Chapter 18
“The sun’s already set, and you’re leaving now?”
“Yes. I’m in a hurry. I also have to take Ad to the orphanage as soon as possible…”
Karen looked truly disappointed, then reached out her hand for a handshake with Arin.
“It would’ve been nice if Yan could stay the night too. Such a shame.”
“I’m sure we’ll meet again. Thank you, Karen.”
Arin carefully took her extended hand. The moment she held Karen’s, she felt a sharp prick, like being stabbed by a needle.
She let go of Karen’s hand and opened her palm. A small drop of blood was forming over a fine needle mark.
“Thank me? I should be the one thanking you.”
“W-What is this…?”
“Thanks—for falling for our trap.”
Through her blurring vision, Arin saw Yellow and Ad being knocked out by Jake’s familiar. She thought, if only she had acted the moment she heard Yellow muttering at the village entrance.
“The stench of your kind’s corpses fills this village. I can’t breathe. Stupid girl, my nose is rotting.”
Whatever kind of village this was, the fact that it reeked of human corpses was a very bad sign. She had tried to slip away quietly, sensing something was off—but things hadn’t gone as planned. Holding herself back for fear of a fight was her mistake.
Though Arin staggered, she didn’t fall. Smiling sweetly, Karen pulled out a thin needle.
“Goodnight, Yan.”
Arin felt the thin needle pierce her neck and then lost consciousness.
[Idiot.]
“……”
[You dummy.]
“…Yeah. I really am a stupid idiot.”
Just like Yellow said—even Ad had been suspicious, but she hadn’t noticed. That made her a true fool.
[At least your rope looks the weakest. Try to break it.]
As he said, Yellow and Ad were bound in specially-treated ropes, while Arin’s bindings were just ordinary rope.
She didn’t mind being considered weaker than Ad. That was simply the truth.
“If I could break it with strength, I already would’ve, you idiot.”
[Who are you calling an idiot, idiot? Hmph.]
Yellow’s scornful gaze hurt more than she expected.
At that moment, the door swung open and Jake entered the storage room with half a dozen others.
“Wahaha! Sleep well?”
Arin now understood what it meant to feel like blowing a fuse at Jake’s jovial laugh.
“You son of a b—! You b—d!”
Even as she cursed him, Jake simply grinned, not the least bit offended.
“You’re about to become a sacrifice. Say all you want. You’re about to bring prosperity to our village—I can let you curse a little. Wahaha.”
Arin couldn’t contain her rage. She spat at him. Unfortunately, it fell short and landed at his feet.
A chilling silence filled the storage. Arin liked the look on Jake’s face, still frozen in a smile.
“What’s that face for? Don’t like being blessed with a sacrifice’s spit?”
Mocking her with a cold smile, Jake roughly grabbed her hair. Her neck twisted painfully.
Then, without warning, he slapped her across the cheek.
“Yan, don’t act up.”
“Ugh.”
“If you want to die painlessly, shut that mouth of yours. We don’t need your limbs for the ritual.”
He hit her cheek three or four more times. She didn’t make a sound, believing that groaning would mean she’d lost.
Jake didn’t like the look in her eyes. Even though he said it wouldn’t matter if her limbs were gone, sacrifices were best kept intact. Just to scare her, he said what he didn’t need to.
“Lord Eden doesn’t care if the sacrifice’s stomach is split or head crushed—as long as they’re alive.”
“……”
“If you keep being annoying, you know what happens, right? You might as well die peacefully. Like a dignified death or something. Wahahaha!”
Jake, still holding her hair, stormed out of the warehouse. Arin’s body was dragged along the floor, quickly getting scraped and bloodied. Now she understood what it felt like to have skin sanded with gravel. Her scalp felt like it was about to rip off.
[That bastard! How dare he treat my subordinate like that!]
Yellow roared in fury at how Arin was being treated. But his cries were just beastly growls to others. As he growled, the others rushed in and subdued him.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes, Master Oridon.”
Oridon was second in authority after Jake. He led the group, dragging Yellow and Ad behind Jake.
Meanwhile, Arin—despite being in pain from being dragged—kept observing her surroundings.
‘Where’s the nearest exit? The village entrance is to the right from here…’
“Ahh!”
A sharp stone cut deep into her back, and she screamed in unbearable pain. Jake just laughed heartily.
“Wahaha! Painful, isn’t it? Hang in there. We’re almost there.”
He pointed his chin toward a large altar, big enough for three people. Geometric letters were carved in relief on the surface, and a large purple stone sat in the center.
Arin was laid on the altar, and shortly after, Yellow and Ad were dragged over. As soon as they were placed on it, they wriggled like caterpillars and clung to her.
Ad nuzzled into her side with a sulky expression, while Yellow puffed through his nose, on alert.
“Want me to blow on it?”
[Stupid girl, are you hurting? Want me to bite their heads off and chew them like nuts?]
Arin vowed silently—she would make this plan succeed, no matter what, for the sake of these two.
Jake stood casually, looking up at the three moons. Midnight on the 15th, when the moons were brightest, was almost here. He gulped in anticipation.
Truthfully, neither Jake nor the villagers knew what kind of being “Eden” was. All they knew was that when they placed a living being on the altar at midnight on the 15th, it would be exchanged for riches. The healthier and stronger the sacrifice, the greater the reward. That’s why they had high hopes this time.
“They say this one’s a summoner, right?”
“Not just that—she has a familiar and a child with her.”
“A child too? Wonderful. This will be a fruitful offering.”
They felt no guilt offering a child. They’d been doing this for ten years.
This village was founded ten years ago by outlaws. Poor and powerless, they were ignored by nearby lords—even when monsters attacked, or starvation led to murder.
Then, one day, a man in a black robe appeared before them. Eden. He gave them an altar and smiled.
“Offer up the living. I shall grant you salvation.”
His eerie voice echoed through the village. It felt wrong—but it was salvation.
One minute before midnight.
“Lord Eden, once again grant us the glory of life…”
Villagers holding triangular pendants gathered before the altar, all placing the pendant on their chests as they prayed.
“Glory…”
This was the moment they longed for most—and the most careless.
Arin quietly placed her hand on the center of the altar.
‘I win.’
“Absorb mana stone. Update slots 1, 2, and 3.”
「System」
Core mana stone of altar absorbed: 10,000 MP
Mana: 820 → 10,820
Update complete.
Sync body with the strongest person system user has met: Deneb
Duplicate absorbed item…
…
The people watching Arin gasped in horror. Jake, who had been praying, let out a shrill scream.
“What did you do?!”
Arin twisted one side of her lips into a smirk. Her injured mouth throbbed, but she held the sneer.
“What do you think I did? I did something that’ll screw you over.”
When the volcano erupted and Arin crash-landed on the Lavien Snowfield through unstable teleportation, she expected a rough journey to meet Deneb. When no one was watching, she reviewed her only ability: the System.
The System always gave her solutions in danger and recommended buff items like an AI. She trusted it to help her again.
“Is there anything that can enhance my body all at once?”
「System」
No such item available.
Would you like to see alternative methods?
(Yes) / (No)
“I’ll take whatever I can get.”
「System」
Upgrade options in exchange for mana:
Upgrade bonded item/body. (Requires 5000 MP)
Item: sync with the strongest item touched
Body: sync with strongest person met
Duplicate absorbed item (Cooldown: 10 years, requires 3000 MP)
Make system invisible (2000 MP)
Her current mana was just 820.
“Ten thousand points… So you’re telling me to just live like this? Huh?!”
Her complaint echoed across the snowy plain. The system beeped pathetically as if it felt wronged.
Back then, she thought it would take decades to gather that much mana.
She never imagined being betrayed by a party member of a month, becoming a sacrifice, and ending up on an altar with a huge purple mana stone.
An unexpected misfortune turned into a massive stroke of luck.
Once the upgrade finished, dark green mana rose from Arin’s body like snakes. Alarmed by the eerie energy, the villagers stepped back.
Yellow’s jaw dropped, opening in a tiny triangle.
[Pping! This has never happened before—is she a tyrant or an idiot?!]
Arin could now clearly feel the mana in the air—something she couldn’t before. As she inhaled, mana gently filled her body. When she moved it as her body instructed, sharp winds surged.
Her Wind magic caused panic among the villagers and cut her ropes cleanly. The ends of the ropes were smooth, showing how powerful yet controlled her magic was—she hadn’t received even a scratch.
Charlie burst through the wind and slashed his greatsword at Arin. His muscles bulged with strain.
Ting.
His sharp blade struck her slender arm.
“What… what is this?”
Her arm had deflected the blade. Shocked, Charlie stumbled back.
Now, powerful Aura, usable only by trained knights, surged from her body. Just like Deneb, Arin had become a magic swordswoman.
