IBMATG 18

Chapter 18

{Naberius’ minion infiltrates the system.}

Right after I had taken down the final boss of Stage 3 with the Orb of Infernal Fire, that message appeared.

And as expected, it disrupted the system, letting me use the newly gained ability again.

The only difference this time was:

{Authority is adjusted to suit the user.}
{<Gae Bolg, the Thorned Spear> changes into the derivative authority of the Evil Dragon’s Claw, <Gae Bolg Barrage>.}
{<Gae Bolg Barrage> gains the property of Wave Accumulator.}

A message stating that an authority which hadn’t suited me before had now been adjusted to fit me.

───

<Gae Bolg Barrage> (Wave Accumulator)

• Launches a super-fast thirty-hit combo in an instant. Usable only during Evil Dragon’s Claw projection. Each use accumulates ‘Impact Wave’.

• Mana cost: 100

───

The Gae Bolg that once extended thirty thorns had transformed into a deadly offensive technique unleashing thirty strikes in succession.

An authority meant for a spear had been altered to suit my main weapon—knuckles.

On top of that, it came with a property that linked to Intermediate Martial Arts.

───

<Intermediate Martial Arts>

• Your mastery of combat has risen, and you have realized the truth of the Wave. You can accumulate and discharge ‘Waves’. Combat skills gain the properties of ‘Wave Accumulator’ and ‘Wave Discharger’.
  Proficiency: 1/100

───

This was the new ability I’d gained when my Low-tier Martial Arts skill upgraded into Intermediate Martial Arts.

But… what do I actually use the accumulated Waves for?

According to the description, the Waves I built up with Gae Bolg Barrage would serve as a resource for another skill, the ‘Wave Discharger’.

But as of now, I didn’t have any authority that matched it.

Even the Orb of Infernal Fire didn’t mention such a thing.

So I’ll need to obtain another authority.

In the end, my conclusion was that to make proper use of this skill, I had to absorb another Awakener’s guardian spirit.

To grow stronger, I’ll have to kill other Legendary Awakeners and take theirs…

Honestly, the merit was enormous.

Not only could I seize the authorities of other legendary guardian spirits and make them my own, but the last time I’d absorbed one, my assimilation rate had jumped by a whole 1.2%.

I wasn’t sure if absorbing other legendary guardians would raise it by the same amount. But in simple terms, if the rate held, I’d only need about 80 of them to reach 100% assimilation.

And on top of all that, there were the raw stat increases—a very direct benefit.

That alone was reason enough.

Is that your intention, demon?

I asked the invisible presence once more.

It wanted me to become a monster who killed people just to gain power.

Then I’ll do it.

Of course, I didn’t reject it.

If possible, I could take as many lives as I needed.

After all, that’s what I had been doing all along—so it would be strange to suddenly start hesitating now.

I once said, “If you try to kill others, you’ll be killed yourself”… looks like I’m the one who’ll end up dead.

I gave a bitter chuckle.

“Yoonah! Focus on marking targets with the submachine gun!”
“Yes, got it!”

Ratatatatata!
Slash! Shraaak!

Choi Yoonah’s bullets and my dragon claws tore through the wide cavern.

The other eight Awakeners, including Lee Jinyoon, only stood by and watched.

Stage 4 was a ten-person linear dungeon. Aside from Yoonah and Jinyoon, the remaining seven were random matchups.

Not one of them was even History-grade.

Statistically, it made sense, and most higher-ranked Awakeners already had their own parties, so they rarely used random matching.

The three of us were the odd ones out.

{You have cleared Stage 4.}
{50 Raid Points acquired.}
{An additional 45 Raid Points acquired under special conditions.}

This stage’s bonus condition was “kill as many monsters as possible.”

Which made the weaker lineup actually work in my favor—since I could monopolize the points.

{You have obtained 1,000,000 Gold.}

And just like that, Stage 4 was cleared with ease.

“Only the final stage left now.”

We didn’t jump in right away but waited in town.

“From here on, it’s going to be a very tight battle of wits.”

The last stage was a pure boss fight, with no gimmicks.

As the term “Raid Boss” suggested, not even I could bring it down alone.

It was an enemy that required hundreds of Awakeners—including Legendary and History-rank—to attack with everything they had, and even then it might not fall.

“A battle of wits? What do you mean?” Yoonah asked.

“Because so many Awakeners gather in one place, there are lots of factors to consider.”

“Oh, like how many people are ready right now, whether the gathered strength is enough to kill the raid boss, and so on?”

“Exactly.”

Every stage except the first could be retried upon failure.

You could stay in town, prepare, and attempt again.

The problem was the cooldown.

Failing a raid boss attempt meant waiting twenty-four hours before another try.

And if another group beat the boss in that time, all your efforts—and points—would mean nothing.

“Some of the big groups intentionally sneak into the vanguard party, deliberately fail the fight, and then have their real strike force waiting outside to go in and kill the boss.”

“What? That’s so dirty!”

“Well, who here would complain? Even if they did, nothing would change.”

“Ugh…”

Yoonah let out a sigh.

It was her first time, just like me, reaching the final stage of a raid.

She had been so full of excitement, only to have cold water splashed all over it.

“So, that means… we don’t stand a chance, right? Since we’re so few?”

She wasn’t wrong. Small parties like ours could only get crushed if the big groups pulled tricks like that.

This wasn’t a matter of individual power.

“That doesn’t mean we should just give up.”

I did have a plan.

“Do you have a way?”

“We just gather people.”

When there’s no clever move, you fall back on brute-force solutions.

And right now, I was a recognizable figure among Awakeners.

Plenty saw me as a threat, but just as many wanted to benefit from me.

That was something I could exploit.

“Excuse me.”
“Yes?”

I caught a nearby merchant and handed him 1,000 gold.

“Huh? What’s this for?”

“You know me, right?”

“Of course! You’re the hero who took down those thugs at the tavern!”

My reputation had spread not only among Awakeners but even among city folk.

Naturally so—after I slaughtered those who treated NPCs like trash. To the townspeople, I was bound to look favorable.

“Spread the word that I’m recruiting for the raid boss fight.”

“Oh… just spread the word, you mean?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, that’s nothing! I wouldn’t even take gold for that. Please, take it back!”

“Think of it as a fee for your trouble. Keep it.”

“If you insist…”

He couldn’t hide his smile as he pocketed the coin.

“Then I’ll go spread the news right away!”

He immediately left his shop and hurried off.

“Is that… okay?” Yoonah asked, looking worried.

“Doesn’t it draw too much attention?”

Her concern wasn’t unfounded.

It was basically advertising: ‘I’m going to the boss fight, come sabotage me!’

But—

“It also creates anxiety.”
“Anxiety?”

As in, what if he goes in first and kills the boss before we get our chance?

By openly announcing I was gathering people, I’d attract those who wanted to rely on me for their share of the loot.

And the more people gathered, the more unpredictable variables appeared.

So the big groups, fearing that messing around might cost them everything, would be forced to send their strongest first.

And once other groups expected that, they’d also feel compelled to send their main forces.

Which meant, in the end, no one would dare hold back tricks—everyone would go all-in.

Thus, the scheming would be cut off at the root.

“Excuse me. Are you Yoo Shinwoo?”

It seemed my prediction had hit the mark.

In less than a few hours, a major group had come seeking me out.

And this one bore a name I knew very well.

[NL Corp.]

Wait… this is a foreign company?

I had thought it was just a small Korean firm. But the people now standing before me were all white.

They carried the name “NL,” yet looked nothing like the image I had in my head.

“My name is Volkov. A pleasure to meet you.”

The man addressing me had a Russian name and spoke in very polite English.

“By coincidence, I see you have some history working with our company.”

“Not exactly fond memories.”

I spoke bluntly.

After all, they were the ones seeking me out. I had no reason to act humble.

“If you hold bad memories due to poor management at our Korean branch, allow me to apologize on their behalf.”

Unexpectedly, they were far more cordial than I’d thought.

“We will enforce the highest level of disciplinary measures against the staff involved, in accordance with company regulations.”

In fact, their attitude was too courteous—almost excessive.

What is this?

This wasn’t just someone coming to ask, ‘Want to raid the boss with us?’

No, this was far heavier, more serious.

Sensing that, I cut straight to the point.

“What do you want? Don’t beat around the bush. Keep it simple—I don’t understand difficult English.”

“Understood,” he said with a smile, switching to easier words.

“Would you consider working with us again?”

The hell?

I was stunned.

A sudden job offer?

Of course, my immediate response was a flat rejection.

“What if I say no?”

Naturally, that wasn’t the answer he wanted.

“I had hoped you wouldn’t.”

His tone was calm, but cold.

And at that moment, I felt as if countless Legends and Histories were fixing their lethal gaze on me.