Chapter 292: Chapter 292

Su-ho’s eyes widened as he read the notifications.

He had expected to receive a trait related to the Knight of the Moon—but instead, he was granted completely unexpected traits.

And not just that—they were traits that updated the moment he acquired them.

But it wasn’t over yet.

— As promised, I—Hex de Isis—now pass on the power of House Isis to you, the new heir to the throne.

As soon as he finished speaking—

A shower of light burst forth.

It was the same light that had enveloped Hex when he received the power of the Moonless Blade.

And when the light faded—

[You have mastered House Isis’s “Lunar Magic.”]

[A new trait has been added.]

[Existing trait information has been updated.]

[For achieving a great feat, the system has granted you 10 bonus stat points.]

Su-ho had finally obtained the inherited legacy of House Isis: Lunar Magic.

— The inheritance is complete.

“So does that mean I’ve become a Knight of the Moon now?”

— No. You’ve merely had the seed of the moon planted within you. Only when it blooms, and you attain the true power of the moon, can you be called a Knight of the Moon.

So he wasn’t a Knight of the Moon yet?

Su-ho asked, puzzled.

“Then... what about the enemies outside?”

— That is your responsibility to handle. You are now the new king of Isis, are you not?

“What are you saying...? What if I lose out there?”

— Then the kingdom, you, and even Lunar Magic—all of it will be gone.

Then why did he make such a fuss about marriage earlier?

[A linked quest has been generated.]

You have become the last king of the Isis Kingdom by earning Hex’s acknowledgment.

Hex has entrusted the kingdom’s survival to you.

Stop the invading army entirely or kill their commander and drive them out.

If you are defeated, the traits “King of a Fallen Kingdom” and “Lunar Magic” will be lost.

If you are defeated, the quest will be considered failed, and the Gate will forcibly close.

The fourth linked quest appeared.

Its name: Protector – 4.

Its grade: from S to S+.

It was now undeniably top-tier difficulty.

Which is why, upon reading the quest contents, Su-ho had to close his eyes.

So in the end, they really want me to deal with everyone outside on my own.

What kind of insane quest was this?

Well—maybe not entirely insane.

If he hadn’t gotten this far, he never would have even seen a quest . That much was certain.

The system only offers what it thinks I can handle.

Su-ho examined the quest carefully.

Though the difficulty was absurd, there had to be some kind of hint buried inside.

Then one line stood out to him:

Stop the invading army entirely or kill their commander and drive them out.

So that’s it. “Stop the army” is a fakeout—killing the commander is the real goal.

In other words, the shortcut here... was assassination.

“Understood. Looks like I don’t have any other option. What about the princess?”

— She will remain here. If she leaves now, she’s destined for a meaningless death. If victory cannot be achieved, then it’s better for her to find eternal rest here instead.

“I understand. I’ll proceed.”

The moment Su-ho finished speaking—

A portal formed not far from where they stood, with a wave of Hex’s hand.

It was an exit portal leading outside.

— Once you’re fully prepared, step through. And...

Hex’s voice softened with regret.

— I’m sorry. For placing such a burden on you without being able to help.

Su-ho didn’t say that, of course.

Instead, he replied respectfully.

“It’s nothing. Great power always comes with a great price. I’ll drive them out—no matter what.”

Su-ho’s steady smile.

And upon seeing it, Hex smiled as well.

— Then I entrust everything to you.

With that, Hex vanished.

After Hex disappeared, Su-ho opened his status window.

– Traits: ‹New Blood› ‹Hercules Candidate› ‹King of a Fallen Kingdom› ‹Sealed Lunar Magic›

– Bonus Stat Points: 30

Su-ho blinked as he reviewed the updated stats.

Forget the two new traits—he had gained a brand new stat.

And it was a stat Su-ho was very familiar with.

No way I actually got the Command stat...

Command was a stat similar to Dominance or Affinity, but one tier higher in the stat hierarchy.

It was usually seen in summoners or elementalists—people who led others in battle.

But even those guys typically only had Dominance or Affinity. Command is a rare upper-tier stat—almost unheard of.

And yet now he had it.

And not just any Command stat—it was an N-grade stat.

He already had a guess why.

Must be because of the “King of a Fallen Kingdom” trait.

Still... N-grade, huh?

Su-ho let out a faint sigh.

N-grade stats came with strong pros and cons.

Mostly pros, to be honest.

For example, they weren’t affected by the standard stat color system, so their strength was unique and self-contained.

But that’s why it was also annoying.

Because once an N-grade stat was added, you could no longer receive the Unified Bonus for stat alignment.

Well, at least I got something powerful in the end.

He’d have to give up on stat-unification bonuses now.

Su-ho decided to check the “King of a Fallen Kingdom” trait first. ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ novel★fire.net

[King of a Fallen Kingdom]

A king who survived the fall of his nation.

The country, the people, the soldiers—all gone. Only the hollow shell of royalty remains. But even so, he is still a king.

① Only a king may obtain the Command stat.

② Your Command stat is insufficient.

Su-ho blinked at the surprisingly short explanation.

Should I try investing in it?

N-grade stats weren’t influenced by the color system.

But that didn’t mean he couldn’t invest bonus points into them.

After a moment of consideration, Su-ho decided to raise it to at least double digits.

[Your Command stat has reached 10.]

[Trait information has been updated.]

He had raised it slowly, just in case—and sure enough, once it hit double digits, the trait updated.

Su-ho immediately checked the revised trait.

[King of a Fallen Kingdom]

A king who survived the fall of his nation.

The country, the people, the soldiers—all gone. Only the hollow shell of royalty remains. But even so, he is still a king.

① Only a king may obtain the Command stat.

② Minimum kingly authority granted:

└ You may declare a nation.

└ You may declare war.

└ You may confer titles.

└ You may appoint officials.

Minimum kingly authority.

Su-ho stared at the explanation, deep in ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) thought.

With this... what exactly can I even do right now?

It didn’t feel like much.

Maybe declaring war would be somewhat useful?

But didn’t he need an actual nation for that?

This was starting to feel like wasted investment.

He shook his head and moved on to the next trait.

House Isis has long wielded the magic of the moon.

To use Lunar Magic, you must awaken the moon that sleeps within.

To break the seal, you need 1kg of pure meteorite.

Su-ho frowned again as he read the description.

Nothing ever works out easily around here...

He had used every trump card he had just to get recognized.

They all came with strings attached.

Shaking his head, he dumped the rest of his bonus stats into Mana and closed the status window.

In the end, everything hinges on defeating the enemies outside.

The process might be complicated, but the goal was simple.

In that case, he’d do what he had to do.

If the rewards turned out underwhelming later, he could complain then.

For now, he’d go along with the system’s tempo.

Su-ho sat down and began circulating his internal energy.

It was time to face the invading army once more.

“They couldn’t have gone far!”

“Hurry up and search!”

The invading forces were still looking for Su-ho and the princess.

Technically, with the princess gone, they could’ve planted a flag and declared the war over.

But for the invaders, wiping out the last trace of the royal bloodline was cleaner.

“It’s below! Something’s coming up from below!”

“A—a monster has appeared!”

All eyes turned to where the sound came from.

And there, they truly saw a monster.

Like an armored elephant—

None other than Bulgasari.

“Let’s go, Bulgasari!”

Bulgasari’s Ultimate Spin.

Su-ho sent the rampaging war-beast charging forward like a siege tank and followed up by swinging his sword.

[Cloud Severance has been activated.]

Because the princess was no longer riding on his back.

Now he could rampage freely.

“Another—another monster!!”

The soldiers’ bloodshot screams filled the air.

The other one, of course, was Su-ho himself.

Naturally—he looked like a literal Blood Knight, with his entire body wrapped in a Blood Weapon cloak.

He had done it on purpose.

That way, he could block the rain of blades and spells headed his way.

“What are the mages doing?!”

“Fire everything you’ve got!!”

The commanders all shouted at once.

Spears, swords, and spells poured in simultaneously.

Boom! Boom! Clang! Crash!

An overwhelming barrage of firepower.

But not a single spear, nor any spell, could touch Su-ho.

Thanks to the Blood Armor enveloping his entire body.

Su-ho swung his sword once more.

[Cloud Severance has been activated.]

With no allies nearby, he could swing freely.

After cutting down wave after wave—

[True Blood Drain has been activated.]

Su-ho drank his enemies’ blood right in front of them.

Doing so not only regenerated his Blood Sword and Armor, but also crushed the morale of his enemies.

“Th-this is absurd...”

“We’re all going to die...”

The effect was devastating.

A single man slaughtering soldiers, drinking their blood, and commanding a war-beast like Bulgasari?

Who wouldn’t despair at such a sight?

“Get out of the way!!”

Heavy footsteps approached.

The source? A massive general, as hulking as Ablain.

[Throwing Spear has been activated.]

[Shadow Pierce has been activated.]

[Shadow Shackles has been activated.]

[Shadow Bleed has been activated.]

Guiyeong Spear tore through the general’s head.

The general collapsed.

Su-ho looked around and said coldly:

“Don’t send fodder. Send me your damn boss.”