“Tsk tsk, what on earth is His Majesty thinking?”
In the banquet hall, Marquis Constinu looked at those from the Ballas territory with disdain.
Marquis Constinu is one of the three stars of the Goyard Kingdom.
He, too, did not like the outsider, Hyun.
“Prime Minister Nel of Ballas Territory greets Marquis Constinu.”
Seeing the woman named Nel, Constinu turned his head away.
It was a thorough disregard.
There was no one in this banquet hall with as much influence as he had.
Because of this, others at the event also ignored the members of the Guild Bright Future.
Constinu looked at the talented individuals filling the banquet hall.
Nobles and talents from all over the country were gathered here, destined to lead the Goyard Kingdom in the future.
Before he knew it, nobles from various regions had filled the seats around him.
“The star of the kingdom! It is an honor to meet Marquis Constinu!”
“Oh, are you a child of the Brack family? I heard you became a knight this time?”
“Yes, I will train diligently to become a knight who protects Marquis Constinu!”
“Marquis, how have you been!”
“Haha, it is a joy to have so many come to greet me.”
Constinu was pleased and raised his glass.
One by one, people in the banquet hall started to drink.
“You are drinking heavily today.”
“When else will I drink if not on such a joyous day?”
Constinu downed another glass and made a puzzled expression.
The exterior of Boldrom Fortress resembles a coliseum.
It is a massive fortress built around a circular wall, with the center open.
In the open sky, black currents were swirling.
“Hmm?”
The black currents condensed and fell towards Constinu.
Boooom!
Crash-
“……?”
Constinu looked puzzled.
Just a moment ago, the nobles laughing and chatting with him were being torn apart, their blood splattering.
The alcohol’s effect evaporated instantly.
“Ugh, aaah!”
“Kyahhh!”
Constinu could see a young woman and a man standing on the ground.
The infamy of the woman with long red hair was well known.
She possessed great power and worshipped an evil god.
People called her the First Calamity.
[First Calamity Helena appears!]
[First Calamity Helena Lv. 436]
The man standing beside her wielded a massive greatsword with a wavy blade.
Standing at 2 meters 20 centimeters tall, he was known for his unparalleled close combat skills among the five calamities.
[Second Calamity Rogal appears!]
[Second Calamity Rogal Lv. 429]
Constinu stepped back.
[Status Effect Calamity is activated.]
[A massive killing instinct paralyzes all reason.]
[Fear and terror seize everything.]
“Ugh…”
“Argh…”
Constinu looked around.
Those without martial training.
Those with weak bodies were foaming at the mouth and collapsing.
Constinu, too, was engulfed by immense fear and terror.
Helena soon raised a staff shaped like a serpent’s head.
Crackle-
[The Book of the Evil God is activated.]
[A massive barrier engulfs the entire Boldrom Fortress.]
[Entry into Boldrom Fortress is prohibited.]
[Helena’s level is too low to use the Book of the Evil God.]
[Levels above 450 cannot enter.]
[Levels above 400 have a slim chance of entering.]
[Levels above 300 can enter after a long time.]
The Book of the Evil God.
The power bestowed by the evil god for the calamities.
It was similar to the power Jack, the Fifth Calamity, had manifested.
Helena struck the ground with her staff.
Crash-!
“Since you killed the demon, you must pay for your sins, right?”
The ground touched by the tip of the staff turned to sand and sank below.
The size of the sinkhole-like formation gradually increased.
From within it, a mysterious sound emerged.
The faces of those present hardened.
From the collapsed ground, something the size of a human arm began to rise.
‘Antennae?’
It was the antennae of a black insect.
Soon, a massive creature standing at 2.5 meters tall revealed itself.
[Giant Ant Lv.354]
Approximately 150 giant ants emerged from the ground.
What made Constinu more tense were the ants spreading their wings and taking flight.
[Soldier Ant Lv.375]
The soldier ants carried spears and swords, numbering about twenty.
‘So the First Calamity is related to summoning magic…’
As Helena swung her staff, a black current seeped into the bodies of the ants.
[The physical defense of the Giant Ants increases by 30%.]
[The magical defense of the Giant Ants increases by 30%.]
Kiyaaah-!
A giant ant charged at a noble.
One of the knights he led stepped forward to block it.
The brave knight swung his sword confidently at the giant ant.
Clang-
The knight’s eyes wavered.
“W-what is this…?”
The carapace of the giant ant didn’t even have a scratch.
The average level of the knights was 320.
The defense of the level 350+ giant ants, boosted by 30%, was beyond their capability to handle.
The ant grabbed the knight with its jaws.
Crunch-
The knight’s armor crumpled like paper, and as the ant bit down, he was torn in half.
Splatter-
“The calamity has begun.”
“Aaaaah!”
“Protect the nobles!”
“Prime Minister, over here… Aaagh!”
“Aaaaah!”
Constinu’s face turned pale.
The weapons of the ordinary knights could not affect the giant ants.
Constinu assessed the situation with cold precision.
‘This is the end of Goyard…’
The end of the kingdom does not mean the death of all its people.
The individuals present here are the talents who will lead the kingdom in ten years.
If all of the approximately 600 people here were to die, Goyard would suffer irreparable damage.
At that moment, following Helena’s gesture, dozens of giant ants turned their heads towards Constinu.
“Marquis Constinu, do not worry!”
Knights and ants clashed. Among them were some outstanding knights.
Those known as sword masters of a territory.
Powerful individuals reaching level 350.
However, even they were being overwhelmed by three or four soldier ants each.
“Yikes!”
“This can’t be happening!”
“Sir Rams fell so easily…!”
The nobles and talents who had been standing by Constinu fled.
Those who had once sworn to protect him with their lives were now running away with their tails between their legs.
Constinu saw an ant with its sharp mandibles approaching him.
“Yikes!”
Just then,
Swoosh-!
Boom-!
A single arrow sent the giant ant flying 20 meters away.
‘W-what…!?’
Constinu was astonished.
The arrow was only half the length of a normal arrow.
Moreover, the ant that was hit by the arrow had its thick carapace pierced, and it was writhing, spilling thick green blood.
Looking back, he saw people advancing instead of fleeing.
Constinu took in their sight.
At the forefront was the woman he had disregarded, Nel.
“Let us escort you. The mages are forming a barrier spell, so we just need to hold on for a bit.”
In the midst of the fearful situation, Constinu, who had shown disgrace, lashed out.
“How can people like you stop those monsters!”
At that moment, a giant soldier ant descending from the air was struck by a man.
Thud-
It was the dragon knight, Lisel.
And then,
Swoosh-
Swoosh-
Swoosh-
Ian and Hye-ji stood on either side, shooting arrows furiously.
Ian’s arrows were less accurate but disrupted the ants.
Hye-ji’s arrows were less destructive but extremely precise.
Kieeek-
Seven ants simultaneously spewed poison.
At that moment, Bark appeared and slammed his shield down.
Clang-
The poison froze before it could reach Constinu.
Constinu looked up at the sky.
Tae-hoon kicked six times in the air.
Pa, papapa, papat-!
He kicked away the soldier ants trying to snatch the nobles from the air.
Then, he leapt up again and stomped down on a soldier ant flying above.
Boom-
Beyond the rising dust, a skilled swordsman emerged.
This lone warrior roamed the battlefield freely.
Swoosh-
Papapapap-
Thud
Constinu couldn’t believe it.
The level displayed for these people didn’t account for such strength.
‘What in the world…?’
How could they so easily overpower those of similar levels, around 330-350?
Constinu soon found the key difference.
‘Artifacts…?’
They all wielded objects with special powers.
These were what made them strong.
In any case,
[A defensive barrier is being formed.]
A barrier formed by dozens of mages separated the allies from the enemies.
‘…Did they save me?’
Constinu, who had mocked them as outsiders while enjoying the banquet.
The reason for mocking them as outsiders was due to his suspicion that they wouldn’t be serious about defending the kingdom.
But he was wrong.
The Guild Bright Future had formed a strong bond with Constinu.
However, Constinu knew.
‘We are all going to die…’
That the situation was hopeless.
Meanwhile,
Nel was whispering with Hyun.
Hyun gave instructions.
[Guild Master Hyun: …I think it’s ready now.]
Nel’s eyes wavered.
She pondered over him for a long time.
[Nel: Understood. But are you confident about making that sword?]
Nel didn’t get to hear the answer.
Helena swung her finger gracefully.
[Whisper and guild chat are now restricted.]
Thanks to the barrier, Nel had gained some time to hold out.
She looked around.
Not only were there NPCs, but a few players were also present.
Nel’s heart pounded with excitement.
‘Finally.’
Perhaps this was the moment she had been waiting for a long time.
Nel took action.
***
AJ Internet Broadcasting Station.
The status of Boldrom Fortress was being broadcast on dozens of monitors.
All the broadcast screens were from the viewpoints of the players inside Boldrom Fortress.
BJ Beren.
Currently achieving 700,000 viewers, he has 400,000 subscribers.
His content mainly focused on showing the lives of nobles.
By a stroke of luck, he was able to broadcast from the banquet.
“Is there no BJ willing to stream directly to us?”
“No, there isn’t…”
Producer Kim made a bitter expression.
Individual BJs would not want to share their audience in a situation where they could take all the views.
Moreover, the public interest was high.
700,000 viewers.
460,000 viewers.
390,000 viewers.
These were the viewer counts of the players at that event.
At that moment, cheers erupted from various places.
It was the voices of the BJs and experts explaining the current situation.
-Who are they!?
-Mysterious individuals saved Marquis Constinu in a moment of crisis.
-Brothers…! That’s Lisel, right? The genius trio? Isn’t that the Saint’s child!?
-Brothers, what on earth is happening!?
“…!?”
“…!?”
Producer Kim and Director Lee were shocked.
“Why are they there?”
“Why are they together?”
High-ranking individuals famous enough to stir the nation. Their presence together astonished everyone the most.
As a result, the viewer counts of the broadcasts began to increase even more.
In fact, Lisel, Bark, and Saint Belia were quite famous in Ares.
Moreover, the genius trio was well-known to everyone.
At that moment,
Bzzzz
‘Huh?’
Producer Kim answered the phone.
-This is Kim Hye-in. I’m calling to negotiate exclusive broadcasting rights with AJ Internet Broadcasting Station. I understand that Director Lee Taeho has strong ties with the station’s officials. Please issue an official order to halt all BJ broadcasts.
“An official order? That’s not an easy task.”
Exclusive broadcasting? It’s possible if they pursue them for violation of portrait rights.
But it’s not an easy task.
Director Lee took the phone.
“I’d like to hear the conditions. Give us a clear reason why we should do this.”
Director Lee was a thorough person.
Even though he was once a director of a terrestrial network and had many connections, issuing an official order was a serious matter.
However,
“…What?”
Director Lee’s eyes wavered as he listened to Hye-in.
‘This is something we must do.’
Director Lee was astonished.
“I will issue the order immediately.”
Director Lee, watching the monitors, was filled with admiration.
“Finally?”
***
[The broadcast is ending.]
The viewers were confused.
– What’s going on?
– Are you kidding?
– What’s happening all of a sudden!
The BJs’ broadcasts, which they had been enjoying, were suddenly cut off.
– Is this for real?
– They say it was forcibly ended due to portrait rights issues.
At that moment.
– Hey, AJ Internet Broadcasting Station got exclusive rights!
– What?
– How did AJ Internet Broadcasting Station pull that off!
– Let’s go!
The viewers moved quickly.
Soon, the viewers who joined were astonished.
– Look at the viewer count rising.
– They’re absorbing the viewers from the shut-down BJs.
[Current viewer count: 1,101,061]
– Wow, AJ Internet Broadcasting Station hit the jackpot.
– The guild name just got revealed!
– What, it was a guild?
– But why was the guild name kept secret until now?
[Guild Bright Future]
– Guild Bright Future?
– That’s a good name.
– Where is Bright Future, you weebs, lol
The experts were also surprised.
– This is astonishing! The top rankers in our country were all concentrated in one guild!
– Who is the master of this guild that was able to gather such individuals?
Then, another unexpected event occurred.
[Guild Bright Future changes its name.]
– ???
– What, what’s this? Why change the guild name all of a sudden…
[Changed to Hyun’s Forge]
– …!?
– Wh-what…!?
– Blacksmith Hyuuuun!!!
– It’s Hyun’s forge. The long-hidden Hyun’s Forge reveals itself at last!!!
It was a shock.
The long-veiled Hyun’s Forge finally spread its wings.
This tremendous shock spread beyond the country to the world.
The shock was proven by a single number.
[Current viewer count: 1,613,013]
Cliche Novel 