King Ben.

He was massing soldiers on the border where the Prahum Kingdom and the Kingdom of Goyard met, trading nerves with Barad.

Looking at Barad standing in the distance, Ben gave a bitter smile.

He was a formidable powerhouse himself, but Sword King Barad was no less.

But then Ben broke into a booming laugh.

“Ha-ha-ha.”

His loyal aide asked,

“Your Majesty, has something good happened?”

“There has. Something very good. Recently, Barad cut down eight nobles.”

The aide wore a puzzled expression.

How could it be good news that Barad had safely eliminated the forces opposing him?

“Lukburk may have been part of the opposing faction, but he only wanted a different approach; his intent was the same.”

A different approach and the same intent? The aide pricked up his ears.

“Barad, even as king of a small country, focused on training so he would not bend to a great power, while Lukburk’s opinion was that they should expand the kingdom even recklessly. Both of them put forward their own moves in order to protect the Kingdom of Goyard.”

Ben’s eyes narrowed.

“Lukburk is a man who, in his own way, developed the Kingdom of Goyard for a long time. But in the end, in reaching for the throne through a different method, he was demoted. That is where the problem begins.”

Tsk, tsk—Ben clicked his tongue.

“Even if their factions clashed, in wartime they were always prepared to join hands and fight together. But Lukburk has been demoted and has lost his power, and those who followed him will not lend that power to the king.”

Yes, a fracture.

Cracks had begun to form in the Kingdom of Goyard.

“Then it won’t be long, will it?”

At those words, Ben shook his head.

“That, we cannot know. Those two, who both bear the pretext of protecting the kingdom, might change their minds with even a single small connecting link.”

“Do you think such a connecting link even exists?”

The aide sneered at Barad.

After all, one was the man who had demoted the other, and the other was the man who had been demoted.

It would not be easy.

*****

THUD—!

A groan slipped from Hyunsoo’s lips as he hit the ground.

It was hard for him to even move a single finger.

[You are afflicted with the status effect Severe Fatigue.]

The status effect Fatigue is divided into several stages, and Severe Fatigue is a level where it is hard to even hold yourself upright.

‘Makes sense.’

Fighting the Giant King, Hyunsoo had felt his muscles contracting and releasing over and over.

That was how constantly tense his body had been.

As soon as the Giant King hunt ended, the tension snapped away with a pop.

But he could not stop smiling.

‘I did it......’

This hunt was a bit special.

Because it was something he had accomplished entirely on his own, without even a sliver of anyone else’s Contribution.

And on top of that, there was the power of Reverse that he had discovered in such a dramatic moment.

Someone might say he had just been lucky.

But Hyunsoo was certain.

‘This is my power.’

If some other blacksmith had opened up this kind of power, would they have produced this level of might?

No.

Smashing down with two Rare swords at once and smashing down with two Legendary-grade artifacts at once were completely different things.

Yes, this was something Hyunsoo had achieved purely by himself.

And to Hyunsoo, who had for the first time monopolized the Contribution of a Named Monster, the notifications came in.

[You have hunted the Giant King.]

[You gain 213,572 experience.]

[You have leveled up.]

[You have leveled up......]

[You have reached Level 240.]

[You have leveled up.]

[As an additional reward, you gain 10% extra experience.]

[You have leveled up.]

[You have leveled up.]

Hyunsoo shot straight up to Level 258.

It was truly an astounding level.

‘The experience needed to level up in the 200s is more than four times that of the 100s.’

That was how drastically the required experience changed as the front digit went up.

In that situation, gaining almost 30 levels was a tremendous feat.

[You gain 87,803 gold.]

Eighty-seven thousand eight hundred three gold. An enormous fortune, roughly equivalent to 87.8 million won in cash.

[You have obtained Unique mineral Grandlight Ore.]

[You have obtained the Giant King’s Blood.]

[You have obtained 12 Blessed Reinforcement Stones.]

[You have obtained Giant’s Armor.]

[The Giant King’s ...... ]

The notifications went on without end.

And then the notification Hyunsoo had been looking forward to the most hit him.

[Class Quest: Hunt the Giant King completed.]

[You have completed it with an astonishing result.]

[You gain 50% subjugation rate.]

[You have reached a total subjugation rate of 85%.]

[You have satisfied the condition to take Kan and the entire Storm Brigade.]

A thrill ran through Hyunsoo’s chest.

All five members of the Storm Brigade.

From now on, they would protect Radiance alone, with the base as their center.

[You can receive a reward from Marquis Lukburk.]

On this part, Hyunsoo was puzzled.

Marquis Lukburk was, in truth, someone who at this very moment must be thinking of Hyunsoo as his mortal enemy.

And Hyunsoo did not have the strength left to so much as twitch a finger.

The status effect Fatigue was a notification urging the user to rest.

It popped up when you had been logged in for a long time, or when you were mentally tense or exhausted.

Because of that, it was a status effect that could not be cured by something like a potion.

Just then, Luk came closer.

Luk looked at Hyunsoo, who had collapsed and become a bloody mess from a single blow.

‘He is my father’s enemy.’

Even so, Luk was a man who possessed a knight’s spirit.

From the start, the very fact that he had become a knight without borrowing his father’s power was proof that he was, in his own way, upright. Was it not?

“I will support you.”

Luk slung Hyunsoo’s arm over the back of his neck to help him stand.

Hyunsoo’s vision was spinning, so he did not bother refusing Luk’s support.

The two of them started to leave that place.

*****

Marquis Lukburk.

The greatest noble of the Kingdom of Goyard had one thing he treasured more than anything in the world.

It was not money or power.

It was his one and only son in this world, Luk.

From the time he was born, people had called him a prodigy of the sword, and he grew up straighter and more upright than anyone.

Wherever they went, people would praise him, saying, “What a truly splendid son you have.”

‘Father, I do not want to become a knight by borrowing your power. I will, without fail, become the kingdom’s commander by my own strength and protect you.’

He was a child so precious he would not hurt even if you put him in your eye.

If someone were to ask Lukburk whether he wanted his son’s happiness or to become king, he could answer without a moment’s hesitation.

‘I would rather my son be happy than become king.’

But then a soldier who had gone on subjugation with Luk had come rushing into the territory.

“Y-Your Excellency, did you say Luk is......?”

As he heard the soldier’s account of what had happened, Marquis Lukburk’s world collapsed.

He was about to rush out barefoot, having even forgotten to put on his shoes, when he stopped.

Lukburk was the kingdom’s foremost noble.

A noble who, together with Marquis Vallo, stood shoulder to shoulder to support the kingdom.

In that moment, he resented his own title.

His son was precious.

But Marquis Lukburk knew what he had to do right now.

“......Call up the troops. We must kill the Giant King before it awakens all of its strength, no matter what.”

And at the same time, he gave another order.

“Prepare people to recover the bodies.”

His voice was choked.

Lukburk knew, in truth.

The Giant King had awakened, and Luk still had not returned here.

Most of the soldiers who had been with Luk had already come back.

Those who had not yet returned were dead.

He led his troops inward.

His arm trembled.

To force himself to stay calm, he gripped the hem of his pants.

Lukburk might have reached for Barad’s seat, but he was still a rather excellent noble.

‘The families of the soldiers are just as precious as my own child.’

Was he an evildoer just because he had reached for the throne?

You could not simply look at it that way.

Just then—

“M-My Lord...... S-Sir Luk is on his way back!”

“What!?”

This time, even Lukburk could not uphold the dignity of a noble.

He pushed through the ranks of soldiers, stumbling forward in a rush.

In the distance, he spotted his son Luk, coming this way while supporting another man.

Marquis Lukburk narrowed his eyes.

‘Junior Baron Hyunsoo......?’

His teeth were about to clamp together.

But slowly, they relaxed, and his lips parted a little.

Because unlike Hyunsoo, who was in tatters, Luk was far too unscathed.

“Junior Baron Hyunsoo ordered us to return. It seems that after sending us back, he went to rescue Sir Luk.”

At the report from the soldier named Kan, his heart softened at once.

He had saved his one and only child in this world!

Luk and Marquis Lukburk drew close.

“Father, this man killed the Giant King.”

“......What?”

From Kan’s words, he had assumed Hyunsoo had run away after saving Luk.

But killed it?

Lukburk truly did have questions.

Why had he saved his child?

Did he not hate him?

Then he took in the sight of him again: utterly covered in blood, barely able to hold himself upright.

And he realized.

‘Because it was what he had to do as a knight......’

The Giant King had been regaining the strength it had lost.

If they did not hurry and kill it, the thing would have dealt a great blow to Araham Territory and, further, to the entire kingdom.

Whether they were mortal enemies or not.

Whether he hated Luk, his son, or not, he had simply done what needed to be done.

His heart of hatred toward him had not completely disappeared.

But in this moment, there was one thing he was certain of.

[Marquis Lukburk resolves to bestow the highest reward upon you.]

At the very least, he would repay what had been done for him.

Even if they remained people who were at cross purposes with each other, he would at least do this.

Having finished making that vow, Lukburk—

He was about to forget even his dignity as a noble and embrace his son to share his joy.

Luk too shouted in happiness.

“Father, I came back alive. I made it back!”

Soon the soldiers cheered as well.

“Waaahhh!”

“Sir Luk and Sir Hyunsoo have returned!”

“Sir Hyunsoo has killed the Giant King!”

“Uwoooooh!”

Their joyful shouts ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) shook the forest.

The soldiers, too, had believed, at the story that the Giant King had awakened, that they were all going to die.

After all, the thing would inevitably come charging into Araham Territory.

That was why they were shouting for joy.

“My Lord, when we return, you must hold a festival!”

“It’s a truly joyous day!”

“I’m going to drink myself under the table!”

Lukburk himself could hardly hide his happy heart.

He was about to shout out with all his might, “Drink to your heart’s content!”

Just then—

“Is it really that joyful?”

At the cold voice that spread through the cheers, Marquis Lukburk and Luk stopped in the middle of embracing each other.

The soldiers abruptly cut off their laughter as well.

There stood Hyunsoo, his expression cold.

Just now awakened from the status effect Excessive Fatigue, Hyunsoo spoke.

“Before being joyful, isn’t there something else that should come first?”

Something else?

Lukburk wore a puzzled expression.

And Hyunsoo walked forward.

He drew a sword from his breast and drove it hard into the ground.

THUNK—

The blood flowing from his arm ran down the blade and soaked into the earth.

Drip, drip—

Luk knew what that sword was.

It was the sword Hyunsoo had picked up beside a fallen soldier, the one whose body he had been leaning on as they walked.

“The owner of this sword was a boy with a baby face.”

A brutal silence fell.

The expressions of the soldiers who had been rejoicing turned heavy.

Hyunsoo swept his cold gaze across them and spoke.

“Before being joyful, the order is to mourn the dead.”

At those words, Luk bowed his head first in silent tribute.

Then the soldiers and knights all followed in a moment of silence.

In that gap, as he watched Hyunsoo slowly lower his head in remembrance, Lukburk’s eyes trembled.

‘How......’

Marquis Lukburk.

He had not wanted to become king.

In a chaotic world—

He had only wanted to protect this kingdom, in his own way.

His way and His Majesty’s way had simply been different.

If someone was a person who could wish only for the peace and well-being of this kingdom, he did not care who became king.

Drip, drip—

He watched Hyunsoo, whose arm was still bleeding, and thought:

‘Now I finally understand.’

Until now, Lukburk had only thought that he would give the greatest reward he could.

But in this moment, that thought was changing.

‘Why His Majesty was thinking of him as his successor.’

The one who could rule the chaotic Kingdom of Goyard more mercifully than anyone.

The one who mourned the people’s sorrow before the joy of victory.

Lukburk stood in front of Hyunsoo, who was bowing his head in silence, and said,

“I will protect it.”

*****

Hyunsoo wore a puzzled expression.

Marquis Lukburk had suddenly walked up to stand before him.

“I will protect it.”

Protect what?

In a voice full of strength, he said,

“I will protect the path you walk.”

[Marquis Lukburk promises to support your road to becoming king more than anyone.]

Hyunsoo understood.

That he had won the heart of Marquis Lukburk, the greatest noble of the kingdom.