Hyunsoo was a user.

He had a different way of thinking from the NPCs of Ares, whose setting mixed the Middle Ages with various fantasy elements.

Of course, Hyunsoo himself also had a very upright, proper character.

In his common sense, it was simply obvious. Mourning came before sharing joy.

But that had produced a completely unexpected result.

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

Hyunsoo looked into Marquis Lukburk’s deep eyes.

‘For someone who once reached for the throne, his reputation is way too good.’

After meeting Marquis Lukburk in the Audience Hall, both Hyunsoo and Nell had personally looked into him.

Surprisingly, the common people liked him, and when the news of his demotion came out, many of them were saddened.

And now that Marquis Lukburk was declaring he would support him?

“See to it that he is escorted.”

From the gentle smile and those words, Hyunsoo realized that notification had been real.

Soldiers came over, supported Hyunsoo, and respectfully escorted him. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

And Hyunsoo was waiting for one particular notification.

‘Is it not going to ring......?’

Liege’s Grace.

The effects of Liege’s Grace were written like this:

‘When someone has received a favor from you that they will never forget for the rest of their life, it activates with an 8% chance.’

Hyunsoo had benefited greatly from Liege’s Grace.

Thanks to this power, he had effectively secured the miner Banya and the master blacksmith Per.

Now, Hyunsoo was allowed to take the entire Storm Brigade.

It had turned into an astronomical reward compared to what it had originally been here—taking three ordinary soldiers in the Level 220 range.

But as guild master of Radiance, Hyunsoo was thirsty.

‘Our guild is small but elite.’

If you looked at each individual guild member, they were the strongest.

But from the conversation he’d had with Nell not long ago, he knew that if they clashed with guilds in the top twenties, they would still lose.

And the #1 guild in Korea, Hwarang, had more than 500 troops.

And that was NPC troops, not users.

They had no less than 30 knights and 470 soldiers.

However, up until the moment he arrived at Araham Territory and was led by the soldiers into the luxurious room, no notification had appeared.

Hyunsoo let out a small laugh.

‘It’s an 8% chance to activate, so of course it won’t be easy.’

He felt a bit of regret, but there was nothing to be done.

Then Hyunsoo recalled one of the notifications.

After hunting the Giant King, an absurd number of notifications had poured down.

Among the ones he’d heard a bit later was this:

[The Wolf Egg is preparing to hatch.]

[For a set period, the Wolf Egg feeds on the nutrient rate gained through you and grows.]

[You gain 31% nutrient rate.]

[The Wolf Egg is tremendously pleased.]

Hyunsoo took out the Wolf Egg.

‘What kind of nutrient rate is it feeding on to grow?’

He did not know, but that nutrient rate arose directly from the achievements he had built up as a noble.

If you assumed an ordinary case, Hyunsoo should have gained around 7–10% from this Subjugation Captain quest.

But he had obtained an enormous 31% nutrient rate.

Even without knowing that fact, Hyunsoo could still infer from the notifications.

‘The Wolf Egg is tremendously pleased, huh......’

The egg being pleased.

That meant it was satisfied to be preparing to hatch in his possession.

And Hyunsoo thought about that nutrient rate.

Ares had countless quests that operated on percentages.

And with percentage-type quests, the higher the percentage you recorded, the better the rewards.

Anyone who wasn’t a fool could figure it out.

‘The higher the nutrient rate, the better the wolf that comes out, right?’

Hyunsoo thought back to Ashen Wolf, which had dropped this Wolf Egg.

‘Even if I just get one like that guy, that’d be fantastic.’

He pictured it.

The Ashen Wolf with its magnificent fur, guarding Hyunsoo’s Forge!

Then, suddenly, Hyunsoo felt the egg vibrating.

[The Wolf Egg is proud that you did very well.]

[The Wolf Egg says that since you did very well, it wants you to pet it.]

“......?”

What a strange little thing.

“I’m the one who did well, so why are you the one asking to be petted?”

Hyunsoo let out a hollow laugh. Shouldn’t it be the other way around?

With an incredulous look on his face, Hyunsoo petted the egg.

[The Wolf Egg feels at ease.]

As he stroked the egg, Hyunsoo let himself look forward to what was coming.

The notifications had clearly said it.

That Marquis Lukburk would bestow the greatest reward he could grant.

Now that he had returned to his territory with his son Luk, Marquis Lukburk would begin discussing that reward.

‘It’ll take some time to assess the reward.’

Hyunsoo felt the fatigue.

Thinking that by the time he slept and came back, the reward discussion would be over, he logged out.

*****

Commander Philip of Araham Territory.

He watched all 1,056 soldiers raise their hands and was impressed.

An indescribable thrill ran through him.

He was happy that the five members of the Storm Brigade he had raised had finally found their lord.

And Marquis Lukburk, the lord of Araham Territory, had changed his evaluation of Hyunsoo in just two days.

“Only now have I come to understand His Majesty’s intent. It was not some play-acting, nor did he pick him as my successor just to get rid of me. He was truly suited to that position.”

Philip was amazed.

He had not expected Marquis Lukburk, the kingdom’s greatest noble, to speak this way.

It was not simply an evaluation given because Hyunsoo had saved his son Luk and hunted the Giant King.

Marquis Lukburk now sincerely wanted to support him.

“The reward must be something that will greatly aid his path, Commander Philip. What reward do you think would be appropriate to bestow?”

Philip thought carefully about it.

In effect, Hyunsoo had saved Araham Territory.

If the Giant King had awakened all of its strength, Araham Territory would have fallen within days.

That had to be taken into account in the reward.

On top of that, he had saved Marquis Lukburk’s son.

“As thanks for saving Sir Luk, I believe the repayment should be in money. Junior Barons are people who may later grow into Barons, Counts, even Marquises. Because of that, what they need most is money.”

You needed money to expand your power base.

“He thinks the same as I do.”

There was no need to consider anything else on that front.

After thinking for a moment, Marquis Lukburk decided on the amount.

“We will bestow 300,000 gold upon him.”

About 300 million won.

It was a sum so large it made your eyes fly open.

But for Marquis Lukburk, one of the richest men in the kingdom, it was not a lot of money.

Moreover, in his heart, Marquis Lukburk wanted to add ten times that amount.

So he intended to fill that feeling through another reward that would serve his future.

However, it was not something that yielded an easy conclusion.

Just then, a completely unexpected person entered.

Because of that person, Lukburk was able to prepare the most meaningful repayment in the world and the one Hyunsoo most needed right now.

*****

Nell had spoken with Hyunsoo on the phone the previous evening.

‘He’s truly amazing.’

The Giant King hunt, Marquis Lukburk’s heart, the Storm Brigade.

To an ordinary person, every part of that story would have sounded unbelievable.

But even within that story, Nell had picked out the part that Radiance needed.

[Guild Master Hyunsoo has logged in.]

As soon as the notification came in, Nell greeted him.

[Nell: Hiyo~]

[Hyunsoo: Yes, good morning.]

[Nell: Are you going to get your reward now?]

[Hyunsoo: Yep, I’m going to meet Marquis Lukburk and then head back to the base. I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of reward I’ll get ^^]

[Nell: You’ve pulled off something incredible, so you’ll get something worthy of it.]

Hyunsoo was quick on the uptake.

[Hyunsoo: Is something up?]

[Nell: There’s something I think Radiance will need.]

After hearing Hyunsoo’s story last night, Nell had been mulling something over.

[Nell: I’m thinking of hiring a skilled knight.]

[Hyunsoo: A knight? We’re taking the Storm Brigade this time, so why?]

Hyunsoo was someone with a lot on his mind.

That was why Nell was the one who thought about the things he didn’t.

She explained her reasoning.

[Nell: The Storm Brigade are soldiers, but they have the power of knights. Of course, our guild members’ levels are much higher. The problem is, the ones to command and lead them must not be users. We need someone strong who can control the Storm Brigade in an emergency when no one’s logged in. I haven’t met the Storm Brigade in person, but I’m sure they have a very strong sense ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ of pride.]

[Hyunsoo: Ah...... Yeah, that does make sense.]

Hyunsoo understood quickly.

[Nell: Precisely because they’re that kind of people, we need someone with the power to firmly suppress and control them when necessary. The problem is, an ordinary knight won’t be enough.]

[Hyunsoo: Right. They already fight with the power of knights.]

Now it was time to talk about the most sensitive and important part.

[Hyunsoo: How much does it cost to hire a skilled knight?]

[Nell: Around 10,000 gold a month ^^;;]

A huge sum, roughly equivalent to 10 million won a month.

[Hyunsoo: It costs that much?]

Nell calmly explained why skilled knights were so expensive.

[Nell: It’s costly for a guild to hire NPC knights. Of course, ordinary knights are 2,000 gold a month, but the value of mid-grade or higher knights is beyond imagination. And once they’re hired, they no longer receive the stipend they get from the country each month; we have to pay that on their behalf.]

Knights were divided into tiers.

Hyunsoo’s current level was that of a low-grade knight.

Above that were mid-grade.

Then high-grade and top-grade.

And beyond that were people on Bella’s level—Named NPCs who usually had at least one title.

[Hyunsoo: How much would Named knights cost?]

Nell gave a wry smile.

[Nell: Unfortunately, we can’t hire Named knights. Not a small guild like ours. But if you were to put a price on them, it’d be about 50,000 gold a month.]

Only a tiny handful of knights were granted titles.

And their growth potential was beyond imagining.

Just then, Hyunsoo said,

[Hyunsoo: I just got my reward. 300,000 gold. Uh, hang on. I think they said something about bestowing a knight as well......]

[Nell: Huh?]

A knight?

With a puzzled expression, Nell recalled what she knew about Araham Territory.

Since Araham was so remote, there shouldn’t be any skilled knights there.

But then a baffling whisper came in.

[Hyunsoo: I don’t think you’ll have to worry about hiring a knight!]

*****

Hyunsoo, who had received 300,000 gold from Lukburk.

After exchanging whispers with Nell, he had a puzzled look on his face.

Marquis Lukburk gave a small smile.

“I am thinking of sending you one knight.”

Normally, he would have said he would “bestow” one, not “send” one, right?

And from the whisper with Nell just now, Hyunsoo had learned just how valuable a good knight was.

Then the door opened, and a knight with an impressive bearing began to walk in.

Hyunsoo’s lips parted.

“......I am not the one sending him.”

Marquis Lukburk’s gentle tone set Hyunsoo’s chest ablaze.

“He came to me and begged.”

The knight slowly knelt before him.

In his eyes burned the light of blind belief.

“He said that serving you would be the same as ensuring the kingdom’s peace. That he would make you king and become your commander.”

The kneeling knight pressed one arm hard over his chest.

“Please, take me with you.”

Hyunsoo watched him make that pledge of loyalty and felt an indescribable pounding in his chest.

[He is one of the kingdom’s Five Talents and is called sword-saint material.]

The knight gave his reason of his own accord.

“After I heard you say, ‘Before being joyful, the order is to mourn,’ I realized something.”

Liege’s Grace had not activated. That was why Hyunsoo’s heart was pounding like crazy.

“That if I follow you, I will be able to learn many things.”

This was not the result of a skill.

Nor something produced by a special system.

‘This is something I achieved with my own power alone.’

Hyunsoo took in the face he already knew well, and the knight spoke in a firm voice.

“I swear my loyalty.”

[One of the kingdom’s Five Talents, Luk, swears fealty to you.]

Sword-saint material Luk—something that could not be bought with money.

He had become Hyunsoo’s subordinate.