IBMATG 25

Chapter 25

“This is insane….”

Nana frowned deeply as she looked around the NL branch, now reduced to a complete mess.

Corpses were strewn across the hallways.
An entire wall of the records room had been ripped out.

It was hard to believe that this level of destruction could be caused by a mere Rank 9 Awakened.

Even Alex, who owned the same Legendary Guardian Spirit, had been annihilated so thoroughly that not even his corpse could be found.

All that remained was a few bloodstained fragments of his bow.

“That bastard…”

She honestly hadn’t imagined this.
Instead of running away, he had attacked?

And judging from the traces of the battle left behind, his combat ability was far from ordinary.

When she first heard he had killed members of the organization inside a raid dungeon, she thought he was simply a strong Awakened among his rank.

But now, this wasn’t a matter that could be brushed off so easily.

“…You dared make a fool out of me?”

Once it was revealed that the culprit behind the branch attack was Yu Shin-Woo, Nana—his hunter—was harshly reprimanded by her superiors.

Not only had she completely missed her mark, she had even been played for a fool. It was a miracle she wasn’t severely punished.

The fact she wasn’t likely meant the organization still had faith in her.

“Just show yourself before me. …I’ll make you beg for death.”

Nana clenched her fists.

She swore she would end this matter herself.

Before the higher-ups interfered, she would erase Yu Shin-Woo from this world with her own hands.

{Mana has increased by 1.}

I opened my eyes to the message.

My daily routine—without fail.
Increasing my mana capacity through the Mana Heart.

So far, I had gained exactly +30 mana from it.

It wasn’t much by itself, but considering this bonus stat was obtained through a method no one else could use, it stacked into an overwhelming advantage.

Not that I needed it—my base stats alone were enough to crush Rank 9 Awakened.

{Mana: 534/534 (Mana Heart +30)}
{Willpower: 79 (Talisman +5) (Evil Dragon’s Blood +534)}

My total mana—the cumulative stat increase—was now 534.

Explosive growth.

At this rate, I might become a ranked player within a year.

After killing the Awakened with the Legendary Guardian Spirit “Tristan,” I gained a new Authority.

<Failnaught Magic Bullet> (Wave Accumulator)
Fires a mana projectile from the fist. The projectile’s trajectory can be slightly curved depending on the user’s will. After 10 uses, “Bombardment Wave” is accumulated. Can only be used while Dragon’s Claw is active.

Mana Cost: 10

As expected from a Guardian Spirit that wielded a bow, the Authority had been adapted for me into a ranged attack skill.

My first ranged ability.

Testing it, I found it couldn’t bend 90 degrees, but it could arc slightly.

In other words—a projectile skill with indirect fire.

“So this one accumulates Bombardment Wave…”

The key wasn’t the skill’s raw power, but its relationship to the “Wave” system.

The two Authorities I’d obtained earlier, Gae Bolg and Caladbolg, each accumulated and consumed “Impact Wave.”

But Failnaught accumulated Bombardment Wave.

That meant it couldn’t be used to power Caladbolg.

In short, different types of Waves paired with different accumulators and releasers.

“And of course, the releasers will be the stronger ones. Like Caladbolg. Meaning the choice of which Wave to accumulate depends on the situation.”

This made chaining Authorities critically important.

Accumulators consumed mana.
Releasers consumed Wave.

I now had to manage two separate resources in battle.

How much mana I had left.
Which type of Wave I’d accumulated.

It sounded simple in words, but in a chaotic real fight, it was a nightmare.

Because none of this was visible—I had to feel it intuitively.

“Gae Bolg Barrage. Failnaught Magic Bullet.”

I fired the Authorities into empty air.

Then, I felt two different kinds of Waves forming in my chest.

Thump. Thump.

Not mana, but another energy.
Like rings orbiting my heart.

One was heavy—Impact Wave.
The other burned hot—Bombardment Wave.

Not opposites, but clearly distinct.

“So I have to keep track of my remaining mana and my stored Wave at the same time…”

This was a whole new level of technique—beyond simply throwing punches.

Now it required tactical management of the power I possessed.

I currently had 25 billion won.

From selling the Avenger’s Butcher Knife for 45 billion, 20 billion had gone to taxes, leaving me 25 billion.

I hadn’t bothered with shady tricks like fake corporations or borrowed-name accounts.

Dirty work should be done with clean money to avoid trouble later.

“Forging IDs, dealing with the mafia… If the tax office or financial authorities get involved, it becomes a nightmare.”

Anyway, with that much free cash, I could face NL on equal footing.

“Here, info on the persons of interest.”

In a filthy Moscow back alley, a rough-looking skinhead handed me a USB.

It was the data I’d requested.

“If you’ve got a laptop, check it now.”

The man’s name was Darius.

He was part of the Nikolai Family—a Russian mafia group in direct conflict with the Kalininskaya Bratva.

Well, “conflict” was putting it lightly. They were enemies.

While Kalininskaya had allied with the Russian government to establish NL as a legal front, the Nikolai Family was being dismantled by that same government.

Their executives had all been assassinated or imprisoned.
The rest were scattered across Russia in isolated cells.

And of course, the ones responsible for their downfall were none other than Kalininskaya.

So naturally, every member of Nikolai hated them to the bone.

That’s why I paid them for information on NL’s root organization, the Kalininskaya Bratva.

Operating in the shadows, their intelligence network was still top-class.

“No, I’ll check it later.”

I pocketed the USB instead of opening it.

I didn’t want the meeting to drag on.

“Really? What if I planned to double-cross you?”

“…”

“Haha! I’m joking! Sure, I’m a bad guy, but I’m loyal to whoever pays well.”

“Then I’ll be going.”

“Yeah, yeah! If you need anything else, just say the word. I’ll get you anything!”

For a mafia go-between, he sure talked loud enough for the whole neighborhood to hear.

Everyone around here was shady anyway, but still—drawing attention wasn’t wise.

“…Is he doing that on purpose?”

Step. Step.

Sure enough, a group of local thugs who’d been eyeing us walked over.

Not just a few—nearly ten.

“…Something’s wrong.”

At first glance, it looked like ordinary street punks pissed at foreigners speaking another language in their turf.

Not unusual in a place like this.

But these weren’t ordinary punks.

They were all Awakened.

“All of them… Rare-rank.”

This wasn’t a raid dungeon that gathered the strongest from around the world.

This was just a city back alley.

And yet ten Rare Guardian Awakened had gathered here?

This wasn’t coincidence. Someone had sent them.

“Equip Cestus. Dragon’s Claw.”

I immediately drew my weapon and projected my Armament.

Then I looked straight at Darius.

If this was his setup, he was the most dangerous man here.

{Guardian Spirit: Napoleon Bonaparte (History)}

Because he was a History-rank Awakened.

“Hey! You guys know this man?”

But instead, Darius asked me if I knew them.

I wondered if it was just an act, but since they had already surrounded us, there was no reason for him to bother pretending.

“Not at all.”

“Then what are you punks? Get lost!”

He made a threatening gesture toward the approaching Awakened.

First in English, then shouting in Russian.

But they didn’t so much as flinch.

Not just unafraid—completely unresponsive.

“…What the hell?”

Looking closely, I saw their faces were bloodless.

They weren’t alive. They were corpses.

Khaaaak!

One of them let out a grotesque screech and charged at us, clutching a dagger glowing with blue light.

Tat-tat-tat!

Suddenly, musket fire tore through the air, riddling the corpse with bullets.

It collapsed to the ground.

“You okay?”

The shots had come from a dozen muskets floating in midair.

Summoned by Darius.

In his hand was a simple 30cm wooden stick.

“…So he’s a mage-type Awakened.”

It looked like a conductor’s baton, but it was a magician’s wand.

I’d wondered what kind of powers Napoleon’s wielder would have—apparently, he commanded magical armies.

Surprisingly elegant, given his hulking build and brutal face.

“What the hell are you? From the Armaments, you’re clearly Awakened…”

It seemed only now he realized our attackers were Awakened too.

Determined to fight, he swung his wand again, lining up muskets before and behind us.

“One more step, and you all die! No one touches my client!”

He sounded almost sincere about keeping his word.

Though the fact he said it in English meant it was probably just for my benefit.

“Whatever. The real question is—what are these things?”

Because what mattered now was the identity of the corpses surrounding us.

They were clearly dead bodies reanimated.

Someone skilled in necromancy was targeting me.

And soon, that someone revealed themselves.

“…In the wall!”

Danger.

From the wall to my right.

A hostile presence came straight for me—not anyone else.

Crash!

The wall exploded, a violent aura flooding the spot where I had stood.

I barely dodged in time. No damage.

“NL…”

In that moment, I realized they’d found me.

Because the one who destroyed the wall was a Legendary Awakened.

{Guardian Spirit: Reaper’s Descent (Legendary)}

A black-haired East Asian woman, exuding the aura of death from her fists.