Fortuitous Encounters in the Game Become Reality – Episode 13
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Fortuitous Encounters in the Game Become Reality – Episode 13
4. Time of Growth (3)
After I properly turned everything upside down once, nobody in the unit bothered me anymore.
Even the proud knights kept subtly avoiding me, so there was no need to even mention the regular soldiers and maids, and among them were even people who said they were scared because they had no idea what I was thinking.
It was only natural, since the Dalton incident had exposed the true nature I had been hiding until now.
What was unexpected was that the attitude of Billyam, the vice-captain of the knight order, noticeably changed to a more favorable one toward me even though his own subordinates were rotting away in the underground prison.
However, once I learned through Mangyeong that the reason for his behavior was "curiosity and wariness," I no longer felt any need to entertain his interest.
Thanks to the negligence of Count Otis, the division commander, and the attitude of subordinates who found me difficult to deal with, I was able to focus on the game without any interference.
In the end, I succeeded in reaching level 120.
With this, as soon as I clear the next objective of stage 5 of the Fortuitous Encounter quest, the 6th floor of the Magic Tower will open.
Naturally, the remaining objective of the Fortuitous Encounter quest meant a bloody battle with a named monster.
[Corrupted Knight Zenit]
Unusually, this time the enemy was not a monster but a middle-aged knight in human form.
Wielding a hand-and-a-half sword, with a round shield and half armor, he was a traditional-type knight, equipped as a light melee damage dealer in contrast to Arcia the tank.
"I was thinking I needed real combat experience against a knight who can wield aura. This works out nicely."
"I'm sorry, but I'll need you to die."
It is only natural that the Vanguard System, which turns humans into weapons of war, is terrifying, but in truth, even without such special equipment, knights are beings that can never be taken lightly.
Aura, by itself, enhances offensive and defensive power and turns a human into something not far from a superhuman.
No matter how much the times have improved and the soldiers' combat power has greatly increased, they still cannot compete with a knight who pours out aura in streams.
A knight is someone who can slice off your neck in an instant if you zone out for even a moment.
"Arcia, focus on defense. I'll handle the damage."
"Understood."
While Arcia adopted a defensive stance, I quickly began casting a spell.
"Then, let's begin."
Corrupted Knight Zenit approached with an arrogant attitude that was practically a declaration.
Despite his relaxed outward appearance, the atmosphere was grim to the extreme, because an intangible energy was pouring out from his whole body, shimmering like a mirage.
Soon that energy gathered together and began to concentrate on his sword, and shortly afterward it turned into flickering flames, revealing an overwhelming presence.
It was Aura Fire, the trademark of a High Knight (Aura Expert).
Just like with the Demilich before, this quest's monster also possessed a realm one level above that of me and Arcia.
-Pop!
I calmly continued casting while watching every single one of his movements.
The Corrupted Knight raised his sword horizontally and then suddenly stomped his foot.
And then, as if he had teleported through space, he appeared right in front of us.
I widened my eyes, and Arcia hurriedly swung her shield.
-KWA-BOOM!
This was it.
The terrifying aspect of knights.
They can pull off movements that should only be possible in comics and make them real.
The first clash, perhaps to test Arcia's defensive power, was a straightforward strike of Aura Fire onto her shield.
"...."
But did he feel that it was far sturdier than he had imagined?
The Corrupted Knight furrowed his brow and used the rebound of his sword to target me standing behind her.
A spinning slash that used the shield's recoil as is.
The attack was so smooth and fast in its follow-up that it was hard to track with the naked eye.
However, trusting in Arcia's defensive ability, I used the spell whose casting I had completed.
-BOOM!
As I had hoped, Arcia succeeded in blocking that attack as well.
"Fire Sword!"
And then the 4-circle spell Fire Sword, reminiscent of sword-controlling magic, manifested and rushed toward the Corrupted Knight.
For five seconds, Fire Sword swings madly at the enemy.
It was the perfect spell for drawing a knight's attention.
"Hup!"
-Bang! Bang!
But perhaps the title High Knight (Aura Expert) was not given for nothing.
The bastard neutralized my spell almost perfectly.
'This battle is going to drag on.'
Of course, it wasn't that the damage didn't go through at all, but compared to his total HP, the amount of damage was negligible.
Clicking my tongue, I began casting again, while Arcia firmly held her ground in front of me.
-KWHAAAM! Boom! Boom!
And what followed was a fierce struggle between the one trying to block and the one trying to break through.
The Corrupted Knight Zenit, striking like a snake at any opening, and Arcia, blocking every attack to protect her master, me.
As I clearly took in the movements of those two with my eyes, I kept shaking the scales with my magic.
"Damn…."
With my magic added to such an intense exchange of offense and defense, the tide of battle could not help but tilt to our side.
Arcia's defensive ability, so solid it could be called an iron wall that barely allowed any openings, flustered the Corrupted Knight for the first time.
-Splat!
Still, just because we had the advantage didn't mean we could let our guard down.
Thanks to his nimble movements, even if they weren't critical hits, the enemy's attacks occasionally grazed my cheek or shoulder.
It stung a little, but not enough to worry about.
So I used this spell and that spell, pondering useful attacks and analyzing the enemy's patterns.
"Kh!"
As a result, the number of clean hits landing on him began to gradually increase.
-Splat!
The sword's trajectory, which had been hard to see at first, started to come into view bit by bit.
"Die."
And at the moment Arcia's defense was pierced for the first time—
I avoided the sword that came for my neck by simply ducking my head.
Perhaps because he had failed to land a solid hit against a slow mage who was practically in a free state, his expression was stiffer than ever.
-Boom!
With an enraged expression, Arcia swung her shield and knocked the Corrupted Knight away, causing the same situation to repeat again.
"Ha, so I'm just a stepping stone?"
His tone was filled with sheer incredulity.
The moment his attack broke through Arcia yet still failed to reach me, the momentum had all but completely shifted.
In addition, the fierce battle that had continued for about 30 minutes made me feel that I had grown one step further.
Hunting tens of thousands of monsters with a body synchronized to reality had not been a pointless experience.
[You have subjugated the Named Monster, Corrupted Knight Zenit.]
[You have cleared stage 5 of the Fortuitous Encounter Quest.]
* * *
-6th floor of Manuel Lucas's Magic Tower.
From the 5th Circle onward, it is the realm of High Mages.
Policies differ by country, but in the Kingdom of Reinharz, they are unconditionally granted at least the title of single-rank Baron and treated as such, and also given the opportunity to join the Imperial Mage Corps.
Considering that it has only been 20 days since I obtained the fortuitous encounter, my growth rate was astonishing.
"No matter when I see it, it's a magnificent sight."
I smacked my lips as I looked at the noticeably more splendid treasure chest.
And when I laid my hand on it, a longer message than before greeted me.
[You have acquired 2 trillion Ruuts.]
[The amount is too large to receive via account transfer or online currency.]
[An account will be newly created at the Elysia Union Bank.]
[The Union Bank's online service will be installed on your terminal.]
[Your ID and password will be saved automatically.]
Up until now, I had been receiving money in online currency, since depositing it into a domestic bank account could cause issues such as tax audits.
However, it seemed even online currency could not handle transaction amounts in the trillions.
Therefore, I was granted real-world assets in the form of an actual account at the Union Bank, where anonymity is thoroughly guaranteed.
The Union Bank belongs to the Elysia Union, made up of other races such as elves and dwarves on the Prota Continent, and since virtually all transactions from account opening onward are conducted remotely, it is widely used for slush funds.
Its main customers are nobles and merchants who siphon off funds for tax evasion.
Thanks to this, although the Union Bank does not have many customers, it is a strange bank that is counted as having the largest deposit holdings in the world.
From the perspective of those who run a nation, it is an eyesore of a bank, but even so, the reason it has never faced a crisis in its operations lies in the tacit consent of nobles worldwide and the bank president's special background.
'If it's a Union Bank account, it should be fine.'
It's almost a shame that such an option didn't exist from the very beginning.
So I didn't worry too much and checked the next reward.
[You have acquired the Istro Staff.]
[You have acquired the Istro Robe.]
[You have acquired the Istro Armor.]
[You have acquired the Istro Shield.]
[You have acquired the Istro Shortsword.]
[You have acquired the Istro Arming Sword.]
....
This time, the reward was none other than equipment.
But as the messages continued one after another, I was left speechless.
[You have acquired the Istro Halberd.]
[The Istro equipment will be transported into reality. Please log out and check your inventory.]
A total of 13 pieces of equipment were given as rewards.
In practice, the only mage-only gear I can use are the robe and staff; the rest are all warrior gear.
'Is this for Arsia's use?'
Shortsword, arming sword, bastard sword, two-handed sword, sabre, spear, all the way up to halberd.
It was as if they were telling me to pick whatever suited my taste, given how many different weapons were provided.
'Well, the more equipment the better, right? Besides, there's no way Archduke Lucas would hand over ordinary cold weapons.'
There weren't any detailed descriptions attached, but I guessed that maybe this equipment worked on the same mechanism as what the Vanguard wears.
Arsia's current equipment is plenty good, but that only holds true inside Chronicle Online, which is set in the Middle Ages.
In reality, where the Vanguard runs rampant, simple cold weapons are of no help at all.
And isn't the one who made the Vanguard's gear Archduke Lucas?
I was looking forward to it in many ways.
[A 5th Circle is being created.]
With the circles being created one after another and me spending quite some time learning spells, I logged out to check my rewards in reality.