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[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Starfall ]
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Chapter 05: Divine Artifact (1)
“Everyone, leave us. I need a moment alone with this man.”
Karayan, Head of the Ruins Merchant Guild.
Very few people knew her true identity.
Aside from a handful of top-level officials residing on the top floor, almost no one had ever seen her real face. That said it all.
Yet now, a mysterious man who had appeared out of nowhere had seen through her disguise.
And Karayan had even agreed to a private conversation with him.
‘What the...? She agreed that easily?’
Naturally, for Loren the Shadow Knight, this was a deeply troubling situation.
Watching carefully, he immediately stepped up to offer his protection.
“Master, allow me to remain here, just in case—”
“No.”
But Karayan shook her head without the slightest hesitation.
“He’s right. If he had any ill intent, he could’ve already killed all of us.”
“B-but…”
“It’s fine. Leave us. I’ll handle this matter myself.”
“……”
Nod.
Reluctantly, Loren nodded and followed the others out.
Still, regardless of Karayan’s assurance, Loren couldn’t help but feel uneasy—as her personal guard, that was only natural.
‘…No. This won’t do.’
Sssss—
Unable to suppress his unease, Loren decided to use his trump card.
One of his secret techniques: 【Shadow Infiltration】.
A contingency skill allowing him to plant a shadow clone inside someone else’s shadow.
He often used it to protect Karayan when he couldn’t stay by her side.
“Hah…”
But just then—
A quiet scoff echoed through the room.
“I was very clear. I requested a private audience with the head of the Ruins Merchant Guild.”
“…!”
Sshk—
The man’s gaze snapped in Loren’s direction the moment he finished speaking.
His sharp eyes gleamed as if he had instantly seen through Loren’s trick.
‘W-What the…?!’
Startled, Loren immediately deactivated his skill.
His body froze stiff, like a rabbit in front of a predator.
Creak—
A suffocating silence filled the room.
Even as the heavy doors to the top floor closed, the man’s piercing eyes stayed fixed on Loren.
His body may have looked gaunt—like he hadn’t eaten in days—but the aura he exuded was anything but ordinary.
Loren swallowed hard.
‘He saw through my skill in that split second…?’
A cold bead of sweat trickled down his back.
The same man who had slain Barbar the Human Butcher in a single blow had now seen straight through his 【Shadow Infiltration】 technique.
How much mastery must one possess to pull that off?
Loren couldn’t even begin to estimate this man’s true strength.
Creak. Thud—!
But that fear was short-lived.
The top floor doors shut completely, and silence blanketed the hallway.
The high-ranking officials who had been unceremoniously sent out could only stand there in stunned confusion.
…And now, the conversation between this stranger and Karayan would be known to no one.
* * *
‘Whew…’
Once the doors closed, I let out a sigh of relief inside.
‘Took a stab at Loren, just in case…’
Turned out, he really had intended to use 【Shadow Infiltration】 on Karayan.
Good thing I shut that down beforehand.
Otherwise, he would've hidden in her shadow and interfered with everything I was about to do—likely even relaying our conversation through whisper magic.
‘I can’t let that happen.’
Anyway.
With the meddling out of the way, I turned my gaze back to Karayan.
She was still staring at me with a skeptical look—unsure whether I truly was the benefactor who had saved her life.
To dispel that lingering doubt, I opened my mouth.
“When that ragged street girl said she’d one day become a major figure in this world, I simply chuckled…”
“……!”
“But to think you actually made it happen.”
Karayan’s eyes widened.
Hearing a line that had only ever been exchanged between her and her savior—Only then did her suspicion finally vanish.
“I—I’ve been waiting for you to return…!”
Thud—!
She dropped to her knees, prostrating herself at my feet.
Her voice trembled with overwhelming emotion.
It was clear—she was overjoyed to finally reunite with the person who had saved her life.
“I won’t ask what brings you here… or why you came only now. None of that matters.”
“……”
“Whatever it is you desire—if it’s within my power—I will grant it, no matter what.”
Strictly speaking, Lea de Karayan probably couldn’t make sense of this situation logically.
Why had her benefactor appeared among a group of slaves?
Why had he killed Barbar the Human Butcher?
No—more than that… what exactly had brought him to this place?
Surely, a hundred other questions were eating away at her.
‘But none of that matters.’
Despite being normally cold and calculating to the extreme—When it came to her savior, Karayan was completely and utterly devoted.
That was her character’s core setting in the game.
In fact, if you progressed far enough in the game, there would come a moment when Karayan learned of her benefactor’s death.
A few days later, she would lose the will to live… and end her own life.
‘Sure, maybe that character setup was a bit too much… but hey, it’s canon.’
For Lea de Karayan, reuniting with her savior was her life’s purpose.
‘Which means…’
Having saved her life—or rather, posing as the man who did—I could now ask for anything I wanted.
There was no need for small talk.
With her judgment clouded, this was the perfect time to make my request and get out of here quickly.
Ever since I first stepped onto the top floor, I had one goal in mind.
“Lea de Karayan.”
“Yes.”
“I’ve heard that nearly all the contraband on this continent flows through the Ruins Merchant Guild.”
“Y-Yes, that’s correct.”
“Perfect.” I nodded, continuing smoothly, “Several years ago, my beloved sword was stolen.”
“……!”
“I heard rumors that the Ruins Guild maintains a secret vault where it collects divine artifacts. I’d like to take a look. My sword might be in there.”
A secret vault.
Ordinarily, that space was strictly off-limits—even to most high-ranking officials in the Guild.
Which made sense, since every item stored in that vault was worth billions of shillings.
Even VVIPs known to dominate the black market didn’t know the vault existed. That said it all.
‘They never show that vault to outsiders.’
But…
“……Yes. I’ll take you to the vault right away.”
As I mentioned earlier—Karayan couldn’t refuse me right now.
To her, my value far outweighed the worth of some weapons and armor.
‘It’s not just because she sees me as her savior, either.’
I had slain Barbar the Human Butcher without effort.
I had instantly seen through Loren’s Shadow Infiltration.
Anyone would think twice before crossing someone like that.
And Karayan, above all, was someone who knew the value of power—and how to use it.
* * *
『A world overrun by monsters. Where all of humanity’s great civilizations have collapsed.』
This was the tagline that encapsulated the entire lore of Loel.
As that line alone made clear, the world of the game was bleak and grim—no different from most hardcore open-world RPGs.
‘…Humanity is no longer the master of the continent.’
Thanks to the swarms of monsters, humans were no longer able to build great civilizations.
Instead, they clung together in isolated, sealed-off cities, living in hiding.
Venturing beyond the city walls—into what was known as the “Unexplored Zones” teeming with monsters—was becoming increasingly rare.
Naturally, with dwindling interaction between cities, each urban enclave began to develop its own distinct character, with wildly different laws and customs shaped by geography and circumstance.
And so, several centuries passed.
This world was slowly but surely crawling toward its end.
‘In simple terms: it’s a dark fantasy-style post-apocalyptic setting.’
Anyway, the reason I was suddenly walking through all this lore was simple—
‘…I need to make a clear decision about what kind of relationship I’ll maintain with Karayan going forward.’
Lea de Karayan, the head of the Ruins Merchant Guild.
She was a queen ruling from the shadows of this chaotic world.
In a setting where crime was part of daily life, the kind of influence wielded by the Ruins Guild under her command hardly needed explaining.
‘If I establish an official alliance with Karayan, I can reap immense benefits from the Ruins Guild.’
Financial backing.
Access to rare items.
Even assassinating difficult-to-handle NPCs on my behalf.
There were countless ways to make use of the Ruins Guild.
‘But I can’t just blindly jump into an alliance with them out of greed.’
Where there are pros, there are cons.
After all, the Ruins Guild was clearly a villain-aligned faction.
Forming a hasty alliance with them risked severely damaging my relationships with other key NPCs.
‘For starters, all good-aligned factions would instantly become hostile…’
The Middle Temple.
The Holy Households.
The Order of the Saintess.
The Relic Survey Corps.
And several other groups hostile to the Ruins Guild would become my enemies.
‘…Worst of all, once I ally with the Ruins Guild, I’m stuck in the underworld for life.’
Like those classic noir films where there’s only one way out of the mob: death.
The Ruins Guild was no different.
Once you formed deep ties with them, cutting those ties was nearly impossible.
Because they branded your body with a permanent symbol of the guild.
The moment that mark is engraved, the areas I can access—and the NPCs I can interact with—become severely limited.
It’s practically a straightjacket on my gameplay freedom.
That would be a colossal penalty for my future.
‘So the course of action is simple.’
I won’t openly oppose the Ruins Guild.
But I’ll keep the relationship ambiguous—just enough that I can sever ties whenever needed.
In other words, I’ll take advantage of them to the extent that I can still walk away clean.
And the outermost boundary of that “safe zone” I’d set…
…was this place: the Ruins Guild’s secret collection vault.
“We’ve arrived.”
Following Karayan’s lead, I arrived at the vault and glanced around.
The space was lit with a soft magical glow.
Inside glass cases sealed with protective enchantments, dozens of dazzling weapons were displayed.
Seeing items I’d only ever glimpsed through the monitor now rendered in full 3D reality—I couldn’t help but be impressed.
‘These are the divine artifacts.’
Divine Artifacts—weapons said to be gifted by the gods.
Each one had special effects to match that lofty reputation.
For example, the blue spear before me—“Fang of the Azure Skybird”—generated lightning around the wielder every time it was swung.
‘But something like that is useless to me.’
I let my hand glide across the spear’s shaft, then turned to the other weapons.
‘Right now, there’s only one type of weapon I need.’
I recalled the battle with Barbar the Human Butcher.
Right after using my skill, my one-handed sword couldn’t handle the impact and cracked apart.
Shortly after, it disintegrated completely into dust.
‘I need a sword durable enough to withstand 【Soul of the Swordmaster】.’
If I used some half-baked weapon, it would shatter every time I activated the skill.
That’d be a constant money sink.
A weapon should never be a disposable item.
Especially in Loel’s world, where skilled blacksmiths capable of crafting decent gear were few and far between.
So my plan here was to walk away with a weapon strong enough to carry me all the way to the ending.
“I don’t see my sword.”
“……!”
Karayan’s eyes quivered.
“Then please, take any divine artifact that pleases you.”
“……Any of them?”
“Of course. Think of it as repayment for saving my life. No divine artifact is worth more than my life.”
Perfect.
Everything was playing out exactly as I had envisioned.
Some might say I was exploiting Karayan to the bone…
But I was her life-saving benefactor.
Or at least—that’s what she believed.
‘If anything, I’m getting off cheap.’
With that shameless thought, I glanced around the vault again.
‘…Huh?’
That’s when I spotted it.
A single longsword caught my eye.
‘No way.’
The moment I saw it, I was floored.
“……Why is this weapon here?”
I muttered under my breath, drawn toward the sword as if hypnotized.
The blade shimmered with a cold blue light.
But toward the hilt, the metal gradually transitioned into a reddish hue.
There was no mistaking it.
Among all the divine artifacts, this was one of the most highly rated weapons by players: Frostglow.
It had once ranked No. 1 in a poll of top-tier players’ favorite sword-type weapons. That said it all.
“You have good taste.”
Right then, Karayan, standing beside me, spoke softly.
“That divine artifact is called Frostglow. We acquired it just a few days ago. It’s one-of-a-kind. The most expensive weapon in our collection.”
“……”
“Does it interest you?”
Gulp—
Hearing her words, I swallowed dryly and glanced around with darting eyes.
Frostglow.
Its ability effects were always considered top-tier among all weapon types.
Just finding it here made the entire trip to the secret vault worthwhile.
‘Although… something doesn’t add up.’
Was Frostglow supposed to be in the Ruins Guild’s possession at this point in the story?
That felt off.
If memory served, this weapon should’ve still been with someone else.
Shhk—
As that odd thought crossed my mind, I slowly reached out for Frostglow on its display—
CLANG! CHINGCHINGCHINGCHING—!!
“……?”
And then it happened.
Frostglow let out a shrill, metallic screech—then violently fell to the floor and began spinning across the ground.
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[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Starfall ]
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