Though merely a baron, Ronso has seized control of the north.
There are two reasons he was able to dominate the north.
First, an absurd amount of financial power.
Second, because he himself is the fourth calamity.
The group of evil individuals, the Calamity Sect.
As the baron of the north, Ronso has been hiding and causing much turmoil.
He secretly murdered the lords of territories in the north who did not follow his will at night and then seized their properties.
He also offered help to the territories that lost their centers of gravity due to the death of their lords, only to impose hefty taxes afterward.
The new lords of these territories?
They could not defy him, reigning as the king of the north, and became his dogs.
And Ronso coveted the Ballass Territory created by Hyun.
Ballass Territory generated five times the revenue of territories of the same size.
Moreover, this was just the beginning.
If Ballass Territory could attract more blacksmiths and foster their growth, evolving like a chicken hatching eggs, its value would become unimaginable.
Therefore, he attempted to take control forcefully.
Furthermore, Belin was supposedly killed by a monster, and he planned to sell her as a slave in the black market.
The most beautiful lord in the world would be auctioned as a slave.
He believed it would fetch an incredible price.
Having finished such plotting, Ronso suddenly got up from resting at home due to a commotion outside.
“Let’s go to the audience chamber!”
He led five knights and rushed straight to the audience chamber.
Fortunately, it seemed that the cause of the disturbance had not entered the lord’s castle.
Ronso quickly opened the door to the audience chamber and soon wore a puzzled expression.
Ronso had ordered a servant to bring food and drink for Belin.
She needed to be compliant for him to take over the territory safely.
But that servant was now sprawled on one side.
‘Who is that?’
And there was an unknown man.
He was sitting on a chair, one leg crossed, scattering a bunch of papers.
Ronso was taken aback for a moment.
A long brown coat, impressive armor hidden underneath.
An extraordinary smooth sword on his waist.
And with an expressionless face, he shuffled through those papers.
Those papers detailed all of Baron Ronso’s atrocities.
Shuffle-
“Taxes applied three times the amount set by the state.”
Shuffle-
“Evidence of bribes received from various territories.”
Shuffle-
“Indiscriminate murder of the residents of Ballass Territory.”
Shuffle-
“…And then.”
“What are you doing now?”
The man put his long index finger to his lips.
“I am reviewing a letter to be sent to His Majesty.”
“…!”
Ronso trembled.
No matter that he was the fourth calamity, Sword King Barad was a figure of a different caliber.
“…Who are you?”
Thunk-
The man who had been shuffling the papers met Ronso’s eyes.
“Blacksmith Hyun (現).”
Hearing that name, Ronso’s heart calmed.
His subordinates would sufficiently handle him before he could send off that letter.
Ronso signaled the knights with a look.
“How dare you, in front of a noble higher than you… How presumptuous!”
As he spoke, the knights reached for their sword grips.
That moment.
Crash-
1st time.
Swoosh
2nd time.
Screech
3rd time.
Crack
4th time.
Thud thud
5th time.
Bang bang bang.
7th and 8th times.
Ronso couldn’t believe it.
The man in front of him disappeared in the blink of an eye and then reappeared.
At the same time, five knights fell.
‘What, what is this power…?’
It was a power he had never seen before, so extraordinary that even he, known as a disaster, was amazed.
Hyunsoo, now back in his seat, said,
“That’s right, it was presumptuous.”
Was he admitting that he himself had been presumptuous?
Soon an announcement followed.
[The brightest star of the Kingdom of Goyard.]
[Viscount Hyunsoo has appeared.]
[You have encountered a noble higher than yourself.]
[Please show respect.]
“How dare a mere baron.”
Ronso stepped back.
Hyun’s visit here had not been long.
‘Has he become a viscount from a commoner during that time?’
A viscount is by no means a trivial title.
A viscount holds the power to manage multiple territories.
Ronso looked around.
“Ugh…”
“Groan…”
The knights were rolling on the ground, and they were indeed facing a viscount, a noble of higher rank than themselves.
But soon Ronso realized,
“…It was an interesting play.”
Ronso laughed.
***
[Ian: These knights really have impressive defenses. The Red Scarf Guild went down with one blow, but these guys need at least four.]
[Riselle: Looks like we’ll need support from the Gale members, too. Five of us against 200 soldiers seems tough.]
[Bellia: I still have a lot of MP left so I should be able to hold on, but who knows what’ll happen once it’s all used up.]
Hyunsoo was aware that they were in a very unfavorable situation.
Yes, Hyunsoo was a viscount.
However, he had jumped two ranks at once from a junior baron to a viscount.
This also had its side effects.
Normally, he would become a baron and stabilize with more knights and troops.
Then, once preparations were sufficient, he would become a viscount.
However, the rapid rise in rank was tiring.
The yet-to-be-established knights and troops were becoming an obstacle.
Translation:
Baron Ronso’s territory was the largest in this area, and the number of his troops was unimaginably large.
“Kwangmyeong won’t be able to last long.”
The easiest method was to press down Baron Ronso with a title and make him declare his surrender.
That would end all situations.
That’s why he overly dramatized the situation.
“…It was an interesting play.”
But Ronso was a clever person.
“Can someone who has not yet established his system be called a viscount? Moreover.”
Hyunsoo sensed the failure of his plan and tried to move quickly.
‘Then, taking Baron Ronso as a hostage…’
Hyunsoo’s face soon turned to embarrassment as he moved swiftly.
Screech-.
The moment Baron Ronso peeled off his facial skin, his body writhed and transformed.
Wriggle, wriggle.
Screech-.
[You cannot approach.]
Screech.
“Argh!”
Hyunsoo, attempting to approach, had no choice but to retreat due to the burning pain.
The completely revealed Ronso had become a completely different person.
An old man with lush white hair.
The old man with a whip had sunken eyes, prominent cheekbones, and gaunt cheeks.
It was the moment when a disaster, which had lived under new names in various kingdoms for over a hundred years, revealed itself.
[The appearance of the fourth disaster.]
Tingling-
Hyunsoo felt a tingling sensation throughout his body just by facing him.
It was his instinct telling him to run away.
“Why did you do it?”
Hyunsoo retreated involuntarily.
The embodiment of evil, with his white hair tightly tied with a string, clicked his tongue.
“If you had cooperated with me and become my puppet lord, this wouldn’t have happened.”
This incident.
“Today, I will erase everything of the Ballass territory, you foolish and pitiable thing.”
Hyunsoo knew it wasn’t just an empty threat.
The numbers in front of him proved it.
[Fourth Disaster Ronso Lv.394]
He was on a different level from any enemy Hyunsoo had faced before, overwhelmingly higher even than the fifth disaster, Jack.
In reality, the level difference between Hyunsoo and him was close to 100.
Hyunsoo kept his guard up.
That moment.
Slash-
The whip was swung roughly.
The moment Hyunsoo swiftly dodged the whip, its trajectory changed and struck him.
Crash-.
It felt like being hit directly by a steel rod rather than a whip.
[HP drops below 92%.]
With one normal hit, Hyunsoo saw 8% of his HP being chipped away.
“Quite sturdy. Normally, others are bisected in an instant.”
Whirlwhirlwhirl-
The whip was swung rapidly from multiple directions.
As the whip accelerated, Hyunsoo closed the distance.
“Weren’t you called a blacksmith?”
Ronso, seizing the opportunity, purely admired.
“You possess a strength that a blacksmith should not have.”
Clearly, someone had taught him.
That teaching was proving to be of great help to him.
Translation:
And Hyunsoo was looking for a time difference.
“It’s an attack that can’t be countered or quickly fabricated.”
In that case, there was only one thing Hyunsoo could do.
Hyunsoo, seeing a suitable gap, tried to unleash the sword’s cry.
That instant.
“Growl!”
Suddenly, from a black opened space, a dog with a bizarre appearance and melting body emerged.
It definitely had the form of a dog, but its size was twice that of a typical Doberman.
[Hellhound Lv.332]
The face of the grotesquely melting dog lunged at Hyunsoo.
The faces of the beast and Hyunsoo got close.
“Growl!”
The drool dripping from the beast sent chills down Hyunsoo’s spine.
Crash-
Hyunsoo struck the beast with his sword and soon saw about twenty hellhounds appearing from all directions.
The disasters of the Disaster Cult that worship evil.
They each had various characteristics.
Jack was close to a dark mage.
And Ronso seemed to be more of a tamer.
“Hellhounds are the hunting dogs of hell. They chew up even the bones and are byproducts of the divine beast Hydra.”
Ronso clicked his tongue.
“I have been continuously researching. Outsiders are rapidly closing the gap with those of this land. Their biggest vulnerability was this.”
Ronso’s eyes narrowed.
“It’s the power of mystery. If I make it impossible to use, you are nothing but fools lacking skill.”
Surrounded by dozens of hellhounds, Hyunsoo found it difficult to find a way out.
“If you try to use it, my whip will strike you, haha. When you think about it.”
Ronso sneered.
“Right now, you can’t even attempt it.”
Hyunsoo couldn’t deny that.
“Yap yap!”
“Squeak!”
“Cack!”
Currently, all Hyunsoo could do was fend off the hellhounds attacking from every direction.
And in the moment he tried to find a gap.
Slash-
The whip struck Hyunsoo.
Hyunsoo contorted his face.
‘I must find a way.’
Today, he realized for the first time.
A nearly 100-level difference was not easy, even for Hyunsoo, who had overcome countless difficulties before.
Moreover, the tamer power that he possessed was profoundly beyond common sense.
There were none of Kwangmyeong’s allies to help him as when he faced Jack.
But as always, Hyunsoo was thinking of a way out.
At that moment, a being that Hyunsoo had long harbored stirred.
He is a mischievous creature.
A brat who wanted to be petted whenever Hyunsoo did something right.
That being spoke.
[The Egg of the Wolf wants to protect you.]
***
Ronso thought it ended too easily than expected.
After all, the difference in power was too clear.
Then.
Ronso saw an inexplicable sight.
Crash
Crack
Bang bang bang-
Suddenly, the man allowed the hellhounds to attack him.
Once the hellhounds bite, they do not let go.
Shoulder, left arm, both thighs, side.
The man’s eyes sparkled even as his entire body was bitten.
Swoosh-
Watching his moving sword, Ronso admired him.
The moment he felt the rising power, he tensed up, realizing it belonged to the Sword King, and finally acknowledged it.
“Such incredible fighting spirit.”
[Even if it breaks]
[In a desperate moment of crisis, you have found a breakthrough.]
[The effectiveness of your skill increases by 8%.]
Seeing his will to not retreat even in that situation, Ronso admired him.
However, there was one thing he didn’t know.
His whip could momentarily become five times faster.
His whip targeted the arm of Hyunsoo, who held the sword.
Swoosh-
Soon, Ronso made a puzzled expression.
Crack-!
“……?”
A large egg appeared, blocking his whip.
As a top-tier tamer, Ronso could sense the true value of that egg.
“Why, why… are you there…?”
Soon, the hellhounds let go of Hyunsoo’s body in terror and backpedaled.
Just facing the egg was enough to make the hellhounds tremble with fear.
“Yap yap…!”
“Squeak…!”
But that wasn’t what mattered.
The mysterious, unbreakable egg’s defense.
That one act of defense created an opportunity for Hyunsoo.
Hyunsoo, his body covered in bite marks, completed the movement of his sword.
Sweat ran down Ronso’s back.
The surging presence of the Sword King dominated the entire narrow audience hall.
“Sword’s Cry.”
The swordmaster’s technique tore through everything within 20 meters.
Cliche Novel 
If you use machine translation, at least proofreader it
LikeLiked by 1 person