“A weapon falling from midair… You possess some curious arts, don’t you?”
“Don’t worry about it. More importantly, I think this will suit you best.”
I picked a weapon from the heap of piled-up equipment and handed it to Dian Wei.
——
[Equipment Information]
Name: E Lai Twin Iron Ji (惡來雙鐵戟)
Grade: SSR
Martial Force Bonus: +7
Durability: 300/300
Special Effect: If the two ji are wielded one in each hand, Martial Force Bonus is doubled.
Description: A weapon obtained by E Lai (惡來), a fierce general of the Yin dynasty, after killing Jiang Taigong’s nephew and the strongest warrior of the Dongyi tribe, Lü Muwai. Each ji weighs a staggering 80 jin (18 kg).
——
They were two ji with shortened shafts, easy to hold in one hand.
“Wenqian. Hand these to Dian Wei.”
Yue Jin struggled to lift the twin iron ji and slid them through the gap in the cell that confined Dian Wei.
“Dual ji?”
“Yeah.”
“Squad Leader, these things look like they weigh well over 80 jin. How is anyone supposed to swing them with both hands?”
Yue Jin snorted and shook his head.
At that, Dian Wei rose from her seat and, with a sharp hup! of exertion, snapped the ropes in one go.
Yue Jin stared in shock. Dian Wei, paying him no mind, held the iron ji in both hands with an indifferent expression, gauged their weight, then began to swing the twin iron ji at a natural, fluid speed.
“These make for good exercise.”
It was a bizarre sight: two lumps of iron weighing roughly 160 jin in total dancing freely in Dian Wei’s hands, like children who had found water to play in.
At the sight, Yue Jin doubted his own eyes, his mouth falling open as if his jaw would drop.
“Th-that is truly the strength of a human…?”
“You’ll think about it a lot before you sleep, Wenqian.”
“Pardon…?”
It was slightly regrettable that my first SSR-rank weapon wasn’t mine, but what did it matter?
[ Dian Wei’s affinity has reached 60! ]
[ You have obtained 150 yuanbao. ]
If I could obtain Dian Wei, who was called an unmatched warrior of Cao Cao’s army, this much was nothing.
“You there. Move.”
“What?”
“Yue Jin, move aside.”
Yue Jin nodded and stepped back.
A moment later, Dian Wei drew in her strength with a shout, then struck the thick wooden bars of the prison cell that confined her with the twin iron ji.
— Kwaaaang!!!
With that single blow, the thick wooden bars, each as large as an adult’s forearm, were crushed with ease and smashed to pieces.
The impact was so tremendous that it even swallowed the light of the torch Yue Jin was holding.
Pitch-black darkness descended, and the only light left in the world was the moonlight shining through the gaps in the prison.
In the faint moonlight, the corners of Dian Wei’s mouth had risen very high.
“You said your name was Ian?”
“Yeah.”
“This weapon pleases me greatly. Could you give it to me?”
“Of course. In exchange, you’re attacking the mountain stronghold with us.”
“That is something I ought to do as a matter of course. So I shall grant you another request.”
Hearing that, I fell into thought.
‘What should I ask for?’
Basically, the value of an SSR weapon wasn’t all that high.
Due to the nature of gacha games, currency and equipment inevitably accumulated as time went on, and later on they simply became burdens taking up inventory slots.
But it was a different story in the early stages, when everything was lacking.
You were so poor you wouldn’t even think about using combinations to obtain higher-grade weapons.
‘Wait… now that I think about it, there was that!’
The word “combination” reminded me that in Misam 8, there were synergies between generals.
For example, if Liu Bei, Zhang Fei, and Guan Yu were placed together, their Martial Force and Command would each increase by 3.
Dian Wei was also a general who had such a synergy.
When she was beside Cao Cao, her Martial Force increased by +5, and when she was with Xu Chu, it increased by +2.
Dian Wei’s Martial Force while standing beside Cao Cao with the twin iron ji in hand was a staggering 114.
That was on par with Lü Bu, the strongest warrior in the work, and with almost no one else to rival her, she was optimal for protecting Cao Cao.
“Then… enter service in Cao Cao’s army.”
“…Huh?”
“I’d like you to become my lord’s guard general and protect her.”
“…Is that all?”
I nodded.
What was the most important thing in Cao Cao’s army?
Cao Cao herself.
Cao Cao’s army without Cao Cao was like steamed bread without red bean filling, or sundae soup without sundae.
‘Cao Cao’s team without Cao Cao… Just imagining it is horrifying.’
[ Dian Wei’s affinity has increased slightly. ]
[ Dian Wei’s affinity has reached 80! ]
[ You have obtained 50 yuanbao. ]
‘Huh? Her affinity rises again here?’
“In this chaotic age, such chivalry is rare indeed. Truly beautiful.”
Dian Wei nodded and gripped the iron ji in both hands.
“Good. As you say, I shall enter service in Cao Cao’s army and protect the Administrator.”
Dian Wei’s sharp gaze pierced through me.
“And as a bonus, I’ll protect you too.”
“…As a bonus?”
Dian Wei smiled faintly.
It was then.
“What’s that sound… hic!”
“There are intruders in the prison… no, are they on our side? Hehehehe.”
“Hey, you crazy bastards! Get a grip! The woman we were going to present to the boss is wandering around! This is an emergency!”
Perhaps it was because of the thunderous noise Dian Wei had made when she shattered the bars.
The Black Mountain bandits came to meet us with torches and weapons in hand.
The number, which had been four at first, quickly swelled, and dozens of soldiers began pouring into the prison.
“S-Squad Leader! What do we do?! There look to be at least dozens of them!”
“Don’t panic. This actually works out well. It saves us the trouble of going to find them.”
Yue Jin panicked and drew his ring-pommeled saber, but I wasn’t flustered in the slightest as I calmly looked at the enemies.
Because the Black Mountain bandits were already dead drunk, and even walking looked difficult for them.
It was then.
“Leave it to me.”
Leaving behind that brief sentence, Dian Wei charged at the Black Mountain bandits in an instant.
— Kwaaaang!!!
When Dian Wei swung the twin iron ji, the bodies of the Black Mountain bandits at the front were crushed outright and scattered in all directions, accompanied by a roar that seemed to make the earth cave in.
The weapons they held were reduced to scrap metal, mangled beyond recognition, and the sound of human bone and flesh being torn apart was so savage that an ordinary person could hardly endure it.
And at last, Dian Wei, who had single-handedly dealt with dozens of soldiers, flicked the blood from her iron ji.
[1. Defeat enemies. 45/50]
In the blink of an eye, Dian Wei had nearly filled the quota for the weekly quest.
[3. Earn merit. 4600/5000]
On top of that, merit had been filled as a bonus.
‘At this pace, by the time we descend the mountain, I’ll have filled all 5000.’
“Ian, follow me. I know where the bandits are gathered.”
I nodded without hesitation and drew the Qinggang Sword.
“Wenqian, hold up the torch. We’re following Dian Wei.”
“Yes, Squad Leader!”
It was then.
“My lord! We can fight too.”
“I can’t fight, but… I know where the food storehouse and weapons storehouse are!”
The prisoners, having seen Dian Wei’s martial prowess with their own eyes, spoke up with courage.
I smiled in satisfaction and devised a plan to make use of them.
***
Make a sound in the east, strike in the west.
This phrase, meaning “create noise in the east and attack from the west,” comes from the Thirty-Six Stratagems.
Yes, the same Thirty-Six Stratagems as in “of the Thirty-Six Stratagems, fleeing is best.”
“Wenqian, now. Set it on fire.”
Yue Jin and the prisoners threw their torches straight into the food storehouse.
The wooden building blazed up spectacularly, giving off a savory smell.
“Fire!”
“The food storehouse is on fire!”
“You crazy— Who the hell did this?!”
While the Black Mountain bandits were thrown into confusion, we arrived at the weapons storehouse and armed ourselves.
“Wenqian, now.”
“Yes!”
Yue Jin took a whistle from his robe and blew it forcefully.
It was time for the three peasant soldiers waiting outside to splendidly draw their attention.
“What’s that sound?!”
“An enemy attack…?!”
“Everyone, grab your weapons— What the hell, the weapons storehouse is burning too!”
The noncombatants took whatever usable weapons they could and hid in the forest, while the three of us—I, Yue Jin, and Dian Wei—hid in the darkness and began hunting down the Black Mountain bandits one by one.
It was then.
[ Sui Gu (R) ]
A green message appeared before my eyes.
As if to show he was no ordinary Black Mountain bandit, his rank was also one step higher.
“Just what rat bastard is behind this?!”
A man as big as a mountain, a sharpened great saber slung over his shoulder, was bellowing at the top of his lungs.
‘A named monster?’
I lightly gripped the Qinggang Sword at my waist and slowly walked toward the man.
“Was it you? Are you the one who caused this mess?”
That was Sui Gu’s final line.
— Shhk!
Sui Gu’s form, unable to withstand even a single exchange, collapsed limply.
“Deputy Chieeef!”
“The deputy chief has been killed! Everyone, run!”
The Black Mountain bandits fled in utter disorder.
I quickly ran after them and cut them all down with the Qinggang Sword.
— Shhk!
The moment I cut down the last fleeing Black Mountain bandit, an alert rang out.
[ You have completed the faction quest! ]
The quest Xi Zhicai had assigned was automatically completed.
[ You have completed the official post quest! ]
[ Go to Cao Cao to receive your reward. ]
On top of that, the merit I’d gained through the quest had even completed the official post quest.
“Squad Leader…!!”
After sliding the Qinggang Sword back into its sheath, I was checking the SR weapon box, the reward from the faction quest, in my inventory when Yue Jin came running from far away.
“I killed all the Black Mountain bandits in the area! More importantly, you truly cut down the enemy commander in the blink of an eye. Judging by the circumstances, he seems to have been Sui Gu, the leader of this place.”
Since I already knew from the system, I merely nodded.
“You’ve got quite a lot of raw strength, unlike how you look, Ian.”
Dian Wei, seemingly finished with her battle as well, came walking over as she shook off her twin iron ji.
“It seems this place is more or less settled. What’s the plan from here?”
“The plan…”
I looked around.
Every wooden building, without exception, was burning.
Since an alert saying the quest had been completed had popped up, it seemed Xi Zhicai’s mission had already been accomplished.
“There’s nothing more to do here. When day breaks, we’ll descend the mountain and return to the barracks in Dongwuyang. Dian Wei, you’re coming with us.”
“I do not say two things with one mouth. As promised, I shall enter service in Cao Cao’s army.”
Dian Wei nodded as she spoke.
“More importantly, I have something to say to you.”
“What is it?”
Dian Wei set the twin iron ji she was holding on the ground and loosened her body.
“I saw it clearly earlier—the way you cut down the leader in a single stroke.”
At the same time, Dian Wei’s gaze fixed on me, chilling my very liver and gall. I could roughly guess what she was going to say.
“A blow that showed not a single trace of technique, relying solely on raw strength.”
Dian Wei picked up her twin iron ji and took a stance toward me.
“Before I enter service, I’ve become curious to confirm your true ability.”
With eyes burning with fighting spirit, Dian Wei licked her lips and smiled.
“Let us spar. It would be a shame to do it for nothing, so let’s make a wager.”
“What kind of wager?”
“The loser becomes the younger sibling. How about it?”
Pretending to think for a moment, I waited for a quest.
“………Hmm.”
Wasn’t it a cliché for a quest to appear at a time like this?
“Well, fine. Honestly, I’m curious too.”
In truth, it didn’t matter even if it didn’t give me any currency.
How many people could resist a duel in Romance of the Three Kingdoms?
“Because I don’t really know how strong I am either.”