IBMATG 32

chapter 32

Inside that patch note were details about the future.

From unique weapons that would debut in the world next year, to various skills, equipment, and other elements that no Awakener could help but crave—the acquisition routes for all of them were meticulously recorded.

It even contained information about raids scheduled for the coming year.

So all those who won the diamond auctions until now… were monopolizing this information?

Only now did I understand.

How those high-rankers managed to grow so quickly, so abnormally powerful.
And why the winning bids at the annual diamond auction had been skyrocketing each year.

This was clearly monopolized by one person… or one group.

The moment I first laid eyes on this information, one thing became certain:
I could never afford to miss a single diamond auction.

If someone else were to obtain next year’s patch notes instead of me, I’d essentially be falling behind.

The world keeps changing. And only the victors of the diamond auction can move ahead of that changing world.

Of course, that wasn’t a thought unique to me.
Whoever first seized this “patch note” must have thought the same.

That’s why they were willing to spend astronomical sums to secure it every single year.

But even then, they couldn’t stop an irregular like me from breaking through.

By now, it must be chaos… Sword Emperor.

I was convinced that the monopolizer of this information was none other than the Sword Emperor.

If someone with such overwhelming future intel didn’t become the strongest, it would make no sense.

Right now, he must be burning with fury, desperate to discover who won the auction this year.

Still… I don’t even know where to start with all this.

The patch note contained an immense amount of information.
Every single entry was jaw-dropping, premium content.

But that didn’t mean it was all good news.

Much of the information was far beyond my current reach.

It’s already been five years since the world began to change… and most of the newly added features are aimed at veteran Awakeners.

Equipment hidden deep within dungeons I couldn’t even approach, let alone clear.
High-level Awakener rewards described in ways I couldn’t even comprehend yet.

Over 90% of the information had barriers far too high for me to act on right now.

At this rate… it almost feels like the value is reduced.

Of course, I could still make a fortune just by selling these tips.
The kind of money I’d earn would be incomparable to the unique weapon I sold last time.

If I went that route, I’d never need to work as an Awakener again—I could just live the easy life.

Not a bad idea, but…

It wasn’t so simple.

The more you have, the greater the risks that come with it.

Especially in an age like this, where individuals were rapidly growing in strength, self-defense became more necessary than ever.

The world’s richest tycoons didn’t invest billions into raising Awakeners for nothing.
The sheer cost alone created a need to bolster power in kind.

Besides… I’m hardly in a position to leisurely buy and sell information right now.

Apart from the general risks, there was a more direct reason.
I had an enemy—Kalininskaya.

A war that wasn’t officially a war, but one that couldn’t end until one side was destroyed.
Until I resolved this, I couldn’t think about enjoying a peaceful life.

And that wasn’t all.

If I began selling this kind of information openly, it would inevitably draw someone’s attention.

The Sword Emperor.

As I reasoned, he was almost certainly the previous auction’s winner.
From his perspective, I’d just robbed him of the easy gains he’d been reaping with future knowledge.

He would never let it slide.

The Sword Emperor and Kalininskaya… two massive obstacles in my way.

My head was spinning.

Compared to these colossal powers that shaped the era, I was nothing but a speck.
And yet here I was, setting myself against them—an act of reckless defiance.

But retreat isn’t an option… yeah.

As I pondered what breakthrough I could possibly find in this situation—

That’s it.

A single word flashed in my mind.

Yi-Yi-Je-I.
“To control barbarians, use barbarians.”

A perfect phrase for my current situation.

Nana was furious at the sudden orders from above.

“What the hell’s going on with the organization all of a sudden?”

It was mid-January, a fortnight into the new year.
She was already irritated by the mysterious disappearance of Yoo Shin-Woo.

The family’s informant inside the Nikolai syndicate, Daria, had been feeding her nothing but scraps of intel.
After chasing down dead ends half a dozen times, suddenly the entire Kalininskaya was acting strange.

“They say the Kremlin is investigating us right now…”

“And why is that, exactly?”

“I-I don’t know the details. Just that…”

“Spit it out before I kill you.”

“Y-Yes, ma’am! They say… it’s because the boss supposedly knows something about the future.”

“…What? The hell kind of nonsense is that?”

“I really don’t know any more than that!”

Nana grabbed her subordinate by the collar.

“Say it straight. What the hell does that mean?”

“I swear I don’t know! That’s all I heard!”

“Tch.”

She let go and raked her fingers through her hair.

The boss knows the future?
How could that even be possible?
And even if it were, why would that make the Russian government pressure them?

It didn’t make sense.

$Anothertraitorhasbeenfound.Killthetargetlistedbelow.$

But along with that, orders came from above to execute another “traitor.”

Such commands weren’t unusual—but lately, the frequency was alarming.
This week alone, seven already.

Some of them seemed far too innocent to be guilty of anything.
Even Nana, who never hesitated to take lives, was starting to feel something was wrong.

At this rate, the organization itself might be ripped apart.

“Damn it… I’ll have to find out for myself.”

In the end, she resolved to uncover the truth with her own hands.

One day, a video surfaced on the internet.

$GotauniqueweaponbyfollowinginfofromNese!$

It was about an Awakener who obtained a unique weapon by following tips from posts on “Nese,” a social media site.

He made a fortune from that one weapon.
The video spread worldwide in an instant.

Naturally, Nese’s traffic exploded.
Every post there drew global attention from Awakeners.

The information was on another level—high-quality and shockingly accurate.

What started as a craze soon grew into a societal phenomenon.
Eventually, it drew the attention of intelligence agencies worldwide.

With that level of scrutiny, it was only a matter of time before the account holder’s identity was revealed.

And the man exposed was—

Vladimir Mikhailov.
Boss of the Kalininskaya Bratva.

So the Kremlin suspects the boss? That’s insane…

When Nana learned the truth, she nearly tore her hair out.

Think logically. If he had that kind of intel, why would he share it instead of keeping it all to himself? And the boss—on social media? Ridiculous.

No matter how she turned it around, it didn’t make sense.
But with no other candidate plausible enough, the suspicion stuck.

The Russian government even speculated that Mikhailov’s posts were part of some secret deal with the U.S.

So this is all those spies’ doing…

Just as things reached their worst, another fact surfaced.

Insiders snooping into the boss’s affairs were discovered.
Several high-ranking members had been caught trying to dig up information.

The latest kill order Nana received was to eliminate those infiltrators.

“Belgrave.”

She whispered the name coldly.

“I’ll kill every last one of those bastards.”

During the purge, it was revealed—

There had been agents embedded inside the Bratva for years, belonging to a mysterious group called Belgrave.

Everyone in Kalininskaya was certain: it was Belgrave that had set them up.
Why else would they act so boldly at such a time?

Boom!

Nana kicked down an apartment door and stormed inside.

“Come out, you filthy spy.”

The place was silent.
But that didn’t mean it was empty.

Bang! Bang!

She smashed doors one by one with her fists.
Not simple punches, but blows that released energy waves, obliterating entire rooms at once.

“Clicking my tongue… Not here either. Then—”

Just as she moved toward the bathroom—

“Hyah!”

The door burst open, and a man lunged out with a knife.

“Ha!”

Whoosh! Slam!

But in close combat, no one could beat Nana.
She caught his arm and slammed him into the floor with a shoulder throw.

“P-Please spare—”

Crack!

She drove her fist into his face, ending him instantly.

“From the moment you entered our organization, this was your fate. Tch.”

She spat on the headless corpse, then swept up every electronic device in the apartment into a bag before walking out.

All of the spy’s records would be analyzed to expose Belgrave’s identity.

Step, step.

The hunting dog of Kalininskaya departed.

Click.

And then—another figure emerged into the apartment.

A man with his face hidden under a hat and mask.

He gazed silently at the fresh corpse.

Fwoosh—

An unseen energy mass floated and was absorbed into his right eye.

{You have absorbed the soul of Mordred.}
{You have stolen the Authority: The Traitor’s Sword, Clarent.}
{Willpower has increased by 6.}
{Your synchronization with Azidahaka has risen. 8.97%}