Chapter 4
Whoosh!
An axe flew toward my head from behind, and I deftly dodged it by turning my body to the side.
Rather than attacking outright, they feigned a rescue to catch me off guard and then struck from behind.
As expected, these thugs are despicably crafty in every little thing.
“Huh?”
In that state, I struck the attacker’s abdomen with my fist.
Thud!
The guy flew back with his eyes rolled back and crashed into his comrades.
“What, what the hell?”
Their faces turned to expressions of shock.
A situation they hadn’t anticipated unfolded before them.
“Get that guy first!”
In that moment, a dozen thugs charged at me all at once.
There was no role assignment in this rabble.
Every weapon they wielded was either an axe or a close-range weapon like a knife.
None of them used ranged weapons or supported from the back.
“Tsk.”
I clicked my tongue inwardly as I watched them approach with a blank stare.
They were trapped in a slowed-down time, much like when I dealt with the centipedes earlier.
And I was free from it.
It wasn’t due to any special magic.
It was simply a matter of absolute disparity in skill.
Pow! Pow! Pow!
I knocked them away one by one with my fists.
One punch for each.
All of them fell after being struck in the abdomen.
Whether some of them died or not… I didn’t know.
If their organs were intact, they were alive; if not, they were dead.
Thud. Thud.
The thugs fell one by one.
After more than half of them were down, their morale faltered.
But I didn’t stop.
I made sure not to leave a single one conscious.
“Ugh… Uwaaa…”
The leader, who had been giving orders to the remaining men, lay on the ground in a state of terror.
He was the last one left.
“I-I’m sorry! Please… please spare me!”
From vile to cowardly.
As expected, the leader had all the qualities required to be a thug.
“No.”
Crack!
My answer to him was a swift kick to his side, sending him flying.
He crashed his head against the cave wall and fell unconscious.
Thud.
That concluded the situation.
If I left them as they were, they would all be eaten alive by centipedes.
Then, their existence would be erased from this world without a trace.
‘They brought this upon themselves.’
They should have known that killing others could lead to their own deaths.
From the moment they became Awakened and took up weapons, they had effectively placed their names on the list of the grim reaper.
If they were afraid of death, they would have given up on life as an Awakened long ago.
That goes for them as well.
I was the same.
“Wow… wow…”
Now, the only person left standing was the man who had nearly been murdered by these criminals.
He stared at me with wide eyes.
It was like the gaze of a fervent fan looking at their admired celebrity.
***
“Thank you! Thank you so much for saving me!”
The man who was nearly killed expressed his gratitude repeatedly and then hurriedly left.
He seemed like he wanted to ask for my name but ended up hesitating and just walked away.
“I should go too.”
It seems it’s time for me to wrap up my hunting here.
If I stayed too long, someone else might come and discover the scene.
Of course, I didn’t leave empty-handed; I rummaged through the clothes of the fallen thugs before leaving.
“Is there anything useful?”
First, I emptied their wallets.
Among the weapons they used, I found a pair of knuckles that looked better than mine.
<Romanov Model 31 Knuckle D>
“What’s this… They’re using something good for a bunch of thugs.”
Romanov is a Russian arms manufacturer.
Before the appearance of monsters, they were known for their luxury firearms, and they continue to maintain that reputation even after the monster emergence.
They are now a manufacturer of military-grade weapons for Awakeners.
“I’ll make good use of this.”
After taking the pair of knuckles, I next examined a ‘Talisman.’
The talisman resembles a small amulet that looks like a pendant, but it serves as a form of armour.
When an Awakened carries it, it creates a transparent barrier that wraps around their body.
Thanks to this, Awakened individuals don’t have to walk around in armour, creating a ridiculous sight.
Instead, they can now move around in comfortable, casual clothes like I am now.
“I found it.”
In any case, I discovered the most useful item among what they had.
<Universal Orc Warrior Talisman>
Barrier Charge: 98
All Stats +1
A talisman that increases stats.
These guys really seemed to have spent a good amount of money on their gear.
“I’ll make good use of this.”
I discarded the cheap talisman I had and equipped the one I found.
Then I checked my stats.
Health Points: 276/276
Mana: 97/114
Strength: 97 (+1)
Vitality: 97 (+1)
Reflexes: 97 (+1)
Concentration: 97 (+1)
Willpower: 97 (+1)
The additional +1 to willpower, influenced by my first trait, Vast Magical Power, increased my mana by 6.
Consequently, due to the increase in mana, all stats rose by 6 as well, thanks to my second trait, Evil Dragon Magic Arts.
So by equipping this talisman alone, all my stats effectively increased by a whopping 7.
“I’ve taken everything worth taking.”
Now it was time to leave.
I planned to leave the remaining thugs’ belongings behind.
After all, any gear that belonged to others would be considered stolen goods and couldn’t be sold carelessly.
People like them, who go around robbing others, probably have a fence, but not me.
I’m a good citizen.
So I only took what I needed for myself.
“Well… this isn’t a bad haul.”
Having completed an unexpected equipment upgrade, I headed toward the exit of the dungeon.
Squeak!
Three centipede monsters welcomed me as I approached.
I advanced with a more polished stance than before.
Then.
Thud!
I crushed the head of the centipede in front of me with my fist.
Without pause, I swiftly approached the two centipedes behind it.
Bam! Bam!
With a combination of a straight punch, a left hook, and a right hook, I eliminated all three centipedes.
Perhaps it was due to the Russian-made weapon, but my punches felt much cleaner than before.
“Phew.”
Just then, a new message appeared before me.
[The synchronization rate with Azidahaka has increased. 0.01%]
[Quest achieved! The ability <Pain: Sphere of Inferno> has been unlocked.]
If traits are the powers granted by the guardian spirit, abilities are the manifestation of that spirit in reality.
───
<Pain: Sphere of Inferno>
Black flames from Azidahaka’s whole body.
(Level 1) Black flames will wrap around your knuckles. Upon contact with an enemy, it will ignite and deal flame and darkness damage over time.
Mana consumption: 100
───
‘An ability to attribute properties to weapons?’
The first ability is extraordinary.
It embodies the very essence of the guardian spirit Azidahaka.
As a warrior-type who engages in close combat, it fits perfectly with my traits, which don’t lack in magical stats either.
However, there is one critical problem.
‘The mana consumption is too high.’
With my total mana at 114, using that ability even once would drop my mana to 14, even at full capacity.
If that happens, my overall stats will decrease accordingly.
Naturally, close combat would become impossible.
I could end up in danger while trying to ignite my fists on an enemy.
At present, using the ability is nearly impossible.
‘As expected… To use this guardian spirit’s power without restrictions, I need a way to recover mana.’
Once again, I felt a desperate need for a means of mana recovery.
***
After returning home, while searching for information regarding mana recovery methods, I came across an interesting story.
[Have you ever heard of ‘Mythical Guardian Spirits’?]
It was a discussion by the site operator about a being that surpasses the currently known top tier, legendary guardian spirits.
[It is said to be a grade that cannot be obtained by conventional means, merely rumoured by name. It is speculated that the world’s strongest Awakeners, like ‘Sword Saint’ or our country’s ‘Holy King’, possess this ‘Mythical Guardian Spirit’.]
“A mythical guardian spirit.”
I thought that even the current level of power I had was immense.
The thug who had been cowering in fear before me.
The man who looked at me with awe.
Just recalling those memories sent shivers down my spine.
Moreover, for me, who would continue to grow and become ever stronger, this was merely the beginning.
Yet to think there exists a power even greater than that.
[Currently, it is said that the secret lies within the ‘Diamond Auction’ that appears at the end of the year.]
I knew about the Diamond Auction.
Every year around mid-December, an event begins with system messages sent to all Awakeners worldwide.
Numerous wealthy individuals bid enormous amounts of diamonds, but only one person in the world wins the auction.
[Last year’s winning bid was around 2.3 billion diamonds. In market terms, that is approximately 96 billion dollars, or about 115 trillion won in our currency.]
115 trillion won could buy 20 aircraft carriers.
It’s double the defense budget of South Korea.
What the website is discussing now is that the auctioned item for that staggering amount is a ‘Mythical Guardian Spirit.’
[How many individuals or organizations can spend that kind of money at once? Probably only the U.S. Department of Defense, right? They’re literally a ‘thousand trillion nation’ that spends 1,000 trillion won on defense each year.]
[Of course, that’s just speculation. The U.S. government has never disclosed that information directly.]
[However, it seems that individuals or organizations that spend that much money appear every year, and it’s a fact that there are bidders among the top-tier Awakeners referred to as ‘High Rankers.’]
“……Is that so?”
I leaned back in my chair for a moment, pondering.
Buying diamonds with Korean currency yields a 500-fold profit.
However, since the Vietnamese Dong is about 20 times larger than the Korean currency, combined, it results in a 10,000-fold profit.
So the value of 115 trillion won would mean for me…
‘1.15 billion won.’
Thinking that far, I couldn’t help but grin.
‘It’s worth a shot.’
No matter how legendary the guardian spirit’s owner is, they can’t earn an amount equivalent to double the South Korean defense budget.
But I could certainly gather enough to buy a couple of high-end apartments in Gangnam.
Defense budgets and luxury apartments.
The advantage given to me was like the Midas touch that easily surpasses the gap between the two.
Through that, I could reach the hidden secrets of the world that no one else knows.
Mythical Guardian Spirit.
A mysterious secret possessed by only a select few in this world.
‘I’ll claim it.’
With my goal established, plans began to form in my mind.
To make money, preliminary work is essential.
That will also require some investment.
Fortunately, I still had some leftover money from when I borrowed funds for the last guardian spirit summoning.
‘With this, I’ll get what I need most urgently.’
I immediately set my plan into motion.
***
Clang! Clang! Tatatatang!
A multitude of Awakeners wielding spears and guns were battling goblins.
This is the state-run Goblin Dungeon that can be accessed via a portal in the foothills near Seoul.
With good accessibility and no entrance fee since it’s state-run, many lower-tier Awakeners come here to hunt.
Unlike the narrow and dark cave of the previous centipede dungeon, this one is set in an open field of another world, providing a very spacious environment.
Nonetheless, it’s still crowded with people.
‘I thought I’d never come back here.’
Of course, until recently, I used to come here often, so this scenery became familiar enough to be dull.
Anyway, weaving through the numerous people and goblins, I arrived at the edge of the dungeon.
A spear with a wild boar’s skull impaled on it was stuck in the ground, and behind it was a translucent blue barrier, marking the boundary of the dungeon.
There, I quietly whispered the command.
“Start hidden quest.”
The reason I came to a dungeon far beneath my power was for this.
To clear the hidden quest.
Of course, although it’s called hidden, it’s a quest that anyone who knows can recognize.
It can be initiated in most goblin dungeons around the world.
{Would you like to start the hidden quest <Corrupted Goblin Shaman>?}
“Yes.”
So why hadn’t I completed this quest earlier?
And why don’t all those people challenge it?
The reason is that the activation conditions are exceedingly strict.
{The conditions to activate the quest have not been met.}
{A Hobgoblin’s spine is required.}
{Dire Wolf’s teeth are required.}
{A Werebear’s gallbladder is required.}
{A Lindworm’s poison sac is required.}
The other materials are understandable, but obtaining a Lindworm’s poison sac, a type of dragon, is particularly difficult.
While it’s certainly not as high-ranking as a wyvern or drake, it’s still a dragon.
It’s far too random to be collecting materials just to clear a hidden quest in a mere goblin dungeon.
To procure those materials, one would need to spend a tremendous amount of money or invest substantial time and manpower.
So why did I come here to start this quest without those materials?
{Would you like to start immediately for 350,000 diamonds?}
This can also be skipped with real money.
—
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