'd probably run home without stopping.
Arthur commanded one of the rebels.
"Hang Kasha's head where the residents can see it best."
"Yes, sir!"
It seemed brutal, but it was one way to announce the enemy commander's death.
He turned and walked on.
His destination was the Royal Code chamber.
The final victory in this territory war required destroying the Royal Code.
Even if the lord died, without destroying the Royal Code, it wasn't a complete win.
'An 11th-month lord. What guardian will the Royal Code protector unleash?'
The territory status even showed Royal Code protectors as mostly undetectable.
They were that crucial to lords.
A lord could select a Royal Code protector twice.
First during the Lord Protection Period, second after it ended. No more after that.
Royal Code protectors varied.
Whatever the lord desired—sometimes their strongest hunted monster, or one bought from the general gold shop.
Among them, so-called Lord Protectors wielded immense power unlike regular ones, granting territory buffs just by existing.
Arthur stopped before the Royal Code protector chamber.
The protector chamber could be inside or outside the castle—lord's choice.
Creeeak.
The door opened, revealing the Royal Code protector.
"Rooaaar!"
"An ogre?"
Arthur chuckled.
Had he hunted an ogre?
Rare for a Protection Period lord to use an ogre as protector.
'Well, with Zakan's help, it's plausible.'
Thinking it possible, Arthur turned back.
One rebel carrying a corpse stepped forward, reading Arthur's expression.
It was Roden's body.
Death Painting didn't consume corpses.
Corpses were preserved; the drawn image manifested the power.
Thud, thud, thud!
As the Royal Code protector ogre charged wildly, Arthur activated the Uroboros bracelet's authority.
First authority: Blood Explosion.
The bracelet on his left wrist glowed red.
Vrrr!
Blood oozed from Roden's corpse, forming orbs in the air that merged into one.
Arthur pointed at the ogre.
A fist-sized blood orb shot toward it. Without hesitation, Arthur slammed the door shut.
And then.
BOOM!
The room shook violently.
"More than I thought…."
Impressive.
Tremendous explosive power.
C-Rank.
Seemed high due to Protection Period, but later, C-Rank was commonplace.
Yet this explosion from one?
Arthur opened the door. The protector lay smashed against the wall, body obliterated.
Behind it floated a fingernail-sized green gem in the air.
Royal Code color varied by lord rank.
Territory total level 5: E-grade, green.
10: D, blue.
15: C, yellow.
20: B, red.
25: A, purple.
30: S, black.
Challenger lords rarely held black Royal Codes.
Arthur approached slowly and grasped the Royal Code.
Then he recited the Prayer of Victory.
"I, Arthur de Press, lord of Valkas Territory, have rightfully conquered Arhan Territory and seized its Royal Code. I pledge to fight within the rules of the fair Monarch Game henceforth and declare victory in the war against Arhan Territory."
The Royal Code scattered green light.
Arthur crushed it completely.
You have destroyed Arhan Territory's Royal Code.
Valkas Territory has won the war against Arhan Territory.
Valkas Territory's victories: 1.
"Woooah!"
"We won!"
The rebels raised their swords, proclaiming victory.
Just then, the dark clouds parted, and blazing sunlight bathed all of Arhan Territory.
Arthur glanced at the cheering troops before slumping against the wall and sliding down.
"Tired…."
It had been overexertion even for Arthur.
One rebel rushed to support him, but Arthur raised a hand to stop him.
'Now, what will you give me?'
Arthur had achieved beyond the impenetrable record.
Now, the Specialized Lord Nurturing Device and the Tower of Records.
What will you do for me?
Arthur opened a quest window as a hologram.
A sly smile crept onto his lips.
Solo Conquest Territory Buster complete.
'One left. That'll be quick.'
Facing a post-Protection Period territory was easier than Solo Conquest Territory Buster.
Vrrr!
Valkas Territory's Tower of Records is vibrating.
"Hm?"
Arthur's Lord Nurturing Device glowed. A hologram appeared before him.
It showed Valkas Territory's Tower of Records.
The tower radiated white light.
And at its peak.
A beam shot skyward.
Flash!
The light streaked upward too fast to follow.
Beyond Impenetrable Record Achieved.
The sole human Star Bearer has emerged.
Birth of the Star of Growth.
'The Lord's Star…!'
Despite his exhaustion, Arthur bolted upright.
The Lord's Star.
That's what everyone called it.
At this point, only five Lord's Stars were public.
Even before Arthur's death, fewer than thirty existed.
Arthur knew some holders—no humans among them, nor later.
Demon Lord Baal had the Star of Destruction and Star of Pursuit.
Celestial Lord Michael had the Star of Excellence.
Dragon Lord had the Star of Acquisition.
These stars were rarely achieved.
Three missions in short time? Far harder feats required.
No one could predict who had a Lord's Star.
Only self-disclosure or visible marks revealed it.
But one thing was certain when a Lord's Star rose.
'It becomes known to all under heaven.'
Every lord got the alert.
A lord who raised the Star of Growth was born.
'This is just the beginning.'
Arthur clenched his fist.
A feat he never achieved in his previous life!
A realm humans couldn't reach.
He'd attained one such realm.
A human raised a Lord's Star.
And holders received the star's title.
The title varied by name.
Baal's Star of Destruction granted destruction powers fitting its name.
Arthur's Star of Growth.
Lords gained titles for great feats or specific deeds.
Most were unique—no duplicates.
Among them, star titles were exceptional.
Quite outstanding, though not absolute pinnacle.
But superior to average titles.
A Lord's Star emerged when a lord achieved what others couldn't—past, present, or future.
Just obtaining it was boastworthy.
Arthur checked his granted title, the Star of Growth.
Special Abilities:
⦁ All Lord stats +5
⦁ Gain EXP from hunting boss monsters of equal or higher level.