Chapter 34: Dismantling the Emperor

★★★ Indomitable Sword Stalker Lv. 17

Alright, the amplification is done.

The level was 17, except for one at 49.

But had he really gotten stronger?

There wasn’t any noticeable change.

If he had been an elite swordsman whose attack and defense rose, that would be different, but the Sword Stalker’s strength lay solely in his traits being enhanced.

“Wow! How does it feel to become 3-star, brother! Only two days since arriving at Valhalla and already amplified. You really are something! Haha!”

Gobori laughed as he patted me.

I smiled lightly to answer,

“Hmph! You think the rating alone means you’ll feel a difference? There’s no special feeling at all!”

“Who asked you? That’s just because you’re a freeloader support!”

“What? Me, a freeloader? Are you crazy!”

Rose snorted, cutting in.

As usual, the two bickered back and forth.

[Repairable Equipment]
[★★★★ Uruk Slayer] [1,940 Gold]
[★★★ Sage’s White Staff] [-40 Gold]
[★★★ Smokebomb] [-10 Gold]
[★★ Half Plate Mail] [-330 Gold]
[★★ Stuh Helm] [-290 Gold]
[★★ Heater Shield] [-170 Gold]
[★★ Red Ogre Mask] [-20 Gold]
[★★ Bomb Slingshot] [-360 Gold]
[★★ Necklace of Protection] [-240 Gold]
[★ Folding Knife] [-110 Gold]
[★ Leather Sandals] [-210 Gold]
[★ Pearl Earring] [-90 Gold]
[Total cost: 3,810 Gold]

I lightly warmed up and started my day’s work.

First, repairing equipment.

I spared no expense fixing everyone’s gear.

Since I planned to start card grinding, I could safely un-equip the gear.

[Starting repairs!]
[Estimated completion time] [16:34]

“Hmm? Haha! Time to get to work! I’ll head inside! Good luck to everyone! Heh heh!”

Dulv whistled as he disappeared.

Was he really that happy to be repairing?

Dulv entering the workshop looked happier than anyone else in the world.

“Ugh! What are we doing today? Are we going to the desert we skipped yesterday? That map’s actually pretty fun!”

“What’s he talking about? Have you never been to the desert? It’s just a place where you sweat buckets!”

“Nope! Haven’t gone! Just looked around all the time!”

“Ah… sorry.”

Gobori and Rose chatted.

Those two…

Could they not see the cards on stage?

I smiled slyly and gave them a hint.

“Well, maybe we’ll open the cards we skipped yesterday first? There were quite a few of those.”

“Oh, right? I wonder what will come out today… Eeek?”

Gobori suddenly looked shocked as his gaze shifted.

“Huh? Why? Eeek! What is all that?”

Rose’s eyes went wide in alarm as well.

Their reactions made my heart swell with pride.

“Pfft. Actually, I farmed a bit yesterday. Collected quite a lot, right? Gathered with the orcs.”

“Is all that just normal cards? How little must you want to spend money…”

“What! You pushed the story while we weren’t here? With that much, you must’ve reached episode 8?”

At my words, Gobori and Rose answered.

They flipped the cards over with a casual smile.

I was getting tired of waiting anyway.

“Nope. Just farming the boss dungeon. Looks like you’ll go through the story with us. Anyway, the cards… Oh? Opening now! They’re opening them now!”

[☆ Healing Potion]

Tap!

As always, potions first.

[★★ Pigtail Sword Spear]
[★★ Grisha Dagger]
[☆ Healing Potion]
[★ Apprentice Mage’s Shortbow]

Tap-tap! Tap! Tap! Tap! Tap-tap!

They kept flipping the cards without pause.

Unless a special hero or piece of equipment appeared, I kept flipping without checking.

“Ah! It’s pouring out nicely! Today’s Christmas! Yahoo!”

“That’s mine! That’s mine too! All mine!”

Among the flood of gear, Gobori and Rose looked happy as well.

Bang!

[★★★ Twin-Axe Barbarian]

“The battle calls! Kraaaah!”

At last, the first hero appeared.

A hero armed with two axes?

Whoosh!

The stage filled so much the warrior who came from the card vanished.

I stopped and listened carefully.

“A barbarian, huh. He’s outdated in the current meta, isn’t he? Used to be common.”

“They say he’s still used in the dirt-poor charge combo these days. Holding two axes lets him boost damage easily.”

Rose and Gobori gave the commentary.

Just as I’d hoped.

Without them, I wouldn’t have heard such information. Waiting for them to open the cards was the right choice.

[★★ Sharp Spear]
[★ One-Handed Bearded Axe]
[★★★ Lion’s Shoulder Armor]
[★★★★ Promised Sword of Victory]

Tap-tap-tap! Bang!

“Oh!”
“4-star!”

After laying down about eighteen cards, a 4-star appeared.

“I ask you: are you my master?”

He was a swordsman with bright yellow hair and a blue cape, looking quite serious.

Was he a pretty strong hero?

Whoosh!

“Wasn’t he a collaboration hero just now? Targeting the otakus.”

“Collab? No, he’s a plagiarized character.”

“Oh, a plagiarized character? Figures.”

Rose and Gobori muttered.

Collaboration and plagiarism?

There wasn’t much talk about his performance.

I didn’t bother thinking about it and flipped more cards.

[★ Leaf-Woven Ring]
[★★★ Blood Fist]
[☆ Healing Potion]
[☆ Healing Potion]
[★★ Spike Boots]

Tap! Tap-tap! Tuuuk!

Gear kept pouring out nonstop.

Was this already the thirtieth card?

Wasn’t it about time a 5-star hero appeared?

Crash!

“Oh!”
“5-star!”

Just as I was about to get annoyed, a 5-star came out.

The first 5-star hero emerged from the red flames.

[★ Waganawa the Baby Mage!]

“Waaah! I’m a baby mage! Buff me! Waaah!”

A girl with red pigtails.

||

Everyone was speechless at the familiar appearance.

Whoosh!

“That’s… that one, right? A concept hero. Most likely there’s an old man inside the shell.”

Only after the mage disappeared did someone speak.

“Wow. Brother, you adjust fast. Babies never take that kind of concept. That kind of hero is 100% an old man inside. One hundred percent!”

“Ugh. What an extreme concept. Look at my goosebumps!”

Gobori and Rose also clicked their tongues in disgust.

At this point, I had to get used to it.

I smirked and flipped the next card.

[★★★★ Ice Ring]
[★★★ Scroll: Poison Spray]
[★★ Round Shield]
[☆ Healing Potion]
[★★ Sky Pirate Crew Marauder]

Tap! Bang! Tap-tap! Bang!

Two bursts echoed.

One was a 3-star scroll.

“Now! I’m the boss!”

The other was a pirate with a black eye patch.

Whoosh!

“Ordinary.”

“Ordinary, huh?”

From their reactions, it seemed to be a plain 2-star hero.

It was a little funny for me, a former 2-star wandering swordsman, to be judging.

Bang!
Clank!

[☆★ Blind Chain Chaser]

With a chilling sound, a hero appeared.

A woman with long white hair whose eyes were covered by an eyepatch.

Was she truly blind, just as her name suggested?

She was a strange hero, wrapped entirely in chains.

Whoosh!

“Wow. Creepy. She’s the real deal, right? A real chaser.”

“Yeah, she is. But how does someone like that get in? Should I be happy or worried?”

After the chaser disappeared, Rose and Gobori muttered.

“Real deal?”

“Is that the ‘jin’ from ‘jinta’ (loser)?”

“Why? Is she a bad hero? What kind of hero is she?”

“No, among assassin classes, she’s top-tier. She’s the original Blind Chain Chaser.”

“That’s why they say ‘jin’?”

I nodded at Gobori’s words.

Real ‘jin’.

That’s what it meant.

“Tch. She’s a hero, but it’s a shameful title. She supposedly killed most of her own channel members herself. So she’s a loner.”

“Yeah, usually heroes are friendly with each other. But she’s the exception.”

“That’s why you have to be nice. You die, and heaven’s just filled with people you killed? That’s not heaven. It’s hell.”

“Be careful. According to her channel, she was an incredible murderer in life. Practically an apocalypse walking.”

Rose and Gobori explained.

An apocalypse walking.

That was a grim story.

I’d have to think twice about using the Blind Chain Assassin.

Bang!

[★★★ Sage of the Gray Forest]

The next card showed an old man with a gray beard.

Bang!

[★★ Honeyfist Ogre]

“What are you looking at!”

A 3-meter tall ogre clad in steel armor.

Crash!

“5-star!”

“When you open 50 cards, two should appear!”

The second 5-star hero appeared amidst red flames.

I stopped and focused on the stage.

[Arcturus the Ferocious Emperor]

“Hahaha! Bow your heads, all! The Emperor has arrived!”

‘Huh?’

The hero who appeared on stage was the Emperor.

Was he the Emperor I knew?

Our eyes met briefly, but then,

“What are you staring at, damn it? Wanna die?”

The Emperor snapped coldly, growling.

Ah.

He wasn’t the Emperor I knew.

The real Emperor belonged to another game, so this was just a copycat.

Whoosh!

“Wow! Arcturus showed up? He’s a real meta breaker! There’s a team built around Arcturus!”

“No hero beats Arcturus! We’re seasoned players, and we got that one!”

When the Emperor disappeared, the two got excited.

Was the Emperor really that strong?

I felt annoyed and hit the dismantle button.

[Disassembling the next hero.]
[★★★★★ Arcturus the Ferocious Emperor]
[Warning! Once dismantled, heroes cannot be restored!]
[Warning! This hero is 5-star! Are you sure you want to dismantle?]

And just like that, I scrapped him.

So many warnings—I didn’t get it.

Crash!

“W-why! Why dismantle me! Kyaaa!!!”

A scream echoed from Dulv’s workshop.

“Huh? Why?”

“Why scrap that? Are you crazy?”

Gobori and Rose shouted.

But I had no regrets.

Even if the Emperor was a zero-tier hero, I’d never use him.

[Received 500 Dust as reward!]

Red dust flowed onto the screen.

With this, I could craft heroes or skill scrolls I wanted, right?

I’d use the dust from dismantling the Emperor on something better.

Better than the Emperor.

[★★★★ Arbon’s Shield]
[★★★ Scroll: Shield Charge]

Bang! Bang!

“Oh!”
“Shield Charge!”

Next came a shield and a scroll.

I checked briefly.

“Brother! You have to use this! It’s deadly in your hands!”

“It’d suit you well. Our user base would probably give it to you.”

Gobori and Rose giggled.

Was this skill really that good?

I focused back on flipping cards.

There was so much gear, I wondered when I’d ever finish sorting it.

Crash!

“Oh!”
“5-star!”

Once more, flames exploded.

The ninth hero I drew today.

The third 5-star hero overall.

[★ Cursed Sword Likaos]

But only a black sword was stuck in the stage.

What was this?

Hadn’t a hero appeared?

Whoosh!

Suddenly, the sword vanished.

My eyes went wide at the disappearing weapon.

“What? Why did the equipment disappear? Could it have been a hero?”

“Ah! Valhalla has all kinds of heroes! This is a sort of ‘ego sword’—a sword that attacks party members! It’s an ego sword!”

Gobori raised his hand to answer.

“But how do those die? If the blade breaks, is that death?”

“Hmm? Should we ask Dulv? He’d probably know.”

“Yeah! That guy would know!”

Rose and Gobori whispered.

A sentient sword.

A kind of ego sword, huh?

I never thought I’d see a sword we only heard of in legends come to life.

Anyway, Valhalla was full of strange heroes.

Bang! Bang!

[★★ Rookie Spearman Mercenary]
[★★ Gnawing Tooth Fairy]

Next cards showed a mercenary with a spear and a fairy with huge teeth.

Bang!

[★★★ Elven Knight of the Silver Armor]

An elf in white armor appeared.

His eyes under deep eyelashes left a strong impression.

“Wow, so many! Flipping cards all day!”

“Dulv should be out soon too! He’s going to be shocked when he sees all this equipment!”

Rose and Gobori cheered.

Thirteen cards remained.

Dulv’s repairs were almost done.

I diligently flipped the remaining cards.

Bang!

[★★ Abandoned Heal Shuttle]

A healer looking a bit young appeared.

Bang!

[★★★ Goblin Elite Swordsman]

“I wield the sword!”

A heavily armored Goblin holding a sword came out.

“Oh! Brother!”

Gobori got interested and happy for a moment, but then said,

“Oh. A Goblin from Goslay, huh? I thought he was someone else.”

“Huh? Why? What’s different between you and them?”

“Hey! Don’t compare! Goslay Goblins are barbarians! Comparing them to a civilized guy like me is disrespectful!”

“They look the same to me.”

“Ugh!”

Rose and Gobori bickered, getting worked up.

I laughed roughly and flipped cards again.

[☆ Healing Potion]
[☆ Healing Potion]
[☆ Healing Potion]
[☆ Healing Potion]

Tap-tap-tap!

“Crazy.”

“Too much.”

Suddenly, potions poured out in succession.

The number of remaining cards shrank pointlessly, and then,

Bang!

The last card’s loud bang rang out.

The fifteenth hero from the 100 cards.

“Eek! Again? I don’t want to die… Why do I keep getting summoned? I was summoned yesterday too!”

‘Huh?’

The hero from the last card was a familiar face.

Freckles over the nose.

Red hair peeking from the robe.

The terrified expression refusing to die was…

[★★ Apprentice Mage]

‘Of course.’

The apprentice I met yesterday.

The apprentice I met in the first game was summoned to my party.