Chapter 15
—
“Mr. Song and Mr. Park, both appear to be dead.”
“Damn it, this has complicated things more than I expected.”
The two men watched Yoo Shin-woo emerge from the tavern, muttering as they did.
The group that had followed Song Hyung-joo into the tavern wasn’t his only faction.
NL, a company specializing in Awakener-related operations, employed all of them.
“What should we do now? Won’t this throw the entire plan into disarray?”
“For now, we wait until the second stage’s rearguard unit finishes.”
NL had sent 147 Awakeners to this raid. Among them, three wielded Legendary Guardian Spirits, and eleven held Historic Guardian Spirits. The rest were all Rare-tier Awakeners—a scale of mobilization far beyond what most corporations could hope to muster.
“Just who is that guy…?”
The man found himself deeply curious about how Yoo Shin-woo had acquired such power.
The preliminary investigation had been thorough. They had profiles of every Awakener of Rare-tier or above participating in this raid from around the world. They had even uncovered information on agents belonging to government-affiliated special forces, details that were near impossible to obtain.
Naturally, their database also included information about Yoo Shin-woo.
It had merely stated that he possessed a Lower-tier Guardian Spirit.
“If he beat Mr. Song… then he must have at least a Legendary Guardian Spirit, right?”
Typically, Awakeners of such caliber were either already renowned as wealthy individuals or had gained fame by amassing fortunes using their Guardian Spirit’s abilities.
Alternatively, they were individuals nurtured by government resources, considered national assets.
The idea that NL had completely overlooked such a person was implausible.
“Could he have lucked out and drawn a Legendary Guardian Spirit just before the raid?”
That would explain why he wasn’t categorized among any known entities. However…
“Even so, he’s too strong for that to be the case…”
Yoo Shin-woo’s combat prowess didn’t align with someone who had only recently acquired a Legendary Guardian Spirit.
“He seems like a natural-born fighter, doesn’t he?”
“No, that’s not what I’m saying.”
“What do you mean?”
“Combat instincts and techniques are factors that matter in battles between individuals with similar physical conditions.”
“So, then…?”
“What I mean is, his physical capabilities themselves are not that of someone who has just acquired a Legendary Guardian Spirit. Do you get it? His stats are abnormally high.”
This tied into the constraints of time as a physical limitation.
Awakeners with Lower-tier Guardian Spirits could only grow so much. To raise their stats further, they had to fight progressively stronger monsters, but weaker Guardian Spirits limited their potential, eventually leading to stagnation.
That explained why Yoo Shin-woo, despite working as an Awakener for three years, hadn’t reached a total stat score of 60.
However, acquiring a Rare-tier or above Guardian Spirit lifted those restrictions.
But even that couldn’t fully explain Yoo Shin-woo’s case.
“If he had held a Rare-tier or higher Guardian Spirit earlier and built up his stats, there would have been some mention of it in NL’s database. Look at this.”
He shoved a tablet toward his colleague.
It displayed Yoo Shin-woo’s profile, complete with detailed records of his Awakener career.
Until just a month ago, he had been working as a Lower-tier Awakener, taking on Diamond Quests for the Baeksan Group.
“This guy was definitely a Lower-tier Awakener until a month ago. Meaning he couldn’t have built up stats beforehand.”
“Wait, are you saying he gained higher stats than Mr. Song’s in just one month?”
“Exactly.”
Song Hyung-joo’s total stats were 74, the maximum allowed for this raid, just below the cap of 75.
By comparison, Yoo Shin-woo’s total stats at the time of their battle were merely 61.
Despite the 13-point gap, Yoo Shin-woo had utterly dominated Song Hyung-joo.
The reason he could display such overwhelming power, despite the disparity, was his exceptional and unconventional trait: Evil Dragon Magic Arts.
Naturally, these two had no knowledge of this ability, which made their confusion and awe understandable.
“That guy isn’t just a Legendary-tier Awakener. He’s an outlier. He might even have the potential to become a High-Ranker.”
“…So, what’s your plan?”
“The best-case scenario is to recruit him to our side.”
The man spoke with a resolute expression.
“If that’s not possible, we’ll have to eliminate him.”
He patted his subordinate on the shoulder.
“Be prepared to get your hands dirty, Kandinsky.”
“Understood.”
NL, a global conglomerate backed by Russia’s largest mafia group, Kalinin Brotherhood, specializing in Awakener operations, had just marked Yoo Shin-woo as their target.
***
Yoo Shin-woo, Choi Yuna, and Lee Jin-yoon entered the Third Stage.
-Do you really have to bring that guy along?
-…Yes.
Bringing Lee Jin-yoon hadn’t been Yoo Shin-woo’s decision; it was Choi Yuna’s insistence.
No matter how frustrating he was, she had insisted that he stay with her.
At first, Yoo Shin-woo thought there might be some deeper emotional connection between them. But upon hearing the situation, he realized otherwise.
-Don’t get the wrong idea. It’s a corporate matter… things turned out this way.
The details weren’t clear, but the two had been friends since childhood.
It seemed their parents’ companies were tied together by some form of equity relationship.
Choi Yuna was effectively in a position where she had to maintain good relations with the Mirae Group.
Meanwhile, Lee Jin-yoon’s family didn’t seem particularly supportive of his Awakener activities.
His lack of an entourage, even during this raid, spoke volumes.
As a result, Choi Yuna, also an Awakener, had been assigned the role of his de facto bodyguard.
She had become an errand-runner for her parents’ company at a young age.
Of course, watching the two interact, it didn’t seem like she resented the arrangement too much.
‘Nothing I can do about it.’
In the end, Yoo Shin-woo needed Choi Yuna’s skills, so he agreed to her terms and brought Lee Jin-yoon into the Third Stage.
The Third Stage’s objective was to defend a village from monsters.
Additionally, to earn extra raid points, the condition was clear.
{Maximize the survival of the villagers.}
‘This is why I needed allies.’
There was no way I could cover the entire stage on my own.
No matter how fast I moved, it was impossible for me to be in two places at once.
In this regard, Choi Yuna was the ideal person to bring along for this stage.
“The hero has arrived!”
As soon as we entered the stage, the villagers warmly welcomed us.
This place was another typical fantasy world modeled after medieval Europe.
However, unlike the structured city that served as a resting area, this was a small village.
“We deeply apologize for the sudden request, but please save us!”
“What seems to be the problem?”
Choi Yuna began speaking earnestly with the villagers.
Since she didn’t have access to an information notebook, she had no idea how this stage was structured.
Naturally, she had no choice but to listen attentively to everything the NPCs said.
“The orc bandits that have been pillaging us…”
Of course, I had no need to listen to this conversation, so I cut in midway.
“They’re attacking, and you want us to stop them. That’s it, right?”
“Y-Yes! How did you know our situation so well?”
“Doesn’t matter. Where’s the town hall?”
“Why are you asking about the town hall?”
“For your sake, so show us the way.”
“O-Of course! This way!”
A middle-aged man, presumably the village chief, took the lead to guide us.
Watching this, Choi Yuna tilted her head in confusion and asked me.
“Aren’t you going to listen to their explanation? You don’t even know the stage rules yet.”
“Don’t worry. Just do as I say.”
“Hmm…”
She didn’t seem convinced but had no grounds to argue, especially since she had agreed to follow me.
“This is the town hall!”
The village chief led us to the town hall.
At the center of the hall stood a desk with an open, thick book on it.
I approached it and touched the book.
A system message appeared.
——
<Village Defense Measures>
- Build Arrow Towers (5,000G)
- Build Wooden Spike Barricades (2,000G)
- Arm Villagers – Tier 1 (20,000G)
- Upgrade Town Hall (50,000G)
——
This stage was designed to burn through Gold.
In gaming terms, it was essentially a tower defense scenario.
You had to use Gold to reinforce the village’s defenses against waves of attacking enemies.
‘Most people will hesitate here.’
After all, spending their hard-earned Gold just to clear a single stage felt like a waste.
Many would think it better to conserve resources for items they wanted, rather than spend it on this stage, especially since any Gold spent here wouldn’t be refunded or carry over to the next stage.
They’d think they could scrape by relying solely on their strength, turning to defense facilities only if necessary.
‘That would be a grave mistake.’
The problem with this stage was that even if you used every defensive measure, it was still barely enough to clear it.
Moreover, building any of these facilities required a significant amount of time.
It was essential to set up as many defensive measures as possible, and to do so quickly.
BWOOOOOOO!
“Huh?”
“Enemies are coming!”
The sound of a horn echoed—it meant the orc horde was launching their attack.
‘Four arrow towers, twelve wooden spike barricades, arming villagers, and upgrading the town hall.’
I immediately ordered every available defense option.
{Would you like to pay 11,400G?}
‘Yes.’
{Arrow Towers are under construction. Time remaining: 14 minutes, 59 seconds.}
{Wooden Spike Barricades are under construction. Time remaining: 2 minutes, 59 seconds.}
{The forge is producing iron weapons and leather armor. Time remaining: 24 minutes, 59 seconds.}
{The Town Hall is being upgraded. Time remaining: 59 minutes, 59 seconds.}
Even though I skipped all the dialogue and started immediately, it still took this long.
This meant that for now, the only ones who could repel the orcs were the Awakeners themselves.
Naturally, this first wave would lead to casualties among the villagers.
Subsequent attacks would become easier to handle as the defenses were built, but this first wave was designed to cost raid points.
“Hey, you!”
Choi Yuna grabbed my shoulder roughly, shouting in frustration.
“What are you doing? Aren’t you going to go outside and stop them?”
Her face was filled with nervousness.
It was only natural for someone unfamiliar with what lay ahead to feel anxious.
When exploring dungeons, experienced players would navigate calmly, while first-timers would be stiff with tension.
This situation was no different.
I responded to Choi Yuna casually.
“Stay put. There’s no need to do anything right now.”
“What? What do you mean by that…?”
{Would you like to instantly complete the Town Hall upgrade for 1,000 Diamonds?}
Suddenly, the shabby wooden building we were standing in transformed into a stone fortress in the blink of an eye.
—
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