Holding the blade and maps tightly in his right hand, Igaris took a deep breath and muttered:
The word echoed softly in the dim room—but its effect was anything but small.
In an instant, his hand lit up with a radiant platinum glow. The energy surged out like ripples across water, wrapping around the blade and the worn maps with a pulsing brilliance.
Igaris's eyes widened in disbelief.
"It's really happening..." he whispered. "Doesn't that mean—?"
A series of glowing text appeared before his eyes, suspended in midair like a divine revelation.
[ Acquisition Successful ]
[ You have Acquired: Old Iron Blade (Object)]
[ You have Acquired: Tattered Maps (Object) ]
The moment the notifications faded, the items in his hand shimmered... and vanished into particles of light.
Igaris's breath caught in his throat.
The blade and maps still existed. He could feel their presence within him.
He called them back, and observed them close.
They looked the same when summoned, but something fundamental was different.
The aura of the previous owner... the scent of usage, the invisible imprint of the Ranger was completely gone.
Now, they belonged to him. And even more, they could be summoned or dismissed at will, just like Dred.
Igaris stood frozen for a moment, then gasped as the realization hit him fully.
The Acquisition worked. It actually worked on the non living.
This wasn't just a trick or a one-time fluke. His Innate Ability: Infinite Acquisition could truly let him acquire anything he want.
The implications were staggering.
Weapons. Maps. Tools. Even artifacts or magical relics... And more importantly Mechas... if he could touch them, he could claim them all.
Now he wasn't just any Summoner with great potential. He was now something else entirely.
And something the world wasn't ready for.
"What are you doing, big brother?"
The soft, sleepy voice came from behind. Isadora stood there, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand.
Igaris quickly steadied his breathing and dismissed the items from his hand in a flash of pale light.
Then, turning to her with a grin, he said, "Nothing. I just came here to wake you up, sleepy sloth."
Isadora squinted at him suspiciously. Though she hadn't seen what he was doing, it was clear he hadn't come just to wake her. Still, she didn't press the issue.
With a lazy stretch and a wide yawn, she rolled her shoulders and got up from the mat, her small frame still fighting the pull of sleep.
Then she followed Igaris out of the hut.
Once outside, a harsh scene greeted them.
A group of rough-looking men stood in front of their mother, talking in rude and aggressive voice.
"Shut up, b*tch! We're here under orders from our leader Eagle. You can't stop us from searching your house. So just step aside obediently," one of the men growled.
His eyes roamed over Roxanne's body with vile intent, and he licked his lips as if savoring a meal.
The other 3-4 more men also wore same perverted grins, twisted with lust and cruelty.
Roxanne stood firm, but her discomfort was evident. It was as if invisible insects crawled over her skin, under the weight of their lustful hungry stares.
Still she wasn't afraid, just felt disgusted. Extremely disgusted.
Just as the filthy hands began creeping closer, Igaris stepped in.
He moved with quiet certainty, placing himself between the men and Roxxane.
His gaze was icy cold.
"Take one more step... and you'll die."
The men snickered, unfazed by his threat.
"Haha... Who are you kidding? You're still just a brat, Igor. Don't think Blaze will come to save you.
You don't know, but he acts like a dog before our leader.
So step aside and let us do our job,"
the leading man sneered, lifting a sharpened battle axe and pointing it toward Igaris's chest.
"Dilo, go search everywhere!" One of them commanded.
At that moment, the large hound beside them began sniffing the air and moved directly toward Igaris.
The rowdy men exchanged looks, their eyes widening as if they'd already found their culprit.
But Igaris still remained calm.
He didn't flinch, didn't move a muscle. He let the beast do as it wished, without interruption.
It licked, sniffed around his clothes, face, legs. Despite that he didn't move.
Because he knew well that it wasn't time to strike yet.
The hound lingered for a moment more, then turned away.
From the looks of it, it couldn't find anything. No blood stains, no lingering scent.
And why would Igaris have them, when Dred was the one who did the killings.
As such he was completely out of the hound's suspicion.
Next, it began sniffing the area around the hut, searching the perimeter.
"Tsk. Such a letdown. This one's clean too," muttered a skinny man from the group, clicking his tongue in frustration.
"So, no do you Want to tell me what you're actually looking for?" Igaris asked, feigning ignorance.
The leader frowned, then replied with annoyance, "Someone killed Ranger and his team last night. We're here to sniff out the killer."
"Anyway..." He narrowed his eyes and leaned in. "A little bird told me you had a scuffle with him yesterday. And got your ass beat too. Are you involved in the killing somehow?"
Igaris's face was calm with silent rage.
"Unfortunately, I didn't get the chance. That bastard tried to r*pe my little sister.
That's why I'm actually glad someone made him pay. I'm thankful to whoever did it," Igaris said coldly, his voice seething with hate.
The leader roared and without hesitation—
A heavy slap crashed into Igaris's face, sending him sprawling to the dirt.
The force alone knocked the air from his lungs, leaving a clear red handprint on his left cheeck.
With Igaris's increased strength, it should have been possible to block it.
But it seemed, this man wasn't ordinary either.
Maybe the hound was his contracted beast. That mean he was a summoner.
"Brother!" Isadora cried, dashing toward him, eyes wide with fear and fury.
Roxanne didn't move, but the air around her buzzed suddenly.
Raw killing intent pulsed from her like a silent storm.
The ground itself seemed to tremble as her golden hair fluttered in a wind that hadn't existed seconds ago.
Her eyes, cold and unyielding, pierced through the rowdy men like ice spears.
All the men froze. Even the bravest among them felt their hearts race, instincts screaming that something was wrong. Very wrong.
Still, they forced themselves to be brave.
"What are you looking at, bitch?" one spat, though his voice wavered. "Be grateful we didn't kill the brat."
The leader clicked his tongue and gestured to the others.
"We're leaving. But don't think this is over. You're still under suspicion. Our leader will decide your fate."
With that, the group moved on, heading to the next house, with their hound trailing behind.
It had sniffed for longer than usual around Igaris's place, but still found nothing.
As the men left, the raging wind died down.
Roxanne's rage calmed down as well.
Then she dropped to her knees beside Igaris, her fingers gently brushing the bruised side of his face.
Her golden hair settled around her shoulders, turning soft and gentle once more.
The cold, deadly aura was gone, like it had never existed.
As if the fierce warrior from moments ago had been nothing more than a illusion.