Nell, standing on the roof, was consumed by rapture.

‘Incredible.......’

She thought Radiance wouldn’t be able to hold out.

Right now, Radiance’s manpower was only ten people.

The Storm Brigade members, and Knight Luk who led them.

And the other users.

Anyway, only ten people brought down those who amounted to a small territory-class force.

Of course, the people of Radiance were already battered to pieces.

They looked so exhausted it wouldn’t have been strange if they dropped dead on the spot.

KWA-JAAK—

Ressel took down the last remaining knight and slumped down.

“Huff—huff.”

“Ghk!”

“Ugh, I’m gonna die.”

“Hehe, but we lived!”

It was possible because their teamwork was better than expected.

Each person’s strength was important, but they faithfully carried out the roles assigned to them.

Ressel was the strongest dealer, and Bark was a sturdy tanker.

Belia was the strongest priest, and Ian ran across the rooftops, constantly rescuing guild members who fell into danger.

The synergy created by the four of them was tremendous.

Right then.

A black current flying from the audience chamber covered the sky.

All of Vallas Territory was dyed in darkness.

[Calamity of Darkness]

[Ronso’s subordinates become demonized.]

[Only slaughter instinct and destruction instinct seethe.]

[Those who were dead awaken again, and HP recovers to 30%.]

Ressel soon saw the knight he had just taken down rise with bizarre movement.

CRACK-CRACK-CRACK—

Ignoring the movement of his broken bones, the one who pushed himself up had skin that was turning black.

Demonization.

A grotesque power bestowed by the demons worshiped by the Cult of Calamity.

It made them lose fear and terror.

It was said that low-tier demonization made them lose reason, while mid-to-high-tier kept their reason and made them strong.

[Knight Pon Lv.341]

Knight Pon, whom he had just taken down, had become about 10% stronger and pressed Ressel.

“Ghhhk!”

Already battered to pieces, it was hard for them to endure against the stronger demons.

Especially because they charged as if they weren’t afraid even when cut—it made them troublesome.

Then.

RIIIP—

From a suddenly opened space, about twenty Hellhounds burst out.

GRRRRRR!

The Hellhounds bit and tore the throats of nearby people of the territory.

KWA-JAK—

“U-uaaaagh!”

Then they began to pounce on people of the territory everywhere.

In an instant, the entire territory became pandemonium.

Originally, Ronso’s subordinates had only been attacking Radiance.

But as destruction and slaughter instincts began to seethe, the demons and Hellhounds started killing people of the territory indiscriminately.

“U-uaaaagh!”

“Ueok!”

“Kyaaagh!”

The Radiance guild members who had been barely holding on made a quick decision.

“Move into a formation that protects the people of the territory!”

“Hurry!”

The people of the territory were gathering in one place, fleeing from Hellhounds and demons.

Radiance stood in front of them and held out with difficulty.

And Nell joined them there.

Nell was left speechless at the shocking carnage.

She saw the people of the territory gathered in one place—and the demons and Hellhounds, well over a hundred, aiming for them.

The demons and Hellhounds immediately began to push in.

“Bark!!!”

Tanker Bark stepped forward to block the swarm, and his whole body became battered to pieces.

To protect Bark, Ressel stepped forward, and Hellhounds tore at his entire body.

“You sons of bitches!”

PUH-UHT—

YELP!

Ian, firing Baby Arrows and responding to the demons and Hellhounds, soon had his right arm bitten.

KWA-JAAAK—

“KRAHK!”

With his right arm twisted out of shape, Ian could no longer shoot his bow.

Then Bark soon pushed his way deep into the Hellhounds and demons.

“I’ll buy time, so take the people of the territory and get out!”

“Bark!”

Bark was a tanker.

Because of that, he possessed an aggro skill more special than anyone.

There were an enormous number of them, but it was enough to hold their aggro for a long time.

KRAHAHAHAHA—!

The tanker’s shout activated, and the aggro of every being around focused on Bark.

In that moment, the Hellhounds and demons all began attacking Bark.

The sight itself was bizarre.

“Go, hurry.”

Buried amid a mass of over a hundred demons and Hellhounds, Bark gritted his teeth and activated a skill to endure.

[One Who Doesn’t Fall]

A miraculous power that tripled defense for 5 seconds.

Bark gave a bitter smile.

‘I have to save as many as I can.’

As his vision was slowly being sealed by demons, Bark held the terror-stricken people of the territory in his eyes.

‘Boss, you look like you’re having fun these days.’

‘Of course I’m having fun. At my age, getting a new goal is truly a fun thing, haha!’

A new goal. To make Radiance the best.

For that, this territory was a very precious place.

A place we built together. A place we must keep building from now on.

CRUNCH—

Bark, being chewed by Hellhounds, smiled bitterly.

‘Maybe we rushed here too fast.’

What takes others a full year, we reached in just a few months.

We’re still... lacking a lot, aren’t we.

Then the eyes of Bark, who was dying, widened.

CHANG-GRAAANG—

The glass window of the audience chamber shattered.

A spear flew in a straight line, piercing several demons and Hellhounds.

PUH-SEOOEOK—

CHIIIIIIIK

The massive holy power bursting from the spear made them writhe.

“......!”

Then Hyunsoo flew over the window.

[Calamity Leap]

[You can freely fly through the sky.]

Around his neck hung a necklace he had never seen in his life.

Bark understood.

‘The Fourth Calamity appearance notification we heard earlier...... so he killed that bastard and got it?’

Bark’s eyes shook.

The ability to fly? Truly astonishing.

Hyunsoo, who had flown in a straight line with his coat fluttering, landed, blocking in front of Bark.

KOOOONG—

KHEE-E-EK—

KRAAAAGH

CHWIIIIIK—

The monsters around Bark were retreating from the holy power bursting from the spear.

Hyunsoo pulled the spear free.

“Are you okay?”

“Uh, y-yeah.”

Bark was flustered. Hyunsoo’s back, protecting him, looked like a huge mountain.

Suddenly, the pitiful image of the young man he first met—shoulders shrunk, floundering in despair—flashed through his mind.

But not anymore.

“You can rest easy.”

The young man who had floundered in despair was gone.

‘When did you.......’

Change?

[Hyunsoo Lv.290]

And his level was even close to 300, the measure of high level.

But the situation was bad.

There were too many enemies.

Then he felt it from the spear he hadn’t been able to see because Hyunsoo was blocking his view.

‘What is that spear?’

Savage holy power whipped out from the spear in Hyunsoo’s hand.

[Annihilate Evil]

[Additional attack power against evil increases by 660%.]

At that moment, Bark saw a Hellhound aiming for Hyunsoo’s side.

“Watch—”

Hyunsoo moved the spear and cut it down in one stroke.

KWA-JAAK

‘In... one hit!?’

SHAAAAAA—

Seeing the Hellhound scatter with a single hit, Bark was shocked.

And he understood.

‘It wasn’t too early.......’

It wasn’t that we got here early—it was that Hyunsoo had grown too much.

Before he knew it, he had become a completely different person.

“I’ll be back.”

FLUTTER—

Hyunsoo moved.

*****

[20 seconds.]

[19 seconds.]

The spear formed by combining the Four Tigers Sword and the trident possessed the advantages of both artifacts.

Accordingly, some skills were born anew, and some were existing ones.

Among them, Annihilate Evil was power that originally existed in the Four Tigers Sword.

Originally, it had been a 400% increase in attack power against evil, but strengthened further, it manifested 660%.

Can you imagine it?

Even with basic attacks, 660% additional damage was added against evil.

And the Necklace of Calamity Hyunsoo had newly obtained held 30% attack power and defense against evil.

Also, the spear’s attack power was superior to anything Hyunsoo had ever held.

Hyunsoo’s eyes swept around.

About fifty demonized knights, about twenty Hellhounds, about a hundred soldiers.

Radiance, already fallen into a combat-incapable state, and the people of the territory sunk in fear.

Legend above Legend.

This spear also had an aggro ability.

KKEE-DI-DIK—

At the loud metal-scraping sound ringing from the spear, every being turned their head toward Hyunsoo.

WHIP—

WHIP—

There was a fortunate point, too.

‘They only have less than 30% HP left right now.’

DING!

[Lord Quest: Rescue the People of the Territory]

Grade: A

Restriction: Lord

Reward: Trust in the lord, All Stats 2

Penalty on failure: the destruction of Vallas Territory.

Description: You have become the lord of a new territory. Rescue the people of the territory and become the true owner of Vallas Territory.

[16 seconds.]

[14 seconds.]

“KWUH-EOOOO!”

“Ghhh!”

“GRRRRRRR!”

Drawn by the metal-scraping sound, all of them charged toward Hyunsoo.

Hyunsoo, dragging the spear low, cut them down, and in a single move they turned to ash and scattered.

SHAAAAAA—

But seeing them swarm in from all directions, and Hyunsoo already close to battered to pieces, everyone trembled with anxiety.

“H-Hyunsoo...!”

“What are you going to do!”

Right now, Hyunsoo looked like he was drawing nearly 150 evils all by himself.

Avoiding the evils clinging behind him, Hyunsoo kept running.

Even while doing so.

KWAZIHK

PUH-PUH-PUK, PUHT—

KWA-JAAK

He kept allowing attacks endlessly.

“Ghk!”

Fear and confusion were compounding.

Before they knew it, the ones chasing Hyunsoo had formed a circle, and the faces of the people of the territory turned ashen.

The blacksmiths and Ger also watched him with trembling eyes.

Seeing the enemies slowly closing in, Hyunsoo wasn’t doing anything.

Then Ger could tell.

‘He isn’t not moving—he’s waiting for them to come?’

And almost at the same time, the evils surged in.

[7 seconds.]

[6 seconds.]

“Hyunsoo!!!”

“Kyaaagh!”

Many screamed or called his name.

[5 seconds.]

Hyunsoo combined the two artifacts and heard the notification.

[You can imbue a skill that contains the advantages of the two artifacts.]

Hyunsoo looked far ahead.

Not only the enemies surrounding him, but the guild members and the people of the territory outside—he recalled them.

He came up with a single inspiration.

That inspiration came from a festival in Haman, South Gyeongsang Province, where he had gone holding his father’s hand as a child.

‘This game is a folk play held to pray for the well-being of the county’s people.’

Watching the beautiful fireworks created at that festival, Hyunsoo thought.

It was truly a beautiful game.

“G-get away!”

[4 seconds.]

Hyunsoo stabbed the spear he held in both hands into the ground with all his strength.

PHOO-UK—!

At that moment, the territory that had been dark became even darker, as if someone had drawn blackout curtains.

Cutting through the pitch-black darkness where he couldn’t see an inch ahead, Hyunsoo’s voice spread.

“Falling Flowers Play.”

In that pitch-black darkness where even adaptation was blocked, something bizarre soon occurred.

Extremely thin, long threads connecting roof to roof, building to building.

The glow of those small threads briefly cleared the darkness—then dyed it dark again.

In the fleeting instant they were visible, the bastards had already reached right near Hyunsoo.

Then.

From hundreds of threads, flames bloomed.

Those flames immediately began dropping fire powder down beneath the threads.

HWAAAAAA—!

The fire powder was as small as dust, but the embers in the darkness lit the surroundings brightly.

As tens of thousands of fire powders fell and touched the evils around Hyunsoo.

CHIIIIIIIK—

All of those evils began to melt away.

And then.

HWAAAK—

As if someone had pulled open the blackout curtains again, the world became bright.

At the center stood Hyunsoo, watching the evils scatter into ash and the spear softly dispersing.

The moment he smiled at the people of the territory who were sighing in relief.

On the clothes of the people of the territory, the crest of an anvil and ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) hammer began to be engraved in places.

Ger, head blacksmith of Vallas Territory.

Leading hundreds of blacksmiths, holding the Lord’s Sword he had crafted for the lord, he walked forward to Hyunsoo.

Then he respectfully handed that sword to him.

[Ger offers the Lord’s Sword.]

“I greet the new lord.”

Following after him, the surviving people of the territory also observed proper etiquette the same way.

[Respect for the lord takes root in 10,310 people of the territory.]

For a long while, Hyunsoo just stared at them in silence.

Because he couldn’t truly feel that this moment—he, who had been at the very bottom, had become a true lord.