Chapter 221

Chapter 221. The Kidnapper and the Swindler (6)

“I’m okay.”

I had just recovered the body parts that the Hamas Clan had mutilated, thanks to Karlos’s authority.

‘It still feels a bit stiff.’

All sensations and motor skills were back to normal.

“You’re saying you’re okay after going through all that? Ha, hyung, you really are one tough survivor…”

Rather than being a survivor, it was more accurate to say that I wasn’t worried.

I had used Karlos’s authority a few times and was certain.

Even if I had suffered permanent damage from the torture at the hands of the Hamas Clan, I was sure I could restore myself to my original state.

That’s why I let myself intentionally get captured by those who wanted to crush me.

In fact, I had no problem restoring my body.

I massaged my arm and leg, which had lost their scars from the past, to alleviate the stiffness.

And as I massaged my limbs, I checked the chat window that had been updating continuously.

– Pudding: It seems they heard the news over there too, huh? Things are getting noisy.

– Kirish: Judging by how they’re calling their clan members back, it’s definite.

– Nadia: K, they’re preparing before you arrive? The numbers gathering at their base are increasing.

– Joseph: I’m curious what their faces looked like when they heard they failed. Lolololollll

– Nadia: Me too. From today, their life’s genre is horror.

– Joseph: Why did they mess with that mad dog?

– Kirish: To be fair, that mad dog was the one who provoked them first…

– Joseph: Huh? Now that I think about it, you’re right? Poor guys…

– Nadia: There’s nothing poor about those who discriminated using race and mana. Such people should be crushed before they can grow.

The team that agreed to assist me in dealing with the Hamas Clan was engaged in conversation.

They were likely surrounding the Hamas Clan’s base as we had planned.

When dozens of players stand outside simply loitering without clashing, what would Mayak, the Hamas Clan leader, feel?

And when nearly eighty percent of them bore the Order of Palao’s symbol?

I hadn’t stepped into Mayak’s head, but surely he wouldn’t be feeling alright.

‘They are my second target, they shouldn’t be left intact.’

Once this task wrapped up, I intended to head over and half-destroy the Hamas Clan.

I changed out of the cumbersome ceremonial outfit into my usual clothes while sending a message in the chat.

– K: Now your’re calling me a mad dog?

– Joseph: The mad dog has appeared!

– K: I might bite you.

– Joseph: Yikes.

– Nadia: Ignore him and tell us when you’re coming.

– K: I’ll leave in 10 minutes.

– Pudding: Don’t rush, just take your time. The Hamas bastards are already cornered.

– Nadia: Just in case you’re wondering, all other players have left to let us fight among ourselves.

– Kirish: Many are climbing to higher buildings just to watch.

– Joseph: I’d watch too. It’s the first time players are clashing on this scale.

– Nadia: For sure, it is. Whenever disputes arose, they feared losses so much they didn’t even get to actual fighting, only engaged in subtle pushes.

I sent the messages while already getting my gear ready, then began walking.

Kim Yul naturally followed me.

“Let go! Do you even know who I am?!”

Eventually, we arrived next to Reitan, who was under the Holy Knight’s suppression, making a loud ruckus.

Unlike my first and second targets, he was a major catch I hadn’t planned for.

‘I didn’t expect this guy to show up.’

I glanced away from Reitan, who was bloodied but still resisting, to look at the direction where Kim Yul had severed his hand.

More specifically, I was looking at the pocket watch he had been holding.

After staring at the motionless watch for a while, Kim Yul spoke up cautiously.

“Are you going to take it?”

He lowered his stance before hearing my answer.

As he reached out to grab the watch, a thunderous voice rang out.

“How dare you!”

When I turned my head, Reitan shot a furious glare.

“That is not an object you can possess!”

Likely, he wasn’t lying.

“It’s strange listening to you now… What the…?”

In evidence, Kim Yul, who tried to grab the watch, mumbled in confusion.

His hand only fumbled around the pocket watch as if blocked by something invisible, like an unseen spherical barrier enclosing it.

Reitan, emboldened by this, shouted louder.

“Do you see now? That item can only be possessed by the chosen one!”

Of course, his confidence didn’t last.

Because when I lowered my stance and extended my hand, it touched the watch without obstruction.

Faced with the unexpected, Reitan looked stunned.

Meanwhile, I looked calmly at the system window that had appeared in front.

「Do you wish to seize the divinity? (Y/N)」

Rather than pressing Yes immediately, I opened the message window.

「The Trait ‘Inheritance Candidate’ is activating.」

「There is a divinity within 100M radius that can be seized.」

The message had popped up out of nowhere while I pretended to be unconscious with my eyes closed.

‘Not Absorb, but seize?’

I pushed the new window aside for now.

It seemed this ‘Inheritance Candidate’ trait allowed me to take possession of another god’s divinity.

‘If this watch contains divinity, it must be a divine relic…’

Something felt off.

The divine relic from Palao I had held exuded her divine energy.

Even a cursory glance confirmed it belonged to Palao.

In contrast, the watch I held now…

‘I can sense something, but…’

It wasn’t Agnotia’s divinity.

Before orchestrating this fake kidnapping, I had visited all 7 temples to identify each different divinity.

As a result, I had learned to distinguish among the 7 divinities.

Among them, Agnotia’s was second to Palao’s in familiarity.

Agnotia’s gaze was constantly on me as soon as the system was away.

I glanced over at empty air and then back at Reitan, who still looked shocked, as I furrowed my brow.

‘This is strange.’

According to my research, Reitan was a fanatic of Agnotia.

Publicly, it appeared he’d leaned toward Senoa.

He had influence among extremists, particularly the fanatical ones.

But why did he possess a divine relic devoid of Agnotia’s divinity?

‘Is this really a divine relic?’

I toyed with the watch, deliberating briefly.

‘There are too many eyes right now.’

I decided to postpone dealing with the seizing function.

Standing up, I stored the watch in my inventory.

“Noooo!”

It seemed Reitan had just realized what was happening, as he began to wail.

“How could someone like you! How did you manage this?!”

I was about to leave, unable to delay my mission regarding the Hamas Clan any longer, but…

“This can’t be! You were meant to be a sacrifice for Agnotia! How dare you scheme such a plan?!”

Reitan suddenly started confessing.

Originally, I had planned to hand them over to the player association for interrogation, but that necessity vanished.

I guess he was extremely shocked that I took the pocket watch from him.

‘Well, it’s not necessarily a bad thing.’

Saying I wasn’t startled by the sudden turn of events would be a lie.

But considering it objectively, Reitan’s outburst wasn’t detrimental to me.

So I decided to show some gratitude before leaving.

I approached Reitan, squatted beside him, and whispered.

“Want to hear some interesting news?”

My voice lowered significantly as I smirked mischievously.

“Right now, the god you revere is probably regurgitating their own divinity for attempting to steal another’s.”

The gods of Biharin are not allowed to directly harm players.

Should they violate this rule, they must relinquish divinity equivalent to their transgression.

I pieced this together from the agreement witnessed between the system and the 7 Great Gods.

Remembering this, I chose Agnotia as the third target for this swindling play.

The system kept its distance while Agnotia attempted and failed to devour me.

A convergence of divine energies swarmed and vanished, remaining silent since.

They’re probably having a quarrel among themselves right now.

“What is…?”

Smirking at a clueless Reitan, whose eyes flitted around in confusion, I rose.

Explaining further was too much of a hassle.

Turning away from Reitan, I advanced, ignoring his continued shouts.

“You scoundrel! What do you mean?! Why Agnotia?!”

But this time, I ignored him neatly.

Instead, I worked with the Order’s holy knight, dispatched for the assault, and the association’s player accompanying the field investigation to wrap things up.

“Then I’ll assume you’re transporting them to the association promptly.”

“Don’t worry.”

“And, it seems I’ve made a significant contribution to apprehending that one.”

Jutting my chin toward Reitan’s direction, I made my request, to which the holy knight from the Order hesitantly replied.

“… Could you tell me what you desire?”

No need to beat around the bush.

“Give me the first right to search that scoundrel’s residence.”

“May I ask why?”

“There’s something I need to find.”

It was both a lie and a truth.

To be more precise, it felt like I might discover something valuable.

‘He knows about the fragment of Palao’s divinity.’

Even Rashar didn’t know of the fragment until I acquired it from Agnotia.

He knew, and he even devised a way to present it to Agnotia.

If he knows anything more, I must attain it before the information flows elsewhere.

And if necessary, I must consider obscuring it on my own.

Surely, even the holy knight could interpret my ulterior motive from my words.

Hence, the knight delayed any answer, pondering instead.

But, he couldn’t refuse my request.

‘In any case, thanks to me, they’ve caught extremists more than once now.’

Ignoring my contributions would mean they’d have to endure strained relations with me.

Jose Wolfrian, who eagerly seizes every opportunity I offer, wouldn’t want that.

And this holy knight was well aware of it.

Proving his awareness, the knight nodded after prolonged silence.

“Do you know the exact location of the Protoram Viscount’s residence?”

“I know it’s in Kimol. I’ll ask someone from the Order for the exact location. I’ve got urgent matters now… I can get there in 4 hours, 5 at the latest.”

“To prevent escape and evidence destruction, we’ll occupy the estate. Rest assured, we’ll strictly adhere to your will regarding the search. We won’t claim ownership over any spoil or evidence inside.”

“Thank you.”

After wrapping up the task on site, I, along with Kim Yul, moved towards the narrow corridor leading back above ground.

Upon entering there, the numerous gazes fixed on us disappeared instantly.

I pulled out a dagger while slightly lifting my shirt.

Next, I imbued the dagger with mana and cut into the scarred lower abdomen.

“Ugh.”

I grimaced from the pain as I probed to extract the object lodged inside me.

“My goodness, truly a survivor… He really put that in with his own hand, what a survivor.”

I heard Kim Yul’s voice mumbling in amazement, which I promptly ignored.

Damn system