The Kingdom of Goyard—called the nation of swords—was only a small minor kingdom, but it was one of the places many users visited.

In particular, this peaceful place, full of users who wielded swords, suddenly grew noisy.

“Clear the way!”

From the entrance of the capital all the way to the entrance of the castle.

Soldiers came out and began clearing a path.

Among the tens of thousands of people, users made up about half.

“Who is it?”

“Must be someone incredible coming.”

“Some huge noble must be coming!”

In the middle of that rising anticipation, a single carriage appeared, five soldiers escorting it—and about a thousand filthy people who looked like beggars.

At first, users wondered what beggars were doing there, but then the citizens suddenly began cheering.

“Waaaaaaaah!”

“You worked so hard!”

“Welcome back to the kingdom’s embrace!”

And among those prisoners, one prisoner with a sword at his waist cried out through tears.

“It’s the procession of a hero!”

“Waaaaaaaah!”

The users were shocked.

Because the NPCs were cheering heatedly at the word “hero.”

Soon, the carriage stopped in front of the royal castle, and the door opened.

“A named NPC?”

“Is it the Sword King’s Holy...?”

And the one who stepped out.

The users who saw him were stunned.

His whole body was drenched in blood, and he looked like he could collapse any moment.

But what shocked them even more was something else.

‘A u-user!’

‘A user gets treated like this in Ares?’

Yet he was clever—he had covered his face with a wolf helmet.

And then something even more astonishing unfolded before them.

[The appearance of Sword King Barad.]

Sword King Barad—one of the most famous named NPCs on the Ares Korea server—moved with hurried steps.

After striding forward in urgency, he looked at him and went momentarily speechless.

And even more shocking—Barad slowly approached him and gave him a small embrace.

“My friend, I know you would not have retreated.”

“......!”

“......!”

For the users, it was a truly shocking scene.

An NPC famed as the most charismatic in Ares—and notorious for being cold to users—cherishing a single user.

“Let’s go inside first.”

Watching that back was a beginner user, Han, who had just arrived in the capital of the Kingdom of Goyard.

Seeing the back of the man in the bloodstained coat, he thought this.

‘I want to become like that person, too.’

And it wasn’t only him.

Beginners, intermediates, and experts alike—everyone was watching him with envy.

Hyunsoo didn’t know.

That, before he realized it, he had become an object of admiration for countless users.

*****

After finally returning to his homeland—the Kingdom of Goyard—Hyunsoo was clever.

In the sea of welcoming crowds, he covered his face with Fenrir’s helmet so his identity wouldn’t be discovered.

Barad said,

“Get treated first. I will call for you tomorrow.”

The person most curious about Hyunsoo’s Negotiation Progress was probably His Majesty Barad.

But even he judged that Hyunsoo needed rest first.

In a dignified, old-fashioned room, the kingdom’s best priests crowded around Hyunsoo and treated him.

After the treatment finished quickly, Hyunsoo lay down on the bed.

He planned to log out and sleep for a while.

Before that, though, something had been bothering him.

‘What was that, exactly?’

In the middle of fighting Kuhn, Hyunsoo had heard an unknown sound ringing in his head.

‘Even if it breaks, without retreating.’

Even if it breaks was what Hyunsoo always repeated whenever he drove himself to the extreme limit.

Without retreating was also something he remembered thinking before.

That day, Hyunsoo had also said, “without fail.”

‘Even if it breaks, without retreating, without fail.’

Putting it together, it completed a sentence.

Hyunsoo believed none of Ares’s notifications were meaningless.

That unknown sound that had reached his ears would reveal its outline soon enough.

And when he rested and woke up, Ian would also have finished appraising the bow’s value, and Hyunsoo would receive rewards based on Negotiation Progress.

‘Ugh, I’m tired.......’

Hyunsoo logged out.

*****

After Negotiator Hyunsoo returned.

Nobles surged in like a flood from all across the Kingdom of Goyard.

In the audience chamber alone, there were already dozens of nobles gathered.

And inside the royal castle, hundreds of renowned knights had also come.

And Count Vau, aligned with the knights, stood here representing the knights.

And many other nobles besides.

They had gathered because of the rumor that the king favored a blacksmith named Hyun.

Behind the name friend, there was far too much His Majesty wished to give him.

And furthermore, Marquis Vallo—Barad’s closest aide—stood as their representative.

“...And thus, the nobles’ public sentiment is not good. Knights who hold the same Junior Baron title also cannot understand him receiving a higher title in such a short time.”

Marquis Vallo had once seen Hyunsoo in the king’s garden.

Someone who might become king someday.

But he always maintained neutrality.

When the king made the wrong judgment, he corrected it.

When the nobles made the wrong judgment, he reprimanded them.

Barad asked,

“Marquis Vallo—if you had gone as the Negotiator, how much Negotiation Progress do you think you would have obtained? And the nobles here, or the knights?”

At that question, Marquis Vallo thought carefully and answered.

“I believe I would have obtained about 50% Negotiation Progress.”

Marquis Vallo had come to this position with only his own body.

If he stabilized the Prahum Kingdom’s deficient situation, he could have earned 50%.

“Ordinary nobles would be 30%. In truth, I believe the knights would not have obtained any.”

Barad still did not know the Negotiation Progress Hyunsoo had brought back.

And moreover, it was something even he couldn’t accomplish—so he didn’t want to give it.

“...I will follow your choice.”

He also understood their feelings.

It had not even been two months since Hyunsoo became a Junior Baron.

In this situation, forcing his title upward would cause backlash.

If someone wanted to sit in that seat, they had to be able to bear its weight.

The nobles softened.

And now the king had something else to handle.

“Let him in.”

CREEEAK—

The door opened.

Someone dressed as a knight entered.

“You became the liege of many at the prisoner camp, did you not?”

“You flatter me.”

The prisoners had returned.

In truth, Barad had already been shocked that the Prahum Kingdom had sent back all the prisoners.

‘What on earth happened?’

Even Barad did not know precisely.

“I intend to send you to Alvai Territory.”

Alvai Territory was considered the most livable city in the Kingdom of Goyard.

“Are you satisfied?”

Barad drew a small smile.

It was a small reward for their hardship.

Then a man named Eden spoke.

“I am deeply grateful. However, Your Majesty. There is one—and only one—noble whom I and the prisoners wish to follow.”

Barad wore a puzzled expression.

“We wish to become the territorial people of Junior Baron Hyunsoo.”

Barad wore a puzzled expression.

The militia captain Eden continued.

“It is fine even if we start on barren land. It does not need to be Alvai Territory, called the most livable. We wish to cultivate it with him, and begin anew with him.”

Barad was impressed.

‘Already... a thousand?’

A thousand territorial people.

In truth, many nobles who came here may have come in hopes the prisoners would be granted to them.

A thousand territorial people could become an excellent labor force.

The value of a thousand was beyond imagination.

But there was a problem.

‘...A Junior Baron cannot command territorial people.’

And even as a Baron, taking in a thousand was not easy.

First, Barad dismissed him.

“Junior Baron Hyunsoo is coming.”

Barad recalled his previous conversation with Bella.

‘How much Negotiation Progress would it take for it to be acceptable to grant even a new territory to a Junior Baron?’

‘Hard to say. What’s certain is it must be to the point that both I and the nobles find it astonishing.’

Astonishing.

To the point that the king and nobles would find it astonishing.

‘Right now, you need something that will shock ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) everyone here.’

Then Hyunsoo entered.

*****

Negotiation Progress was a kind of composite score.

In RPG games where you enter a dungeon, rewards often change based on your dungeon-clear score.

Negotiation Progress was the same.

Until you fully obtained it and showed the score, you couldn’t know the reward.

Hyunsoo was curious, too.

The achievements of what he had done in the Prahum Kingdom—how far would it go?

When Hyunsoo entered the audience chamber, he felt an unknown tension in the air.

Countless nobles he had never seen before were watching him with tense eyes.

When he walked before Barad, Barad drew a small smile.

To Barad, Negotiation Progress was leadership of peace.

Depending on how much Hyunsoo had claimed, the story between the two nations would change going forward.

At that moment—

“Your Majesty, may I enter?”

“...Let him in.”

Barad wore a puzzled expression when someone entered at this precious moment.

A vassal who would not seek him unless it was urgent spoke in an astonished voice.

“The Prahum Kingdom has sent an enormous gift. Sky King Ben had his vassals deliver this message.”

The vassal spoke as if dumbfounded.

“‘The friend of my friend Hyunsoo is also my friend.’ That is what he said.”

The nobles murmured.

“F-friend!?”

“Friend...!”

“Did Ben reach out first to His Majesty with a hand of peace!?”

“Th-that prideful old man did!?”

Barad was stunned.

What on earth had Hyunsoo gone and done?

At last, Barad confirmed it.

[Sky King Ben, king of the Prahum Kingdom, extends a hand of peace first.]

[As exchange becomes possible, countless trade activities become possible.]

[Through the connection called Master Blacksmith Hyun, there may be times when each side can help the other.]

[The national strength of the Kingdom of Goyard increases by 5%.]

A kingdom’s national strength rising by 5%—it was something even the king could not do.

Barad swallowed dryly and asked Hyunsoo,

“...How much Negotiation Progress did you achieve?”

Dozens of nobles.

Everyone leading this kingdom stared at Hyunsoo’s mouth.

Hyunsoo took out the record of his ten days.

“227%.”

“...!”

“...!”

“...!”

From the 180s—through the prisoners’ hearts, guild member Ian’s annihilation of the Red Hood Guild, the reward Ben had given him.

And even the things before that.

In the quiet hall, Barad looked at them.

“Is there anyone who objects to my decision from here on?”

The nobles who had worried and denied it until just a moment ago.

One of them spoke.

“...No matter what you grant, I think we can accept it, Your Majesty.”

Barad took in his vassals with his eyes.

The distrust that had first been there faded, and they were looking at Hyunsoo with different eyes.

Some looked as if they were anticipating his path to the throne, while others looked as if they were anticipating the influence that Negotiation Progress he had built would have on Goyard.

Under those gazes, Barad spoke in a solemn voice.

“Hyunsoo—receive it.”

With Hyunsoo kneeling on one knee and prostrating himself, his chest pounded.

‘I did my best.’

To the point he had no regrets at all. Hyunsoo wanted to rise high.

‘If I become a Baron, I can bring fifty soldiers from Araham Territory.’

Then Barad’s voice rang out.

“I appoint Junior Baron Hyunsoo to the title one rank higher than Baron—Viscount.”

Hyunsoo’s eyes widened.

‘V-viscount...?’

It was unexpected.

Viscount was the rank right below Count.

And in the country there were only two Counts, and only eight Viscounts.

[Congratulations.]

[You have become the ninth Viscount among users.]

[As a Viscount, you receive 50,000 gold monthly from the nation.]

[You may possess and command up to 150 soldiers.]

[You may become the lord of a small territory.]

You may become the lord of a small territory.

Those words sounded unimaginably precious to Hyunsoo.

He imagined it.

The image of himself standing before countless territorial people.

‘When can I get a territory?’

At that moment, Barad didn’t stop and continued.

“Also, Viscount Hyunsoo shall take the 1,000 prisoners, return to his territory, and govern them.”

Hyunsoo wore a puzzled expression.

‘My territory?’

What did that mean?

Then Barad, with a small smile, spoke the final reward.

“I grant Vallas Territory to Viscount Hyunsoo.”