Chapter 68
Chapter 68
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 67
Chapter Title: The Taste of Capitalism
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“Crazy, what kind of fees...”
The despair hits me hard upon realizing that the fees deducted more than what I earned over two sleepless months of grinding like a madman.
But put another way, that’s proof of just how massive the sponsorship amount was.
The money that came directly to me was a whopping 240 million won. I’m thrilled enough to jump for joy, yet it still doesn’t make sense.
“No, but does this even add up? I’m no celebrity, and someone sponsored 300 million on a novel? To a newbie whose purchase count just barely hit three digits?”
It’s utterly unexpected. Even for the wealthy, sums in the hundreds of millions aren’t pocket change.
‘I don’t get it, but it looks like I can start the plan right away.’
I installed a stock trading program, bought 10 shares of Nemesis stock, and dumped every last won left into recharging.
I purchased Class Summon Cards, Pet Summon Cards, and a ton of Diamond Packages. After the packages dropped, I used the diamonds to scour the marketplace and snag dozens of pieces of gear.
And then.
“Log in.”
In Ardania, I unpacked it all.
Collection complete!
Giant's Might (Power Gauntlets +7, Great Shield +7, Hard Steel Armor +9) Strength +3
Sword Master's Legacy (Katana +7, Mithril Blade, Speed Boots) Strength +1
Blood King's Proof (Blood Demon Sword +9, Blood Demon Armor +7, Blood Jade +7) Strength +2 Vitality +1
...and 23 others.
The concept of Collections is simple. When you acquire a class, guardian spirit, pet, or the like, you register it as a collectible to gain stats. In fact, a good chunk of my current stats come from them.
‘But I hadn’t even properly started on gear Collections.’
Even combining class, guardian spirit, and pet Collections doesn’t amount to a fraction of a fraction of gear Collections. Investing in gear Collections yields far more stats!
But did I not know that?
“I didn’t want to blow money like this, but...”
Classes, pets, and guardian spirits get auto-registered in Collections just by obtaining them. Recharging alone fills them up naturally.
Gear Collections are different.
You have to [consume] gear—meaning, destroy perfectly good equipment!
And every decent gear Collection requires +9 gear without fail. Normal-grade gear at +9 gains artifact-level special effects, so I could never bring myself to burn them until now.
But not anymore. The support from this mysterious sponsor carried that much weight.
“Whew... Filled every Collection I could.”
I filled every Collection solvable with unenhanced items. Plus, any solvable with low enhancements if they involved Strength or Vitality. I even filled two that consumed +9 gear!
That’s not all.
Shing.
I draw my sword.
[Brutal Force Sword (Rare) +9].
I stowed Valhalla (Heroic) +6 in my inventory and equipped this new main weapon.
Valhalla was certainly a fine blade, but its Accuracy penalty meant it fell short overall.
In Revenge, Accuracy is a life-or-death stat, but not in Ardania.
And above all, the special effect that activates on the Brutal Force Sword at +9 overrides its Rare-grade shortcomings and suits me perfectly.
[Unblockable Brutal Force (Advanced) (Passive)]
General attacks deal bonus damage proportional to final Strength value.
Paht!
I equip the rest of my gear next. Starting with the helmet, my entire body is soon clad in armor.
[Earth Drake Helmet (Heroic) +4]. [Earth Drake Breastplate (Heroic) +4]. [Earth Drake Leg Armor (Heroic) +4]. [Earth Drake Gauntlets (Heroic) +4]. [Earth Drake Boots (Heroic) +4].
The set effect triggers immediately.
[Earth Drake's Brutal Force (Heroic)]
30% of base Strength applied as buff.
I chose this armor for the set bonus, so no +9s. Even with the influx of cash, it wasn’t infinite.
[Red Goblin Earring (Rare) +9], [Blue Goblin Earring (Rare) +9], [Goblin King Necklace (Heroic) +6], [Ring of Frigid Protection (Rare) +9], [Ogre's Ring (Rare) +9].
Accessories I could only window-shop before due to price.
[Bracelet of Valor (Heroic) +9], [Giant's Bracelet (Rare) +9]. [Belt of Struggle (Heroic) +9].
Even the cash shop accessories I’d finally succeeded in enhancing to +9.
“Wow... this is insane. So this is the flavor of capitalism...”
Just standing here, my whole body feels like it’s boiling over. The brutal force enveloping me could hurl a building.
And the climax is something else entirely.
-Pajik! Pajik! Pajijik!
An aura rises behind my back. Its mere presence grants me a lethal spec boost and powerful buffs.
Ruler of Thunder Mountain (Guardian Spirit).
Awakened Thunderbird (Legendary). Level 30.
I dumped every [Soul Crystal] I’d recovered from players who failed enhancements in Ardania, pushing the guardian spirit to level 30.
The result?
[Awakened Thunderbird (Legendary)]
Ruler of Thunder Mountain. Born from the convergence of thunder across heaven and earth.
The Thunderbird, once defeated and on the brink of annihilation, devoured countless bolts of lightning to be reborn as a wholly new entity.
Level 5 - Vitality +35
Level 10 - Mana +35. Lightning Affinity +100.
Level 15 - Strength +35.
Level 20 - Stamina +35. Agility +35. Lightning Affinity +100
Level 25 - Magic Resistance +35.
Level 30 - Mana +35. Mana Recovery +35. Recovery +35. Thunderclap.
To be honest, the special effects aren’t that great. Not Water affinity, and Lightning Affinity is useless in my current setup.
But these raw stats are insane.
They poke at every stat without favoring any one, and the gains leave zero room for complaint. It’s top-tier even among Legendaries—worlds apart from Heroic guardian spirits.
And the final tally with everything added up?
ID: Han Jaeyeon
Class: Sword King (Heroic)
Title: New Adventurer (Common)
Level: 43
Strength: 190 (+361) Stamina: 75 (+155)
Vitality: 90 (+224) Agility: 52 (+215)
Mana: 1 (+110) Mana Power: 1 (+60) Magic Resistance: 1 (+50)
Recovery: 100 (+50) Mana Recovery: 21 (+46) Luck: 10
Free Stats: 0
Status: Normal
“...Perfect.”
Strength has broken past 550 points. With full Expert Concentration overlap, it tops 650.
If you’re wondering how nuts that is, I could now arm-wrestle a Gigas.
‘And in most cases... I’d win.’
Strength transcending human limits to rival machines.
Add in the other stats that aren’t negligible, and it’s terrifying. I might be able to crush even a top-tier foe with physical prowess alone now.
‘It’s possible. No... I’d have room to spare.’
No reason to hesitate any longer, then.
“Time to march.”
It was the season of war.
* * *
“Get out of the way right now! Do you even know who I am!?”
A commotion erupts from a group blocking the road to the lord’s castle. Knights clad head to toe in armor, nobles in fine garb.
In any territory, a lord would rush out barefoot to greet them, but the soldiers barring their path wear bored expressions.
“We know who you are. Sir Dalton, second son of the Blue Knight family, right? We’re sick of hearing it. Give it a rest.”
“You! You wench! How dare a mere foot soldier insult me!?”
Chaang!
A sword is finally drawn. Not a wise move, and Dalton regrets it instantly.
‘Damn it! This cursed temper of mine...!’
He’d lived by his whims, but the situation and place were all wrong now.
Starting City lay completely beyond Chrome Kingdom’s influence, and the forces he’d witnessed staying at its inns over the past few days were beyond anything he’d imagined before arriving.
Slashing this soldier would drop them right in the heart of enemy territory.
‘But I can’t just sheathe it now.’
Draw in a fit of rage, then sheepishly put it away? His knightly honor would hit the dirt.
In the end, one option remains.
“Apologize for your rudeness right now! Kneel and beg forgiveness, and I’ll graciously pardon you!”
If the soldier submits and begs mercy, he can sheathe his blade without losing face. It’d even paint him as magnanimous.
But the woman in her twenties representing the soldiers doesn’t play along. Instead of cowering, she grins ferociously.
“Yeah... I’ve been itching to cross blades with a knight myself. No matter how I look at it, you idiots don’t measure up to Sir Steelstone.”
“W-what? This, this wench... what did you just say?”
Dalton, the Chrome Kingdom envoys watching the scene, and even the envoys from the other three nations hovering uncertainly at a distance—all freeze in shock.
They knew Dalton had slipped up.
The issue should’ve been disciplining insolent soldiers, not imagining a lowly grunt—let alone a woman—would push back like this.
And the reactions from the soldiers behind her are a sight to behold.
“Oh! Showtime from the lieutenant!?”
“She just hit level 35!”
“Cool! Pretty! Gorgeous! Our lieutenant!”
Dalton’s face twists at their cheers.
‘What the hell? Are all the soldiers in Starting City insane?’
It defies his common sense. A woman, a mere soldier, daring to step up to a knight?
Knights are slaughter specialists.
Even three-digit numbers of regular soldiers charging head-on would die, so what gave her the gall?
But the moment she draws her sword.
Woooong!
A clear sword cry rings out, and the atmosphere shifts dramatically.
“What is this... an Aura user? A knight?”
“Not yet, just a trainee. But someday I’ll be a knight standing beside Sir Steelstone.”
The tall woman with dark skin flashes a confident smile and levels her blade at Dalton.
“So show me what a knight is made of, you—”
“Enough.”
A calm voice cuts through the boiling tension like a knife. All eyes turn to the newcomer.
Silver hair, a model-like tall frame.
No full plate armor, not even a breastplate—just a single sword at his side, yet his sharp aura leaves no doubt he’s a knight.
Hundred Silver Sword, one of only two formal knights in the guild and wielder of the Heroic-class Sentinel.
“Sir!”
The soldiers, who’d seemed so lax like mercenaries until now, salute him perfectly.
Hundred nods in acknowledgment, then eyes the Chrome Kingdom envoys—specifically, the stiff-faced old man at their center staring him down.
“Your initiative in coming here yourself is commendable, but it seems you didn’t accomplish much. Then again, someone used to being treated like royalty wouldn’t easily adapt to new currents.”
“You! Hundred, you bastard! Cutting off contact and ignoring the summons! Have you truly abandoned your loyalty to [His Highness]!?”
Count Ilrain Silver Sword’s bellow hardens Hundred’s expression. To onlookers, it might seem like shame at the rebuke to his knightly honor.
But in an instant, he grips his sword.
Chulk.
And draws.
-Kraaang!
A dragon’s roar echoes, making everyone flinch.
“G-Good grief, already at this level of Heavenly Dragon Resonance? Mine barely whimpers.”
“As expected of Hundred...”
The Heavenly Dragon Sword Technique that Starting City’s two knights teach their trainees is famed for the sword cry upon drawing.
And now that cry has evolved into a dragon’s roar, meaning Hundred’s mastery has surpassed five stars.
But they don’t know.
The Heavenly Dragon Resonance isn’t mere flair for show. In this moment, Hundred has broken free from long chains of bondage.
“Haha. I never imagined I’d overcome this damned curse like this.”
“You... you. Are you breaking your oath of loyalty...?”
Hundred gazes at Count Ilrain, whose cheeks tremble in disbelief.
A man who once seemed larger than life.
He’d craved the man’s approval his whole life, obeying any order without question. Even when commanded to the frontier to serve and spy on a barbaric lord, not a single complaint.
The man was a giant.
But now, reuniting after so long...
“Why have you gotten so small?”
“...You.”
Count Ilrain pales, but Hundred ignores him and surveys the envoys.
“The lord said he’d provide one embassy per nation. House your diplomats and mages there as a channel for communication. The rest of you, return to your countries.”
The envoys nod at his measured tone.
Better than outright expulsion—acceptable terms.
But not everyone agrees.
“What of Lord Hayes? He went to meet the lord and hasn’t returned! Even without a treaty, detaining Chrome’s top knight like this is—”
“He’s not detained.”
“...?”
Dalton whips around at the sudden interjection. There, behind Hundred, stands a woman.
‘Whoa, she’s... quite...’
A stunning beauty. A bit too tall, shoulders a touch broad, but her fiery red hair, porcelain skin, and flawlessly smooth, jade-like hands make her a peerless stunner.
Even in the heat of the moment, Dalton clears his throat.
“Ahem. Milady, we have important matters to—”
“Hey, you moron Dalton. Don’t you recognize me?”
“...?”
Dalton peers at her face.
Now that he thinks about it, it’s familiar.
Bold features, jade-green eyes. And that confident smile. Familiar, yet no name comes to mind.
‘Who is she? I couldn’t forget a beauty like this.’
But as his gaze drifts downward, ‘that’ comes into view, jolting his memory.
A ridiculously massive size. No joke—practically head-sized [that]. A name suddenly clicks.
“Lord... Hayes? Knight Commander?”
“......”
Hayes’s confident smile twists into a demonic scowl. The side all in the Royal Knights fear: [Starlight’s Mad Rose]!
“You crazy bastard...”
A lightning kick slams into his armor.
“You figured it out from my boobs!?”