Hyunsoo led the guild members to the Aram estate where he was met by the 50 soldiers who had been waiting for him.
The reason he brought the guild members was because they would be working together with these soldiers going forward.
All the guild members received the title of Knight, bestowed upon them by the Junior Baron.
As Hyunsoo headed to the Ballass estate, his heart couldn’t help but tremble.
“I wonder how everyone is doing?” he thought.
The day he left, everyone had looked at him with regret.
Hyunsoo couldn’t help but smile at the pleasant thoughts that entered his mind.
“The Lord must be quite surprised,” he thought.
When Hyunsoo had previously visited the Ballass estate, he had been just one of many insignificant, shabby users.
The only exceptional thing about him was his skill as a blacksmith.
At that time, Lord Belin seemed like such an esteemed person.
Naturally, as the ruler of an estate, even a small one on the frontier, he was definitely a remarkable figure.
Now, Hyunsoo was returning as a changed man, with a spring in his step.
Suddenly, upon reaching the Ballass estate, Hyunsoo received a notification:
Ding!
[Hidden Quest: The Nobility Changes.]
[Hidden Quest: The Noble Returns]
Rank: S
Restrictions: Those who have received communication from Belin.
Rewards: Possible ascension to Lordship, a potion crafted by Belin.
Penalty if failed: Lowest favorability with Belin.
Description: Belin, feeling insufficient alone in maintaining the lordship of Ballass, had once spoken of sharing his stake with you.
As he feared, Baron Ronso has taken control of the estate.
Destroy his forces.
Hyunsoo’s face scrunched up.
It seemed he had heard about this from Pher.
“It’s a concern. Baron Ronso, that greedy man, won’t sit idly by,” he thought.
It appeared that they had already taken control of the Ballass estate.
Another hidden fact came to light.
“Belin’s potion?”
It meant the potion was crafted by her, a field completely different from blacksmithing.
“Did Belin have a talent for alchemy?”
Hyunsoo wondered why she had kept that a secret.
For now, he put those thoughts aside.
Hyunsoo quickly informed his guild members.
Baron Ronso’s men were blocking the entrance, seemingly controlling the access of outsiders.
First, they dealt with them quickly and then climbed straight onto the roof.
They moved silently and swiftly, made possible by the buff from Saintess Bellia’s child, Belia.
[Secret Steps]
[Completely erases the sound of your footsteps and conceals your presence.]
From the roof, Hyunsoo witnessed a scene that contorted his face with rage: a young, drenched boy blacksmith was visible, with a knight in front of him lighting a match.
Hyunsoo remembered the boy.
The boy named Karan had once asked him during a lesson, “I want to become a great blacksmith like you, Hyunsoo!”
Immediately invoking the lord’s command, Hyunsoo stopped the match from being lit.
“……I will kill them all.”
[The effect of your noble title shines brightly.]
[An exceptionally special notification rings out for 3 days.]
The sudden appearance of the Count startled the knights, their expressions turning to confusion.
The knight named Pon, who had just been about to light the match, was the most shocked.
“A Count……?”
A Count is one of the higher nobles.
Pon quickly estimated their numbers.
Including the Count, there were four knights.
“Could it be the most brilliant star, the negotiator we’ve heard about recently?”
Pon was clearly perplexed but quickly assessed the situation.
There were 50 allies who had entered this place.
The soldiers numbered 200.
Furthermore, Baron Ronso was the king of this region.
Reinforcements could arrive at any time from Baron Ronso’s territory.
“He became a Count overnight as a national hero.”
Pon smirked like a sly fox.
“Just four knights? A single blacksmith and four knights?”
The tension visibly relaxed.
He now realized how absurd Hyunsoo’s earlier threat of “I will kill them all” was.
Thus, he spoke.
“So, you are the new lord of the Ballass estate? Welcome, Count, and what good news.”
Pon smiled brightly.
“Now, take your place at the former lord Belin’s seat and govern the north together with Baron Ronso, who will bestow great wealth and generate substantial profits.”
This was true.
If he collaborated with Baron Ronso, there would be nothing to fear.
Pon glanced at the knights.
“The fight with us will not be an easy task for you, Count Hyunsoo.”
This fact also made Hyunsoo hesitate just for a moment on the spot…
“Bullshit.”
“……?”
Pon was taken aback.
Hyunsoo gave the order.
“Kill them all, leave no one alive.”
This command utterly bewildered Pon.
Given the current forces, they were overwhelmingly superior.
Especially since Count Hyunsoo was the easiest target.
Was he not just a blacksmith?
And Ger also had many concerns.
“There are too many enemies.”
He swallowed nervously.
Moreover, it seemed difficult for Hyunsoo, a blacksmith, to endure.
But then…
Something extraordinary happened.
Thwack—
It seemed as if their hearing had suddenly intensified.
The knights had doused dozens of blacksmiths in oil.
The oil, which had soaked the blacksmiths, began to float up into the air like tiny droplets.
“Wow…” someone exclaimed, not even realizing they had spoken.
Thousands of tiny oil droplets floated in mid-air.
The moment a knight, as if enchanted, touched one of the droplets with the tip of his finger.
Swoosh—
The droplets reversed their course, attacking the knights instead.
Hyunsoo then moved his left arm.
Dozens of blacksmiths simultaneously mimicked his gesture and were pushed to one side.
Swoosh—
The displaced blacksmiths wore puzzled expressions, and soon a knight standing on the roof shot an arrow.
Boom—
Pon saw the arrow hit precisely in the chest of a knight standing next to him.
It was just an ordinary arrow.
But then…
Whooosh—
Suddenly, the arrow ignited a flame that quickly spread, engulfing the bodies of the knights in that area.
Pon was shocked by the heat covering his face.
However, these beings here were different from real people.
They possessed superhuman bodies.
Of course, it would be a lie to say it wasn’t hot.
But it wasn’t enough to disorient them.
“Wizards!”
“Quickly, put out the fire!”
Whoosh—
A wizard invoked water-related magic, which surged like a wave, quenching the flames clinging to the knights’ bodies.
Only about 20% damage was inflicted.
More than forty knights on the rooftop laughed at the knights on the roof.
The knights, marked with the symbol of a hammer and anvil, represented the Order of Radiance.
Pon and his knights were dumbfounded.
[Knight Pon Lv.318]
[Knight Gail Lv.309]
“How dare these foreigners…”
NPCs are the rulers of this land.
In fact, 80% of foreigners couldn’t match the level of the original NPCs.
King of Swords Barad’s level had reached the mid-450s.
Yet, the official highest-ranking foreigner had not yet reached level 400.
The disparity in strength between the foreign knights and NPC knights was clear.
Especially since there were only four of them, it was almost laughable.
Then.
[The Great Child.]
Two knights landed on the ground, while two continued to guard the rooftop.
And when a woman, who appeared to be a priest, began to pray, a faint divine power radiated from the bodies of three people.
[All stats increased by 18%.]
[Increase attack and defense by 17%.]
[Increase skill damage by 20%.]
Bark and Lisel stood back to back.
There were more than 40 knights in total.
In this situation, Bark spoke first.
“I’ll take down 15.”
“Then I will also take down exactly 15,” Lisel replied.
Both glanced at Ian, who was standing on the rooftop.
“I’m a rookie, so I’ll take down 20.”
Are they crazy?
“These damned fools…” they muttered in unison.
“Frost Wave.”
“Dragon Enchanted Sword.”
“Sulfuric Guidance Shot.”
“……?”
Pon was bewildered.
It all happened in just 3 seconds.
Pon looked to his left. Seven knights had been frozen solid by a raging wave.
He looked to the right.
A creature he had never seen before, a dragon, had created an explosive force that swallowed nine knights.
And around him…
Ten knights who had surrounded them had sequentially turned to skeletons and then to dust scattering in the wind.
“So Ian’s bow took down ten?” Pon mused.
Soon, the knights who had been frozen broke free from their status effects, emerging from the ice.
The knights who had been caught in the explosion appeared severely wounded but were approaching again.
However, Pon took a step back, intimidated by their demonstrated cunning.
“Where did these monstrous beings come from?”
The knights began to clash with them.
But the members of the Guild of Radiance knew.
“It’s hard to keep this up.”
“If it drags out, we might lose.”
Even though they possessed powers surpassing those of the knights, they had their limits.
“Moreover, they have reinforcements coming.”
Hyunsoo had deliberately stationed 50 soldiers from Aram estate elsewhere.
They would likely be annihilated if they came here.
This battle had to be borne by the players alone.
“If it goes wrong, the damage will be too great.”
They exchanged endless attacks.
They knew for certain that the knights’ skills surpassed those of the players.
Despite all their damage, artifact abilities, and levels, there was something they couldn’t match.
It was raw skill.
The knights were those who had wielded swords all their lives, whereas they were merely players who logged into the game.
Initially overwhelming, the Guild of Radiance increasingly found themselves being pushed back.
“What we need now is for Hyunsoo to quickly take Baron Ronso hostage.”
That was the plan of the Guild of Radiance.
Therefore, Hyunsoo immediately ran towards the castle.
However, there was one thing they hadn’t anticipated.
***
The Special User Management Team, consisting of Lee Min-hwa and Team Leader Kim Tae-seok, was quietly monitoring the situation. Multiple screens displayed various characters involved in the unfolding drama.
“……It’s too much. It was never going to be easy for the Guild of Radiance to handle the military force of an estate, especially with the unexpected variable of Baron Ronso,” Lee Ji-hee said, her expression one of regret.
User Hyunsoo seemed close to acquiring the Ballass estate through his efforts and achievements. However, if things continued as they were, the Ballass estate would completely collapse. This was compounded by the variable they referred to as Baron Ronso.
“The Fourth Calamity Ronso.”
That was it.
The Fourth Calamity Ronso was the financier of the Disaster Sect. Additionally, Baron Ronso had secretly disguised himself and had been hiding deep within the Goyard Kingdom for a long time. Between this variable and the estate’s military forces, the Guild of Radiance faced overwhelming odds.
“……Once Ronso reveals his identity, he will kill everyone in the Ballass estate and then disappear,” Lee Ji-hee added somberly.
“……That sounds about right.”
However, Kim Tae-seok, still hopeful that not all was lost, remarked, “Hyunsoo has always been a user who creates variables, hasn’t he?”
Gradually, Lee Ji-hee and Team Leader Kim Tae-seok found themselves rooting for Hyunsoo. Perhaps it was because Hyunsoo’s stories always managed to touch them deeply.
Then, a moment later, a new variable unfolded before their eyes that left Kim Tae-seok and Lee Ji-hee in awe. The nature of this new variable, even they couldn’t predict.
CEO Lee Se-jin had said, “That title is a power uniquely granted to him by the supercomputer Ares itself, it’s his own unique power and even I cannot predict what will manifest.”
They witnessed the new variable that had appeared for Hyunsoo.
[The Sentence Title is completed.]
Cliche Novel 