IBMATG 34

chapter 34

As expected, the one who had been the sole winning bidder in the Diamond Auction over the past five years and monopolized the patch notes was indeed the Sword Saint.

And he had perfectly succeeded in drawing his attention toward Kalininskaya.

All thanks to Darius and Bogdan.

“I still don’t understand how things are unfolding.”

Of course, they themselves didn’t really know what they had done.

“It’s strange that all that absurd information you mentioned actually turned out to be true… And suddenly, weird guys like Belgrave appeared, turning Kalininskaya into a mess… Did you foresee this would happen?”

“No way. I’m not a fortune teller.”

“Are you pretending not to know, or do you really not know?”

I shrugged at Darius’s question.

Honestly, I didn’t expect things to go this smoothly either.

At most, I had anticipated a scenario where the Sword Saint and Kalininskaya would tangle with each other in petty skirmishes, holding each other back.

Even that would have been enough to expand my range of action.

But unknown factors intertwined and created a synergy effect.

Eventually, it reached the point of completely crippling Kalininskaya.

As a bonus, I swallowed the legendary guardians of the dying Awakeners without so much as a drop of blood on my hands.

{Willpower: 126 (+5)(+863)}

Thanks to this, my Willpower increased by 31, bringing my overall stats dangerously close to 1,000.

On top of that, three stolen powers and the new Ajidahaka’s inherent powers were unlocked.

Of course, I still had no idea how to properly use them.

With so many places to go, there simply wasn’t time.

“So, what will you do now? Keep messing with Kalininskaya?”

Meanwhile, Darius asked me about my plans.

He probably asked this because he instinctively sensed it would be dangerous to proceed further here.

“I’ll put it on hold for now.”

“Hmm… Because of the Belgrave guys?”

“Exactly.”

He also knew the value of the information I held.

And that the huge organization Belgrave was after it.

Knowing these two things, he would understand that the moment it’s revealed that I hold the patch notes, Belgrave’s target would turn toward us.

“I hate to say this, but for the time being, Kalininskaya has to stay alive as a strawman.”

So rather than stirring things up further, it’s better to leave the current situation as it is.

Darius didn’t exactly oppose this; he wasn’t ignorant of the reasoning.

“Well, I thought you’d say that. Honestly, I didn’t expect to smash them so quickly… But…”

Of course, questions remained.

“What I’m curious about is, after tying their hands, what will you do? Got some brilliant plan?”

“I do.”

“What plan?”

“You’ll find out soon enough.”

“Another mysterious start, huh?”

Darius raised both hands, looking disappointed.

“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure you get your money.”

“Hey, buddy. Money isn’t the issue.”

“Then what is?”

“I thought we were family on the same ship. Why keep hiding things?”

“Even families have secrets.”

“Sure, sure.”

“Respect me. Trusting without doubt is also family, isn’t it?”

“Hah… sounds convincing, I’ll give you that.”

He gave a hollow laugh at my rhetoric.

“Alright, fine. We’ve come this far; I’ll trust you.”

“Good. Thought so.”

“Even if I didn’t trust you, there’s nothing I could do anyway.”

“You know your place. That’s a skill in itself.”

“Hah!”

He jokingly raised his middle finger.

I reciprocated in kind.

“Go step on some crap.”

“You first.”

Ignoring Darius, I went on my way.

The world changes.

I’m not talking about old-fashioned worldly logic.

I mean that systems artificially created by certain entities are constantly evolving.

New dungeons appear that didn’t exist before, and new unique weapons are given as rewards in those dungeons.

The holder of the patch notes has the right to preemptively claim all these new things.

“I’ve been manipulating the world with this until now, but it’s time for me to act directly.”

With Kalininskaya and Belgrave tying each other down, I now had the opportunity to do what I wanted.

That was to acquire a unique weapon.

{New Unique Weapon – (1) The sixth Ether Weapon is created in the world.}

There are various types of unique weapons, but the most elite are called “Ether Weapons.”

From this patch note, I learned how to obtain one.

And surprisingly, it wasn’t that difficult.

“I thought I wouldn’t be able to get the highest-tier unique weapon.”

As mentioned before, most newly added elements were designed for the current top-tier, so they were often challenging.

But this one could be obtained by completing a relatively simple quest.

“Here it is.”

I arrived at the location mentioned in the patch notes.

A small village near Alford in Scotland, in the middle of an empty plain.

This land would belong to someone, individual or state, but there were no barriers keeping people out.

Because there was truly nothing here.

{Do you wish to enter the <Alford Castle> dungeon?}

But things had changed this year.

A new dungeon that hadn’t existed before appeared.

The quest to obtain the Ether Weapon would be carried out here, in “Alford Castle.”

“Enter.”

Flash.

I was instantly transported from the real world into another world.

The scenery hadn’t changed much.

Still dense forests on the mountains.

The only difference was a massive castle standing against a cliff ahead.

I walked straight toward the castle.

“Stop!”

A guard at the gate blocked me.

He was human, neither orc nor goblin.

“Your attire is suspicious. State your affiliation and identity!”

Like cities in other raid dungeons, this place was a medieval European-style fantasy world.

Before, NPCs didn’t mind strange outfits because so many Awakeners from around the world visited.

Now, I was the only one in modern 21st-century clothes.

The reaction was natural.

“Here.”

I showed the talisman to the guard.

The talisman signified an Awakener.

For some reason, human-type NPCs revered us as “heroes” when they recognized us.

“That won’t prove your identity!”

However, the guard didn’t recognize the talisman.

Instead, he pointed his spear at me.

‘What? The patch note said this should grant entry.’

I froze at this unexpected reaction.

Was some anomaly occurring? Perhaps.

This country, plagued by Angra Mainyu, often experienced glitches.

“You! Suspicious… Ack!”

“What’s going on?”

Another guard who had just finished inspecting a passerby struck him in the head with his fist.

“Why… why?”

“This is a hero! Don’t you recognize him?”

“Y-yeah…?”

As expected.

The first man was a rookie.

The new guard respectfully bowed.

“I apologize for the rudeness. If the Baron has business, I’ll guide you immediately.”

He said he would take me to the lord of this castle, as if he had been expecting me.

“No, that’s fine.”

Most Awakeners would accept such VIP treatment in a new dungeon without question.

But that was a trap.

Following him blindly would lead to the dungeon’s worst route.

According to the patch note.

“I have business at the magic shop here.”

Instead, I gave a plausible excuse and entered the village.

NPCs act organically, making decisions and interacting with their environment, so even a small statement must be chosen carefully.

Otherwise, they’d become suspicious.

“Ah… I see?”

“Then I’ll pass through.”

“…Yes.”

Still, the guard’s gaze was wary.

My excuse wasn’t sufficient.

If he reports to his superiors, everything would collapse.

‘I have no choice.’

In such cases, there’s a universal remedy that works across times and worlds.

{Do you wish to give 1,000 gold to the other party?}

“Ah, suddenly…”

I tapped the guard’s shoulder with a smile.

He cleared his throat and smiled, bowing politely again.

“Please! Not my daughter!”

“If you have nothing, you’ll pay with your body!”

A scuffle was happening in the village.

Several soldiers in the same armor as the guard at the entrance tried to forcibly take a young girl who looked under ten.

“Take me instead! Please, not my daughter…”

“Shut up! If you don’t, I’ll cut off your arm!”

Swish!

One soldier even drew a sword from his waist.

Blood seemed imminent.

Thwack!

“Ah! What—”

At that moment, a fist-sized stone flew and hit the soldier’s head.

Someone from the crowd had thrown it.

“Who did that? Come out now!”

Whish! Thwack!

“Argh!”

Another stone struck him, bigger than before, and he collapsed, bleeding.

“These…!”

Clang! Clang!

The other soldiers drew swords.

‘It’s him.’

I spotted the person who threw the first stone: an ordinary-looking villager, but clearly the most important figure here.

“Who threw the stone? Speak, or I’ll kill one by one!”

The atmosphere was tense.

Still, the villagers remained silent, exchanging wary glances.

Some trembled, fists clenched.

“Alright, let’s see what you’ve got. Then…”

Swish! Swish! Thwack!

“Ugh!”

Suddenly, the villagers all started throwing stones at the soldiers.

Though unarmed, sheer numbers made it threatening.

“Damn you! Come try and kill us!”

Some even used farming tools.

“Run!”

Overwhelmed by numbers, the lord’s soldiers retreated.

“Come back, and you’ll die for sure!”

The cruel lord exploited the villagers, and their resentment erupted.

According to the patch note, this was the perfect timing for an Awakener to intervene.

“Hey, you.”

I approached the man who had first thrown a stone.

“Let’s talk.”

A message appeared.

{Do you wish to start the <Become the Lord> quest?}

A new system added this year.

A prerequisite quest to unlock the siege system had been triggered.