Chapter 39

"The Magic Weapon Orga Type 22." I don't remember the name, but I recall there were many of these grunts, Miharu thought as she gazed at the metal giant.

It seemed to have been hidden in a container. They must have prepared it as their trump card. A typical plot twist. Thank you for that.

Its skin was made of thick metal, and pink muscle fibers and cables were visible at the joints. Sharp horns like spear tips protruded from its head, and in the hands of the giant, which stood three meters tall, was a greatsword as thick as a steel plate. There were five of them, and they turned their crystal eyes toward us and approached.

Crystals were embedded in various parts of their bodies, glowing red. These were magic weapons powered by magic stones. In the game, there was no limit to their operational time, but in reality, such a limit existed. I used the "Investigate" skill to check their strength.

"Magic Puppet Orga Type 22, Level 26"

They were quite strong. Magic stones were disposable, so they were much cheaper than summoning stones, but they were highly consumable and had high combat power. I don't know how much it costs to operate one of these.

"Go, Orga. 'Kill those two.'"

The goat-headed man, feeling confident, gave the command to the Orga. It was indeed convenient that these magic weapons had a friend-or-foe recognition system.

He must have been certain of victory. Pointing at us with his index finger, he laughed mockingly, his face contorted.

But magic weapons also existed in the game. Of course, there were countermeasures. I wanted to try something out.

"Odin!"

"The knowledge embedded in my head. I remember the time I gained magical knowledge from Mimir's Well."

Odin's mouth, covered with a wrinkled white beard, curved into a smile as he cast a spell.

"Total Machine Control V"

"Security cameras controlled!"

"Orga Type 22 A, E controlled!"

"Goat-headed man's smartphone controlled!"

"Communication devices controlled!"

A silver flash was released from his hand. Two of the Orgas, struck by purple lightning, stopped moving.

"My smartphone?"

The goat-headed man, seeing his smartphone enveloped in lightning, dropped it in surprise.

I, on the other hand, was surprised by the log. I didn't expect it to work like this in reality.

"Hmm, 'Defeat the Orgas.'"

Odin, seeing the result of the spell, stroked his white beard and gave the command. The two mechanical Orgas raised their greatswords and attacked the others.

The sound of metal clashing echoed as the greatswords bit into the metal skin of the Orgas.

"What are you doing! Is there a malfunction?"

The goat-headed man, seeing the Orgas controlled by Odin attacking the others, was shocked and wide-eyed. He needed to give counter-commands quickly, or they would be defeated one-sidedly.

Magic weapons, of course, had counter-spells in the game. From spells to control machines, to spells to confuse or destroy parts. While they didn't work on magic armor, they were highly effective against magic weapons. Most boss magic weapons had resistance to prevent them from being controlled.

The success rate of "Machine Control" was extremely low. It was natural, as it turned enemies into allies. Even with Odin's high magic power from the Aegis headband, he only succeeded with two.

But that wasn't a problem. I was interested in something else.

Namely, the essential power in this modern fantasy, which was far more troublesome than combat weapons: surveillance cameras, security systems, and communication devices.

However, the "Machine Control" spell, which was now based on reality, had an unexpected effect. Not only did it control the security cameras, but it also controlled the communication devices. The spell wouldn't be undone unless the enemy repaired the devices. If all the weapons were controlled, the battle would end.

In the game, the weapons were left alone, and the player moved on. But what would happen in reality? Most likely, all the devices here were under Odin's control. Excellent.

Of course, this spell didn't exist in the novel. There were similar spell users, but they were puppeteers who controlled a large number of magic puppets. This was an original spell from the game.

There were hackers in the novel, but they used computers, not magic. There might be someone who uses a similar spell somewhere in the world.

"Odin, don't leave any trace of us on the security cameras."

"Got it. I'll erase them."

To the machines under his control, he just needed to give a "command." If he ordered them to erase, they would do it automatically. Odin nodded casually while watching the Orgas' battle with interest. I was counting on him.

"What are you doing! 'Destroy the broken 1 and 3!' Damn it, what's going on?"

The goat-headed man was confused, but I had no intention of explaining. I joined the battle with Gery and Flexi, and Odin followed. I could leave it to them.

He probably couldn't imagine such a spell existed. He seemed to think it was a malfunction and was panicking. I understood; emergency systems often malfunction when needed. This spell needed to be kept secret.

"Let's go one-on-one, then."

I smiled at the goat-headed man like a kitten. He clenched his teeth in frustration and readied his rapier.

"Damn it!"

Wrapping himself in wind, the goat-headed man charged at me, thrusting his rapier. The dust from his feet was lifted by the wind, making it seem as if he was floating and gliding toward me. The wind magic armor must have enhanced his speed.

"Investigate"

Goat-headed man, Level 20

He was fairly strong, about the same as my adventurer guards. He was probably C-rank.

"Come at me!"

I readied my dagger. It was an "Iron Dagger" made from a magic stone and the remaining magic iron, stronger than copper.

"Take this!"

The rapier, specialized in thrusting, was used by the goat-headed man to deliver quick, jab-like strikes as he closed the distance.

"Is that all?"

I deflected multiple thrusts with my dagger. The rapier, whistling as it approached, was deflected by my dagger just before it hit me.

The sound of metal clashing continued as the intense battle went on.

"You brat! What kind of skill is this?"

"Pretty good, isn't it?"

He probably intended to feint. The goat-headed man, surprised by my dagger skills, swung his rapier horizontally.

I jumped back, dodged the attack, and laughed.

In my mind, I was thinking about how the game mechanics had changed in reality.

In the game, attacks would almost always hit when selected. But in reality, it was a different story. Speed and skill determined whether an attack would land.

I attributed my high dagger skills to my proficiency. In the game, special moves and magic increased, but proficiency meant I became skilled with daggers. My skills improved automatically as my job level increased.

Practicing with stuffed animals at home didn't feel real. In the dungeon training with Yami and the others, I used a mace for safety.

But now, I could feel it. I was calmly fighting an enemy with a dagger, something I had never done before. The game's proficiency meant that in reality, my skills with the weapon associated with my job improved.

Strangely, it didn't feel odd. It felt like I had known it all along. The power of the game within me was impressive, even if it wasn't as cool as a dragon crest or something.

As we clashed, both the goat-headed man and I accumulated cuts. My speed-focused build allowed me to keep up with his wind-enhanced speed.

"Does this brat not feel pain?"

The goat-headed man, who had stabbed my shoulder with his rapier, was surprised. Of course, it hurt. I just didn't show it.

Ignoring the blood flowing from my shoulder, I continued to attack with my dagger.

"You look like you're in pain."

Taking advantage of his momentary lapse, I slashed at his torso with my dagger. The magic barrier blocked the attack, but I managed to graze his skin, leaving a shallow cut.

"Ouch! You, how can you get through my magic barrier? It's the latest model!"

The pain surprised him, and his movements slowed. It was probably just a minor injury. No need to panic.

Despite having the advantage in close combat, the goat-headed man retreated, using wind to fly backward. He was scared. What a coward.

"I'll finish you with magic!"

He raised his palm, preparing to cast a spell with a fierce expression.

"Die!"

"Storm Wind Blade"

A magic circle appeared in front of his palm, and several gusts of wind swirled, forming physical blades that flew toward me. The small blades grew to the size of guillotine blades and attacked me.

I inhaled sharply and used "Defend." The wind blades cut through my body, scattering blood. Cutting a beautiful girl like Miharu is bad. At least just lift her skirt.

"Just a scratch? No way!"

He must have been confident in the spell that had sliced his companions. His mouth trembled as he stared at me.

"No, it hurt quite a bit. If I hadn't used 'Defend,' I might have taken a lot of damage."

"Received Storm Wind Blade. 11 damage!"

Without a shield, I still took damage even with "Defend." The "Defend" command reduces enemy attacks to one-third. With a shield, it's one-sixth. If I had taken it head-on, I would have lost more than half my HP.

"Your turn now."

The goat-headed man was confused and full of openings. It was a mistake to keep his distance from me.

"Hide II"

The level difference was significant, but it shouldn't be a problem. My proficiency should make up for it.

Using "Hide II," Miharu disappeared into the air, successfully hiding.

"What? Disappeared? 'Invisibility!' Damn it, where are you? Where are you?"

He didn't have any equipment to see through invisibility. The goat-headed man looked around, his face showing panic.

Facing a "Thief," keeping his distance was a mistake. Now it was my turn.

Hiding in the space, Miharu bared her fangs and smiled like a predator stalking its prey.