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chapter 40
After successfully capturing the castle, the first thing I did was check the rewards inside the treasury.
{Unbound Aether Weapon}
It was a metallic sphere about the size of a baseball, gray in color.
At first glance, it seemed like a simple metal orb with no function, but the moment you owned it, it revealed its true form.
{Do you want to bind the Aether Weapon to your soul?}
“Yes.”
Flash.
The moment I confirmed the message, light radiated from the sphere, and its shape transformed.
It soon became a pair of black gloves that fit my hands perfectly.
{Aether Fist}
‘I already got this?’
With this, I effectively obtained the strongest weapon. Of course, next year the world might change again under the pretext of a “patch,” bringing new items, but theoretically, even if something better appeared, the Aether Weapon would inevitably surpass it.
This was because it’s a “growth weapon” that grows stronger as its owner becomes stronger.
Compared to weapons with fixed stats, this one could be endlessly enhanced. Truly, it could be called the ultimate weapon.
‘And even during growth, its stats far surpass any weapon the owner could normally wield.’
<Aether Fist>
Type: Knuckles
Attribute: None
Physical Strike: B
Magical Strike: B
Until now, I had been using the Ainar’s Cestus Replica, which was a triple D rank in physical strike.
This weapon was four tiers above that.
Of course, the previous weapon lagged far behind my growth speed, but even that one had been a special weapon purchased from the black market in a raid dungeon. This new weapon was on par with any unique weapon.
They say, “Using an Aether Weapon is like wielding the strongest unique weapon for your stats every time your stats increase.”
‘Anyway, with this, the first objective has been achieved.’
By grasping this weapon, I had already achieved the main reason for becoming the lord of Alford Castle.
Honestly, even if I returned now, I would have gained enough. But the problem…
‘To go home, I still have to defeat those monsters.’
This was just the beginning.
I glanced at an orc standing in the office.
“Grak!”
It looked at me, standing at attention with strict discipline.
Its armor made from unknown animal bones and a massive axe looked alien, yet its posture was unmistakably that of a human soldier.
“Ha… can’t you speak human?”
“Ark, Totofu Dorok!”
Strangely, even after the conquest, communication with them was impossible.
They acted friendly, but their language was completely different.
‘Unlike human NPCs whose words are automatically translated into the Awakened’s native tongue… maybe this whole situation is an exception.’
I realized once again how unusually distorted the situation was.
“Hm… sit down.”
The fortunate part was that while I couldn’t understand them, they could understand me.
“Grak!”
The orc sat down immediately without any gestures. It understood my language.
“Good. I don’t need to understand yours. I don’t plan to live face-to-face with you anyway.”
“Kah Hakum?”
“Gather all combat forces in the castle in front of the underground prison. Leave no defenders; send all who can fight, regardless of rank.”
“Grak!”
I planned to take all the orcs here to help conquer the Alford Castle in the human world.
“Ugh…”
Adel’s face twisted as she looked at the orcs crammed endlessly into the cramped underground prison.
The force numbered about 500.
Among them, nearly 40–50 looked like human knights.
“To actually bring these monsters here… you’re really something.”
Even Patrick, standing before me commanding this barbaric army, was overwhelmed.
“To be honest… I feel it’s much better to be under you than under Prince Marcus.”
If that cheeky knight said that, it was saying everything.
Yet, he still wasn’t part of my clan.
The villagers had joined simply by helping Adel. Patrick, despite his feelings for Adel, showed no sign of joining the clan.
‘At first, I thought he secretly had his own intentions, but maybe not… could it be a system issue?’
His actions were faithful, so it wasn’t a big problem, but it still bothered me.
‘I’ll have to let it slide for now.’
Priority was to eliminate the fusion creatures. I would deal with other issues later.
I stood at the front of the orc army, ready to advance.
“Hero!”
“Hmm?”
Just as I was about to give the attack command, Adel spoke.
“Sending the orcs first while you stay behind…”
She seemed worried seeing me at the front.
But there was a reason I led from the front.
“No. I’m going first.”
“But…”
“It’s fine. Don’t worry.”
“…Understood.”
Adel obeyed but couldn’t hide her worry.
‘The path upstairs is narrow. Only I can confront the fusion beasts alone.’
It wasn’t heroism but a tactical necessity.
The path to the surface was full of fusion beasts. Sending soldiers individually would be a waste. Better to have me engage them at the front, buying time for the rest to advance.
“Let’s go.”
Bang! Crash!
I cleared the debris blocking the entrance.
With the Aether Fist, lifting stones felt incredibly light. My arms felt ready to unleash devastating strikes.
“Everyone, move to the surface!”
“Graaaak!”
The orcs behind me roared loudly, enough to shatter eardrums.
Annoying as it was, I had to redirect that rage toward the fusion beasts.
Tatatatat!
“Fire Bird Slash, Galatine.”
Whoosh!
I charged forward, extending my sunlit claws in a straight line.
The scorching blades pierced the body of a dog-like fusion beast ahead.
“Kiiik!”
The beast screamed, but I didn’t stop. I punched with my left hand, knocking aside the creature blocking the surface entrance.
Bang!
‘Light, yet heavy.’
The sensation through my fists was thrilling. The superiority of my new weapon was undeniable.
“Grrr… kerh!”
But there was no time for appreciation.
Outside, fusion beasts surrounded me.
“Blood Sword Technique, Ruin.”
I crossed my hands and swung, the waves of slashes forming a massive crimson cross.
Crack! Smash!
The rough, nail-forged blade tore into the fusion beasts.
‘Final.’
The mangled monsters could only endure the ultimate sequence of my slash waves.
“Recursive Slash Wave Emitter.”
“Dragon Slayer Arondite.”
Whoosh!
Channeling amplified slash waves in my right hand, I struck forward. Red mana poured like a waterfall along the trajectory.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The mana coalesced into the form of a massive red dragon, wings flapping as if alive, sweeping away everything in the room indiscriminately.
Roar!
After the dragon passed:
The fusion beasts.
The carpet and marble floors.
All decorated interior.
All vanished. Only the skeletal outer walls remained, protected by the system.
“This is insane.”
Thanks to the Aether Weapon—or maybe the technique itself—it was an overwhelming power beyond my original ability.
Unlike yesterday, when I barely killed one fusion beast, now I wiped out dozens with an area attack.
“Graaaak!”
Meanwhile, the orc army surged from the underground prison.
They moved through the narrow corridor, eventually filling the entire room.
“Attack! Follow the instructions I gave!”
“Graaaak!”
The strategy went into effect. I couldn’t adapt mid-battle due to the language barrier, but the basic four-zone strike plan worked.
The synchronized movement of so many orcs made the castle tremble.
“Adel, Patrick. Avoid fighting and conserve energy.”
“Got it!”
“Understood!”
The orcs were expendable in this siege; humans minimized combat to prepare for emergencies.
From the moment the sky turned red, a filthy, sticky feeling enveloped me.
Worse than the height of summer heat discomfort, it clung to me.
To escape this unpleasant space, I solved problems as they arose, sometimes turning them into opportunities, advancing step by step.
Without pause.
Perhaps it was an obsession: the compulsion to conquer Alford Castle as quickly as possible, even without proof that doing so would end this phenomenon.
Looking back, my judgment and actions were correct: controlling the orc army, acquiring the Aether Weapon, and conquering Alford Castle efficiently.
Yet, despite flawless execution, my fate awaited—overwhelming despair beyond anything I had faced.
“Angra Mainyu! I’ve been waiting for you!”
{Malice reacts violently to the summoning of the Archdemon Marcosias.}
From the red sky descended a wolf-shaped archdemon.
This was far beyond the minions I’d been slaughtering.
They were just numbers in an archdemon’s army.
“Ah…”
Crash.
The moment our eyes met, I was thrown to the ground with a hole in my chest. I couldn’t even react.
{Mana Heart lost.}
{Maximum mana permanently decreased by 1.}
{Maximum mana permanently decreased by 1.}
{Maximum mana permanently decreased by 1.}
{Maximum mana permanently decreased by 1.}
