As a victim of a robbery, the town provided me with five copper coins to help me get back on my feet. It was a generous program under the jurisdiction of Duke Malakus. Along with the coins, they offered me a place to stay for the night, as it was already dark when I arrived.
Duke Malakus might be the owner of the cultivation grounds. Although I had no memories of him, it's possible he didn't play a significant role in the formation of the Subjugation Company.
I knew I had to leave this town first thing in the morning. There were no valuable artifacts here, and I knew the location of all unique artifacts, having been a member of the Subjugation Company tasked with finding useful items to fight the dragons and their kin.
The locations of undiscovered artifacts don't change, so with my memories from three years prior, I could collect all of them for myself. I needed the power to prevent any revival of the dragons.
The next day arrived quickly, and I was already on my way out of town with the supplies I bought using the money given to me. With the five copper coins, I managed to buy a used dagger, a ragged map, and clothes made from low-quality fabric. Despite the limited funds, I was better off than having nothing.
Duke Malakus' territory lay to the north of Ring City, 135 kilometers away via the paved road. I had no plans to return, as I already possessed the Boots of Aurora. Instead, I aimed to acquire the next artifact near my current location, just outside the duke's territory.
[Dear Host, I suggest you focus on eliminating the results of the dragon disciples' actions rather than locating them, to save time.]
As soon as I heard what the system said, I shook my head.
"My conscience will gnaw at me. Dragon disciples use human lives to revive and supply the energy needed to bring back the Dragons and the remnants of their kin. I need to locate them and stop them."
Despite not being able to utilize my time perfectly and maintain a solid focus on growing, I wanted to remove the roots, not just the stems and trunks. There were drawbacks to this goal, but it was the best approach I could think of.
[Sacrificing the minority for the safety of the majority is what protects the world and allows it to continue to prosper.]
I sighed. "You don't have emotional intelligence, I presume. While it's true that guards, soldiers, volunteers, and knights sacrifice their lives, the people dragon disciples sacrifice are innocent and haven't chosen to risk their lives for the majority's prosperity."
The system fell silent for a few seconds before it apologized.
The system might have read my memories and thought of ways to help me, but it wasn't needed. Its advice contradicted my beliefs. I didn't want to drag my friends, family, and innocent people into this fight. If possible, I wanted to face the dragon disciples on my own.
However, I knew this wasn't the best approach. I could get help from others to lessen the difficulty and ultimately reach my goal.
My reluctance to involve others stemmed from the fear that I might overestimate myself, thinking I could protect them on the battlefield. Even though I was already overestimating myself by not putting them in danger, it was a hypocrisy I would have to swallow.
I believed that with the system and my god-given gift, I was tasked to protect everyone in this world.
[Dear Host, how about you mark the locations of the revival rituals? We can devise a plan to eliminate the dragon disciples once they start their rituals. That way, we can use the artifact abilities we might obtain on our journey.]
I wasn't confident in the timeline, as the flow had changed. I doubted the revival rituals would take place in the same locations. However, it didn't mean I couldn't mark those as possible sites and prepare as early as possible.
First, I needed to create a gadget I could control remotely. This way, I could maintain control in multiple locations. To defeat huge monsters, I needed either powerful spells and numerous attacks or another giant.
Gadgets… I knew how to create one, but I wasn't sure if I had the resources. It would take time to create the parts myself, so I needed an artifact to help me craft the components of such a gadget.
I should create a giant humanoid made from metal for better durability and stronger power output. Force is just acceleration and mass. With steel's mass and core stones supplying the gadget's mobility, I could craft a giant brawler made of metal.
That's the first plan. Huge weapons!
I need to get the Ore Machine!
[Dear Host, your plan is amazing. But I have a suggestion. How about you collect artifacts and merge them to gain better abilities?]
"I've already thought about it, but with the complexity of merging, there's a risk of failure. That would jeopardize the artifact's condition," I said, finding a boulder to lay out the map. I marked the locations of the artifacts with scratches and pinpointed the revival rituals with small holes.
[I thought I already explained this. To simplify, merging artifacts requires them to be from the same family line. While the success and failure rates are undetermined, I suggest merging original artifacts with similar uses. As I am still maturing as your cultivation base, the Assimilation System, there's a possibility you could develop your own features.]
I didn't want to rely on uncertainty. However, I wouldn't let a potentially useful feature go unused. I could experiment with merging common artifacts to see if I could get better abilities.
As I finished marking, I followed the track to my hometown on the map. It wasn't a long journey from where the Ore Machine was located, but to utilize my time, I decided to get the nearest artifacts before reaching home.
My memories of future events might have changed, but I knew all the unique artifacts' locations.
Before noon arrived, I managed to cast Wide Range Explosion in a remote open area, away from the paved road. It was superb! The feeling of mana running through my veins was nostalgic! It tickled a little, but the explosion interrupted it.
As I looked at the Control Panel, I watched how a new spell appeared.
---
[Spells]
[Wide Range Explosion] – 30s
[?] [?] [?] [?] [?]
…
---
There was a cooldown for every spell? It might because of the challenge casting one that a cooldown was needed in order to prepare for it. Even though it promised instant casting, there were still plenty of slots that their first use would already finish another's cooldown. However, I never intended to leave this feature of my system untested.
'Wide Range Explosion!' I thought, aiming at the same bowl-shaped depression on the ground which was the result of the earlier explosion.
I was almost blown away by the sudden deafening roar and burning heat of the explosion. It appeared wasting no time! Fucking amazing! This would change the tide really well!
Realizing the magnitude of this ability, I couldn't help but grin while looking at the crater. Those Dragon Disciples wouldn't succeed, that is for sure.