The Assassin and the Kraken Armor

I walked down the Street of Magic, Lucentia's famous magic components district, with Lily and Lisa.

We were here to look for materials to add new features to the Kraken Watch.

"Oh! I heard that place is super famous for its ice cream!" Lily suddenly pointed toward a shop, her eyes sparkling.

"No, we can't," Lisa said. "We haven't finished picking out our materials yet."

Lily gave me a long, pleading look.

"I still... haven't finished picking things out..." I spoke hesitantly, but I couldn't win against Lily's desperate gaze.

"Alright, let's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠stop by for just a moment."

In the end, I sighed and headed toward the shop.

We took our seats inside the ice cream parlor.

Lily ate her ice cream with a blissful expression.

"Hehe, this ice cream is so delicious!"

I smiled and nodded.

However, Lisa, who was sitting next to me, looked somewhat worried.

"But... there's something I'm starting to worry about," she said cautiously.

"It was fine when we were only ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠selling it within the academy, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠but now that we're selling it nationwide..."

"Why?" Lily asked, curious.

Lisa hesitated for a moment before replying.

"The bigger our business grows, the worse the backlash will be from the industries related to mana charging stones."

"Is that so?"

I fell into thought.

Actually, it was only natural.

As technology advances, it is only natural for outdated industries to decline.

"But... we can't really afford to worry about all of that, can we?" I said.

"If we try to accommodate everyone's vested interests, we'll never be able to invent anything new."

Lisa nodded, but her expression remained troubled.

"That's true, but... could you take a look at this for a second?"

She handed me a newspaper.

It was the Lucentia Herald, the most influential newspaper in the Empire.

The front page featured a massive article about our "Kraken."

"Oh... our Kraken Watch made the front page?" Lily said in surprise.

"Look below that," Lisa said.

Lily read the paper closely, her voice filled with shock.

"Oh my, what is all this?"

Beneath the headlines, the paper was filled with negative articles targeting the Kraken's new technology.

Lisa asked cautiously.

"Um... first of all, do you know why mana charging stones are so expensive?"

"Why are they?"

I had bought and handled countless mana stones in the game, but I didn't recall the reason for their high price ever being mentioned.

Lisa pointed to a section of the newspaper.

"It's because of this man."

Where she pointed, there was an interview photo.

The man in the photo was obese and bald, with a greasy face and a cunning smile.

According to Lisa's explanation, the economic system of this medieval world was vastly different from modern free-market principles.

The guild system, imperial control, and price regulations were intricately intertwined.

Guilds, the organizations of artisans, regulated production and prices as a baseline. The imperial family also wielded immense influence, handling business permits and regulating the prices of basic necessities.

Lisa continued her explanation.

"Until now, the Mana Stone Industry Association and the guilds have strictly controlled the mining and processing of charging stones. They manipulated supply and demand to rake in massive profits. On top of that, the imperial family took a significant cut of the profits, which is why they turned a blind eye to these practices."

I couldn't hide my surprise.

To think so many vested interests were tied to a single mana charging stone.

When we were only selling within the academy, they probably stayed quiet because no one besides Mystic Arts was taking a hit. But now, it was dealing a major blow to multiple industries.

Lisa sighed and continued.

"They must be burning with anxiety. The Mana Stone Industry Association has no justification to directly interfere since we don't even use mana stones, but they can't just leave it alone either, because they're on the verge of ruin."

When I played the game, I had never thought about the economic system, so ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I was completely in the dark about this side of things.

Lisa added quietly.

"So for now, publicly, they seem to be sticking to condemnations rather than taking direct action. At least, on the surface..."

Lily asked nervously.

"Which means..."

A shadow fell over Lisa's face.

"Who knows? They might have already started doing something behind the scenes."

Late into the night, I lay in bed, still unable to sleep.

Because of the academy dormitory's curfew, I had set up a separate residence near the workshop.

But tonight, sleep eluded me.

The excitement of consecutive successes and a non-stop stream of ideas swirled in my head.

I had come to a medieval world.

In this world, the profession of an "inventor" did not exist.

Instead, artisans and alchemists were the ones who created new things.

But now, I possessed vast capital and the ultimate technological prowess.

With just these two, my imagination could instantly become reality.

'To change the perception of blacksmiths, I must make a massive impact on the world.'

The thought I had when I first declared I would create a brand crossed my mind once again.

Developing the Kraken Watch felt like an eye-opening experience.

Ah, I had realized it.

I knew far too much to limit myself to just making weapons.

And I had the power to make those ideas a reality.

As of today, blacksmiths in this world would no longer make only weapons and farming tools.

Two words that symbolized me.

Innovation. And revolution.

I would now stir up a wind of revolution that would change this entire world.

Looking out the window illuminated by the moonlight, I steeled my resolve once more.

This medieval world would soon face a monumental shift.

And I would stand at the very center of that change.

Bzzzt... Bzzzt...

Just as I was sorting through my thoughts, a vibration buzzed from the Kraken Watch on my wrist.

'What is it?'

Unlike the retail versions, my watch was loaded with numerous experimental features.

Red dots began to move across the watch face.

Each dot displayed the real-time location of the intruders.

'Two in the hallway, one approaching the window.'

I smiled inwardly.

'I wanted to test it out anyway. Perfect timing.'

Pretending to be asleep, I lay back down and placed my hand on the watch, ready.

Creak.

The window slid open, and a figure clad entirely in black slipped inside.

Simultaneously, the door opened, and two more intruders stepped into the room.

The sharp daggers in their hands glinted in the moonlight.

They slowly crept toward me.

The moment one of the assassins stood in front of the wardrobe, I moved.

'Now.'

I pulled the lever on my watch from beneath the blanket.

CRASH!

Instantly, the wardrobe burst open as if exploding, and pieces of armor shot into the air enveloped in blue flames.

The assassin standing in front of the wardrobe was swept up by the unexpected impact and launched toward the ceiling.

I heard his head collide heavily with the ceiling.

Thud.

He dropped straight to the floor and didn't move.

Driven by magical force, the armor floated before me.

Threads of red mana stretched out from the surface of the armor, connecting to my body.

Floating in the air while emitting blue flames, the armor was mesmerizingly beautiful.

The geometric magic engravings carved seamlessly across it glowed brilliantly like constellations in the night sky.

'Whoever made this really did a magnificent job.'

I smiled with pride as I looked at my masterpiece.

"Damn it, is he a puppeteer?"

The remaining two assassins warily assessed the situation.

Behind them lay the scattered debris of the shattered wardrobe.

'Ah... I just bought that wardrobe.'

"If he's a puppeteer, we should have asked for a higher commission."

"No, call it a suit, you idiots."

I had only made the torso piece so far, but this was more than enough.

When I pressed the watch again, the suit split open like a living creature and instantly wrapped itself perfectly around my body.

It was the prototype suit, the Kraken Armor, which I had created after being inspired by Nemesis.

I had never learned puppetry, but this suit functioned far beyond that.

Puppeteers had the fatal weakness of being highly vulnerable in close-quarters combat.

Why bother with puppets when you could just wear the armor and fight like this?

"Now, you guys are dead meat."

"What are you doing! Kill him already!"

The assassin on the right leaped forward nimbly.

The daggers held in both of his hands flashed in the moonlight.

Crackle.

Sparks flew from the gauntlets as I evaded the attack.

It was a technique that detected the enemy's position using the mana constantly emitted by the armor, automatically dodging attacks.

CRASH!

The missed attack completely smashed my newly purchased bed.

'Ah... my luxury furniture that I bought after so much deliberation...'

Anger slowly began to boil inside me.

I had splurged on luxury items just to enjoy a bit of extravagance. If I had known this would happen, I would have just bought cheap stuff.

"Well, I only need one of you alive anyway..."

I channeled mana into one of the engravings on the suit's arm.

The engraving on the arm of the suit glowed yellow.

"Wrath of thunder, incinerate my enemy! Divine Discharge!"

BZZZZZT!

A bolt of lightning-like electricity erupted from my right hand.

The electricity instantly pierced the assassin's body, turning him into a charred lump of coal.

The smell of burning flesh stung my nose.

"I-I surrender," the remaining assassin stammered.

He dropped his weapon and raised his hands, his voice trembling.

"No, but you still need to take a hit."

Clad in the steel armor, I threw a heavy left hook right into his jaw.

His eyes rolled back, and he collapsed straight onto the floor.

In an instant, the room fell silent.

I let out a sigh and looked around.

Looking at the ruined room, the list of things I had to do next flashed before my eyes.