CH 708

‘Brod…?’

That was the first thing that came to Minhyuk’s mind when he saw Venteio. The impression that he had of Venteio was similar to that of Brod when he first saw him. Then, some notifications rang.

[The Man that Will Become the Greatest Mercenary King in History.]

[Venteio. He is one of the Absolute Supreme NPCs.]

So far, the only Absolute Supreme NPCs that Minhyuk knew were Sword Emperor Ellie and Overlord Raldo, who recently climbed to that rank. In fact, Venteio’s existence made Minhyuk feel extremely nervous.

However, Venteio had displayed his powers to help them. Because of that, Brod was able to use his ‘Wolf King’s Hunt’ and strike the Swords of the Gods directly, leaving them either dead or groaning from their serious injuries.

“Sir Venteio! How dare you betray the empire?!”

“The young mercenaries that follow you will definitely get killed!”

“The empire will make sure to purge you!”

The Black Knights expressed their wrath toward Venteio. The Great Luvien Empire had shown them mercy and made them into Black Knights, but he had chosen to cast aside Emperor Nerva’s good grace.

At that moment, another set of notifications rang in Minhyuk’s ears.

[The story of The Man that Will Become the Greatest Mercenary King in History might change.]

[You are greatly involved in this story.]

Minhyuk watched as Brod looked at Venteio. He could see that Brod’s eyes were filled with pain and sadness.

Meanwhile, thirty of the Wolf’s Mercenaries stood around Venteio and supported his will.

“The will of Mercenary King Venteio is our will.”

“It’s an honor to meet with the father of the mercenaries and our legend!”

“We have made our choice and we do not regret it.”

Brod could not hide his regret as he looked at those men.

‘…How… How are you going to walk this thorny path?’

Brod was like a father and a teacher to these people. He was the one that taught them and gave them pride and dignity. He watched as they all drew their swords with firm determination in their eyes, well-prepared to die on this battlefield. As he slowly disappeared from sight, he turned to Minhyuk and called out, “…Your Majesty.”

This was the first time that Minhyuk had seen such a bitter smile on Brod’s face. Then, the man told him, “On the day when a person recognized by the God of Mercenaries becomes a Mercenary King, God will bestow very rare and special cooking ingredients.”

“…”

Minhyuk, more than anybody else, knew the meaning of those words.

“There’s no way that I will let such rare ingredients pass by me, no?” Minhyuk smiled softly at Brod’s request. Besides, Minhyuk felt a familiar feeling from Venteio. Perhaps a good relationship might form between them.

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After that, Brod completely disappeared. The Black Knights all showed resentment toward Venteio and the Wolf Mercenaries. However, Venteio and his men just stood still. They did not attack Minhyuk and also did not attack the Black Knights.

‘I have protected my master and that’s more than enough.’

Venteio used his power to protect Brod, and not Minhyuk. Now that Brod had returned safely, he would not do anything. Of course, he also did not have any intention to harm Minhyuk, the one that Brod tried to protect with all his might.

‘We have received the ire of the Luvien Empire. Nothing good will ever come out of it.’ Venteio was fully aware that the Mercenary Elders would be hell bent on removing him now.

As for the Black Knights? They could not attack the honest and blunt Venteio, as well as the Wolf Mercenaries, who had taken the opportunity to walk through the gaps between them and leave the battlefield. This was because many of the Swords of the Gods had either died or had been seriously injured.

Among the wounded Swords of the Gods was Luo. He had been forced to kneel, his body torn to shreds. In fact, even his left arm had disappeared. All he could do was show a helpless expression on his face as he vomited a mouthful of blood.

“Urk…”

However, the images that flashed in front of him were the faces of Brod’s knights, the very same knights that he once competed with before.

—Yo, Luo! How about getting some cold and refreshing dark lager with me after training?

—Good, hahahaha!

A faint smile flashed on Luo’s face at the memory. Everything had been great back then.

Back then, there were two Swords of the Gods’ Knight Order. One had been wiped away, by the hands of the other no less, just to make the man that they serve the emperor.

Luo did not want to ask for atonement.

—What will happen if… I refuse?

Nerva replied coldly to Luo’s question.

—Are you thinking of disobeying the orders of the Absolute God’s Sword?

Luo instantly understood the underlying meaning of those words. He would die if he refused. And it was not just him. Even his wife and child would die. He feared death and he hated the thought of his wife and child dying because of him. However, Luo still tried to stop the other knights.

—Even so, how can you kill them just like that?! We have to tell the Battle God!

—Luo, don’t think about doing anything stupid.

—No. I’m leaving.

Nothing had been cleared up between them. Brod only saw Luo as his enemy, nothing more and nothing less. Seeing the cold look on Brod’s face made Luo’s heart break. After all, he had always admired and looked up to the man.

Luo did not actually participate in those gruesome murders. In fact, he even tried to prevent their deaths. However, when he woke up the next day, he learned that only a few Swords of the Gods had made a move. They killed them all using poison. Even if he was not involved directly, he could not wish for forgiveness and atonement.

“…Beyond the Heavens’ King. Urk.”

Luo actually still wanted to live. His desire for survival was great, as great as his anger toward Nerva Sephiroth. However, he was forced to become Nerva’s loyal lapdog because he had people to protect. He had to protect his wife, who had now become a wrinkled old woman, and his son, who had just become an imperial knight. Tears dripped down his cheeks and blurred his vision.

“Before I leave, I… will give this final gift… to you.” Luo looked at Minhyuk, his eyes dazed.

At the same time, a very shocking set of notifications rang in Minhyuk’s ears.

[The death of Sword of the Gods Luo is just right around the corner.]

[The Sword of the Gods Luo wants to leave the Assasination God’s Book with you.]

Minhyuk could not understand why the man, the enemy, in front of him was trying to leave something precious to him. However, Minhyuk did not really care, as it was not his business to pry. There was no need for him to consider his circumstances. Besides, Luo had killed a lot of people.

He took a step forward. Minhyuk only needed to strike once and he would gain victory. However, at that moment, his steps suddenly stopped.

“…”

He could not move at all after reading the notifications that rang in his ears.

“Damn it. Even at times like this… I still want to live…”

Luo looked at Minhyuk bitterly, his body flinching whenever Minhyuk’s hand, which was holding his sword, twitched.

Why did Luo want to live? After all, his wife had already become an old lady and his son had become a knight. It was because of the guilt, the guilt of his comrades taking away the lives of his precious friends, the other Swords of the Gods, and failing to avenge their death. He could not even kill Nerva Sephiroth, who had climbed to the position closest to the Battle God using an immoral method. That was why he wanted to live. He wanted to avenge them.

As for why Minhyuk stopped in his tracks and hesitated, he received notifications, and he could barely believe them.

‘No. Why should this bastard…’

[A great being has randomly activated the Origin Authority ‘God and Knight’!]

[The Origin Authority God and Knight will help you win the loyalty of the God-chosen knight.]

The God and Knight was the ‘Origin Authority’ that helped Minhyuk make God of Snakes Elizabeth into his vassal.

(God and Knight)

Origin Authority

Current Status: Sealed

Effects:

•Sealed.

•Sealed.

•Sealed.

•If you are placed in ‘that situation’, this power will be triggered randomly and without your knowledge. This can only happen once in three months.

•There’s a chance that you will be able to control God and Knight once the seal has been lifted.

•You can have more than five God level NPCs once the seal has been lifted.

•You can have more than twenty Legendary level NPCs once the seal has been lifted.

As mentioned in the description, it was almost impossible to guess when it would be activated, being completely random. The most ironic part here was the part where he did not have any inkling as to how the Origin Authority would help him win the loyalty of the chosen knight. Simply put, there were many ways, but they were not mentioned.

‘Am I supposed to spare this bastard?’

The God and Knight’s notification obviously said that it would help him win the loyalty of the God’s chosen knight. But Minhyuk did not choose the man in front of him. This could only mean one thing. Athenae, the original owner of the Origin Authority, had deemed that Luo’s existence would be very beneficial to Minhyuk.

If it would be left to Minhyuk, he would have killed Luo already after receiving the God of Assassination’s Book. However, another set of notifications stopped him from doing so.

[The Seed of Growth has reacted to Soldier ‘Nero’.]

[Nero was born with the talent to become an assassin.]

[However, just because one has talents does not mean that one could become one. Sometimes, one needs to be reminded and taught for them to realize their true talents.]

Minhyuk had met the soldier named Nero in the underground prison just recently. The man had the gift to become an excellent assassin. However, he did not know his own value and had decided to live as an ordinary soldier.

Of course, the Seed of Growth would definitely release some of that talent and allow him to gain some power. But Minhyuk knew that Nero would eventually hit his limits if he continued to live as he was before. Nero could read the ‘God of Assassin’s Book’ and grow further, but he would still eventually hit another threshold without the help of a mentor.

The question was, was there anyone that could help Nero grow? Naturally, the Beyond the Heavens Kingdom had Abel, although he was more of an informant than an assassin. Furthermore, he was already swamped trying to find information that would be very helpful to the kingdom.

Even though Luo had lost an arm, there was a chance that he could become a person that would be able to help Nero grow further. He might also be able to help nurture assassins for the Beyond the Heavens Kingdom. If Luo helped Nero and allowed him to grow?

‘Another god might be born in the kingdom right after the Spear God.’

However, Minhyuk judged that Luo needed to die. Just when his sword was about to stab Luo in the heart, he received another notification.

[One of the Swords of the Gods, Luo, hates and resents Nerva Sephiroth.]

[Deep down in his heart, he was searching for the person that would stand up and fight against Nerva Sephiroth.]

The God and Knight could suggest many ways to gain the loyalty of someone and turn them into Minhyuk’s knight. At this moment, the reason why he should spare the man in front of him was finally revealed.

‘Luo hates Nerva?’

Perhaps this was also the reason why Luo deliberately left behind his God of Assassination Book with him. This fact complicated things. With a cold look on his face, he forced himself to think rationally and objectively.

What would the Beyond the Heavens Kingdom gain if he brought Luo in? If Minhyuk killed him right here and now, then it was nothing but mere revenge. Finally, Minhyuk made a decision.

Meanwhile, Luo had been subjected to the influence of the ‘God and Knight’, which had caused his anger and desire to live soar dramatically within him. The faces of the knights that Nerva had killed, as well as the faces of the people that he cared about the most, flashed in his head.

Nerva was a terrible demon. He was sure that once he was dead, the man would just say, ‘…How dare you put a stain to the name of the Great Luvien Empire! Pathetic.’

Luo was seething in anger. He desperately wished for someone to stand up and fight against Nerva.

“…Do you want to kill Nerva?”

The Beyond the Heavens’ King, who was standing in front of him, asked. However, Luo did not answer. “I understand that my question is very ridiculous. However, I want to know. Do you want to see Nerva’s downfall?”

The man was nothing but the king of a small nation.

“I will make that happen. In return, you will have to become my dog.”

Even if Luo lived like a dog, he would still want to see Nerva’s downfall.

“You will die the moment you become useless to me. Your duty is to raise a group of assassins for the Beyond the Heavens Kingdom and make Nero a worthy successor after you. I will kill you after that. The moment you try to betray me, you will die. Will you still choose to be my dog?”

Luo did not answer as Minhyuk passed by him. The choice was now up to him. Besides, the vow between a king and his vassal was absolute. Just like Minhyuk said, with that vow, if he tried to betray his king then he would die. In fact, as long as his king wished for it, he would die.

Luo, who was kneeling on the ground, looked at the man. He was wearing a cloak that bore the fork and knife crossed together, the symbol of the Beyond the Heavens Kingdom, and his eyes that were glinting sharply through the strands of his black hair.

The man turned his head and looked at Luo. “The Luvien Empire will never know whether you are alive or dead. After all, I’m going to kill all of them.”

Then, the Beyond the Heavens’ King charged at the Black Knights that were already moving toward him.

‘How…’

Luo felt an unknown yet blazing heat run through his veins. Why did he feel this way when looking at the enemy’s general? Actually, Luo knew Brod all too well.

‘…So, this is the reason why you serve this man? Is it because he’s the only person that can beat Nerva?’

Winning the war against Nerva was a tall challenge, especially for a mere king of a small nation. Still, Luo grasped the string of his consciousness that was threatening to disappear and get cut off at any given moment, tightly. He forced himself to endure and watched the battle until the very end.

Gremory and the Attention Seekers, as well as Sun Wukong and his troops, were all exhausted. In fact, even Minhyuk was exhausted. There were still 600 surviving Black Knights. However, carrying the name of the Beyond the Heavens’ King, he charged forward and fought alone.

After killing them, he stood among their corpses and raised a white flag. Then, he stabbed his sword on the ground and prayed silently for the souls of the people and the soldiers.

As he watched the scene, Luo vowed, “…I will bark if you want me to bark. I will bite if you want me to bite. I will die if you want me to die…”

Malice and hatred slowly stained Luo’s eyes as he continued to focus on Minhyuk’s body.

“I will become your dog.”

[The God and Knight have succeeded!]

[You have acquired God’s Second Knight.]

[God’s Second Knight ‘Luo’ is the one that has inherited the power of the God of Assassination.]

[The relationship between God and God’s Second Knight is superficial and is only a relationship based on obedience.]

[God’s Second Knight Luo will die if he betrays you.]

[God’s Second Knight Luo will die if you no longer have a use for him.]