IBMATG 4

Chapter 4

Whoosh!

An axe flew toward the back of my head, but I casually tilted my body to the side and dodged it with ease.

The method was simple—don’t attack outright, lull the opponent into carelessness by pretending to spare them, and then strike from behind.

As expected of thugs, even in the smallest things, their tricks were as despicable as could be.

“Huh?”

I drove my fist into the attacker’s stomach.

Thunk!

His eyes rolled back as he was flung away, crashing into his companions.

“W-what the hell?”

Shock colored all their faces.

Well, it made sense—they hadn’t expected things to turn out this way.

“Grab him first!”

At that moment, over a dozen gangsters rushed at me all at once.

No division of roles, no tactics—just a rabble.

Every weapon they had was either an axe or a knife.

No ranged weapons. No backup.

“Tsk.”

I clicked my tongue and calmly watched them swarm in.

No different from earlier when I fought the centipedes.

They were trapped in slowed time—while I was free from it.

Not because of some special magic.

But purely because of the difference in level.

Pow! Bam! Thud!

I struck them down one by one with my fists.

One hit, one down.

Every blow landed in the gut, dropping them.

Whether anyone died from it… I didn’t know.

If their organs were intact, they’d live. If not, they’d die.

Thud. Thud.

They collapsed one by one.

Once more than half were down, their morale began to falter.

But I didn’t stop.

I made sure none were left standing—all of them unconscious.

“U-ugh…”

The leader, who had been shouting orders from the front, was now trembling on the ground in terror.

He was the last.

“I-I was wrong! Please… please spare me!”

After despicable came pathetic.

As expected of their boss, he embodied all the qualities of a lowlife.

“No.”

Crack!

My response was a side kick to his ribs, sending him flying.

His head smacked against the cave wall, and he fainted.

Thud.

That was the end.

If I left them here, the centipedes would eat them alive.

Their very existence would be erased from this world.

Serves them right.

The moment you choose to kill others, you should know you might be killed too.

From the instant they awakened and picked up weapons, they had already signed their names in the reaper’s ledger.

If they feared death, they would’ve quit being Awakeners long ago.

That applied not only to them—but to me as well.

“W-wow…”

Now, the only one still conscious was the man who had almost been killed by these criminals.

He stared at me with wide eyes.

His gaze was like that of a fan looking at their idol with awe.

“Thank you! Thank you so much for saving me!”

The man expressed his gratitude again and again before hurriedly leaving.

He looked like he wanted to ask my name but instead just fumbled and left.

“I should get going too.”

My hunt here should end now.

If I lingered, someone else might discover the scene.

Of course, I didn’t leave empty-handed—I searched through the gangsters’ clothes before going.

“Anything useful here?”

I looted all their wallets.

And then, among their weapons, I found a knuckle duster that looked far better than mine.

<Romanov Model 31 Knuckle Type D>

“What the… these punks had good stuff.”

Romanov was a Russian arms manufacturer.

Even before monster outbreaks, they were famous as a premium firearms maker. After the outbreaks, they maintained their prestige by producing Awakener military weapons.

“I’ll put this to good use.”

I pocketed the pair of knuckles and next checked their Talismans.

Talismans looked like pendants or trinkets, but they were actually a type of armor.

When worn, they projected a thin, invisible barrier around the body.

Thanks to these, Awakeners didn’t have to walk around in full armor, looking ridiculous.

Instead, we could wear normal clothes like I was now.

“Found it.”

Among their gear, I discovered the most useful item.

<Omnipotent Orc Warrior Talisman>

Barrier charge: 98
All stats +1

A stat-boosting talisman.

Judging by their equipment, these guys had spent quite a lot.

“I’ll take this too.”

I discarded my cheap talisman and equipped this one.

Then, I checked my status.

Life: 276/276
Mana: 97/114
Strength: 97 (+1)
Vitality: 97 (+1)
Reflexes: 97 (+1)
Focus: 97 (+1)
Willpower: 97 (+1)

The +1 Willpower triggered my first trait, Mighty Mana, increasing my mana by 6.

Then, that increase in mana activated my second trait, Dragon of Calamity’s Magic, which raised all stats by 6.

In other words, equipping this talisman increased every stat by 7.

“I’ve stripped them of everything worth taking.”

Time to go.

I decided to leave the rest of the thugs’ belongings behind.

Other people’s gear counted as stolen goods—you couldn’t just sell it off.

Guys like them had fences to deal with that, but I didn’t.

I was a law-abiding citizen, after all.

So I only kept what I could use immediately.

“Well… not a bad haul.”

With my equipment unexpectedly upgraded, I headed toward the dungeon exit.

Creeeech!

Three centipede monsters blocked my path.

I advanced with a sharper stance than before.

Smash!

I crushed the skull of the front one with a punch.

In the same motion, I rushed the other two.

Bang! Bang!

Straight, left hook, right hook—three punches, three kills.

Maybe it was the Russian knuckles, but my punches landed far cleaner than before.

“Phew.”

Just then, a new message appeared.

[Resonance with Ajdahaka has increased by 0.01%.]

[Quest achieved! Authority <Pain: Orb of Hellfire> has been unlocked.]

If traits were fragments of power bestowed by a guardian spirit—

Then Authorities manifested the guardian itself and its might into reality.

<Pain: Orb of Hellfire>

The pitch-black flames of hell emitted from Ajdahaka’s entire being.

(Stage 1) Black flames envelop your knuckles. When they strike an enemy, the flames spread, inflicting continuous fire and dark damage.

Mana Cost: 100

“An Authority that enchants weapons?”

From the very first one, it wasn’t ordinary.

A skill brimming with Ajdahaka’s identity.

Perfectly suited to me—melee fighter, but with strong magic stats as well.

But there was one critical flaw.

“The mana cost is too high.”

With my current 114 mana, casting it once would drain me to just 14.

That would cripple my stats and leave me useless in close combat.

Trying to ignite an enemy would only put me at risk first.

Right now, the skill was nearly unusable.

“As expected… I’ll need a way to recover mana if I want to use this guardian’s power freely.”

The need for mana recovery hit me harder than ever.

Back home, while researching mana recovery methods, I stumbled upon an intriguing discussion.

[‘Mythical Guardian Spirits.’ Have you ever heard of them?]

It was a forum post about beings ranked above the current top tier, Legendary Guardians.

[They’re said to be unobtainable by normal means. Rumors suggest world-class Awakeners like the ‘Sword Emperor’ or Korea’s own ‘Holy King’ might possess them.]

“Mythical Guardians, huh.”

Even now, my power felt overwhelming.

I still remembered the thugs collapsing in fear before me.

Or that man who had looked at me with reverence.

Just recalling it gave me chills.

And yet, that was only the beginning of my growth.

But to think there was power beyond this.

[According to current knowledge, their secret lies within the annual ‘Diamond Auction.’]

I knew of that auction.

Every December, it was announced to all Awakeners worldwide.

Countless billionaires bid with mountains of Diamonds, but only one could win.

[Last year’s winning bid was around 2.3 billion Diamonds. That’s about 96 billion USD—roughly 115 trillion won.]

115 trillion won—enough to buy 20 aircraft carriers.

Twice South Korea’s annual defense budget.

The claim was that this staggering price was paid for a Mythical Guardian.

[How many individuals or organizations could spend that much at once? Maybe the US Department of Defense? After all, they’re the ‘trillion-dollar country.’]

[Of course, that’s only speculation. The US government has never confirmed it.]

[But what’s certain is that every year, someone pays that much, and the winners always turn out to be among the top high-rank Awakeners.]

“…So that’s how it is.”

I leaned back and thought.

Buying Diamonds in won gave me a 500x profit.

Vietnamese dong was 20 times weaker than the won—making it a 10,000x profit.

So that 115 trillion won in market value would cost me…

“11.5 billion won.”

The thought made me grin.

“Doable.”

Not even Legendary Guardians could generate twice South Korea’s defense budget.

But enough for two luxury apartments in Gangnam?

Easily.

With my advantage, I could leap over that gap like it was nothing—like a Midas touch.

Through it, I could reach secrets hidden from the world.

The secret of Mythical Guardians.

Exclusive to only a handful in existence.

“I’ll make it mine.”

With my goal clear, plans formed in my mind.

To make money, I needed prep work.

And some investment capital.

Fortunately, I still had leftover funds from the money I’d borrowed for my last Guardian pull.

“I’ll use this to buy what I need most right now.”

And I immediately put my plan into action.

Clang! Clang! Ratatatat!

Awakeners armed with spears and guns battled goblins.

This was a state-run Goblin Dungeon accessible via a portal on a Seoul mountainside.

Convenient location, free entry—it drew many low-ranked Awakeners.

Unlike the narrow, dark centipede dungeon, this place was a vast open plain.

Still, it was crowded.

“Didn’t think I’d ever come back here.”

Of course, I’d hunted here often before, so the scene felt all too familiar.

Past the crowds and goblins, I reached the edge of the dungeon.

A spear topped with a boar skull stood planted in the ground, and beyond it, a blue opaque wall marked the boundary.

There, I quietly muttered a command.

“Start hidden quest.”

This was why I came to a dungeon far beneath my level—

To clear a hidden quest.

Well, “hidden.” In truth, anyone who knew, knew.

They could be started in most Goblin Dungeons worldwide.

{Do you want to begin the Hidden Quest <The Corrupted Goblin Shaman>?}

“Yes.”

So why hadn’t I done this before?

And why didn’t others?

Because the activation requirements were brutal.

{Quest activation requirements not met.}
{You need a Hobgoblin’s spine.}
{You need a Dire Wolf’s fang.}
{You need a Werebear’s gallbladder.}
{You need a Lindworm’s poison sac.}

The Lindworm’s sac, especially—it was absurd.

Though weaker than Wyverns or Drakes, a Lindworm was still a dragon.

Ridiculous as a material for a mere Goblin Dungeon quest.

Obtaining it meant either massive money or massive manpower.

So why was I here despite not having it?

{Would you like to pay 350,000 Diamonds to begin immediately?}

Because I could just skip it—
with pay-to-win.